OPP Ride Check Stats

The Kenora Detachment of the OPP was kept busy with its festive RIDE programover the past five weeks.

The annual campaign wrapped up on Saturday and police say they stopped over 13 thousand vehicles in the Kenora area.

A total of eight people were charged with impaired driving or refusing to provide a breath sample.

Officers also issued five three-day suspensions for motorists registering a warning at roadside check stops.

Northwestern Ontario Buses

The provincial government is rejecting calls to extend Ontario Northland bus service into northwestern Ontario.

Starting in the middle of January, Greyhound will be reducing service in this region to just bus a day from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle says he'd rather see the private sector take the initiative, rather than the provincial government.

The provincial government subsidizes bus service to northeastern Ontario to the tune of 25 million dollars a year, and some opposition members at Queen's Park feel northwestern Ontario deserves similar treatment.

Economic Development Commission Kenora

2009 was a busy year for construction in the City of Kenora.

Millions of dollars flowed into the community from the federal and provincial governments for infrastructure spending.

Geordie McEwan is a director of the Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission and says they worked hard to secure that funding.

Some of the projects that received funding this year were reconstruction of Highway 17 west in
Kenora, the replacement of the submarine waterline, the Discovery Center in Norman and Phase
Two of the Downtown Revitalization project.

Olympic Torch Relay Kenora

Despite frigid temperatures, the City of Kenora gave the Olympic Torch a warm welcome.

About three thousand people crammed into the Harborfront Parking Lot to witness the lighting of the Olympic Cauldrun.

Wayne Fiecek was the final Olympic Torch bearer and says it was an experienceof a lifetime.

The Olympic Torch will have two final stops today before leaving Ontario.

Ten people will carry the flame from Lake of the Woods Museum and over to Keewatin.

The Torch will also roll into the Shoal Lake #39 First Nation later this morning.