Fletcher Holds Round Table Discussion

Canada's Minister of State for Transport is touring western Canada getting feed back for a new federal infrastructure program.

Stephen Fletcher met with municipal, tourism and business leaders in Kenora Thursday.

He says the one comment he heard frequently is that the next program needs to flexible to reflect the needs of individual communities.

The current infrastructure program will run out in 2014, and Fletcher says most of the feedback he received yesterday suggests a new program should last for at least 10 years.

Zeller's closing its Doors in Kenora

The last Zellers standing in Northwestern Ontario is shutting its doors for good.

The Zellers store in the Kenora Shopper's Mall will be closing for good.

Hudson's Bay has announced it is closing most of its 64 remaining Zellers locations across the country.

Earlier this year, the company announced the Zellers store in Thunder Bay would close.

That location is being altered into a Target retailer.

The Kenora store is set to close by March 2013.

No future tenant has been confirmed.

OPP Launch Campaign to Reduce Break-Ins

The OPP in Kenora is working with local residents to reduce the number of break and enter and petty thefts.

Police say they've had to deal with dozens of break-ins to unlocked vehicles, garden sheds and garages each week.

Contable Dave Cain says these are crimes of opportunity and are preventable.

Cain says officers will be going door-to-door in the weeks ahead to talk to home owners about how to improve the security of their property.

Dryden Mill Workers Ratify Deal

Mill workers at Dryden's Domtar operation have a new deal.

500 Canadian Energy and Paper Union workers voted 70-percent in favour of a new five year contract last night.

Highlights of the deal for employees include a modest wage increase over the next two years, larger meal allowances and an additional 15-dollars per month being contributed to their pension.

Rain Helps out Fire Crews

Two days of rain is helping to dampen the forest fire number here in Northwestern Ontario.

Ministry of Natural Resources officials now say they are battling more than 60 forest fires in our region, that's down from 80 on Wednesday.

The M.N.R. is keeping an eye on the forecast, saying that the forest fire rating will rise again with sunshine and warm temperatures expected in the days ahead.

New Exhibit for the Museum

Lake of the Woods Museum is paying homage to some modern day explorers.

The museum's latest exhibit is called "By the Seat of your Pants", a history of bush flying.

Curator, Lori Nelson says the nature of the business has changed over the years.

The exhibit opened on Monday and will run until September 29th.

1st Day in the Books at the Fort France Bass Championship

A 19.73 pound bag of smallmounth bass has given the team of Mark Raveling and Mike Luhman the first day lead at the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Last year's co-winners Glenn Leroux and Trevor Zimak sit over a pound back in second.

Jeff Gustafson and his partner John Peterson currently sit in 9th.

The second day of fishing is already underway.

Weigh-in resume at 3:30 this afternoon.

Men's Soccer Tournament Results

Three shutouts to start the Kenora Men's Soccer tournament.

The Centuries blanked the legends 3-0, while the Dynamo dropped a 2-0 decision to the Gunners, and the Stingers scored on a penalty shot to edge the Fury 1-0.

Action resumes this evening at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex with several out of town teams taking

to the field.

A total of 16 teams from across northwestern Ontario and Manitoba are entered in the four day tournament.

Five Sharks at Nationals in Calgary

Five members of the Kenora Sharks Swim Club are in Calgary this week for the National Age Group championships.

So far, 12 year old Winnie Boucha has qualitied for one final.

Boucha placed eighth in the 400 meter individual medley.

17 year old Michelle Belcaen and three 14 year olds, Bryce Jones, Kira Kuzemchuck and Alex Olson are also in the competition.

Police Arrest Suspect in Whitefish Bay Murder

The OPP and Treaty Three Police say they have arrested a suspect in the killing of a store owner on the Whitefish Bay First Nation.

A 16 year old youth made a first court appearance yesterday in Kenora.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Whitefish Bay resident cannot be identified.

Police say the youth have been charged with first degree murder in the death of 61 year old Charles Minshall.

While the cause of death is not being released, police say there were reports gunfire in the community early Sunday morning before Minshall was killed.

Infrastructure Round Table Today in Kenora

For the second time in as many days a high profile federal politician will be paying a visit to Kenora.

Minister of State for Transport, Stephen Fletcher will be town today for a round-table discussion on the federal government's infrastructure program.

The Build Canada Fund is expected to be phased out by the spring of 2014.

