Common Ground Sold Out Again

The annual Common Ground story-telling session was another huge success.

Common Ground took place on Saturday at the Lakeside Inn featuring stories about the Stone Boat Company, the Hilliard House Opera Company, the early history of Ukrainians in Kenora, and a history of the Kenora and District Festival of Arts.

Common Ground is an oral history of Kenora, and has been held the past six years.

The event was sold out with about 200 people in attendance.

OPP investigate Fatality in Pikangikum

Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 32 year old Pikangikum First Nation man.

Officers were called to a house on the First Nation to deal with an altercation on April 14th.

A short time later a man was located unresponsive on the side of a road.

A post-mortem exam still needs to be conducted.

Winter Returns to Northwestern Ontario

Old man winter isn't done with us just yet.

Windchills are making it feel like -12 in downtown Kenora this morning, but the situation is worse east of the city where a number of road closures have been reported.

Highway 17 between Ignace and Thunder Bay has been closed since 2:00 this morning due to heavy snow.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says areas to the east of Kenora are definitely being hit the hardest.

Highway 11 between Thunder Bay and Atikokan has also been closed due to the weather.

A number of highways in the area east of Thunder Bay have also been closed due to the snow.

Business Loans up in Kenora

Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corporation says there are some positive signs of life in Kenora's economy.

In the past year LOWBIC approved 14 business loans worth a total of 1.4 million dollars.

Executive director of LOWBIC Ryan Reynard says they supported both new and existing businesses in the past year.

LOWBIC says the business loans helped to create 71 new jobs in the area and maintained another 77 jobs at existing businesses.

Cat Lake Students Talk About Addiction

Some First Nations children in a remote northwestern Ontario reserve have written a heartbreaking letter to their drug-addicted parents.

The Grade Six students write that they want their parents to stop doing drugs because it hurts their families.

Cat Lake is the epicentre of prescription drug addiction in Canada.

Community leaders figure that between 70 and 80 per cent of the adults are hooked on narcotic pain killers OxyContin or Percocets.

The letter was part of a workshop and was composed with the help of a local band member.

Campbell to Present Tourism Petitions Today at Queen's Park

Ontario's Tourism Minister is going to start receiving a lot of petitions today calling for tourist information centers in Fort Frances, Kenora and Rainy River to remain open.


The petitions were initiated by Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell following the closure announcements two weeks ago.

She says hundreds of people have since signed them.

Campbell is also planning to meet this morning Michael Chan to discuss the center closures.

Municipalities encouraged to approve One Call

Municipalities in the region are being urged to support provincial legislation that would create a one-call centre for people needing to locate underground infrastructure before digging.

Kenora and Fort Frances have pledged to support the One Call system so far.

Luke Skaarup of Union Gas says the system improves safety.

The legislation, though, is being opposed by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.

Thistles Gear up for First Game at Allan Cup Tonight

The Kenora Senior Thistles will be doing their final preparations this morning for the Allan Cup in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan.

The Thistles left on a bus early yesterday morning and will skate in their final  practice before play begins tonight.

Coach John Tresoor says he likes the team they've put together this year.

The Thistles play their first game tonight at 8:00 against the host team from Lloydminster.