Thursday, July 26, 2012

Police Arrest Suspect in Whitefish Bay Murder

The OPP and Treaty Three Police say they have arrested a suspect in the killing of a store owner on the Whitefish Bay First Nation.

A 16 year old youth made a first court appearance yesterday in Kenora.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Whitefish Bay resident cannot be identified.

Police say the youth have been charged with first degree murder in the death of 61 year old Charles Minshall.

While the cause of death is not being released, police say there were reports gunfire in the community early Sunday morning before Minshall was killed.

Infrastructure Round Table Today in Kenora

For the second time in as many days a high profile federal politician will be paying a visit to Kenora.

Minister of State for Transport, Stephen Fletcher will be town today for a round-table discussion on the federal government's infrastructure program.

The Build Canada Fund is expected to be phased out by the spring of 2014.

Today, Fletch will be meeting with municipal leaders across the region to talk about their wish list in terms of infrastructure.

The meeting will take place this morning at the Discovery Center.

New Forest Fires Continue to Crop Up

The Ministry of Natural Resources is hoping cooler conditions today will help put a damper on the fire situation across the region.

Yesterday, there were another eight new fires reported.

That's on top of 18 wild fires reported in the region on Tuesday.

Clusters of fires in the Deer lake and Sandy Lake areas remain a cause for concern for fire crews.

There are now more than 80 forest fires burning across northwestern Ontario.

Feds Won't Promise more money for Policing

The federal government isn't saying whether it plans to continue a fund that helps police services across the region hire more officers.

The Police Officer Recruitment Fund is due to run out next March.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says he understands that some police services rely on the funding.

The Treaty Three Police Service has indicated that it will have to pull out of Whitedog, because it won't have enough officers to police the community, once the fund dries up.

Wynne Makes Apology in Wabigoon

History in the Making in Wabigoon First Nation.

Minister Kathleen Wynne of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Chief Rubin Cantin Sr signed a settlement from an incident dating back more then 150 years ago.

It stems from past and ongoing flooding that has damaged the area and destroyed parts of the reserve.

Wynne presented an appology letter, and acknowledged the 20 million dollar settlement for the community.

The Chief says the a chunk of the money will be invested for future growth.

Farmer's Market Patrons Fill the Van

A big boost for the Salvation Army's food bank.

A cargo van was set up yesterday at the Farmer's Market in an effort to help re-stock the shelves of the food bank.

Organizers say local residents responded by filling the van to the brim.

The Salvation Army says demand for the food bank is just as strong during the summer months, but donations tend to drop off during the holidays.

OPP Announce Details of a Major Drug Bust

Provincial Police in Thunder Bay have revealed details of a six month drug investigation.

A number of police agency's were involved in the bust including the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

A total of nine search warrants were executed in the Greater Toronto Area, Mississauga, Kitchener-Waterloo and Thunder Bay as part of "Project Harrington".

In all, police laid 95 charges against 11-individuals, four of whom remain at large.

Police say the investigation targeted a network that transported and distributed large amounts of oxycodone and cocaine from southern Ontario to northwestern Ontario, including First Nations communities.

The quantity of the drugs seized is 1.3-million dollars.

Six of those charged are from Thunder Bay and one is from Weagamow First Nation.

One of the individuals is an employee of the Thunder Bay District Jail and he's been charged with breach of trust.