Spring Snow Storm On the Way

If the forecast holds true, it could be the worst snow storm of the season.

Right now Environment Canada is predicting about 30 to 35 centimeters of snow by the time the Colorado Low moves through the region.

Meteorologist Ria Alsen says the storm system is centered over Nebraska right now and will pass through the Kenora area over the next 24 hours.

While the Kenora area will take the brunt of the storm, areas to the east like Thunder Bay will see only a smattering of snow and some freezing rain.

All School Buses Cancelled Today

Another long weekend for students who take the bus to school.

Yet another snow day has been declared by the Northwest Student Services
Consortium.

School buses in Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Vermillion Bay, Dryden, Red Lake, Ignace
and Sioux Lookout have all ben cancelled today.

Schools will remain open however for any students who can get to class today.

Sunshine List Continues to Grow

The novelty of making Ontario's Sunshine List is starting to lose it's luster.

The number of people making more than 100 thousand dollars a year keeps growing.

According to the Public Sector Salary Disclosure List, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has the most employees on the list in the Kenora area.

There are 52 people from the public school board making 100 thousand dollars or more.

The Kenora Catholic District School board had only 15, but it also has the highest paid
educator in the region.

Phylis Eikre made just over 198 thousand dollars last year.

The top-paid public employee in Kenora was Dr. Kerry McDonald at Lake of the Woods District
Hospital.

The regional patholigost earned 379 thousand dollars.

Two Kenora Teams Win Stars Tournament in Winnipeg

A big weekend for the Lake of the Woods Girls hockey teams.

A total of 12 local teams were in Winnipeg for the St. Boniface Stars Girls Hockey Tournament.

Kenora teams won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

The PeeWee Turbo and Bantam Dy-no-mite 4.0 both won their divisions, while the Novice Purple Polar Puppies
won silver after a 6-1 loss to Dryden in the final.

Do One Thing Conference Tickets On Sale

Registration is now open for the Northwestern health unit's "Do One Thing" conference.

The conference takes over the Whitecap Pavilion May 27th and 28th.

CEO Mark Perrault says it's a first of it's kind conference for service providers in the region.

One of the featured speakers will be Rick Mercer from CBC TV's Rick Mercer Report.

Tickets for the conference are 195 dollars and can be purchased on-line here.

Public School Board To Expand FASD Classrooms

Nothing but rave reviews for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board from a leading expert on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Dr. Gideon Koren is the founder and director of the Motherisk Program and a professor at the University of Toronto and he visited the FASD classrooms at Open Roads in Dryden and Sioux Mountain in Sioux Lookout.

Dr. Koren says there are only 2-programs of this kind in Ontario and four in Canada.

The Board is planning to expand the program next year in Keewatin Public School and the Madsen school in Red Lake.

No Charges Laid So Far in Dryden Fatal

Provincial Police say they continue to investigate the circumstances behind a fatal two vehicle collision on Highway 17 last week.

The crash claimed the life of 24-year-old Taylor Gardiner of Dryden.

Police say they won't be laying charges at this time.

Gardiner died when his west bound car struck an east bound transport.

The driver of the tractor trailer unit wasn't injured.

Funeral services for the well liked young man will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock at the United Church in Dryden.

Rickford Applauds Ring of Fire Agreement

The federal minister responsible for the Ring of Fire says he's pleased to see the province making progress.

Greg Rickford says he is encourgaged by this week's signing agreement between the Mattawa First Nations and the Minister of Northern Development and Mines.

Rickford calls it important progress to help advance the incredible potential of the Ring of Fire.

He adds that the federal government is also committed to the development, which will create jobs and prosperity for Northern Ontario.

Kenora School Boards Hosts Mental Health Symposium

Creating Mentally Healthy Schools...that's the theme of a forum taking place in Kenora today.

School board officials from across the region are taking part in the day-long session.

Superintendant of Education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, Joan Kantola says they hope to make it an annual event.

Kantola says all eight mental health leads employed by school boards in northwestern Ontario are getting a chance to meet together to share resources and some of their best practices.

