KPDSB Names New Superintendent of Education

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is welcoming a new Superintendent of Education.

Joan Kantola will take over the position on August 1st.

That's when Sean Monteith takes over as Director of Education.

Kantola is currently the Principal of Valleyview School in Kenora and she's been in the field for some 21-years.

She established the new French Immersion program at Valleyview and has been heavily involved in leadership planning.

Mental Health Symposium at Evergreen School

For the second year in a row, Evergreen School is hosting a Children's Mental Health symposium.

This year it's called Help Me, Help my Child.

Pam Cederwall is one of the organizers and says the forum is open to parents, teachers and education assistants.

The Mental Health Symposium will take place starting at 6:00 this evening.

Rain in Store for Kenora

Get ready for another dose of wet weather.

A Colorado low is heading our way and is expected to bring a lot of rain.

Geoff Coulson says even though temperatures are going to cool off but we won't see anymore snow

Coulson suggests some areas could get as much as 30 to 50 millimeters a day during the rain storm.

Harbourfest Announces Sunday Night Concert Line Up

Harbourfest is betting you won't be able to fight this feeling.

The concert line-up has been announced for Sunday night of the August Long weekend and it features REO Speedwagon, Starship and Honeymoon Suite.

Director of Entertainment Dave Blake says they hope to finalize Friday night's performers shortly.

Blake says tickets are selling well for Saturday night's concert featuring Theory of a Deadman.

Tickets for the Sunday night show will go on sale Friday afternoon.

Changes in Store for the City's Economic Development Commission

Everything old is new again for the Lake of the Woods Development Commission.

Kenora City council has stripped the budget of the commission and has
changed the reporting structure for its employees.

Mayor Dave Canfield says going forward, the city will now be responsible for
the Discovery Center and the Whitecap Pavilion.

Council made the move after agreeing to shell out 182 thousand dollars to cover cost over-runs by the Development Commission last year.

The budget deficit was largely due to the cost of operating the Discovery
Center and the Whitecap Pavilion.

Hockey Northwest Supports Ban on Body Checking

Hockey Northwestern Ontario believes the game is safer today then it was last week.

HNO is supporting a Canadian Hockey ruling to eliminate body checking from the Peewee level.

General Manager Trevor Hosanna says it will allow coaches to focus on the basics.

Hosanna says it will give kids more time to develop other hockey skills.

Kenora Area Author Wins Award

A former Kenora-area author has won a prestigious national award.

Richard Wagamese from the Wabaseemoong First Nation was named one of two winners of the Canada Council Molson Prize.

The prize is worth 50 thousand dollars and is handed out each year to Canadians who work in the arts and social sciences.

Wagamese is a newspaper columnist and the author of a number of books including his most recent novel "Iron Horse".

Flooding Easing on Kasabonika Lake

 Emergency Management Ontario says the flood situation on a remote northwestern Ontario First Nation is stabilizing.
   
However, the agency says water levels are still high and some flooding continues in Kasabonika Lake First Nation.
 
Leaders of the First Nation say critical infrastructure is returning to normal operations and they are conducting ongoing assessments of the situation.
 
EMO says 45 residents evacuated as a precaution to Greenstone and Hearst returned to Kasabonika yesterday.

NorWOSSA AA Finals in Dryden Today

Two more NorWOSSA Soccer Champions will be crowned today.

The NorWOSSA Double "a" play-offs are taking place in Dryden.

Beaver Brae's girls team has a bye into the final, after finishing
first in the regular season.

The Broncos will take on the winner of this morning's semi-final between
Dryden and Fort Fr
ances.

Meanwhile, the Bronco boys hit the field at 9:30 in a semi-final against the
host Eagles.

The winner will meet the Muskies in this afternoon's gold medal game.

OPP Release Name of Accident Victim

The OPP have released the name of a woman killed in a single vehicle accident
in downtown Kenora over the weekend.

She has been identified as 76 year old Wanda Delorme.

Police say a post
mortem conducted yesterday shows that she died as a result of
injuries she sustained after the vehicle she was driving ran into a concrete retaining wall
below the parking lot of the Shopper's Drug Mart.

The OPP says she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

Coney Island Water Line Up and Running

It took longer than expected, but the Coney Island Water Line is back up and running.

The City of Kenora says its completed the necessary flushing and testing
of the summer water service and Coney residents can now connect to the line.

The city had hoped to have the water line up and running by the May Long Weekend, but parts of it were still frozen, after an unusually cold spring.

Outflows Being Increased from Norman Dam

Water levels on Lake of the Woods are rising more quickly than expected.

Over the past week, the lake has gone up about nine inches.

