Goldcorp Donates $5 Million to Red Lake

A new medical clinic appears to be in the books for Red Lake.

Goldcorp has donated five million dollars to the municipality.

Mayor Phil Vinet says it's something that will be a great benefit to the community.

He adds the next phase is to come up with the design concept by next spring.

Fire Hazard Remains High in NWO

Still about a month left in the official fire season in northwestern Ontario, and crews continue to respond to small blazes across the region.

Yesterday, there were four new fires confirmed, two in the Kenora District.

One was a small, human caused fire on Lake of the Woods.

The MNR say it was likely caused by a campfire that was improperly extinguished.

The fire hazard is expected to remain in the high range for at least another day.

Federal Government Provides More Details on First Nation School Funding

The federal government has announced more details of a 175 million dollar First Nation Education plan.

The Federal Government is providing millions of dollars in funding to fix up schools in communities in Ontario and Manitoba.

Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development John Duncan says the money will be invested in the construction and renovation projects.

Duncan says part of the 175 million will go to begin work on schools in Fort Severn and Pikangikum, projects that were announced this summer.

Lake of the Woods Museum Garners another Award

Another honor for Lake of the Woods Museum.

The local museum has received an Award of Excellence from the Ontario Museum Association for special projects.

The honor was for a mobile tour, which uses i-pads to guide visitors through the museum's exhibits.

The mobile tour was launched this past June and features 5 and a half hours of audio and visual content.

The award will be handed out at the OMA's annual general meeting in Niagara Falls later this month.

Campbell Eager for Legislature get past Contempt Debate

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell says she's eager to see the Ontario Legislature get back to its regular business.

For the past week, politicians have been debating a contempt motion against Energy Minister Chris Bentley.

Campbell says while debate has been going on, they haven't been able to grill the McGuinty government on any other issues.

The opposition this morning voted to send the contempt motion to a legislative committee, despite the pleas of Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Broncos Split against Dryden

A split for Beaver Brae's court sport teams.

Both the Broncos junior and senior volleyball squads were blanked three sets to none by the Dryden Eagles up at the Beaver Brae Gym.

The Bronco senior girls won their second game in a row, they got by the Eagles 37-28.

Beaver Brae's junior girls also improved to 2-1 on the season with a convincing 48-24 win over Dryden.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas court sport teams are hitting the road today.

The Saints head to Ignace today and then Sioux Lookout and Pelican Falls tomorrow.

New Land Ambulence Base Open

The new land ambulence base on Barsky's Hill is now open for business.

The base, which is located beside the new Kenora fire hall on 14th Street North, cost about 2.8 million dollars to build.

It opened its doors a couple of weeks ago, and replaces the aging base on Tunnel Island near the hospital.

The new land ambulence base is getting good reviews from paramedics, who are enjoying the additional space and amentities of the building.

A grand-opening date hasn't been announced yet.

Prescribed Burns Called a Success

The Ministry of Natural Resources says its completed a prescribed burn down Lake of the Woods.

Over the weekend five fires were deliberately set on islands near the Auleneau Peninsula.

Pat Harvey from the Kenora Fire Center says this is something they've been trying in recent years to encourage new forest growth.

Harvey says while the fires have burned themselves out, people in the area still may notice smoke coming from the prescribed burns over the next few days.

MNR Lends Air Support to Minnesota

Even though the fire season is starting to wind down in northwestern Ontario, MNR crews continue to lend assistance out-of-province.

Yesterday, two CL-415 water bombers and a bird dog aircraft were sent to northwestern Minnesota to battle a large wild fire that had crossed the border into Manitoba.

That fire has grown to about 600 hectares in size.

OPP Investigating Weekend Thefts

The OPP are investigating a number of thefts over the weekend.

In one instance, a kayak was stolen from a dock on Trout Lake northwest of Kenora last Friday night.

The boat is described as a lime-green Mysto ocean kayak.

Three other break-ins were reported in to businesses in the 9th Street North area.

Police say an unknown quantity of cash and some cell-phone products were stolen.

Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

MNO Applauds Manitoba Metis Agreement

Manitoba Metis have signed a Harvesting Rights Agreement with the province.

It recognises rights for Metis harvesters without the legal requirements of purchasing a game tag.

MNO President Gary Lipinski says is similar to one signed in Ontario.

Lipinski says a lot of work still needs to be done to fully recognise Metis rights.

OPP Arrest Suspect in Nova Scotia Kidnapping

Police have arrested a man linked to an incident in Nova Scotia.

Officers arrested David James LeBlanc yesterday evening, who is wanted for the sexual assault and forcible confinement of a 16-year-old boy.

Acting Seargent with the Ontario Provincial Police Kelly Daniels-Griffis says police are still looking for William Cunningham.

Police say Cunningham is wanted for the same charges.

The OPP believe he is heading towards Calgary in a grey 2003 Hyundai Elantra.

MOE Cracks down on Resort

A resort on Lake of the Woods has been fined for illegally disposing of waste.

Big Narrows Resort pleaded guilty to one violation under the Environmental Protection Act for burning waste.

The MOE says an inspection found an incinerator containing plastic bags filled with garbage from the resort.

The site has been given approval to burn only clean wood, brush and cardboard.

The company has been fined 25 hundred dollars and a victim surcharge fee.

Special Teams Honor for Bronco kicker

A member of the Beaver Brae Broncos is being recognized for his strong play last week.

Braiden Leischow has been named the Special Teams Player of the Week in the Currie Division of the Winnipeg High School Football League.

The Broncos quarterback also doubles as the teams placekicker and punter and had six converts, one field goal and a 41 yard punting average in three games last week.

The Broncos finished the week with two wins and one loss.

St. Croix Signs On as Leafs Goaltending Coach

A former Kenora resident has landed a high profile job in the NHL.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Rick St.Croix as their goaltending coach.

St. Croix replaces Francois Allaire, who had an acrimonious split with the team earlier this month.

The 57-year-old St. Croix was the goaltending coach for the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars and also served as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets from 1987 to 1989.

He also starred for the Kenora Muskies in his junior career in the early 1970's. 

NDP MPP's Pleased with Response from Health Town Halls

Lots of public feedback at a town hall meeting in Kenora on the Health Care system.

Kenora Rainy-River MPP Sarah Campbell and NDP Health Critic Frances Gelina spent over an hour listening to the concerns of local residents on Friday.

Gelinas says they'll now be taking those ideas and issues to Queen's Park to the health minister.

Campbell and Gelinas in total held five town hall meetings in five days in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

Hudak Holds Town Halls in NWO

While the NDP MPP's were touring the riding, the Conservative leader was also doing his own tour of northwestern Ontario.

Tim Hudak was in Thunder Bay and Dryden for his own town hall meetings.

Hudak's main focus was the economy and how to get it to turned around.

Hudak adds that there is a high demand for skilled trades, and it's important to get youth interested in them right out of school.

OPP Looking for New Recruits

The OPP in Kenora are on the lookout for some new recruits.

A recruitment workshop will held at the Kenora Detachment on Saturday October 13 from 8am till 3pm.

Several OPP speakers including a recruitment officer, general patrol officers and specialty units will be there to answer any questions from those looking to get into policing.

You can contact the detachment office for more information.

Campbell Critical of Park Cuts

The provincial government is continuing to erode the tourist infrastructure of northwestern Ontario.

That's the feeling of Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell, after the MNR downgraded 10 parks in the region, including Caliper Lake, south of Nestor Falls.

She feels the McGuinty Government is being short-sighted in this latest round of cuts.

The provincial government estimates it will save about seven million dollars by cutting staff and services at the 10 provincial parks.

Great Weather for CIBC Run for the Cure

The 21st edition of the CIBC Run For The Cure is being hailed as a success.

Runners and walkers enjoyed a brilliant day in downtown Kenora.

The event is Canada's largest single day event for breast cancer fundraising, education and awareness.

Organizers are still adding up the money from yesterday's CIBC Run For The Cure.