Scribilo Sworn in as NOACC President

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce has a new president.

Andy Scribilo, president of the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce was sworn in last night.

Scribilo says he's looking forward to the challenge.

Barry Streib is the outgoing president of NOACC.

NOACC Drafts Five Resolutions

A total of five resolutions were approved by the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce during yesterday's afternoon session.

The resolutions dealt with a wide range of issues, including Bill 151, the Forest Tenure Act, to urging the provincial government to move ahead with the twinning of the section of the Trans-Canada Highway from Thunder Bay to Nipigon.

The resolutions will now be forwarded to the Ontario Chambers of Commerce for debate later this year.

Infrastructure plan for the North Planned

Ontario's Infrastructure Minister says the north has special needs.

That's why Bob Chiarelli says his 10 year infrastructure plan will take that into account, telling NOMA delegates in Thunder Bay, the north is different.

Chiarellit says his plan will include the infrastructure needs of the Ring of Fire mining development

Fire Season starts to heat up in NWO

With the snow pack almost all melted in northwestern Ontario, more and more wild fires are starting to pop up across the region.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has had to deal with four new blazes this week, one north of Dryden, two near Sioux Lookout and one near Thunder Bay.

All the fires were less than 0.3 hectares in size.

Rain is in the forecast for this week, and is expected to put a damper on an increasing fire hazard.

Sally Ann says goodbye to the Gosse's

The Salvation Army in Kenora has said farewell to Captain Debbie and Tony Gosse.

A farewell lunch was held to the two church leaders earlier this week.

The Gosse's had headed up the Lake of the Woods chapter of the Salvation Army for the past five years.

Yesterday, it was announced that Majors Al and Karen Hoeft will take over the local church on an interim basis starting in early May.

Chicago-Boucher on Talkback

The countdown to the federal election begins this weekend.

Just three days remain in the campaign.

This morning, CJRL news wraps up its series of five talk shows with the candidates as independant, Kelvin Chicago-Boucher is scheduled to be in our studios.

Talkback can be heard righ after the 9:00 news.

Con College Expected to Hire A new President Soon

Confederation College is expected to announce a new president to replace Pat Lang next month.

Board of Governor's chair Marilyn Gouthro says they have a short list of six candidates who meet the qualifications they were looking for.

Gouthro says interviews are taking place over the next week.

Observant Neighbor Helps OPP Arrest Suspect

The OPP in Kenora are crediting an observant neighbor for helping arrest a suspect in a break and enter in the Pinecrest area of town.

Around 7:30 Monday night, police were contacted by a resident in the Heenan Place area about a youth acting suspiciously.

Officers were able to locate the youth a short time later, and questioned him about his activities earlier that evening.

As a result, the suspect was arrested on charges of break, enter and theft.

Helen Proulx Sentenced to Six Months More in Jail Time

A 39 year old Grassy Narrows woman has been sentenced to 6 more months in jail for her part in a shooting incident in downtown Kenora last year.

Helen Proulx was found guilty of trying to assault an OPP officer last year with a knife and was shot as a result of the incident.

She was charged with Assaulting a Peace Officer with a weapon and and possesion of a weapon dangerous to the public.

Proulx's sentencing hearing took place yesterday afternoon in Kenora Court.

So far she has spent 134 days in custody and will be on probation for another 12 months probation once she's released.

This is Proulx's 3rd conviction of Assaulting a Peace Officer.

Gas Prices Up Again

Its going to costs a lot more to fill up your vehicle today.

Most service stations are selling a liter of unleaded gas today for 136.9 cents a liter.

That's up eight cents from earlier this week, when the price of gas was at 128 cents.

Kenora is far from the most expensive place to fill up.

Gas in Marathon is selling for a dollar 49 a liter.

Property Crimes dropping in Sioux Narrows

The OPP says the number of calls for service in the Township of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls has been relatively stable over the past five years, but they have noticed a significant decline in the number of

crimes against property.

The Kenora OPP has released its 2010 statistics and it shows there were 239 calls for service last year, which is down slightly from the year before.

