Woman shot in downtown Kenora

A section of downtown Kenora is still taped off by the OPP following an
incident on 1st Street South.

Around 8:30 last night there are reports that a woman armed with a
knife was shot by police.

So far, the OPP have not released any details of the incident, but
eye witnesses suggest a woman lunged at an officer with a
knife, before any shots were fired.

The whole section of 1st Street South is blocked off from Donny B's
to Matheson Street South.

Council debates Main Street Traffic issues

Some members of Kenora City Council aren't happy with the way traffic flows through

the downtown area.

Council spent a lengthy amount of time debating the merits of the current system, which
was brought in last year following phase one of downtown revitalization.

Councillor Jim Parsons says he's heard a number of complaints from local residents.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says they hired a specialist to design the current system
and felt council agreed with the changes at the time.

Perchuck says a public meeting could be held to get feedback from local residents about
the current design, and possibly make changes, if warranted.

Bed shortage eases at Hospital

For the first time in over a month, the bed shortage at Lake of the Woods District

Hospital has started to ease.

On Friday, the Northwest Local Health Integration Network lifted the 1-A status, which
gave the hospital the first opportunity for any long term care beds that became available
in the community.

Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Marc Belcaen says there has been a slight improvement
in their situation in recent days.

Belcaen says they managed to place five patients from beds at the hospital into long term
care beds in Pinecrest and Birchwood Terrace over the past month or so.

Keewatin Break-in

Two male youth have been charged in connection to a break-in to a

business in Keewatin.

The OPP say they responded to an alarm at the Bigway grocery store on Ottawa
Street around 5:30 last Friday morning.

The suspects got into the building by smashing one of the windows out of
the front door.

Once inside, they stole the cash register.

A short time later officers noticed two youth in the area of Superior Street
and subsequently arrested them in connectin to the break in.

A 14 year old youth and a 16 year old have been charged with break, enter and
theft.

Rickford intoduces Water Quality Motion

Water quality on Lake of the Woods is apparently a motherhood issue for members

of parliament.

Last week, Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford introduced a motion calling on the government's
of Canada and the United states to work together to enhance and restore water quality.

The motion received unanimous support in the Commons.

Rickford says the resolution also calls on the International Joint Commission to become
involved in water quality issues on the lake.

Rickford says the motion will come back up for approval in the House in the Fall.

Clark Resigns from Hospital Board

A long time member of the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Board is calling

it quits.

Jim Clark has resigned after 16 years as a board member.

Chief Executive Officer, Marc Belcaen says Clark's expertise will be missed.

Clark served two separate terms on the hospital board and also served as chair
of the board for a couple of years.

CP overhead pedestrian bridge safety

Concern has been raised about the safety of pedestrians using the overhead pedestrian bridge over the CP rail tracks.

There have been complaints of people loitering in the area and students being roughed up.

Inspector Dave Lucas says the OPP are aware of the problem and are dealing with it.

Lucas says there have also been complaints about garbage in and around the bridge and
intoxicated people hanging around.

More awards for Buster's

The Vermillion Bay-based company, Buster's BBQ sauce, has won more awards for its Blueberry
Barbeque Sauce.

The company earned 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd place ribbons at the Great American Sauce Contest in Kansas City.

They placed 5th overall out of a 130 entries at the contest. Buster's BBQ also took home a "People's Choice" award for their Blueberry Barbeque Sauce product line at the Great American Invitational and Open Contest.

These awards came after the company recently won the "Marketing Excellence" award at the Dryden District Chamber of Commerce.

Junior Constable Camp

OPP have changed the location of this year's Junior Constable Camp in August.

The camp will be held at Longbow Camp on Longbow Lake Road.


Constable Dave Cain says that there will be many things to do at this year's camp, with visits by
the Canine Unit, the Emergency Response Team and other specialized police units.

15 Boys and 15 Girls will chosen from various communities in the North West region.

The Camp will run from Monday August 9th to Friday August 14th.

Funding from Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Local residential school survivors will get a chance to attend a national event being put on

by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission later this month in Winnipeg.

The event will be taking place at the Forks between June 16th and 19th.

Grand Council Treaty Three says it has received funding to send 100 survivors and
their decendatants to the gathering.

100 bus tickets and free accommodations at the University of Winnipeg are being
offered.

Anyone interested in attending the national event is asked to call the Treaty Three
office in Kenora as soon as possible.

New Tourist Regions Imminent

It won't be long now before the provincial government officially announces the formation of 13 new tourism regions.


The Regional Tourism Organizations will effectively kill the three regions we now have in the northwest and bundle them into one.

Tourism Minister Michael Chan says it should be announced within a month.

The initiative has been widely criticized by the Sunset Country Travel Association because it means
that all tourism marketing for this region will include all of northern Ontario rather than just the northwest.

American injured in weekend Accident

A 74 year old man from Iowa is in good condition following a single vehicle accident

on Highway 502 south of Dryden.
On Saturday, the OPP say a car left the road about 47 kilometers south of Dryden and
rolled several time.

The driver was pinned inside the vehicle for some time.

The highway had to be closed temporarily while emergency crews from Dryden and
Oxdrift got the driver out.

Richard Beckham sustained only minor injuries and was released from hospital.

Hospital in the Black

Lake of the Woods District Hospital managed to finish the 2009/2010 fiscal year in the black.

The hospital posted a surplus of about 116 thousand dollars last year.

President and CEO of the hospital, Marc Belcaen says it hasn't been easy to keep their books balanced.

This is the third time in the past four years the hospital has managed to post a surplus on
its operations.

The hospital had a budget of almost 44 million dollars last year.

Show Us Your Colors

The first ever Show Us Your Colors fundraiser for local cancer patients gets underway this

afternoon.

Irma Milko is one of the organizers of the event and says they noticed a definite need in
the community to help out cancer patients who have to go to Winnipeg for treatment.

Tonight's supper is already sold out.

There are a number of other events taking place all day at Norman Park, including
Dragon Boat rides.

Hospital Chair Elected

Debbie Baldwin is back as chair of the hospital board for a second year

in a row.

The executive of the board was elected last night at the Annual General Meeting.

Baldwin becomes the first chair of the board under its new corporate model.

She says under the new model, the board has been reduced from 20 members down to
just 13.

Fred Richardson was elected as vice-chair of the hospital board last night.

Northern Ontario Party a go

The Northern Ontario Heritage Party is one step closer to gaining official party status.


Party spokesperson Ed Deibel says they're waiting for a letter from the Ontario Elections Commission.

More than 1 thousand one hundred and fifty signatures in favour of the party were sent to the commission.

Deibel says they hope to have as many as 11 candidates in place for the next provincial election in 2011.

Pikangikum fire grows

Sun and windy conditions  over the past couple of days continue to fan out a large forest fire burning northeast of Pikangikum First Nation.


The fire has grown to 44-hundred hectares in size and is considered not under control.

A number of hotspots continue to smoke and fire crews are on scene.

The good news for the MNR is that there have not been any new fire starts reported
in the region in the past five days.

Three local soccer teams at All-Ontario's

Three local high school soccer teams are in action today at the all-Ontario

championships.

The Thomas Aquinas boys are in Windsor for the start of the OFSAA single A championships.

The Saints face Smithville District Secondary School at 10 this morning in their first round robin game.

Meanwhile, the T.A. girls team are in Sudbury for the provincial single "a" championships.

They play their first game at 8:00 this morning against Guido de Bres.

In Sarnia, the girls double "a" championships are taking place and Beaver Brae

is representing NWOSSA there.

The Broncos play their first game at 11:00 this morning against St. Thomas Aquinas from Oakville.

All the provincial championships wrap up on Saturday.

Wet May weather

A year-long trend towards warmer weather came to a halt last month.


Environment Canada says temperatures in the Kenora area were pretty much
normal for this time of year.

The average daily mean temperature was 11.9 degrees.

Meteorologist, Chantal Cerny says unfortunately it was a much wetter month
than usual.

Kenora had just over 144 millimeters of rain last month, which is 80
millimeters more than normal.

Coronor Investigating Child's death

The Regional Coroner's office is investigating the death of a four year old Thunder Bay kindergarten student.


Willow Scott Hannam was on a field trip to Fort William Historical Park on Monday when the accident involving horses and a wagon occurred.

Dr. Michael Wilson says the investigation has begun and could take several months to complete.

Wilson says after the investigation concludes they will decide whether or not to launch an inquiry into the death.

Four arrested in brutal assault

Four men are in custody following a brutal beating on a remote first
nation in northwestern Ontario.

The Nishinabe Aski Police says 25 year old Brian Bluecoat was attacked on the
Fort Severn First Nation over the weekend.

Police say he suffered a fractured skull, a damaged windpipe, a punctured leg, bruising to his body, and a partially amputated figner.

The four men are being charged with aggravated assualt.

The accused include 18 year old Terrence Childsforever, a 16 male and two 14-year-old youths.

All four appeared in Kenora Court yesterday for a bail hearing.

MNR conducting Lake Surveys

The Ministry of Natural Resources says it will have staff out on area lakes once again

this summer conducting fish surveys.

This year, the MNR says it will be concentrating on lakes in the areas south of Kenora
to Fort Frances and over towards Dryden.

MNR spokesperson Bill Towill says they usually try to study the lakes on a five year
cycle.

Towill says they use the information collected for the Ministry of the Environment's
guide to sports fishing, and also to make any changes to fishing regulations in the
region.

(Photo courtesy of the MNR)

Hospital Foundation AGM

Despite a sluggish stock market, the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation

has been able to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the local medical facility.
The Hospital Foundation held its annual general meeting last night and says it transferred
a record 750 thousand dollars to purchase new equipment and carry out capital upgrades.

While revenue from investments has been hit hard in the past couple of years, the Foundation
still managed to generate over 600 thousand dollars through its fundraising efforts.

The Foundation still has its work cut out.

The Hospital says its going to need over eight million dollars over the next five years
in capital projects and equipment purchases.

OPP officer charged

A veteran O-P-P officer in northwestern Ontario has been suspended from duty with pay

while he answers to charges of uttering threats and unauthorized
possession of firearms.

Investigators say an officer who was off duty in Terrace Bay is accused of uttering threats.

No details of the threat are being released to protect the identity of the victim.

Constable Gregory Sutton is to appear in Thunder Bay court on July 5th.

Internships for Northern Youth

Keeping our young people in the north.


That's the goal of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund's co-op and internship programs.

Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says employers find it beneficial to hire the region's youth.

Over 300 Northern youth are getting on-site job experience through internship and co-op placements.

