Cause of Railway Street Fire Still Undetermined

Its going to take at least a few more weeks to determine what might have caused a house fire on Railway Street.

An investigator from the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office finished his on-site inspection of the burnt remnants of the home yesterday.

Fire chief Warren Brinkman says there was such massive fire loss and damage, it's going to take a while to determine what actually caused last Thursday's blaze.

He says at this point they don't have a damage estimate, but it's expected to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Rickford Supports Suspension of Senators Wallin and Duffy

Kenora MP Greg Rickford is all for the suspension of three senators involved in the spending scandal.

A vote could come today, suspending Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau without pay.

Rickford says it's only appropriate.

Rickford says this is what Canadians expect when inappropriate claims are made.

OPP Suggest Ways of Battling Illegal Drug Trade

Battling the drug trade at the source.

That's one suggestion of the OPP in Kenora.

Inspector Dave Lucas from the Kenora Detachment says if you can
reduce drug addictions, you can cut down on drug trafficking.

Lucas says the website, which is located on the City of Kenora's portal, also includes a 24/7 support line.

BIZ Launches Shop Local Campaign

Have you shopped Kenora lately?

That's the theme of a new marketing campaign by
Kenora Harbortown BIZ.

Jennifer Findlay is the city's economic development officer and they are
trying to encourage more business in the shoulder seasons.

BIZ plans to hold a Black Friday shopping event on November 29th, which
is traditionally one of the biggest shopping days of the year, following a
day after the American Thanksgiving.

Province Looks At Harsher Penalties for Distracted Driving

Another reason to put down the phone when driving.

Reports say the provincial government is thinking about a law that would deduct demerit points for those caught using a cell-phone or electronic device behind the wheel.

OPP Constable Erin Huckell says it's a great idea and would help deter people who continue to text, or use their cell-phones while driving.

Right now, the fine for distracted driving is 155-dollars, but no demerit points.

Campbell Wants MNR to Handle Nuisance Deer

Bears are on the provincial radar, but a northwestern Ontario MPP says deer are just as much a problem.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is calling for a comprehensive strategy to deal with nuisance deer.

Campbell says leaving it up to municipalities is not an answer.

Campbell says the animals pose a safety risk to motorists and the public and have the potential of drawing in predators such as wolves.

Province the Target of Another Mining Lawsuit

Ontario tax payers will be on the hook following the latest lawsuit against the province.

NDP Northern Development and Mines Critic Michael Mantha is reacting to news that North Superior Resources out of Sudbury has filed a 110-million-dollar lawsuit.

The company says the government has failed to discharge its "constitutional duty" to engage First Nations on
its behalf, and claims they have now lost their right to explore a vast area of northwestern Ontario.

Mantha says this will result in a great loss of revenue and jobs.

Gas Prices Drop Again

The price at the pump continues to drop in Kenora.

Over the weekend, the price of a liter of gasoline went down
two cents.

Most service stations have dropped their price to 131.9 cents a liter, down from
133.9 on Friday.

That still more than ten cents above the provincial average.

Saints Boys Hockey Team Win Consolation Final

The Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team has received an honorable mention at
a tournament in Winnipeg.

The Saints saw their first action of the season at the Sturgeon Heights Classic
in Winnipeg, and won the consolation title.

T.A. finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, including a 5-4 win over
the Miles MacDonnell Buckeyes in their final game.

The NorWOSSA regular season will begin next month.

New City Hall Roof Nearly Complete

It's taken almost five months, but the wraps are about to come off
the new roof at city hall.

The roof has been done in a heritage style and will cost over half a million
dollars when complete.

Empire Restoration has been working on the roof since the beginning
of June.

Actual repairs won't be complete until sometime in November, because
the project came up about 300 shingles short, and more needed to be
ordered.

The city's facilities manager John Nabb says the scaffolding should be
coming down any day now.

Word On the Water This Weekend

Writers, would-be authors and book fanatics from across northwestern Ontario are gathering in Kenora this weekend for an annual conference.

Word on the Water brings together a number of authors for workshops and readings.

This year, one of the guest speakers is Thunder Bay author Charles Wilkens, who will be
reading from his latest book called Little Ship of Fools.

It's his account of his seven week voyage across the Atlantic with sixteen other people in
a rowboat.

Other authors in attendance include mystery writers Gail Bowen from Regina, Catherine
Hunter and C.C. Benison from Winnipeg, and sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer.

Word on the Water will wrap up on Sunday at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Ontario Fire Marshall to Investigate Railway Street Blaze

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office is being brought in to help investigate a
fire on Railway Street.

The blaze broke out around 4:00 yesterday afternoon and destroyed the
house.