Missing Girl Located

Some good news on the missing person front.

The OPP say they have located a 17 year old girl who had been missing for the past five days.

Police put out a missing person notice earlier this week after Chantel Cameron failed to return to work in the early morning hours of March 22nd.

The OPP say she was finally located last night.

City Brings In Extra Help To Thaw Water Lines

City Crews are continuing to work on thawing frozen water lines in the city.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says they are making up some ground.

He notes there are still around 80 homes waiting to be thawed.

Perchuk says local contractors have been called in to help speed up the process.

NOMA Supports Energy East Pipeline

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is supporting the TransCanada Pipelines Energy East project.

Vice President of NOMA, Iain Angus says it's the best way to go.

He believes shipping oil via pipeline is a safer option than using rail.

NOMA's comments come after a public consultation sessions in bot Kenora and Thunder Bay this week.

Kenora Figure Skating Club Wraps Up Season Tonight

A chance to see our figure skating stars of the future.

The Kenora Figure Skating Club is holding it's final performance of the season tonight.

Coach Roxanne Daignault says the show is called Dancing through the Decades and feature
dozens of local skaters.

The show begins tonight at 6:30 at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Fiecek Chases Canadian Wheelchair Curling Berth

The Wayne Fiecek Foursome from Kenora will try to advance to the Canadian Wheelchair curling championships this weekend.

Fiecek is in Thunder Bay for the Northern Ontario playdowns.

Three teams are in the competition including rinks from the host club from Fort William and Sudbury.

Opening ceremonies will take place at 4:45 this afternoon.

Boil Water Advisory Ends

The city wide boil water advisory is over.

The advisory was lifted this afternoon after water tests came back clear of any bacteria.

It has been 4 weeks since the city took the precaution due to the rash of water main breaks in the city.

Operations Manager says the action was needed as breaks caused a disruption to the entire system.

Meanwhile, the water trucks being provided daily at the Rec Centre and Keewatin Arena have been cancelled.

One Person Killed in Dryden Accident

Dryden OPP have confirmed one person has died following a two vehicle accident on the Trans-Canada Highway 17 east of Dryden.

Police says 24 year old Taylor Gardiner of Dryden died as a result.

The crash, that involved a transport and a passenger vehicle, occurred just East of Aaron Park and the Twin Towers around 8 o'clock this morning.

The highway is open to one lane of traffic.

The investigation is continuing.

Three People Arrested In Fort Drug Bust

Three people are facing charges following a drug bust at a Fort Frances home this week.

Members of the Combined Forces Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, along with the OPP executed a search warrant at an Armit Street home Tuesday to find 555 grams of marijuana, street valued at 11 thousand dollars, and over 18 hundred dollars in cash.

Two Winnipeg residents, ages 20 and 42, and a 47-year-old Fort Frances man were arrested and are awaiting court appearances.

Canfield Applauds Appointment of New Municipal Affairs Minister

No complaints from Dave Canfield on the appointment of Bill Mauro to the Ontario cabinet.   Mauro is now the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.  

The president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says it can only be good for our region.

Canfield hopes it may move some NOMA concerns through a little faster at Queen's Park.

He adds it's also nice to see two cabinet ministers from northwestern Ontario at the cabinet table now, with Mauro joining his Thunder Bay counterpart Michael Gravelle.

City Already Planning for 2017 Summer Games

The deadline is still three years away, but the City of Kenora is already planning
for the arrival of the rowing events for the Canada Summer Games in 2017.

Rabbit Lake will be the venue for the rowing competition.

Kenora's Economic Development Officer Jennifer Findlay says there's lots of work to do.

Findlay says the summer games will effect a number of departments from planning, parks, tourism, and special events.

More Reaction to Energy East Project

Pushing against oil pipelines.

That was the general feeling at an Ontario Energy Board consultation in Kenora this week regarding the Energy East Project.

Tania Cameron was at the meeting and disputed that pipelines are not the only means moving oil.

Cameron disputed the safety of the project by using an example of a pipeline in the United States that saw 17 leaks occur within it's first year of operation.

