Terrace Bay Pulp Faces Major Fine

A northwestern Ontario mill has been fined 275 thousand dollars for an explosion that killed a worker in 2011.

The incident at Terrace Bay Pulp claimed the life of an individual in on Halloween that year.

An investigation determined that welding repairs to a steel tank had been allowed to proceed before the tank had been cleared of hazardous material.

The probe also found that reasonable precautions to the planning and co-ordination of activities in preparing for the work on the tank were not taken by the mill.

The explosion created a 30 foot hole in the roof of the mill and a debris field of about 300 feet.

OPP Urge Local Residents to Be Bear Wise

The public is being reminded by the Ontario Provincial Police that simple precautions can go a long way in reducing interactions with bears as they come out of hibernation.

Cleaning barbecue grills after each use and picking fruits and berries off the ground before rotting are just a few of the recommendations.

Police also say residents should put away their bird feeders and only put garbage out the morning of pick up as bears come out of hibernation.

Attorney General To Focus on Aboriginal Justice

The Provincial Government is creating a new leadership position at the Ministry of the Attorney General's office.

The new position will focus on aboriginal justice.

Nishnawbe Aski Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says it's good news.

The position will be posted shortly and Fiddler hopes to see someone in the job by the summer.

Province Urged to Clean Up Contaminants

Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy is calling on the Government and Industry to help clean up environmental contamination found on or near area First Nations.

Beardy feels it only makes sense for industry to help pay for the clean up since they made the mess in the first place.

Beardy made the comments last week in a news release.

Prospectors Hold Annual Conference This Week

Perserverance in Challenging Times.

That's the theme of this year's 2014 Mines and Minerals Symposium held by the Ontario Prospectors Association.

Executive Director Garry Clark says they are hoping for a great turn out.

The event is being held in Thunder Bay Tuesday and Wednesday this week at the Vallhalla Inn.

Lake of the Woods Canucks Take Silver

(Photo provided by Nadine Hoshawa)

A good way to finish the regular season in girls minor hockey.

The Lake of the Woods Canucks Atom hockey team brought home
a silver medal from a tournament in Morris, Manitoba over the weekend.

The Canucks dropped a 1-0 decision to McDonald in the gold medal game yesterday.

The Canucks topped their pool in the round robin with two wins and a tie advancing directly to yesterday's final.

Seven Generations Receives Federal Funding

The federal government is committing 5.2 million dollars to the Seven Generations Education Institute.

The money is to help develop a mining workforce preparation program.

Federal Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford says there is a real need for a skilled workforce
in the mining sector in this region.

Seven Generations is working with a number of partners, including Cambrian College to offer the
new mining program.

Hydro Protests Planned for This Afternoon

Local residents fed up with soaring hydro rates will voice their concern today in Nestor Falls and Dryden.

A peaceful protest is planned from 12 until 1 today.

In Nestor Falls it will take place in the parking lot at Dalseg'sTrading Post, while the Dryden protest will be staged in front of the Government building on Highway 17.

Local residents are showing their displeasure with high hydro rates as well as Hydro One.

Less Than A Week Left in Rotary Auction

Less than a week to take advantage of some great deals.

The Rotary Auction will wrap up next Wednesday.

Incoming president, John Dahl says there are still lots of
items up for grabs.

The Rotary Auction is one of the major fundraisers for the local club and supports local projects as well as some of their international initiatives.

The on-line auction wraps up on April 9th.

Path of the Paddle Receives Trillium Funding

The manager of Trans Canada Trail Ontario is excited to see work continue on the Path of the Paddle.

Melissa Pomeroy says they just received a grant of over 330 thousand dollars from the Trillium Foundation.

Pomeroy says it will help keep the project organized.

She notes they hope to have the trail from Thunder Bay to the Manitoba border complete by 2017.

Dryden Mayor Takes Leave of Absence

Some surprising news from the City of Dryden.

It appears there's temporary changes at the top.

There are reports that Mayor Craig Nuttall has taken a 3 week leave of absence.

The move comes after a 4-3 vote that resulted in the defeat of a staffing position in the community.

Nuttall was one of three council members to vote in favour of the position.

The vote centred around the hiring of a previously advertised Economic Development Manager position.

Mary Trist will take over Acting Mayor duties.