Couchiching pleased with progress in talks

Couchiching First Nation is claiming victory after taking down a toll booth on Highway 11 Monday night.


Councillor Sarah Mainville says the decision came after getting assurances from the federal government over the contaminated lands issue.

Mainville says negotations over the Highway 11 land claim with both the federal and provincial governments will also take place

Old Fort William Tragedy

The coroner is investigating the death of a four-year-old girl following an accident at Fort
William Historical Park in Thunder Bay.

Willow Scott Hannam was on a field trip on Monday with her kindergarten class when a wagon rolled over her when a horse was startled.

The Lakehead School Board and the Ministry of Labor are also investigating the incident.

Lake levels stable despite rain

Despite all the rain this weekend, water levels on Lake of the Woods aren't expected

to rise very much in the next few days.

Rick Cousins is a spokesperson for the Lake of the Woods Control Board and say
the south end of the drainage basis is still quite dry.

Cousins says they expect the lake to rise three to five centimeters over the next
seven days.

Outflow from the Norman Dam will remain unchanged.

Couchiching Toll Booth removed

Members of the Couchiching First Nation have brought down a toll booth on Highway 11 near Fort Frances.

Band members removed the booth Monday night at about 9 p.m.

They opened the toll booth on May 21, charging $1 per vehicle to raise awareness about a highway land claim.

The band also called for funds to relocate six families living on what the band claims is contaminated soil from a former sawmill.

A band spokesperson says the reason for the removal of the toll booth will be explained in a statement later today.

Provincial police earlier said traffic flow was orderly through the toll with a minimal wait.

Big Fine for Building on Lake of the Woods

A Winnipeg man has been fined a total of nine thousand dollars for illegally building in the
Clearwater Bay area.

Ian Rentz was fined a thousand dollars for constructing a building without a work permit.

He was also fined four thousand dollars for continuing construction after receiving a stop work order from the Ministry of Natural Resources and another four grand for failing to comply with the terms and conditions of a work permit.

The court heard that in April of last year a Ministry of Natural Resources technician inspected Rentz’s cottage property on an island in Echo Bay on Lake of the Woods in Kenora.

Rentz was doing some construction work without a permit.

He was ordered to stop work until he obtained a work permit.

A month later a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer saw Rentz continuing to work on the structure despite the stop work order.

A few months later, Rentz received his work permit but failed to comply with its terms and conditions.

The area where Rentz was constructing the cottage is under a Restricted Area Order.

Fire Hazard Dropping

Rainfall over the weekend in much of Northwestern Ontario has helped ease the forest fire hazard.


Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Debbie McLean says the current hazard is listed as low to moderate.

McLean adds the forest fire hazard still remains high in the Quetico Park area where three fires are still burning.

With the fire hazard on the decline, MNR Fire Fighters are being sent to northeastern Ontario to deal with
wild fires there. 

Cancer Rates in the Northwest still high

Residents of Northwestern Ontario still live a lifestyle that poses a cancer risk.

The latest report card from Cancer Care Ontario indicates we smoke more than the provincial average and are more overweight as well.

Michael Power of the Regional Cancer Centre says even cutting down on smoking would help reduce rates considerably


The report card also shows the local Centre is doing a good job in cancer radiation treatment.

Site Plan approved for new Birchcliff Facility

Plans to build a new group home on the site of the former Our Lady of the Valley
School on Brinkman Road are a step closer.

Kenora City Council has given its approval to site plans for the property and
the building design.

Planning Assistant Tara Rickaby says local motorists and pedestrians will
notice some changes in the area.

Council is still waiting for the city solicitor to review the site plan
before giving it their full endorsement.

Saints soccer teams heading to OFSAA

Both of Thomas Aquinas soccer teams will be heading to the All-Ontario
Single A championships this week.

The Saints girls swept Terrace Bay on Friday in the NWOSSA championships
to advance to the OFSAA finals in Sudbury.

The T.A. Boys also advanced, getting by Marathon in their best-of-three
NWOSSA championships over the weekend.

The Saints boys are travelling to Windsor for the OFSAA finals on
Thursday.

OPP issue fines for cellphone use

The Kenora Detachment of the OPP says it has been issuing fines for


people who have been driving and using their cell-phones while driving.

Inspector Dave Lucas told the police services board this week that about
20 tickets have been issued locally.

The new law went into effect back in October of 2009.

The maximum fine for using a cellphone while driving is 500 dollars.

Bridge Tenders awarded

The City of Kenora will be spending just over 110 thousand dollars to find out how
much work will be needed to refurbish aging bridges.

Stantec Engineering from Winnipeg was chosen to carry out pre-design and detailed
design work on the Keewatin Channel and the Winnipeg River West Branch bridges.

Council held a special meeting on Friday to award the tender.

The cost of rehabiliting the bridges is expected to be several hundred thousand dollars.

Plane skids off runway

A scary incident at the Kenora Airport.

Friday afternoon a Piper single engine aircraft ran off the runway while
trying to land.

The OPP say rain and strong winds were to blame.

There were three people on board the airplane at the time, including
the pilot, but fortunately no-one was injured.

Police say the aircraft did sustain some damage as a result of
the incident.

Social Services tab pushes taxes up

Local residents are going to have to pay a bit more in taxes this year than first expected.

When city council passed the budget back in February, the Kenora District Services hadn't
approved its budget yet.

