Baird Makes Announcement for Lake of the Woods

The federal government will be working with the American government to develop a new management board for Lake of the Woods.

Foreign Affairs minister John Baird made the announcement this morning in Kenora on board the Grace Anne II.

The creation of the joint management board was one of the recommendations of the International Joint Commission.

The federal government was supposed to make its intentions known a month ago, but Baird says he was the reason behind the delay.

Baird adds that a summit will also be held in the next couple of years to compile and discuss some of the scientific data available for the lake.

Foreign Affairs Mininister to Visit Kenora

A high profile visitor is expected to be in Kenora this August Long Weekend.

Foreign Affairs minister John Baird is tentatively scheduled to hold a news conference tomorrow morning.

While no details about his visit have been released, its believed Baird will discuss the federal government's response to the International Joint Commissions report on Lake of the Woods.

The federal government was supposed to announce its plans at the end of June along with the government of the United States.

Parents Concerned about Future of Day Care Program

Kenora City council could get an earful next week about proposed plans to close the Castle of Learning Daycare center.

Parents are up in arms about the proposal and have started up a petition.

A number of parents are also planning to make a deputation to council on Tuesday during the Committee of the Whole meeting.

The proposal calls for the closure of the Castle of Learning and its after schools program at the end of this year, due to an operating deficit.

Petitions have been set up at the Barehart Boutique, the Beer Store and Cameron Bay.

OPP Preparing for Long Weekend

The Ontario Provincial Police will be out in full force this long weekend.

They will be on the roads, trails and waterways.

They will be on the lookout for speeders, those not wearing their seatbelts, and impaired drivers.

According to the Highway Safety Divison, road fatalities are up nearly 25 percent this year.

NOSM Gains re-newed Accreditation

The Northern Ontario School Of Medicine is celebrating full accreditation.

The medical school was put through the ringer by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools back in May but made it through with shining colours according to Associate Dean Dr. Bill McCready

N.O.S.M. received full accreditation for the maximum alloted time of 8 years.

Charge laid in Traffic Fatality

A 25 year old British Columbia man is now charged in connection with a fatal traffic accident near Thunder Bay on July 4th that claimed the life of a Kenora woman.

Deborah Schneider was killed in the collision near Sistonen's Corners.

OPP Constable Diana Cole says officers have completed their investigation and have charged Paul McHale with careless driving.

Sturgeon Study Continuing

Sturgeon in Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake are continuing to get a lot of attention from researchers.

They're tracking the movements of fish implanted with transmitters.

Lakehead University associate professor Brian McLaren says they've already gained some interesting data about spawning habits.

The study has been funded for another two years.

KMTS Loses Cell Service in Sioux Narrows

Some frustrated cell phone users in the Sioux Narrows area.

KMTS says its tower was damaged by a severe thunderstorm earlier this week affecting service.

The company says technicians are working to repair the mobility tower.

KMTS isn't giving any timeline for service to be restored.

Harborfest Ready to Roll

It looks as if Harborfest is going to be a big success even before the doors open on the first concert tomorrow night.

The tickets for all three evening shows have been sold out.

Director of Entertainment Dave Blake says this is the first time they've ever managed that achievement.

Blake says despite selling out their concerts, they expect to only break even or post a modest surplus this year.

Two TSB Investigators Looking into Trout Lake Crash

The Transportation Safety Board says its too early to say what might have caused a float plane to crash north of Kenora.

A Cessna 180 went down yesterday morning near Trout Lake.

John Cottreau from the TSB says it will be a few days before they have any more information about the accident.

Cottreau says the invetigators will also want to talk to the people on board the plane.

Two remain in hospital in serious condition.

Kenora Agricultural Fair Turns 101

The Kenora Agricultural Fair begins a new century.

This year the Ag Fair turns 101 years old.

Chris Madison is one of the organizers and says things will get under way this evening at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The Agricultural Fair will continue tomorrow and wrap up on Saturday night.

