Families apply for Habitat for Humanity home in Kenora

The Kenora chapter of Habitat For Humanity is looking to provide "safe, affordable and decent housing" for one lucky family who fits the criteria.

A handfull of people turned out to Wednesdays meeting at the Kenora Métis Centre to learn more about the selection process

Considerations for eligibility include those who are financially able to cover monthly expenses associated with mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs and other costs typically associated with home ownership

The deadline for the applications is October 26th - families interested will find out if they'll be proud homeowners by November 10th

Campbell visits Queen's Park as newly elected MPP

The newly elected MPP for the Kenora-Rainy River Riding, Sarah Campbell is keeping a busy schedule.

Campbell was in Toronto yesterday to attend her first caucus meeting.

 

She says they're focused on their promise to remove the HST from home heating and hydro bills in an effort to reduce the cost of living across the province, particularly in the north.

 

Campbell's swearing in ceremony is scheduled for Oct 27 in Toronto.

OPP seize marijuana in routine traffic stop

The OPP say they have seized about 90 thousand dollars worth of marijuana during a routine traffic stop in Kenora.

Early this morning around 2:00, officers pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation.

The officer noticed the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and decided conduct a search.

About 10 pounds of marijuana was seized.

Three Winnipeg men and a Kenora resident have been charged with  possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

They are due to appear in Kenora Court on December 1st.

CJRL poll results show no confidence in new Liberal minority government

A majority of local residents don't believe the new minority Liberal government will help northwestern Ontario.

A poll posted on the CJRL website found that 70 percent felt the election of Dalton McGuinty last week would not be good for our region.

This week, our poll is asking whether you think the LBCO and Beer Stores in downtown Kenora should be moved to a more remote location.

The issue was raised during a deputation to city council earlier this week.

Local students need more help in Math

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says it needs to spend more time focusing on math.

Recent EQAO results show that marks for grade 3, grade 6 and grade 9 students were down overall.

Superindentant of Education Sean Monteith says not everyone is doing badly in math.

Monteith adds that math marks for grade three and six students not only declined

locally, but right across the province.

SIU begins investigation of fatality at Kakabecka Falls

Officials have yet to identify the man who went over Kakabeka Falls yesterday.

Frank Phillips of the Province's Special Investigations Unit says the man had an interaction with the OPP and fell over a railing.

Phillips says the SIU will investigate to find out exactly what happened.

The SIU is hoping that any witnesses to the tragedy can come forward.

Fall Feast Today under Harborfront Tent

The new Harborfront Tent is being turned into a big restaurant today.

The second annual fall feast is taking place this afternoon.

Constable Bob Bernie from the OPP says they've had a number of different organizations come forward to help out this year.

Wild rice soup, hamburgers and bannock will all be on the menu today.

The fall feast will run from noon till 2:00 this afternoon.

Council refuses to endorse MADD Resolution

Don't expect Kenora City Council to be on the Christmas list for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Council has been asked to support a resolution calling on the provincial government to oppose any move to allow the sale of alcohol in corner or grocery stores.

A number of councillors also suggested Ontario needs to get into the 21st century and loosen the regulations surrounding the sale of beer and wine.

Council has refused to endorse the resolution.

Cause of downtown fire last month still unknown

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office still hasn't determined the cause of a fire in downtown Kenora last month.

The blaze destroyed a 10 unit rooming house on 3rd Street South.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says they are still awaiting test results from the provincial forensics lab to come back.

He adds that there is a back log of cases and it can often take months to get lab tests back.

Broncos try to snap losing streak in WHSFL

Beaver Brae's footbal team will try to snap a three game losing skid this afternoon.

The Broncos travel to Winnipeg to take on the Kildonan East Reivers at the East Side Stadium.

Head Coach Chris Penner admits they may have gone through the toughest part of their schedule, but adds there are no easy games at this point of the season.

The Reivers have a 2-2 record so far this season.

