Treaty Three Opens New Office in Whitefish Bay

The Treaty Three Police has officially opened its newest detachment.

A special ceremony was held yesterday afternoon on the Whitefish Bay First Nation, southeast of Kenora.

The federal government contributed 256 thousand dollars towards the project, while the province added another 237 thousand.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the investment has helped the local economy and will help to improve the safety  on Whitefish Bay.

Kenora Public Library to Conduct External Review

The Kenora Public Library is planning to carry out an external review this year to try to deal with its financial difficulties.

The Library is projecting a deficit of 52 thousand dollars this year.

Councillor Ron Lunny agrees the Library has to do something about its finances, but isn't sure an operational review is the route to go.

The Library says it will pay for the external review, which will look at issues such as governance, internal staff stucture, service levels, and a financial review.

OPP Investigating Assault on CP Pedestrian Bridge

The OPP is searching for two suspects in connection to an assault on the C.P. pedestrian overpass.

Police say a woman was walking over the bridge Monday night around 11:00 when she was  accosted by two men, who tried to hit her up for a cigarette.

An altercation ensured, and the woman sustained minor injuries, which did not require medical attention.

The OPP say they are looking for two aboriginal men, with dark hair.

One man had short hair, while the other had longer, unkempt hair.

Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

City Insurance Premiums Going Up

The City of Kenora is going to have to pay a bit more for its insurance coverage this year.

Council approved a one year tender from the Standard for 317 thousand dollars for the period running from July 1st, 2011 to July 1st, 2012.

That's an increase of about 10 thousand dollars from last year.

The city's chief administrative officer, Karen Brown says the increased premiums are largely due to the number of new buildings the city has, incuding the new fire hall and the Discovery Center on Lakeview Drive.

She adds that there are some new vehicles up at the Waste Transfer Station which also pushed up their premiums this year.

Winnipeg Symphony in Town

The Winnipeg Symphony will kick off a very busy weekend in Kenora.

The Symphony will be playing under the big tent on the Harborfront this evening.

Musical Director, Alexander Micklethwaite says they look forward to hitting the road each summer.

While all the seats have been sold, there will still be space to set up your own chairs in the free section at the back of the tent.

The concert is scheduled to get underway at 7:30.

Snapping Turtles Seized

A Fort Frances man has been fined 17-hundred dollars for keeping live snapping turtles in his home.

Donald Cameron was charged back in February after Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers, acting on a public tip, found the reptiles hidden in the tank of a toilet.

Cameron had been convicted of a similar offence back in 2010.

Snapping turtles are a special concern species under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act.

Kenora OPP present Crime Stats

The OPP says it saw a decrease in the amount of crime in the Kenora area last month.

There were just over 11 hundred calls for service, which was about 160 incidents less than in April.

Staff Sergeant Bryan McKillop says they saw a big drop in the number of break, enter and thefts during the month of May.

McKillop says there were more drug charges laid last month, but that's largely due to new pro-active investigations being carried out by local officers.

New Osnaburgh Residents Returning Home Tomorrow

Good news for residents of New Osnaburgh First Nation as they are being allowed to return home on Friday.

The decision was recommended by the Ministry of Natural Resources based on ongoing fire suppression efforts and forecasted weather.

The MNR is working with First Nation officials on organizing transportation as well as securing health services for the elderly and children.

Meanwhile, Fire Information Officer Debbie McLean says an Emergency Area Order remains in place until at least tomorrow morning.

McLean says firefighters continue to make excellent progress on the nearby fire.

Pat Lang Calls it a Career

The Pat Lang era at Confederation College is coming to a close today.

After 11 years as president of the college she is retiring without any regrets

Lang hopes she her legacy will be the people she met and helped during her presidency.

OPP Out in Force Canada Day Long Weekend

The O.P.P say it will be out in full force over the Canada Day long weekend, including on the water.

Cameron Taylor of Boatsmart Canada says one of the most important safety considerations is getting a Pleasure Craft Operator Card .

