Fraud Charges Laid in Stratford

A mutal fund and GIC dealer from St. Mary's has been charged after Stratford police allege a number of elderly clients were defrauded of hundreds of thousand of dollars.
62 year old William McBride has been charged with fraud of over 5 thousand dollars.
Police were first contacted with a complaint in December by Investment Planning Counsel, based in Mississauga.
McBride will make his first court appearance March 1st.

A Big Day Tomorrow for Blyth Cook

Tomorrow is a going to be a busy day for Blyth native Erin Bolger.
That's when the author of the Happy Baker cookbook will make an appearance on CBC's Dragon's Den...and, she'll also be flying to Paris, where her work is in the running to be named the world's best dessert cookbook.
Bolger can't say how she fared in front of the Dragon's, but she asked for financial support to back her self-published cookbook, and called the experience nerve-wracking.
Bolger's book has already been named Canada's Best Dessert cookbook.
She finds out on Thursday if she'll leave Paris with the international award.

Feb. 9 - Closing Markets

(Click arrow to play O-C-A report)

-> ONTARIO PORK REPORTS:
TOTAL SALES = 19,419
FOR A = 2 DAY TOTAL OF = 46,864
THAT'S = down 658 FROM LAST WEEK.
THE AVERAGE PRICE WAS = $1.28/kilogram
THAT'S steady
THE U-S NATIONAL COST PRICE = $66.27 U-S, DRESSED WEIGHT
That's up 16 cents
FORWARD CONTRACT PRICE FOR May-June DELIVERY IS $152.97
WHICH IS up $3.93
ESTIMATED SALES FOR Wednesday = 19,000
AT = $1.27/kilogram

-> ON THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE:

CORN FUTURES:
March up 2 and a half at 3.58 and a half
May up 2 and a half at 3.70 and a quarter

SOYBEAN FUTURES:
March down 5 at 9.24 and a half
May down 4 and a half at 9.35 and a quarter

WHEAT FUTURES:
March down 1 and a half at 4.82 and a quarter
May down 1 and a half at 4.97 and a quarter

-> FROM DAUPHIN FEED AND SUPPLY, THE 48% SOYBEAN MEAL QUOTE, F-O-B HAMILTON = $353/tonne

-> CLOSING LOCAL GRAIN PRICES FROM SNOBELIN FARMS:

09 CROP CORN = up 2 at 3.59/BU
2010 CROP CORN = up 2 at 3.89/BU
2011 CROP CORN = up 2 at 4.06/BU

09 CROP SOYS = down 5 at 9.50/BU
2010 CROP SOYS = down 2 at 8.93/BU
2011 CROP SOYS = down 1 at 8.82/BU

09 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = down 1 at 4.07/BU
2010 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = down 1 at 4.35/BU
2011 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = down 1 at 5.13/BU

Perth County OPP Tracking Stolen Guns

Police are trying to track down four long guns, two crossbows and a compound bow that were stolen from a rural home northwest of Stratford in Perth County.
The owner of the home near Gads Hill returned from vacation to find his home had been broken into.
Police say the guns were properly stored and the thief had to open a gun vault to get to the weapons which included 3 shotguns and a bolt action 30-06 caliber rifle.
Also taken were two crossbows and a compound bow along with a Canon camera and Panosonic Palmcorder.
Police figure the break-in near Gads Hill happened sometime in late January.

Owen Sound Toyota Dealer Handling Recalls

The manager of an Owen Sound area Toyota dealer says it's been no real problem fixing recalled Toyotas.
Randy Ewart of Baywest Toyota says there are hundreds of cars they have to fix but he does not have an exact number.
He says business is slower in winter anyway and they've been calling affected owners to bring their car in.
Ewart says people are in and out in 15 minutes.

(Click arrow for audio or right click to download)

The Toyotas affected are the 2009 and 2010 Corolla and Matrix models. Ewart says they've encountered no cars that have actually had the sticking accelerator problem.
He says there's been some impact on sales in the short term but he doesn't expect it to be a long term issue.

Listowel Road Project Awarded

An extensive road, water and sewer project in Listowel is moving forward.
The tender for the Northeast Reconstruction Project has been awarded to Moorefield Excavating Limited at a total cost of over $6.1 million.
If all goes as planned, work will begin in early April with a completion target of late October.
The project involves the reconstruction of sanitary and storm sewers, water mains , connections and roadways.
The Northeast Reconstruction Project in Listowel must be completed by March 31, 2011 to receive promised two-thirds government funding towards eligible costs.

