Gravelle Upset at Rickford Over Snowmobile Trails

Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle wants answers from Kenora MP Greg Rickford.

Gravelle wants to know why Rickford avoided the topic of providing funding for snowmobile trails in Northwestern Ontario.

Gravelle says he's frusturated with how Rickford is handling the situation.

About 168,000 Ontarians belong to a snowmobiling club, generating around 1.2 billion in revenue.

Whitecap Pavillion Skating Rink

This winter you can go skating underneath the Whitecap Pavillion.

The Lake of the Woods Economic Developement Commission passed the motion to create the skating rink yesterday.

Special Events Coordinator Mark Duggan they hope to open the rink by mid-December.

The rink will be used as a skating only surface.

Changing to the Provincial Mining Act

New changes to the mining industry are now in effect.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Rick Bartolucci says phase two was enacted this week and is an upgrade of a 100 year old piece of legislation.

Highlights of phase two of the mining act also include: new early exploration requirements to help minimize the impact on the environment and new requirements for notifying private landowners potentially affected by exploration activites.

Student Voices Program

Students voices are getting heard throughout the region.

Students have been taking advantage of the Student Voices Program being used in the Keewatin Patricia District School Board.

Beaver Brae Vice Principal Steve Grindrod says students are using the program to make their schools more enjoyable.

Grindrod also says the program gives students the tools to research problems and find solutions so they can put together a presentation for the school adminstation.

Aborignal Community Housing

 Wasaya Group is working with a contracting company and a Chinese business to provide affordable housing to area First Nation communities.

Dowland Contracting Spokesperson Don Wing says they'll be hiring northerners to put together pre-fabricated homes made out of steel.

A formal signing ceremony was held Wednesday in Thunder Bay.

Aboriginal Missing Womens Summit

Provincial cabinet ministers and Canada's aboriginal leaders meet today in Winnipeg to discuss missing and murdered aboriginal women.

But there is no sign that the two sides are any closer to an agreement on calls for a national inquiry.

Eric Robinson, Manitoba's minister of aboriginal affairs, says there may be better options.

The Assembly of First Nations and other groups say an inquiry is needed to examine how police have handled missing persons cases, as well as the social and economic factors that make aboriginal women more prone to violence.

Canadian G-D-P Shrinks

G-D-P shrank by 0.1 per cent in August, setting the stage for the worst quarter of economic activity in more than a year.

Statistics Canada recorded setbacks in 10 out of 18 industrial sectors and Scotiabank economist Derek Holt says temporary factors aren't solely to blame.

Holt believes the Bank of Canada will turn even more dovish in its January monetary policy report, in a manner that takes out any rate hikes any time soon.

Treasury Metals Project Feedback

Lots of public feedback at yesterday's meetings regarding the Goliath Gold Project near Wabigoon.

One of the biggest concerns was the number of jobs the mine would create when it expects to open in early 2015.

Vice President Norm Bush says they are expecting to see a big jump.

Bush says right now they are in the development stage of the mine, but they are already looking into finding qualified people for a number of positions that will open up.

Local Labour Market Consultation in Vermillion Bay

The Northwest Training and Adjustment Board is looking to strengthen the local economy.


At last weeks Local Labour Market Consultation in Vermillion Bay, a number of service providers and organizations took part in discussion to identify and respond to key issues and trends.

Executive Director Sonja Wainio says the message will then be passed along to area communities.

Wainio says evolving education requirements is one of the important issues because a number jobs need certain levels of education.

More People in Canada Rely on Foodbanks

A report released yesterday says the number of Canadians turning to food banks is now 31 per cent higher than it was before the 2008 recession.

The federal New Democrats say the Harper government has a moral responsibility to make sure all Canadians have enough to eat.

But the Conservatives insist they are helping those in need by instituting new tax credits, increasing benefits for seniors and cutting the G-S-T.

Halloween Tips for Children with Diabetes

A different kind of trick or treat.

