Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Drugs Kenora

A police search of a north end home on August 14th has resulted in the seizure of drugs and related paraphanilia.

Kenora OPP seized 3 marijuana plants, 13.1 grams of Cannabis Resin and grow operation equipment.

A 17 year old Kenora man has been charged with production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Update on Assault

The 72 year old woman who was assaulted in the McDonald's parking lot in Kenora is in stable condition.

The victim is still in hospital being treated for her head injuries.

Police are asking anyone who may have been in the area of MacDOnald's last Tuesday night and
may have witnessed anything to contact them at 548-5534.

42 year old Richard Landry of Winnipeg has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident.

Kenora Man Charged in Dryden

A Kenora man with no license and no insurance still decided to go for a drive in Dryden on the weekend.

City Police were called to investigate a vehicle being driven in an erratic manner on Sandy Beach Road.

Officers stopped the car and charged 20-year-old Zachary Valiquette with impaired driving, driving while under suspension and no insurance.

Boats Stolen

Kenora OPP are investigating a stolen boat from the Bannister Centre docks.

The stolen boat is a 14 foot Lund and was later located by police near First Portage.

Police also noted a number of boats have been entered and searched by would be thieves.

The OPP are reminding the public to remove all valuables from their boats when docked.

New Judge in NWO

There's a new regional senior judge for the North West Region of Ontario.

Justice Marc Bode was appointed by the province to the position that took effect last Wednesday.

Bode has been a province judge since January 2008 and was formerly Legal Aid Ontario's area director for the Thunder Bay district.

Impaired Driver Weekend

It was a busy weekend for OPP in Kenora, officers charged more people for drinking and driving.

On Saturday, Police noticed a vehicle being driven in an eratic manner and pulled the driver over.

32 year old James Brenner of Winnipeg was charged with failing to prove a breath sample and obstructing police.

On Sunday, officers stopped a vehicle on Lakeview Drive and charged 21 year old Winnipeg Resident Laura Vossen with impaired driving.

OPP Ride Checks also brought in one 3 day suspension for a driver registering a warning during a roadside test.

Police also charged a driver with a G2 Licence with registering an alcohol level over zero.

Northern Growth Plan

Northern Development Michael Gravelle says the government is still on schedule for the release of a draft report for the Northern Growth plan.

Gravelle recently provided an update on the plan to organizations and individuals who participated in consultations earlier this year.

Gravelle says it will include a number of elements aimed at improving the economy of northern Ontario.

Gravelle expects the draft plan to come out soon with further input expected in the fall.

Jail Death Fort Frances

Investigators probing the weekend jail cell death of a 21-year-old Atikokan man say they don't suspect foul play.

Dylan Wreggitt was found ``unresponsive'' in his cell bed early Saturday at Rainy River District Jail in Fort Frances.

An autopsy was performed in Kenora but the cause of death has not been released.

Wreggitt was serving a sentence at the jail but police declined to release the details of the offence.

An attempt by jail staff to revive Wreggitt by performing C-P-R was not successful.

A coroner's inquest is mandatory when someone dies in custody.

McKenzie Clear Water Bay Local Services Board

McKenzie Portage/Clearwater Bay residents have voted in favour of establishing a local services board.

The local services board will only be dealing with the volunteer fire department.

Jill Kalika is the Chair of the McKenzie Clearwater Bay Fire Protection Corporation and says the services board's goal is to raise money for the fire service.

The Minister of Northern Development and Mines still needs to approve the creation of the services board.

Domtar Ear Falls Sawmill

Bad news has hit the Municipality of Ear Falls hard.

Domtar has announced that it will suspend operations at its Ear Falls Sawmill indefinitly.

Operations will start to be curtailed in mid-October and will impact roughly 130-employees.

The decision is based on a slowdown in the North American construction industry and decreased demand for softwood lumber.

The exchange rate and high operating costs are also to blame.

The mill re-started last week after being shut down for over 4-months.

Red Lake Water Levels

Water levels in the Red Lake area are at their highest in more than 30-years.

The record levels could lead to shoreline property damage according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Mike Schillemore is a spokesperson for the MNR and says Sections of the Red Lake shoreline are underwater and susceptible to errosion.

Thanks to the heavy rainfall this Summer, more water is entering the system than can be released by the control dam at Snowshoe Rapids.

Sandbags are available free-of-charge at the Red Lake Public Works Yard.

West Nile Virus

A cool, damp summer means there has been fewer mosquitoes in northwestern Ontario.

The Northwestern Health Unit has been trapping mosquitos for its West Nile Testing program.

Al Mathers is a public health inspector and say so far there has been no evidence of the disease in this region.

Mathers says they've carried out their mosquito trapping in Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances, but they haven't been collecting dead birdsfrom the public for testing of West Nile Virus.

Kenora at AMO

Three members of Kenora City Council are in Ottawa this week for the annual Association of Muncipalities of Ontario convention.

Kenora Mayor Len Compton says they have had good success in recent years in setting up meetings with provincial cabinet ministers.

Compton says they have meetings set up this week with eight cabinet ministers or their deputy ministers, including the ministers of Tourism,Transportation, Public Safety, Northern Development and Mines, and Aborignal Affairs.