New Fire Season Officially Underway

Starting fires might be the least of our worries these days.

However, the fire season is offiically now underway across northwestern Ontario.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is remind residents that daytime burning regulations are now in place.

Fire information officer Deb McLean says the regulations kicked in on Tuesday.

McLean notes that with all the snow and ice in the region it will be a slow start to the season.

Valleyview Holds Ribbon Cutting

Valleyview School is showing off it's newest addition.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held yesterday for the kindergarten
wing at the school.

Principal Jason McDonald the new classrooms have helped them expand their
kindergarten programs.

The one million dollar expasion started in July of last year and was completed by
December.

Lay-Offs Confirmed at Bearskin

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is confirming several layoffs at Bearskin Airlines.

The Union says Bearskin has provided its entire 11-unionized aircraft maintenance staff at Sioux Lookout with a temporary layoff notice.

All maintenance will now be performed at the Thunder Bay maintenance base.

Permanent layoffs were also issued for four workers at the Kitchener-Waterloo airport and six at the Winnipeg airport.

Union Spokesperson Michael Corrado says the company has also announced they will be closing down their

Engine Overhaul facility in Thunder Bay, contracting out that work, resulting in the loss of four jobs.

Nishinabe-Aski Nation Demands Better Fire Prevention

The death in a house fire in the remote community of Fort Severn First Nation has prompted calls for a better approach to fire safety and prevention in First Nations.

Nishnawbe-Aski First Nation wants governments, and emergency service providers to begin putting more emphasis on prevention.

Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says a chronic lack of firefighting services and substandard housing, many without smoke detectors or fire extinguishers, is becoming a deadly combination that claiming too many live.

Monday's fire at Fort Severn fire comes just weeks after four perished in a house fire in Mishkeegogamang near Pickle Lake.

TransCanada Pleased With Energy East Feedback

TransCanada Pipeline says most local residents appear to be on board with the proposed Energy East Pipeline.

Philippe Cannon is making the comments after a series of open houses in northwestern Ontario.

Cannon says they still are in the preliminary stages on plans to transport Alberta oil to the east coast.

Cannon says the plan is to convert one of the main lines in northwestern Ontario as well as build pump stations.

OPP Blues Hockey Team Hits The Ice

The OPP are dusting off their hockey jersies for a good cause.

The Blues will be taking on a group of high school players from
Thomas Aquinas in a charity game Saturday night.

Constable Bob Bernie says they'll be collecting donations for
the Salvation Army's food bank.

Bernie says they will also have a silver collection which will go
towards the OPP's youth camp.

Game time is April 5th at 6:30.

Beaver Brae Dominates Badminton Qualifier

A total of 27 local badminton players have advanced to the NorWOSSA finals.

The regional play-offs were held yesterday at both Beaver Brae and Thomas Aquinas.

Broncos teams were dominant, with 15 players heading to the NorWOSSA championships.

Andrew and Tyler Neil won their respective divisions, while John Houlden and Eric Nelson
won the junior boys doubles, while Bo Rogers and Alex Smith took top honors in the
senior boys doubles.

Logan Ginn and Kate Charlebois also won the senior mixed doubles event.

A total of 12 Thomas Aquinas players also qualified for next week's championships
taking place at the Beaver Brae and T.A. gyms.

Fire Marshall Investigating Fatal House Fire in Fort Severn

Nishnawbe Aski Police are investigating a deadly house fire in Fort Severn First Nation.

The blaze broke out early Monday morning.

Police say one person is dead and several people managed to escape blaze.

A post mortem exam is scheduled for today at Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora.

The Ontario Fire Marshall is being brought in to help out with the Investigation.  

Osisko Fighting Off Goldcorp Takeover Bid

Osisko Mining appears to have found a partner to help fight off a hostile take-over bid by Goldcorp.

Osisko says it's entered into a partnership with Yamana Gold that will see the Toronto-based company acquire 50 per cent interest in Osisko and become  an equal partner in its mining and exploration projects.

The deal is valued at nearly 930-million dollars.

Goldcorp is offering 2.9 billion for Osisko.

Harbourfest Signs Country Acts

They're going country.

Harbourfest has given into requests and booked a country show for Friday Night.

Assistant Entertainment Director Sandra Ivanowich says the show will have a Winnipeg connection with  Doc Walker signed as the co-headliner.