Game time is 4:00.

Meanwhile, the Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles are back home for a pair of games this weekend.

The Thistles take on the Parkland Rangers tonight at the Rec. Center starting at 8:00.

The same two teams will match up tomorrow night at 7:30.

Railway street apartment fire under investigation

The Ontario Fire Marshall's office has been called in to help investigate a blaze to a small apartment complex on Railway Street.

The fire broke out around 8:00 last night and was reported by a passing motorist.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says there was significant fire, water and smoke damage to two of the apartment units.

No-one was injured, and there were no fire alarms sounding when fire crews arrived at the scene.

The OPP will be helping the Fire Marshall's office out with the investigation.

Broncos and Thistles lose on the Road

The road wasn't a friendly place for Kenora's travelling sports teams.

The Triple "a" Midget Thistles dropped a 5-0 decision last night to the Winnipeg Thrashers.

The Kenora Midgets are back at home this weekend for a pair of games against the Parkland Rangers.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae's court teams took it on the chin in Dryden.

The Eagles swept the Broncos in all four games played.

The closest game was a 26-25 loss by Beaver Brae in Senior Girls basketball.

The Bronco junior girls took the Eagles to overtime, but ended up losing 27-20.

 Beaver Brae senior boys volleyball team lost three sets to one, while the junior squad was swept in three straight.

Deadline approaching for NOVA awards

The deadline is fast approaching for the 1st ever NOVA Awards.

The awards will recognize 40 community leaders across northwestern Ontario under the age of 40.

Mike Greaves is with the Kenora Young Professsionals group and says this is chance to single out someone locally who has made a difference.

The deadline for nominations is this Saturday.

The awards ceremony will take place in January in Thunder Bay.

Council asked to support move of the LCBO

There's a call to move the liquor store in Kenora out of the area of the Kenora's Shopper's Mall.

Barb Skead made a deputation to council this week asking for both the LCBO and the Beer store to be moved to a more remote locate.

Skead says its becoming very difficult to shop at the mall without being harrassed.

She suggests the liquor store should be moved to the Kenora By-Pass by the OPP station.

Kakabeka Falls

A man is dead after falling into the Kakabeka Falls canyon.

OPP were called to the Provincial Park around 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

Police say officers interacted with a man and during the interaction, the man fell into the canyon.

No other details are available as the Ontario Special Investigations Unit has been called in to look into the incident.

Operation Christmas Child

It's still two months away, but area residents are being to start think about how they can make Christmas enjoyable for children in need around the world.


Organizer Della McQuaker says Operation Christmas Child is now underway in the Rainy River District.

Shoe boxes available at The Kenora Library and the Calvary Church - for more information call 548-2000

Lukas Whitmore

The search continues for a missing Winnipeg man. 25-year-old Lukas Whitmore was last seen October 2nd near Dryden, after he was released following an impaired driving charge.

Police say may be seeking refuge in an outdoor shelter.OPP stress that he has no history of violence and that the public shouldn't be hesitant to approach him.

Whitmore is described as 5-foot-3, slim build, blue eyes, with short brown hair and a receding hair line.

He was last seen wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police or Crime Stoppers.

The Ontario Breast Screening Program

The Ontario Breast Screening Program wants to see 150 women over 50 this Friday.


Spokesperson Lori Della Vedova says it's the third year for the one day drop in breast screening day in Northwestern Ontario.

Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora is one of five sites across the region taking part in the challenge.

Kenora Youth Council

Kenora City Council seems very receptive to the idea of setting up

a youth council.

The idea was proposed recently by a number of students during a deputation
to council.

Jared McLean says one of the things they'd like to pursue is a youth drop-in
center

Council says it’s prepared to draft a terms of reference for a youth council
and move the committee on from there.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is enjoying a bit of a population boom.

Numbers are up in a couple of schools this fall.

