Thistles post just one win in weekend road trip

The Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles earned three of a possible six points up for grabs during a three game weekend road trip to western Manitoba.

The Thistles took the Pembina Valley Hawks to overtime yesterday, but eventually dropped a hard fought

1-0 decision.

Saturday the Kenora Midgets were thumped 7-1 by the Central Plains Capitals, while Friday night, the Thistles managed their lone win of the weekend, with a 4-3 victory against the Yellowhead Chiefs.

Signal Weather Services

Kenora trick-or-treaters will have a slightly warmer Halloween night than the rest of Canada.

Our Meterologist Bill Laidlaw says it's going to be warmer than what we're used to.

Laidlaw says the warmer than normal weather will continue throughout the week.

The Kenora Community Policing Committee BBQ

Hamburgers and hot dogs are on the menu tonight! The Kenora Community Policing Committee is having a BBQ at the Evergreen Community Club between 4:30 and 6:00 tonight! You won’t have to worry about supper. Get the kids all dressed up in their costumes and have a bite to eat before you head out trick or treating. Five dollars will buy you a burger or hot dog with a chip and a drink. All proceeds help to fund community projects.

National Patient Safety Week

Falls prevention, Medication safety and flu shots.


Those are just some of the issues the Lake Of The Woods District Hospital wants to focus on during National Patient Safety week.

Brock Chisolm is a physiotherapist at the hospital and says preventing falls is something they have been spending a lot of time and effort on in recent months.

The hospital is planning to focus on a different issue each day this week

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Tourism in Northwestern Ontario

 It wasn't a great summer for many tourist outfitters in northwestern Ontario.
Gerry Cariou is the executive director of Sunset Country and says there wasn't much in the way of growth compared to last year.

On the bright side, he does say they did see some improvement in border crossings with fewer complaints in 2011.

Cariou adds that the sluggish American economy continues to be a drag on the tourism industry in northwestern Ontario.

OPP Out in Force for Gate Night

The OPP are hoping for another quiet gate night in Kenora.

Over the past few years, there have been fewer mischief complaints on the night before Hallowe'en.

Constable Dave Cain says police will continue to have an increased presence on the streets Sunday and

Monday nights. 
Cain says they will be assisted once again by Citizans on Patrol  on Gate Night and Hallowe'en.

Holiday Train to Stop in Kenora this December

What has 14-rail cars, hundreds of thousands of festive lights and a travelling stage for performers?

If you answered the Canadian Pacific 'Holiday Train', you are correct.

Area residents will be able to see the festive locomotive on December 2nd and 3rd.

C.P. spokesperson Kevin Hrysak says Valdy and Tracey Brown are the featured performers this year.

The Holiday Train collects food and money for area Food Banks.

Library Launches Operational Review

An operational review of the Kenora Public Library is starting up.

Next week, consultants will be meeting with local residents to get their feedback about the services the Library provides.

Erin Roussin is the Head Librarian and says the consultants will be available all next week to gather input.

There will also be two public meetings with the consultants next week.

One on Wednesday night at the Kenora Library and the other Thursday afternoon at the Keewatin Branch.

Forest Fires still burning near end of Official Fire Season

The forest fire season officially comes to an end on Monday, but there will likely be fires still burning across the Northwest.

Eight lightning caused fires are still active inside Quetico Provincial Park.

Jennifer Young of the Ministry of Natural Resources says the fires are being monitored and none are posing any threat.

Young says a fire management plan for the park allows fires to burn in certain areas to help regenerate the forest.

Rafferty brings back Private Members Bill

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty has brought back a private members bill aimed at protecting workers severance when companies enter bankruptcy protection.

It's a similar bill that died on the order table in the last Parliament.

First reading took place in the House of Commons Thursday.

Campbell Officially Sworn in As Kenora-Rainy River MPP

It's now official

Sarah Campbell was sworn-in to office yesterday morning as the MPP for Kenora-Rainy River riding.

Campbell admits there's still a lot of learning yet to take place.

Campbell says the legislature could resume as early as November 14, although no official word has been given by the Liberals.

Alzheimer Society Takes a Coffee Break

The coffee's on at the Alzheimer Society's office in Kenora.

The annual Coffee Break campaign is in full swing.

Executive Director Lynn Moffatt says they are looking for potential hosts to contact them.

Moffatt says funds raised through the coffee donations will be used to support the one thousand Alzheimer Patients in the Kenora-Rainy River area.

Hefty Hunting Fine levied

They didn't learn their lesson the first time, now two Ontario hunters are 10 thousand dollars poorer.

