Impaired Driving Charges up During 2011 RIDE Campaign

The number of impaired driving charges are up so far during the seasonal RIDE campaign.

The OPP in northwestern Ontario say they have laid 31 impaired driving charges in the first three weeks of their holiday blitz.

That's up from 29 for the same period last year.

There were also five three-day suspensions issued, compared to just one in 2010.

There have also been 260 motor vehicle accidents investigated with seven involving alcohol.

Broncos Hockey

The 2011 season closes today in Boys High School hockey with 2-games on the docket.

The Fort Frances Muskies are in Kenora to face the Beaver Brae Broncos in a battle of the top two teams in the league.

The other match-up is in Sioux Lookout where the Queen Elizabeth Warriors face the Thomas Aquinas Saints.

Both games start at 7:30.


Girls Hockey:

A big test for the Dryden Eagle Girls High School Hockey team today.


The Eagles are in Kenora to face the Beaver Brae Broncos.

Dryden is undefeated this season, but the Broncos aren't too far behind.

Game time is 4:30.

Kenora's other team is also in action as the Thomas Aquinas Saints take on the Muskies in Fort Frances tonight at 7:15.

Corrine Owen

The Kenora District Services Board has filled an important vacancy.

Corrine Owen has been hired as the new Director of Finance.

Owen brings roughly 15-years of senior accounting and auditing experience to the Board.

She spent the last 4-years as Director of Finance for Community Living Dryden and Sioux Lookout.

Her first day on the job is January 16th.

Trans-Canada Highway

More highway upgrades in Northwestern Ontario.


The Province says a 20-kilometre stretch of Highway 17 near Ignace is going to be repaved in the New Year.

The project is being carried out by Pioneer Construction and will employ about 40-people.

Work is expected to begin next Spring and is scheduled for completion in Fall 2012.

Jaffray Melick Arena

Its official: there won't be any ice at the Jaffray Melick Arena this winter.

Kenora City Council has decided to shut the facility down for the season, after receiving an engineering report.

Recreational Services Manager, Colleen Neil says a strcuture assessment found some issues with the building.

Neil adds the decision to take the arena off-line this winter will give the city a chance to
decide what it wants to do with the facility.

KMTS Prosperity Trust Fund

The City of Kenora is lending itself 800 thousand dollars to help pay for

a municipal infrastructure project.

Council voted last night to borrow the money from the KMTS Prosperity Trust Fund
to cover the city's costs of installing the new submarine sewer and water line.

Councillor Ron Lunny says even though the water line was installed two years ago,
they still had to arrange long term funding for it.


Lunny adds he would also like council to borrow from the KMTS Prosperity Trust Fund for
a long-term debenture on the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill.

Resolute Forest Products

Some workers at Resolute Forest Products in Thunder Bay are getting an unexpected Christmas break.


Spokesperson Pierre Choquette says market conditions are forcing the company to temporarily halt kraft operations for 10-days starting on Friday.

The newsprint mill will continue to operate during the period.