Now the city has been told it will need an extra 98 thousand dollars to cover the increased
levy for social services.

Councillor Dave McCann says the budget for the Services Board continues to rise, even though
the province is picking up more of the costs for social services.

For the average homeowner, another .54 percent is going to be added onto their tax bill
to cover the extra costs associated with the Services Board Budget.

Mental Health and Addictions report released

Mental health and addiction services are the two topics being studied by a new provincial government group.


An interim report has been released after several community meetings in northwestern Ontario.

Committee Member Sylvia Jones says they'll be bringing the information forward to the responsible ministries.

Jones says the remoteness of the communities consulted make it hard to provide mental health and addiction services.

Contact North gets Funding

Contact North is upgrading its facilities in the region thanks to the provincial taxpayer.


The distance education facility has been given 3 and a half million dollars from the McGuinty government to modernize it's video equipment.

CEO Maxim Jean-Louis calls it an upgrade and enhancement.

Jean-Louis says the government helps Contact North with upgrades on a regular basis.

Saints Soccer Teams vie for NWOSSA crowns

The Thomas Aquinas girls soccer team is a win away from advancing to the

provincial Single A championships next week in Sudbury.

The Saints blanked Terrace Bay 4-0.

Julia Withers, Sammy Burkhart, Kristen Hancock and Melissa White
each scored for T.A.

Game two of the best-of-three series is 9:00 this morning.

Meanwhile, the Saints boys soccer team is taking on Marathon in a best-of-three NWOSSA final.

Game one is scheduled for 10 this morning, with game two at 6:00 tonight.

The winner of the series will earn a berth to next weeks all-Ontario single "a"
championships in Windsor.

Wunnumin Lake Fatality

A coroner has determined the cause of death of a young Wunnumin Lake First Nation man.


Nishnawbe-Aski Police and OPP found the body of the 15-year-old at his home on May 19th.

A post-mortum revealed that Jared Angees died from the effects of propane gas.

No criminal charges are being laid.

MNR Battles Large Wildfire

Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews are trying to get a

handle on a massive wildfire near Pikangikum First Nation north of
Red Lake.

Two waterbombers and 15 FireRanger crews are battling the
three-thousand-hectare blaze 15 kilometres northeast of the
community.

The blaze was started by lightning earlier in the week.

The fire hazard is moderate through the central areas of
northwestern Ontario, with pockets of high to extreme areas in the
Red Lake, Thunder Bay and Nipigon districts.

Fines for illegal fishing on Lake of the Woods

A Minnesota lodge owner and several american anglers have been hit with

over 4 thousand dollars in fines for illegal walleye fishing on Lake of the Woods.

Back in march, conservation officers were patrolling an area near Oak Island
at the border between Canada and the U.S.

They noticed a number of anglers ice fishing in Ontario waters and then saw
a snowmobile transport their limit of eight walleye to the Angle Inn Lodge.

The same anglers then caught and kept another eight walleye.

Angle Inn Lodge owner Anthony Wandersee and another person were fined
15 hundred dollars.

Three anglers were also fined 500 dollars each for catching an overlimit of
walleye.

Bring back Spring Bear Hunt

The provincial government is being urged to bring back the spring bear

hunt.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters says its concerned with the
number of encounters that have been reported so far this spring.

Terry Quinney is a spokesperson for the OFAH and says they are
particularly concerned with reports about a couple of bear attacks in
                                                       central Ontario recently.

Quinney says the BearWise program operated by the Ministry of Natural
Resources has been a failure and has done nothing to deal with the
growing black bear population in the province.

Electronics Recycling Day

Its the first event of its kind in Kenora.


Ontario Electronic Stewardship is holding an recycling day
at the Waste Transfer Station on Barsky's Hill.

Carol Hochu is executive director of the agency and says they have
a number of electronic recycling depots across the province, but
very few in northwestern Ontario.

Hochu says they will be accepting a wide variety of electronic items,
including old TV's, cameras, telephones, cellphones, printers, keyboards
and computer monitors.

The electronic recycling day will take place from 9 to 5 tomorrow.

Bronco Girls winn Soccer Gold

A gold medal for Beaver Brae's girls soccer team.


The Broncos downed Fort Frances 4-1 yesterday in the
NorWOSSA gold medal game in Dryden.

Maddie Trudeau, Jade Melillo, Manon Magnan, and Sam Smith
all scored for Beaver Brae.

They are now off to the provincial championships next week in Sarnia.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas girls soccer team is in Terrace
Bay today for the start of the NWOSSA single "a" championships.

The first two games of the best-of-three series will be held today.

The Saints boys team is hosting Marathon in the NWOSSA finals
tomorrow at T.A.

Stanley Cup Wager

Kenora Mayor Len Compton is making a friendly wager with his Winnipeg

counterpart.

Mayor Sam Katz contacted Compton this morning and asked him to put a bet on the
Stanley Cup Play-offs.

Winnipeg is the home of Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, while Kenora
is home to Philadelpia Flyers Captain Mike Richards.

Katz says he'll take Compton for a fishing trip on Lake Winnipeg if Philadelphia wins,
while Compton promised Katz a day of fishing on Lake of the Woods if Chicago claims the cup.

The Stanley Cup Final begins Saturday night in Chicago.

Aboriginal Education Bursary

Northwestern Ontario's aboriginal students will now have access to a quarter million dollar endowment fund for post secondary education.


