Kenora OPP Officer Faces Theft Charges

A Kenora OPP officer has been charged with theft.

The Kenora detachment began an investigation back on December 28th.

As a result constable Steve Tetrault was charged with theft under 5 thousand dollars.

Tetreault was off duty at the time of the alleged incident and has been placed on leave from the force.

He will answer to the charges next month.

Fire Scare at Blue Heron

It could have been a very difficult start to 2015 for 2 businesses in Kenora.

This morning the Blue heron had a bit of a scare when a small plug in heater caught fire.

The employee working at the time was able to put out the small fire before calling the Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Yesterday morning Kinger Fiberglass on highway 17 East was destroyed when the Furnace caught fire.

Operations Trying to Keep Roads Open

The city of Kenora is doing all it can to keep the roads drive-able as the snow continues to fall.

Operations Manager Rick Perchuk says in weather like there is only so much they can do as the weather would eliminate most plowing and sanding operations throughout the day.

Perchuk says once the snow comes to an end they will have the full plowing and sanding fleet out to clear the roads.

He says the weather has been very tiring on the operations crew this winter.

1st Impaired Driving Chagred Laid in 2014

A new year and the same old result.

In the early morning January 1st the Provincial Police laid their first impaired driving charge of 2014.

The charges were laid after the Treaty 3 Police stopped a vehicle on Ninth Street North and handed the suspect over to the OPP.

As a result 24 year old Melissa Skead from Rat Portage First Nation was charged with impaired driving, and driving without a licence.

She will appear in court in February.

MNR Fines 2 Windsor Residents

Two southern Ontario hunters are facing a combined total of two-thousand dollars in fines for illegaly hunting deer just south of Red Lake.

Terenzio Angelini has been fined fifteen-hundred dollars for hunting deer without a license and is not allowed to hunt in Ontario for one-year.

Michele Pecoraro was fined five-hundred dollars for possessing illegally killed wildlife.

Housing Needs Addressed

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield say the city must focus on building affordable houses.

Canfield says we're building homes above our needs and that has left slim pickings for new families.

He notes the city is looking at building subdivisions with homes in the low $200,000 range.

He notes that they hope to have more hosing in place with in the next 3-4 years as projections forecast a population increase of a few thousand people.

Harbourfest Expects Announcement This Month

The holiday season put a damper on plans plans to announce another night for Harbourfest.

Director of Entertainment Dave Blake says they were planning on having 2 nights booked for the August long weekend festival by the time Christmas rolled around.

However Blake says most agents have gone on hiatus until the middle of January.

He is hoping to finalize another act by the end of the month.

So far The Sheepdogs and Three Days grace will take the stage for the Saturday night show.

Alberta Clipper Hits the Region

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the area but we are going to get a small reprieve from the deep freeze.

Meterologist Geoff Coulson says we have a high of -12 today and we can expect the warmer weather to stick around for a short time.

With the warmer weather today comes snowfall with up to 10 centimeters expected and up to 20 centimeters possibly by tomorrow.

With strong winds also expected to pick up visibility will be reduced on area highways making for poor driving conditions.

Mill Start-up Expected in Ear Falls

EACOM Timber is planning on re-opening the Ear Falls Sawmill sooner rather than later.

Company Spokesperson Gwen Webster says the company's goal is to take advantage with what they believe will be a strong market for lumber in 2014.

Currently the company is testing existing equipment that has sat idle at the mill for nearly five years.