Rickford back as MP for the Kenora Riding

Conservative Greg Rickford is back as MP of the Kenora Riding.

Rickford finished the election in first with about 45 percent of the vote, while NDP  candidate Tania Cameron second and Liberal Roger Valley third.

Despite some mud slinging in the campaign, Rickford says he decided to take the high road.

Like his party, Liberal Roger Valley finished in third place, and he admits they are going to have to take a hard look at what went wrong this election.

Green Party Candidate Mike Schwindt was a distant fourth place with just over
two percent of the vote, while Kelvin Chicago-Boucher collected less than 200 votes.

To the east, John Rafferty of the NDP was re-elected in Thunder Bay-Rainy River.

Bruce Hyer of the NDP is also back in the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North.

LOWDPOA Holds Annual General Meeting Today

It may be election day across Canada, but the Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association is also taking time to meet with its members.

The Property Owners Association is holding its 49th annual general meeting in Winnipeg.

In addition to the AGM, their annual cottage show is being held at the Victoria Inn.

A number of businesses and agencies from Kenora area attending the afternoon and evening event.

It runs from 2:30 to 8:30 this evening.

Polls open today

It should be a good day, weather wise to go out and cast your ballot.

Today is election day across Canada, with the polls opening at 8:30 this morning right across the Kenora Riding.

Gerry Oulette is the returning officer and says polling stations will be open right across the region.

The polls will close at 8:30 this evening, and CJRL will be providing live election coverage starting at 9:00 this evening.

Another OPP Drug Bust

Two Kenora residents face charges following a bust by the OPP.

Last Thursday, members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, the Drug Enforcement Unit, assisted by Kenora Detachment Street Crimes Unit  executed a search warrant on a 12 Street north residence.

Police seized about 50 grams of marijuana.

42 year old Darren Coughlin and 42 year old Lori Powell have been charged with possession of narcotic for the purpose of trafficking.

They are scheduled to make an appearance in Kenora Court in June.

Atikokan Approves 2011 budget

Atikokan town councillors have finalized a budget that will include a 2-point-four per cent tax increase.

Mayor Dennis Brown says it amounts to about a 30 dollar increase to the average homeowner's tax bill.

The township will spend just over 8-million dollars over the next year.

Two more wood agreements accepted

Two more companies in northwestern Ontario have accepted wood supply offers from the provincial government.

Domtar will use its wood supply for full-time softwood pulp production at its mill in Dryden.

Wagner Forest Management Limited has indicated that it will use its wood fiber to build a pellet manufacturing plant in Ignace.

The business is expected to be up and running by October of 2013 and employ 20 new jobs.

Future of Biomass Research in Limbo

There's no committment from Michael Gravelle for future funding for a biomass research centre in northwestern Ontario.

The centre received 25 million dollars three years ago, but the forestry minister is reluctant to talk about additional dollars.

To this point the centre's website lists only one publicly approved project but is promising to announce 5 more.

Evergreen Closing Delayed for one year

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says its still plans to close Evergreen School, they are just going to take a bit longer to do it.

Trustees held a special board meeting last week and agreed to extend the life of the elementary school by one year.

Evergreen is now scheduled to shut its doors for good at the end of the 2012 school year, instead of this year.

The public school board says it made the decision after conducting a survey of parents at the school.

Students at Evergreen will be transferred over to Lakewood in the fall of 20102.

New Report Raises Questions about FedNOR

A report says FedNor, the federal development agency for northern Ontario, is slow to approve projects and fails to measure its long-term effectiveness.

The study by an independent consultant in Winnipeg says it takes an average of six months to get a green light on a project.

The Industry Canada program has spent at least 150 million dollars in the region since 2006.

Prairie Research Associates found that every job created or maintained under the program cost taxpayers about 52-hundred dollars.

The analysis also shows the administration of the program eats up more than one of every five dollars spent.

OFIA Continues to Lobby Against Bill 151

The Ontario Forest Industries Association is once again expressing disappointment with the McGuinty Government and its handling of the Forest Tenure Reform Bill.

Spokesperson Scott Jackson says they've attended all of the hearings and have gone through all written submissions and no one is happy with Bill 151 in its current state.

The Government has filed a time allocation motion that would fast track Bill 151 through the Standing Committee and eliminate debate during Committee meetings.

Kenora Rockets win Four Gold at year end tournament

A good way to wrap up the season for the Kenora Rockets badminton team.

They held a wind up tournament up at Beaver Brae on Saturday and claimed 16 of the 21 medals up for grabs.

Andrew Neil was the only double gold medalist, teaming up with Logan Ginn to

win the boys doubles event, and then took top honors in the Singles "B" division.

Boe and Rhianna Rodgers won the mixed doubles competition, while Tanner

Olson was first in the Singles E division.