Federal Liberal Leadership Candidate Visits Kenora

The federal Liberal leadership campaign is unofficially underway.

One of the candidates Alex Burton is on a cross-Canada tour to get his name out, and he'll be in Kenora this morning.

Burton plans to do some Main-streeting today and meet with local business owners and party faithful.

While the leadership race doesn't begin officially until next month, at least four people have already thrown their hats into the ring, including Montreal M.P. Justin Trudeau.

A new Liberal Leader will be selected in April.

Dalles Youth Charged in Stabbing Incident

A 16 year old Dalles First Nation youth faces assault charges following  a stabbing incident in downtown Kenora.

The OPP say they were contacted around 7:30 last night about a stabbing on Main Street.

Police say a 28 year old man had been stabbed in the back and was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital, where he's recovering from his injuries.

Officers patrolled the Minto area and later located and took the suspect into  custody.

The youth has been charged with Assault with a weapon and is due to appear in Kenora Court later today.

MP's Fight for ELA

The fight to keep the Experimental Lakes Area open has reached the House of Commons again.

Liberal MP Lawrence MacAulay is on the Fisheries and Oceans committee and has been try to put a motion through the house of Commons to keep the ELA open.

He says the closing costs outweigh the annual operating cost.

The government is facing public and political pressure to continue funding the ELA.

TSB Investigating Pickle Lake Plane Crash

Two investigators from the Transportation Safety Board are looking into the cause of a small plane crash that killed three people Tuesday night near Pickle Lake.

OPP say the aircraft crashed just before 7:30 in the woods as it was approaching the Pickle Lake Airport.

Peter Hildebrand, a transportation safety official, says weather doesn't appear to have been a problem.

One survivor was airlifted to hospital in Winnipeg for treatment of minor injuries.

The names of the deceased won't be released until the family is notified.

Hildebrand says it was a private plane, a Laker LA-250 that went down. 

Gravelle Keeps Leadership Door Open

Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle is keeping his options open.

The province's Natural Resources Minister says he might consider a run for the Liberal Party leadership if he finds that potential candidates to replace Dalton McGuinty don't show enough passion for the north.

Gravelle believes the person who succeeds McGuinty should be a strong advocate for the north.

Terrace Bay Pulp Faces Charges

Terrace Bay Pulp is facing charges in connection with a fatal incident at the mill in October of last year.

The Ministry of Labour also says that Venture Mechanical and three other individuals face charges in connection with the incident.

They are all due in court next month.

An employee from Schreiber died when a tank used to cook wood chips exploded.

Soccer Association Seeks Funding

Still a couple of significant hurdles to cross before a soccer complex in Kenora can become a reality.

The Lake of the Woods Soccer Association is seeking funding from the Trillium Foundation to help purchase the artificial turf needed for the JM Arena.

Colleen Neil is the recreational services manager and says they've had to re-work their contract and extend it to five years with the soccer association to meet the requirements of the Trillium Foundation.

The city had originally proposed a three year contract.

The cost of the artificial turf is expected to be about 125 thousand dolllars.

Three Dead in Pickle Lake Plane Crash

A fatal plane crash near Pickle Lake is currently under investigation by the OPP and the Transportation Safety Board.

The aircraft had four people on board and three people are confirmed dead.

Peter Hildebrand is a spokesperson for the Safety Board and says the plane crashed shortly before it was scheduled to touch down.

Hildebrand says its believed the Lakeer LA-250 went down around 7:30 last night in dense bush, but wasn't actually located until around 3:30 this morning.

One person survived the crash and was airlifted to hospital in Winnipeg with minor injuries.

New history of boating display at the Discovery Centre

The Discovery Centre has a new exhibit displaying the history of boating.

The display features an early model Boston Whaler boat and 6 motors dating back to 1913.

Tourism Chair Randy Nickle says the collection is from a personal collector

The display is a temporary fixture at the Discovery Centre.

Campbell Urges Liberals to Bring Back Legislature

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says Northwestern Ontario is taking a hit with the legislature now at a stand-still.

Campbell says we are losing jobs and safety has been put at risk and the liberal government must address the situation.

Campbell says its been a frustrating year with by-elections, scandals and
MNR cuts in the region. 