As a result, the Lake of the Woods Control Board has approved daily
increases in outflow from the Norman Dam into the Winnipeg River.

Yesterday, outflows were increased by 50 cubic meters per second, and
a similar increase is being planned later today.

More increases are planned this week, which will mean water levels on the Winnipeg River could  rise by as much as two feet below the Norman Dam.

Beaver Brae Teacher Gets Textbook Credit

A teacher from Beaver Brae is offering her knowledge to students outside of Kenora.

Nancy Wagenaar was consulted in a new Environmental Science textbook.

Wagenaar says it was published by well-know publisher, McGraw Hill.

She says the textbook coincides with the Beaver Brae Envirothon team earning a top ten placement in the province.

Transit Proposals Draw Ire of Local Politicians

A proposal to raise gas taxes and the GST in Ontario to pay for mass transit in the Toronto area is getting the cold shoulder in northwestern Ontario.

Yesterday Metrolinx suggest a five cent a liter increase in the gas tax and a one percent increase in the GST to help ease traffic congestion in the Golden Horseshoe area.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says the government needs to see the issues facing the entire province not just the GTA.

Campbell says the government needs to find ways to fund infrastructure that's fair for everyone.

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield says the province has already made gas prices too high and doesn't need
another increase.

Study Looks At Aboriginal Business

The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business is looking at Aboriginal Economic Development Corporations in the province.

President J.P. Gladu says their report highlights the value of Economic Development Agencies in First Nation Communities.

Gladu says the findings show that aboriginal business opportunities are growing.

And he suggests
EDC's are a great way to drive revenue in these communities.

Wildlife Collisions on the Rise

A rash of motor vehicle crashes in the region involving wildlife has prompted a warning from provincial police.

Constable Anne McCoy says drivers need to be alert.

McCoy says deer, otters, bobcats, raccoon's and even a rabbit have been responsible for some of the recent collisions.

Motorists are asked to slow down and be aware of animals.

Drug Bust on Big Trout Lake

A Weagamow man faces two counts of possession charges following a drug investigation.

Provincial Police received a report of a man flying into Big Trout Lake First Nation with an unknown quantity of drugs.

Police say 41 year old Lawrence McKay has been been arrested.

He was allegedly caught with over 3-thousand dollars worth of drugs.

Saints NorWOSSA Soccer Gold

A clean sweep for the Thomas Aquinas Saints at the NorWOSSA soccer championships.

The T.A. girls needed overtime to beat Red Lake 3-1 yesterday afternoon in Sioux Lookout.

Gilly Derouard scored on a penalty shot in extra time, while Emma Wehner added an
insurance goal for the victory.

Meanwhile, Patrick Van Bellingham and Ryan Landon eached scored twice en route to
a 5-2 victory over Rainy River in the gold medal game.

The Saints girls will host the NWOSSA finals this Friday and Saturday, while the T.A. boys
will hit the road this weekend for their NWOSSA championship series.

Young Sharks Make and Impression in Thunder Bay

A strong showing for some of the younger members of the Kenora Sharks Swim Club at the Thunder Bay International Swim meet this past weekend.

10 year old Braden Martin led the way with 10 first place finishes, while 11 year old Gabe Mastromateo collected eight gold.

JC Drygasuk had five second, and two third place finishes. 

Joe Morrison and Callum Galusha, both 12, came in 1st and 2nd respectively in the 800 Metre Free.

Ethan Belrose, 9, who only started swimming last September, and just advanced to competitve swimming in April, came home from his first "away" meet with a bronze medal in the 50 Metre Free!


On the girls' side, Kate Kroeker, 10, won two 1st's, two 2nd's, and three 3rd places.


Natalie Peterson, 11, came 1st in the 200 Breast and also received three 2nd place and two 3rd place finishes.


Alison Stoliker also had a strong weekend picking up five first place finishes and four seconds.

Both the boys' and girls' 12 and under relay teams showed well with the boy's "A" team taking 1st in both the 200M Free, and the 200M Medleys.

The boys' "B" team came in 3rd in the 200M Free. The girls' "A" team came in 3rd in the 200M Medley, and 2nd in the 200M Free. The girls' "B" team took 3rd in the 200M Medley.


The Sharks finished second overall in the standings, behind the host Thunder Bay Thunderbolts.

Kenora OPP Make Drug Bust on Bypass

Another major drug bust for the Kenora OPP.

Officers say they stopped a vehicle on the Kenora By-Pass near the Redditt  Road intersection for speeding early this morning.

Following a short investigation, police decided to search the vehicle and found about 25 pounds of marijuana.

The OPP say the pot has a street value of about 200 thousand dollars.

27 year old Matthew Hill from Calgary appeared in Kenora Court today on a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking.