Not the cat’s meow

Ken Johnston

There will be no pussyfooting around if the delegation of citizens gets its way after speaking to Rainy River Town Council Monday evening.
Joe Kaliska presented council with a petition, containing 100 signatures, asking council to deal with the problem of stray cats in Rainy River.
Concerns over rabies and other diseases were mentioned in the petition.
Kaliska, along with his wife, Harry Tiboni, Bill Hagarty and former Mayor Gordon Prost told council there is also a problem with stray dogs, skunks and raccoons.
The delegation noted that there are a number of derelict buildings that the animals have taken refuge in and that is part of the problem.
Mayor Glen Armstrong referred the matter to the by-law committee chaired by Larry Armstrong. He promised to have the committee work on it as soon as possible.
Lu Kaliska suggested that a leash law for cats might be good as Thunder Bay and Fort Frances have them. “You can train a cat just like a dog. In fact our cat would not go out without a leash on,” she said.
Councillor Ed Tymkin said that council can deal with the problem, the key is putting the resources into it.
The town already has a dog bylaw but has no one to enforce it.
Joe Kaliska said the situation is not very fair to the dedicated pet owner who takes care of their animals and invests a great deal of money in them.
Other business
•Council presented Sgt. Dave Sanders with a special Award of Excellence for Crime Fighting from the Ontario Crime Control Commission. Sanders accepted it on behalf of the detachment and gave a lot of credit to the citizens of Rainy River.
•Council passed a motion to auction off the chattels at the former Koeneman Lumber property.
•Council borrowed $160,000 from reserves to cover its current expenditures.
•Council renewed its contract with Dennis Katona. He is the caretaker at the local landfill site.