MNR Monitoring Fire on Lake of the Woods

A quiet weekend for Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews.

Just a couple of new blazes over the past three days.

One of the fires was located on an island down Lake of the Woods.

The MNR says the fire is burning near Tranquil Channel about 25 kilometers south of Kenora and is currently being monitored.

The blaze is about 0.1 hectares in size but isn't considered a threat to any property.

Dragon Boats Profitable for Community Foundation

A big weekend for the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

The foundation managed to raise 22 thousand dollars from this past weekend's dragon boat races on Rabbit Lake.

Over 340 paddlers took part in the day long festival at Garrow Park.

A couple of local teams took top honors, with the Super Troopers winning the A-side title, and Carpe Diem, members of Kenora's legal community placing first in the b-side event.

Thunder Bay Woman Injured in Falcon Lake Crash

A 29 year old Thunder Bay woman is in Kenora hospital following a collision on Highway 1 in eastern Manitoba.

The RCMP say the single vehicle accident took place Saturday afternoon around 3:00 about 3 kilometers west of Falcon Lake.

The Mounties say the woman lost control of her pick-up truck and rolled the vehicle.

She was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital in critical but stable condition.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt, but alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

No West Nile Yet in Northwestern Ontario

Despite high numbers of reported cases of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in southern Ontario, we appear to be quite safe here in the North.

Entomologist, Dr. Ken Deacon says there have been no positive tests on mosquitoes trapped here so far.

Apparently we need even higher temperatures than what we've experienced for it to be a legitimate threat.

Dr. Deacon still says precautions should be taken and the West Nile season runs until the end of August.

Federal Government Unsure of Costs for New Schools

The federal government admits it doesn't know how much its going to cost to build schools in the remote communities of Pikangikum and Fort Severn.

Aboriginal Affairs minister John Duncan announced the construction projects last week.

He says they are looking at bundling the tenders to try and get a better price.

Both Pikangikum and Fort Severn are fly-in communities which means most of the construction material will have to be shipped on ice roads during the winter.

NAN Prepares for Election of Grand Chief

Election Day is coming up this week for Chiefs with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Delegates at the Keewaywin Conference in Kashechewan First Nation will be voting for NAN's executive council.

Chief Electoral Officer Larry Amos says it's been a busy couple of weeks for campaigning.

August 15th is election day.

Council to Vote on Daycare Closure Tonight

Another standing room only crowd is expected in council chambers tonight.

Council is expected to have a final vote on the future of the Castle of Learning Daycare center.

Last week a majority of council indicated they supported a report recommending the closure of the city run daycare center.

But parents who have children at the Castle of Learning are fighting back.

They've released their own report which shows the Castle of Learning actually has been operating with a surplus over the past couple of years.

Council is expected to vote on the issue at 5:00.

SKBI Wraps up 25 Years of Bass Fishing

The 25th edition of the Shaw Kenora Bass International went off without a hitch.

The fishing tournament wrapped up under the White Cap Pavillion Saturday evening with a couple of thousand people in attendance for the final day weigh ins.

Chair of SKBI, Duncan McEwan says they enjoyed their new digs.

This year a total of 133 teams entered the 25th Shaw KBI.

Wiebe and Tully Win KBI

A raw rookie and a relative newcomer to the Shaw Kenora Bass International have claimed first top spot in the 25 annual edition of the fishing tournament.

Aaron Wiebe and Peter Tully from Winnipeg came from behind to win SKBI this year.

They had the biggest weight on day three, pulling in a basket of 18.85 pounds of bass.

That gave them a three day total of 52.61 pounds, almost a pound better than day two leaders,

Ben and Jim Gustafson of Kenora ended up finishing second overall.

Wiebe and Tully won over 22 thousand dolllars for their victory.

Third place went to Jess Swenson and Mike Reid from Sioux Narrows.

In the Can/Am Challenge, Team Canada easily prevailed over Team USA, winning by just over 23 pounds.

Changes to Land Ambulence Service Proposed

The Kenora District Services Board is taking a bold move to get everyone at the table to solve the long-standing issue of non-urgent land ambulence patient transfers.

The Board has adopted a new policy that could see them bill hospitals for so-called code 1 and code 2 transfers or cut the practice out all together.

Chair Phil Vinet says folks need to think what they would do if there was no ambulance available in the case of a true emergency.

Mark Balcaen is the CEO of the Lake of the Woods Hospital and he agrees, but notes they do provide an essential service.

