Con College Moves Float Plane Base to Kenora

Taking to the sky over Kenora.

Confederation College has announced a partnership with River Air to move it's float plane training program into the city.

Aviation Chair Paul De Oude says they received tremendous communtiy support from Kenora during the request for proposals and is confident this move provide long term stability for the program.

James Hendy with River Air says they are able to provide Con College a quick transition with docks, offices, and fuel systems.

Arrests Made Following Break in

An early morning break and enter has landed 2 men in police custody.

Kenora OPP say an alarm at a downtown area business went off around 3:30 this morning.

Police say forensic evidence during the investigation led to the arrests.

27 year old James Necanapenace and 30 year old Troy Payash, both of Kenora, have been charged with break and enter.

They will appear in Kenora Court for a bail hearing today.

Council To Mull Over Budget Options Today

Local property owners could know by the end of the day what kind of
tax increase they can look forward to this year.

City council is sitting down for an all-day budget session.

That includes reviews of the sewer and water, operations and capital  budgets for 2014.

A proposed tax rate is also expected to be on the table, although, both finance committee chair, Ron Lunny and Mayor Dave Canfield says they would like to keep any increase at zero percent or less.

Copperfin Closing Keewatin Branch

It's the end of an era in Keewatin.

Copperfin Credit Union is closing it's branch in the community.

CEO Dennis Alvestad says they did everything they could.

Alvestad says the move is a sign of the times as the younger generation transitions to electronic banking options.

The Keewatin branch is slated to close after April 30th.

Control Board Preparing for Spring Run Off

An attack plan is in place at the Lake of the Woods Control Board.

Executive engineer Matt Dewolfe says the board recently created a plan to handle the spring melt.

Dewolfe says the lake level is currently at 322.4 meters.

He notes the want to be at 322.35 when the melt occurs.

Province Won't Intervene In Proposed Natural Gas Hike

There's no intention by the provincial government to intervene on requests for rate increases by natural gas companies in Ontario.

Union Gas is seeking an increase that could result in northern Ontario users paying as much as 190-dollars more over the next year.

Energy Minister  Bob Chiarelli says he's confident in the decisions of the Ontario Energy Board.

Union gas says expected higher prices it pays for gas and transportation are reason for the increase.

Gravelle Says Framework on Ring of Fire Nearing Completion

All parties in the Ring of Fire negotiations are getting closer to a framework agreement on the giant mining project.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle  says it won't be long before we know more about what direction the project will take but he won't speculate on exactly when.

Gravelle spokes to delegates at the Greenstone Mining Expo last night in Thunder Bay on the latest behind the scene developments and says progress is being made.

Fire Marshall Wraps Up Investigation Into Fort Motel Blaze

The Ontario Fire Marshall's office and the OPP have wrapped up their investigation - at least at the scene - of last Thursday's motel fire in Fort Frances.

But the exact cause of the blaze at Reids Voyageur Inn Motel is still not be released at this time.

Meantime, a 39-year-old man who was taken to hospital is now in Thunder Bay.

He condition continues to be monitored.

OPP Investigate Vehicle Break-Ins

Another reminder from the Kenora OPP to Lock it or Lose it.

Over the weekend, the OPP say they received several complaints of
theft from vehicles.

In each case, police say they were unlocked.

The OPP say if you keep valuables in your vehicle make sure they are out of sight and the doors are locked.