Fire Hall Fit and Finish Funding sought

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department is seeking an additional
138 thousand dollars from the city to furnish the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says the Fit and Finish of the new building was never
included in the 5.9 million dollar construction budget.

Brinkman says the fire hall project is pretty much on budget, though the cost of
roofing is about 24 hundred dollars higher than projected.

Construction is expected to be complete by late August or early September.

Abitibi Restructuring Nearly Complete

AbitibiBowater could end nearly eighteen months of creditor and bankruptcy protection on October 1 if its restructuring plan wins creditor support next month.


A meeting on the plan takes place August 26th.

The plan would see unsecured creditors receiving between nothing and 48 per cent when their debt is converted to equity, depending on their class.

Current shareholders will walk away empty-handed.

Others fall somewhere in between, including workers who received no severance when their mills were shut over the past year.

Municipal Candidates Workshop

Anyone interested in running in the upcoming municipal elections in the fall can get a reality
check this week.

The Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring a special two hour session for potential candidates.

Andy Scribilo is the president of the chamber and says they just want to make sure
they have a good slate of candidates come October 25th.

The Candidates Session will take place tomorrow night at the Best Western Lakeside
Inn from 7 til 9.

Scribilo says you can pre-register by calling the chamber office or just show up at the
door.

Water Levels Rising

Water levels on Lake of the Woods have spiked in recent days due to all the
rain this past weekend.

The Lake of the Woods Control Board says the lake has risen about 10 centimeters
over the past three days.

Rick Cousins is a spokesperson for the control board and says as a result they will
be increasing outflow today from the Norman Dam into the Winnipeg River.

Cousins says water levels on the Winnipeg River below the Norman Dam could jump
about a foot this week due to the increase in outflows.

Drowning near Sprague

A 22 year old man is dead after drowining in a lake near the Manitoba/Ontario
border.

The RCMP say they were called to Moose Lake Provincial Park over the weekend.

Police say two men were having a swimming race near an unsupervised beach Sunday
afternoon.
One of the men began to tire and was unable to keep his head above water.

People at the beach spent about 15 minutes searching for the missing man, but
by the time they found him, he could not be resuscitated.

The Mounties says alcohol was not a factor in the drowning.

The name of the deceased won't be released until next of kin are notified.

Good turn-out for Blood Donor Clinic

It was a good turn-out on the first day of the Blood Donor Clinic at Thomas Aquinas
High School.

Canadian Blood Services says they had 152 people show up yesterday, donating 131 units of blood.

Harvey Heather from Canadian Blood Services says traditionally it difficult to get people
out to their summer blood donor clinics.

The Blood Donor Clinic will run from 9:30 to 12:30 today.

Blood Donor Clinic starts today

And Canadian Blood Services says they still have lots of appointment times avaiable for its Blood Donor Clinic in Kenora this week.
As many as 220 donors are expected over the next two days at Thomas Aquinas School.

Harvey Heather from Canadian Blood Services says its often difficult to get people
out to their summer blood donor clinics.

The Blood Donor Clinic will run from 4:30 this afternoon until 9:00 tonight and
then again tomorrow morning from 9:30 to 12:30.

Heritage Committee looks at protection for Rideout Cottonwood

Kenora's Heritage Committee is looking at a by-law that could protect an old tree in the north end of town.

The 300 year old eastern cottonwood in the Rideout area is one of oldest of its species in Ontario.

The Heritage Committee currently has by-laws which register and designate historical buildings and homes in Kenora, but nothing that can protect natural landscapes.

Committee members are currently looking into similar by-laws in communities elsewhere in Ontario.

A very wet weekend

It was a very wet weekend across northwestern Ontario, with the Kenora area
seeing the most rainfall.

About a months worth of rain fell in the city Saturday and Sunday,
while the Experimental Lakes area just east of the city had the largest
downpour, with 113.5 millimeters.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says were were expecting some rain this
past weekend, but perhaps not that much.

Sioux Narrows was also deluged with 94 millimeters of rain.