All available fire trucks and pumpers were dispatched to the scene to help bring
the flames under control.

One person was taken to hospital by ambulance, but their condition isn't known.

The cause of the fire still hasn't been determined.

Positive Reviews of Mock Disaster

It was a busy day if you were a first responder.

Just hours before the Railway Street fire, Emergency Management
Officials in Kenora wrapped up their Mock Disaster.

Karen Brown is the city's deputy Emergency officer and says it was
a valuable experience.

Local organizations that participated in the Mock Disaster will be gathering
once again next week for a post-mortem of the event.

More Charges in Project Gordonvale

A week after a major drug bust in Kenora and the OPP are still rounding
up suspects.

Yesterday, the OPP released the names of eight more people rounded up
in project Gordonvale.

All those charged are either from Kenora or Rat Portage and charges include
possession and trafficking of cocaine and marijuana.

In all 38 people were arrested on 174 charges.

Here's a list of the most recent arrests:

SUSPECT                              TYPE  OF DRUGS        

Brittany BUTOWSKI         Cocaine, Marihuana      

20yrs Female,  Kenora  

Grace QUINTON              Cocaine, Marihuana   

46yrs Female Kenora

James QUINTON              Cocaine, Marihuana   

54yrs Male, Kenora

Cale HAYES                       Marihuana                  

23yrs Male, Kenora

Christine WRIGHT               Marihuana/Hash          

54yrs Female Kenora

               

Ashley  LORANGER            Cocaine                                       

19yrs Female Kenora

Joseph SMITH,                     Marihuana                  

56yrs Male, Rat Portage FN                                                                                     

Rena SMITH                         Marihuana             

47yrs Female, Rat Portage FN                                                                              

Health Unit Concerned with Drug Overdoses

More deadly than motor vehicle collisions.

Northwestern Health Unit Nurse Kim Elke says opiate overdoses are one of the leading causes of death in the region.

She says statistics from 2011 show that motor vehicle accidents accounted for 48 fatalities, while drug overdoses have killed 56 people.

Elke says the health unit does provide an antidote with drug kits to help cure an overdose.

Names of Victims of Crash Near English River Released

The four other men killed in Saturday's crash on highway 17 near English River have been identified.

Provincial Police say 26 year old Brady Ostell, 27 year old Andrew Ostell, both from Kitchener, 42 year old Kyle Prince from Waterloo and 44 year old James  Jackson from Fort Erie died when the pick-up truck they were in collided with a transport truck.

The driver of the transport, a 43-year-old man from Cambridge, was also killed.

Provincial Police continue their investigation.

Campbell Urges Improved Winter Road Maintenance

The snow is starting to blow across northwestern Ontario and that has our M.P.P. wondering about winter road maintenance.

Sarah Campbell says over the past couple of years, her office has fielded several complaints about the condition of roads in the winter.

Campbell says government needs to step up and ensure our roads are maintained to a high standard this winter.

Last winter was the first year Transfield took over responsibility for road maintenace in the region.

Broncos lose Three of Four Games Against Dryden

While Beaver Brae's football team enjoyed some success on the field, the Bronco court sport
teams struggled against Dryden yesterday.

Beaver Brae won just one of four games played in their final home date of the season.

The Bronco senior girls basketball team held on for a 40-34 win over the Eagles.

Hilary Moncrief led the way with 12 points.

Meanwhile, the Beaver Brae junior girls dropped a 36-15 deci
sion.

In boys volleyball, both the  Bronco junior and senior squads were beaten in three straight
sets by the Eagles.

The regular season wraps up next Thursday in Fort Frances.

Bronco Football Team Advances to Semi-Finals

Beaver Brae's football team is advancing to the semi-finals in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

The Broncos held on for a 35-33 win over the Daniel MacIntyre Maroons this afternoon at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

Aiden Farrell  scored a pair of touchdowns for the Broncos, while Andrew Duncan, Mark Reimer and
Eric Melillo also had majors.

Jackson Penner led the Bronco defense with a pair of interceptions, which he returned for a total of 94 yards.

Beaver Brae now will face a much tougher opponent next week, as they take on the West Kildonan
Wolverines on Hallowe'en night in Winnipeg.

The winner of that game will advance to the Currie Division finals November 7th.

Fire Destroys House on Railway Street

Fire crews are still on the scene of a house fire on Railway Street.

The blaze broke out out 4:00 this afternoon and totally engulfed the
home.

The fire also spread to property outside the house including a truck.

Kenora's fire and emergency services department has all available vehicles on the scene, as the blaze continues to smolder.

At least one person was taken to hospital, but no word on their condition.

Railway Street between the Andrychuck Crossing and Round Lake continues
to be closed to traffic to allow emergency vehicles to move freely.