Person in Hospital after Accident Outside Beaver Brae

One person is in hospital following an accident outside Beaver Brae Secondary School this morning.

Principal Clinton Breutsch confirmed a person was struck by a vehicle and transported to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

Other reports say the injured person was a student and they were transported to hospital as a precaution.

We will have more details as they are made available.

Final Farmer's Market of the Season

A sure sign that summer is really over.

Today is the final farmer's market of the season under the
Whitecap Pavilion.

To celebrate another exceptional year, patrons of the farmers
market will be treated to a chili lunch served by members of Kenora
City Council.

The Salvation Army will also be on hand collecting donations for the food bank, which is running low on staples such as canned goods, cereal, rice and cookies.

The Matiowski Farmer's Market will run from 8:30 this morning until 2:00 this afternoon.

High Winds Knock Power Out to Dozens of Homes

A blustery day turned into a black night for a number of Hydro One
customers north of Kenora.

High winds knocked trees onto power lines in the Minaki and Redditt
areas.

While some areas experienced a brown out, others were without power all evening.

Hydro One crews were able to restore electricity to most homes overnight, but about 20 customers in the Minaki area are still in the dark.

Power is expected to be restored around 11:00 this morning.

Accelerator Program Launched in NWO

The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Center is offering a three month accelerator program for local businesses.

Spokesperson Terry Smith says applications for the program open today.

Five companies will get 15-thousand dollars each to further develop their idea or prototype for market readiness.

The three month program starts in January.

Tbaytel Hires New President

The new president at Tbaytel is the same person who has been doing it on an interim basis for almost a year.
Dan Topatigh has been given the job full time by the board of the city run phone company.  

Topatigh says he's going to focus on growing Tbaytel's wireless services.

Topatigh comes to the utility from the forestry sector where he held executive positions with several local paper mills.

Search Underway for Shooting Suspect

A search is underway for a man wanted in connection with a shooting incident in the small northwestern Ontario community of Caramat. near Longlac.

OPP says another man is recovering after being shot in the leg during a confrontation last night.

Police says the suspect showed up at the victim's home last night, wearing a ski mask and carrying a long run, firing a single shot before fleeing.

MP Expenses Released

Northwestern Ontario Members of Parliament are not the most frugal in the country.

The three M.P.'s spent a little more than average to run their constituency offices and to travel to and from Ottawa last year.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford had the highest expense total at 480 thousand dollars.

The average M.P. spent 399 thousand dollars for the fiscal year ending March 31st.

Rickford's expenses were slightly higher than Thunder Bay-Atikokan M.P. John Rafferty, who spent 459 thousand, and Thunder Bay-Superior North M.P. Bruce Hyer who came in at 428 thousand.

Broncos Struggle With Home Court Advantage

A tough day on the courts at Beaver Brae.

The Broncos lost three of four games played yesterday against the Dryden Eagles.

The lone win of the day came from Beaver Brae senior girls basketball team, which got by the Eagles 28-21.

In junior girls action, the Broncos were upended 39-23.

In boys volleyball, Beaver Brae's senior squads lost in three straight sets, while
the Bronco junior boys lost three sets to one.

Man Injured in Collision with Deer

A 44 year old Vermillion Bay man is in stable condition after his motorcycle collided with a deer.

The OPP say the man was riding his Harley westbound on Highway 17 in Sandford Township around 7:00 last night when he collided with the animal.

Police say there was also extensive damage done to the motorcycle.

OPP Career Information Session in Kenora

A chance to learn about career opportunities with the OPP.

The Kenora detachment is holding an information session on Thursday.

The session is free to attend and is at the detachment at 7:00 Thursday evening.

Ffor more career information with the OPP visit www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=86

NAPS Hands Out Awards

The Nishnawbe-Aski Nation is extending its gratitude towards NAN and Provincial Police officers.

An awards ceremony was held last week in Thunder Bay, honouring a number of officers for their bravery in the line of duty.

NAPS Constable Waylon Linklater was recognized for saving a man from a burning building while off duty in Moosonee last year.