There was so much rain, that a section of Highway 71 just north of Sioux Narrows was covered in water, temporarily closing down that section of the road.

Kenora Judokas medal at Nationals

A couple of members of the Jaffray Melick Judo Club earned medals at the National Judo Championships
in Lethbridge over the weekend.

Kaitie Dennis led the medal parade with a pair of bronze medals.

Dennis placed third in both the Under 17 and Under 20 age groups, while Ben Dennis had to settle for a silver medal in the Under 15 division after a split decision in the gold medal match.

Luke Heatherington also completed in the Under 17 division and finished 5th in his weight group.

All four will remain in Lethbridge this week for the National training camp.

IJC agrees to management agreement on Lake of the Woods

The International Joint Commission has been asked to examine the development of a bi-national management of both Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake.

Canada's chair Joe Comuzzi says the review will first focus on a governance model for the two border waters.

A final report is expected by the end of 2011.

Work to begin this week on Redditt Washout

The Redditt Local Roads Board is hoping for some emergency funding from the province

to help cover the cost of a major road washout.

A section of the road just north of the CN train tracks washed out last weekend.

Work crews are expected to begin repairing the damage and installing a new culvert
today.

About 25 feet of road were washed away by heavy rains during the last weekend of
June.

Local residents living on the north side of the CN tracks have to use a detour to
get to their homes.

Body of missing man located in Rainy Lake

O-P-P divers have recovered the body of a man who had been missing since Canada Day after falling out of a boat on Rainy Lake.


The body of 43-year-old Robert Mainville of Couchiching First Nation was found in an area of Duck Bay, yesterday morning.

The search by provincial police had been ongoing since last Thursday night when Mainville and another man fell into the lake.

The other man, whom police have not identified, was found alive that night and taken to LaVerendrye Hospital in Fort Frances for treatment.

Kenora's newest street named

The City of Kenora now has a new street.

Mike Richards Way was officially dedicated Friday afternoon at
a special ceremony at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The street named after the Philadelphia Flyer Captain runs along
side the Rec. Center.

Richards says he was surprised by the honor.

Richards is now gearing up for his Charity Golf Tournament
later this month at the Kenora Golf and Country Club.

He says a number of his Flyer team mates and at least one
member of the Chicago Black Hawks will be attending.

Fort Frances Plane Crash

No injuries are being reported from the crash of a float plane in Rainy River yesterday morning.


It happened in front of several people who were lined-up along the Fort Frances waterfront for the Canada Day parade.

The plane end up on its side several feet from the American side of the river with only its tail and left wing showing.

The cause of the accident is not immediately known, but a witnesses suggest that a strong wind at the time may have been a contributing factor.

American Tourists Found after Five Days in the Bush

A couple of american tourists are safe and sound after being lost in the bush in

northwestern Ontario for five days.

The married couple from Washington State had been flown into a camp on a remote
lake about 96 miles north of Red Lake on June 19th.

On June 24th, they suffered boat problems and were stranded downstream from their
cabin on Critchell Lake.

They stayed on the shoreline for five days until they were finally reported missing to
the OPP on June 29th.

The next day, the 67 year old couple were found after a joint search by a Ministry of
Natural Resources helicopter, an OPP Emergency Response Team and the tourist
outfitter.

The couple and their golden retriever are in stable condition, though the woman was
taken to hospital in Red Lake for observation.

More Special Events this weekend

The special events just keep rolling in Kenora.

After a spectacular fireworks display in Keewatin last
night, attention shifts to the harbortown area of Kenora
for the next two days.

Tonight the Winnipeg Symphony makes its annual summer time
return to the Big Tent.

And tomorrow, the Kenora BIZ will be celebrating National Aboriginal
Solidarity Day.

Events will be taking place downtown all afternoon, with
entertainment in the evening.

There will also be another fireworks display at 10:45 Saturday
night.

NOMA responds to Forest Tenure Changes

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association has mixed feelings about the

provincial government's plan to overhaul the forest tenure system.

