Fishing Guide Slapped With Hefty Fine

A costly mistake for an area fishing guide.


Ron Lemmon of Bergland has been fined $4,000 for illegally selling walleye and venison.

Court heard that Lemmon guided two anglers on a fishing trip on Lake of the Woods and he encouraged them to take more than the legal limit of walleye and at the end of the trip sold them.

He has also received a 2-year fishing suspension.

The charges followed a two year investigation.

Weather Records

Another warm day yesterday, but suprisingly only one record set.


CJRL Meterologist Bill Laidlaw says Sioux Lookout reached 33.5-degrees, smashing the old mark of 32.8 set in 1969.

Rain and a severe thunderstorm watch also hit the Kenora and Red Lake District's, but nothing major transpired.

Kenora did see 22.8-millimetres of rain last night.

Ear Falls only saw 3-millimetres.

There was no report from Red Lake.

Fire Crews Starting To See Action

Things are really starting to heat up in Northwestern Ontario.

15-new fires were reported yesterday across the District.

That's in addition of 10-fires on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is expecting several more today.

Most of the activity is in the Red Lake and Sioux Lookout District's.

A majority of the new fires are lightning caused but there are some human-caused fires reported.

Tentative Deal For CEP Members At Domtar

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union says it has reached a tentative deal with Domtar.


The contract covers Domtar's Pulp Mill and Woodlands Operations in Dryden as well as members in Ear Falls and impacts roughly 500-members.

CEP Spokesperson Stephen Boon says the agreement follows almost 40-days of fairly challenging negotiations over the last 9-months.

Boon says they won't be releasing any further information until details are presented to their members.

Boon is recommending ratification.

Meetings are being held in Dryden July 15th and 19th and in Ear Falls this Sunday.

Final voting is scheduled for July 26th.


*Information meetings for 300 CEP Woodlands Members is on Sunday, July 15th at 2PM at the Dryden Legion and at 7PM at the Ear Falls Legion.

Local 105-1 and 105-3 will be holding information meetings for about 200 Mill and Office Members on Thursday, July 19th in Dryden at 2PM and 7PM at the Dryden Legion.

Highway 17 Now Open

Highway 17 is now open after a brief closure this morning.


Provincial Police say a transport jack-knifed around 1 o'clock, blocking both lanes of traffic about 45-kilometres west of Vermilion Bay.

The Trans-Canada was closed for about 2-hours.

No one was injured in the incident.

Diane Kelly Fairs Well In National Debate

Candidates in the Assembly of First Nations leadership race are appealing to area Chiefs for their support.

They gathered last night for a televised debate.

Diane Kelly, a former Grand Chief of Treaty Three, feels she's the best to become Canada's top aboriginal leader.

Kelly says she has the experience to guide First Nations through change.

She believes her experience can be beneficial to the Assembly of First Nations in dealing with senior levels of government.

Kelly is one of seven candidates seeking to unseat current Grand Chief Shawn Atleo.

More than 600 First Nations chiefs will cast ballots at the Assembly's conference next week.

Diane Kelly Preparing For Live T.V. Debate

The eight people vying to be National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations discuss the issues tonight in all-candidates debate.


Diane Kelly, the former Grand Chief of Treaty Three, is among those trying to unseat incumbent Shawn Atleo.

The debate can be seen on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network beginning at 6 o'clock Central time

ATV Crash

Provincial Police are asking everyone to stay safe while driving all-terrain vehicles.


Kenora OPP responded to a collision on Highway 671 north last night.

Police say a 16 and 17-year-old were each operating an ATV; one was towing the other with a cable.

The operator of the towed vehicle was thrown after making contact with the towing vehicle.

He was transported to hospital with minor injuries.

New Agreement Between NAN Police And OPP

The provincial police and Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service are to formally sign an operational agreement between the two forces today.


OPP Chief Superintendent Joffre Dupuis and Nishnawbe-Aski police Chief Claude Chum will participate in the signing.

The operational deal replaces expired agreements, and provides a framework for effective policing consistent with First Nation values.

Both police agencies say they're committed to building on current relationships and joint initiatives.

Record Breaking Tempatures

Air conditioners and fans were working overtime yesterday!


Several records were set across Northwestern Ontario.

Red Lake was the hot spot at 34.5-degrees, beating the old mark of 32.2 set in 1943.

