Missing Minnesota Man Found in Quetico

Provincial Police have found the body of a missing Minnesota man in Basswood Lake within Quetico Provincial Park.

The remains of 78-year-old Richard Barber were found yesterday by OPP and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Richard and his wife Elaine were in the boundary of the park for a canoe trip when their canoe capsized.

Rescue crews were able to locate Elaine and return her safely to Atikokan.

Hospital Reports Small Deficit

Red ink for Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The hospitals financial year end financial statements were released last
night at the Annual General Meeting and its shows a deficit in 2012-2013 of 135 thousand dollars.

Cindy Gasparini is the hospital's chief financial officer and says that's
actually good news because initially they had projected a deficit of over
half a million dollars.

Gasparini their their budget was actually flat-lined by the province last
year, and revenues shrunk by 0.3 percent compared to the year before.

Richardson Returns as Hospital Chair

No change at the top at the Lake of the Woods Hospital Board.

Fred Richardson was acclaimed as chair of the board for the third
year in a row at last night's annual general meeting.

Richardson says under the hospital board's new by-laws, this will be
his final term.

He is only allowed to serve three consecutive years as chairman.

Dorothy Monteith has also been returned at vice-chair.

She was also acclaimed to the position.

Council Members Return from FCM

Two members of Kenora City council are back in town after a road trip to the west coast.

Mayor Dave Canfield and councilor Ron Lunny attended the annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Vancouver.

Canfield says its important to attend these conventions because often
important policy decision are being made.

Canfield says they were able to bring back good information that may be
valuable for the city in the months and years ahead.

Bus Drivers Busy this PD Day

Today might be a PD day for students, but school bus drivers will be on duty anyway.

The Northwest Student Services Consortium is getting ready for the fall.

General Manager Judi Green says because Lakewood School is closing they have to test out new bus routes.

Green says the tests are to solve any problems relating to routing, timings, bus numbers.

High School Soccer Teams Still In Contention at OFSAA

The Round robin portion of the schedule at the All-Ontario Soccer Championships wraps up today.

All three Kenora High school teams have a shot at making the play-offs,
although only Beaver Brae's girls team managed a win yesterday.

The Broncos shutout Jean Vanier from Collingwood 1-0.

This morning Beaver Brae is back in action at 8:30 against a team from
Ottawa.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas girls have managed two points after tying
both their games yesterday.

The Saints play their next game at 8:00 against Stayner Collegiate.

The Thomas Aquinas boys will need to win both their games today to have
any chance of moving onto the play-offs.

T.A. managed just one tie yesterday.

This morning the Saints Boys play their third round robin game at 8:30 against
Waterford High School.

Kenora OPP Honor Veterans

Retired OPP officers in Kenora were given some special access today as part of OPP Veterans Day.

The detachment invited the 45 veterans in the city to tour the new forensic identification unit.

The President of the OPP Veterans Association Bob Arbour was also in town for the tour and offered his praise saying officers and the community will benefit greatly with in now in operation.

Arbour added it was a great experience for retired officers to see how policing has changed.

3rd Annual Street Fest A Huge Success

The Thomas Aquinas Arts Council has ended the school year in style.

The 3rd annual Street Fest held earlier today had a great turnout with almost every student in the school board attending at some point throughout the day.

Director of Music Darcy Ura says the day couldn't have gone better due to the beautiful weather.

Street Fest is one of the 3 big events held every year by the Arts Council.

Three Local High School Soccer Teams At OFSAA

A busy day for local high school soccer teams.

The provincial championships begin on three fronts.

The Thomas Aquinas boys squad is in Timmins for the OFSAA Single
A championships, and will play two round robin games today.

Meanwhile, the Saints girls team is in Hamner, near Sudbury for
the All-Ontario Single A championships.

The Thomas Aquinas girls will also play a pair of games today.

Beaver Brae's girls team is in Tecumseh near Windsor and will hit the field
this morning at 11:00 against St. Martin High School from Mississauga in
the OFSAA Double A championships.

The Broncos will also be back on the field at 2:00 this afternoon.

RN Program Being Brought Back

Back by popular demand.

Lakehead University and Confederation College will be again joining forces to offer LU's Bachelor of Science Nursing Program through the College's regional campuses.

An information session June 13 from 3:30 to 5 at the College's Lake of the Woods Campus in Kenora.

