Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Police Issue Warning about local Ice Conditions

Despite the recent cold weather, the OPP are warning local residents to

make sure of ice conditions before you venture out on local lakes and
rivers.

Over the weekend, the OPP say they were notified about a hole that
had opened up on Laurenson's Creek near K-Sports.

Officers investigated and say it appears that no-one fell through the ice at that location.

Police add that anyone heading out on the ice should have the proper
safety equipment, including a floatation device, a tow rope, a set of ice
picks and crampons.

New Chair chosen for Kenora District Services Board

A total revamping of the Kenora District Services Board.


Ten new faces sit on the 13-member Board of Directors.

Returning member Phil Vinet of Red Lake has been been elected Chair, replacing Rory MacMillian who is no longer the Kenora representative.

Vinet expressed interest in the Chair's seat and was unopposed at the first KDSB meeting of 2011, even though he is vacationing in Hawaii.

Louis Roussin is the new representative for the City of Kenora.

Other local members on the district services board include Barry Baltesson
and Irene Kember representing the unincorporated areas.

Big Pledge for Harborfront Tent

A local business man is putting his money where his mouth is.

Bruce Krawicki from Best Way Rentals says he would like the City of Kenora to go ahead with the installation of a new tent down on the Harborfront.

After making his deputation, Krawicki then presented a cheque for five thousand dollars to council to go towards the tent fund.

Its estimated that a new, year round tent could cost as much as 1.5 million dollars.

The city is getting ready to put out a tender for the project to find out exactly how much a tent will cost.

Foul Play Ruled out in fatal fire

Residents of a close-knit remote northwestern Ontario First Nation of Summer Beaver are mourning the loss of  two infants in a house fire.


Two boys, aged two and three, died in the fire last Thursday afternoon.

A 6-month-old girl suffered smoke inhalation and is listed in critical but stable condition at the Children's Hospital in London.

Police say the child is experiencing breathing complications but has no burn injuries.

The children's parents suffered no major injuries in the fire.

Police say that the fire was likely accidental but the exact cause isn't known.

Dryden City Council Votes against Police Costing

Dryden Council has endorsed the Municipal Police Services as the law enforcement agency of choice.


Council voted 3 against 1 in favour of not entering into a police costing study, with 3-councilors forced to declare a conflict.

Mayor Craig Nuttall voted against the resolution stating he has concerns about the Police Service budget.

Councilor Mike Wood says they can't afford to lose community policing and suggests that switching to
the OPP would result in the loss of control of their police service.

Abitibi Vows more Cost-Cutting

AbitibiBowater is planning further cost cutting at some of its Canadian mills.

C-E-O Richard Garneau says with the Canadian dollar hovering around par with the U-S greenback, the company needs to have a similar cost structure on both sides of the border.

Garneau declined to identify the targeted mills or indicate how much more costly they are to operate than their U-S counterparts.

Crimestoppers turns 25 in NWO

The Crimestoppers program in Northwestern Ontario and Northern Minnesota is celebrating
a major milestone this year.

It turns 25 year old.

Bill Harrington is the chairman of the Crimestoppers board and says they've seen a lot of growth
in the last quarter-century.

Last year Crimestoppers received 564 tips from residents in northwestern Ontario and
Northern Minnesota and approved over 14 thousand dollars in rewards for those tips.