Sioux Lookout erased a 69-year-old record by hitting 33.8. (Old mark was 33.3)

Dryden hit 33.5-degrees, eclipising the 32.1-record set in 1998.

It was hot in Kenora too, we hit highs of 32.4.

Tips To Avoid Heat Stroke

The human body is made up of mostly water, but some people still don't get enough.


With the hot temperatures here, heat stroke and exhaustion are more common.

Nurse practioner at the Dryden Regional Health Centre Leanne Bratland says hydration is essential to keeping cool, especially in older adults.

Bratland says those sensitive to the heat should try to wear light clothing or stay inside during extreme alerts.

Blaze In Minnesota

Officials with a U.S. park in Minnesota are expressing appreciation to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

A crew out of Fort Frances was dispatched to deal with a small fire located within Voyageurs National Park, on the U.S. side of Rainy Lake.

Information Officer Heather Pridham says the crew's response kept the fire becoming a major blaze.

Pridham says firefighters stayed with the blaze overnight.

She says the response outlines the great partnership they have with their neighbours south of the border.

Firefighters On High Alert

The forest fire hazard remains high to extreme in Northwestern Ontario.


New fires have been popping up daily, with about a dozen listed as being still active.

Ministry of Natural Resources Spokesperson Heather Pridham says right now crews have been able to cope but notes they are on high alert.

Most of the new starts have been lightning-caused.

One new fire was reported yesterday.

Most of the fires are small.

The largest fire is north of Sandy Lake First Nation and is currently 80-hectares in size.

The Mike Richards Charity Golf Tournament

The Mike Richards Charity Golf Tournament takes placed at the Kenora Golf and Country Club tomorrow.

John Barr who is part of the organizing committee says a total of 137 golfers will be out on the course with some of the NHL’s finest players.

The tournament will be a shotgun start, scramble format with hole-in-one specials and a post-golf banquet. Silent and live auctions will also take place to help raise additional funds for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

Forest Fire Update

5 new forest fires are being reported by the Ministry of Natural Resources, bringing the region's total up to 11.

2 were discovered in the Nipigon district while 3 were reported in the Fort Frances district.

Kenora has 2 active fires:

#1: Northeast of Grassy Narrows First Nation community. This fire is estimated at 0.8 hectors in size

#2: located 10km northwest of Minaki but is now listed as Under Control.

Firefighters remain on high alert with conditions at "High" to "Extreme" across the region.

Alzheimer Society's Cash Calendars

The Alzheimer Society's Cash Calendars are back!


Only 2500 calendars will be sold with over 12 thousand 1 hundred and 85 dollars worth of prizes, with one in 10 chances to win From September 2012 to August 2013.

Cash Calendars are $20 each with proceeds coming directly back to our community to provide free services to assist those affected by Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.

To purchase yours visit The Alzheimer Society Office at 618-9th Street North

Michel Garant Challenge

He's looking to be the first paraplegic athlete to cross Canada on a strong arm bike.


Michel Garant started his journey in Vancouver on June 9 and plans to hit 83 cities in less then 90 days in support of The Mira Foundation which provides guide dogs and service dogs.

Michel is reaching out to millions of Canadians particularly those here in Kenora!

You can cheer him on today as he makes a pit stop under Kenora’s Whitecap Pavilion at 12 o’clock!

Phase 3 of Downtown Revitalization

With a little help from 2 separate organizations, Phase 3 of the downtown revitalization design is a go.

The City of Kenora is hoping to get government funding from Fednor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to help with the cost.

Council plans to replace underground infrastructures and new road ways.

They're also planning a bit of a makeover to keep things consistent with Kenora's newly redeveloped Main Street and Harbourfront.

Funding will also help refurbish Second Street South from Main Street to the old Fire Hall and both Chipman Street and Matheson Street are also on the list of roads that need to be repaired.

Work is slatted to start in 2013

Outside Basketball Courts

City Council is proceeding with several high priority projects this summer.


Councilors are hoping to use the $150,000 originally set aside for desk and security improvements to the Recreation Centre’s reception area to the relocation of the outside basketball courts.

The relocation will also provide additional parking space for vehicles and boat trailers.

Jaffray Melick Arena

The Jaffray Melick arena is getting a second chance.


City Council is preceding with several high priority projects this summer including sixty five thousand dollars worth of repairs at The Jaffray Melick Arena.

Councilors agree that the building has to meet occupancy requirements before it can be re-opened to the public