Forest Fire Update

Extreme weather conditions caused fire activity to surge over the past few days. There are now 45 active fires in the Northwest region affecting an area of 479,874 hectares. Fourteen of which burning in Sioux Lookout , seven in Fort Frances and four here in Kenora.

McKay opens campaign offices

The Conservative Candidate in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding says he's not impressed with the Northern Ontario platforms of the Liberals or the NDP.

Both parties released their election plans for this region last week.

Rod McKay says in less than a week on the campaign trail, there are really only two issues local residents seem to be interested in.

McKay will be opening his campaign office in Kenora this afternoon in the old Town and Country building on 2nd Street South.

Smoke drifting in from out west

The smell of smoke in the Kenora area over the past few days is from fires far away in the U.S. Northwest.

An MNR Spokesperson says they received numerous calls about the smell and haze but note its not from this area.

Meanwhile, the hot and dry weather of the weekend will give way to cool and damp conditions in the coming week, with daytime highs of just 7 degrees expected by Wednesday.

Blood Donor Clinic today and tomorrow

There's a high demand for blood in Northwestern Ontario so Canadian Blood Services is hoping for a

good turn-out for their blood donor clinic this week.

Harvey Heather from Canadian Blood Services says the process is virtually painless and only takes about an hour

The Blood Donor Clinic takes places at St Thomas Aquinas High School tonight from 4:30 to 9 and again tomorrow 9 am to 12:30.

Body Found in Sioux Lookout

Little is known about a body that has been found in Sioux Lookout.

Sergeant Shelly Garr is with the OPP Northwest Regional Headquarters in Thunder Bay.

Garr says the body of a 30-year-old man was located behind the Water Treatment Plant on Saturday.

The cause of death has not been determined.

A post-mortem was held yesterday but the results are not known.

Rafferty Eyes NDP leadership

Thunder Bay-Rainy River M.P. John Rafferty is flirting with the idea of becoming the leader of the NDP.

Rafferty says several people have suggested he enter the race, prompting him to post on his Facebook site to solicit further input.

Rafferty admits the biggest challenge would be money.

Candidates must ante up 15thousand dollars to enter with campaigns running upwards of half a million dollars.

Northern Heritage lands a Candidate in Kenora-Rainy River

Then there were five.

Another candidate has thrown her hat into the ring for the October 6th provincial election in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

Charmaine Romaniuk filed her nomination papers yesterday to run for the Northern Ontario Heritage Party.

Ed Deibel is the party leader and says they now have two candidates who can raise issues that are important to northerners.

The other candidate for the party is running in the Timmins-Cochrane Riding.

NDP Leader

A long-time NDP insider may be the first to formally enter the race to replace the late Jack Layton.

Party president Brian Topp is scheduled to make an announcement this morning in Ottawa.

He'll be joined by NDP MP Francoise Boivin.Topp's name surfaced early as a possible contender in the NDP leadership race.

The fully-bilingual Montrealer has worked in NDP backrooms for years, and was a close confidant to Layton, who died last month of cancer.

The NDP is set to hold a caucus retreat starting tomorrow in Quebec City.

Distracted Driving

Ontario Provincial Police are launching their latest blitz on drivers phoning and texting behind the wheel.

This week's campaign is called ``Phone in one hand, Ticket in the other.''

Police say distracted driving has been identified as a factor in almost 5,000 collisions on roads and highways patrolled by the provincial force so far this year.Officials say hundreds of people have close calls every day, but drivers continue to use cellphones while driving.

During the first seven months of this year, provincial police handed out more than twice the number of tickets for distracted driving compared with the same period in 2010.

The fine for talking on a cellphone or texting while driving is $155, while watching an entertainment device while behind the wheel carries a fine of $110.

Loonie

The Canadian dollar briefly slipped below parity with its U-S

counterpart this morning for the first time since January 31st.

The loonie fell 53-100ths of a cent -- to 99.87 cents U-S -- that's

before it rebounded back to 100.19 cents U-S.

All-Candidate Forum

The Provincial candidates in Kenora-Rainy River are preparing for two All-Candidate debates.