You can call the campus to register or for more information.

Recycling Services in Minaki Expanding

The residents of Minaki are going to have more time to recycle this year.

Doug Johnston from Minaki on the River says they started a recycling program last year that was quite successful.

Johnston says they are hoping to make it even better this year by extending recycling hours beyond just the weekends.

The recycling bin will available every second week for seven days at a time.

He says the two main goals are to promote recycling and take some pressure off the local landfill.

Liver Cancer Rates on the Rise

There's some positive findings in the Canadian Cancer Society's latest statistics.

Over the past 30 years, the death rate for all main cancers has declined.

However, Senior Manager of Research Luba Slatskova says they are seeing an increase in one of the most deadly forms of cancer, which is liver cancer.

She says rates have doubled for women and tripled for men.

Slatskova says the survival rate is only 20 percent, compared with 63 percent in other cancers.

OFIA Applauds Changes in Endangered Species Act

Another step in the process for forestry companies in the province.

Last week changes were made to the Endangered Species Act which eliminate duplicated rules that affect forestry companies.

Ontario Forest Industries President Jamie Lim says it's a victory for companies who constantly working on their forest management plans.

Lim says it's now easier for companies to ensure their management plans are working.

The changes come after 6 years of lobbying the government.

Health Unit Warns Against Lyme Disease

As the deer come into city limits, they also bring another health hazard.

The Northwestern Health Unit is advising the public to protect themselves from Lyme Disease, which is transmitted through deer ticks.

Public Health Inspector Kurt Casey says the tick must be on the person for 24-hours for the bacteria to enter the body.

Casey recommends picking up a Tick Kit at any one of the health units.

Airplane Passenger Arrested for Trafficking

A 25 year old woman is facing charges for trying to smuggle painkillers into Northwestern Ontario.

Canada Border Services says that she was nabbed at the Thunder Bay International Airport after returning from a trip to the United States.  

They say she had over 140 hydrocodone pills which she did not have a prescription for.

Early Morning Fire Damages Boat

An early morning fire has caused extensive damage to a boat moored at the Harborfront docks.

The fire was discovered just after 4:30 this morning in front of the Whitecap Pavilion.

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department was on the scene shortly afterwards, but the blaze had already caused extensive damage to the
interior of the aluminum boat by then.

Its unclear what caused the fire.

Cell Phone Companies Ready to Comply with CRTC Ruling

TBaytel believes it can comply with the new CRTC rules on cellphone contracts by the end of the year.

Katie Crowe is a spokesperson for the wireless company and says while complying in some areas may be a challenge the deadline is achievable.

Some phone companies have suggested  that six months may be not be enough time, but Crowe says they will be ready

Crowe says there isn't anything  in the ruling the company isn't working on already.

Thomas Aquinas Set to Host Street Fest

The arts council at Thomas Aquinas are welcoming everyone to have some fun under the sun.

They are hosting the 3rd annual Street Fest tomorrow between 11:00 and 2:00

Director of Music Darcy Ura says everyone is asked to come take in the festivities.

The events include a BBQ, live music, dunk tank, games for kids, face painting, and puppet shows.

Tim Horton's Celebrates Camp Day

Our area will soon be home to a new Tim Horton's Camp.

The camp will be located in the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, near the Ontario boundary.

Company spokesperson Aaron Brown says it's an exciting opportunity.

The camp will house more older teens.

Today is Camp Day at Tim Horton's stores in Kenora and elsewhere across the region.

Watershed Board Seeks Industry Reps

A new advisory board for the area's border waters is looking for some bodies.

The new International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board is seeking nominations for its Industry Advisory Group.

The Industry Advisory Group will allow industry on both sides of the border to provide input into the Board's activities related to water management and water quality.

Interested individuals must apply to the end of this month.

FEDNOR Supports Energy Concerns

First Nations in Northwestern Ontario continue to receive support from the Federal Government.

FedNor has announced over 73-thousand-dollars for the Nishinawbe Aski Development Fund, which will enhance the operation of diesel generating stations.

Independent power authorities will receive financial and business management software while will help First Nations communities with cash flow and capital expenses.

Liberals Under Fire for Care Home Inspections

The opposition says the Liberal government is not keeping a promise to give all 600 long term care homes in Ontario a ``resident quality inspection'' at least once a year.

