Police Find Body of Missing Man

A sad ending to a missing persons case in Kenora.

Provincial Police say they have found the body of 47 year old Hughie Whiskeyjack.

OPP say a search was conducted near the Separation Rapid's Camp where Whiskeyjack was last seen on Saturday.

His body was found in the area.

A post mortem will be conducted today at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

OPP Investigating A Pair of Theft Complaints

The OPP are searching for a suspect involved in a pair of theft complaints over the weekend.

Police say they initially responded to a report of a stolen vehicle from the Lakeside area Saturday afternoon.

The vehicle was recovered a short time later, but then officers received another theft complaint from a nearby business.

In both incidents, the suspect was described in a similar way:  about six feet tall, with short red hair wearing a light colored plaid shirt.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Road Closed To Grassy Narrows

The Grassy Narrows First Nation is cut off this morning due to flooding.

The OPP say Highway 671, about 25 kilometers south of the community  has been closed due to a road wash-out.

Police say due to the strong current, work to repair the road won't take
place until later today.

Over the past two days the Kenora area has seen over 36 millimeters of
rain swelling local lakes and rivers.

Kasechewan Evacuated

Only a handful of community members and band leaders are now in the remote community of Kashechewan.

Nearly 16-hundred residents are now being housed elsewhere, including Thunder Bay, to wait out rising waters near their community.

Meantime, Pic Mobert First Nation near White River has declared a state of emergency as its watch water levels on the White River.

Flood Watch Issued For Dryden Area

The Ministry of Natural Resources has issued a flood watch in the Dryden area.

The MNR says the Wabigoon Chain of Lakes and Eagle Lake are experiencing increased water levels.

Officials say anyone living close too or downstream from the lakes may be hit with flooding.

Residents should take steps to protect their property.

The forecast is calling for more precipitation.

Council Asked To Reject Energy East

The Energy East Pipeline continues to be a divisive issue locally.

Yesterday, Kenora City Council was taken to take for allowing the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association to endorse the project.

Teika Newton is with the Kenora Environmental Committee and feels the project won't reduce the transport of dangerous material via rail through the community.

Mayor Dave Canfield took exception to Newton's comments saying NOMA has done it's homework and they have to look at both sides of an issue in order to make the right decision.

Big Spruce 2nd To Start June 2nd

It's being call the Big Spruce Two.

Phase Three of Downtown Revitalization is set to begin in June.

Expect a lot of construction and detours in downtown Kenora this summer
as work on Phase Three is scheduled to begin on June 2nd.

Work will start at the corner of Main and Second Street South where pavement will be removed and excavatin will begin.

All of Second Street South will be dug up during the summer with final paving slated for the end of September.

Moncrief Construction had the winning bid at just over 4.7 million dollars.

Kenora BIZ says it's working on an Open For Business campaign during construction.

Northern Policy Institute Appoints Advisory Panel

The pieces of the government's new Northern Policy Insitutute are slowly coming into focus.  

President Charles Cirtwill says he's  chosen six members for the advisory committe and is looking for some more candidates.

Cirtwill says the advisory members were selected for their experience, knowledge and connections in key sectors across the entire Northern Ontario region.

He adds that he's still looking for people who are leaders in their communties and policy field to sit on
the advisory panel.

Fort Frances Set To Re-Open Tourist Info Center

Ontario's former tourist centre in Fort Frances will be reopening, for at least year anyway.

The town will operate the centre on a one-year lease with the province.

Mayor Roy Avis says they're also receiving some money through Ontario Sunset Country Travel Association to help operate the facility.

The provincial government had stopped operating the centre due to budget cuts.

NorWOSSA Soccer Games Scrubbed Today

The weather continues to play havoc with the NorWOSSA soccer season.

Beaver Brae was supposed to host both Fort Frances and Dryden today at
the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

But the damp conditions and snow flurries means today's games will be post-poned.

The new date for the games is Friday May 23rd.

Body ID'd, Man Reported Missing Says OPP

The body a deceased man has been identified by the Kenora OPP.

Provincial Police says 26 year old Aaron Keewaycabo of Kenora was found dead yesterday morning in the North End of town.

A post mortem was conducted yesterday at the Lake of the Wood District Hospital and foul play is not suspected in the death.

