T.A. Student Advances to finals of Ontario Technological Skills Competition

A Kenora student is heading to Waterloo at the end of this month to showcase his carpentry skills.

Kevin Schabler from Thomas Aquinas won the individual carpentry competition put on by Confederation College for local high school students.

This was the regional contest to see who would qualify for the Ontario Technological Skills Competition in carpentry, culinary arts, television production and welding.

The top three finishers in each division advance to the provincial championships.

Schabler was the only Kenora student to advance.

Kenora Businessman Faces Hefty Fine

A Kenora businessman is facing a hefty fine for illegally taking gravel from a local pit.

Roland Roen was fined 10 thousand dollars for 13 counts of failing to pay annual fees, another two thousand dollars for operating a gravel pit without a permit and two thousand for harvesting on crow land without a licence.

The court heard that Roen had been hired by Ontario Hydro to repair a road in the Gundy Lake area back in 2008.

Material used for the road repair was removed from a nearby small pit on Crown land, for which Roen did not have a permit.

He also removed trees from three of his aggregate pits without obtaining a forest resource licence.

Boil Water Advisory in Lakeside area

About 30 homes in the Lakeside area are under a boil water advisory today.

The advisory was issued by the Northwestern Health Unit after a water main break in the 5th Street South area yesterday morning.

City operations manager, Rick Perchuck says crews has since found the water main leak and have been able to repair it.

The boil water advisory will remain in effect for at least a couple of days as the Health Unit waits for water tests to come back clear of any contamination.

Plans for Economic Development Agency Get a Rough Ride

Some members of city council are raising concerns about a proposed new regional economic development agency for northwestern Ontario.

Councillor Rory McMillan says he doesn't like some of the proposed governance models for the agency, which potentially could have a board with as many as 32 members.

Mayor Dave Canfield says while he can understand the concerns, he supports the Economic Development Agency in principal.

Canfield adds that the regional economic development agency will be one of the issues up for discussion next week at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Kenora.

Another Reminder to Lock it or Lose It

Another good reason to lock your vehicle.

The OPP say they are investigating the theft of a Blackberry Playbook from a vehicle parked in the 5th Street South area on Friday the 13th.

Police say the car wasn't locked at the time.

The OPP have been preaching the message of "lock it or Lose it" for several years, and says leaving valuables in plain view makes it easier for thefts to occur.

Campbell Presents Petitions At Queen's Park

The first petition supporting saving the area's tourist information centre from closures is now before the Ontario legislature.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says studies show this region brings in more money per stay than any other part of Ontario, in part due to visitors attending attractions they learned about by visiting the tourist information centres.

Campbell expects to bring more petitions in the near future.

Positive Reviews for Computers in the Classroom

Classroom computers aren't going to be a passing fad.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board recently completed a survey of staff, students and parents about the use of netbooks and computer tablets.

Lakewood principal Lynn McAughey says 99 percent of parents supported the use of the technology.

The surveys also found an overwhelming majority of students liked using computers to do their school work, and found it helped them complete their work more easily.

Thistles lose First Game at Allan Cup

The Kenora Thistles weren't able to hang onto a 3-2 second period lead and lost 7-4 to the host team from Lloydminster in their first game at the Allan Cup.

Lloyminster scored five third period goals in the come from behind victory.

Penalty trouble hurt the Thistles, who went to the penalty box seven times and received two misconducts in the third period.

The Border Kings capitalized with four power play goals in the third to put the game away.

Sean Hughes, Jon Johnson, Jonathan Poirier and Ryan Bowen each scored for the Thistles in a losing cause.

Their next game is Wednesday night against the Pacific Division Champions from Stoney Plains.

Common Ground Sold Out Again

The annual Common Ground story-telling session was another huge success.

Common Ground took place on Saturday at the Lakeside Inn featuring stories about the Stone Boat Company, the Hilliard House Opera Company, the early history of Ukrainians in Kenora, and a history of the Kenora and District Festival of Arts.

Common Ground is an oral history of Kenora, and has been held the past six years.

The event was sold out with about 200 people in attendance.

OPP investigate Fatality in Pikangikum

Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 32 year old Pikangikum First Nation man.

Officers were called to a house on the First Nation to deal with an altercation on April 14th.

A short time later a man was located unresponsive on the side of a road.

A post-mortem exam still needs to be conducted.

Winter Returns to Northwestern Ontario

Old man winter isn't done with us just yet.