Public meetings were held in May over a proposal to set up corporations
to handle forest management issues.

Anne Krassilowski is president of NOMA and says each community in the
region has different ideas on what they want to be done, but all are united
in the fact that they don't want any limits on the access to wood fiber.

Krassilowski says their main goal is to ensure that no more mills in northwestern
Ontario are closed as a result in changes to the forest tenure system.

Dedication Ceremony for Mike Richards

And it took a long time to organize, but Mike Richards will officially be recognized for

winning the gold medal at the Olympics this past February in Vancouver.

A ceremony honoring our Winter Olympian will take place at noon today at the Kenora
Rec. Center.

Richards won gold as a member of the Canadian Men's Hockey team.

He also captained the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals last
month.

Everyone in the community is welcome to attend this afternoon's public event.

Redditt Washout

No word as to when a gaping hole in a roadway in Redditt will finally be

repaired.

A 25 foot section of the road just north of the CN rail line washed out last

weekend.

High water caused the washout and has also pushed water levels on

Basket Lake over its banks.

The lake has flooded a small portion of the road just north of the Baily Bridge.

For the time being, local residents who want to get from the south side of
the community to the north side have use a detour along the English River
road to the old dump road.

A section of the English River Road also washed out last weekend about

50 kilometers north of Redditt.

Accident closes Trans-Canada east of Dryden

OPP are investigating a collision on Highway 17 between Dryden and Ignace.


A collision between a semi-tractor trailor unit and a pick-up about 3 kilometers west of
Baskett Lake closed the Trans-Canada down for several hours yesterday.

When fire and rescue crews arrived at the scene, they found the tractor unit rolled over in the ditch, and the trailer partially across one lane of the highway.

The driver was removed from the vehicle with unspecified injuries.

The second vehicle involved in the head-on collision was a half ton truck that was cut in half on impact.

The driver was rescued from the burning halfton and transported to Dryden Regional Health Center.

Municipal Insurance tender approved

The City of Kenora will be staying with the Standard Insurance Brokers for its
municipal insurance policy.

Council held a special meeting Tuesday to approve insurance coverage for the next
year, starting July 1st.

The Standard came in with a price of 303 thousand dollars this year.

That's down slightly from last year's rate, which came in at 308 thousand
dollars.

Body located in Rainy Lake

The OPP in Fort Frances say the body of a 24 year old man who disappeared in Rainy Lake over
the weekend has been found.

The Underwater Search and Recovery Unit located the body of Clayton Windigo, no far from
where he disappeared on Sunday night.

Windigo had been diving off the Bears Pass Bridge with friends, just off Highway 11.

He entered the water around 8:30 Sunday night and failed to re-surface.

His body was pulled out of the water around 11:00 yesterday morning.

Keewatin Hosts Canada Day

Its going to be a busy couple of days in the Kenora area.


Canada Day Celebrations will be taking place tomorrow and all the events
this year will be in Keewatin.

Sharon Smith from the Keewatin B.I.Z. says they are excited to be hosting
July 1st celebrations tomorrow.

Events get underway starting at 9:00 tomorrow morning, culiminating with the
fireworks display at 10:00 over Portage Bay.

Organizers are reminding visitors that Ottawa Street will be closed to traffic
from 9:00 in the morning until 2:00.

Tourism Marketing working

Tourism Kenora says its pleased with the results of its latest marketing campaigns.


Two marketing campaigns have targeted the Winnipeg and southern Manitoba markets
over the past two months.

Tourism Development Officer, Heather Paterson says response to the campaigns has
been very positive.

The Escape to Ontario campaign was funded in part by the Ontario Tourism Marketing
Partnership, with Kenora acting as the lead.

The other campaign is called Choose Your Adventure and directs people to the
Stay In Kenora website.

Traffic Meetings

Something needs to be done to make Main Street South more pedestrian
friendly.

That seemed to be the prevailing feeling from a public meeting held this
morning on the downtown traffic design.

Maria Bagdonis from Young Drivers of Canada says there are definite
traffic issues with the Kenricia Corner.

