Since the first week of October a newly donated Dodge 4WD Quad cab truck increased the Frontiers/Beaver fleet to be used by our Regional Co-ordinator Rick Weatherley based in Spanish, Ontario. Rick came down to Markham to pick it up on October 16th. This diesel wonder can do it all – carrying six people in comfort, haul trailers or portable saw mills, construction materials and should work for us for many years.

Frontiers Foundation supports the goal of improving housing conditions in northern Ontario communities, particularly in remote areas where the need is greater. A year ago Marco A. Guzman, Executive Director of Frontiers Foundation, signed an agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Housing to build and/or renovate 50 houses in northern Ontario. The remote component program of the Province of Ontario is currently being delivered by Frontiers Foundation.

The agreement calls for the housing units to be built and/or renovated with house owners, friends and Operation Beaver volunteers to get involved in these drastic housing improvements.

Right now and under Phase 4 of this agreement our Operation Beaver volunteers and local people are busy in Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario communities. In the NE we have our Regional Coordinator Liss Larson looking after various housing projects in Matheson, Larder Lake, Kirkland Lake, Kearns, Haileybury, Shillington, Val Gagne and Raymore. In the NW we are working in communities such as Massey, Spanish, Espanola, Goulais River, Webbwood and Bruce Mines. At Bruce Mines near Sault Ste. Marie, volunteers are busy building a brand new house with the help of owners Jeff and Sandra MacKenzie family. Under overall direction of our regional coordinator Rick Weatherley, Operation Beaver volunteers came from Canada (2) and Germany (1), plus local friends and good neighbors.

The open house is scheduled for the first week of November 2006.