Thursday, March 27, 2014

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.