House fire on Peterson Road

A busy night for Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Fire Fighters were called to a house fire on Peterson Road around 10:30 last night.

All four stations were called out to deal with the blaze, and pumpers spent the night

shuttling water back and forth from a hydrant several miles away on Veteran's Drive.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but damage is said to be extensive.

There was no-one home at the time the fire broke out.

Machin opens new centennial pavilion

The Town of Machin is celebrating its 100th anniversary by unveiling a new waterfront pavilion.

The 13 hundred square foot log structure is located in Pine Tree Park, overlooking Eagle Lake.

The pavilion includes a set of interpretive panels the depict some of the important events in the last 100 years in the community.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Contributed over 16 thousand dollars to help build
the structure.

OPP search for body near Sioux Lookout

The Underwater Search and Recovery Unit has been called in after a vehicle was reported going into a lake, just outside Sioux Lookout.

OPP received a report on Tuesday that a women had driven her vehicle from Vermillion River Road into Bindo Lake.

OPP are investigating and officers want to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this event.

No other details are available.

Greenpeace Launches Caribou Caravan

Greenpeace launched its "caribou caravan" campaign at Queen's Park.

The environmental group is pressuring Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle to save the woodland caribou.

Spokesperson Richard Brooks says the government can balance both environment and the forest industry.

The caravan will be heading to northwestern Ontario at the end of October.

OPP investigate rash of Break-Ins

The OPP are investigating a rash of break-ins over the past couple of days.

In one instance, a travel trailer parked in the area of Millers Rapids Road was broken into.

Police say a number of items were stolen including a set of binoculars,

three rifle scopes and several rods and reels.

The OPP also say a number of unlocked vehicles were entered on

Birchwood Crescent.

A laptop computer, a GPS unit, cellphones and a satellite radio were among the items stolen.

Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment of the OPP or Crimestoppers.

KMTS Announces Upgrades to its System

KMTS has just completed a 1.5 million dollar upgrade to its mobility network.

The new High Speed Packet Access will allow local residents to use a wide range of smart phones, including the IPhone.

Doug Anderson is a spokesperson for KMTS and they teamed up with NorthernTel

on the network upgrade.

The project included 531 thousan dollars to install the new towers in Redditt, Grassy Narrows

and Whitedog.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund provided 85 percent of the cost of that project.

Saints win in Whitefish Bay

The Thomas Aquinas Boys Volleyball teams continue to roll along in league play.

The Saints were in Whitefish Bay, and won both games played against the WinterHawks.

The T.A. junior boys swept Whitefish Bay in three straight games, while the Saints lost their first set in league play, but still prevailed three games to one.

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys are coming off a weekend tournament win in

Portage La Prairie.

The T.A. girls basketball teams were idle yesterday.

Nestor Falls Runner Up in Ultimate Fishing Town Contest

Nestor Falls will have to settle for being a runner up in the World Fishing Network's Ultimate Fishing Town Contest.

Port Alberni, British Columbia collected the most votes last month to collect the 25 thousand dollar first prize.

Nestor Falls work didn't go unrewarded however.

The tiny community on Lake of the Woods will get a five thousand dollar cash award for  finishing second in the contest.

Concerns Raised over Abitibi's Plans to Sell northern Dams

The provincial government wants AbitibiBowater to continue honouring water and power agreements with local communities if it proceeds with a sale of its hydro-electric dams in Kenora, Iroquois Falls and Fort Frances.

Concerns about the dams were raised in August when it was revealed the company was again looking at selling off its hydro assets.

Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey says she's received no formal request to sell the Ontario dams, but shares the concerns about how the sale will impact local mills and communities.

A pair of Honors for Broncos Gridiron stars

For the second week in a row, Beaver Brae running back Scott Morgan has been named the offensive player of the week in the Vidruk Division of the Winnipeg High School Football League.

Morgan had 144 yards rushing and a touchdown in last weeks 42-7 win over the Miles MacDonnel Buckeyes.

Jared Davis was also singled out for his play and was named the special teams player of the week for his 80 yard punt return.