The fund was created by Ontario's transport medicine group "ORNGE" and the aviation company AgustaWestland.

Confederation College President Pat Lang is happy first nation students will have the extra funds to take part in their aviation courses.

The community endowment fund was announced at the College's Aviation Day and fly by demonstration of the Snow birds.

Policing Statistics released

The OPP says it will take about a year to see if their policing plan for the

City of Kenora is working.
Inspector Dave Lucas presented his monthly statistics to the police services
board yesterday.

He says there were just over 12 hundred calls for service in April, up slightly
from the month before.

He says much of the crime they see is still tied to local youths and also to
drug use.

He says these are areas they have specifically targeted in their 2010 business
plan.

Summer Jobs Funding

Employers looking to hire students this summer should have access to a bit more

funding.

The federal government says it will be making 198 thousand dollars available
this year in the Kenora Riding.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the goal is to create more than 70 summer
jobs in the riding.

Rickford says the government has committed about 20 thousand dollars
more to the summer jobs program this year, which translates to about
eight jobs.

Ice Fishing Fines

An ice fishing trip on Lake of the Woods has ended up costing 2-American anglers in excess of 19-hundred dollars.
Ronald Tobkin of Minnesota and Bruce Nereson of North Dakota were fined for catching and keeping 13-black crappies over their legal limit.

The men were stopped 2-months ago while bringing the fish back to the United States.

Conservation officers found 38 of the small fish in the anglers off-road vehicle.

Camping rates going up due to HST

It's going to cost a bit more to camp in a provincial park this summer.


Starting July 1st the harmonized sales tax will be tacked on to the cost of renting a camp site.

Ontario Parks Spokesperson Bruce Van Stalldinen says they don't think the extra tax will impact reservations.

The cost to rent a camp site ranges from 25 to 40 dollars.

The extra tax could mean an extra dollar sixty to three dollars on the final total.

Bronco Cheerleaders earn silver at Nationals

A silver lining for the Bronco Cheerleading squad at the first ever

national Cheerleading championships.

The Broncos were competing in the senior open school division in
Montreal.

After the first day, Beaver Brae was in third place.

But after their final round performance, they moved up to
second.

NorWOSSA Double "A" Soccer Finals

The NorWOSSA double "a" soccer finals take place today in Dryden.

The Beaver Brae boys are first up this morning at 9:30 when they take on
the host Eagles in semi-final action.

The winner will play Fort Frances in the final at 1:30.

Meanwhile, the Bronco girls have secured a bye into the gold medal
game this afternoon after finishing first in the regular season standings.

The girls final is scheduled for 3:30 this afternoon.

Hunters fined

Two men from Moonbeam, Ontario have been fined a total of 29-hundred dollars for illegal hunting at night on Highway 619 near Morson.


A Conservation officer was on routine patrol last November when the officer stopped a truck shortly after 7 o'clock.

A spotlight and firearm were seized the the men were arrested.

Yves Boissonneault and Donald Boulianne have also been banned from hunting for 4-years.

MNR monitors lightning strikes

The Ministry of Natural Resources is ramping up its fire-detection patrols in northwestern Ontario.

This, after a thunderstorm trekked across the region on Monday.

Fire information officer Mitch Miller in Dryden says there were over 50-thousand lightning strikes from northern Quetico Provincial Park to the south shore of Lake Nipigon.

He says some areas didn't get any rainfall and the lightning could spark fires.

AbitibiBowater Updates Bankruptcy plan

AbitibiBowater says its filed amendments to its plans aimed at exit bankruptcy protection to courts in Canada and the United States.


It's targeting this fall as a date to emerge from creditor protection.

The plan outlines on how creditor's claims will be handled.

The insolvent newsprint giant has been in bankruptcy protection since April of 2009.

Province approves Northern Energy Rebate

You can bank on a northern ontario energy rebate if you're deemed low or middle income.


The McGuinty Government passed the rebate legislation last Thursday.

Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says the legislation is here to stay.

Single Northerners could see up to 130 dollars, while families and single parents will get up to 200 dollars.

More fires over long weekend

Despite some wet weather, the Ministry of Natural Resources says there were eight new forest fires reported over the long weekend.

Blazes were reported in most districts including Fort Frances, Dryden and
Sioux Lookout.

The rain over the weekend did allow fire crews to declare four active fires
out.

The largest fire still burning in the area is 110 kilometers east of Red Lake, now
at 11 hundred hectares in size.

The MNR says it is concerned that all the lightning over the weekend could trigger
news fires in the region.

Gun Bill Vote in jeopardy

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says the Liberal opposition is doing everything it its power to stall a bill aimed at scrapping the Gun registry.


Rickford says all Liberals have been instructed to vote against the bill and notes the future of the registry lies in the hands of the NDP.

Rickford expects a third and final vote on the Bill in June.

Prime Minister Visits Kenora Riding

The prime minister of Canada seems to like the Kenora Riding.


Stephen Harper was in Dryden on Saturday for the airshow.

It was his fifth visit to the riding in the past three years.

Harper says he came in to help celebrate Dryden's 100th birthday.

Harper also thanked area Veterans for their service to Canada and the community.

The Prime Minister also made a major funding announcement for the Domtar Mill.

RCMP Investigates Falcon Lake Accident

Two people had to be taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital following
an early morning crash near Falcon Lake.