Schedule for Tuesday, February 9th

National Hockey League
Calgary at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Nashville at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Detroit at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Dallas at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

WOAA Senior Hockey
Qualifying Series Best of 5
Durham at Ripley, 8:30 p.m.
(Series tied at 2)
Milverton at Petrolia, 8:30 p.m.
(Series tied at 2)

National Basketball Association
Washington at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Indiana, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Houston at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Sacramento at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Atlanta at Memphis, 8 p.m.
Dallas at Denver, 9 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Portland, 10 p.m.
Utah at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

FAB Award Nominations Open

The 2010 CKNX Radio Farm Advisory Board Award is now open for nominations.
The award recognises the contributions of an individual or group from Midwestern Ontario to the well-being of agriculture and their rural community.
Last year's winner was Grey Ag Services in Markdale.
Previous winners have included Florence Pullen of Huron County and the Queen's Bush Rural Ministry.
Deadline for nominations is February 28th.
The forms are available on the AM 920 website in the Farm Advisory Board section.
Or you can email farm@cknxradio.com for a copy.

DFC Questions Direction Of W-T-O talks

The Diary Farmers of Canada wants to see more consistency between trade agreements like the W-T-O and other international treaties.
That was one of the motions passed at the recent DFC annual meeting.
Delegates questioned the direction of the World Trade Organisation talks.
DFC believes the current WTO text is contrary to non-trade objectives like the Right To Food.
Delegates told the DFC executive they want the organisation to take whatever steps it can to promote more consistency in those international deals.

Sheep & Goat Industry Gets Federal Funding

The federal government is investing up to 6 million dollars in the country's sheep and goat industry.
Most of that money goes to a project to determine the prevalence of scrapie.
That information would be used to help establish a timeframe in which the disease can be eradicated from Canada and international markets can be re-opened.
The other 1 point 5 million will go to three different projects.
One will look at the use of Radio Frequency Identification technology.
Another will foster education within the industry on identification and traceability of goats and sheep.
And the third involves the Canadian Sheep Federation's On-Farm Food Safety Management System and getting it recognised by the government.
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says this country's sheep and goat industry already brings in over 100 million dollars in farm gate receipts.

Tough Slaughter Regs Impact Small, Local Abattoirs

A local beef industry spokesman says tough Provincial regulations are jeopardizing the future of some small, local abattoirs.
Perth County Beef Producers Association President Murray Brodhagen says if more of them disappear producers will not be able to eat their own beef anymore.
Brodhagen says it is difficult for small operations to meet the same standards as large scale facilities.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Brodhagen says there is no question that operations need to be clean and safe but the requirements must involve common sense.
Brodhagen says producers are being left with few options when it comes to their own beef.

(Click arrow to play audio)

He says a resolution has been put in to the Ontario Cattlemen's Association calling for the government to take a look at the increasingly tough inspection and safety rules.

(Click arrow to play audio)

He adds it is getting to the point that producers can not even eat their own beef because some small, local slaughterhouses are being driven out of business.

CPC Director Concerned About Hog Transition Program Impact

Canadian Pork Council Director Curtiss Littlejohn says the national hog transition program will have a significant impact in Ontario.
Littlejohn told the recent Kent Pork Producers' association annual meeting that Ontario continues to set aside more production than other provinces.

(Click arrow to play audio)

At this rate, Littlejohn says the program will likely have a significant impact on the provincial hog industry.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Littlejohn says it will be interesting to see where Ontario stands after the fourth and final tender on March 10.
Producers not already registered who want to take part in the final tender have to submit their registration forms by February 17th.

Seaforth ER One Year Later

It was one year ago today that emergency department hours at the Seaforth Community Hospital were reduced to 12 from 24 hours.
Site administrator Mary Cardinal says it was a difficult decision but one that was understood by the community and she says the situation has not changed.

(Click arrow for audio or right click to download)

Cardinal says area residents have been very understanding and there have not been any health-related problems.
She says they are still hoping to resume 24-hour service as soon as staffing permits.
The Seaforth ER is currently open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Hanover Hall Delay

Plans for a new community hall in Hanover and renovations to the Hanover Raceway are delayed at least a year.
The Hanover, Bentinck and Brant Agricultural Society owns the raceway and is incorporating the hall into the raceway expansion.
The town owns the land.
The Society depends on the Slots for revenue but cannot get financing for construction until they sign a new agreement with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
And they cannot do that until the province lifts a freeze on gaming expansion.
So Hanover council has granted a year long extension to an agreement with the Society to build the hall.
Mayor Kathi Maskell.

(Click arrow for audio or right click to download)

The new Hanover community hall is to accommodate up to 500 people.

North Perth Industrial Land Offer

North Perth is making its Industrial Park more attractive to potential investors.
Council is reducing the cost per acre from $55,000 to $42,000 for serviced land.
That decision was made last night.
Councillor Dave Johnston says they will crunch the numbers again in a few months to make sure the price is still competitive.

(Click arrow for audio or right click to download)

Johnston says the North Perth Industrial Park currently houses one business, another property has been sold and three more businesses have expressed interest recently.
He adds it is important to keep land costs competitive to attract more business and industry to the municipality.