The Board believes some hospitals or doctors are improperly coding cases in order for the patient to receive a ride home.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Announces School Funding

The federal government is carrying through on a promise to provide new schools for first nation communities.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan was on the Fort Severn First Nation yesterday to announce the construction of a new elementary school.

He says this is the first announcement from their 175 million dollar pledge in the spring budget.

Today Duncan has a meeting scheduled with the new leadership of Grand Council Treaty Three and then will fly to the Pikangikum First Nation for another announcement.

Rickford Helps Find Supreme Court Judge

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford will have a hand in selecting the next justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Rickford was one of five M.P.'s chosen to sit on the selection panel.

He says he takes that responsibility seriously.

The panel will create a short-list of three qualified candidates from the Province of Quebec and submit that to the Prime Mininister and the Minister of Justice.

Dragon Boat Festival this Weekend

Dragon boats will be plying the waters of Rabbit Lake this weekend.

The 10th annual Dragon Boat Festival gets underway on Sunday.

Darlene McGilvary is the executive director of the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Foundation and says they expect people of all ages to take part.

Racing gets underway Sunday morning from Garrow Park.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Comes to Kenora

Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission meeting face to face with inmates at a correctional institution for the first time.

A statement gatherer has been speaking with inmates from the Kenora Jail over the past two days and will wrap up the visit today.

Ry Moran from the commission says this is really uncharted territory for them.

Moran says there is a dispropotianate number of first nations people incarcerated at the Kenora Jail, with 92 percent of the population of aboriginal origin.

Green Party Says Go Slow on Ring of Fire

The Leader of the Ontario Green Party feels the Liberals are mishandling the development of the Ring of Fire.

The green party leader spoke out recently about the project noting his party supports mining development when it's done right.

Mike Schreiner says the Government is rushing the project through.

Schreiner says the mineral resources found in the Ring of Fire aren't going anywhere and there isn't a need to rush the process.

Protection Sought for Norman Park

Residents in the Norman area are rallying in support of a popular beach area.

The city is considering some changes to the official plan to give Norman Park a special designation.

But councillor Sharon Smith says she also wants to see a covenant that was removed on the park back in 2008, put back in place.

Former Kenora mayor Joyce Chevrier says she wants to make sure there are protections in place to ensure Norman Park is never used for any other purpose than recreation.

Ryberg and McNanney Lead after Day 1 of SKBI

A couple of familiar names are on top the leaderboard after day one of the Shaw Kenora Bass International.

Matt Ryberg and Brian McNanney from Sioux Narrows had the top weight yesterday, bringing in 17.84 pounds of bass.

Ryberg and McNanney are members of Team Canada and won KBI back in 2009.

A total of six teams weighed in more than 17 pounds of fish on day one.

Genvie Grafham and Bruce Berringer from Keewatin were just a couple of ounces back at 17.82 pounds, followed by Tim Strempler of Winnipeg and his partner Terry McClymont from Kenora are in third with 17.72 pounds.

It was a tough day for a number of teams, last year's champs, Mark Libitka and Dave Bennett are in 38th place with 14.26 pounds, while Jeff Gustafson and Chris Savage are in 42nd place with 14.06 pounds.

In the Can/Am Challenge, Team Canada took a commanding lead with almost 15 more pounds than the Americans on Day one.

Fishing begins this morning again at 6:30.

Tim Horton's Camp A go

Encouraging news for local kids in Northwestern Ontario.

Officials say a Manitoba First Nation has backed off its opposition to a Tim Horton children's camp near the Ontario/Manitoba border.

Dave Newnham of the Tim Horton Children's Foundation says it recently signed a lease for a site on Sylvia Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

He says a right-of-way has been cleared and road construction is expected to start shortly.

This would become the closest camp for kids in our area who attend camp on a yearly basis.

Baird Rules Out Canadian Intervention in Syria

Canada's Foreign Affairs minister is concerned about the on-going conflict in Syria.

John Baird spent the weekend in Kenora, but took time to reflect on some of the recent happenings in the middle east.

He says the resignation of Kofi Annan as a special UN envoy to Syria should be a wake-up call for everyone.

Baird says Canada will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the country but says he has no intention in sending our troops into the war-torn region.

MNR Conducts Enforcement Blitz

An enforcement blitz at a lake along the Canada-U.S border has found several anglers not following the rules.

Ministry of Natural Resources Conservation officers laid 20 charges and issued 78 warnings during the four-day blitz in the middle of July at Basswood Lake located within Quetico Provincial Park

Infractions included anglers fishing without a licence, having an over-limit of fish and using barb hooks or live bait, both of which are prohibited in the park.