Trout Lake Plane Crash Under Investigation

The Transportation Safety Board is looking into a plane crash in the bush north of Kenora.

The OPP say that three people were injured, two of them seriously, after a small plane crashed near Trout Lake around 9:30 yesterday morning.

David Ross of the Transportation Safety Board says all three people on board were from Minnesota.

Ross says the pilot was taking off from Trout Lake at the time.

The pilot was taken to Thunder Bay for treatment, while a female passenger was airlifted to Duluth.

School Board Under the Gun to Negotiate Contracts

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says its unlikely it will be able to negotiate new contracts with its unions before the start of the school year.

Earlier this week, the Minister of Education, Laurel Broten gave boards one month to negotiate the contracts.

Superindentant of Business, Dean Carrie says that doesn't give them a  lot of time.

Carrie says they have seven bargaining units to deal with.

He says right now, talks are scheduled to begin at the end of this month.

Support for Lac Seul Agreement

The interm forestry licence for Lac Seul is gaining lots of support.

The signing was made official this week by Minister of Natural Resources Michael Gravelle and Chief Clifford Bull.

Kenora Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says she'd like to see similar agreement's reached across the region.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford also thinks this is a good step for the first nation.

Chief Bull announced they will be working with the Domtar Mill in Dryden on the forestry plan.

Kenora Gets Trillium Grant

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is awarding community grants to 16 local, not-for-profit and charitable organizations across Northwestern Ontario.

The grant money for the region totals more than 650 thousand dollars.

The City of Kenora is getting 15 thousand dollars to help pay for new signage.

The Share the Road signs are part of a campaign to make the city a more bike friendly community.

The Northwest Angle #33 First Nation is also getting over 12 thousand dollars towards the purchase of chair and tables for special events in the community.

Girls Sentenced in Thunder Bay Manslaughter

Three years is the sentence for two teenage girls who plead guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of a 16-year-old Sachigo Lake First Nation girl two years ago.

The girl was found dead near a trail in Thunder Bay.

Defence Lawyer Chris Watkins says the judge took his clients sad background into consideration.

The sentence will only involve one year of secured custody.

Court Ruling on Attawapiskatt

The federal government says it's disappointed with a Federal Court ruling that Ottawa acted unreasonably in appointing a third-party manager for financially troubled Attawapiskat.

University of Ottawa constitutional lawyer Joseph Magnet says the ruling verifies what many experts have already concluded, that the relationship between the federal bureaucracy and some aboriginal communities is seriously flawed.

The court says the decision in November, 2011 to send in Jacques Marion to take over the band's finances was the wrong way to deal with the housing crisis on the northern Ontario First Nations community.

Cross Canada Tours Cross Paths in Kenora

Not one, but two cross country bike tours in support of organ donation are passing through Kenora.

Quinn Thomas is heading east on his Organ Donation Heros campaign.

Meanwhile, Damon Milsom and Kibby Evans cycling west as part of their Trekking for Transplants tour.

Evans says they've raised almost half of their 50 thousand dollar target.

All three cyclists met with Kenora mayor Dave Canfield on the Kenora Harborfront this morning.

OPP on Scene of a Plane Crash North of Kenora

Few details have been released about an airplane crash north of Kenora.

The OPP say a small plane went down in the bush near Trout Lake around 9:30 this morning.

The area is about 40 kilometers northwest of town.

An ambulence crews has been dispatched to the scene along with a number of OPP officers.

Local residents say a section of Highway 596 has been blocked off as rescue efforts continue.

Its not known if anyone was hurt in the crash.

Fletcher Defends Decision to Close ELA

The federal government doesn't seem to have any interest in re-visiting its decision to close the Experimental Lakes Area east of Kenora.

Secretary of State for Transport Stephen Fletcher says he supports the decision to close the facility.

He suggests that universities are probably in a better position to manage the ELA.

The federal government expects to save about two million dollars a year by closing the ELA.