The 3-1 Broncos face their toughest challenge of the season on Friday when they travel to Winnipeg to face the 4-0 Murdoch McKay Clansmen.

ER Study Ordered for Northern and Rural Ontario Hospitals

Fourteen medical professionals and experts have been assembled by the provincial government to look at issues surrounding emergency rooms in rural and northern Ontario.

Ministry of Health Spokesperson David Jenson says the group have been asked to make recommendations on improving small E-R's.

Jenson says concerns from a variety of groups and medical personnel led to the task force being set up.

Two killed in Couchiching Fire

The Treaty Three Police have confirmed that two people died in a house fire on the Couchiching First Nation.

Police are describing the fire as accidental.

A female occupant in the home managed to escape after the smoke detector went off.

However, a 36 year old man and a 73 year old died in the blaze.

An autopsy conducted earlier this week showed that both men died as a result of smoke inhalation.

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office is continuing to investigate the fire.

Health Unit offers Stop Smoking Program

The Northwestern Health Unit is once again offering a program to help smokers quit for good.

STOP On-The-Road Workshops are being held in Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances starting on October 18th.

On top of Counciling, Enforcement Manager Jennifer McKibbon says participants will receive a 5-week supply of free nicotine replacement therapy.

To take part call 1-888-404-4231.

Thumbs up for new Highway 17 Twinning Route

The Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association is cautiously optimistic about new plans revealed for the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Kenora.

Over the weekend, a consultant for the Ministry of Transortation revealed a new route for Highway 17, taking it north of the Clearwater Bay area.

Susan McLeod is the executive director of the Property Owners Association and says someone seems to have been paying attention to their concerns.

McLeod says the final route plans won't be unveiled until sometime in the new year, so a lot of work still needs to be done before they are completely happy with the Highway twinning project.

Alarmed for Life

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department will be taking it to the streets for Fire Prevention Week.

Fire fighters will be taking their Alarmed for Life Campaign into the Rabbit Lake Trailor Park this evening.

They will be making sure local residents have working smoke alarms.

Crews will be going door to door between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 this evening.

Fire chief Warren Brinkman says their goal is to ensure every home in Kenora has a working smoke alarm on every level.

A sign of recovery in NWO forest industry

It's a big day in Terrace Bay.

The community's main employer is back in business.

Terrace Bay Pulp is making pulp again putting 300 people back to work.

It came after it's parent company, Buchanan Forest Products of Thunder Bay, managed to bring it out of creditor protection.

The provincial government kicked in a 25 million dollar loan to help refinance the start up

Another quiet Forest Fire Season in NWO

It was another quiet forest fire season in Northwestern Ontario.

With one month remaining, the Ministry of Natural Resources has responded to 351-fires, with just over 95-hundred hectares of land burned.

Information Officer Debbie McLean says there hasn't been a lot of hot spots.

The average over the past 5-years is 626-forest fires, with over 45-thousand hectares burned.

Children's and Youth Services Minister promises spring summit

Ontario's Children's and Youth Services Minister is commiting to working with native child welfare agencies in improving services.

Laurel Broten spoke recently at a provincial conference in Fort Frances.

Broten says with the hiring of John Beaucage as a advisor, they'll be talking further about making the system better.

Broten says it's an opportunity to work together to ensure that children and their families are well cared for.

NOMA Conference wraps up

How do we make Northern issues matter to the rest of the province?

That was the topic of a panel discussion at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference.

Past President of the Ontario Associated Community Futures Development Corporation Bill Spinney says municipal and business leaders have to get together and develop a common message for the Ontario government. 

The two day fall conference wrapped up over the weekend in Thunder Bay. 

Healthy Smiles Program returns

The provincial government has announced funding for a new dental program for children in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts.

Healthy Smiles Ontario will provide a no-cost dental program for kids under the age of 17, who do not currently have access to any dental coverage.

Dr. Jim Arthurs is the medical officer of health of the Northwestern Health Unit and says they also plan to be bring the program into communities that do not currently have dentists.

The program is intended for low income households across the region, that is families with a net income of 20 thousand dollars a year or less.