Taylor says whether alcohol is involved or not, the overwhelming majority of boating accidents are preventable and all people should wear a life jacket or personal flotation device.

Habitat for Humanity to get a boost this month

Kenora's fledgling Habitat For Humanity chapter will be getting a bit of a shot in the arm next month.

The annual Cycle of Hope begins this weekend, with funds raised going towards the Winnipeg chapter of Habitat.

Gord Taylor is a local cyclist and says some of the proceeds of his ride will go towards the Kenora housing project.

Taylor says Habitat hopes to start building its first home in Kenora by next Summer.

Council Approves Additional Cash for the Library

The Kenora Public Library will receive an extra 98 thousand dollars this year to help cover off a projected deficit.

But city council isn't very happy about advancing the extra cash.

Councillor Ron Lunny supported the resolution to give the additional funding, but questioned how the Library consistantly managed to operate with a deficit over the past couple of years.

Council has agreed to provide an additional 52 thousand dollars this year to help cover the Library's budget deficit in 2011, and another 46 thousand to address an accumulated deficit over the past couple of years.

Hampton Touts NDP Platform

The MPP for Kenora-Rainy River says its time to put an end to damaging McGuinty policies.

Howard Hampton is about to embark on a tour of the Riding to promote the NDP Election platform.

Hampton outlines some of the highlights.

He says the NDP will also take the HST off hydro and heating bills as well as prices at the gas pump.

KDSB to lease new Defibrilators

The Kenora District Services Board has agreed to enter into a lease agreement to purchase 23-defibrillators for ambulances across the District.

The Board will spend 90-thousand dollars this year and 71-thousand dollars for each of the next 4-years to secure the new machines.

The move will save the Board about 46-thousand dollars compared to puchasing 5-machines per year.

14 of the current AED's are more than 10-years-old, well past the typical life of 5-years.

The KDSB says over the past 5 years they have had at least 3-major failures per year.

Village Corner Site in Vermillion Bay being Cleaned up

The clean-up of the Village Corner fire site in Vermillion Bay is underway.

Crews started demolition of the structure yesterday morning.

A fire ripped through the area landmark last Labour Day, leaving only the Casually Hip and Way North stores still standing.

Kenora BIZ ready to Celebrate Summer

A busy long weekend in Kenora.

Canada Day festivities will be book-ended by a couple of special events under the big tent on the Kenora harborfront.

Thursday night, the Winnipeg Symphony is in town and Saturday, Celebrate Summer makes a return.

Mort Goss is one of the people spear-heading the day-long event and says Harbortown BIZ is really the impetus behind Celebrate Summer.

Celebrate Summer will get underway at 1:00 on Saturday and wrap up just after 11:00 with a fireworks display.

OPP Summer Camp Taking place this week

Ontario Provincial Police have kicked off their annual youth summer camp in northwestern Ontario.

Forty young people aged 11 and 12 from across northwestern Ontario have gathered at Sunny Cove near

Fort Frances.

Constable Anne McCoy says they've plenty of activities to partake in.

McCoy says the camp aims to help youth through team building, mentoring, self-esteem exercises with police.

Residents Evacuated from New Osnaburgh prepare to return home

About 500 residents of the New Osnaburgh First Nation could return home as early as Friday, if the air quality continues to improve.

They were evacuated from the community near Pickle Lake a week ago to avoid smoke from a large forest fire.

A community official says the residents are anxious to go home.

About 300 firefighters are working on the fire, which officially remains out of control but did not reach the community.

KMTS Warns of Internet Scam

KMTS is warning of a scam that has been going around to some of its clients.

An e-mail notification has been sent out telling account holders about a phoney upgrade for an enhanced webmail user interface.

The letter says in order to save your e-mail address book in their data base, you have to send your password back to them in order to transfer your contacts.

KMTS stresses that this is a scam and urges its account holders not to give out their password to anyone.

Children's Aid Merge to Proceed on July 1st

The long talked about merger between two child care agencies in northwestern Ontario should be complete later this week.