Progressive Conservative health critic Christine Elliott says long term care homes are not being inspected as often as they should be, which she believes puts vulnerable seniors at risk.
 
Health Minister Deb Matthews says every long-term-care home in the province is visited by an inspector at least once a year, but the Tories and N-D-P say that's not the same as a full resident quality inspection.

Lakehead University Holds Summer Health Sciences Camps

A "Crime Scene Investigation" experience for local high school students.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is back with their
Summer Health Sciences Camps, where youth will be able to learn about DNA analysis and much more.

Dean Dr. Roger Strasser says it's open to those going into grade 10 or 11 this year.

The camps are free and run from July 8th to 12th at Lakehead University.

Contact Josee Lalanne at 1-800-461-8777 ext 7260 or jlalanne@nosm.ca.

OPP Community Bear Scam

Provincial police in our area say they've received a number of inquiries from residents asking about police organizations calling to solicit funds for teddy bears.

The O-P-P says it doesn't solicit funds from members of the public for its Community Bear Program or any other O-P-P program.

The O-P-P's bear program provides officers with black and white teddy bears which they give to traumatized children they encounter at incidents such as motor vehicle collisions.

Police say the public should always verify the legitimacy of any organization calls to solicit funds.

OPP Release Name of House Fire Victim

The victim of last week's tragic house fire in Devlin has been identified.

She's been identified as 49-year-old Laureen McKay.

OPP and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall continue to determine the cause of the Friday's blaze which completely destroyed the home located just west of the main village on Highway 11-71.

NWOTA Supports New Walleye Proposal

At least one tourism group is in favour of the proposed lower Walleye catch limit.

The MNR is proposing a 2 Walleye catch limit for lakes in northwestern Ontario as early as next year for non-resident anglers.

Lucas Adams is the president of the Northwestern Ontario Tourism Association and says the changes won't affect fishing camps because most tourists don't ask about regulations when booking trips and don't have any issue when learning about them once arriving to the camps.

Adams did say he also wanted to see a regulation to prevent fishers from keeping Walleye over 18 inches.

Kenora Borealis Presents Road Race Cheque

The Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation is a little bit richer thanks to the Mother's Day Road Race.

Today the Foundation was given a cheque of $5,000 dollars by a representative of Kenora Borealis.

Jennifer Findlay is one of the race organizer and says it's great to see the event get even bigger with more families making it an annual tradition along with more corporate support.

Findlay next year they are aiming for over 450 participants.

Ornge Helicopters Cleared for Take-off

Ornge Air helicopters in Kenora and Thunder Bay are back in service.

On Friday, the organization temporarily took its five helicopters offline.

The move follows a fatal accident involving an Ornge air ambulance helicopter in Moosonee.

Four people including two pilots and two paramedics were killed when the Sikorsky S-76 chopper
went down shortly after take-off.  

Beaver Brae Hands Out Academic Awards

Beaver Brae honored its best and brightest at its annual Academic Awards Assembly.

The top students in Math, English, Sciences, and Drama were singled out for their efforts.

This year, a new award was handed out from the Science Department.

The Triple Threat Award goes to a student, or students who excel at Biology, Chemistry
and Physics.

The inaugural honor went to twin sisters Kaitlyn and Stephanie Sparkman.

Teachers and students also paid tribute to a number of staff who are retiring.

Melne Moore and Sylvia Bishop were given a standing ovation after serving in the
Beaver Brae front office for decades.

Teachers Bill Broten and Jim O'Hearn were also given a standing ovation for their years of service
at the high school.

Youth Arrested Following Break-In

A 15 year old youth has been arrested following a break-in to a business on Railway Street.

The OPP say the break-in took place early Monday morning.

Police say they were notified by the business that someone had entered
their store and stole a quantity of cash.

One suspect was identified by a security camera and later arrested.

He was in Kenora Court yesterday for a bail hearing.

Governments Defend Pimachiowin Aki

Manitoba and Ontario are defending the decision to commit more than 15 million dollars to get UNESCO recognition for a large stretch of boreal forest along the inter-provincial boundary.
 
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger says having Pimachiowin Aki
designated a world heritage site will attract tourists to the remote
area.
 
He says it will also make it easy to protect from development.
 
Michelle Nowak of Ontario's Natural Resources Department says the
site could fill a gap in boreal forest representation in the world heritage system.

Teen Killed in Eastern Manitoba

A teenager who was mistaken for a bear outside a tent has been shot and killed in a remote area of northeastern Manitoba.
   
RCMP say four males were camping at Namay Falls on the Bloodvein River over the weekend when one of them was woken up by what he thought was a bear close to the tent.
   
He fired a shot only to discover he had hit one of his camping buddies.
   
RCMP say the victim is a 17-year-old from Steinbach.

Police say they will not release the dead teen's name.

NOMA Raises Energy Concerns

Energy continues to be a major concern for the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.

NOMA President Dave Canfield says a huge issue is the future of the Thunder Bay generating station.

Canfield says NOMA wants the province to commit to keeping the Mission Island Generating Station in Thunder Bay open and convert it to gas.

He adds the province and energy companies are finally starting to realize the large amount of power that will be needed when the mining sector booms.

Water Levels Continue to Rise in Kenora Area

The Lake of the Woods Control Board is continuing it's battle against high water levels.

Rick Cousins with the control board says outflows at the Norman Dam will be increased again this week.

Cousins says that water levels below the damn are expected to rise around 2 feet in Darlington Bay, and Minaki can expect to see an increase around 16 inches.

Cousins is hoping that the wet weather has come to an end as water levels are above normal throughout the region.

Sandy Lake Man Arrested on Murder Charges

A 34-year-old man faces second degree murder charges in the May 12th death of Uriah Kakepetum in Sandy Lake First Nation.

Kakepetum died at the Sandy Lake Nursing Station and a post-mortem exam determined he was the victim of a homicide.

An investigation was launched by Provincial Police and the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

Police arrested Leslie Fiddler of Sandy Lake First Nation yesterday.

Fiddler is due in court today.

Firefly Approves New Anti-Bullying Campaign

A new national anti bullying program will focus on young people helping each other.

Details of the new program were announced on Parliament Hill yesterday.

Here in Northwestern Ontario, Firefly CEO Karen Ingebritson says it sounds like a great program.

Ingebritson says it's still too early to know exactly how it will work, but is confident it will promote anti-bullying in the region.

Sleepy Driver Causes Accident

A Prince Edward Island man is lucky to be alive after falling asleep at the wheel on the Trans Canada Highway near Upsala on Sunday morning.

Police say the 30 year old nodded off around 6:30 and woke up when the vehicle hit the gravel shoulder and it rolled in the ditch.

Police say the driver and passenger were not injured.

The man has been charged with careless driving.

Victims of Red Lake Crash Remembered

The victims of a fatal float plane crash in Red Lake are being remembered as caring, community minded people.

Brenda and Jim Beauchene died when their float plane crashed into the Bruce Channel Thursday evening.

The Beauchene's were prominent figures in Phoenix, Arizona but were both born in Canada.

In an e-mail to the newsroom, Brenda's cousin Sue Beaudry stated that the two were headed to the tourist camp they had just purchased.

Jim was a plastic surgeon specializing in hands.

She says when Brenda contacted her this spring, she was wanting information as to how Jim could maybe help out in the community offering his medical services.

She says they both were community oriented.

The couple leaves behind identical twin daughters and a son.

New Gold Takes over Rainy River Resources

New Gold says its committed to continuing the work started by Rainy River Resources in the development of a new gold mine south of Kenora.

The Vancouver-based mining company announced last week it would be taking control of Rainy River in a friendly
take-over bid.

President Bob Gallagher says they intend to do a thorough review of the project, but have no plans to shelve it.

Gallagher says they'd being eyeing Rainy River for almost two years before putting forward a bid for the company.

4th Annual Boobie Nights Surpasses Goal

The 4th annual Boobie Nights was a record breaking event.

Organizer Angela Kuchma says they easily surpassed their goal and raised over 61 thousand dollars.

The money will go to the hospital foundation with the goal of purchasing a new digital x-ray to go along with the new mammography machine.

Boobie Nights was sold out for the second straight year.

Wet Weekend Reduces Fire Hazard

All the rain this past week may not have been good for people wanting to spend some time outdoors, but it was good for the forest fire situation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says there were no new fires reported in the region over the past five days.

The forest fire hazard has also dropped to low right across the Kenora District.

In fact, the Kenora area saw almost 39 millimeters of rain over four days.

That was not the highest total in the region.

Ear Falls was hit by almost 60 millimeters, while Dryden is bailing from 55
millimeters of rain.

Rickford Comments on Senate Spending Scandal

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says they are making adjustments in wake of the Senate expense scandal.

It follows word that the Prime Minister's former chief-of-staff gave senator Mike Duffy 90 thousand dollars to cover inappropriate expenses he was required to pay back.

Rickford says the Conservative government is now working to make things right.

He says they will be clearly outlining the kinds of expenditures, such as travel, that senators can claim in the
future.

UNESCO Decision on Pimachewan Aki to be Delayed

More questions are being raised about a plan to get international recognition for a big stretch of forest along
the Manitoba-Ontario boundary.

Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on trying to have the remote area called Pimachiowin Aki, declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

But Manitoba Opposition Leader Brian Pallister says he's not sure the money is worth it.
 
In the meantime a UNESCO advisory body is recommending that a ruling on declaring the forest a heritage site be delayed at least a year while issues concerning usage of the land by local First Nations are sorted out.

Campbell Re-News Calls for Lower Clinic Rents

The MPP for Kenora-Rainy River is standing up for the Mary Berglund Community Health Center in Ignace.

In the Ontario Legislature last week, Sarah Campbell called on the government to take immediate action to lower the rent, which she says is crippling the medical clinic.

She says rent is over 200 thousand dollars a year, more than three times higher
than similar clinics in other communities across the region.

Campbell adds that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ministry of Health have been slow to take action to ensure that services and staffing levels aren't cut.

Former Hockey Player Talks Mental Health

A former member of Canada' national women's hockey program is talk about mental health.

Kendra Fisher had to walk away from the program over a decade ago after being diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder.

Fisher says its important she talk about her experience.

Fisher was in Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Fort Frances last week talking to area students.

Bodies Located In Red Lake Crash

The bodies of 2 people killed in a float plane crash in Red Lake have been recovered.

The victims have been identified as 59 year old Jim Bueachene and 58-year-old Brenda Beauchene of Phoenix, Arizona.

Their bodies were found at the bottom of Red Lake Saturday evening.
The Beauchene's died when their float plane went down in the Bruce Channel shortly after takeoff Thursday night.

The Transportation Safety Board is on scene continuing their investigation.

Ornge Cockpit Voice Recorder Recovered

 A cockpit voice recorder may hold clues to the cause of Friday's deadly crash of an Ornge air ambulance helicopter.
 
The Transportation Safety Board says its investigation will likely be aided by the discovery of the voice recorder, which is being sent to the agency's Ottawa lab for analysis.
   
The Sikorsky S-76 had just left its base in Moosonee to pick up a patient in the remote community of Attawapiskat when it crashed early Friday morning, killing the two Ornge pilots and two paramedics onboard.

Countdown begins for Relay for Life

The Canadian Cancer Society is expecting another boost this month.

The annual Relay for Life will be coming up in less than two weeks.

Marj Curtis-Poirier is one of the organizers and are hoping for a similar
success as last year, when they made over 114 thousand dollars.

Relay for Life will take place once again at Lakewood School the evening
of June 14th and early morning hours of June 15th.

Thomas Aquinas Hands Out Sports Hardware

A big night for Thomas Aquinas student athletes.

T.A. held its annual Athletic Awards Banquet last night.

Last year's Senior Male Athlete of the Year Patrick Van Bellingham shared the honor this year with Jarrod Sundmark.

The Senior Female Athlete of the Year was Samantha Burkhart, while Gilly Derouard was the Junior Female Athlete of the Year, and Eric Sundmark was
selected as the Junior Male Athlete.

Three Kenora High School Soccer Teams OFSAA Bound this Week

Three Kenora High School Soccer teams are heading to the provincial championships this week.

The Thomas Aquinas boys team booked its ticket to the OFSAA Single A championships after beating Marathon in two straight games in the best-of-three NWOSSA finals.

T.A. will now head to Timmins on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Saints girls squad also won its NWOSSA final in two straight games against
Wawa and will head to the Sudbury area, where play also begins on Thursday.

The Beaver Brae girls will head to the Windsor area for the OFSAA double A championships
which start Thursday in Tecumseh.