Bruce Beach Canada

After dropping for five consecutive months the region’s unemployment rate rose 0.4 percentage points in July to 2.8 per cent. Read More

Guy Gallant took over as Kincardine’s new fire chief on Aug. 19.
“On behalf of council and staff, I’m pleased to welcome Guy to the Municipality of Kincardine,” said Jillene Bellchamber-Glazier, Kincardine’s chief administrative officer, in a news release announcing the appointment. “We’re looking forward to his contributions and are confident that he will effectively lead the department to accomplish our strategic goals.”
According to the release, Gallant brings extensive fire and emergency service experience to the role with over 25 years in the sector, including his role as an instructor at the Ontario Fire College. Most recently, he served as fire chief for the Municipality of South Bruce.
“I’m looking forward to this new opportunity and working alongside municipal staff, council, and my fellow firefighters in both Stations 11 and 12 to ensure the safety of our community,” said Gallant. Read More

Doug Kennedy is being remembered as a champion for local sports, health care and the Kincardine community.
A member of Kincardine council for nearly six years, Kennedy died on Aug. 15 at Huron Shores Hospice in Tiverton at the age of 70 following a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Cathy Alcombrack, and children, Jeff Kennedy, Jeff Alcombrack, and Jon Alcombrack and partner Emily, and three grandchildren.
“Doug Kennedy was more than just a member of council, he was the heartbeat of sports, recreation, and health care in our community,” said Mayor Kenneth Craig in a news release. “His passion for local sports was unmatched. His legacy of tournaments and health care fundraising events fostered a love of sports and a sense of community spirit that will endure for generations.” Read More

In September, federal contractors will begin a pilot cleanup project in Torch Lake near Houghton, Michigan, where 400 deteriorating metal drums of mining waste have littered the Upper Peninsula lakebed for decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to figure out the best method for removing the drums, as well as other debris and contaminated sediment which are helping drive fish consumption advisories for species like bass, pike, and walleye. Read the full story by MLive.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Enbridge Energy’s request to rehear its June decision to remand the Nessel v. Enbridge case, which denied Enbridge’s Line 5 project to continue, back to a Michigan state court. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.

Nagamo, the only piping plover chick that survived from a full clutch of eggs spawned at Montrose Beach in Illinois, was seen flying away from the area on Wednesday, according to volunteers with the Chicago Piping Plovers organization. But the chick returned Saturday, along with another young plover — a cousin from Waukegan. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the main harmful algal bloom in western Lake Erie has expanded from the Toledo area to reach Huron, Ohio. The cyanobacteria bloom has an approximate area of 560 square miles, which is an increase in area since the last update on August 12. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.

The MI Healthy Climate Plan calls for Michigan to become carbon neutral by 2050. The Wolverine Power Collective’s plan to meet that goal involves the “Lake Michigan Connector” — a “superhighway” of electric cable across the lake that would allow power generated in the upper Midwest to be used in Michigan. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.

The Port of Monroe recently received $1.5 million from the Michigan Maritime Grant Program for a new roll on/roll off extension that will facilitate the cross-border movement of large oversized transports from Canada. The port, Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie, is one of five facilities that received funding from the grant program. Read the full story by The Monroe News.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District has secured $760,000 for designing new erosion defenses at Old Fort Niagara in New York State. Considerable erosion along the Lake Ontario shoreline has jeopardized the wall surrounding Old Fort Niagara, threatening landmarks like the French Castle and North Redoubt at the state historic site. Read the full story by the Niagara Gazette.

The City of Oshawa, Ontario, announced it has teamed up with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority to repurpose old holiday trees as material to stabilize stream banks, control erosion, collect sediment, and improve overall stream habitat and water quality at the Enniskillen Conservation Area. Read the full story by the Durham Post.

This summer has been one of almost instant gratification for salmon anglers booking charter trips on the eastern basin of Lake Ontario. In the coming weeks the salmon action will increase as they move close to shore and begin staging for their spawning runs up the tributaries. Read the full story by the Republican Herald.