Kenora-Patricia Child and Family Services will be joining forces with Family and Children Services of Rainy River as of July 1st.

The new children's aid society will be known as Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services

The amalgamation process was supposed to be completed at the beginning of April, but some financial issues help up the merger.

Province Cuts Funding for Forest Access Roads

The provincial government is cutting the amount of money available to build and maintain forest access roads in northern Ontario.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association says it found out about the cut earlier this month.

Scott Jackson is a spokesperson for the OFIA and says the budget has been cut by 36 percent.

Jackson claims the Ministry of Northern Development of Mines and Forestry knew about the cut back in January but failed to inform anyone it would be taking place.

Council holds special meeting this afternoon

Kenora City Council will be meeting once more before Canada Day.

A special meeting is scheduled to take place this afternoon in council chambers to take care of a couple of last minute pieces of business.

That includes a review of a plea by the Kenora Public Library for more money to operate this year.

Council is also expected to award the tender for the municipal insurance policy this afternoon.

The council meeting is scheduled for 1:00.

Union Gas Rates Going Up

Its going to cost a bit more to heat your home with natural gas.

Union Gas says the Ontario Energy Board has approved a 5 percent rate increase as of July 1st.

Andrea Stass is a spokesperson for Union Gas and says the increase in gas prices is due to a couple of factors.

Stass says the increase in gas prices will cost the average homeowner about four dollars a month.

Funding for local child care groups announced

The Kenora District Services Board has approved funding under the National Child Benefit program.

A number of groups in the region will be getting funding under the program.

The Minto Resource Center has been promised 15 thousand dollars, while Triple Play will  receive 36 hundred dollars to help kids from low-income families play sports and participate in other social events.

The Services Board is leaving 50 thousand available for its Ontario Works Backpack program.

Rain temporarily Halts Growth of Pickle Lake Wildfire

Some 278 firefighters continue to battle a large forest fire burning outside New Osnaburgh First Nation.

The fire is now nearly 66-thousand hectares is size and is not under control.

Dave Jackson is with the Ministry of Natural Resources and he says rain has helped in fire fighting efforts.

An Emergency Area order has been placed in the Pickle Lake area with possible travel restrictions.

A record year for the Community Foundation

Its been a good year for the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

The Foundation held its annual spring granting ceremony on Friday and handed out more than 100 thousand dollars to 25 community groups.

Don Parfitt is chair of the Community Foundation and says they are finally starting to see some return on their investment's.

The Foundation also presented grants on behalf of the Moffatt Foundation out of Winnipeg and also the Canadian Pacific's Kenora Employees.

25 Local Groups receive funding from Community Foundation

Triple Play, the Kenora Public Library and the Town of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls were some of the big winners in the annual granting ceremony.

Triple Play received the largest one time grant of 10 thousand dollars from the Moffatt Foundation, while the library received a number of smaller grants totally about 45 hundred dollars.

The Town of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls also received three grants, two to help develop a community trail between Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls, and the other to help furnish a new library in Nestor Falls.

Mail expected to begin moving again this week

The head of the postal workers' union says its members will obey a back-to-work order to end the lockout at Canada Post.

CUPW's Denis Lemelin says that's because the legislation sets out enormous fines in the case of defiance.

Plus, he believes the government would use any excuse to destroy the union should members defy the law and he says the union won't let it.

It's been more than three weeks since the union launched rotating strikes that led to Canada Post locking workers out June 15th.

Workers will begin today sorting the piles and piles of mail, with delivery to resume tomorrow.

Cancer Care Northwest Releases new plan

Cancer Care Northwest is embarking on a four year cancer plan for the region.

Vice President Michael Power says it will include a new integrated cancer screening program, which

will include the use of mobile clinics. 

Cancer Care Northwest also plans to start a new Palliative Care Program.

Pickle Lake Fire Continues to Grow

Fire crews are working round-the-clock to stop a raging wildfire from reaching New Osnaburgh First Nation.

