Site Plan approved for new Birchcliff Facility

Plans to build a new group home on the site of the former Our Lady of the Valley
School on Brinkman Road are a step closer.

Kenora City Council has given its approval to site plans for the property and
the building design.

Planning Assistant Tara Rickaby says local motorists and pedestrians will
notice some changes in the area.

Council is still waiting for the city solicitor to review the site plan
before giving it their full endorsement.

Saints soccer teams heading to OFSAA

Both of Thomas Aquinas soccer teams will be heading to the All-Ontario
Single A championships this week.

The Saints girls swept Terrace Bay on Friday in the NWOSSA championships
to advance to the OFSAA finals in Sudbury.

The T.A. Boys also advanced, getting by Marathon in their best-of-three
NWOSSA championships over the weekend.

The Saints boys are travelling to Windsor for the OFSAA finals on
Thursday.

OPP issue fines for cellphone use

The Kenora Detachment of the OPP says it has been issuing fines for


people who have been driving and using their cell-phones while driving.

Inspector Dave Lucas told the police services board this week that about
20 tickets have been issued locally.

The new law went into effect back in October of 2009.

The maximum fine for using a cellphone while driving is 500 dollars.

Bridge Tenders awarded

The City of Kenora will be spending just over 110 thousand dollars to find out how
much work will be needed to refurbish aging bridges.

Stantec Engineering from Winnipeg was chosen to carry out pre-design and detailed
design work on the Keewatin Channel and the Winnipeg River West Branch bridges.

Council held a special meeting on Friday to award the tender.

The cost of rehabiliting the bridges is expected to be several hundred thousand dollars.

Plane skids off runway

A scary incident at the Kenora Airport.

Friday afternoon a Piper single engine aircraft ran off the runway while
trying to land.

The OPP say rain and strong winds were to blame.

There were three people on board the airplane at the time, including
the pilot, but fortunately no-one was injured.

Police say the aircraft did sustain some damage as a result of
the incident.

Social Services tab pushes taxes up

Local residents are going to have to pay a bit more in taxes this year than first expected.

When city council passed the budget back in February, the Kenora District Services hadn't
approved its budget yet.

Now the city has been told it will need an extra 98 thousand dollars to cover the increased
levy for social services.

Councillor Dave McCann says the budget for the Services Board continues to rise, even though
the province is picking up more of the costs for social services.

For the average homeowner, another .54 percent is going to be added onto their tax bill
to cover the extra costs associated with the Services Board Budget.

Mental Health and Addictions report released

Mental health and addiction services are the two topics being studied by a new provincial government group.


An interim report has been released after several community meetings in northwestern Ontario.

Committee Member Sylvia Jones says they'll be bringing the information forward to the responsible ministries.

Jones says the remoteness of the communities consulted make it hard to provide mental health and addiction services.

Contact North gets Funding

Contact North is upgrading its facilities in the region thanks to the provincial taxpayer.


The distance education facility has been given 3 and a half million dollars from the McGuinty government to modernize it's video equipment.

CEO Maxim Jean-Louis calls it an upgrade and enhancement.

Jean-Louis says the government helps Contact North with upgrades on a regular basis.