Thursday, September 10, 2009

Thunder Bay Hospital Sprinkler

Hospital officials in Thunder Bay suspect an agitated patient was responsible for setting off a sprinkler.

A hospital spokesman says damage at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

A Thunder Bay fire spokesman says flooding was restricted to the emergency department and neonatal care unit.

Officials say no one saw the sprinkler head removed, but say there was only one patient in the room at the time.

Drive Test impacts Young Drivers

There is an increasing traffic jam of would-be drivers wanting to take their road tests.

550 Drive Test employees have been on strike since August 23rd.

Maria Bagdonis is the local operator of Young Drivers of Canada and says for the sake of her students, she hopes the strike doesn't last much longer.

Bagdonis says she has at least 15 students in Kenora waiting to take their drivers test.

She adds that there are also a number of other people waiting to take their G-2 drivers exam.

Long Weekend Fires

Its been a while since there have been any forest fires in the Kenora District,but there were three small blazes reported over the Labor Day Long Weekend.

All three were located on Lake of the Woods, and two are being allowed to continue to burn.

The other was extinguished by volunteer fire fighters in the Town of Sioux Narrows.

Under the Lake of the Woods Fire Response Plan, any fires that don't pose a hazard to property, will be monitored and allowed to burn for ecological reasons.

Red Cross 9/11

The Canadian Red Cross is helping remember the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

The Kenora Chapter is bringing in a guest speaker to talk about her experiences volunteering in New York City after the twin towers fell.

President Will Scutt says Robin Chant will be speaking at their remembrance event tonight.

The Kenora Chapter of the Red Cross was just recently formed, and Scutt notes they're always looking for people interested in volunteering.

College enrollment rates

Confederation College in Kenora is full to bursting at the seams.

Tuesday was the first day of classes at campuses right across the region.

Rick Moore is director of the local campus and says they have seen a big increase inenrolment this year.

Moore says Con College satellite campuses in Dryden, Fort Frances and Sioux Lookout have also seen similar increases in enrolment this year.

EQAO Results KPDSB

The Keewatin Patricia District School Board is concerned with its recent provincial literacy test results.

72 percent of students who wrote the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test were succesful.

Assistant to the Director of Education, Caryl Hron says for this years tests they plan to provide extra help for applied english students.

Applied english students with the public board were only 48 percent succesful at the test.

Highway Landing

Authorities are investigating after a small plane was forced to make an emergency landing on the TransCanada Highway east of Thunder Bay.

The OPP say the late-model Piper landed on the highway yesterday after pilot Sebastien Gombardie became concerned about low fuel levels.

The 35 year old was flying from Montreal to British Columbia.Witness Brenda Fortier says the pilot brought the plane in for a smooth landing.

She says traffic did have to pull over to let him through and one car had to swerve.

But then he taxied into the parking lot of an old gas station.

OFIA on Forestry Ministry

A forest industry group is being critical of the new amalgamated Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association calls the split of power between the new ministry and natural resources incomplete.

Scott Jackson is the OFIA'S Manager of Forest Policy and says the new split leaves Minister Gravelle without any tools in his tool box.

Jackson notes the Ministry of Forestry needs to be in control of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act.