Windchills are making it feel like -12 in downtown Kenora this morning, but the situation is worse east of the city where a number of road closures have been reported.

Highway 17 between Ignace and Thunder Bay has been closed since 2:00 this morning due to heavy snow.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says areas to the east of Kenora are definitely being hit the hardest.

Highway 11 between Thunder Bay and Atikokan has also been closed due to the weather.

A number of highways in the area east of Thunder Bay have also been closed due to the snow.

Business Loans up in Kenora

Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corporation says there are some positive signs of life in Kenora's economy.

In the past year LOWBIC approved 14 business loans worth a total of 1.4 million dollars.

Executive director of LOWBIC Ryan Reynard says they supported both new and existing businesses in the past year.

LOWBIC says the business loans helped to create 71 new jobs in the area and maintained another 77 jobs at existing businesses.

Cat Lake Students Talk About Addiction

Some First Nations children in a remote northwestern Ontario reserve have written a heartbreaking letter to their drug-addicted parents.

The Grade Six students write that they want their parents to stop doing drugs because it hurts their families.

Cat Lake is the epicentre of prescription drug addiction in Canada.

Community leaders figure that between 70 and 80 per cent of the adults are hooked on narcotic pain killers OxyContin or Percocets.

The letter was part of a workshop and was composed with the help of a local band member.

Campbell to Present Tourism Petitions Today at Queen's Park

Ontario's Tourism Minister is going to start receiving a lot of petitions today calling for tourist information centers in Fort Frances, Kenora and Rainy River to remain open.


The petitions were initiated by Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell following the closure announcements two weeks ago.

She says hundreds of people have since signed them.

Campbell is also planning to meet this morning Michael Chan to discuss the center closures.

Municipalities encouraged to approve One Call

Municipalities in the region are being urged to support provincial legislation that would create a one-call centre for people needing to locate underground infrastructure before digging.

Kenora and Fort Frances have pledged to support the One Call system so far.

Luke Skaarup of Union Gas says the system improves safety.

The legislation, though, is being opposed by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.

Thistles Gear up for First Game at Allan Cup Tonight

The Kenora Senior Thistles will be doing their final preparations this morning for the Allan Cup in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan.

The Thistles left on a bus early yesterday morning and will skate in their final  practice before play begins tonight.

Coach John Tresoor says he likes the team they've put together this year.

The Thistles play their first game tonight at 8:00 against the host team from Lloydminster.

Canadian Forces Hit the Street this Weekend

Its not an army occupation, but there certainly will be a military presence in Kenora this weekend.

Members of the 116th Independant Field Battery will be conducting a march through the city tomorrow morning.

The 13 kilometer march will start at 9:00 at Rheault Bay landing on McKenzie Portage Road and make its way through Keewatin, down Lakeview Drive and end up at the Armories on 9th Street North.

The soldiers will be wearing Canadian Army Uniforms, rucksacks and unloaded service rifles.

The march is part of the ARmy's battle fitness test.

Participants will be walking along the side of the road so no traffic will not be affected.

Youth Council Trying to Get Drop-In off the ground

A new youth drop-in center in Kenora may not be a pipe-dream any longer.

The Kenora Youth Council is working to find a suitable location for the center.

Mitch Frenette is the Youth Mayor and says they have been offered a number of

locations, including space at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Frenette says its unlikely they'll get a youth center up and running by the time their term expires in June.

But as long as they are talking about the idea, he feels that's a good start.

Badminton and Swimming Competitions On Tap this Weekend

Badminton and swimming will take center stage this weekend in Kenora.

The Kenora Rockets Badminton Club is holding the 2012 Sangold Supersmash tournament tomorrow up at Beaver Brae.

Players from grade 7 to 12 from northwestern Ontario and Manitoba will be competing in their final event of the season.

Meanwhile, the Kenora Sharks Swim Club will be hosting its annual meet at the Kenora Wellness Center.

Heets begin this afternoon and will wrap up on Sunday.

Teams from Winnipeg and across northwestern Ontario are in the competition.

Extension Granted to Fix Up Municipal Wharves

The City of Kenora is being given a one year extension to use up funding to fix up a number of municipally owned docks and wharfs.

Ten years ago, the federal government provided 1.5 million dollars to fix up the infrastructure on the lake.

The work concluded last year with the refurbishment of the Matheson Street Wharf.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says there's still about two or three thousand dollars left in that account and now they have until March of next year to use up the funds