Thunder Bay

By Michael Lynch For almost 50 years Murray Jardine, a stationary engineer, has been warning anyone who will listen that logs and bark in northwestern Ontario lakes are harming water quality.

The Lake Nipigon region has become one of the North's hot spots in terms of platinum group element (PGE) exploration.

If Nipigon taxpayers want to give their community a facelift they are going to have dig deep into their pockets to pay for it. A proposed revitalization project will cost the town of 2,400 residents $12 million.

The Land of Nipigon Chamber of Commerce will host the 2002 spring meeting of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce April 19 to 21.

Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. is expected to have its paper mill in Kenora in full operation by March 10. The mill was shutdown for seven weeks after a granite roller exploded on the No. 10 paper machine.

Kenora-Rainy River MP Robert Nault is suggesting communities get together as a region to access federal funding for economic development and health.

An industrial tax rate cap in Dryden is limiting the cityÕs sources of tax revenue. Residential taxes in Dryden must rise by 65 per cent before the cityÕs industrial rates will be affected.

A $155-million construction project set to begin in April will significantly reduce the odour at Weyerhaeuser Inc.'s Dryden mill. The main feature of the kraft mill project is a new recovery boiler and precipitator.

By Michael Lynch A $300-million construction boom in Dryden has the business community excited.

Pele Mountain Resources Inc. has recovered 96 commercial-size diamonds from its first 100-tonne bulk sample extracted from its Festival Property, located about 25 kilometres north of Wawa.