Kenora VCARS Receives provincial Honor

Years of work has paid off at the Sunset Area Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Service of Kenora.

Executive Director Monika Huminuk, who created an E-learning program, has received an Award of Distinction.

Huminuk says it has taken a long time and incorporates e-learning with in-house training to allow victim services to work with area service providers.

Over one thousand users have taken advantage of the province.

Ontario's Attorney General, John Garretson presented a 2013 Award of Distinction to Huminuk
last month.

More Concern Raised With 2011 Census Numbers

A Northwestern Ontario MP is wondering if the latest Canadian census will accurately reflect the region.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River's John Rafferty says the results need to be close to dead on in order to help, but it'll be hard to monitor since the census was voluntary.

Rafferty it will also be difficult to compare the latest data to previous years.

He is worried that small communities and minority populations will suffer as a result.

Training For First Nation Students in the Ring of Fire

A handful of students from a Northern Ontario First Nation have completed a Mining Essentials Training Program.

Cliffs Natural Resources along with Oshki Training and Education Institute offered the program to 14 youth from Webequie.

Oshki Executive Director Rosie Mosquito says the students were able to learn about what it's going to be like to work in the Ring of Fire.

Mosquito says Cliffs has made a commitment that there will be an intent to hire the students who graduate
from the program.

Metis Nation of Ontario Urges Action by Feds

Ontario Metis are looking for action from the federal government in response to a pair of recent court cases that favoured Metis people.

It includes a land claims issue in Manitoba.

Ontario Metis president Gary Lipinski says the ruling is only a first step towards the feds actually dealing with land claims issues.

Lipinski is also disappointed with the feds wanting to drag out another court ruling that recognizes Metis being under federal jurisdiction the same way First Nations are.

Legion Gets New HVAC System

A breath of fresh air for the Royal Canadian legion in Kenora.

The legion unveiled its newly installed HVAC and Air Conditioning unit over the weekend.

Building Chairman Jerry Lava says it couldn't have come at a better time.

Lava says the replacement was made possible due to a Ontario Trillium Foundation grant of over 89 thousand dollars.

Borderland Rage Continue Hockey Season

Believe it or not, still some local hockey going on.

The Borderland Rage, an under 10 regional girls hockey team, with players from Kenora, Dryden and Emo, took the c-side championship of a tournament this past weekend.

The Rage routed a team from Wisconsin 9-2.

Their next action will take place in June in Grand Forks, North Dakota.