Conservation officers were contacted after two hunters were seen killing a deer on private property in the Rainy River District last November.

The two men were fined a total of six thousand dollars.

The same two men also pled guilty to hunting on private property back in April.

In that instance, they were fined 45 hundred dollars.

Tim Gould from Chelmsford has been banned from hunting for two years, while Dan Wheldon isn't allowed to hunt in Ontario for four years.

OPP release summer crime stats

The OPP says its overtime costs tend to be higher in the summer.

The Kenora Detachment recently released its monthly statistics for August and September.

There were about 125 more calls for service in August compared to last month.

That also resulted in a big increase in overtime.

There was a total of 423 hours of O.T. in August, compared to 248 in September.

Events like Harborfest have a lot to do with the increase in the number of calls for service and overtime.

Kenora to take part in Doors Open again in 2012

The doors will be open to heritage homes and buildings in Kenora once again in 2012.

Heritage Kenora has agreed to host the weekend event again next year.

The city recently approved a budget for Heritage Kenora, which included funding to carry out Doors Open.

No date has been set for the Kenora event, but its expected to take place next September.

High Schoool Hockey season opens this weekend

Ten teams are playing in the 26th Annual Dryden High School Boys Hockey Tournament.

Play started  this morning at 9 o'clock.

Both the Beaver Brae Broncos and Thomas Aquinas Saints are in action today. 
Teams from Winnipeg, Red Lake and Fort Frances are in the field for the two day Tournament.

The finals will take place Saturday evening.

Border Crossing Stats released

A man from Texas who declared his main source of income was from playing on-line poker was among 42 people denied entry into Canada last month at the Fort Frances border.

The Canada Border Services Agency says the man told officers he was moving to Fort Frances.

But when he failed to prove he had funds to support himself or that he had employment or a home in the United States, the individual was turned back.

A total of 96-thousand people passed through the border in September.

American fined for catching too many walleye

A fishing trip to northwestern Ontario is going to cost an Illinois man a little more than he bargained for.

Andrew Coates has been fined two thousan dollars for catching too many walleye.

The MNR says Coates was fishing in Little Pine Lake just off Highway 71 this past July.

Conservation officers found the legal number of walleye in his possession, but a further investigation found that he had more fish frozen at his camp.

He pleaded guilty to have 13 walleye over the legal limit.

OPP arrest Winnipeg man for Auto Theft

If you're going to steal a car, better not be drunk when you're doing it.

The OPP have laid a long list of charges against a Winnipeg man after pulling over a vehicle around 2:00 this morning on Golf Course Bay Road.

Police say the vehicle was being driven in an erratic manner.

A quick check also determined that the car had been stolen from a home on 3rd Street South.

18 year old Konrad Muckle has been charged with Impaired Driving, possession of property obtained by crime, breach of probation and  operating a motor vehicle without a license.

More MPP's in the running for Speaker

MPP Michael Gravelle doesn't think the speaker of the house is for gone conclusion now that a Tory MPP has thrown his name into the ring.

Conservative MPP Frank Klees has said he will run for speaker when the provincial parliament resumes in November but Gravelle says there are 3 Liberal Members running as well.

Since the speaker traditional voted with the government many are seeing Klees's decision as effectively crossing the floor.

Drug Bust

Kenora OPP have made another drug bust on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Police stopped a vehicle on Highway 17 west of Kenora yesterday afternoon.

Officers found 3-grams of cocaine.

OPP say 23-year-old Nyree Kakeeway of Kenora faces 1-count of possession.

Creighton Youth Services

Young offenders in Kenora may get a new job.


Creighton Youth Services says its wants to start up a program called Paint the Town.

Tammie Potter asked the Police Services Board to support the project and help form a new committee.

Potter says the idea is to get the youth out into the community to cover-up grafitti and other areas in need of a clean-up.

Kenora OPP Budget

The OPP in Kenora seem to be paying close attention to their bottom line.

Statistics from the local detachment shows policing costs so far in 2011 are not only on target, but actually under budget.

Inspector Dave Lucas says through the first six months of this fiscal year, they have spent 3.14 million dollars.

That's just over 200 thousand dollars than they had projected. Lucas adds that their overtime costs are less than expected.

Red Lake Airport Terminal

Transport Minister Denis Lebel and Kenora MP Greg Rickford are in Red Lake this afternoon to celebrate the opening of the new Airport Terminal.


The Federal Government made major investments to replace the Terminal building, enhance airport parking and install wildlife control fencing.

A special ceremony is planned for 2 o'clock.

