Council takes ownership of former Ontario Travel Information Centre

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Rainy River town council held their regular monthly meeting a day late due to the fire at the CN Hotel this week.
All of council was present and conducted the following business:
•Mayor Deb Ewald announced that the Town of Rainy River is the proud owner of the former Ontario Travel Information Centre.
They will begin planning for its use this fall and they hope to have it open in the spring.
•Council passed a Commodity Price Hedging Policy that will allow them to hedge on the price of electricity. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has an energy procurement program where they can purchase blocks of electricity at a reduced rate and sell to participating municipalities. The power purchased will be for only Town of Rainy River facilities, not for general public consumption.
•Council amended its Cemetery and Misc. User Fee By-law to change the maintenance fees per plot to $250.
•Council paid its per capita fee of $213.57 to Ontario Sunset Country for marketing.
•Building permit fees were waived by council for the Rainy River Walleye Tournament tent erection.
•An application will be made to the small project component of the Enabling Accessibility Fund for the installation of accessible entrances for the municipal office main doorway and for repairs to the ramps on both sides of the building.
•Support for the passing of Bill 76 was given unanimously. It calls for a public referendum in the event the province moves forward on proposals by the province to build 29 new casinos.
•Council supported an request from the Rainy River District Law Library Association to have the District Court House renovated as it was recently flooded on the lower level. RRDLLA would like to see the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario provide immediate capital funding for the project.
•Mayor Ewald and councillors Ashley Stamler, Gord Armstrong, Larry Armstrong and Susan Carpenter voted to send themselves to the Rainy River District Municipal Association's Annual General Meeting on September 19, 2012 in Emo with expenses paid.