Senior Thistles looking to make a comeback this winter

Senior Hockey may be alive and well in Kenora this winter after all.

A board of directors has been formed for the Kenora Triple A senior Thistles.

The team is currently trying to secure ice time for a condensed schedule.

The board is also looking for players who might be interested in suiting up for the Thistles this year.

Anyone interested in playing for the 2011-2012 season is asked to attend a meeting Thursday night at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The meeting will take place at 7PM.

All Candidates Forum tonight at Super 8

The second all-candidates forum in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding will take place this evening.

All five candidates have been invited to take part in an event sponsored by the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates are being given questions related to the economy and how to improve the local business climate.

The candidates had a bit of a warm-up this morning, when they took part  in a forum sponsored by the Civics class at Beaver Brae Secondary School.

Council Passes new deer hunting regulations

Not everyone in Kenora is in favour allowing the hunting of deer south of the Kenora by-pass.

At a public meeting last night, a couple of people spoke out against the by-law change.

Darlene Lever says its not a good solution to the problem.

Council passed the by-law change by a vote of 3-2.

Houseboat owners get a break from City Council

Who says you can't fight city hall and win.

Houseboat owners who moor off Coney Island have won a bit of a break from the city and won't have to move their vessels right away.

A number of boaters spoke out to council last night including Rhonda Brown who says some of the house boats have been at that location for more than 10 years.

Council has decided to defer any decision on the removal of the house boats.

School Food Regulation

No more deep fried french fries and no more pop.
Those foods can no longer be sold in local schools under new regulations passed by the provincial government.

Chelsea LeCain is a dietician with the Northwestern Health Unit and says there are some exemptions.

Each class is allowed 10 special event days, which are exempt from the new food regulations. The new regulations went into effect September 1st.

Air Canada

There was turbulence late last night in Montreal, where contract talks between Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants broke down.

CUPE claims both sides walked away from the table after an Air Canada spokesman insulted the union and a federal mediator.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt says she still expects the two sides in the Air Canada dispute to get back together and come up with a collective agreement.

The flight attendants have threatened to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow if their demands aren't met.
The key areas of dispute are wages, pensions, crew rest, working conditions and work rules.

Parliament's Fall Session

Conservative, Liberal, and New Democrat M-P's say they intend to focus on job creation during Parliament's fall session.

But when the Conservative government begins rolling out its legislative agenda today, it'll start with the re-introduction of a series of crime bills.

Among other things, the bills would increase the number of mandatory minimum sentences and eliminate house arrest for violent offences.

M-P's opened the fall session yesterday with tributes to the late Jack Layton

Union Gas

Finally some good news for cash-strapped homeowners in Northwestern Ontario.

Union Gas Spokesperson Vanda Wall says the cost of natural gas will be decreasing slightly during the colder months. Eight dollars and twenty-five cents worth of savings could be coming your way on consumption of about 2600 cubic meters a year. Wall says the rate change comes into effect October 1st.

Northern Ontario Drug Bust

No word of any charges yet following one of the largest seizures of marijuana plants in northern Ontario.
Police say they seized 16-hundred plants during the weekend at Brunswick House First Nation near Timmins.Police put the value of the plants at 1.6 million dollars. Nishnawbe-Aski Police didn't say whether the plants were found in a field or growing inside homes on the reserve, 200 kilometres southwest of Timmins.

Suspects have been identified, but no names have been released.

Walmart Green Student Challenge

Walmart Canada President and CEO David Cheesewright announced today the launch of the Walmart Green Student Challenge, inviting post-secondary students across Canada to develop proposals that are good for the environment and for business.

Cheesewright says "We're asking for their best, most innovative ideas to make business more environmentally sustainable in the future."

Full contest details, including a video announcement, are available at www.sharegreen.ca/student

Forest Fire Update

Northwestern Ontario is getting involved in the forest fire fight south of the border.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has dispatched 16-fire rangers, a waterbomber and a birdog to Northern Minnesota. A 94-thousand acre forest fire continues to blaze in the Pagami Creek area.

The fire is only 19-percent contained and evacuation notices remain in effect in the area.