Operations Manager Rick Perchuck says he's not keen to make changes to the
pedestrian cross-walks along Main Street, but suggests the left turn onto
1st Street South could be eliminated to move traffic more smoothly during
peak periods.

Missing Man in Rainy Lake

The OPP in Fort Frances are continuing their search for a man missing in the Bears Pass area of

Rainy River.

Police say a young man was diving with friends off a bridge on Highway #11 around 8:30 Sunday night,
when he failed to re-surface.

A marine patrol unit and other officers have been searching the area over the past couple of days, but have been unable to locate the missing man.

Other resources are being brought in today to help out with the search.

The name of the missing person has not yet been released by police.

Youth arrested for Vehicle Break-ins

The OPP say two 16 year old male suspects have been arrested in connection to a string

of vehicle break-ins.

Last week, the two youth were arrested after police responded to a report of someone
breaking into vehicles in the Donbrock Drive area.

After further investigation, it was determined the duo were responsible for a number of
vehicle break-ins over the past couple of months.

The OPP say they culprits targeted unlocked vehicles where valuables were out in
plain sight.

New Job at Separate School Board

The Kenora Catholic District School Board has added another person to its administrative

team.

The board recently appointed Mary Cunningham as its School Effectiveness Leader.

Acting Director of Education, Kevin Debnam says the province has provided funding for
the position and its up to each school board to decide how to use it.

Cunningham was the board's Curriculum Co-ordinator, and Debnam says they will now
post that job to find a replacement.

Special Council Meetings

Kenora City Council will be holding a couple of special meetings today.


First up is a public meeting to deal with the traffic alignment in downtown
Kenora.

Two sessions are scheduled to take place.

One at 8:00 and the other at 2:00.

Council wants feed back on the current traffic flow, and ideas that might reduce
vehicle backlogs.

Another meeting will take place at noon to award the city's insurance contract
for this year.

Rifle incident ends peacefully

A 15 was questioned by police after the area around Valleyview School

was surrounded by police.

The OPP were told that there was a man on the roof of the school with a gun around 2:30
Monday afternoon.

Local residents were notified of the situation and told to stay inside their homes.

A short time later the suspect came down off the roof and was approached by police.

He took officers into an area in the bush where three other rifles were hidden.

The OPP say the rifles were actualy turned out to be soft air guns, which are manufactured to look like
assault rifles.

Its believed the youth was playing war games with some friends in the area.

Leo Bernier Passes Away

He was called the Emperor of the North.

Legendary provincial politician Leo Bernier has passed away at the
age of 81.

Bernier represented the old Kenora riding from 1966 to 1987.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton says Bernier will be fondly
remembered.

Bernier served as Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister of
Lands and Forests in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.

Weekend forest fires

Despite cool, rainy conditions over the weekend, MNR fire crews had to

battle a number of new wild fires in the region.

Most of the action has been in the far north in the Sioux Lookout and
Nipigon Districts.

One new fire is burning about five kilometers north of Muskrat Dam.

Its about 24 hectares in size and is not under control.

Fire crews were also notified about some day burning taking place
on Lake of the Woods.

While campfires are allowed during the day, brush and grass burning is
not.

The fire hazard is listed as low to moderate across much of the region,
but high in the far north.

Treaty Three upset at charges

Grand Council Treaty #3 says its disappointed that the OPP have filed charges

against a 39 year old Grassy Narrows woman following a confrontation with
police in downtown Kenora.

Helen Proulx was shot after she brandished a knife at an officer on June 7th.

Grand Chief Diane Kelly says the charges betray the spirit of discussions they
have been having with the OPP regarding the shooting incident.

Inspector Dave Lucas of the Kenora Detachment says he met with the Grand Chief
and the chief of Grassy Narrows, prior to the charges being laid.

Public school Principals and VP's get raise

Principals and vice-principals with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board will be getting raises this year.


At a special board meeting this week, trustees approved wage increases in line with what unionized staff will get.

