Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Abitibi land sale still pending

A Kenora-area developer is hoping to finalize the sale of Abitibi lands in the city by the end of June.

John Gale has been negotiating with AbitibiBowater for months to purchase all their property within city limits.

The original deadline to complete the deal was March 31st, but Gale both sides agreed to extend the purchase date to June 30th.

He says its been a very complicated deal involving many different parcels of land scattered throughout the city.

Gale adds that there are companies that are eager to get on the old mill property to set up shop.

Axe intruder injured

A 40-year-old man in northern Ontario --armed with an axe -- came out worse for wear, after going up against-- a vacuum cleaner.

Police say a man in White River was trying to break down a door with the axe.

As the door gave way, a man in the home hurled a vacuum cleaner through the broken door.

The vacuum hit the assailant in the face -- breaking his nose.

The assailant is now in jail.

Four Kenora Girls at National Aboriginal Hockey Championships


Four Kenora hockey players have helped Team Ontario North to a perfect 3-0 record at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

Melissa White, Robin Houle, Sam Smith and Deborah Kakeway are members of the squad, which finished first in their pool.

The Semi-Finals start tonight with Team Ontario North taking on NorthwestTerritories.

Concern about FedNor Funding

A number of concerns are being raised about the FedNor program.

A recent study shows the number of approvals for funding have dropped, while the number of applications have increased.
Claude Gravelle is a Sudbury area M.P. and says he's also worriedFedNor funding may be jeopardized by Treasury Board President Stockwell Day.

Gravelle is calling on the federal government to make FedNor an agency of the crown so applications for funding can be processed much faster.

More broadband promised for the North


A Liberal government would bring high speed internet to all of Northern Ontario and the rest of Rural Canada within three years.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made the announcement during a tour of the region today.
Ignatieff says high speed internet is vital in increasing national unity.

Ignatieff also says the plan is aimed at improving public services for people in remote areas, allowing them to tap into the digital economy, distance learning and electronic health initiatives, among other things.

Another Warm Month



This past winter was both warmer and drier than normal in the Kenora area.

Environment Canada has tallied the snowfall figures for the past eight months and meteorologist Chantal Cerney says we got off pretty easy in terms of snowfall.

Cerny adds that the warm weather trend continued in April.

The average daily mean temperature last month was 8.1 degrees, which is about 4.5 degrees warmer than normal.