Lebel and Rickford will also take time to sit down with area Mayor's.

Sarah Campbell

Sarah Campbell officially becomes our MPP at Queen's Park today.


An official swearing-in ceremony for all NDP members is taking place this morning in Toronto.

Campbell captured the Kenora-Rainy River Riding in the October 6th election.

She has already been named critic for Natural Resources and Aboriginal Affairs.

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation wants healthy food at affordable prices for their people.


Spokesperson Joseph Leblanc says that's why they're holding a food symposium looking at reintroducing gardening to First Nation communities.

Farmers from across the Northwest are sharing their trade secrets with NAN and helping them create community gardens.

Long Gun Registry

The Conservatives are hoping the third time is a charm.


The Harper government has introduced legislation once again to abolish the federal long gun registry.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says they've waited a long time for this day.

Rickford is also challenging the NDP members from Thunder Bay tosupport their consituents and vote in favour of abolishing the long gun registry.

Nuclear Waste Management Organization

 The number of Northwestern Ontario towns willing to at least consider the idea of storing waste from nuclear reactors in their vicinity has reached half a dozen.


Nipigon is the latest municipality to have a Nuclear Waste Management Organization information kiosk in town to inform locals about the proposal and gauge support.

Mayor Richard Harvey says Nipigon's councillors have not made any decision about the project.

The facility is expected to create several hundred jobs for the host town, but it could take up to 10 years before a site is selected.

Ear Falls, Ignace, Schreiber, Hornepayne and Wawa have also expressed an interest in hosting a storage facility.

Kenora Association for Community Living

Employees with the Kenora Association for Community Living are still hoping to  come to a contract settlement.

Conciliation talks are taking place today between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and KACL.

Pete Edwards is a spokesperson for the union and says they are looking for some changes in their work schedule.

Workers with KACL could be in a legal strike position by the middle of November if they can't reach a deal.

OPP arrest three on drug charges

Three Kenora residents face trafficking charges after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop.

Police say the occupants were in possession of eight oxycodone pills.

25 year old Miranda Elder, 32 year old Ryan O'Dowda and 35 year old Terry Vaillancourt have all been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

They are due to appear in court in December to face the charges.

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Tonight

Keeping a watchful eye on your street is just one of the many things you can do to keep our community safe

Constable Dave Cain says that's exactly how the neighborhood watch started

The program was brought back a couple years ago.

An information session will be held tonight in the Rotary Room of the Kenora Rec. Center starting at 7:00.

KACL Employes Hold a Rally in support of a new Contract

Conciliation efforts are continuing between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the Kenora Association for Community Living.

OPSEU members rallied outside the Best Western Lakeside Inn this afternoon to show support for their negotiators.

Union spokesperson Pete Edwards says improved wages is only one of the things they are looking for along

with some changes to their work schedule.

The workers at KACL could be in a legal strike position by the middle of November if they can't come to terms on a new contract.

OPP investigate break-in in north end of town

OPP are investigating a break in to a Third Street North residence in the City of Kenora.

Police say the incident took place sometime Friday night.

Suspects gained entry by removing a window and stole a security box which held 800 dollars in gift certificates.

Anyone with information is asked to call police or crime stoppers

Sarah Campbell at Queens Park

Kenora-Rainy River MPP-elect Sarah Campbell will find out today about her role with the NDP.

Party Leader Andrea Horwath will unveil her shadow cabinet this morning at Queen's Park.

Campbell was victorious in the October 6th election.

Long Gun Registry

The Federal Government's latest bill that aims to scrap the long gun registry will be unveiled later today.


Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty says the bill has been cloaked in secrecy.

Rafferty says he doesn't know if today's bill will look anything like the previous bills that aimed to scrap the registry but adds that once he knows what the bill contains he'll spread the word throughout the riding.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

One of North America's most controversial animal rights groups says our city council should not allow bow hunting as a method to control the deer population.


Kristen Simon of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says there are better solutions.

PETA believes on of the best solutions is to simply not feed the deer

Miitigoog General Partners

The company responsible for the Sustainable Forest License in the Kenora area is reporting a good first year in business.

Miitigoog General Partners had revenues of about 717 thousand dollars last year.

Lauraine Cobiness is the president of the first nations owned company and says she's pleased with their operations.

Miitigoog held its first ever annual general meeting in Kenora yesterday

Kenora Association Of Community Living

Members of OPSEU Local 702 are heading back to the bargaining table today to ask for a fair contract today. 

Developmental Service workers at the Kenora Association Of Community Living support people who have an intellectual disability by providing services they need to live, learn and work in our community.

