Hospital Expects to File Deficit for Upcoming Year

Funding changes are affecting the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The province is going away with global funding and changing to a Quality Based Practices model.

The QBP model tracks the amount of procedures performed at hospitals and takes away funding to provide back over time.

As a result the Lake of the Woods District Hospital is expecting to file a deficit for the upcoming year of $887,000.

However, the board says they are not currently expecting to cut any services provided at the hospital.

Dragon Boat Festival Cancelled

Dragon boats won't be plying the waters of Rabbit Lake this
summer.

The Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation
has announced that it will be cancelling the popular Dragon Boat
Festival.

Chair of the foundation, Don Parfitt says they just don't have enough
volunteers to keep the event running.

Parfitt says the Dragon Boat festival has averaged about 20 thousand
dollars in revenue each year.

Development Commission Appears Before Budget Committee

The Lake of the Woods Development Commission is being grilled
about its spending.

Members of the Commission appeared before the city's budget committee yesterday.

Fred Wright is one of the directors and admits it was a learning year with
both the Whitecap Pavillion and Discovery Center coming on line.

He says their goal going forward is to better match their costs with their
revenues.

Wright says the Discovery Center cost about 30 thousand dollars more to operate than expected, in part because they handed out more tourist brochures due to the closure of the Tourist Information Center at the
Ontario/Manitoba Border.

Health Unit Supports Report on Childhood Obesity

A registered dietician with the Northwestern Health Unit has some healthy eating tips following this week's report on childhood obesity.

Julie Slack says children tend to copy what their parents do.

Slack also recommends keeping healthy foods, like cut-up veggies in fruits, in the fridge at eye level.

Slack says schools have really stepped up their game in promoting healthy food choices and parents
need to follow suit.

Campbell Supports Changes to Gas Tax Revenue

Call it the first step to correct infrastructure funding.

Kenora Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell spoke in the legislature about a new bill that will change how the gas tax is divided.

Campbell says she supports the bill even though it doesn't solve all the issues.

Campbell says the bill is a good step in pressuring the government to set up a dedicated fund for infrastructure maintenance that will benefit rural and Northern Ontario.

New MNR Minister Addresses Job Cuts

The new Minister of Natural Resources is commenting on any future job cuts in his ministry.

The province talked in September of 2012 of possibly closing the Ignace MNR office, as well as cutting positions at several area Provincial Parks.

David Orazietti says he'll try to balance providing first line MNR service with cost efficiencies.

Orazietti says all Ministries are facing financial pressures.