Loblaw Plans to Purchase Shoppers Drug Mart

A mega-merger between two of Canada's largest retailers.

Loblaw Companies says it has a deal to purchase Shoppers Drug Mart  for 12.4 billion dollars in cash and stock.
   
The merger would combine the country's largest grocery retailer and largest chain of pharmacies.
   
Under the terms of the agreement, which is still subject to approval, Shoppers will keep its brand name and operate as a
separate division of Loblaw.

Rickford Lands Cabinet Post

Kenora MP Greg Rickford has caught the attention of Prime Minister Harper.

Greg Rickford has received a major promotion and has been appointed to cabinet as minister for Science and Technology and also has taken over the FedNor portfolio from Tony Clement.

Rickford says he's ready to get down to work with his new jobs.

He has has also been asked to take the lead in the Ring of Fire project in northern Ontario.

OPP Recover Body of Missing Man

The body of 20 year old John Savoyard from Minaki has been located on the Winnipeg River.

The OPP Marine Unit began looking for a man, who dove off the Darlington Bridge early Saturday morning, and failed to re-surface.

The Underwater Search and Rescue Unit was brought in yesterday.

Today a post-mortem exam will be carried out at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The name of the deceased is not being released.

Meanwhile, police are also looking for a missing swimmer on the Rainy River near Emo.

The OPP say two men tried to swim across the river last night around 7:00, a distance of about 200 feet
, but only one made it back to the Emo Public Docks.

A shoreline search is currently being carried out for the 27 year old man.

Treaty Three Residents Fighting Closure of Police Service

The people of Treaty 3 are going to make sure their voice is heard when a new public safety minister is chosen.

Tania Cameron says they plan to overload the new ministers communication lines with their concerns about the police service closing down.

Cameron says the idea came from another large aboriginal political movement.

Cameron says they are also drafting up a fact sheet on how the move will affect the economy and families in all Treaty 3 communities.

Quiet Weekend for Fire Crews

A quiet weekend on the forest fire front in northwestern Ontario.

Just one new fire was reported with the number of active down to 32.

However, the effects of rain in the far north were short lived and the hazard there is back to the high range.

The central and southern portions of the region are in a low to moderate fire hazard.

Nursing Goes Paperless

Nursing staff in Northwestern Ontario will now be using electronic charts.

It's part of the the Northwest Health Alliance's paperless medical record program.

It involves 13 hospitals in the region including Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center.

60's Scoop Lawsuit to be Launched

Efforts continue this morning in a Toronto courtroom  to certify a First Nations class action lawsuit against the federal government.

Beaverhouse First Nations Chief Marcia Brown Martel is the lead plaintiff who says it's about making the government answer for taking First Nations children away from their parents in the 1960's.

Chief Martel believes the government should own up to its mistakes and do the right thing.

Health Officials Warn Against Lyme Disease

Ontario’s Chief Medical Health Officer says people in the North shouldn’t be too complacent about ticks that carry Lyme disease.

Dr. Arlene King says that even though these black legged ticks are more prevalent in Southwestern and Eastern Ontario, they also make their way north.

Dr. King says that means wearing pants tucked into your socks and long-sleeved shirts, and using insect repellent with DEET.

Dr. Curtis
Russell says the Lyme-carrying ticks are highly prevalent as well in the northeastern United States.

City Wants Parking Limit at Discovery Center

The city wants visitors to stop in at the Discovery Center...just not for very long.

Council is being asked to support a four hour parking limit at the Discovery Center's parking lot, and prohibit overnight parking.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says with the new docks at the Discovery Center, they are worried people will take advantage of the situation.

The four hour parking limit would also apply to the new docks at the Discovery Center.

Stewners Win Shoal Lake Bass Classic

Another summer on the Northwest Bass Circuit has been launched.

Ted and Louise Stewner from Winnipeg won the Shoal Lake Bass Classic over the weekend.

The Stewners topped the leaderboard with a two day total of 33.64 pounds of bass.

They finished just over a pound ahead of Jay Samsal and Scott Dingwall
in the standings.

Jack and Darren Neniska finished third.

OPP Searching for Missing Man

The OPP's Marine Unit is searching for a 20 year old man missing on the Winnipeg  River in Keewatin.

Officers were initially stopped shortly after 9:00 Saturday morning on the Darlington Bay Bridge.

Witnesses say they saw a man jump off the bridge, but he failed to surface.

