NOMA Agenda Finalized

The Agenda for the 66th annual Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Kenora has been finalized.

The only real change is the absence of NDP leader Andrea Horwath from the proceedings.

Horwath had been scheduled to speak to delegates Friday morning, but has since given her regrets.

Opposition leader Tim Hudak is still on the schedule, as are Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Kathleen Wynn.

They will be participating in a bear-pit session Friday afternoon.

Delegates will begin arriving in Kenora tomorrow.

Treaty Three Police Continue Investigation of Devil's Gap Fire

The Treaty Three Police aren't saying whether foul play was involved in a fire that destroyed seven cabins at Devil's Gap.

Detective Sergeant Doug McKenzie says they are still conducting interviews and collecting evidence.

He does say they are treating the blaze as a criminal investigation because there was property damage.

An investigator from the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office was brought in over the weekend, but the investigation has since been turned over to the Treaty Three Police.

While no-one was injured, damaged has been estimated at over a half a million dollars.

OPP Wrap up Spring Seatbelt Campaign

The Ontario Provincial Police have wrapped up the Annual Spring 'Seatbelt' campaign.

Police in Northwestern Ontario laid 163-seatbelt releated charges during the 8-day initiative.

OPP across the Province laid a total of over 55-hundred charges.

Beware of Invasive Plants

The Ontario Invasive Plant Council is already counting down to the May long weekend.

The council is launching a 24 day campaign this week to raise awareness of the types of invasive plants we're introducing into our environment.

Rachel Gagnon says the plants might look nice, but they are potentially harmful.

Gagnon says purple loosestrife is the most famous invasive plant, but says there are numerous others plants people don't realize aren't native to Ontario.

Caribou King Searches for Graphite near Kenora

An exploration company has taken an interest in some claims in northwestern Ontario.

Caribou King Resources says it has acquired three separate properties in the region, including one in the Kenora Mining district.

Caribou King says they are looking at graphite deposits in ten separate locations.

The other claims are in the Savant Lake and Garden Lake areas of northwestern Ontario.

T.A. to Host 2015 OFSAA Girls Hockey Championships

Kenora will soon be playing host to another provincial championship.

Thomas Aquinas announced yesterday it has won the right to bring the All-Ontario Single A and Double A girls hockey championships to Kenora in 2015.

T.A. is expecting at least 20 teams in town for the OFSAA finals.

The school is currently recruiting community members to help organize the event.

Retirees meet with Resolute Forest Products

A local seniors group is calling its meeting with Resolute Forest Products over their pensions concerns productive.

The group Seniors-Retirees Against Pension and Elder Abuse sat down with Company executives last week.

Chair Allan Bedard says they asked the company for a meeting with all of the local mills retirees and was pleased with the dialogue.

Bedard says they've also asked to have a retiree to be part of the company's pension committee.

Student Arrested for Dealing Pot

Drug dealers seem to be getting younger all the time.

The Kenora O.P.P. say they were contacted by staff at Thomas Aquinas High School on Friday about a youth who was selling marijuana.

A 14 year old boy was picked up and has been charged with trafficking.

He was one of four people arrested over the past three days for dealing marijuana in the Kenora area.

VCARS holds awards ceremony this morning

The focus of an awards ceremony today is on the victims of crime.

The Kenora and Dryden Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Program is singling out staff and volunteers in the District.

Monica Huminiuk is the local VCARS co-ordinator and says the awards ceremony will be followed by an open house.

The awards ceremony will start at 10:00 this morning, followed by the open house at 12:30 at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Campbell Angry over the loss of MNR Call Center Jobs

Sarah Campbell doesn't sound like someone who's eager to support the provincial budget.

In the Ontario Legislature yesterday, the Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. lashed out at the McGuinty Government for cutbacks at the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci dodged Campbell's question and instead talked about how much money the government is putting into the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and how much of that money has ended up in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.