Weagamow Lake Constables Stacey Gordon and David Laviolette, OPP Constable Jean Duguay, and
Pikangikum Constables Jonathan Schmidt and Louis Taylor were also honoured.

NAN Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler congratulates all of the officers for their outstanding performance.

Rickford Says Feds Are Moving on Ring of Fire

FedNor Minister Greg Rickford is defending his government's handling of the Ring of Fire.

A number of mayors have been critical of how little appears to be done in the development of the Chromite project.

Rickford stressed negotiations take time and it should be soon that local municipalities will be involved in shaping the project.

The issue popped up repeatedly at last week's Northwestern Ontario Regional Conference.

Liberals Encourage Feedback on New Policies

Area residents are being encouraged to get involved in sharing ideas with Ontario Liberals.

A new website has been set up to gather input.

President of the Kenora-Rainy River Liberal Riding Association Anthony Leek says Premier Kathleen Wynne is sincere turning to the public.

Leek says the website is a good way for people who can't get to meetings to have a say.

Northwest Business Center Launches New Program

The Northwest Business Center has lost one of its offices in the region, but still working to reach out to more local entrepreneurs.

The Business Center had to close its Dryden office this year, due to a lack of Funding.

But manager Diane Schwartz-Williams says they planning to use the internet for a program
called the "virtual adviser".

Schwartz-Williams says they hope to launch their virtual adviser program later this
month.

Health Unit Celebrates World Breast Feeding Week

Breastfeeding can be one of the best things for your baby.

The message from the Northwestern Health Unit as today marks the start of World Breastfeeding Week.

Public Health Nurse Donna Mior says it's good for both baby and mom.

Mior says breastfeeding can help mothers lose weight they gain during pregnancy as well as prevent ovarian and breast cancer.

Two Men Fined for Harassing Moose

Two men have been fined 25-hundred-dollars for harassing a moose on Eagle Lake.

Andrew Weiers of Dryden and Matthew Weiers from Alberta were spotted circling a moose in their boat back in July.

The Ministry of Natural Resources received a number of complaints, including video footage of the incident.

After repeatedly circling the moose, Matthew jumped on the back of it.

Record Rain over the Weekend

Noah's Arc can't be far behind.

The City of Kenora endured more than a month's worth of rain over the weekend.

Figures from Environment Canada show 90 millimeters of precipitation between Friday and Saturday.

Friday set a record for rainfall for September 27th, with over 48 millimeters, shattering
the previous record by more than 25 millimeters.

The average amount of rain in the month of September in Kenora is just 70 millimeters.

Kenora got more rain this past weekend than any other community in northwestern Ontario.

Only Minor Boundary Changes for Kenora Riding

No major changes for the Kenora Riding in the final report from the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission.

The report was presented to parliament yesterday.

Last year, the Commission had proposed moving Lake of the Woods Township into the Kenora Riding.

But a number of residents of the community complained when public hearings were held last year.

Instead, the Township will remain in the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Riding.

The Commission did agree to move Sabaskong Bay into the Kenora Riding from Rainy River to unite it with the Onigaming First Nation. 

Cross-Canada Marathon Runner Due in Kenora

An English marathon runner is expected to pass through Kenora this week.

Jamie McDonald is on a five thousand kilometer run across Canada for the Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto.

McDonald has been stopping at schools along the way and says he has a message
for the students he meets.

He encourages them to stay positive and not to get mired down in the negativity of some of the messages out there in social media.

McDonald has raised about 30 thousand dollars so far during his cross-country marathon.

For more information you can check out:  www.jamiemcdonald.org

Northern Policy Institute Up and Running

The Northern Policy Institute is alive and well and getting up to speed.

The Policy Institute was created by the provincial government to look at
economic development issues and opportunities for northern Ontario.

They've been up and running for 13 months and CEO Charles Cirtwell says they're trying to create an online community consultation tool that will gather public feedback on Provincial Government policies.

Cirtwell addressed members of the Northwestern Ontario Regional Conference in Thunder Bay last week.