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Service Department and ambulance personnel were also dispatched to the scene.

The OPP are continuing to patrol the area and an Underwater Search and Rescue Unit has also been called in.

The name of the missing man has not been released.

2 Robberies in Less Than a Week in Kenora

For the second time in less than a week, a robbery has been reported in downtown Kenora.

The OPP say a man was walking along 1st Street South Friday morning, when another man called out to him.

He went to talk to him, but was then assaulted and forced to withdraw some money from a nearby bank machine.

Police say they managed to locate the suspect a short time later and took him into custody.

Broncos Hudson Boucha Makes Team Manitoba

A star linebacker from Beaver Brae will be competing in the under 18 Football Canada Cup in New Brunswick.

Hudson Boucha is the lone player from the region to earn a spot on the Team Manitoba roster.

This past season Boucha lead the Broncos with 41 tackles, along with 2 forced fumbles and a touchdown.

Boucha and his teammates play their first game on Monday against team Ontario.

Paddle Across Canada Arrives in Kenora

A team of paddlers are in Kenora today to spread their message of outdoor education.

The team called Paddle Across Canada are collecting donations and raising awareness about the important of outdoor education for youth

Paddle Across Canada member Peter Vooys say the team is collecting funds for the Pine Project, the Koocheching Community Initative, and Camp Outlook.

Scott Graham says their journey also includes a little bit of history as they started from Rocky Mountain House and using old fur trader routes to make their way to Montreal.

The trip is expected to take 130 days.

Visit http://paddleacrosscanadatour.org/ to learn more about the PACT team, the journey, and to donate.

OPP Officer to Stand Trial on Dangerous Driving Charge

A Kenora OPP officer will have to stand trial on a charge of dangerous driving causing death.

Constable Troy Bender was charged by the Special Investigations Unit
last fall after the cruiser he was driving collided with a semi tractor trailor
unit at the intersection of the Redditt Road and the Kenora By-pass on September 23rd, 2012.

A prisoner in the back of the cruiser, 42 year old Gloria Assin, was killed in the collision.

Justice David Gibson says there is enough evidence to take the case to trial.

So far, no trial date has been set.

MNR Fire Crews Heading North and East

The Ministry of Natural Resources is sending some of its fire crews out of province.

Twenty firefighters, along with support staff, are being dispatched to lend a hand in the Northwest Territories and Quebec.

There are 41 active fires in northwestern Ontario including two in the Kenora District.

The largest blaze is an 11 thousand hectare blaze, 50 kilometres northwest of Red Lake.

A second wild fire
, 300-hectares in size, has also sparked 40-kilometres northwest of Red Lake.

T3P Board Breaks Silence

The Treaty Three Police Service board has finally broken its silence surrounding its decision to close down the aboriginal police department.

A week after announcing the closure, the board has issued a press release saying government underfunding and not financial mismanagement were responsible for the decision.

The board says a number of factors played into their decision, including an arbitration ruling which gave the Treaty Three officer wage parity with the OPP.

The Board says it had to lay off seven officers as a result and says if it continued to pay those rates, they would run up a deficit of 3.3 million dollars.

It adds that even though the federal and provincial governments have committed to continue funding the police service, there is no additional
money to cover the wage increases.

Ride For Memories Ready to Roll

Get your motor running and head on down the highway for the Alzheimer Society of Kenora-Rainy River.

It's annual Ride for Memories and Poker Derby is get for August 24th.

The Society's Rossana Tomashowski says they hoping to raise 50-thousand dollars.

Registration can now be made by calling the Society's Kenora office or through its website.

Parts of Minaki Lodge Salvaged

The Old Minaki Lodge is getting a new chance at life.

After the fire at the lodge the redevelopers salvaged some granite bocks and timbers.

Doug Johnston says the Minaki on the River developers will be using the items in a special commemoration project.

Johnston says the Gazebo will be placed on a point between the Dockside Restaurant and the Powerhouse.

Merger of Non-Profit Housing Corporations Still On Hold

Both the non-profit housing corporations in Kenora and Keewatin are rejecting a request for proposals for management of their units.

Chair of the Keewatin Board Jack Peason told council this week that they can save 13 thousand dollars by going it alone.

Mayor Dave Canfield says at this point he's prepared to turn the whole matter over to the District Services Board.

Canfield says council will wait for a report from city administration in September before making any decision about amalgamating the non-profit housing services.