Close Call for A School Bus Near Eagle River

A close call for a bus load of High School students on Highway 17 near Eagle River this morning.

Cole Mann and Nicholas Bouchard were two of the students on the bus when a westbound transport narrowly missed them.

Mann says they were picking up a student on the route, when an oncoming transport couldn't stop and went into the ditch.

Bouchard was enjoying a nap when the incident happened.

He says he was awakened by a flurry of snow and then saw the transport hit the ditch.

No contact was made with the bus and no one was injured.

Provincial Police are investigating.

City Seeking Better Returns From KMTS Prosperity Trust Fund

Stock markets are starting to rebound in North America, but the KMTS Prosperity Trust Fund continues to under perform.

City staff says they will miss their target this year to generate 1.1 million
dollars in interest off the trust.

The city uses the interest to off set taxes.

Corporate Services Manager Lauren D'Argis says they are currently looking at other investment opportunities to try and maximize their return on the Trust Fund.

Under provincial regulations though, the city is limited in the types of investments it can make, meaning any investments have to be very low risk.

North Country Adjusters Sold

A northwestern Ontario adjusting firm has new owners.

ClaimsPro has acquired North Country Adjusters.

North Country Adjusters was formed in 1998 and has served the Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay districts.

ClaimsPro, Canada's largest independent adjusting company, says it strengthens their presence in both northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba.

Public School Board Responds to CUPE

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is disputing comments from the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Earlier this week CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn claimed the public school board had not reached a contract agreement with it's support staff.

In a release this week, Keewatin-Patricia says all the required memoranda of understanding have been implemented with local bargaining units.

As a result, the Board says it will receive 100 percent of its conditional funding supporting the deals.

TSB Releases Report on Trout Lake Plane Crash

The Transportation Safety Board believes it's identified the cause of
a float plane crash north of Kenora almost a year and a half ago.

The plane crashed shortly after take-off from Trout Lake on August 1st, 2012.

In an extensive report released this week, the TSB suggests the floats were the likely cause of the crash.

Investigators noted some corrosion on the hardware that anchored the floats to the aircraft and suggest they went out of alignment shortly after take-off.

That caused the plane to lose speed, stall and crash into some trees in a remote location on the lake.

The pilot and a passenger sustained serious injuries, and the TSB says quick response from local residents and emergency service personnel contributed to their survival.

The report says the pilot, from Cloquet, Minnesota, was experienced in the operation of the float plane, and was not likely a factor in the crash.

Campbell Concerned About Job Losses At Fort Frances Mill

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says the Resolute Forest Products announcement that it will be stopping operations in Fort Frances is devastating.

The move to shut down the last running paper machine will impact 150-workers.

Campbell says her concerns are with the workers and their families.

She says the Resolute job loss issue is now her top priority.

Two Men Fined For Illegal Deer Hunt

Two northeastern Ontario hunters have been fined for illegally killing
deer south of Kenora.

The court heard the two men from Dubreuilville were hunting in the
Bergland area last October.

Conservation officers were contacted after a property owner complained
that a deer was shot on their property.

Luc Belanger and Daniel Levesque pleaded guilty to tre
spassing to hunt and have been fined a thousand dollars each.

They have also been banned from hunting in Ontario for a year.

Mayor Calls For Regional Tourism Marketing Approach

Time for a fresh approach to tourism marketing.

That's the challenge from mayor Dave Canfield.

Canfield was responding to changes to Kenora's brand promise.

We can no longer use the slogan "We Live the Lake Life", because it's already being used by Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls.

Canfield suggests we need a more regional approach to tourist promotion.

Kenora will continue to use the slogan "We Love Our Lake" as part of our brand promise.

Cold Weather Keeps Operations Department Busy

No shortage of work for Kenora's operations department.

In addition to plowing and snow removal, the recent cold weather has
also resulted in frozen sewer and water lines.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says it's all in a days work.

Perchuck says they've also had to deal with a small epidemic of
grinder pump failures in recent weeks.

Northwest Highway Safety Committee Launches New Website

The OPP is launching a new Highway Safety Education Committee for northwestern Ontario.

The group was formed last year and received money from the Ministry of Transportation to create a Safe Winter Driving Campaign for the region.

Sergeant Dave Bel says part of their campaign includes a new website full of educational content.

Some of safe driving partners include the Nishnawbe Aski Police, MTO, Insurance Brokers of Northwestern Ontario and Acadia Broadcasting.

Museum Celebrates 50th Anniversary

50 years young.

The Lake of Woods Museum is celebrating the half century mark this year.

Lynn Riddell is the community coordinator and says they have numerous events planned throughout the year, including the "Find 50" competition, which is an historic scavenger hunt.

A kick off event is scheduled for 2:00 on Saturday.