The Brothers Landreth, also from Winnipeg will be opening the show.

Also co-headlining is Dallas Smith, former lead vocalist for Default

Tickets go on Sale Saturday.

OPP Comes In Under Budget Again

Some cost savings for the City of Kenora.

The OPP says it cost almost 800 thousand dollars less last year to
police the city than it's original forecast.

Inspector Dave Lucas says one of the main reasons is their overtime costs have remained relatively low.

Lucas adds that their budget estimate in 2014 will also be about one percent less than their estimated costs in 2013.

Kings Bay Gold Continues Exploration in NWO

King's Bay Gold continues its work in northwestern Ontario.

The junior mining company has signed multiple confidentiality agreements with unnamed third parties relating to its work on property near Nestor Falls as well as other properties.

King's Bay Gold says its also received a three year exploration permit from the province to continue its work.

Province Confirms Caliper Lake Will Open This Summer

Ontario is working with Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls to once again offer camping and other services at Caliper Lake Provincial Park.

Under the three-year partnership, Ontario Parks will work with Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls to operate the park for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons with the goal of increasing revenue and visitation rates.

The township will be responsible for staffing and operational and capital costs while covering any net financial losses incurred during the period.

Rickford Pleased ELA Deal Finalized

 Greg Rickford says the Federal government has a fulfilled its commitment to ensure that research at the Experimental Lakes Area will continue under a new operator.

The Minister of Natural Resources says they have been involved in the process for nearly 2-years by working with the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

The feds weren't mentioned in a media release announcing the new deal but were recognized by the IISD for their involvement from the start.

NOSM Adding Suicide Awareness Training

Students in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's MD Program will now have suicide awareness training included in their curriculum.

Scott Chisholm is founder of the Collateral Damage Project and says he has been working on having schools include training like this for five-years.

Chisholm says with suicide rates as high as they are in the area it's important for institutions to become leaders in dealing with the issue.

Mount Evergreen Staying Open Longer

A change in plans.

A foot of fresh snow this week means Mount Evergreen will be staying open a little longer.

Manager Steve Simpson says the slush pit has been postponed until the Easter long weekend.

In lieu of the Mardi Gras festivities this weekend,  Simpson says they are offering free rentals instead.

Sioux Lookout to Get new High School

Some exciting news for Sioux Lookout.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has just announced it
will be going ahead with construction of a new high school in
that community.

The public school board says the project will cost about 30 million dollars
with the Ministry of Education chipping in 24 million.

The school will not only have state of the art classrooms for students, but also
space for other community partners like Firefly, Confederation College and Lakehead University.

The new secondary school would replace Queen Elizabeth High School.

KPDSB Delays A Couple of Special Events

The excitement is building in Sioux Lookout today.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has planned a special assembly at 11 o'clock at Queen Elizabeth High School.

The Board will be making a major announcement.

The announcement had been scheduled for Monday, but was post-poned due to the weather.

Meanwhile, the grand opening of the Valleyview expansion has also been delayed.

It was supposed to take place yesterday, but instead it has been re-scheduled for
tomorrow morning at 11:45.

Some Bus Delays Again Today

Things are starting to get back to normal as a day of cancellations
in the Kenora area.

Highways are pretty much bare and dry this morning while in the city itself most of the streets have been cleared, but there are still very slippy sections.

The Northwest Students Services Consortium says most of it's buses are running normally this morning, but there are some exceptions.

Bus KN-14 has been cancelled.

Instead bus KN-31 will pick up students in the Minto area, but the rural portion of that route has been dropped this morning.

The consortium adds that it does expect delays in all areas today.

Results Released in Strat Plan Survey

Some interesting results from the survey being conducted in
conjunction to the city's new five year stategic plan.

30 percent of residents feel the city is doing a very poor job of snow removals, and winter has been given as one of the reasons why some people don't like living in Kenora.

Over 19 hundred people have looked at the survey and Peter Thoma
from UrbanMetrics says that's an amazing response rate.

Last night 35 people showed up for the first public meeting on the five year Stategic Plan.

Thoma says they hope to have a draft ready by May with a final strat plan ready for council by sometime in June.

City Updates Local Residents on Water Situation

The city of Kenora wants you to know what's going on.