Director of Education Jack McMaster says Beaver Brae is enjoying a bit of rebound in student numbers.

McMaster says they have 261 students enrolled in the Junior Kindergarten program, which is 21 more than they expected.

The public school board has just over 53 hundred students this fall.

Habitat For Humanity looking for family to move into new home

Wanted: a family to live in Kenora's first ever Habitat for Humanity home.

A meeting will take place tonight, for anyone interested in applying for the low income housing project.

Ralph Page is a spokesperson for the committee and says their goal is to start builing the home in 2012.

The home will be located on Main Street Rideout.

The meeting will take place in the Kenora Metis Center on Park Street starting at 7:00.

Thomas Aquinas takes three of four from Red Lake

The Thomas Aquinas senior boys volleyball team remains perfect in NorWOSSA league play.

The Saints were in Red Lake yesterday and cruised to a three sets to none win over the Rams.

The T.A. junior boys also had a good road trip winning three of four games played.

On the hardcourt, the Saints senior girls romped to a 36-8 victory over  Red Lake, while the Thomas Aquinas Junior girls suffered the lone loss of the day, a 16-10 decision at the hand of the Rams.

Minto Accident sends one man to hospital

A 46 year old Rat Portage man is recovering from injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident in the Minto area of town.

The OPP say a dodge pick-up had rolled over on Minto Crescent Sunday night.

Police say the lone occupant of the vehicle was partially ejected and sustained serious injuries.

Albert Gibbens was transported to the Winnipeg Health Sciences Center.

The OPP's Technical Traffic Collision Investigators were called in to look into the cause of the crash.

Trans-Canada Diesel Spill

Motorists are being urged to use caution driving along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Kenora area this morning.

The OPP say there is a diesel spill from the Manitoba border all the way to the Airport Road on the Kenora By-Pass.

The slippery conditions have already caused one transport to slide off the highway.

The MTO is currently putting sand down on the fuel, but conditions are still said to be be fairly slick in some areas.

AbitibiBowater

There's a new name coming to the mill in Fort Frances.

AbitibiBowater is changing its name to Resolute Forest Products.

The name was selected among 14-hundred submissions received through an internal company contest.

The change takes place November 7

Cross-Town Snowmobile Corridor

A final plan for the city's cross-town snowmobile corridor should be ready in time for next week's open meeting of coucil.

The operations department is still deciding on the best location for the trail with the Sunset Trailriders.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says the costs associated with the new trail is also an issue council will have to address.

Some members of city council still aren't sold on the idea of reviving the cross-town corridor and don't think the city should have to pay any of the costs of re-developing it.

Whitedog First Nation School

A new school is about to be opened on the Whitedog First Nation.


The 55 thousand square foot school cost about 25 million dollars to build.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford will be joined by Chief Eric Fisher at the ribbon cutting.


A special ceremony will take place this morning at 11:00 to open the facility.

Keewatin-Patricia District School

Summer school programs run by the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board are getting the thumbs up.

A literacy camp was offered for grades 1,2 and 3 students, while a credit recovery program was run in some secondary schools.

Scott Urquhart says that program was particularly valuable for grade 8 students getting ready to enter high school.

A total of 212 students enrolled in the Summer learning for Secondary students, while 60 kids were signed up for the Summer Literacy camps.

Manitoba Man fined for illegal fishing on Winnipeg River

A Manitoba man faces 23 hundred dollars in fines for fishing illegally on the Winnipeg River north of Kenora.

Vincent Wiebe of Lake Frances has been fined for fishing without a licence and tresspassing.

Court heard last week that Wiebe had been fishing near the Caribou Falls Generating Station this past May.

He had caught seven walleye while on Ontario Generation property.

He had been fishing in an area that had been posted with the sign "Danger-no tresspassing".

JM Judo Club wins two medals at Quebec Tournament

The Jaffray Melick Judo Club brought back a couple of medals from a tournament in Montreal.