Richard Boon of the Northwestern Ontario chapter of the Canadian Diabetes Association says having diabetes should not prevent a child from having fun on Halloween.

Boon suggests parents emphasize the fun parts of halloween such as decorating and costumes, instead of focusing on candy.

Northern Iron Corp Railway Partnership

Northern Iron Corp is looking to access a railway in Northwestern Ontario that was lifted years ago.

To do so, they have asked Domtar in Dryden to be their partner, which would give them a railroad "right of way".

Domtar spokesperson Bonny Skene says not much can be done at the moment.

Skene isn't sure what their plans are, but is assuming that they want to re-introduce rail service to an area north of Dryden.

Pickle Lake Power Line Project

A new transmission line to Pickle Lake is in the provincial assessment phase.


The two phase project was presented at an open house in Dryden yesterday.

The project would see First Nations communities that currently use diesel generation to have access to the required power.

Adele Faubert(Fauber) of Goldcop Mussellwhite says without the diesel, many northern communties can't provide the basics.

Phase one is getting the 230km V-line up to Pickle Lake, and phase two is going north of the community to communties who use diesel generation.

Northwest MP Demands Better Treatment for Veterans

With Remembrance Day just weeks away, comes a disappointing report from Canada's Auditor General.

The report shows that war veterans in the country still don't get the information they need to get back into civilian life or the benefits they're entitled.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty calls it deplorable and says it should be a concern here because the only Veteran Affairs office in northwestern Ontario has been closed down due to budget cuts.

Rafferty suggests the Harper government needs to start treating our nation's veteran's with more respect.

Handi-Transit to Hold the Line on Spending

Kenora's Handi-Transit System says its new bus is helping it save money.

Handi-Transit says it will not have to seek an increase from the city in 2013.

Jackie McAllister is a spokesperson for the transit service and says as long as there are no changes in legislation, they should be able to hold the line on their spending.

They are requesting just over 81 thousand dollars again in 2013.

McCallister says the only fly in the ointment would be changes to Ontario's Accessibility Legislation, but they don't know if that will affect their service at this point.

Animal Rights Group Opposes Urban Deer Hunt

An animal rights group is urging the City of Kenora to find non-lethal ways of dealing with the growing urban deer population.

The bow hunt for deer within city limits began a couple of weeks ago.

But Barry McKay from Born Free USA says there are ways of scaring deer off, without killing them.

McKay also suggests homeowners grow plants that deer don't like to feed on, or install deer proof fences.

Impaired Driving Charges on the Rise

The message about not drinking and driving doesn't seem to have sunk in yet.

The Kenora Detachment of the OPP say they charged two more people with impaired driving offenses this past weekend.

That's seven in the past week, and 77 so far this year.

The local police say they had only 82 drunk driving charges all of 2011, and are on pace to shatter that number with two months left in 2012.

Library Review Overdue

The Kenora Public Library is still working on a final report to City Council about an operational review conducted over the past 12 months.

The review was requested by council due to on-going deficits at the Library.

Erin Roussin is the head Librarian and says they are still putting the report together.

A group called Libraries in Transition met with local user groups and library staff last year to look at ways of improving services and potentially cutting costs.

Motorists Upset with Gas Price Disparity

Some local residents are upset about the wide variation in gas prices across the region.

The price in Kenora remains at 135.9 a litre, which is 24 cents more than other areas in the Northwest.

According to gasbuddy.com Dryden is at 132.9, Vermillion Bay is at 126.9, Prawda is set at 119.9, and some places in Thunder Bay are under a dollar 15.

NorWOSSA Season Winding Down

The NorWOSSA regular season is quickly coming to an end.

Both Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae court sport teams will play their final games of the regular season this week.

This morning, the Ignace Falcons are in town to take on the Saints at T.A.

Thomas Aquinas wraps up the regular on Thursday with Whitefish Bay coming to town for volleyball action.

The Broncos wrap up their regular season schedule on Thursday on the road against Fort Frances.