Kenora OPP Honor Veterans

Retired OPP officers in Kenora were given some special access today as part of OPP Veterans Day.

The detachment invited the 45 veterans in the city to tour the new forensic identification unit.

The President of the OPP Veterans Association Bob Arbour was also in town for the tour and offered his praise saying officers and the community will benefit greatly with in now in operation.

Arbour added it was a great experience for retired officers to see how policing has changed.

3rd Annual Street Fest A Huge Success

The Thomas Aquinas Arts Council has ended the school year in style.

The 3rd annual Street Fest held earlier today had a great turnout with almost every student in the school board attending at some point throughout the day.

Director of Music Darcy Ura says the day couldn't have gone better due to the beautiful weather.

Street Fest is one of the 3 big events held every year by the Arts Council.

Three Local High School Soccer Teams At OFSAA

A busy day for local high school soccer teams.

The provincial championships begin on three fronts.

The Thomas Aquinas boys squad is in Timmins for the OFSAA Single
A championships, and will play two round robin games today.

Meanwhile, the Saints girls team is in Hamner, near Sudbury for
the All-Ontario Single A championships.

The Thomas Aquinas girls will also play a pair of games today.

Beaver Brae's girls team is in Tecumseh near Windsor and will hit the field
this morning at 11:00 against St. Martin High School from Mississauga in
the OFSAA Double A championships.

The Broncos will also be back on the field at 2:00 this afternoon.

RN Program Being Brought Back

Back by popular demand.

Lakehead University and Confederation College will be again joining forces to offer LU's Bachelor of Science Nursing Program through the College's regional campuses.

An information session June 13 from 3:30 to 5 at the College's Lake of the Woods Campus in Kenora.

You can call the campus to register or for more information.

Recycling Services in Minaki Expanding

The residents of Minaki are going to have more time to recycle this year.

Doug Johnston from Minaki on the River says they started a recycling program last year that was quite successful.

Johnston says they are hoping to make it even better this year by extending recycling hours beyond just the weekends.

The recycling bin will available every second week for seven days at a time.

He says the two main goals are to promote recycling and take some pressure off the local landfill.

Liver Cancer Rates on the Rise

There's some positive findings in the Canadian Cancer Society's latest statistics.

Over the past 30 years, the death rate for all main cancers has declined.

However, Senior Manager of Research Luba Slatskova says they are seeing an increase in one of the most deadly forms of cancer, which is liver cancer.

She says rates have doubled for women and tripled for men.

Slatskova says the survival rate is only 20 percent, compared with 63 percent in other cancers.

OFIA Applauds Changes in Endangered Species Act

Another step in the process for forestry companies in the province.

Last week changes were made to the Endangered Species Act which eliminate duplicated rules that affect forestry companies.

Ontario Forest Industries President Jamie Lim says it's a victory for companies who constantly working on their forest management plans.

Lim says it's now easier for companies to ensure their management plans are working.

The changes come after 6 years of lobbying the government.

Health Unit Warns Against Lyme Disease

As the deer come into city limits, they also bring another health hazard.

The Northwestern Health Unit is advising the public to protect themselves from Lyme Disease, which is transmitted through deer ticks.

Public Health Inspector Kurt Casey says the tick must be on the person for 24-hours for the bacteria to enter the body.

Casey recommends picking up a Tick Kit at any one of the health units.

Airplane Passenger Arrested for Trafficking

A 25 year old woman is facing charges for trying to smuggle painkillers into Northwestern Ontario.

Canada Border Services says that she was nabbed at the Thunder Bay International Airport after returning from a trip to the United States.  

They say she had over 140 hydrocodone pills which she did not have a prescription for.

Early Morning Fire Damages Boat

An early morning fire has caused extensive damage to a boat moored at the Harborfront docks.

The fire was discovered just after 4:30 this morning in front of the Whitecap Pavilion.

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department was on the scene shortly afterwards, but the blaze had already caused extensive damage to the
interior of the aluminum boat by then.

Its unclear what caused the fire.