The first session is at 7 PM on September 15th at the Royal Canadian Legion in Dryden.

Rod McKay of the Conservatives, Anthony Leek of the Liberals, Sarah Campbell of the NDP and Jo Jo Holiday of the Green Party are all expected to participate.

The second forum is in Kenora on September 20th.

Train Collision

No reported injuries, but plenty of debris, after a train collided with a truck on Saturday.

Following an investigation Dryden OPP have charged 35-year-old Sean Warren with impaired operation of a motor vehicle, operation of a motor vehicle with more than 80-millgrams of alcohol in his blood and failing to remain at the scene of a crash.


Warren has been released and will appear in Court on September 26th.

His licence has been suspended for 90-days.

Weather Record

It was a beautiful weekend across the Northwest, with several records falling.

Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and Ear Falls all reached record high temperatures on Friday and Saturday.

Red Lake was the hot spot at 30.7-degrees on Friday.

Here in Kenora we started the weekend by breaking records set in 1982 reaching highs of 29.7 degrees on Friday.

Alarmed For Life

Don't be alarmed to find fire trucks and firefighters in your neighborhood September 13th 2011. The Kenora Fire and Emergency Services will be out in the Norman area tomorrow between 6:30-8:30 PM. They will be knocking on doors and making sure you have a working smoke alarm and that they're properly installed. During the canvass, or anytime the Fire Service is invited in to inspect a home, firefighter will not be issuing tickets to residents, but will show them how to bring their home up to Code and optimize safety.

Forest Fire Update

Ontario’s fire season isn’t over yet.There were 32-new forest fires over the past 3-days in Northwestern Ontario.Conditions were extreme with high winds and drought-like conditions.

Several fires that were quiet came back to life including Red Lake number 84.The Ministry of Natural Resources says despite aggressive air and ground attack, a commercial outpost cabin was lost on Gull Lake.


Help is on the way with cool and damp conditions in the forecast. There are 51-active fires in this region.

Kienan Hebert

The family of a three-year-old boy abducted from his bed last Wednesday in Sparwood, B-C, is thanking the abductor for bringing him home.

The weeping parents of Kienan Hebert addressed the media yesterday, just hours after their little boy was returned home.

Paul Hebert directed his comments at a 46-year-old suspect, saying Randy Hopley did the right thing.

Police received an anonymous 9-1-1 call at 3 a-m telling them where to find the boy, who had been sneaked back into the home. Doctors said he was unharmed and in good spirits.

The R-C-M-P has again made a plea to Hopley to turn himself in.

Broncos win season opener

Beaver Brae's football team is off to a winning start to the 2011 season in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

The Broncos edged the Steinbach Sabres 13-12 Friday afternoon in Steinbach.

Jordan Davis scored both majors for Beaver Brae.

The Broncos now have a bye week before playing their next game.

They will take on the Miles MacDonnell Buckeyes at home on September 23rd.

Northern Ontario Heritage Party a no-go?

Its doesn't look as if the Northern Ontario Heritage Party is going to be a force in provincial politics this year.

The party had hoped to run as many as 11 candidates in the election, but Party President Ed Deibel says as of today they don't have anyone ready to file nomination papers.

Deibel says if they don't have at least two candidates nominated they will have to de-register the party.

9/11 Ceremony Being Held Sunday

Emergency service workers in Kenora will be remembering the 9/11 terror attacks this sunday.

They're also inviting the public to join them for a modest ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

The assembly will take place beneath the flag pole at the District #1 fire station on Barsky's Hill at approximately 8:45 AM - this sunday september 11th.

Record Temperatures Recorded in Kenora.

The City of Kenora could be in store for some record weather over the next few days.

Temperatures are expected to soar to 29 degrees for the next two days.

In fact, Kenora set a weather record yesterday..

The thermometer hit 29.2 out at the airport, which just barely broke the previous high for September 8th of 28.8 degrees.

That record was set back in 2003.

Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Ear Falls also set temperature records Thursday.