She says the Liberals have shut down the legislature to have their own leadership race.

OPP Lay Charges in Prescription Pill Bust

A man from Couchiching First Nation is facing numerous drug charges.

Last Thursday, officers of the Fort Frances Community Drug Action Team noticed a man at a postal box with a package of 230 tables of Hydromorphone.

The street value is almost 20 thousand dollars.

Police say 28-year-old James Paul Morriseau has been charged with three counts of posession for the purpose of trafficking, and is expected to appear in court on Friday.

Bush Fire Proves Costly

The cost of fighting a wild fire in the Valley Drive area last month may end up over six digits.

Council received a report this week outlining the costs of Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services for battling the blaze in behind Valleyview School.

Initial projections are more than 54 thousand dollars.

Councillor Charito Drinkwalter says their still waiting for the bill from the MNR.

She says it could be very costly, because it includes the service of two CL-415 water bombers plus additional air and ground support from fire ranger crews.

Norman Residents Send Petition to City Council

An 800 name petition has been presented to Kenora City Council demanding that a legal covenant be put back on Norman Park.

Former Kenora Mayor Joyce Chevrier says residents in the area are worried about some of the recent development's, including the construction of the Discovery Center.

Council is drafting a resolution which says it will consult with the public if there are any major plans to change the usage of Norman Park, but Chevrier feels that's still doesn't go far enough.

Health Unit Celebrates Infection Control Week

The Northwestern Health Unit says routine practices can help you avoid becoming sick this winter.

This is Infection Control Week and the Health Unit is promoting hand hygiene and proper cough etiquette.

Spokesperson Donna Stanley says coughing and sneezing into your sleeve and washing your hands often can go a long way.

Stanley says even the common cold can cause severe health issues for the young and elderly, so precautions are the best remedy.

Bronco Court Teams Falter in Dryden

Dryden hasn't been a very friendly place for Beaver Brae's court sport teams in recent years.

Yesterday, the Broncos won just one of four games played in girls basketball and boys volleyball.

Both the Beaver Brae junior and senior volleyball squads lost to the Eagles three sets to one.

The Bronco senior girls had their three game winning streak come to a halt, with a 45-30 loss to the Eagles.

The lone win of the day came from Beaver Brae's junior girls basketball team, which enjoyed a convincing 49-24 victory over Dryden.

McKay sounds off over McGuinty Resignation

Not everyone is wishing Dalton McGuinty a fond farewell.

The premier announced that he was retiring yesterday and proroging the Ontario Legislature.

Acting Kenora Mayor, and former Conservative Candidate in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding, Rod McKay says he's disappointed the premier decided to pull the plug at this time.

McKay also says he wants McGuinty to bring the Ontario Legislature back into session, until waiting for the Liberal Party to elect a new leader.

Anthony Leek surprised by McGuinty Resignation

The resignation of Dalton McGuinty as Premiere surprised the political following in Ontario.

Members of the party were caught off guard by the resignation.

Northern Region Vice President Anthony Leek found out about the resignation through Twitter.

Mcgunity resigned at a time the party is facing multiple scandals.

Rickford Okay with Current Kenora Riding Boundaries

A wait-and-see attitude from Kenora's MP.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Comission has heard public outcry about proposed federal riding boundary changes in the region.

While Lake of the Woods will be staying within the Thunder Bay District, Greg Rickford says he's not concerned with other options at the moment.

Rickford says he tries to visit as many communities as he can in the riding, and one more wouldn't have a big impact.

Tourism Numbers up in Kenora

It may have been one of Kenora's best-ever tourism seasons ever.

The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission has released its third quarter report and it shows a 100 percent increase in visitor numbers at the Discovery Center.

Don Denver is acting chair of the Commission and says they also enjoyed increased revenues for rentals of the Whitecap Pavillion and the Farmer's Market.

The commission says more than 14 thousand people visited the Discovery Center during the months of July, August and September and more than 50 thousand people took in events on the Harborfront.

Local CEP Reps Support Merger with CAW

Union history has been made!

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada has voted 90 percent in favour of a merger with the Canadian Autoworkers Union.

Local CEP representative Steven Boon says the next step will take some time.

He adds it'll take anywhere between 6-12 months and then the members will have to reconvene to make any changes.