Friday, December 6, 2013

Hospital Takes Home Another Award

The Lake of the Woods District Hospital will soon need a bigger trophy case.

The hospital has won it's first ever Silver Designation Quality Healthcare Workplace Award.

Kathy Dawe is the VP of Patient Care and says the award recognizes their employee wellness program that's been in place since 2009.

Dawe says it's the first time the hospital has applied for the award.

Last month the board of directors received the Leading Governance Excellence award.

Three Days Grace and Sheepdogs Signed for Harborfest


Winter may be closing in on Kenora, but the Harborfest committee is only
thinking summer thoughts.

The first two acts for the August Long weekend festival have been booked.

Director of Entertainment Dave Blake says they have confirmed the Sheepdogs
and Three Days Grace will perform Saturday night.

Blake says the tickets will go on sale today at noon at Harborfest.ca or a
Donny B's.

Canfield Attends Norther Growth Forum

The Northern Growth Plan is going to be the focus of attention at a
meeting this morning in Timmins.

The Northern Leaders Forum will bring together cabinet ministers, municipal, business and aboriginal leaders.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says they are curious to see what the government has to say about the Growth Plan.

Canfield says he'd like to see more focus on forestry, because he sees that
as the big growth industry in the next year or two.

Legal Aid Lawyers Look to Organize

Legal Aid lawyers across Ontario are pressing for the right to collectively bargain with Legal Aid Ontario.

The effort start almost two years ago.

Legal aid lawyer Jillian Rogin says since then, 80 per cent of lawyers across the province has signed a petition asking the agency to voluntarily accept its wishes.

Legal Aid Ontario says there's no precedent for lawyers to be represented by what they call a trade-union, a claim disputed by Rogin.

Montreal Massacre Vigil Today

It will be a somber and chilly memorial today.

An outdoor vigil will take place at noon today to remember the 14 women killed in the Montreal Massacre 24 years ago.

Collette Surovy from Women's Place says they will be gathering near the corner of Matheson and Second Streets South.

Surovy says afterwards they will be moving over the the satellite office of the Kenora Area Health Access Center for a bite to eat and another presentation.

OSSTF targets Catholic Education System

Catholic Education would become a thing of the past if the Ontario Secondary School Teachers have their way.

The OSSTF made the suggestion in it latest public Education position paper.

President Paul Elliot says streamlining services will create more funding.

Elliot says there are studies showing that up to 2 billion dollars can be saved.

The new platform calls for an English and a French system.

Rae Speaks Out on Ring of Fire

The First Nations negotiator in the Ring of Fire mining development says it's important that the infrastructure is in place before work actually begins on the giant project.  

Speaking in Thunder Bay,  Bob Rae believes it's critical to get the system up and running to guarantee that First nations aren't led down the garden path.

Rae adds it's also important to make sure that environmental mistakes of the past aren't repeated.

Winter Farmer's Market Returns Tomorrow

Just in time for Christmas.

The Matiowski's Farmer's Market is at the Discovery Center
tomorrow.

Special Event's Coordinator Crystal Stokes says they have sold out all their
booths with a total of 30 vendors.

The Winter Market will run from 10 until 2:30.

PeeWee Thistles Host Weekend Tournament

The KMTS Peewee double A hockey tournament takes over the Rec Centre this weekend.

Kenora Thistles Captain Carter Tresoor says you have 3 round robin match ups.

Weekend passes for the tournament are 10 dollars or 5 dollars per day.

Their first game is this morning at 11:00 against Fort Frances

Broncos lose at home

A perfect road trip to Kenora for Red Lake's girls hockey team.

The Rams won both their games this week against Beaver Brae and Thomas
Aquinas.

The Broncos dropped a 7-4 decision to Red Lake yesterday at the Kenora
Rec. Center.

The Rams also be the Saints 3-0 on Wednesday.