Superintendant of Business Dean Carrie says the salary increases are not included in the province's wage freeze legislation.

Carrie says the wage increases will amount to about three percent this year.

OPP respond to Treaty Three

The OPP say they have been meeting with local aboriginal leaders about their
concerns following the shooting of a 39 year old Grassy Narrows woman in
downtown Kenora earlier this month.

Inspector Dave Lucas of the Kenora Detachment says he met with both the chief of
Grassy Narrows and the Grand Chief of Treaty Three last week.

The shooting of Helen Proulx is still under investigation by the SIU.

She was charged last week with assaulting a police officer, uttering
threats and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public.

Roads open after wash outs

Two roads in the Kenora area that were washed out over the weekend are are open
to traffic this morning.

Highway 525 to Whitedog was closed part of yesterday due to a washout about two
kilometers north of the Minaki Highway.

Its now listed at open.

Highway 671 to Grassy Narrows is also open after being washed out
about 58 kilometers north of the Kenora By-Pass.

NOSM Strat Plan Released

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has a vision for the next five years.

Officials have taken the wraps off the new strategic plan.

Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says that the priorities include enhancing the schools education program and research plans

Dr. Strasser believes the goals are achievable.

The medical school places eight second year students in Kenora each year as part of its training program. 

Public School Board Plans Budget Review

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is planning to do a complete
review of its finances this fall.

That in the wake of a 1.5 million dollar deficit in this year's budget.

Superintendant of Finance, Dean Carrie says they can't afford to rack up
deficits each year, so they need to find ways of reducing costs.

Carrie says they were able to cover their red ink this year by taking from
from reserves, but that's not sustainable in the long term.

All-Day Kindergarten popular at St. Louis

The Kenora Catholic District School Board says its had good response

to its all-day junior and senior Kindergarten classes at St. Louis school.

The all-day classes will begin in the fall, and acting director of education,
Kevin Debnam says they will have a full complement of students in the
program.

42 kids have been signed up for junior and senior kindergarten classes.

He adds that they will also be working with a third party to provide before
and after class supervision.

City offers free land for Ambulence Base

With both the City of Kenora and the Kenora District Services Board divided on a suitable location for a new Land Ambulance Base, Kenora Council has offered free property on Barsky's Hill.


In a letter to the KDSB, Mayor Len Compton offers property located in the 14th Street North and Mellick Avenue area, at no cost to the Board.

The Board has formed a Task Force to work with the City on the proposed site.

However, some Unincorporated members are concerned with some of the wording in the letter.

Compton writes the property may provide a unique opportunity for an integrated emergency service delivery model in the future.

One member stressed the KDSB is not looking to integrate emergency services.

Battle over Land Ambulence Base Continues

The Political battle between the Kenora District Services Board and the City of Kenora over the location of a new land ambulance base continues.


Frustrations peaked once again at the Annual Board meeting in Dryden Thursday as a motion was presented to members.

The motion went into great detail how efforts to acquire property in the City have been met with resistence and opposition at every opportunity and that the Board should look outside the City to build.

Bill Blower moved the motion and admits it was the build-up of 10-years of frustration.

Kenora Councilor Rory McMillan says the City has been more then open to suggestions and notes they have their own concerns.

McMillan says Council wants to see a central location for the base, given that 64-percent of their high priority calls are in Town.

The resolution was defeated by the Board.

Timmins Hunter Fined

A Timmins Ontario man has been banned from hunting for one year for shooting a deer on private property.


Sylvain Gravel was charged last year after admitting to shooting the deer to a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer who was investigating a complaint of a hunter trespassing on private land near Split Rock Rock in Sifton township, northeast of Fort Frances.

Gravel was also fined three-thousand dollars.

Police release name of North Spirit Lake man

The name of the North Spirit Lake First Nation man who died a week after being taken into Red Lake OPP custody has been released.


The Special Investigations Unit says 41-year-old Dalius Kakekagumick passed away at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Monday.

The Unit has so far identified one officer and eightwitnesses as part of its investigation.