Road Conditions Raised at Queen's Park

The provincial government is still refusing to say how much contractors have been fined for failing to
meet winter road maintenance standards.

In the Ontario Legislature, NDP critic Joh Vantof asked the Transportation Minister who is at fault for the
state of roads in the north this winter.

Vanto says contractors are blaming the government for a lack of funding.

Transportation Minister Glen Murray did says the government spent 10 million dollars more this year
to put 50 additional snow plows on the road.

Province Signs Ring of Fire Agreement

Step by step the government is attempting to move the negotiating process forward for the Ring of Fire.

The latest announcement is a signed deal between the province and the Mattawa First Nations which formalizes how the talks will move on a community based regional approach.

The two sides will discuss various issues relating to the giant mining process.

NDP Want Cap on ATM Fees

The federal NDP wants to put a limit on the fees we pay to use our debit cards at ATM or cash machines other than your financial institutions.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says limited regulation has prompted some of those fees to climb to as much as three and four dollars a transaction.

The New Democrats are proposing a cap of 50 cents per transaction.

The NDP is also seeking limit to the interest charges on credit cards.

OPP Searching For Missing Girl

The OPP are looking for a missing person.

17 year old Chantel Cameron was reported missing back on March 22nd, when she didn't return to her place of employment.

She was last seen in downtown Kenora and is still believed to be in the city.

Cameron is of aboriginal descent, about five feet, three inches tall, brown eyes and brown hair won in a bun.

At the time of her disappearance she was wearing a black coat, blue jeans and black running shoes with leopard print.

Anyone who might know of her where-abouts is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment of the OPP.

Another Colorado Low Heading Our Way

A bit more snow is heading our way.

Environment Canada Meterologist Mark Schuster says much of northwestern Ontario will be
blanketed by this time tomorrow.

He says a Colorado Low is churning our way.

While the Kenora area will only get brushed by the system with two to four centimeters, other areas to the east like Thunder Bay could see anywhere from 5 to 10 centimeters.

Pharmacy Flu Shots Increase in Popularity

It appears getting a flu shot at the local pharmacy is catching in Ontario.

More than 750-thousand people opted to get the free flu shot at a pharmacy this past season.

That's triple the number over last season when pharmacies were given approval to administer the shot.

City Hopes To Lift Boil Water Advisory Soon

It may soon be safe to drink the water.

Rick Perchuk is the city's operations manager and says crews are working to lift the over 3 week old boil water advisory.

Perchuk notes it takes about 2 days to perform the tests and get the results.

If all goes well the advisory could be lifted on Friday.

Full House For Energy East Consultations

Consultations are continuing on the Energy East Pipeline project.

Last night the Ontario Energy Board was at the Best Western Lakeside Inn for the first of 7 meetings in the province.

Consultation lead Aleck Dadson says it's just the beginning for the OEB.

Dadson says all the comments will be made into a report that they will bring back to the communities to exam and review.

The final report will be used by the Minister of Energy when they continue the process with the National Energy Board.

Sioux Narrows Budget Delayed

It could be another month before the Town of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls passes it's budget.

Mayor Bill Thompson says they had been making good progress, but  suggests they  need to make some last minute changes.

He says they'll review the changes at their next meeting, but probably wait to pass it
at their last meeting in April.

He says at this point, they're doing okay and isn't expecting a big increase in the mill rate this year.

Optimism About New OPP Policing Model

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield has the support of another local leader over the cost of policing.

Red Lake mayor Phil Vinet is anxious for a new Provincial Police funding model to be approved.

With a meeting planned on April 2nd, Vinet hopes they are one step closer to implementation.

Vinet says the current system doesn't provide fairness.

Mauro Named New Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

A bit of a surprise from Queen's Park where Premier Kathleen Wynne has a new municipal affairs and housing minister by the name of Bill Mauro.  

The Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP was named as part of a government cabinet shuffle.

Mauro says he's very excited, but knows it's a huge learning curve.

Mauro replaces Linda Jeffray, who resigned yesterday to join the mayoralty race in Brampton.

