Missing Woman Found Safe

A missing woman from Winnipeg has been located by Police in Kenora.

Police say that 26 year old Jade Kolba, who had gone missing yesterday morning, was safely located this afternoon.

The Kenora OPP are thanking the public for helping them locate Kolba.

OPP Searching for Missing Woman

Provincial Police are looking for assistance in locating a woman who has gone missing from Kenora.

OPP say 26 year Jade Kolba from Winnipeg was last seen at the Main Street Dock yesterday morning around 8:30.

Kolba is 5 foot 5, 130 pounds with blonde hair.

She was last seen wearing a blue shirt, black denim shorts and has 2 duffel bags.

Anyone with information is asked for contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 548-5534.

Union Concerned About Cuts to Treaty Three Police Officers

More cutbacks for the Treaty Three Police Service.

Local Spokesperson with the Public Service Alliance of Canada Judith Monteith-Farrell says the aboriginal police service has announced a massive rollback in salaries, benefits, and hours.

Treaty Three Police Service is making the drastic cuts as a way to save the service, which has seen it funding reduced by the Federal government.

First Nation Chiefs are meeting on Monday to discuss how to proceed with the police service.

KPDSB Looking at Reduced Enrollment in the Fall

Enrollment continues to decline at the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

As part of its 2013/2014, budget package, there was enrollment projections for the next school year.

The public school board estimates overall student numbers will drop by about 100.

Director of Education Sean Monteith says there is some good news at the Kindergarten level, where they are seeing a big influx of students.

The largest drop will be felt at the secondary level, where enrollment is forecast to drop by 86 students next year.

Elementary numbers are expected to drop by just 20 students.

Campbell Happy With Passage of Provincial Budget

No real complaints from Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell on the approval of the Provincial Budget.

Campbell says she's pleased the NDP have promised to support the minority Liberals, adding it wouldn't have made sense to go to the polls this summer.

Campbell says she's happy there will be an Accountability Officer who will oversee spending by the parties.

She says other highlights for her are the changes in wait times for home care and a 15-percent cut in auto insurance premiums.

Gravelle Not Worried About Cliffs Commitment to Ring of Fire

Ontario's Minister responsible for mining isn't overly concerned that Cliffs Natural Resources is temporarily suspending its environmental assessment activities in the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario.

Michael Gravelle says these sort of challenges aren't unusual in a major project like this one.

The mining company says delays and uncertainty of land rights forced them to suspend their environnmental assessments.

Gravelle says talks will continue between the mining company and the Ontario government.

Sobey's Buying Safeway Stores

Canada's second-biggest supermarket chain is getting bigger.

Sobeys, which is based in Nova Scotia, is acquiring the Canadian assets of Safeway for 5.8-billion dollars.
   
Safeway has more than 200 stores between Thunder Bay and the Pacific coast.

Sobeys, which owns or franchises more than 13-hundred stores across Canada, says it has not yet decided if it will keep the Safeway name.

Big Trout Lake Woman Arrested

Some missing money has landed a Big Trout Lake women in some trouble with the law.

Provincial Police say a package containing a large amount of cash was sent to the community, but not all of it was there.

Police say 21-year-old Kaitlyn Sakakeep is charged with theft under 5-thousand-dollars and breach of trust.

Share the Road Bike Ride this Weekend

Its becoming an annual event.

The 2nd Share the Road Fathers Day Bike Ride is hitting the road this Saturday.

Maria Bagdonis with Young Drivers says they are holding the event again after the very positive support they received last year.

Bagdonis says the bike ride helps promote road safety.

Intermediate Track Results

Another track and field season is in the books.

Yesterday, grade seven and eight students took to the field at Thomas
Aquinas for the final day of the annual Elementary school track meet.

12 year old Jared Neniska had an impressive showing picking up first place medals for shot put, long jump, the 100 meter hurdles and the 100 meter dash.

Sarah Frankcom topped the field in the 12 year old girls 800 meter and 15 hundred
meter races, while Antwan Fair was tops in the 13 year old boys 800 and 400 meter races.

Logan Spencer was also a multiple winner taking the 12 year old boys 800 meter and 15 hundred
meter races.

Johnny Houldon was first in the long jump and 200 meter racem while
12 year old Kaitie Marcine won the girls 800 and 400 meter races.

Public School Board Approves Budget

A good news financial report for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

Last night the school board voted to pass the 2013/2014 budget.

The budget has a surplus over 6 thousand dollars.

However Superintendent of Business Dean Carrie says the money is going to some basic costs including some capital projects at Valleyview, Beaver Brae, Dryden High and Red Lake High School.

Total spending will be about 83.5 million dollars next year, down about 1.7 million dollars from
this year.

Feedback Encouraged by Event Center Committee

Our survey says!

Kenora's Event Center Committee continues to gather feedback from the public about what they'd like to seen in any potential expansion of
the Kenora Rec. Center.

Chris Van Wallenghem is co-chair of the Committee and says they are encourging local residents to fill out an on-line survey.

The survey can be found on the city's web portal at Kenora.ca

Van Wallenghem says once they compile the information from the survey,
they will be presenting it to city council in July.

Mixed Views on Passage of Provincial Budget

The PC Candidate for Kenora-Rainy River Riding is disappointed with the NDP's decision to support the Liberal's budget.

Randy Nickle says it's like the NDP just wanted to get it over with.

Nickle says there's really nothing special that's being provided for Northwestern Ontario.

However,  Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle is happy to see the budget passed, since several initiatives in the fiscal document will help northerners.

The budget passed by a vote of 64 to 36 yesterday.

Cliffs Suspending Ring of Fire Project

Cliffs Natural Resources is temporarily suspending its environmental assessment activities for the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario.

The company is citing a number of delays and uncertainty including provincial and federal environmental assessments as well as unresolved issues related to land surface rights.

Cliffs also cites ``unfinished agreements with the Government of Ontario that are critical to the project's economic viability.''

The company says it will continue to work with the provincial government and First Nations communities in an attempt to restart the work.

Junior Track and Field Results

Some impressive results at the Junior track and field meet at T.A. field yesterday.

There were a number of multiple gold medalists.

11 year old Jacob Frankham was tops in the 400 and 200 meter races, and third in the 60 meter dash.

Alyssa Turcotte won the 10 year old girls 60 meter and 200 meter races and the long jump, while nine year old Jason Debbo was top in the 60 meter dash, the 200 meter and the 800 meter races.

Xavier Wickham, 11,  placed first in the high jump and also topped the field in the 60 meter
dash and was second in the 200 meter race.

Today the Intermediate Track and Field meet takes place at Thomas Aquinas.

Two Arrested in Downtown Drug Bust

A couple of people have been arrested as a result of a drug bust in downtown Kenora.

The OPP say the Emergency Response Team and Aboriginal Intelligence Unit helped execute a search warrant on an apartment on 1st Street South.

Police say they seized a number of prescription pills, including hydromorphone capsules and morphine, as well as 54 marijuana cigarettes and three codeine pills.

About 15 hundred dollars in cash was also seized.

42 year old Dax Davies and 32 year old Shanalee Paulson face charges of trafficking and
proceeds of crime.

They are due to appear in Kenora Court on August 1st.

Trustees Say Goodbye to Lakewood Tonight

The end is drawing near for Lakewood School.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board will be closing the elementary school at the end of this academic year.

Lynn McAughey is principal at Lakewood and says they are inviting parents, students and past students to the School for a special celebration next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, trustees from the public school board will get to say their goodbyes tonight.

The monthly open meeting of the board will take place at Lakewood starting at 7:00 this evening.

Plane Crashes Near Lac du Bonnet

Two men have been taken to hospital after their small plane crash landed in eastern Manitoba.
 
 A rescue official says the Cessna took off from a private airstrip near Lac du Bonnet around 9:00 this morning, then had mechanical problems.
 
The plane tried to go back but was forced to make a hard landing.
 
The pilot and passenger were pulled from the aircraft with
unspecified injuries.

Roof Repairs at City Hall Begin

Kenora City Hall is about to get a makeover.

Scaffolding is starting to go up at the heritage building on
Main Street South.

Earlier this spring, council agreed to spend over half a million
dollars to replace the roof of the century old structure.

Empire Restoration from Ottawa will be doing the work over the
next couple of months.

Hospital Joining MediTech Network

Lake of the Woods District Hospital will soon be less isolated from other hospitals in the region.

The hospital has just joined up with the MediTech Network.

Hospital vice-president, Cindy Gasperini says there's a number of benefits of being able to share patient information with other hospitals.

Gasperini says initially the MediTech system will just include patient
records and billing information.

It will later be expanded to include lab test results and pharmacy