However, Inspector Dave Lucas says there were just 20 crimes against property, which has been steadily declining over the past five years.

Lucas adds that the clearance rate for property crimes has improved significantly, with 55 percent of the cases solved last year, up from just 14 percent the year before.

Health Unit releases Community Reports

Healthy eating and physical activity top the list of most commonly identified community health needs based a series of reports released by the Northwestern Health Unit.

The reports are the result of consultations in 12-communities last year.

Spokesperson Tanis Fretter explains the next step.

Recreational opportunities, drug and alcohol use and mental health were other priorities identified.

Cameron Appears on Talkback This morning

Candidates running in the May 2nd federal election have just four more days left to campaign.

This morning, CJRL news continues its coverage of the election with the fourth of five talk shows scheduled with the candidates.

Tania Cameron of the NDP is our scheduled guest this morning on the CJRL Open Line program Talkback today.

Talkback can be heard right after the 9:00 news.

NOMA Conference gets down to Business Today

Four Provincial Cabinet Ministers are attending the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Thunder Bay.

Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli will be the key note speaker at the conference.

NOMA president Ron Nelson says they're happy with the amount of Provincial representation.

The bear pit session on Friday will also see the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.

NOACC Holds Annual Spring Meeting in Kenora

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce will be holding its annual spring meeting in Kenora this week.

Chamber representitives from across the region will begin arriving in town tonight.

Andy Scribilo is the president-elect of NOACC and says they have decided to hold the conference Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this year.

Scribilo says chamber members from across the region will be voting on a number of resolutions this week to pass to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce later this year.

Advance Polls Busy in Kenora Riding

The Easter Holiday didn't seem to deter people from casting ballots during the advance polls.

The advance polls were held Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday, and over 28 hundred people took advantage in the Kenora Riding.

Returning Officer Gerry Oulette says that was 268 more than the last federal election.

He adds that Monday was the busiest day at the advance polls, with 13 hundred people showing up.

Artrepreneur conference takes place tomorrow

Networking, funding advice and marketing expertise will be the main topics of conversation at the Artpreneur Conference in Dryden.

The event is being held tomorrow and is sponsored by the Northwest Business Centre.

Spokesperson Mike Greaves says the first Artrepreneur conference two years ago in Kenora was a big success with more than 90 participants.

He says the goal is to provide artists an inside look into what it takes to create and grow a successful art business.

Conservatives on the Defensive over FedNOR

Opposition parties keep saying FedNor will be gutted if the Harper Conservatives are back in government.

Speaking in Thunder Bay, the minister responsible, Tony Clement repeated that the program is safe and says it's the local NDP members who seem to be sending mixed messages.

Clement was in Thunder Bay campaigning with the two Conservative candidates in the Lakehead

Police Investigate Fire on Kasabonika

The Ontario Fire Marshall is expected to arrive in the remote Northern community of Kasabonika this week.

The Fire Marshall was called in after a large fire at the Northern Store last Friday afternoon.

The blaze gutted the building and left only 2-walls standing.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Small Quake confirmed in NWO last Month

Natural Resource Canada is confirming that a minor earthquake struck near Devlin last month.

The 1-point-9 magnitude quake happened around 2 in the morning on March 25th.

Seismic activity is not uncommon to northwestern Ontario, although most of the minor quakes over the past year have been around the Atikokan area.

Richards and Flyers move onto Round Two of NHL Play-Offs

The Philadelphia Flyers are off to the second round of the play-offs after a 5-2 victory over Buffalo last night.

Flyers captain Mike Richards had five assists in the series, including two last night, but says he just couldn't seem to score on Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.

The Flyers won the series 4-3 and will find out who they play in round two later today. 

Standing Room Only At All-Candidates Forum

It was a standing room only crowd for the final all-candidates forum in the Kenora Riding prior to the May 2nd federal election.

About 100 people crammed into the Days Inn last night to hear from the five candidates.

Most of the main party candidates stayed close to the message of their parties.

Conservative Greg Rickford touted the intiatives of the Harper Government over the past two and a half years.

Meanwhile, NDP Candidate Tania Cameron suggested its time for a change in Ottawa.

Independant Candidate Kelvin Chicago-Boucher added a touch of humour to the proceedings when asked about what he would do about the inflation rate.

Green Party Candidate Mike Schwindt and Liberal Roger Valley also took part in the all-candidates forum.

American Man charged with importing illegal Baitfish

An Iowa man has been fined for importing live baitfish into Ontario for a second time in less than a year.

This time Thaddeus Strecker was stopped on Lake of the Woods back in February.

Conservation officers found that the man also failed to maintain a clear and unobstructed view of a fishing line and hid several dozen live minows in a container in the snow.

He has been fined a total of 11-hundred dollars.

Tories looking for a breakthrough in NWO in Provincial Election

Tim Hudak appears confident about his party's chances in the upcoming Provincial Election.

The Progressive Conservative leader says getting solid candidates in the region will certainly help in getting Tories elected in Northwestern Ontario.

Hudak has his work cut out for him as the PC's haven't elected a member from northwestern Ontario since 1987, when Leo Bernier
represented the Kenora Riding.

Green Party Candidate Campaigns in Kenora

The Green Party Candidate in the Kenora Riding doesn't think remote communities in the far north will benefit from the construction of a new high voltage electrical line.

Mike Schwindt says even though most remote aboriginal communities in the riding rely on Diesel generators, it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to expand the transmission line into those reserves.

Schwindt feels a better solution is developing hydro, wind or solar power projects in remote communities to wean them off of costly diesel generators.

Kenora To Fly Fort Frances Town Flag

The Fort Frances' town flag will soon be flying high over the city of Kenora.

Mayor Roy Avis says its the outcome of a bet he made with Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield during the recent Allan Cup tournament.

Canfield bet Avis that the Thistles would be Fort Frances in the Quarter-finals of the Allan Cup earlier this month.

The Thunderhawks eliminated Kenora from the tournament with a 5-3 victory.

Fort Frances Man Remains in Jail

The man involved in a lengthy stand-off with O.P.P. in Fort Frances last November will be spending a little more time in custody.

Richard Edward Kabatay was sentenced to eight months in jail after being convicted last week on a charge of assault with a weapon.

An initial charge of attempted murder was dropped.

Another man was stabbed during the November 27th incident

Kabatay has been in Fort Frances jail since.

Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls passes Municipal Budget

The average property owner in Sioux Narrows/ Nestor Falls can expect to pay almost 10 percent more in taxes this year than last year.

The town council passed the budget last week and it contained a minor increase of 0.6 percent in the mill rate.

Mayor Bill Thompson says while they have tried to hold the line on spending, the cost for social services and policing continues to go up.

Thompson says he's also concerns in the 8.9 percent increase in the town's overall property assessment, which is making it more difficult for people on a fixed income to make ends meet.

OFIA says Little Support has been Shown for Bill 151

The Ontario Forest Industries Association says the McGuinty Government doesn't have a lot of support for its Forest Tenure Legislation.

The OFIA attended hearings last week in Toronto on Bill 151 and says a majority of presenters expressed concern with the Act.

Scott Jackson is a spokesperson for the OFIA and says the legislation doesn't address the concerns of the forest industry.

Jackson says the legislation should not just create new employment opportunities, but needs to protect the existing forestry operations.

Police Costs lower in Kenora lower in 2010 than expected

The OPP managed to patrol the City of Kenora last year for less than expected.

The final audited policing figures for 2010 have been sent to the Kenora Police Board, and it shows cost were almost 600 thousand dollars less than expected.

Inspector Dave Lucas says there are a couple of reasons for the lower costs in 2010.

Lucas says their initial budget was set at 6.4 million dollars, but their actual cost was around 5.8 million dollars.

Ignatieff Visits Northwestern Ontario Today

Northwestern Ontario will see its third national leader in a week.

Liberal leader Micheal Ignatieff is to stop by Thunder Bay later today.

Local Liberal officials say the final details of the visit are still being confirmed.

Man fined for Illegal Gravel Pit

A Vermilion Bay man has been fined 1-thousand dollars for illegally operating an aggregate pit on Crown Land.

Court heard that during the summer of 2010, Daniel Desmarais removed roughly 100-yards of gravel from a pit on Slush Road without the proper permit.

In Ontario, operators require licences and permits that regulate the amount of material removed and how it can be used.

Final Day for Advance Polls

Today is the final day for the advance polls in the Kenora Riding.

Advance polls were held on Friday and Saturday, and will be open again at noon today and will run until 8:00 this evening.

Election day is one week from today, and the candidates in the Kenora Riding will have one final chance to reach out to a bigger audience tonight.

The final all-candidates forum is scheduled for this evening at the Days Inn.

The event is sponsored by the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce and gets underway at 7:00 this evening.

MNR Levies Huge Fines for Illegal Hunting

A group of seven hunters from Southern Ontario have been ordered to pay nearly 46-thousand dollars for 30-offences relating to illegal hunting in northwestern Ontario.

Six men and one woman pleaded guilty to numerous offences for the poaching of three adult moose and a deer in the Schreiber area. 

Charges include hunting during the closed season, possessing and abandoning illegally killed animals, unlawfully using another person's licence and obstructing a conservation officer.

One of the men has been banned from hunting for 10-years.

Hampton Demands Help for Border Communities

A Northwestern Ontario MPP wants the McGuinty Government to help border communities.

Kenora Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is suggesting we reduce the liquor control board's mark up of liquor sold at duty free stores.

Hampton is calling on the liquor mark up to be dropped from 50 percent to 30.

Public School Board faces Funding Cuts

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has been hit with a 1.2-million dollar reduction in funds from the Provincial Government.

Funding has been cut in native studies, special education, transportation, professional development, operations as well as classroom computers.

Superintendant of Business Dean Carrie admits balancing the 2011-2012 budget will be a challenge.

He hopes to have the budget ready for Trusteses on May 24th, with final approval on June 14th.

Green Party Candidate on Talkback this morning

As the countdown to the federal election continues, CJRL News will continue its coverage with the third talk show with the candidates in the Kenora.

This morning, Green Party Candidate Mike Schwindt will make a guest appearance on Talkback.

Talkback can be heard right after the 9:00 news.

Meanwhile, all the candidates in the Kenora Riding will also scheduled to be in attendance at a forum sponsored by the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce.

Its scheduled to take place at the Days Inn starting at 7:00 this evening.

Council seeks funding for Library

Kenora City Council is seeking more funding for the Kenora Public Library from the provincial government.

The Federation of Ontairo Public Libraries has submitted a funding proposal to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Councillor Rory McMillan says annual grants for libraries haven't increased since 1989.

In the meantime, libraries have been relying increasingly on municipal funding to support their operations.

The proposed funding model would provide a consistant per capita rate plus additional supplements for rural and northern libraries.

American Anglers Fined for illegal Ice Fishing on Lake of the Woods

An ice fishing trip on Lake of the Woods has ended up costing two American men a good chunk of money.

The Minnestoa residents were stopped by Conservation Officers on Mica Point last March.

Robert Cook has been fined 14-hundred dollars for having 7-walleye over the legal limit and 800-dollars for having 4-walleye over the limit on a separate day.

Glenn Ostlund has been ordered to pay 1-grand for fishing without a licence and having 4-walleye in his possession.

Both men were also fined 500-dollars each for importing live minnows into Ontario for bait.

Advance Polls Open Tomorrow

Advance polling for the Federal Election will be held this Friday, Saturday and Monday.

You can cast your vote each day from noon until 8 o'clock.

Gerry Ouellette is the Kenora Riding Returning Officer and he says advance polls have been busy in the past.

Elections Canada is expecting a heavy turnout according to Ouellette.

OPP Report a decrease in Crime in the Kenora Area

The OPP say they have seen a decrease in most criminal activity in the Kenora area in the past year, except in a couple of specific categories.