New Poll Shows Concerns With Winter Road Maintenance

Research being released by the five companies under Ministry of Transportation's Winter Maintenance Program is showing that Ontarians want the government to make roads safer.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid from March 3rd to 7th shows that the majority of 1,500 Ontario drivers feel the government should increase spending on highway maintenance.

The study also shows that Ontarians find roads to be in worse conditions than they were 3 years ago by a  2-to-1 margin, and by a 3-to-1 margin in Northern Ontario.

The Ontario Road Builders Association continues to meet with government officials to resolve the road safety issues.

Student Taken to Hospital Following School Bus Collision

Icy road conditions are believed to be partly responsible for an accident this morning involving a school bus.

The Northwest Student Services Consortium confirms bus KN-13 was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Austin Lake Road this morning just before 8:00.

Other than the bus driver, there was only one other person on board at the time, and the parents took the
student to Lake of the Woods District Hospital as a precaution.

The driver of the school bus was not injured, though both vehicles did sustain some damage.

City Talking to Province About Funding to Repair Broke Water Lines

The provincial government is being asked to provide some financial assistance to the City of Kenora as it deals with an epidemic of broke water lines.

Mayor Dave Canfield says he's met with government officials in recent weeks asking for help.

He's had discussions about the situation with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Linda Jeffrey,  and says she's been very supportive so far.

The city is worried that it might have to eat into it's capital budget to repair broke water lines if it can't get any additional financial assistance from the federal or provincial levels of government.

Worst Roads Voting Begins Today

Just in time for pot hole season.

The Canadian Automobile Association is once again launching it's
Worst Roads campaign.

Over the next four weeks, Ontario motorists are invited to vote online
for roads or city streets in most need of repair.

You can log onto worstroads.ca to nominate a road in our area.

Health Unit Warns of Stomach Virus

The Northwestern Health Unit says they've noticed a steady increase in a stomach
virus across the region.

Manager of Infectious Diseases Donna Stanley says if you do catch the bug, the best thing to do is keep yourself well-hydrated and drink lots of water.

Stanley notes that if you are sick to avoid day cares, hospitals, and care homes until you have gone 24 hours with no symptoms.

Stanley adds it's important to constantly wash your hands throughout the day to prevent the spread of
any bugs.

Energy East Consultations Today

 Your chance to weigh in on the Energy East Pipeline project.

The first of seven community discussion forums will take place in
Kenora tonight.

The Ontario Energy Board is looking for feedback on the proposed
pipeline, which will take crude oil from Alberta and send it to eastern Canada.

The session will take place starting at 6:30 tonight at the Best Western Lakeside
Inn.

There will also be a similar session for First Nation and Metis this afternoon.

The only other forum in northwestern Ontario will take place tomorrow night in Thunder Bay.

OPP Provide Late-Season Reminder for Sledders

 With the cold weather staying with us, there are still pretty good conditions for
snowmachining.

That's why the Kenora OPP are reminding sledders of the regulations when out and about.

Constable Ronni Grosenick says not everyone can operate the machines.

Grosenick adds it's illegal to operate a snow machine on private property without the owners consent.

Ontario Liberals Election-Ready

The provincial Liberals are ready.

Party faithful gathered in Toronto for the party's annual meeting with Premier Kathleen helping to rally them in anticipation of an upcoming election.

Local candidate Anthony Leek says it was an important meeting to get all the candidates on the same page.

Leek says members of the Liberal's northern Caucus also met where he relinquished his position as regional vice-president to focus on his candidacy.

OPP Seize More Drugs On Highway 17

A traffic stop near the Ontario Manitoba border has landed a BC man in police custody.

Police say they stopped 44 year Kevin Tinker was stopped Friday morning for suspicious driving.

Police inspected the car and found 4.5 grams of marijuana and a large amount of cash.

As a result Tinker was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of property obtained by crime.

He will answer to the charges in Kenora court this morning.

Senior Thistles Finalize Allen Cup Roster

The Kenora Triple A Senior Thistles are ready for the Allan Cup.

The club has named the final roster that will travel to Dundas Ontario for the national championship.