All-Canddiates forum slated for later this month in Kenora

The first all-candidates forum for the provincial election will be taking place in Kenora later this month.

The Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce has invited all four candidates to talk about the issues at a special meeting on September 20th.

The candidates in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding have been asked to talk about sustaining and growing business in Kenora.

The forum is scheduled to take place at the Minis Hall in the Super 8 Motel at 7:00 in the evening.

Nominations Open for NOVA awards

The Kenora Young Professionals Network is accepting applications for the first ever Northwestern Ontario Visionary Awards.

Mike Greaves chairs the network and says it's away to celebrate the rich array of young talent in the region.

The awards will recognize the top 20 under the age of 40 in northwestern Ontario at a special banquet in January.

NDP Demands more Attention for Northern Ontario

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is in northern Ontario today bringing her message of change to communities hit hard by the recession.

Horwath says it's time northern Ontario was paid proper attention at Queen's Park.

New Democrats say they will make industrial hydro rates more competitive to maintain jobs.

Broncos Open Football Season in Steinbach This Afternoon

Another football season kicks off this afternoon for Beaver Brae.

The Broncos open the regular season on the road against the Steinbach Sabres.

Last year, the expansion Sabres failed to win a game but Broncos head coach Chris Penner says they aren't taking Steinbach lightly.

Game time is 3:00 in Steinbach.

NDP Leader

The federal N-D-P's brass meets in Ottawa today to start laying the groundwork for a convention to pick a new leader.

Among other things, a date and location for the convention will likely be selected, and some of the ground rules are expected to be set down. M-Ps Thomas Mulcair and party president Brian Topp are mentioned

as possible candidates to succeed Jack Layton, who died of cancer on August 22nd.

College Strike

The union representing striking community college support staff says it has requested new contract talks.But the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says college management has said it isn't interested.

OPSEU represents more than eight-thousand employees at 24 community colleges across the province.

Wages, benefits and job security remain the outstanding issues.

Forest Fire Update

The forest fire hazard is starting to rise once again.

There were 11-new forest fires reported by the end of the day yesterday.

There are over 30-active fires in the region and that number is expected to rise.

The hot, dry weather as well as previous lightning strikes are expected to complicate the situation.

Unemployment Rate

Statistics Canada says the country lost jobs for the first time in five months as the unemployment rate also edged up one tenth of a point to 7.3 per cent in August.

The loss of jobs was small at 5,500, but it makes the second straight month that job creation was virtually flat in Canada. The good news was that there was a modest gain in full-time employment of 25,700, with part-time work declining by 31,200

Working In Ontario

The issue of helping newcomers find work in Ontario is still a hot topic on the campaign trail.

The Liberal proposal calls for a tax credit to offset training costs for employers who hire professionals who are trained abroad. P-C Leader Tim Hudak calls it a ``bizarre scheme'' that doesn't help the 500-thousand people in the province who can't find work. But the Liberal party suggested in a release that such attitudes

are intolerant and anti-immigration.

Kienan Hebert

About 150 people held a candlelit vigil last night in the southeastern British Columbia community of Sparwood, where a young boy vanished two days ago.

They prayed and observed a moment of silence for Kienan Hebert, who is being sought in B-C and Alberta.

Paul Hebert says he's ``100 per cent optimistic'' his son will be found unharmed. In addition to the boy, police are also searching for 46-year-old Randall Hopley, a person of interest. Hopley is thought to be driving a brown '87 Toyota Camry

Northern Tourism Plan coming together

Northern Ontario's new tourism orgnaization has a draft plan in place.

Board member Doug Reynolds says the plan focuses on four main areas including:  marketing, training, investment and product development.

The board has been in place since the Spring.

Reynolds says they hope to finalize the plan by November.

Shoal Lake Threatens protests over water rights

A Kenora area aboriginal community that sits on a lake which is the source of Winnipeg's drinking water is threatening to cut off that supply.

Officials with the Shoal Lake #39 First Nation says they are upset about a City of Winnipeg plan to pipe water to neighbouring communities.

They say if somebody doesn't start listening to them, they may choke off a channel connecting Lake of the Woods to Shoal Lake.

