The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre is putting on a workshop of business leaders involved in the alternative energy sector – featuring 10 internationally renowned speakers. The event will showcase emerging opportunities for small and medium sized businesses in Northern Ontario and the workshop which goes from 8:30 this morning until 5:30 this afternoon is being held at the Delta Inn. As part of the proceedings, the head of emerging Sault Ste. Marie company will be making an announcement at the end of the workshop. Superior Energy Solutions’ Ted Curry says they will be installing the first grid type solar project in Sault Ste. Marie that has a contract with the Ontario Power Authority. That installation will take place at Kensington Place Apartments on Market Street.

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The President of the Ontario Forest Industries Association has fired back with a response to some criticism from a provincial cabinet minister on the development of a caribou habitat regulation. Northern Development and Mines and Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle claims the association has acted irresponsibly and is spreading fear regarding the recent release of an impact assessment on a possible regulation for caribou. Association President Jamie Lim says they have never stated that a regulation had been developed and the rationale for going ahead with a socio-economic impact assessment was that no such assessment was done for the wood turtle habitat regulation which he adds is causing signficant concern within the forestry sector and for rural communities.
The OFIA impact study indicated that a possible regulation for caribou could remove 33% of Northern Ontario’s fibre supply costing thousands of jobs.

Not long after northern MP Carol Hughes voiced her concerns, Sault MP Tony Martin added his voice to those requesting continued financial support for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. While introducing a petition on the matter in the House of Commons today, Martin says expiration of the funding tomorrow would result in the closing of 131 projects across Canada, including ones in Garden River and Batchawana. Martin described the loss of projects across Canada affected by the end of the funding tomorrow as not consistent with Ottawa’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The group has provided resources over the last decade that promote reconciliation, while support aboriginal people and their communities in building sustainable processes that address the legacy of abuses in the residential school system.

Sault College is hosting a number of bridge-building clinics starting tomorrow. The first clinic will include students in Grades 5 to 8 attending from St. Ann, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Paul, Eastview and Queen Elizabeth schools. Another 380 students are expected to attend two additional sessions on April 7th and 9th, including a Grade 9 tech class from CASS who will attend the April 9th clinic. The presentations are being done prior to the annual Bridge Building contest from April 22nd to the 24th. The presentations will feature Phil Becker of the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority and Sault College Civil Engineering program co-ordinator Sal Ienco.

A 30-year old Kapuskasing man has been charged in connection with an overnight accident on highway 17 north of the Sault that closed the highway for two hours at the Havilland causeway. The man lost control of his vehicle and it rolled over and was demolished with the driver having to be transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The man has been charged with impaired. The acciddent occured around 2:30 this morning.

The Royal Bank branch on Wellington Street will be the site of a cheque presentation (at 2:00) this afternoon to local organizers of Finn Grand Fest – a major five day festival planned for this summer in the Sault. RBC will be recognized as the official sponsor of the event.

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City Police continue to be deluged with calls regarding vandalized and broken into vehicles across town – with items such as purses, a wallet and identification papers stolen. They advise you keep your vehicle locked – and things out of sight.

37 year old Shawn Holder of Wellington Street was charged with shoplifting at a local pharmacy.

And a 39 year old male was arrested for a domestic assault.

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A single vehicle rollover accident occurred along Highway 17 North – about 30 kilometres north of the city around 2:30 this morning – forcing a closure of the highway in both directions until about 4:30. OPP tell us there were no serious injuries or fatalities as a result of the accident

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East Algoma OPP charged two men after a theft at a Blind River gas station over the weekend. Police were notificed at 6 o’clock on Saturday night that two males and a female left without paying for 44 dollars worth of gas. The car was stopped just west of Blind River. The two men from New Brunswick — age 19 and 22 — were charged theft under five thousand dollars and are scheduled to appear in court on June 3rd. A female passenger in the vehicle was not charged and released.

A small group of parents and their children were rallying in front of the Sault Ste. Marie courthouse today. They were there in support of a program they don’t want to see end on April 12th — the CAS Family Preservation Program. Dawn Gauthier is a parent who has used the program in the past. She told EZ Rock News the agency could have saved Family Preservation while reducing its deficit. Gauthier adds that the end of the program will have an impact beyond the families who benefit from it, on groups such as Women In Crisis and the Sault Area Hospital. She says the program offers discipline and education for affected families who might need additional ‘tools’ for better parenting and child-rearing, adding workers took the time to lend an ear during her youth. Gauthier also mentioned that Sault Ste. Marie is the only district that is losing Family Preservation, but also said that other CAS agencies have been able to keep similar programs going. Gauthier has tried to talk to anyone from the local CAS about her concerns over the last three weeks, but has not received a response in that time. She hopes anyone who feels as strongly as she does about the issue will contact Ontario Minister of Child and Youth Services Laurel Broten. The local Children’s Aid Society also plans to end their Family Intervention program in March 2011 — at least a dozen employees will be affected by the loss of the two programs.