The fire is blazing out-of-control about 9-kilometres east of the community.

It's been burning for two weeks and now covers nearly 58-thousand hecatres.

Smoke from the fire earlier forced the evacuation of the community.

An Emergency Area order has been placed in the Pickle Lake area with possible travel restrictions.

That may include the temporary closure of Highway 599.

Con. College Gets More Funding

The Provincial Government is stoking Confederation College's fires with a 4.2 million dollar funding announcement.

The money is going towards the college's Bio Energy research centre which will heat the REACH building.

President Pat Lang says it's a very positive green initiative for their Thunder Bay

campus.

The research facility will also provide hands on training for students in renewable fuel technologies.

Community Foundation to donate record amount in Granting Ceremony

The Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation says it will be handing out

a record amount of money in its annual granting ceremony this evening.

Just over 100 thousand dollars will be presented to 30 different community groups.

There will be a number of first time grants made from specific funds, including the Keewatin Forever Endownment and a fund specifically targeted at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The Granting ceremony will take place at the Best Western Lakeside Inn starting at 7:00.

Rickford Stuck in Ottawa for Back to Work Legislation debate

It looks as if Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford won't be getting back to the Kenora Riding this weekend.

Debate is still continuing in the House of Commons on a back to work bill for postal workers.

Rickford says he's disappointed the opposition is holding up the legislation.

The House of Commons was supposed to adjourn yesterday, but its now unclear when an actual vote on the back to work legislation will take place.

Enrolment expected to rise at Catholic School Board

The Kenora Catholic District School Board seems to be defying a provincial trend.

The separate school board is projecting an increase in its enrolment this fall.

Superintendant of Business Erica Baily says the student population could swell by 46 students in September.

She says the increased enrolment should result in a bit more money from the provincial government in student grants next year.

Ring of Fire Conference Wraps up

The Ring of Fire Coordinator is calling a two day conference on the chromite deposit in Thunder Bay a success.

Christine Kaszycki says it's designed to understand what infrastructure is needed for the mining project to proceed.

Prefered transportation methods and routes were discussed at the final day of the event.

Two Women plead guilty to Manslaughter in Death of Big Trout Woman

There will be no trial in the death of a Big Trout Lake woman in Thunder Bay in 2010.

That's because the 2-people originally charged with First Degree Murder have pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Manslaughter.

Michelle Morris and Joanne Vivier will be sentenced on November 16th.

Catholic School Board completes a hiring spree

The Kenora Catholic District School Board has been in a hiring mode over the past month.

The separate school board has just filled a total of 12 full-time positions.

Phylis Eikre is the director of education and says the hirings are due to a number of issues.

Eikre says they have hired extra staff for the full-day kindergarten program at Pope John Paul.

New Osnaburgh being evacuated



(Photo courtesy of the MNR)



A raging wildfire in northern Ontario has prompted the Chief of the New Osnaburgh First Nation to order the evacuation of the entire community of more than 450 people.

About 150 residents are now in Geraldton, 195 in Sioux Lookout and 105 in Ignace.

The fire is burning 15 kilometres east of New Osnaburgh, and has grown to 300 square kilometres.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the fire is not under control and crews are having trouble with shifting winds that are blowing smoke into the Pickle Lake, Sioux Lookout and Dryden areas.

Richards traded by the Flyers to Los Angeles

A shocking trade in the NHL.

The Philadelphia Flyers trade their captain and their leading scorer, while clearing some badly needed salary cap space. Captain

Mike Richards was sent to Los Angeles, while Jeff Carter goes to Columbus. Richards says he actually heard about the trade while surfing on his computer.

Among the commodities heading to Philadelphia is the eighth overall pick in today's draft. And, with the newfound cap space, the Flyers were able to sign goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year contract.

Rotary Club Raises Money at Charity Golf Tournament

The Rotary Club's 7th annual charity golf tournament at the Kenora Golf and CountryClub proved to be a big success again.

Just over 19 thousand dollars was raised yesterday.