The SIU has not said why Kakekagumick was taken into custody, or the cause of death.

Hampton opposes SuperCorp

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is not impressed with what he calls is the latest McGuinty Government "scheme".

The Liberals are looking at selling portions of Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation, Ontario Lottery and the Liquor Control Board to raise money.

Hampton says Ontario residents have seen this movie before.

The NDP member calls it a pre-election bribe, using taxpayer dollars.

Safe Grad ready to roll

Graduation ceremonies for both Beaver Brae and Thomas Aquinas students will take place

this evening.

Following the individual ceremonies, all the graduates are invited to the Kenora Rec. Center for
the 10th annual Safe Grad celebrations.

Warren Brinkman is chair of Safe Grad and says they are keeping their 10th anniversary plans
under wraps right now.

Brinkman says graduates from Wabaseemung, Grassy Narrows and Whitefish Bay have also
been invited to attend the Safe Grad celebrations.

Events will be going on all night long at the Rec. Center.

Catholic School Board approves Budget

Both local school boards are planning to run deficits in the upcoming school year.

The Kenora Catholic District School Board approved its 2010/2011 budget last night.

It includes a 56 thousand dollar shortfall.
Erica Baily is the finance manager for the separate school board and says transportation
costs are the main reason behind this years deficit.

Total spending for the Catholic School Board next year will be about 19 million dollars.

Earlier this week, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board announced it would also
be operating with a 1.5 million dollar deficit in the next school year.

OPP lay charges against Grassy Narrows woman

A 39 year old Grassy Narrows Woman faces four charges stemming from an incident
over two weeks ago in downtown Kenora that resulted in her being shot by police.

The OPP say that Helen Proulx is charged with assault with a weapon, assaulting
police, uttering death threats and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public peace.

OPP seargant Shelley Garr says its unclear when Proulx will be able to face the
charges in court because she's still recovering from her injuries in hospital.

Proulx was shot by an OPP officer on June 7th on 1st Street South.

The incident is also under investigation by the Special Investigations Unit.

Rickford reflects on last session of Parliament

Members of Parliament are on their Summer break and the MP for Kenora believes a lot was accomplished during the recent session.

Greg Rickford says it took some time, but everyone learned to get along in the end.

Rickford notes key Legislation related to free trade, immigration, employment insurance and parole eligibility all passed in the House of Commons.

Smoke gets in your Eyes

A shift in the wind direction has brought with it an unpleasant air mass to the region.
Late yesterday afternoon, smoke from fires burning in northern Manitoba
started wafting into northwestern Ontario.

Both the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Kenora Fire Department have
received calls from local residents wondering where the smoke was coming from.

About 40 fire rangers from northwestern Ontario are in northern Manitoba battling
wild fires there.

The fire situation in this region remains very quiet.

Just one new blaze was reported yesterday in the Thunder Bay District.

Whitedog resident tasered

Treaty Three Police say they had to use a taser in order to de-fuse a domestic situation on the Wabaseemung First Nation.

Police were called out just before midnight on June 18th to a home on Whitedog.

Officers say they witnessed man holding a weapon to a woman's neck.

They entered the house and told the man to drop his weapon.

He refused and as a result, the suspect was tasered.

He was taken into custody without injury.

32 year old William Boyd has been charged with assault with a weapon,
possession of a weapon, uttering threats and forcible confinement.

He's due to appear in Kenora Court later this morning.

Children's Aid Merge proposed

Two northwestern Ontario children's aid agencies are awaiting provincial approval to merge as one.

The proposal would see Kenora-Patricia Child and Family Services and Family and Children Services Rainy River become one agency in April 2011.

Rainy River board chair Bob McGreevy feels the move would be serve the region.

McGreevy says the province is supportive of the concept in principal, but has asked for more information before giving its blessing to the merger.

Farmer's Market Back

The farmer's market its making its annual return to the Kenora Harborfront this morning.

There will be 65 vendors under the big tent each Wednesday during the summer.