Head Coach Brian Olson says the goalies are the backbone of this team
with Ryan Person and Tyler Gordon back between the pipes.

There are also some new faces on the squad including Nathan O'Nabigon, Matt Miller, and Rick Kozak.

Olson believes this is the best roster the team has sent to the Allan Cup.

The tournament hits the ice April 14th.

City Council Adopts 2014 Budget

Kenora city council has unanimously approved the 2014 municipal budget.

Council held a special meeting this morning to adopt the spending estimates.

The budget includes a four percent decrease in the mill rate, but the average homeowner will
see their taxes go up by about 2.3 percent, or the equivalent of about 43 dollars this year.

Mayor Dave Canfield admits he had to fight hard for the four percent cut in the tax rate.

The 2014 budget also sets aside 4.5 million dollars for phase three of Downtown Revitalization
and 2.2 million dollars for the roads program, 600 thousand dollars to install new L.E.D. street lights,
and 700 thousand dollars to complete the rehabilitation of the Winnipeg River West Branch Bridge.

Water main Breaks Could Affect 2014 Capital Budget

The City's capital budget in 2014 could be a moving target.

All the water main breaks this winter could take a chunk out of the
capital budget.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says they are hoping the province
will come through with some financial assistance.

Perchuck says if the city does't get any additional funding, they may have to re-evaluate this year's capital plans.

The city says even though snow removal costs have been much higher this winter than usual, they
don't plan to increase that budget for 2014.

Rickford Says Ring of Fire Still a Federal Priority

The newly appointed Minister of Natural Resources says the Ring of Fire remains a high priority for the Federal Government.

Greg Rickford says the dialogue between the Feds and the Ontario government continues.

Rickford already had the Ring of Fire portfolio before the cabinet shake-up, but the new appointment will give him better control of the massive mining project in northern Ontario.

OPP Recover Stolen Vehicle

A 34 year old Winnipeg woman faces theft charges after the OPP pulled over a stolen vehicle on Highway 71.

Police pulled the vehicle over in Nestor Falls because it didn't have any visible licence plates.

A quick check determined the vehicle had been reported stolen in Winnipeg back on February 7th.

Louise Hill has been charged with possession of stolen property.

She made her first court appearance in Kenora on Friday.

PETA Launches Letter Writing Campaign Against Spring Bear Hunt

The animal activist group PETA is asking for people to write the Premier and Minister of Natural Resources to cancel the spring bear hunt.

A limited hunt is being brought back in some parts of northern Ontario for the first time since 1999 this
spring.

PETA representative Ashley Byrne says the spring hunt won't help with bear populations or human bear conflicts.

PETA feels Ontario should enforce strict wildlife feeding prohibitions and provide residents with more information about how to better coexist peacefully with their wild neighbours.

Health Unit Promotes World TB Day

Tuberculosis is still a concern in Canada.

That message from Public Health Nurse Chanda McAuley with the Northwestern Health Unit as she promotes World TB day today.

McAuley says the health unit has a lot of information on the disease.

McAuley says both the active and latent forms of the disease are treatable.

Treaty Three Commemorates Residential School Survivors

Focusing on the future.

Richard Green has helped organize a residential school commemoration today at the best Western Lakeside Inn in Kenora.

Green say he hopes people will remember the challenges people faced while attending the schools.

The commemoration will focus on survivors of all 5 schools located within the Treaty 3 Territory.

It runs from 9 until 6.

Injured Workers Concerned With Proposed WSIB Changes

Proposed changes to how workers compensation will be handed out are coming under fire from the Ontario Network of Injured Workers.

The group says the move will limit workers compensation eligibility if someone has a pre-existing condition.

Karl Crevar says they are currently raising funds to launch a legal challenge.

Crevar notes the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is acting illegally.

Shopper's Sale to Loblaws Approved

The Shoppers Drug Mart store in Kenora is safe.

The Competition Bureau has approved Loblaws acquisition of Shoppers.

Loblaws is selling 18 Shoppers Drug Mart stores but none are located in northwestern Ontario.

The deal is expected to close on Friday.