A total of 31 teams took part in the event.

Proceeds will go to Rotary projects in Kenora and around the world.

Wood Allocations promised for two Kenora Companies

The provincial government has finally approved wood allocations for a couple of Kenora businesses.

Weyerhaueser and Wincrief have both accepted offers, which could created up to 55 jobs.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield was on hand for the announcement yesterday and says the extra wood supply will be a big benefit for the iLevel timberstrand mill.

The province says as many as 12 jobs could be created at the Wincrief Pole Peeling plant thanks to the wood allocation.

Vigilent Neighbor Helps Arrest Break-in Suspect

A sharp-eyed neighbor has helped the OPP nab an 18 year old man who is believed to be responsible for a number of break-ins in the north end of town.

Early Wednesday morning, police say they received a call from a 9th Street North resident who noticed someone trying to break-in to a shed.

The observant neighbor confronted the suspect and held him until officers arrived on the scene.

Dylan Wilcox has been arrested and charged with a number of counts of break, enter and theft.

He was also charged with mischief, after a number of windows up at Beaver Brae Secondary School were smashed  night.

Safe Grad Takes Place Tonight

A big night for grade 12 students at Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae.

Graduation ceremonies will take place at both schools this evening.

That will be followed by the 11th annual Safe Grad at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Warren Brinkman is one of the committee members and says they just want to provide a safe alternative for grad night.

Brinkman says last year they hosted just over 350 students at Safe Grad, including grads from Grassy Narrows, Whitefish Bay and Whitedog.

80 people evacuated from Pickle Lake area First Nation

About 80 people from a northwestern Ontario First Nation community of are now in Sioux Lookout after an emergency airlift.

Town official Brian McKinnon says smoke from a nearby blaze is causing some concern.

McKinnon says smoke from the fire forced the evacuation of those residents who are very young and elderly.

More evacuees may have to be flown to Ignace or Geraldton.

OPP still searching for driver invoved in Marathon Hit and Run

The OPP has released the name of the flagman who was hit by a car on Highway 17, west of Marathon Monday morning.

23-year-old Jake Dumas is in Thunder Bay Hospital in stable condition.

Constable Peter Bertin says an arrest warrant has been issued for 23 year old Ibrahim Sendagire of Edmonton.

Bertin is asking motorists to report any hitchhikers matching the describition of the accused.

Impaired Driver crashes in downtown Kenora

An impaired driver has caused a fair bit of damage in downtown Kenora.


Early this morning, the OPP say a 2008 pick up truck hit a lamp post on Main Street South, went through a railing, down an embankment and into the parking lot of Scotiabank.

Police say the 18 year old driver and a 16 year old passenger walked away from the accident scene, but were picked up a short time later on the Kenora Harborfront.

Extensive damage was reported to the vehicle as well as property on Main Street.

18 year old Philip Reid of Winnipeg has been charged with impaired driving and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

The 16 year old youth has been charged with being intoxicated in a public place.

Pickle Lake Forest Fire Growing

A forest fire about 30-kilometres east of New Osnaburgh First Nation and Pickle Lake continues to grow.


The lightning caused fire is now 20-thousand hectares in size.

Smoke alerts in both communities have been issued and the fire hazard is extreme.

Crews are focusing on the west side of the fire and a mobile base camp has been set up to support firefighters.

11-fires continue to burn in Northwestern Ontario.

Local Contractor Fined by MNR

A local contractor has earned the wrath of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Don Hagar has been fined three thousand dollars for illegally taking gravel from crown land.

The MNR says conservation officers received a complaint back in May about someone taking aggragate material to build a road.

Hagar admitted in court last week to illegally creating two aggregate pits on a forest access road off Father Moss Road in McGeorge Township.

He used the material to create a road to a nearby cottage.

While the cottage owner had a permit to build the road on crown land, Hagar was fined for illegally operating an aggrate pit.

Canfield has mixed feelings about Northern Growth Plan

Less talk about fixing the economy of northern Ontario and more action.