Today, Fletch will be meeting with municipal leaders across the region to talk about their wish list in terms of infrastructure.

The meeting will take place this morning at the Discovery Center.

New Forest Fires Continue to Crop Up

The Ministry of Natural Resources is hoping cooler conditions today will help put a damper on the fire situation across the region.

Yesterday, there were another eight new fires reported.

That's on top of 18 wild fires reported in the region on Tuesday.

Clusters of fires in the Deer lake and Sandy Lake areas remain a cause for concern for fire crews.

There are now more than 80 forest fires burning across northwestern Ontario.

Feds Won't Promise more money for Policing

The federal government isn't saying whether it plans to continue a fund that helps police services across the region hire more officers.

The Police Officer Recruitment Fund is due to run out next March.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says he understands that some police services rely on the funding.

The Treaty Three Police Service has indicated that it will have to pull out of Whitedog, because it won't have enough officers to police the community, once the fund dries up.

Wynne Makes Apology in Wabigoon

History in the Making in Wabigoon First Nation.

Minister Kathleen Wynne of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Chief Rubin Cantin Sr signed a settlement from an incident dating back more then 150 years ago.

It stems from past and ongoing flooding that has damaged the area and destroyed parts of the reserve.

Wynne presented an appology letter, and acknowledged the 20 million dollar settlement for the community.

The Chief says the a chunk of the money will be invested for future growth.

Farmer's Market Patrons Fill the Van

A big boost for the Salvation Army's food bank.

A cargo van was set up yesterday at the Farmer's Market in an effort to help re-stock the shelves of the food bank.

Organizers say local residents responded by filling the van to the brim.

The Salvation Army says demand for the food bank is just as strong during the summer months, but donations tend to drop off during the holidays.

OPP Announce Details of a Major Drug Bust

Provincial Police in Thunder Bay have revealed details of a six month drug investigation.

A number of police agency's were involved in the bust including the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

A total of nine search warrants were executed in the Greater Toronto Area, Mississauga, Kitchener-Waterloo and Thunder Bay as part of "Project Harrington".

In all, police laid 95 charges against 11-individuals, four of whom remain at large.

Police say the investigation targeted a network that transported and distributed large amounts of oxycodone and cocaine from southern Ontario to northwestern Ontario, including First Nations communities.

The quantity of the drugs seized is 1.3-million dollars.

Six of those charged are from Thunder Bay and one is from Weagamow First Nation.

One of the individuals is an employee of the Thunder Bay District Jail and he's been charged with breach of trust.

LOWBIC Gets Funding Boost

The Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corporation is getting a bit of a shot in the arm.

The Community development agency will be getting an extra 157 thousand dollars from the federal government, on top of its annual grant of 300 thousand dollars.

Ryan Reynard is executive director of LOWBIC and says the funding will be used to help out all nine economic development agencies in northwestern Ontario.

LOWBIC says they are planning a two day get together in the fall with their counterparts across the region.

Details of Joint Drug Investigation to be released

Provincial police say they'll be giving details of a complex joint drug investigation today in Thunder Bay.

Investigators say the case involves trafficking of prescription medication and illegal drugs from southern Ontario to several communities in northwestern Ontario.

Police say O-P-P chief superintendent Mike Armstrong, and representatives of the Thunder Bay, Nishnawbe-Aski and Anishinabek police forces and the R-C-M-P will be present for today's announcement.

Prescription painkillers have been a major problem in some northwestern Ontario, with some community leaders estimating up to 80 per cent of adults are hooked on OxyContin or Percocets.

Justice Minister Rejects Hand Gun Ban

The federal government doesn't seem interested in a wholesale ban on handguns.

There have been renewed calls for banning the firearms following a spate of shootings in the Toronto area.

Yestererday, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson was in Kenora and poured cold water on any sort of handgun ban.

Nicholson says the real problem is handguns which are making their way into Canada illegally.

He says the government is taking a tough stand on gun crimes, introducing new mandatory sentences for anyone convicted.

Government Defends Decision to Close ELA

The Federal Government continues to hold stead fast to it's decision to close the Experimental Lakes Area near Kenora.

House leader, Peter Van Loan was in northwestern Ontario recently and says he's heard the concerns over the move.

He says the government is putting its money toward remediating lakes at risk, instead of raw research.

Dissaproval has come from across the world over the Federal Government's decision to cut the funding for the outdoor research lab.