The RCMP say a head on collision involving an SUV and a passenger
vehicle took place about one kilometer west of the community on
Highway 1 around 3:30 Sunday morning.
The jaws of life were needed to extricate the driver and two passengers
from the vehicle, and they were transported to hospital in Kenora.

The two people inside the SUV were taken to hospital in Steinbach for
treatment.

Police say alcohol was not a factor in the collision.

The Trans-Canada was closed for about three hours due to the
accident.

Free Parks Passes

Enjoy Canada's Parks.


That's the message being delivered by Kenora MP Greg Rickford who is visiting area communities with a special gift in hand.

Rickford presented grade 8 students with a free pass for all national parks and historic sites in Canada.

Rickford says the initiaitve is a great way for youth to connect with our natural and historical treasuers.

Rickford made the announcement at Evergreen Public School and Thomas Aquinas School on Friday.

Grassy Blockade taken down

As one road block comes down in the region, another has gone up.


Treaty Three Police say a two day blockade on the Grassy Narrows First Nation has come
to a peaceful resolution.

A road block was set up last week at the entrance to the community on Highway 671.

Treaty Three Police were denied access to conduct general patrols due to a number of
policing concerns.

The deputy chief of the police service, met with community members Thursday afternoon.

Treaty Three Police have made a committment to look at Grassy's concerns over the next
few weeks.

Meanwhile, a toll booth was set up on Couchiching First Nation near Fort Frances late Friday
afternoon.

The band says its asking for a dollar per vehicle for any vehicle to gain access to Highway 11
in their community.

Its trying to get the federal and provincial government to address a number of issues in
the community.

So far, the OPP say there have been no incidents at the toll both, and delays have been
minimal over the weekend. 

Service Canada closures

Service Canada has announced plans to close several Employment Insurance Claim processing sites in Northern Ontario.

The sites slated for closure by 2014 include Kenora, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Timmins.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty isn't happy with the cuts and says they come at a bad time considering the economic situation in the region.


The move is meant to centralize services bringing the number of offices in the province down from 24 to 6.

Highway 71 open again

Highway 71 between Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls is open to traffic again

after being closed for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon.

A large sinkhole opened up in the road in the area of Cameron Lake.

The Ministry of Transportion was contacted and the problems was fixed
by about 6:30 last night.

Its believed a broken beaver dam caused the problem.

NorWOSSA Single "A" soccer play-offs today

The second season in the high school soccer league begins today.


The NorWOSSA single "a" championships take place in Red Lake.

The Thomas Aquinas Saints go into today's play-offs as the number one
ranked boys and girls teams after round-robin play.

The winners will move onto the NWOSSA championships next week.

Provincial Parks open for the Long Weekend

Provincial Parks in Ontario will be full of activity this May long weekend.
It's the opening weekend for camping, and an alcohol ban is in place at most of the provincial sites in the region.

Parks Spokesperson Barb Rees says the alcohol ban is in place at Blue Lake, Rushing River, Sleeping Giant, Aero Lake and Silver Falls until May 24th.

Fire Hazard on the rise

Things are starting to heat up in the bush.


The Ministry of Natural Resources says they are dealing with active fires in the region.

Fire Information Officer Debbie McLean says the hazard in the region is definitely on the rise.

While there isn't a restricted fire zone in place, the MNR is encouraging local residents to postpone any outdoor burning over the long weekend.

(Photo courtesy of the MNR)

Toll starts today on Couchiching First Nation

There is no backing down for Chief Chuck McPherson of the Couchiching First Nation.


Plans are in place for the band members to set up a toll booth tomorrow on a section of Highway 11 that runs through the community near Fort Frances.

Chief McPherson says he's taking a lot of heat for his position, but says it's a matter of priniciple

McPherson says he is prepared to go to jail for his stand.

Electronic Waste Recycling

Get ready to junk your old computers and TV's.


Kenora's waste transfer station will be holding a one day
electronics recycling campaign on Saturday, May 29th.

Councillor Dave McCann says they want to keep electronic
items out of the landfill if possible.

The Ontario Electric Stewardship is sponsoring the
one day recycling blitz.

There is only two electronic recycling depots in northwestern
Ontario and both are located in Thunder Bay.

Water Main Leak Fixed

                                                                                      
City work crews have been able to find and fix
a water main leak under the Safeway Bridge.

Crews have been working for the past couple of days to try and get to the problem area.

While crews continue to work at the scene, traffic is moving normally across the bridge over Laurenson's Creek after being reduced to one lane
over the past two days. 

BIZ Levy approved

The Kenora Business Improvement Zone will be getting another 48 thousand dollars

from its members this year.

Kenora City Council approved the 2010 levy at its open meeting this week.

Chair of the downtown BIZ, Kerick Funk says they currently have almost
300 members.

He adds they have a number of beautification projects this summer and will
be hiring a summer student to work on some of their initiatives.

Youth in Philanthropy

Eight community groups are 700 dollars richer today thanks to the Youth in

Philanthropy programs at both Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae high schools.

A granting ceremony took place yesterday where the cheques were handed out to
Triple Play, Saakaate House, The Cat Shelter and The Kenora Fellowship Center.

Rachel Sawatzky is a Beaver Brae student and says they actually expanded their
Youth In Philantropy program this year to include donations for victims of the earthquake in
Haiti

The Kenora Sexual Assault Center, the Breakfast for Learning program at Pope John Paul
School, the Lake of the Woods Railroaders Muesum and Iggy's Wildlife Rehabilitation
Center were also presented cheques yesterday.