The band argues Winnipeg has no right to sell the water to third parties and must first resolve decades' worth of claims over the lake water.

Voter cards in the mail soon

Voters can expect to see their vote information cards in the mail within the next week or so.

The cards let you know how and where to vote in the provincial election.

Chief Returning Officer for the Kenora-Rainy River riding Ian Simpson says they're still fine tuning where polling stations will be before the cards can be distributed.

Simpson says all of the voting locations will be total acsessible.

Forest Fire Update

After seven slow days the number of new fires in Ontario registered a slight increase last night. A total of 5 new fires were reported in the Northwest Region yesterday. There are currently 42 active fires in the province.

OPP Road Stats

The OPP have talllied up the numbers from the Labour Day weekend blitz in Northwestern Ontario.

A total of 335-charges were laid by OPP officers.

263-of the charges were for speeding.

Police also dealt with several liquor licence act violations, with 34-charges laid.

11-people were arrested for impaired driving.

Ofther offences included not wearing a seatbelt, drug possession, and driving while suspended.

Economic Development Commission

Northwestern Ontario is ahead of the game in economic prosperity.

That statement from Steve Demmings, the CEO of the Thunder Bay Economic Development Commission

Demmings says Thunder Bay has already seen major economic spin-offs from the mining industry and notes it won't be long until outlying communities will see the same.

Terry Fox Run

Plans for the 31st Terry Fox Run are well underway here in Kenora.


Local organizer Laurine Goerzen says "To date we have raised over $356,000 for innovative cancer research."

Participants are encouraged to pick up their pledge sheets and join other communities across Canada to raise donations for cancer research. Registration is at Valleyview School from 9 a.m. to noon on September 18th.

For more information call 807-548-1794

OCAA

Ontario's community colleges could start the new term without varsity athletics because of an ongoing strike.

Josh Bell-Webster, of the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association,says many athletic directors in the schools are support staff workers.

The OCAA represents about 4,000 college athletes in men's and women's soccer, rugby, cross country, golf and women's fastball.Five members of the association's seven-person executive board are on picket lines.They're part of OPSEU, which represents about 8,000 cleaners,food service staff and registration officers at 24 community colleges in the province.

Harbourfront tent

The new Harbourfront Tent will be up in the next week or so.

That's the promise of Tourism Development Officer Heather Paterson.

Paterson says they are gearing up for the Blue Rodeo Concert and says work is progressing on schedule.

Paterson adds that the best tickets for Blue Rodeo are almost sold out, and the rest of the tickets for the concert are also moving quickly now.

http://www.kenoraattractions.ca/

Election Trail

The tone for the 2011 Ontario Election was set yesterday when the Liberals branded Tory Leader Tim Hudak ``Tea Party Tim who is in eastern Ontario today with stops planned in Belleville and Peterborough..

Hudak shot back at Premier Dalton McGuinty accusing him of wasting tax dollars.

Meanwhile, New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath says she won't be spending this campaign ``squabbling'' with her opponents. Horwath is in the north today with stops in Greater Sudbury, Sturgeon Falls and Thunder Bay.

Kienan Hebert

An Amber Alert remains in effect for a missing three-year-old boy from Sparwood, B-C.


Kienan Hebert was last seen Tuesday night wearing blue Scooby-Doo shorts when his family put him to bed. He was reported missing yesterday morning.

After investigating the home, police are now referring to the red-headed Caucasian boy as an ``abducted'' child. They're on the hunt for 46-year-old Randall Hopley -- a person of interest in the case who is not related to Kienan.

David Bouchard

The value of literacy and learning was highlighted at Beaver Brae Secondary school last night. David Bouchard, a member of the Order of Canada, mesmerized the audience through music and storytelling. Bouchard says there's no magic solution to get kids reading but turning the television off does help. Bouchard is scheduled to speak at Lakewood public school and Shoal Lake later today. 

2011 Provincial Election

Fort Frances will be the main site for the returning office for Kenora-Rainy River riding in the October 6th Provincial Election.

