More Flash Mob video

More video from Friday's Flash mob at Canadian Tire. 

CEO of RNAO visits Kenora during Nursing Week

Nurses in northwestern Ontario will be getting some high level support this week.

The CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario will be touring a number of hospitals in the region.

Doris Grinspun will be starting her day tomorrow in Kenora at Lake of the Woods District Hospital, followed by stops in Dryden and Sioux Lookout.

Grinspun is touring the region as part of Nursing Week.

Road Closed today in Downtown Kenora

You might have to take a detour if you're heading downtown today.

A section of 1st Avenue South by the Bannister Center is closed this  morning as City of Kenora work crews dig up the road to do some sewer and water work in the area.

Traffic is being detoured down 3rd Street South and the Safeway hill.

Kings Bay expands exploration for gold

Northwestern Ontario continues to be a lure for companies seeking out gold deposits.

King's Bay Resources says it has acquired two additional properties southeast of Kenora near Nestor Falls.

The company says it will be doing exploration work in an area northeast of the Rainy River Resources gold zone.

King's Bay says it now has 18 claims in the area.

Cuts to Bear Wise Program

Changes are coming to the province's Bear Wise program.

Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle says from now on they'll leave decisions on what to do with bears up to local police and will no longer trap and relocate the bruins.

Gravelle says the province will continue to operate the Bearwise hotline.

Meanwhile, a union leader says Ontario residents face greater danger from bears this year because of provincial government cutbacks.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Smokey Thomas says the number of staff trained to deal with bears that threaten public safety has been cut by more than half.

Thomas says changes to the Bear Wise education and response program are among what he terms ill-advised cuts at the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The ministry has 21 technicians in 15 northern Ontario communities, down from 48 in 25 communities.

Doctors Worried How OHIP Cuts will affect Recruitment

The head of the Ontario Medical Association is calling on the Province to head back to the bargaining table.

Stewart Kennedy is a doctor living in northwestern Ontario and says the Province is proposing fee cuts which he calls troublesome especially for recruitment initiatives here in this region.

Kennedy sent a letter to the Minister of Health suggesting three concilliators they could use to continue bargaining.

Evergreen Holds Parent Info Session on Mental Health

According to recent statistics, about 20 percent of students in Ontario have a mental health or emotional disorder.

With that information in mind, Evergreen School is holding a parent information session on Mental Health issues.

Pam Cederwall is with the Evergreen Parents Council and says they have a number of guest speakers lined up.

The information session will take place Thursday evening at 6:30 at Evergreen School.

City of Dryden Looking at Lots of Red Ink

The City of Dryden is bleeding red ink in a big way.

The city's auditor released his report for 2010 last week.

Mayor Craig Nuttall says the City recorded an 8.4-million dollar deficit in 2010.

The Municipality has an accumulated debt of 24-million dollars.

OPP says Lock it Or Lose It

Another reminder from the OPP to Lock it or Lose it.

Police say they had a number of reports over the weekend of unlocked vehicles being entered.

In one instance, a resident in the 8th Avenue South contacted the  OPP about a youth who was attempting to enter a vehicle.

Police say you should not only lock your vehicles when they're parked, but you should also keep valuables out of sight.

OPP Investigate Weekend Break-ins

The OPP are investigating a couple of break-ins on the west end of town.

Over the weekend, a camp owner told police that some one had broken into their cottage on Middle Lake sometime in the past two weeks.

Some alcohol, propane tanks and some gas were stolen.

Meanwhile, someone also broke into the Keewatin Legion.

The coolers were entered, but police haven't indicated if anything was stolen.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Unicycle Tour of Ontario starts in Kenora

A unique cross-province tour is now making its way across northwestern Ontario.

Derrick Ferguson began his Wheel In Motion Tour in Kenora yesterday.

Ferguson is riding a unicycle across the province to raise money for spinal cord research.

Ferguson says he was inspired by Rick Hanson's Man in Motion tour, and plans to ride across Ontario over the next month.

The Stratford resident hopes to raise 25 thousand dollars over the next four weeks.

Fire activity expected to slow this week

The Ministry of Natural Resources says it's seen an increase in the number of spring fires this year.

There have been over 100, mostly grass fires, since the start of the fire season April 1st.

Fire Information Officer Heather Pridham says the weather is now reducing the threat.

Pridham says it's also allow crews to resume training in preparation of the warm months.

Property Owners Association Turns 50

The Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association is celebrating a major milestone this year.

The cottagers group turns 50 years old today.

Susan McLeod says they've always been a voice for people who live on and near Lake of the Woods.

The Property Owners Association will hold its annual general meeting and Cottage Show in Winnipeg tomorrow at the Victoria Inn.

Dreams of a new hospital in Kenora a long ways off

It could be a decade or more before Kenora gets a new hospital.

That's the suggestion of the Chief Executive Officer of Lake of the Woods District.

Marc Belcaen says with the recent austerity measures of the provincial government, even hospital projects that had previously approved are being delayed due to a lack of funding.

In the meantime, Belcaen says they need to improve their surgical units, but the Ministry of Health says it doesn't have a lot of money for smaller capital projects.

Belcaen says a new surgical unit would be a multi-million dollar project for the hospital.

Brand Leadership Team Announced

It may sound more like a sandwich than a new city committee.

But the membership of the BLT has been announced.

The Brand Leadership team has the task of rolling out Kenora's new brand of being North America's premier Boating Desitnation.

The 13 member committee will be headed by Randy Nickle, who is also chair of the city's Tourism Committee.

The committee will work with the local business community, community partners, residents and the boating industry to implement all 60 recommendations made by Roger Brooks in creating Kenora's new brand.

Injured Workers Upset at Witmer's WSIB appointment

Injured Workers Advocate Steve Mantis is the latest to disagree with the Premier's appointment of former Tory MPP Elizabeth Witmer to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Mantis says the Premier should never have appointed the former Minister of Labour that was responsible for opening up the board to include the interests of both workers and employers.

He suggests Dalton McGuinty saw the opportunity for a by-election with the appointment and jumped at the chance of getting a majority.

Float Plane Crashes Northwest Kenora near Manitoba Border

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton says a float plane that crashed near the Ontario/Manitoba border had an emergency locator beacon on board, but it was a friend of the pilot who alerted authorities to look for the aircraft.

CaptainJean Houde says the plane was found upside-down in Lake Kapekun just west of Woodland Caribou Park.

Houde says the rescue centre didn't receive a signal, and suggested it could have been because the beacon may not have transmitted well underwater.

The 81-year-old pilot,who took off Saturday morning from Gimli, was found dead inside the plane.

Home and Leisure Show a Big Success

Maybe the weather had something to do with it.

The Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce says its pleased with the attendance from this past weekend's Home and Leisure Show.

A couple of thousand people are estimated to have passed through the doors between Friday and Sunday afternoon.

Exhibitors also say they were pleased with the traffic, reporting good numbers all three days of the Home Show.

A portion of the money collected at the door went to the Habitat for Humanity build in Kenora.

Police Push Summer Safety

The OPP is gearing up for another busy summer on the Lake.

The local police are wrapping up Summer Safety week, which is a chance to remind local residents how to stay safe while on the water or in the bush.

Mike Barclay from the OPP says if you run into problems on the Lake, be prepared and don't panic

The theme of Summer Safety week is Expect the Unexpected.

Rickford not sorry to see Penny go

The Canadian one cent piece is going the way of the dodo bird today.

The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg produced its final penny today.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the penny has really outlived its usefulness and cost

the federal government more than it was actually worth.

Rickford says the penny will still be able to be used as long as they remain in circulation.