That's the sentiment of Kenora mayor Dave Canfield.

He attended the Think North summit last week in Thunder Bay and says this is the fourth major study on the region he's seen since he's been in office.

Canfield says the Northern Growth Plan has some good points, but it will only be seen as a success if it can help generate jobs for the region.

OPP still searching for driver involved in Marathon Hit and Run

If you are driving along Highway 17 you are asked to not pick up any hitchhikers.


OPP have issued the warning as they continue to search for a wanted man who struck a flagman on the Trans-Canada and left the scene on foot.

The incident occurred Monday morning west of Marathon.

OPP say the driver hit a 23-year-old worker and then collided with a rock cut before taking off.

The wanted individual has been identified as 23-year-old Ibrahim Sendagire of Edmonton.

The victim is from Marathon and he's in Thunder Bay Hospital with serious injuries.

Farmer's Market starts this morning

One of the favorite events of the summer for both local and seasonal starts up today.

The Farmer's Market begins its run on the Kenora Harborfront.

Buck Matiowski is helping to co-ordinate the Market and says they've added a few new wrinkles this year.

The farmer's market gets underway at 9:00 this morning and will run until about 2:00 in the afternoon.

MNR Conducts Blitz on Ear Falls area Lakes

The Ministry of Natural Resources has wrapped up a 2-day enforcement blitz in the Ear Falls area.


Conservation officers checked 390-people at 22-tourist camps on 4-lakes along the Highway 105 corridor.

Officials say 95-percent of those checked were following the rules.

The MNR did lay 11-charges and 11-warnings for over-limit of walleye and improperly packaged fish.

Open alcohol was also an issue.

Northwestern Ontario Immigration Portal expands

Want to move to Northwestern Ontario?

There's an app for that.

The Northwest Immigration website is now available in 15 languages and can be viewed on smart phones.

Spokesperson Rebecca Johnson says the site is garnering a lot of interest.

The website shows what jobs are available and what businesses are up for sale.

Cameron Appointed to NDP National Council

She may not have won the last federal election the Kenora Riding, but NDP candidate Tania Cameron is still active in the party.

Cameron attended the party's national convention this past weekend in Vancover and was appointed to the NDP's national council.

Cameron was one of four delegates from Ontario selected to sit on the party's national council.

Museum Gets Honor from Ontario Historical Society

A big honor for Lake of the Woods Museum.

It has been presented the Museum Award of Excellence and Programming by the Ontario Historical Society.

The award was for the exhibit entitled, "We Were Taught Differently", which was a look at the residential school system in northwestern Ontario.

The honor was for creating an exceptional exhibit that dealt with a very diffult subject.

The exhibit been taken out on tour and has also been transformed into a book.

Kroppy Senior of the Year

Kenora City Council was in a giving mood last night, presenting three certificates to local residents and an employee.

A provincial senior of the year award was handed out to Len Kropiowski.

Kroppy says he's grateful for the honor, almost like winning the Stanley Cup.

Janet Findlay was also presented an award of merit from Life Saving Society, for helping out not one, but two people in distress, in two separate incidents on Lake of the Woods last year.

Strike at Ring of Fire in NWO

A number of people who have been working up in northwestern Ontario's so-called Ring of fire are on strike.

Employees of Cliffs Natural Resources are threatening a blockade at the company's Ring of Fire site.

About 2 dozen workers walked off the job on Friday.

Spokesperson Jesse Nadon says they were offered a package that would see them get paid less than fast food employees.

Nadon says they plan to stop they're replacements from going to work.

Separate School Board launches all day Kindergarten at PJP

The Kenora Catholic District School Board is going to be adding all-day kindergarten programs at Pope John Paul II School a full year ahead of schedule.

Full day junior and senior kindergarten programs were supposed to be introduced in 2012.

But Director of Education, Phylis Eikre says the board felt it important to start it up this fall.

Eikre says they already have three classes filled for all day JK and SK at Pope John Paul next year, and its possible they could add a fourth class if there is demand.