The club took four members to the Quebec International Open over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Ben Dennis went a perfect 4-0 in his matches over two days and won gold in the Under 17 male 50 kilo division.

Thomas Hertz took a bronze medal in the Under 15, 34 kilo division, finishing with a 2-1 record.

Police search for missing man near Dryden

A search continues in Dryden for a Winnipeg man who disapppeared just after he was released from custody for alleged impaired driving.

Lukas Whitmore was last seen near a wooded area on the edge of the community on October 2nd.

Ontario Provincial Police say the 25-year-old man was on his way to Thunder Bay to visit his sister before he disappeared.

O.P.P.  say continuing warm temperatures mean Whitmore should be able to handle the weather.

Air Canada

Air Canada's 68-hundred flight attendants could walk off the job as early as Thursday morning. Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt says the government's looking at a handfull of options, including back-to-work legislation. Air Canada says while it hopes to avoid a walk out, the company would still maintain a partial schedule in the event of a strike.

Harold Wilson

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce is looking forward to see the new Liberal Cabinet.


Chief Operating Officer, Harold Wilson says with a reduced number of seats the government will be forced to pay more attention to our two MPP's.


Wilson adds wood supply for the North will likely become a bigger issue in a minority government.

Dave Canfield

The Liberal minority government might actually be a good thing for northwestern Ontario.


That's the feeling of Kenora mayor Dave Canfield.

He says its time Dalton McGuinty finally started listening to the north.

Canfield says the minority government might mean Premier Dalton McGuinty has to

listen to the north instead of dictating what he wants to do.

Majesta's Trees of Knowledge contest

Sioux Mountain School is competing to get the green thumbs-up from Canadians for their 20-thousand dollar outdoor classroom.


The Sioux Lookout facility is one of ten finalists for the MAJESTA's Trees of Knowledge contest.

The School's objective is to create a garden area outside as well as a permanent outdoor classroom structure for students to assemble for lessons and reconnect with nature.

Voting is underway and you have until November 4th to help the school at : www.majesta.com

Flu Season

Cooler temperatures mean flu season can't be that far behind.


The Northwestern Health Unit is getting ready to roll out its flu shot clinics at the end of this month.

Manager of Infectious Disease, Donna Stanley says its getting more and more difficult to say when flu season will start up.

Stanley says initially they will be targeting the elderly and people who might be most at risk of getting the flu.

Campbell outlines her priorities at Queen's Park

She was elected less than 24 hours ago, but Sarah Campbell says she already knows what her priorities will be once she heads to Queen's Park.

Campbell won 50 percent of the vote in the Kenora-Rainy River last night and says she wants to continue some of the work she was doing at the constituency office.

Campbell won over 24 hundred votes than her nearest rival, Rod McKay of the Conservatives.

Police Arrest two in routine traffic stop

The OPP's fall seatbelt campaign is already paying dividends.

Police say they stopped a vehicle in Kenora on Wednesday for a seatbelt violation.

Officers noticed a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle and decided to investigate further.

In all, they seized 2 grams of marihuana, a small quantity of hash oil, $1800.00 in cash and 140 lbs of stolen copper wire.

20 year old Sebastien LaCasse of Quebec has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime

while Mathieu Hebert of Quebec has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime and possession of a narcotic.

Burning Permits cancelled in Eastern Manitoba

Fires are raging in tinder-dry conditions across a wide area of Manitoba.

The Long Lake fire north of Nopiming Provincial Park was 11 kilometres long and close to a kilometre wide by Thursday evening.

Highway 304 has been closed from Bissett to Wallace Lake after the fire jumped the highway.

There were also several other smaller fires in the region.

Burning permits have been cancelled in eastern Manitoba.

Bronco Court Sport Teams Split with Fort Frances

Beaver's Brae's court sport teams are starting to round into shape.

The Broncos split their games against Fort Frances yesterday.

In girls basketball, the Beaver Brae senior squad needed overtime to beat the Muskies 22-20.

It was close for the junior girls as well, but lost 31-28 to Fort.

In Boys volleyball, the Broncos junior boys needed five sets to get by the Muskies, while the Senior boys lost three sets to two.

Thunder Bay Atikokan

Thunder Bay Atikokan is going Liberal again with Bill Mauro winning a nailbiter over the NDP's Mary Kozorys. Liberal MPP Bill Mauro is back for his third term and says he's going to make some changes this time around.

Former Lakehead University President Fred Gilbert is happy with his campaign even though he finished third.

Election Results

Latest Results from Kenora-Rainy River


Sarah Campbell NDP 10,752 or 49.22%

Rod McKay Conservative 8,314 or 38.06%

Anthony Leek Liberals 2,173 or 9.95%

Jo Jo Holiday Green Party 385 or 1.76%

Charmaine Romaniuk Northern Heritage Party 219 or 1%



Polls Reported: 195/198 as of 1:42 AM Central

Thunder Bay Superior North

The Red Flag of the Liberal Party is still flying high in Thunder Bay Superior North. Cabinet Minister Michael Gravelle took the riding for a 4th term beating the NDP's Steve Mantis who finished 2nd and the PC's Anthony Leblanc who came in third. Mantis says despite the loss he's happy.

Leblanc says he's going to build on what he was able to accomplish in this campaign and is looking forward to his next chance.


Mantis says he isn't sure if he will run again but does want to continue to work to better the riding in some capacity.

Votes Tally

Just short of 22-thousand people cast their ballots in the Kenora-Rainy River riding, the fewest since the riding was formed in 1999.
That's 48 per cent of all eligible voters in the riding.

Broncos lose to River East

Close but no cigar.

Beaver Brae's football team lost its third game in a row, this time a 11-4 nailbiter against the River East Kodiaks Thursday afternoon at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

Despite the loss, head coach Chris Penner says he was impressed by the play of his defense.

Jared Davis led the offense with 199 yards rushing, but was unable to punch the ball into the end zone.

The Broncos next game is again Kildonan East next Friday in Winnipeg.

Campbell wins for the NDP in Kenora-Rainy River

It was almost an NDP sweep of northern Ontario.

The New Democrats held onto the Kenora-Rainy River Riding and won at least three more.

Sarah Campbell topped the polls locally and says repeated visits by her party leader during the election certainly helped the campaign.

Meanwhile, Conservative candidate Rod McKay says he's disappointed that Ontario could have to endure four more years of Dalton McGuinty.

Liberal Candidate Anthony Leek finished well back in third place with just 10 percent of the vote, followed by Jo Jo Holiday of the Green Party and Charmaine Romaniuk from the Northern Ontario Heritage Party.

Election Day in Ontario

Voting in the Ontario election wrap up in a few more hours in the Kenora-Rainy River riding.

Returning officer Ian Simpson says he has about five to six hundred people working at nearly 190 polls across the riding to help make today's vote smooth.

The polls will close at 8 o'clock tonight. 

Anik-2 Satellite out of service

Internet and broadcasting customers across Canada are experiencing disruptions after Telesat lost contact early this morning with its Anik F2 satellite.

It's one of the largest and most powerful telecommunications satellites orbiting the Earth.

The Ottawa-based company is working to restore service that was shut down after something caused the device to turn away from the Earth as a safety precaution.

The disruption has affected services for customers including Shaw Direct TV, news agency The Canadian Press, companies that use C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band services and remote communities in the Far North.

Woman faces charges following vehicle fire in Marathon

A Marathon woman is facing a drunk driving charge and a man is nursing some burns after a bizarre incident yesterday.

OPP say the man was using a gas can to put fuel into a car when the gasoline and the can caught on fire.

The woman then tried to drive away but instead, dragged along the burning gas can which resulted in the car catching fire.