Chief Administrative Office Karen Brown says they recently sent out letters updating the status of water issues throughout the city.

Brown says when it comes to residents with running water they are investigating their options to benefit those who have been hit the hardest.

She adds that they will be discussion options with staff and councillors in the near future.

OEB Releases Interim Report on Energy East

The importance of pipeline safety is emerging as a top concern from people who recently attended the Energy East Pipeline hearings in northwestern Ontario.  

Ontario Energy Board spokesperson Karen Cormier says that a draft report on the hearings shows that area municipalities have specific safety concerns.

She says communities want to know what kind of Emergency Management Plan is in place and what
kind of response times there will be.

Concerns also centred around the environment and the economy.

Festival of the Arts Celebrates Milestone

After 70 years, the Kenora Festival of the Arts is still going strong.

The festival begins today at venues throughout the city.

Len Mark is one of the organizers and says the highlight of the festival
is their final concert at the end of the month.

Mark says the Discovery Center will once again act as host to the visutal arts portion of the festival  starting next week.

Kenora Special Olympians Excel

A number of strong performances from Kenora's Special Olympians at the
regional Spring Games in Thunder Bay.

Cory Lanseidel, Megan Wheatstone, Cindy Strachen, Allison Masuo, and Sandy
Graham each medalled in the pool and the bowling alley.

Lanseidel and Wheatstone collected three first place finishes in the swimming
competition.

Sandy Graham also had a first and a second in swimming and a first in women's bowling.

Shane Legros and Brittany Morris also bowled with the provincial coaches as they
prepare for the National championships as members of Ontario Special Olympics team.

High School Badminton Tournament Re-scheduled

The birds won't be flying today.

The NORWOSSA High School badminton qualifier scheduled for today has been moved to tomorrow.

Teams from across the region including Red Lake, Whitefish Bay and Rainy River will take part in the tournament being hosted by Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae.

Action will get underway at 10:30 tomorrow morning.

Experiments Will Take Place at ELA in 2014

Another groundbreaking day for the Experimental Lakes Area.

The Province of Ontario and the International Institute for Sustainable Development have signed an agreement that will allow experiments to continue at the facility this year.

Natural Resources Minister David Orazietti says "the government has stepped up to provide the financial support necessary to keep this world-class facility operational, while ensuring the environment is protected."

Ontario is committing 2 million dollars a year to the ELA.

Negotiations to give the IISD full control of the facility have been a year in the making when the federal government cut funding to the facility.

Closure and Cancellation Update

The term snow day doesn't seem to do all the closures justice.

Businesses and services throughout the region have closed their doors today.

The Northwestern Health Unit will be closed today, they do however have an emergency line running at 1-807-468-7109.

Recycling and garbage pick up has been cancelled by the city of Kenora.

Regular pick up will continue tomorrow.

Other closures today include the the Best Start Hub, Firefly Childcare, Minto Resource Centre, And Kenora Swim Club.

On a positive note Kenora Public Transit is running, as well the city will still be holding it's Strategic Planning Meeting tonight at the rec centre at 7:00.

Weather Takes Positive Spin After Storm

The region is digging out from yesterday's big snow storm.

CJRL Metrologist Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says the worst is over and the digging out can begin.

Laidlaw says no new snow is expected today and that we can expect sunshine and above zero temperatures for the rest of the week.

The worst hit area during the storm was Sioux Lookout, which received 47 centimetres of snow.

Ministry to Fund Mental Health in Schools

The Ministry of Education is giving a higher priority to student mental health.

A ministry spokesperson confirmed last week that funding for mental health will now be permanently added to school board budgets.

Joan Kantola is the superintendant of education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says the funding recognizes the increasing needs in their schools.

Overall, the province says it will be spending almost 23 billion dollars on education in the 2014/2015 school year.

LU Students Will Not Protest Tuition Increase

The president of the Lakehead University Student Union says not to expect a student protest over increased tuition fees.

The board of governors has increased fees an average of 3-percent, but Union President Ian Kaufman says they have decided against any uprising even though it's the 8th increase in a row.

Kaufman says they presented 5 recommendations to the Board of Governors.

The top student recommendation is an independent review of the university's books

Opposition Leader Defends Allegations

Opposition leader Tim Hudak is standing his ground.  

