Kenora Hydro proposes rate increase

Kenora Hydro is proposing a 10 percent increase in its rates next year.

Hydro has submitted a request to the Ontario Energy Board for an increase in rates effective May 1st, 2011.

The new rates would help Kenora Hydro off-set some of the costs of a couple of major capital projects, including the installation of smart meters.

Hydro says the rate hike will also help pay for the re-build of their  sub-station on Mellick Avenue.

For the average consumer, rates would increase about nine dollars and 45 cents a month.

Road Closure near Wabigoon

It looks as if we'll be getting at least another 24 hours of snow.

So far about 10 centimeters has fallen, and its expected to snow

all day today and tonight.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says things won't start to

improve until Friday.

Meanwhile, there is one road closure to report this morning.

The Trans-Canada in Wabigoon has been shut down because of a collision involving two semi tractor trailor units.

The OPP say small vehicles and trucks are able to detour through the town.

Saints go for OFSAA gold

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys Volleyball team is gunning for its third straight provincial title.

The Saints are in Missasauga for the All-Ontario Single "a" championships.

Their first game is this morning at 11:30 against the lowest ranked team in the tournament, Bloor Collegiate from Toronto.

The number one ranked Saints' next game is at 2:30 against Brampton Christian High School.

T.A. wraps up the day with a game at 5:15 against Lajeunesse from Southwestern Ontario.

Broncos win league gridiron awards

Some hardware for Beaver Brae's Football team.

The Winnipeg High School Football League held its award ceremonies last night and the the Broncos took home two major awards.

Dannon Saunders was named the lineman of the year in the Vidruk East Division.

The Beaver Brae Football Club also received kudos for having the top coaching

staff in the Vidruk East Division.

Abitibi ready to exit Bankruptcy Protection

Abitibi Bowater could be on the verge of exiting bankruptcy protection. 

The company has been given the green light by an American court to go ahead with a restructuring plan that will shed five and a half billion dollars in unsecured debt. 

Part of the deal ensures the company will meet all pension obligations in Canada.

Hampton Outlines Energy ideas

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton says his party has a lot of ideas

to help produce and conserve electricity.

Hampton was responding to complaints by Premier Dalton McGuinty that the

opposition doesn't have any ideas on its own how to handle Ontario's energy

demands for the next 20 years.

Hampton says there are a lot of things the province could and should be doing to

help conserve energy.

Hampton calls the McGuinty Government's 87 billion dollar energy plan is hap-hazard

and too expensive.

Compton Reflects on Four years in office

Out-going Kenora Mayor Len Compton says the city is well poised to move forward.

Compton will leave office at the end of this month and says the city has benefited greatly from a number of big projects over the past couple of years.

He says while the federal and provincial governments have contributed with

their infrastructure projects, private companies have also been very active.

Compton says the city was able to capitalize on all the infrastructure funding

because they had projects that were shovel ready.

Another Snow Day in Kenora

Its another snow day for students who have to take the bus to school.

Excel Coachlines says none of its buses will be running today, including the city Transit vehicles.

None of the secondary roads surrounding Kenora have been plowed, and  Excel says its just too difficult for its school buses to get around right now.

Schools will remain open today for students who walk or who have other means of transportation to get to school.

The Rat Portage School Bus is also not running today.

More snow on the way

Expect it to snow for the rest of today and overnight.

Another 10 centimeters of snow is expected before the system finally blows through northwestern Ontario.

Mark Shuster is a meteorologist with Environment Canada and says things should start to improve tomorrow.

The Kenora area has received another 10 centimeters of snow since yesterday afternoon.

There is one road closure this morning.

Highway 17 through Wabigoon has been closed down due to an accident

involving two semi-tractor trailor units.

The Trans-Canada east of Dryden is expected to be closed for at least an

hour.

Truth And Reconciliation Commission Returns to NWO

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada is making a return trip to northwestern Ontario.

The Commission will listen to the stories from residential school surviviors at a day long session in Thunder Bay.

Commission spokesperson Alvin Fiddler says it's part of the healing for First Nations residents.

Fiddler says the Commission was invited here by officials of the Nishawbe Aski Nation.

City Erects Christmas Tree on Main Street

Main Street definitely has a Christmas look and feel today.

Kenora Hydro Crews installed the traditional Christmas Tree yesterday afternoon at the intersection of Second and Main Streets.

The tree was harvested from some property on Florence Avenue and will boast over 13 thousand individual lights once its fully decorated.

The lights on the tree will officially be lit at a special ceremony on Thursday evening.

The bows that adorned the tree last year, have instead been placed on the parking meters in downtown Kenora.

City posts Surplus in 2009 Audit

The City of Kenora continues to remain relatively financially healthy.

Council approved the 2009 audited financial statements last week, and it

shows the city has strong financial reserves.

Karen Brown is the Chief Adminstrative Officer and says there is almost 80 million dollars in various reserve funds.

The city also has 11.5 million dollars in cash and temporary investments and 8.2 million in government business enterprises.

Saints Ranked #1 at OFSAA Volleyball Championships

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys Volleyball team is the number one ranked team heading into the All-Ontario Single "A" championships this week.

The Saints are heading to Missasauga today for the OFSAA finals.

T.A. head coach, Joanna Krisko admits their is a lot of pressure going for a three-peat.

The Saints first game in the round-robin is tomorrow morning at 11:30.

More Snow on the Way

Its good news for snowmobilers and skiiers, but not for anyone who has to shovel their driveway.

Another winter storm is being felt across northwestern Ontario.

Mark Shuster is meteorologist with Environment Canada and says this is less intense version of a classic Colorado Low.

Shuster says we can still expect about 10 centimeters of snow to fall over the next

couple of days.

That's on top of the 25 centimeters that fell over the weekend.

Catholic Board hires new Curriculum Coordinator

The Kenora Catholic District School Board has filled one of its administrative

vacancies.

The separate board has announced that Tammy Bush has been hired to take over as the

Curriculum Co-Ordinator.

Bush fills the vacancy created after Mary Cunningham took on the newly created

job as the board's School Effectiveness leader.

Bush is currently employed by the board at Pope John Paul II School as a grade one teacher.

New Winter Carnival Taking Shape

Kenora's revived Winter Carnival is starting to take shape.

The steering committee for the Carnival met last week to confirm some of the

events that will be taking place during the three day festival.

Heather Paterson is Kenora's Tourism Development Officer and says

there's a lot of excitement about the March event.

The carnival will take place from March 4th to 6th.

Paterson says they will be launching a website in the next

couple of weeks.

RCMP investigate Hunting Accident in Eastern Manitoba

A man is in a Winnipeg hospital after a weekend hunting accident in southeastern Manitoba.

R-C-M-P say the 43-year-old man and a 17-year-old male teen were hunting in the Rural Municipality of Piney on Saturday when the teen accidentally shot his companion.

The victim was taken first to the hospital in Roseau, Minnesota before being transferred to Winnipeg where he's listed in critical but stable condition.

Mounties say they're considering charges.

New Fiber Optic Network promised for Northern Ontario

Within five years, 26 Nishnawbe Aski First Nations Communities will hooked up to fibre optics.

The federal and provincial governments along with Bell Aliant are making it happen.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says the 55 million government dollars is taxpayers money well spent.

Total cost of the project is 86 million dollars.

Hampton Joins Protest over high hydro costs

Spiralling electricity costs continue to plague the McGuinty Government.

Energy Minister Brad Duguid confirmed hyro rates will be going up 46 percent

over the next five years.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says its time for local northern residents to speak out.

Hampton demanded the Government remove the Harmonized Sales Tax off hydro bills to provide some relief.

A rally against high electricity rates took place in Dryden on Friday.

Local Judokas medal at a pair of tournaments

The competitive judo season is underway for the JM Judo Club.

The club recently attended the St. Boniface Tournament and took home a number of

medals.

Thomas Hertz and Calvin Legarde medalled in the Under 13 age group, while

Bo Rodgers and Daniel Gordon placed in the top three in the boys Under 13 age group.

Gordon and Luke Heatherington won medals in two different divisions.

Meanwhile, Ben Dennis won the only medal for the JM Judo Club at the Ontario
International Open Tournament in Toronto this past weekend.

He won gold in the Under 17 boys 46 kilo division.

Kaitie Dennis lost a pair of bronze medal matches in the women's Under 20 and Senior

divisions.