OPP release names of Deceased in North Spirit Lake Crash

The OPP have officially released the names of four people killed in a plane crash earlierthis week in northwestern Ontario.

The pilot of the Keystone Navajo aircrash has been identified as 41 year old Fariboz Abasabady of Lockport, Manitoba.

Abasabady was hired by Keystone this past summer.

The three other people killed in the plane crash near the North Spirit Lake First Nation have been confirmed as 38 year old Martha Campbell from Winnipeg.

She was a former resident of North Spirit Lake.

62 year old Ben Van Hoek of Carmen was the president of a company called Aboriginal Strategies.

39 year old Colette Eisinger of Winnipeg was also an employee of the company.

36 year old Brian Shead was the lone survivor of the crash.

Two New Police Detachments Opened in the far north

Two Northwestern Ontario First Nations are celebrating the opening of new Nishnawbe-Aski Police Detachments.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford was on hand as the facilities opened their doors in Sandy Lake and Fort Severn.

The Feds spent over 2.3-million dollars on the Detachments, while the Province threw in more than 2.1-million dollars.

First Nation officials in both communities say the new facilities provide better working conditions for police officers and ensure the safety of residents.

The Chief of Fort Severn credited Rickford for his personal intervention to get the Detachment constructed.

Saints and Broncos in action tonight

One game in Girls High School Hockey today.

The Red Lake Rams host the Beaver Brae Broncos.

Game time is 4:30 at the Ear Falls Arena.

In boys hockey action, the Thomas Aquinas Saints are at home to the Dryden Eagles.

The Saints have 11 points while, the Eagles are struggling with just seven.

Game time is 7:30 at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Shoal Lake Water Review Ordered

The Ontario Government has launched a review to see if Winnipeg's plan to extend its water and sewer pipes to rural municipalities violates any historical agreements involving the source of the city's water.

Ontario gave Winnipeg permission to draw water from Shoal Lake in Northwestern Ontario for municipal purposes in 1913.

Natural Resources Spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski says the department's legal branch started to sift through 100 years of water agreements two weeks ago.

The review comes as one First Nation in Shoal Lake threatens to sue the city, saying Winnipeg has no right to sell water before it resolves decades' worth of claims over lake water.

Name of Truck Driver Killed in Crash released

Ontario Provincial Police say a 45 year old Winnipeg truck driver has died in a collision east of Kenora.

Police say Amir Mohammadi died Wednesday when his eastbound tractor-trailer collided with a westbound tractor-trailer.

The westbound transport had jackknifed across Highway 17 in the Dogtooth Lake area.

Another westbound tractor-trailer and an eastbound passenger vehicle were involved when they could not avoid the collision ahead of them.

Police say those vehicles were damaged but the drivers were not injured.

The highway was closed from early Wednesday until Wednesday afternoon.

EQAO Tests

Writing an exam may never be the same again.


Jack McMaster is the director of Education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says they will be trying something different this year with some of their EQAO tests.

McMaster says they have received permission from the Ministry of Education to use computers for the writing section of the grade 6 EQAO tests.

McMaster believes the use of computers will especially help boys, who traditionally
do not perform as well in the reading and writing portion of the standardized tests.

Meno Ya Win Health Centre

Nursing students in the region can now train using the latest in simulation equipment and techniques at the Sioux Lookout Hospital.



Officials with the Meno Ya Win Health Centre and Confederation College unveiled the new Simulation Training Lab at a ceremony Wednesday.

Vice President of Health Services Barb Linkewich says the state-of-the art lab will help in retention efforts.

Designed as a real-life hospital setting, health care workers learn in lab experiences that simulate common scenarios including giving birth.

Ontario Wood Logo

The Provincial Government has its first lisenced user of the Ontario Wood Logo.

Forestry Minister, Michael Gravelle says the logo represents products that are grown, produced and designed in Ontario.


Gravelle adds that he's very optimistic that the logo will help promote and strengthen the province's forestry sector.

North Spirit Lake First Nation

Donations are being sought to help out the North Spirit Lake First Nation.


A crash Tuesday morning near the remote northwestern Ontario community
killed one community member, three other employees of a company called
Aboriginal Strategies.

Brian Walmark from K-Net says they've set up a website to accept cash
donations.

Walmark says donations will be used to help defray the cost of funerals and grief councillors, who are being brought into the community.

HST Atikokan

While most want it decrease, Atikokan town council is advocating a on per cent hike in the HST.

The town says the revenue could be earmarked for municipalities for infrastructure improvements.

Mayor Dennis Brown says it may be the only really option to covering the high cost of that work.

