Winnipeg Man Arrested on Drug Charges

A 39 year old Winnipeg man faces drug charges following an arrest by the  OPP's Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.

 Police say the seized about three grams of cocaine on Tuesday.

Jack Brown has been arrested and will appear in Kenora Court next month on a charge of possession of a narcotic.

NOMA Supports Northern Policy Institute

The Northern Policy Institute is starting to take shape.

The Institute was one of the key promises contained in the Northern Growth Plan released earlier this year.

Dave Canfield is vice-president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and says they recently had a chance to provide their input to the special advisors the province had appointed to guide the process.

Canfield admits that universities in Sudbury and Thunder Bay will likely get to host the Northern Institute, but is hoping smaller communites in the region get a chance to be a part of the process.

Spring Feast this Afternoon at Rec. Center

Get ready to strap on the feed bag.

A spring feast is being held today at the Kenora Rec. Center to celebrate the season.

Constable Bob Bernie of the OPP says a number of different community groups are helping organize the event.

The Spring Feast will start at noon and run until 3:00 this afternoon.

More Forest Fire Activity in the Northwest

The Ministry of Natural Resources is hoping that the weather forecast will provide some relief for fire crews in the northwest region.

There has been a number of new fires in the past day in the Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances Districts.

One fire was located in Sioux Narrows.

It was located southwest of the bridge in behind the Narrows Limited gift shop.

The MNR says the blaze grew to about one hectare in size before being

brought under control.

The cause of the fire is still being looked into.

Heading into the long weekend, the fire hazard right across the region is listed as high.

Economic Development Commission to take over City Special Events

The City of Kenora has outlined how it plans to carry out special events in the future.

The City says it will continue to work with the Kenora Assembly of Resources on certain events, such as the Farmer's Market, but increasingly, special event management will be turned over to the Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission.

Starting June 1st, the Commission will be responsible for co-ordinating and renting special events equipment.

The city has also promised KAR free access to the big tent and other special event infrastructure to carry out the farmers market this year, but next year the weekly event is to be transferred over to special events.

New President Announced for Confederation College

Confederation College has announced its new President.

Jim Madder will be taking over for outgoing President Pat Lang who will be stepping down in July.

Madder says handling a region this large will be a challenge.

Madder most recently was the Executive Vice President Academic at Red Deer College in Alberta.

Wild fires Threaten Pickle Lake

The Ministry of Natural Resources and OPP are investigating three forest fires near Pickle Lake.

The 8-hectare fires burned dangerously close to the community this week.

Mayor Roy Hoffman says the situation could have been different if the wind had picked up.

No damage is reported and the fires are now classified as held or under control.

Clement continues in FedNor Portfolio

The Head of the Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario is staying put.

Tony Clement has kept his post as FedNor Minister in the new Federal Cabinet.

Since taking over the Industry Canada program in 2006, Clement has spent nearly 150-million dollars in the North.

John Duncan keeps his job as Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister, while the Natural Resources portfolio will see a change with Toronto-area MP Joe Oliver taking over.