In other police news the OPP are looking for help to find a missing Kenora man.

47 year old Hughie Whiskeyjack was last seen Saturday near Separation Rapids Camp off English River Road.

He has not been seen since.

Whiskeyjack is of aboriginal descent and is described as 6 foot 1, 160 pounds, with a slim build, long black hair, brown eyes.

Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to call the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Overnight Snow Creates Slippery Conditions

Nothing like a good, old fashioned May snow storm.

A couple of centimeters of snow blanked the Kenora area overnight.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says it's just cold enough to create some interesting driving conditions.

There are reports that Houghton Road is underwater by the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.

School buses in the Ear Falls area are delayed a couple of hours due to
snow, and slush.

There are reports of a number of vehicles in the ditch along Highway 105 as
well.

Beaver Brae Students Competing At Envirothon

The provincial Envirothon Championshps are taking place this week in
Lindsey, near Peterborough.

Beaver Brae is one of 14 teams entered in the competition.

Nancy Wagenaar is a teacher at the high school and says the students will
really be put through their paces tomorrow.

Wagenaar says Beaver Brae is the lone team representing northern Ontario
this year.

Envirothon wraps up this Friday at Sir Sandford Fleming College.

Child Porn Charges Laid in Dryden

Two Dryden men have been charged with child pornography.

Members of the Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Unit, OPP and Dryden Police searched two separate homes last Thursday.

Officers seized two computers, two cell phone and other items.

Police say 50-year-old Garth Rice faces 2-counts of possession of child pornography.

31 year old Corey Pyyka is charged with 1 count of making child pornography available, 2 counts of possession of child pornography and 1 count of accessing child pornography.

Both men are due in court June 16th.

Fire Destroys Two Sioux Lookout Homes

Two homes in Sioux Lookout have been destroyed by fire.

Fire Chief Rob Favot says the fire started early Monday morning on Drayton Road and were fully engulfed by the time fire crews arrived at the scene.

Favot says no-one was injured.

The cause isn't yet known but Favot says it appears it started on the deck of one of the homes and spread to the second one.

Horwath Promises To Eliminate HST Off Hydro Bills

High Hydro rates seem to be the big issue early on in the provincial election campaign.

The NDP released it's energy platform during a stop in Thunder Bay yesterday.

Party leader Andrea Horwath is promising to remove the HST off of hydro bills starting in 2016 if her party forms the next government.
Horwath says that will save a typical family about 120 dollars a year.

Flood Evacuation Complete in Kasechewan

Almost all two thousand people from the James Bay community of Kashechewan have now been evacuated.

It follows a state of emergency called by First Nation officials due to flooding from the Albany River.  

Thunder Bay Deputy Fire Chief Dave Paxton says they have accepted 600 evacuees and aren't accepting any more at this time.

The evacuees are being housed in a couple of city hotels.

Discovery Airs Fools Gold Tonight

A northwestern Ontario junior mining company is in the spotlight in a television
program to air next week on the Discovery Channel.

Fool's Gold follows Shotgun Exploration as its explores the former Straw Lake Mine, once an operating gold mine southeast of Nestor Falls.

In a trailer for the program company founder Todd Ryznar says he has high hopes for the property.  

Ryznar calls it a learning experience given that none of his crew has any prior mining experience.

The snow will debut tonight and run for eight weeks.

NorWOSSA Soccer Season Opens in Fort

A tough way to start the season for Beaver Brae's boys soccer team.

The Broncos were in Fort Frances and they failed to score a goal in the
two games they played.

Beaver Brae was blanked 3-0 by both Fort Frances and Dryden yesterday.

Meanwhile the Beaver Brae girls squad managed a 1-1 draw with the Muskies.

All three teams will be back in action tomorrow at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

Kenora Martial Artists Perform Well at International Event

Local martial arts competitors are showing off their medals from the World Sikaran-Arnis tournament in Winnipeg.

8 competitors took part in the tournament that included teams from the US, New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines.

Miguel De Costa and Jewel Henry both took a gold medals in the hands and weapons events.

Other first place finishes include Jaylen Green, Jay Green and Decara McDonald in sparring.

Local instructor Marianne King also won 2 gold medals at the event along with earning her 4th degree blackbelt.

The team returned home with 23 total medals.