Brown adds that under their proposal, his community would receive more than 850-thousand dollars

Betty's

A recent window display has earned Betty's of Fort Frances some international recognition.


The display showed off German-based Schleich toy figurines and was entered in a company sponsored contest.

Blair Anderson says their store was selected third best among hundreds of retailers worldwide


Anderson says they get a voucher for free product they'll distributed to customers while photos of the display will be used by the company in future promotions.

Temperature records tumble in NWO

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday was was a record breaking day in four northwest communities yesterday.

Kenora hit 2.7 -degrees, eclipising the previous high of 1.3 which was set in 1990.

Fort Frances was the hot spot with a record 5.1-degrees.

Rat Portage Charging for Ice Road Access

The Rat Portage First Nation has once again decided to charge for the use of the ice road that runs through the reserve.

Effective yesterday, check points have been set up on the Gap Road and Matheson Bay entrances to the community.

A seasonal pass for non-residents of Rat Portage is 75 dollars, or 50 dollars a month, or 25 dollars a day.

Passes are available at the band office.

NorWOSSA games cancelled

Poor road conditions are playing havoc with the NorWOSSA court sports season.

Both Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae boys basketball and girls volleyball teams were supposed to be in action today.

The Saints were scheduled to host Red Lake, while the Broncos had a home date against Dryden.

Eight games in total have been cancelled due to road closures and treacherous conditions.

Highway 17 East open to one lane of traffic

Traffic is starting to move slowly again on Highway 17 east of Kenora.

The OPP say one lane of the Trans-Canada has been opened following a fatal multiple vehicle collision about 30 kilometers east of Kenora.

Police say a westbound transport jack-knifed near Dogtooth Lake around 1:00 this morning.

An eastbound semi was unable to avoid the truck and collided with it.

Police say the driver of the eastbound unit was killed.

A short time later  another tractor-trailor unit and a passenger vehicle also slid into the first two trucks.

There was one other accident reported last night, when a transport rolled over near Chadwick Lake on Highway 17 east and lost its load.

The OPP say the driver was not injured in that mishap.

One Person Survives North Spirit Lake Plane Crash

The only person who survived the crash of a small plane flying from Winnipeg to northern Ontario is said to be in stable condition in a Winnipeg hospital.

Thirty-six-year-old Brian Shead works for Aboriginal Strategies Incorporated, an administrative service for First Nations based in Winnipeg.

His wife Tracy says at first it was believed he died, but then she found out he had a broken ankle and broken bones in his face.

She says she's been told he's awake and his vital signs are good.

More troubles for Pikangikum

The only school in a troubled northwestern Ontario First Nation may have to shut its doors because mould has driven away many of its teachers.

The Pikangikum First Nation says it has seen almost all the non-local teachers leave the community because of mould growing in the teachers' residences.

Director of education Kyle Peters says after fighting for years for a decent school, and dealing with rampant suicide, substance abuse and poverty, this is the last thing the youth of Pikangikum need.

 Improving education is at the top of the agenda when First Nations leaders meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in two weeks for a summit in Ottawa.

Highway 17 east still closed

The OPP say it could be a couple of more hours before the wreckage from a fatal overnight crash on Highway 17 east of Kenora is finally cleared away.

Police say a westbound tractor-trailor unit jack-knifed about 30 kilometers east of town around 1:00 last night.

It was struck by an eastbound semi, which was unable to stop, due to slippery road conditions.

The driver of the eastbound unit was killed in the collision.

In the meantime, two more transports also collided with the other two semis.

Earlier in the evening, the OPP say there was also another roll-over on the Trans-Canada east of Kenora near Chadwick Lake.

Police say the semi spilt its load, but the driver was not injured.

Lakewood School Proposal pitched to KPDSB

Administration with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board isn't ready to endorse plans to re-develop Lakewood School just yet.

Geordie McEwan made his pitch for the Lake of the Woods Center at last night's board meeting and says there is definitely a need for such a facility in Kenora.

Trustees say they want administration to come to their next committee of the whole meeting
with some feedback about the proposal.

The board then says it will look at doing a community consultation on the idea.

Evergreen School Remains Open for One more year

Evergreen parents are breathing a sigh of relief today.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has agreed to keep the elementary

school open for at least one more year.

Trustees made the decision last night after hearing a presentation about a proposal

to re-develop Lakewood School into an adult education center.

Pam Cederwall says she's pleased the decision to close Evergreen has been

delayed.

The public school board was going to close the school at the end of this school year,

but agreed to delay closure until at least the spring of 2013.