Buck Matiowski is the city's special events co-ordinator and says they have been working
to get more artisan's involved in the market.

The farmer's market opens at 9:30 this morning and will run until about 2:30 this
afternoon.

It will run on the Harborfront until the middle of October.

Chiefs of Ontario meet near Fort Frances

The top aboriginal leaders in Ontario have gathered on the Couchiching First Nation near Fort Frances

for their annual meeting.

Grand Chief of Treaty #3, Diane Kelly says she's looking forward to hearing the discussion around
revenue sharing.

The three day Chiefs of Ontario Conference will wrap up tomorrow.

Falcon Lake Accident

Five people were taken to hospital following a head-on collision on Highway #1 near Falcon Lake.


The accident took place yesterday afternoon shortly after 3:00 on the two-lane portion of
the roadway.
The RCMP say a westbound vehicle crossed the center line and crashed into an eastbound car.

Police say three people were in the westbound Chevy Malibu and two people were a Pontiac G-6.

They were taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital and St. Anne Hospital in Manitoba for
treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The Trans-Canada at Falcon Lake was closed for about two hours as a result of the collision.

OPP charge impaired boater

The OPP says a 19 year old Kenora man has been charged with impaired driving
after the boat he was driving overturned on Lake of the Woods.

Police were called out around 2:00 Sunday morning, after getting a report that
a boat had flipped over on the south side of Treaty Island.

When emergency service personnel arrived on the scene, they discovered five people
had been in the boat, but all made it to shore.

The OPP say further investigation showed the driver of the boat had been drinking
and also faces a number of charges under the Canada Shipping Act.

He's due to appear in Kenora Court at the end of July to answer the charges.

Public School Board Enrolment expected to decline

Enrolment is expected to decline in the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board once again this fall.

The board is projecting almost 300 fewer students for the 2010/2011 school year.
Superintendant of Business, Dean Carrie says that will have an impact on their
bottom line next year.

The school board expects enrolment will be just over five thousand students in
September, down from the current level of 53 hundred.

No Monopoly space for Kenora

Do not pass go and do not collect 200 dollars.

The City of Kenora has failed in its bid to earn a place on the newest
Canadian Edition of Monopoly.

Hasbro announced the 22 communities that will get a spot on the  newly designed board.

In the wild card race, Kenora was beaten out by        Beauceville, Quebec.

The only community from northern Ontario on the board is North Bay.

Keewatin-Patricia School Board expects to run a deficit

For the first time ever, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is planning to

run a deficit to operate its schools across the region this year.

Trustees approved the 2010/2011 budget at a special meeting last night and
it calls for a deficit of about 1.5 million dollars.

Superintendant of Finance Dean Carrie says there are a number of reasons why they
will be operating in the red this year, but the biggest cause is special education programs.

Carrie says they will be able to cover off their deficit through money they have
in reserve funds.

He adds that the Ministry of Education has approved their deficit spending estimates
for the next school year.

SIU investigates Red Lake fatality

The Ontario Special Investigations Unit has been called in to investigate

fatality involving a 41 year old man from the North Spirit Lake First Nation.

The SIU says the man was picked up by the OPP from the Red Lake Detachment
last Monday.

Later in the day he had to be taken to the hospital in Red Lake and then was
transferred to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Center.

Yesterday, the man died.

The SIU says four of its investigators are being sent to Red Lake to look
into the incident.

The SIU is called in any time someone dies while in police custody.

Eye Van Offers new programs this summer

There will be a new service offered when the Canadian National Institute for the Blind brings its Eye Van to northwestern Ontario next month.


Executive Director Monique Pilkington says people will able to screened for diabetes.

Pilkington says the service will be offered as a drop-in one when the Eye Van rolls through Kenora
the first week of August.

Rafferty on end of session

Thunder Bay-Rainy River M-P John Rafferty says the recent session of Parliament was filled with plenty of highs and lows.


M-P's began their 12-week summer break on Friday.

Rafferty says a positive for him was the approval of his private members bill on workers pensions to the committee level.