Premier Kathleen Wynne is threatening legal action unless Hudak retracts statements he made about linking the premier to deleted emails in the her office relating to the gas plant scandal.  

Hudak says Wynne has her priorities backwards.

Hudak says he will not withdraw his allegations.

Highway and School Closures

The snow storm may be over but the effects are still hitting the region with full force.

All schools for the Kenora Catholic and Keewatin Patricia District School Boards are closed for the day, including board offices.

The North West Student Services Consortium has cancelled buses for most of the region.

The cancellations include Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Dryden and Vermilion Bay.


At the post-secondary level, Confederation College has shut down the Lake of the Woods campus for the day.

Meanwhile highways are slowly being re-opened.

Highway 17 between the Manitoba boundary and Shabaqua is now open after being closed overnight.

Highway 17 between Shabaqua and Thunder Bay remains closed.

Highway 71 has been re-opened.

Highway 11 from Highway 600 to Highway 71 is closed.

Highway 502 from Dryden to Fort Frances is closed.

Travel is still not recommended.

Spring Snow Storm On the Way

If the forecast holds true, it could be the worst snow storm of the season.

Right now Environment Canada is predicting about 30 to 35 centimeters of snow by the time the Colorado Low moves through the region.

Meteorologist Ria Alsen says the storm system is centered over Nebraska right now and will pass through the Kenora area over the next 24 hours.

While the Kenora area will take the brunt of the storm, areas to the east like Thunder Bay will see only a smattering of snow and some freezing rain.

All School Buses Cancelled Today

Another long weekend for students who take the bus to school.

Yet another snow day has been declared by the Northwest Student Services
Consortium.

School buses in Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Vermillion Bay, Dryden, Red Lake, Ignace
and Sioux Lookout have all ben cancelled today.

Schools will remain open however for any students who can get to class today.

Sunshine List Continues to Grow

The novelty of making Ontario's Sunshine List is starting to lose it's luster.

The number of people making more than 100 thousand dollars a year keeps growing.

According to the Public Sector Salary Disclosure List, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has the most employees on the list in the Kenora area.

There are 52 people from the public school board making 100 thousand dollars or more.

The Kenora Catholic District School board had only 15, but it also has the highest paid
educator in the region.

Phylis Eikre made just over 198 thousand dollars last year.

The top-paid public employee in Kenora was Dr. Kerry McDonald at Lake of the Woods District
Hospital.

The regional patholigost earned 379 thousand dollars.

Two Kenora Teams Win Stars Tournament in Winnipeg

A big weekend for the Lake of the Woods Girls hockey teams.

A total of 12 local teams were in Winnipeg for the St. Boniface Stars Girls Hockey Tournament.

Kenora teams won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

The PeeWee Turbo and Bantam Dy-no-mite 4.0 both won their divisions, while the Novice Purple Polar Puppies
won silver after a 6-1 loss to Dryden in the final.

Do One Thing Conference Tickets On Sale

Registration is now open for the Northwestern health unit's "Do One Thing" conference.

The conference takes over the Whitecap Pavilion May 27th and 28th.

CEO Mark Perrault says it's a first of it's kind conference for service providers in the region.

One of the featured speakers will be Rick Mercer from CBC TV's Rick Mercer Report.

Tickets for the conference are 195 dollars and can be purchased on-line here.

Public School Board To Expand FASD Classrooms

Nothing but rave reviews for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board from a leading expert on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Dr. Gideon Koren is the founder and director of the Motherisk Program and a professor at the University of Toronto and he visited the FASD classrooms at Open Roads in Dryden and Sioux Mountain in Sioux Lookout.

Dr. Koren says there are only 2-programs of this kind in Ontario and four in Canada.

The Board is planning to expand the program next year in Keewatin Public School and the Madsen school in Red Lake.

No Charges Laid So Far in Dryden Fatal

Provincial Police say they continue to investigate the circumstances behind a fatal two vehicle collision on Highway 17 last week.

The crash claimed the life of 24-year-old Taylor Gardiner of Dryden.

Police say they won't be laying charges at this time.

Gardiner died when his west bound car struck an east bound transport.

The driver of the tractor trailer unit wasn't injured.

Funeral services for the well liked young man will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock at the United Church in Dryden.