Cell Phone Companies Ready to Comply with CRTC Ruling

TBaytel believes it can comply with the new CRTC rules on cellphone contracts by the end of the year.

Katie Crowe is a spokesperson for the wireless company and says while complying in some areas may be a challenge the deadline is achievable.

Some phone companies have suggested  that six months may be not be enough time, but Crowe says they will be ready

Crowe says there isn't anything  in the ruling the company isn't working on already.

Thomas Aquinas Set to Host Street Fest

The arts council at Thomas Aquinas are welcoming everyone to have some fun under the sun.

They are hosting the 3rd annual Street Fest tomorrow between 11:00 and 2:00

Director of Music Darcy Ura says everyone is asked to come take in the festivities.

The events include a BBQ, live music, dunk tank, games for kids, face painting, and puppet shows.

Tim Horton's Celebrates Camp Day

Our area will soon be home to a new Tim Horton's Camp.

The camp will be located in the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, near the Ontario boundary.

Company spokesperson Aaron Brown says it's an exciting opportunity.

The camp will house more older teens.

Today is Camp Day at Tim Horton's stores in Kenora and elsewhere across the region.

Watershed Board Seeks Industry Reps

A new advisory board for the area's border waters is looking for some bodies.

The new International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board is seeking nominations for its Industry Advisory Group.

The Industry Advisory Group will allow industry on both sides of the border to provide input into the Board's activities related to water management and water quality.

Interested individuals must apply to the end of this month.

FEDNOR Supports Energy Concerns

First Nations in Northwestern Ontario continue to receive support from the Federal Government.

FedNor has announced over 73-thousand-dollars for the Nishinawbe Aski Development Fund, which will enhance the operation of diesel generating stations.

Independent power authorities will receive financial and business management software while will help First Nations communities with cash flow and capital expenses.

Liberals Under Fire for Care Home Inspections

The opposition says the Liberal government is not keeping a promise to give all 600 long term care homes in Ontario a ``resident quality inspection'' at least once a year.

Progressive Conservative health critic Christine Elliott says long term care homes are not being inspected as often as they should be, which she believes puts vulnerable seniors at risk.
 
Health Minister Deb Matthews says every long-term-care home in the province is visited by an inspector at least once a year, but the Tories and N-D-P say that's not the same as a full resident quality inspection.

Lakehead University Holds Summer Health Sciences Camps

A "Crime Scene Investigation" experience for local high school students.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is back with their
Summer Health Sciences Camps, where youth will be able to learn about DNA analysis and much more.

Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says it's open to those going into grade 10 or 11 this year.

The camps are free and run from July 8th to 12th at Lakehead University.

Contact Josee Lalanne at 1-800-461-8777 ext 7260 or jlalanne@nosm.ca.

OPP Community Bear Scam

Provincial police in our area say they've received a number of inquiries from residents asking about police organizations calling to solicit funds for teddy bears.

The O-P-P says it doesn't solicit funds from members of the public for its Community Bear Program or any other O-P-P program.

The O-P-P's bear program provides officers with black and white teddy bears which they give to traumatized children they encounter at incidents such as motor vehicle collisions.

Police say the public should always verify the legitimacy of any organization calls to solicit funds.

OPP Release Name of House Fire Victim

The victim of last week's tragic house fire in Devlin has been identified.

She's been identified as 49-year-old Laureen McKay.

OPP and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall continue to determine the cause of the Friday's blaze which completely destroyed the home located just west of the main village on Highway 11-71.

NWOTA Supports New Walleye Proposal

At least one tourism group is in favour of the proposed lower Walleye catch limit.

The MNR is proposing a 2 Walleye catch limit for lakes in northwestern Ontario as early as next year for non-resident anglers.

Lucas Adams is the president of the Northwestern Ontario Tourism Association and says the changes won't affect fishing camps because most tourists don't ask about regulations when booking trips and don't have any issue when learning about them once arriving to the camps.

Adams did say he also wanted to see a regulation to prevent fishers from keeping Walleye over 18 inches.