Provincial Women's Curling Championships Coming to Kenora

The Kenora Curling Club has landed another prestigious event.

The 2012 Ontario women's curling championships will be coming
to town next year.

Kenora beat out three other communities in northern Ontario for the
right to host the Scotties provincial playdowns.

The Scotties will take place at the end of January in 2012 and will feature
10 of the best women's curling teams in Ontario.

KDSB wants Ombudsman to look at local Ambulence Issues

An ombudsman review of private companies that transfer hundreds of thousands of non-critical patients will have no impact on operations locally.


That according to Kenora District Services Board CAO Sten Lif who states that no such service is available here at home.

Lif says there was some talk of someone setting up shop in Sioux Lookout.

Lif is urging the Ombudsman to expand the review to decide whether or not non-emergency transfers should be provided.

Police Board looks at Illegal Taxi Issue

The issue of illegal taxis operating in the City of Kenora has been

brought to the attention of the Police Services Board.

Mayor Dave Canfield submitted a letter from a local cab company
about the problem.

Inspector Dave Lucas says they have assigned one of their officers
to deal with the issue and are also working with administration at
city hall.
The Board will be presented an update at their next meeting at the
end of February.

More Money for FedNor

The Federal Government is adding just over 1.1 million dollars to FedNor.


Industry Minister Tony Clement made the announcement yesterday and says this investment will help continue to grow business and create jobs in the Northwest.

Clement says there will also be some small changes to FedNor coming that will see it focus more on economic growth.

Snowmobile Safety Week

The Ontario Provincial Police and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs are asking snowmobilers to make smart choices this winter.

This is Provincial Snowmobile Safety Week.

Sergeant Michael Price says 5-people have died in collisions in Ontario this winter.

A 55-year-old man died when his snowmachine went through the ice on Longpine Lake, near Kenora last month.

Wasacase back as Chair of Kenora Police Services Board

A familiar face is back as chair of the Kenora Police Services Board.

Colin Wasacase was acclaimed to the position yesterday.

Wasacase takes over from Glenda McMillan, who served just one
year as chair of the police board.

McMillan was acclaimed as vice-chair.

Weedless Wednesday

Today is Weedless Wednesday a day when people are encouraged to try and kick their
smoking habit.

Dr. Karen Mazurski is a local anti-smoking advocate and says tobacco is a highly addictive substance and stresses one can't quit overnight.

Mazurski notes that quitting for even a couple of days is beneficial as people learn from each quit attempt.

Changes in store for FedNOR?

Major changes may be in store for Northern Ontario's funding body.


There are reports that top officials with FedNor have been sequestered in Sudbury to discuss the future direction of the Federal agency.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford the goal is to make a better economic development agency for the region.

Rickford believes this Region will see an even better FedNor operating in the near future.

Freedom of the City Distinction being Sought

Its kind of like getting the key to the city.

Kenora's 116th Independant Field Battery has requested the honorary designation of Freedom of the City.

Colonel Woody Linton says the honor is given to an organization that

has provided heroic service to the community.

Linton says if city council grants the request, they will start the ball rolling

with the Department of National Defense for the honorary distinction.

Not too late for a flu shot

Northwestern Health Unit's medical officer of health says the new strain of flu concerning health officials this year isn't posing many problems in this area yet.


H-3-N-2 has strained medical services elsewhere in the province, especially southern Ontario
in and around Toronto.

Doctor James Arthurs says because of its inactivity here, it doesn't mean people should avoid getting the flu shot.

Arthurs says this year's flu shot includes a vaccine to combat the new strain.

City continues to seek funding for Harborfront Tent

The City of Kenora is doing what it can to make a year-round tent on the

Kenora Harborfront a reality.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says while they don't have any money budgeted
for the structure, they continue to seek out alternate sources of funding.

Earlier this week a local business owner pledged five thousand dollars towards the
estimated 1.5 million dollar cost of the new tent.

Snow removal budget tapped out

All the snow this winter has been hard on the City of Kenora's

Budget.

Mayor Dave Canfield says if its keeps snowing, at some point
the city may no longer be able to afford to remove it all.

Canfield says crews would continue to plow the downtown core and
major traffic routes, but they may not be able to do every street in the city
for much longer.

Funding Sought for Early Learning programs

The Kenora District Services Board says it wants the Ministry of Education
to come up with some capital funds renovate schools in the region so they
can host Early Learning and Care Centers and Best Start programs.

The Board says the province has not provided any funding for alterations or
renovations to existing schools.

Last April, the province transferred responsibility for early years programming
to the Ministry of Education from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

The KDSB says the lack of funding for early learning centers is not in the best
interests of children and goes against the Ministry of Education's vision of creating
the best opportunities for children to learn.

Police Issue Warning about local Ice Conditions

Despite the recent cold weather, the OPP are warning local residents to

make sure of ice conditions before you venture out on local lakes and
rivers.

Over the weekend, the OPP say they were notified about a hole that
had opened up on Laurenson's Creek near K-Sports.

Officers investigated and say it appears that no-one fell through the ice at that location.

Police add that anyone heading out on the ice should have the proper
safety equipment, including a floatation device, a tow rope, a set of ice
picks and crampons.

New Chair chosen for Kenora District Services Board

A total revamping of the Kenora District Services Board.


Ten new faces sit on the 13-member Board of Directors.

Returning member Phil Vinet of Red Lake has been been elected Chair, replacing Rory MacMillian who is no longer the Kenora representative.

Vinet expressed interest in the Chair's seat and was unopposed at the first KDSB meeting of 2011, even though he is vacationing in Hawaii.

Louis Roussin is the new representative for the City of Kenora.

Other local members on the district services board include Barry Baltesson
and Irene Kember representing the unincorporated areas.

Big Pledge for Harborfront Tent

A local business man is putting his money where his mouth is.

Bruce Krawicki from Best Way Rentals says he would like the City of Kenora to go ahead with the installation of a new tent down on the Harborfront.

After making his deputation, Krawicki then presented a cheque for five thousand dollars to council to go towards the tent fund.

Its estimated that a new, year round tent could cost as much as 1.5 million dollars.

The city is getting ready to put out a tender for the project to find out exactly how much a tent will cost.

Foul Play Ruled out in fatal fire

Residents of a close-knit remote northwestern Ontario First Nation of Summer Beaver are mourning the loss of  two infants in a house fire.


Two boys, aged two and three, died in the fire last Thursday afternoon.

A 6-month-old girl suffered smoke inhalation and is listed in critical but stable condition at the Children's Hospital in London.

Police say the child is experiencing breathing complications but has no burn injuries.

The children's parents suffered no major injuries in the fire.

Police say that the fire was likely accidental but the exact cause isn't known.

Dryden City Council Votes against Police Costing

Dryden Council has endorsed the Municipal Police Services as the law enforcement agency of choice.


Council voted 3 against 1 in favour of not entering into a police costing study, with 3-councilors forced to declare a conflict.

Mayor Craig Nuttall voted against the resolution stating he has concerns about the Police Service budget.

Councilor Mike Wood says they can't afford to lose community policing and suggests that switching to
the OPP would result in the loss of control of their police service.

Abitibi Vows more Cost-Cutting

AbitibiBowater is planning further cost cutting at some of its Canadian mills.

C-E-O Richard Garneau says with the Canadian dollar hovering around par with the U-S greenback, the company needs to have a similar cost structure on both sides of the border.

Garneau declined to identify the targeted mills or indicate how much more costly they are to operate than their U-S counterparts.

Crimestoppers turns 25 in NWO

The Crimestoppers program in Northwestern Ontario and Northern Minnesota is celebrating
a major milestone this year.

It turns 25 year old.

Bill Harrington is the chairman of the Crimestoppers board and says they've seen a lot of growth
in the last quarter-century.

Last year Crimestoppers received 564 tips from residents in northwestern Ontario and
Northern Minnesota and approved over 14 thousand dollars in rewards for those tips.