The office opens this morning, with Ian Simpson acting as Chief Returning Officer.

The satellite office for Kenora is located on second street.

Drug Bust

Another big drug bust for the Kenora Detachment of the OPP.

A total of 15 people have been arrested and face 43 charges,including drug trafficking, drug production and possession of stolen property

The OPP say they have seized over 12 thousand dollars worth of narcotics,alcohol and cash.

The charges stem from an on-going investigation by the OPP Street CrimesUnit, the Organized Crime and Enforcement Bureau and the Treaty Three Police.

Those charged include residents of Kenora, Whitedog, Rat Portage and Morson.

Rickford reacts to Pikangikum Suicide Crisis

The federal government says it is taking action to deal with the suicide epidemic on the Pikangikum First Nation.

Last week a coronor's report made several recommendations help the troubled community, including re-building the school.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says they have committed funding for the reconstruction of the school.

The Coronor's report dealt with the death of Sixteen people between the ages of 10 and 19 who killed themselves in Pikangikum, between 2006 and 2008.

Green Party Candidate in Kenora-Rainy River Ready to hit Campaign Trail

The Green candidate for the Kenora-Rainy River Riding says she feels stronger and more informed than she did last Provincial election.

Jo Jo Holiday is in her second Provincial election campaign and says its time for someone to represent the people of this Riding.

Holiday says health care, education and child poverty are all issues that need to be corrected.

Birth Rates on the Rise Across Northwestern Ontario

Birth rates are on the rise in Northwestern Ontario.

A recent report shows there's been a 5 percent jump in the number of births since 2004

The Kenora District has seen the biggest recovery with an increase of 9 percent followed by Thunder Bay District with just over 3 percent

NDP Candidates past and future make an appearance at Labor Day Picnic

M.P.P. Howard Hampton won't be standing for re-election in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding this October but he says we're in good hands.

Sarah Campbell is taking his place.

She has been working at Hampton's Dryden constituency for the past 6 years, and Campbell admits she's still learning. 

The NDP say they will be opening their campaign office in Kenora this weekend. 

Classes start at Confederation College despite Strike

Pickets are up at the nine Confederation College campuses in Northwestern Ontario.

Support staff walked off the job last week and no new talks are scheduled.

Today is the first day of classes at Confederation College and President Jim Madder is asking students and staff to take extra care and time when arriving to class.

Madder stresses its important for folks to stop and listen and respect picketers.

He says at the end of the day, these are valued staff and colleagues who are exercising their legal rights.

Discovery Center a big hit with visitors

The new Discovery Center on Lakeview Drive is proving to be a big hit with visitors.

The Discovery Center replaces the old tourism bureau on Highway 17 east.

Tourism Development Officer Heather Paterson says they've seen a big increase in their numbers.

The grand-opening of the Discovery Center took place on Friday afternoon.

Stunt Driving

An Edmonton man faces stunt driving charges after he was stopped on Highway 17.

Dryden OPP clocked the man doing 160 in a 90-zone on Sunday.

21-year-old Jessie Fraser had his driver license suspended for 7-days and his vehicle was impounded

Impaired Driver

A Galloway, New Brunswick man is in custody awaiting a bail hearing after he was stopped by Ignace OPP on the long weekend.

Police received a report of a possible impaired driver and officers stopped the vehicle on Highway 17. 45-year-old Joseph Vautour faces 2-counts of impaired driving.

He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Chickenpox Vaccine

Your kids may not like this, but the Canadian Pediatric Society say when it comes to warding off the chickenpox, it seems two needles are better than one.


The doctors' group says there's evidence that without a second
dose of the chickenpox vaccine, some children could get the illness
as adults.

The society recommends that youngsters get the first dose between
12 and 18 months of age, and the second dose between the ages of
four and six.

Forest Fire Update

The forest fire season is slowly winding down.


There are now 28-active fires burning in Northwestern Ontario.

A total of 470-thousand hectares of forest are affected.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has started to tear down base camps and all of the large forest fires are either being held or are under control.

60-out of Province firefighters remain to support fire fighting efforts in the Northwest.