Inspector Dave Lucas says crimes against property is down as is mischief, but the number of assault complaints has remained fairly steady.

Lucas released his annual report to the Police Services Board this morning and believes they are making progress.

Lucas says this year they will be focussing on crimes which are the result of drug abuse.

That includes violent crime and theft under five thousand dollars.

Hunter Fined for Shooting deer on the Kenora By-Pass

A Michigan man has found out the hard way its not wise to shoot a deer from across a Highway.

Court heard that the man was traveling east on the Trans-Canada Highway near Kenora last November when he saw a deer on the south side of 17A.

Paul Witter stopped on the north side of the road and shot the deer.

Witter has ben fined 3-thousand dollars for shooting across a roadway and possessing illegally killed wildlife.

Layton Rallies party faithful in Thunder Bay

Jack Layton says the rest of the Country needs to follow Thunder Bay's lead and elect NDP MPs.

That was the rallying cry of the New Democrat leader at last night's town hall that drew around 400 people.

Layton answered several questions about the region's economy and says the NDP would create a forestry strategy.

Layton says it was the Conservatives blocked the kinds of initiatives that would help the Northwest.

Northwest CCAC signs contract with its nurses

Wages remain an issue for nurses with the Northwest Community Care Access Centre.

The members of the Ontario Nurses Association recently accepted a new contract, but President Linda Haslam-Stroud says salaries aren't where they should be.

Haslam-Stroud says the new deal does follow some wage scales of another northern C-C-A-C.

Benton Resources picks up mining claim in the Kenora area

Another mining company has taken an interest in a gold deposit in the Kenora area.

Benton Resources says it has acquired 100 percent of the  Abernethy Gold project, located about 10 kilometers southwest of town.

The property currently has nine claims that were once owned by Hudson Bay Exploration and Development.

The company says recent forestry logging operations have opened access to several areas near the claims, providing good infrastructure.

Benton says it is planning to start up work on the project as soon as conditions permit.

Couchiching man faces child porn charges

A Couchiching First Nations man is facing child pornography charges.

35-year-old Eric Morrisseau was arrested this week after an on-line undercover child pornography investigation by police led them to a home on the reserve.

Police seized four computers, an external hard drive, discs and printed material, containing images of child sexual abuse.

Morriseau made a first appearance yesterday on charges making Child Pornography, possessing child pornography, making available Child Pornography and accessing Child Pornography.

Task Force Presents Drug Strategy to Council

Kenora's Substance and Mental Health Task Force has launched a number of intiatives to try and help reduce drug and alcohol use in the community.

The Task Force presented its drug strategy to council this week.

Michelle Ott is a member of the Education and Harm Reduction committee and says one of their inititatives involves working with whole families.

Ott says they have also surveyed 75 families about their concerns, and drug abuse and binge drinking come out as two of the top issues.

School difficulties and depression and anxiety are also some of the top worries of parents.

Advance Polls to Open Easter Long Weekend

Elections Canada says it has no say in how the advance voting falls for the May 2nd federal election.

Spokesperson Karen Janigan says the law states the advanced voting must be held so many days prior to the actual election day -- but -- she says there are other options available for those who aren't comfortable voting over the Easter weekend:

The Advance polls are open Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday.

CIP for Abitibi Lands gets the Green Light

It looks like the City of Kenora can now proceed with a Community Improvement Plan for the Abitibi properties.

A 30 day appeal period has expired and no objections have been raised about the plan.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says there has already been a lot of interest expressed in the property.

Canfield says they also have to decide what sort of incentives to provide companies to located on the Abitibi lands.

A phased in tax rate in one option being considered.

City Seeks Funding for Harborfront Tent

Kenora City Council isn't giving up its efforts to find funding to help pay for the new Harborfront Tent.

Last summer, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund turned down the city's request money for the tent.

Councillor Sharon Smith says they recently learned that they can appeal that decision and will try once again to secure funding for the 1.4 million dollar Harborfront structure.

The city has applied for 750 thousand dollars from the Heritage Fund.