Opposition to Forest Tenure Changes

The proposed forest tenure reform is the final nail in the forest industry's coffin.


That's the feeling of the Ontario Forest Industry Association.

President Jamie Lim says the government believes it's consulting stakeholders; but it's not.

The first public consultation session was held yesterday in Thunder Bay and another
one will be taking place today in Dryden.

Kenora Mayor Len Compton will be attending today's session.

NOMA opposed to Endangered Species Act

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is going to bat for the Ontario forest industry.


It's launched a letter writing campaign to exempt the industry from more red tape under the Endangered Species Act.

NOMA President Anne Krassilowsky says that forest companies are already required to file to identify threatened and endangered species when they prepare a Forest Management Plan.

NOMA has launched an email writing campaign to lobby the government on the issue.

Boreal Forest to be protected in the North

Canada's top pulp and paper companies and environmental groups who spent years fighting them have united in an unlikely alliance to protect 72 million hectares of threatened boreal forests in northern Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Forest Products Association of Canada president Avrim Lazar says Canada's troubled forest industry will adapt to a marketplace that is getting "more environmentally progressive."

Lazar said the former foes were able to trust each other after realizing the importance of compromise -- that loggers need trees to make a living, but that endangered caribou need a habitat to live.

NorWOSSA Soccer on tap today

One final tune-up for Beaver Brae's boys and girls soccer teams before the NorWOSSA finals next week.

The Broncos are hosting Dryden and Fort Frances in the final round-robin games before the finals next week.

Both Beaver Brae's boys and girls team are in second place in the
standings after the first two mini-tournaments.

The Broncos girls have seven points with two wins, a tie and a loss.

The Beaver Brae Boys have four points with one win, two losses and
a tie.

The Broncos take on Dryden this morning at 9:00 at the Tom Nabb Soccer
Complex.

In a Funk over Cigarette Butts

No butts about it.


There are too many discarded cigarettes littering Kenora streets.

That was the message by the Kenora Business Improvement Zone to city
council this week.

Kerick Funk is president of the BIZ and says something needs to be done
to address the unsightly litter.

Funk says he would also like the city to take action on the issue and come up with a plan to removing cigarette butts from local streets and sidewalks.

Committees on the Chopping Block

A number of committees in Kenora are going the way of the dodo bird.


City council has approved the elimination of a dozen standing committees.

Chief Administrative officer Bill Presentanz says they decided to cull committees that had become dormant or which have seen their duties transferred to other committees.

Some of the committees on the chopping block are the Kenora Health Providers,
the Kenora Port Authority, the Native Street Patrol Advisory committee and
the Sign Committee.

Forest Tenure meetings this week

The Ontario Government's forest tenure reform will be the main topic of discussion at a pair of meetings

this week.

The first public hearing will take place in Thunder Bay today before moving to Dryden tomorrow.

Harold Wilson is the chief operating officer of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce and says they're not sure what to make of the new initiative.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association has been very vocal against the plan and feels it will jeopardize the future of the industry.

Council says no to re-zoning for Ambulence Base

The ball is now back in the court of the Kenora District Services Board as it searches for a new land ambulence base in town.

Last night, Kenora City Council voted unanimously to turn down a re-zoning application for property on Railway Street to accommodate a new land ambulence base.

The property owner can appeal council's decision to the Ontario Muncipal Board, but there's been no indication yet from the District Services Board what its plans are now.

The board has been looking for a suitable location for a new land ambulence
base for several years now, with little success.

Save our tree

Kenora's Heritage Committee is looking at ways of designating a centuries old
tree in the Rideout area.

The eastern Cottonwood is growing in an alley between Mascott and Regina Avenues and is believed to be one of the largest trees of its kind in the province.

The cottonwood is over 300 years old and some residents in the neighborhood
are concerned about its future.

The Heritage Committee says while buildings can and have been designated
natural landscapes haven't received similar treatment yet.

Board members are now looking at options for protecting the tree.

More fires for the northwest

With the warmer weather comes an increased chance of forest fires.


The Ministry of Natural Resources is reminding the public to take precautions when burning outdoors.

Fire Information Officer Mitch Miller says crews responded to five new fires over past couple or
days.

The weather forecast is calling for hot dry weather for the next two weeks and MNR officials are keeping a close watch on the local conditions.

Fire causes extensive damage in Pinawa

Fire has caused about 1.5 million dollars damage to a motel in Pinawa, Manitoba.


The blaze broke out around 8:30 yesterday morning in the bar area of the building
and spread quickly.

While no-one was injured, police say two people were forced to flee the premises.


The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Manitoba Fire Commissioner's
Office and the RCMP.

Pinawa is located about 100 kilometers northwest of Kenora.

Health Coalition releases Hospital report

A report on rural and northern Ontario hospitals was released yesterday.


The Ontario Health Coalition penned the document that deals with health services.

Coalition spokesperson Barb Maki says they want to ensure all health services in the region stay intact.

Maki says the local health coalition will keep an eye out for any possible service cuts to emergency departments or other areas of care.

Sioux Narrows goes solar

Here comes the sun.

That's the new mantra of the Town of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls.

Its launching three solar energy projects this year.

Mayor Bill Thompson says its a good deal for his community.