The union says these services are seriously under-funded and that people with disabilities often only receive services once they reach a point of crisis.

Bronco coaches reviewing 2011 Football season

Beaver Brae's coaches are evaluating their past season in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

The Broncos finished out of the play-offs with a 2-4 record.

Head Coach Chris Penner says they will take a serious look at dropping down a division, so they can match-up against their traditional NorWOSSA rivals from Dryden and Fort Frances.

Penner adds that the eastern conference of the Vidruk Division has been very tough in recent years, and its going to be difficult to remain competitive, especially given the size of their school.

Another Drug Bust on the Kenora By-Pass

The OPP say they have seized almost 11 thousand dollars worth of cocaine from a vehicle on the Kenora By-Pass.

The OPP's Organized Crime and Enforcement Unit pulled over a driver around 11:00 Friday night on Highway 17-A near the Airport Road.

They found some narcotics and a further search of the vehicle uncovered about 100 grams of cocaine and over 14 hundre dollars in Cash.

53 year old Dennis Crawford has been charged with trafficking in a narcotic and possession of property obtained by crime.

He's due to appear in Kenora Court on December 1st.

Boil Water Advisory Lifted in Ear Falls

Its once again safe to drink the tap water in Ear Falls.

The Municipality has lifted a boil water advisory.

The boil order was issued on October 14th due to a major water main break.

Lab testing of the water shows no sign of bacteria and the notice has been rescinded.

Thunder Bay may follow Kenora's Deer Hunting lead

Looks as though the city of Thunder Bay may be following in our foot steps when it comes to the controlling the deer population in northwestern ontario.

Thunder Bay councillors are toying with the idea of including a bow-hunt within city limits much like ours which last until November 15th.

According to Kenora city councillor Sharon Smith -there have been no incidents or complaints since the start of the hunt 24 days ago.

Community Foundation Thanks long time Board member

One of the founders of the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation has been given a big thank-you.

The Community Foundation held a lunch in honor of Andrew Paterson last week.

Paterson says he came up with a proposal way back in 1999, but its took five years for the idea to take root.

While Paterson has officially resigned from the Foundations board of directors, he has been named an honorary member for his contributions.

Rickford looks at riding re-distribution

Plans to increase the number of federal ridings in Ontario may not necessarily be a good thing for northwestern Ontario.

Kenora M.P. says even though our riding is one of the largest in Canada, it has the lowest population outside of Prince Edward Island.

The last report by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission had recommending increasing the size of the Kenora Riding to include part of Thunder Bay-Superior North.

Canfield likes the look of the new provincial cabinet

Two thumbs up.

That's the rating the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association has given the premier for his recent cabinet shuffle.

Vice-President of NOMA, Dave Canfield says there are a lot of familiar faces, who have knowlege of the issues facing this region.

Canfield says NOMA has also made it a priority to meet with the news cabinets members as soon as possible.

JM Judokas win Five medals in Thunder Bay

It was a golden weekend for the Jaffray Melick Judo Club in Thunder Bay.

Local judokas brought home four gold medals and a silver from the first annual Kevin Kennedy Memorial tournament.

Kerwin Klywak led the way with a perfect 4-0 record in the boys under 25 kilo division.

Lyndon Hensrud, Karly Lockhart and Taylor Tom also won gold.

Thomas Hertz rounded out the medal haul fighting up in weight and age capturing a silver medal.

Saints Junior Boys win Silver in Dryden

The Thomas Aquinas junior boys volleyball team lost just one game over the weekend at a tournament in Dryden.

Unfortunately it was in the gold medal game Saturday.

The Saints took home the Silver medal after losing to Dryden 15-13 in the final.

T.A. was a perfect 4-0 in round robin play and also won its quarter final and semi-final matches.

The Saints are back in action on Wednesday when they take on Atikokan at home.

Lengthy Power Outage Planned for Sunday

Residents living to the north and west of the City of Kenora will be in the dark for a long time Sunday.

Hydro One says it will be shutting off the electricity for customers in the Jaffray Mellick, Dalles First Nation, Pellatt, and Washagamis Bay for a total of six hours.

The outage is scheduled to last from 9:00 Sunday morning until 3:00 in the afternoon.

Hydro One says its doing mainteance and upgrades to its equipment during the six hour interuption.

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Next Week

The OPP are trying to expand the Neighborhood Watch program in Kenora.

The program was brought back a couple of years ago, and an information session will take place next week for anyone interested in getting involved.

A meeting will be held next Tuesday night in the Rotary Room of the Kenora Rec. Center starting at 7:00.