Thompson says the whole project will cost about 500 thousand
dollars, but will have a pay back period of about six years.

Road Safety Week

National Road Safety Week starts today and OPP across our Region will be out in full force ensuring that drivers follow the rules.


16 people were killed on Northwestern Ontario roads last year and 364 injuries were reported.

9 people have died as a result of crashes on roads patrolled by OPP in the Northwest Region this year.

Land Ambulence Base in Kenora debated

The Kenora District Services Board will wait until Monday's Kenora City Council meeting before reacting to the long-standing land ambulance base debate in the community.


The issue was briefly discussed at the public meeting in Dryden Thursday.

Some Board members voiced frustration stating the issue has been on-going for roughly 9-years and has cost the Board 100-thousand dollars and that Kenora has been given enough time to make a decision.

They went on to add that the Services Board has done its due diligence in finding a suitable location and one member added that if Kenora Council can't make up its mind the Board will just build the base in unincorporat territory.

CAO Stain Leaf and Kenora Councilor Rory McMillan warned that both sides have concerns and need to sit down to discuss the issue.

By-Pass Clean-Up completed

It took a lot longer than expected to clean up a chemical spill on

Highway 17-A.

The OPP say a spill of strychnine pellets on the by-pass took over
24 hours to clean up.

The section of the by-pass between the Redditt Road and the Minaki
Highway was finally re-opened around 6:30 Saturday morning.

A Hazmat Unit from Winnipeg was called in deal with the situation.

Police say there was no danger to the public as a result of the spill.

Development Commission releases first quarter report

The Lake of the Woods Development Commission says it has a number of irons in the fire to improve the economy of the City of Kenora.

The Commission made its first quarter report to council last week and chair
Dennis Wallace says they are making positive strides in a number of directions.

He says forestry is still an important industry for Kenora and believes there will be
growth in the value-added sector.

Wallace adds that they have been able to secure a grant for 40 thousand dollars
to bring back a full winter carnival to the city next year.

Grassy Narrows wins more support

The Grassy Narrows First Nation and environmental group Earthroots are applauding a renewed commitment by Domtar to steer clear of the First Nation‘s traditional territory.


Domtar spokesperson Keith Ley says they do not procure wood from the Grassy Narrows traditional territory, nor do they intend to procure wood until the outstanding issues are resolved.

Domtar is the third major forest products company in the region to commit not to source wood from Grassy Narrows traditional territory following Boise‘s commitment in February 2008, and AbitibiBowater‘s commitment in June 2008.

However, Earthroots says Weyerhaeuser continues to press for access to wood regardless of the outcome of ongoing negotiations between Grassy Narrows and the province.

No Subsidy for Tournament for Cancer

Organizers of a summer hockey tournament which raises money for the

Canadian Cancer Society won't be getting any financial support from
the City of Kenora.

The second annual Kenora Hockey Kids for Cancer tournament will take place
at the Keewatin Arena at the end of August.

Organizers had requested a break on ice rentals for the weekend, but council
says at123 dollars an hour, the city already subsidizes ice times.

Councillors say even though the event is for a good cause, if they gave them
a break on ice rentals, they'd have to do the same thing for other groups.

Rec. Center Tender to be finalized

A local company has won a bid to install new sewer and water lines and a storm drain system

at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Norquip Construction had the lowest of four bids for the job at just over 600
thousand dollars.

The infrastructure work has to be completed before the parking lot at the Rec. Center
can finally be paved.

Councillor Dave McCann says the tender is about 250 thousand dollars lower than
any other bid on the project.

Chemical Spill on the By-Pass

A chemical spill is expected to keep the Kenora By-Pass closed for several more

hours.

A two vehicle collision involving a couple of tractor trailor units near the
intersection of Highway 17-A and the Minaki Highway took place around
2:00 this morning.

The OPP says both drivers sustained only minor injuries.

Miller Environmental Services has been called in to help clean up the
chemicals spilled in the collision.

Police says the section of the By-Pass between the Redditt Road and the
west entrance could be closed until at least noon today.

Environmental Education being encouraged

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is one of the first boards

in northern Ontario to adopt an Environmental Education Policy.

Trustees unanimously approved the policy at this week's board meeting.

Environmental Education leader, Kathy Boone says they've had a lot of
input.

Boone says the goal of the policy is to increase awareness and knowlege
and incorporate environmental education into the curriculum.

Services Board Budget Finally Passed

It took 6-months, 4-drafts and another 5-hours of debate yesterday, but the Kenora District Services Board has finally agreed on an acceptable 2010 budget.


After being instructed in March to trim the budget by 1-percent, staff came back with a document which included signficiant cuts in child care, ontario works, social housing and land ambulance.

Sten Lif  is the Chief Adminstrative Officer of the Services Board andsays Municipal Leaders agreed to maintain services.

If Board members had approved the March 18th budget, communities would have had to shell out roughly 200-thousand dollars less for social services.

Accident closes By-Pass

The OPP say a section of the Kenora By-Pass could be closed for several more hours

this morning.

A two vehicle collision took place near the intersection of Highway 17-A and the Minaki Highway
around 2:00 this morning.

Police say both drivers sustained minor injuries and an investigation into the cause of
the accident is continuing.

Currently the by-pass is closed at the Redditt Road and the west entrance to Highway 17-A.

The OPP say that section of the by-pass may be closed until at least noon.