Save our tree

Kenora's Heritage Committee is looking at ways of designating a centuries old
tree in the Rideout area.

The eastern Cottonwood is growing in an alley between Mascott and Regina Avenues and is believed to be one of the largest trees of its kind in the province.

The cottonwood is over 300 years old and some residents in the neighborhood
are concerned about its future.

The Heritage Committee says while buildings can and have been designated
natural landscapes haven't received similar treatment yet.

Board members are now looking at options for protecting the tree.

More fires for the northwest

With the warmer weather comes an increased chance of forest fires.


The Ministry of Natural Resources is reminding the public to take precautions when burning outdoors.

Fire Information Officer Mitch Miller says crews responded to five new fires over past couple or
days.

The weather forecast is calling for hot dry weather for the next two weeks and MNR officials are keeping a close watch on the local conditions.

Fire causes extensive damage in Pinawa

Fire has caused about 1.5 million dollars damage to a motel in Pinawa, Manitoba.


The blaze broke out around 8:30 yesterday morning in the bar area of the building
and spread quickly.

While no-one was injured, police say two people were forced to flee the premises.


The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Manitoba Fire Commissioner's
Office and the RCMP.

Pinawa is located about 100 kilometers northwest of Kenora.

Health Coalition releases Hospital report

A report on rural and northern Ontario hospitals was released yesterday.


The Ontario Health Coalition penned the document that deals with health services.

Coalition spokesperson Barb Maki says they want to ensure all health services in the region stay intact.

Maki says the local health coalition will keep an eye out for any possible service cuts to emergency departments or other areas of care.

Sioux Narrows goes solar

Here comes the sun.

That's the new mantra of the Town of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls.

Its launching three solar energy projects this year.

Mayor Bill Thompson says its a good deal for his community.

Thompson says the whole project will cost about 500 thousand
dollars, but will have a pay back period of about six years.

Road Safety Week

National Road Safety Week starts today and OPP across our Region will be out in full force ensuring that drivers follow the rules.


16 people were killed on Northwestern Ontario roads last year and 364 injuries were reported.

9 people have died as a result of crashes on roads patrolled by OPP in the Northwest Region this year.

Land Ambulence Base in Kenora debated

The Kenora District Services Board will wait until Monday's Kenora City Council meeting before reacting to the long-standing land ambulance base debate in the community.


The issue was briefly discussed at the public meeting in Dryden Thursday.

Some Board members voiced frustration stating the issue has been on-going for roughly 9-years and has cost the Board 100-thousand dollars and that Kenora has been given enough time to make a decision.

They went on to add that the Services Board has done its due diligence in finding a suitable location and one member added that if Kenora Council can't make up its mind the Board will just build the base in unincorporat territory.

CAO Stain Leaf and Kenora Councilor Rory McMillan warned that both sides have concerns and need to sit down to discuss the issue.

By-Pass Clean-Up completed

It took a lot longer than expected to clean up a chemical spill on

Highway 17-A.

The OPP say a spill of strychnine pellets on the by-pass took over
24 hours to clean up.

The section of the by-pass between the Redditt Road and the Minaki
Highway was finally re-opened around 6:30 Saturday morning.

A Hazmat Unit from Winnipeg was called in deal with the situation.

Police say there was no danger to the public as a result of the spill.

Development Commission releases first quarter report

The Lake of the Woods Development Commission says it has a number of irons in the fire to improve the economy of the City of Kenora.

The Commission made its first quarter report to council last week and chair
Dennis Wallace says they are making positive strides in a number of directions.

He says forestry is still an important industry for Kenora and believes there will be
growth in the value-added sector.

Wallace adds that they have been able to secure a grant for 40 thousand dollars
to bring back a full winter carnival to the city next year.

Grassy Narrows wins more support

The Grassy Narrows First Nation and environmental group Earthroots are applauding a renewed commitment by Domtar to steer clear of the First Nation‘s traditional territory.


Domtar spokesperson Keith Ley says they do not procure wood from the Grassy Narrows traditional territory, nor do they intend to procure wood until the outstanding issues are resolved.

Domtar is the third major forest products company in the region to commit not to source wood from Grassy Narrows traditional territory following Boise‘s commitment in February 2008, and AbitibiBowater‘s commitment in June 2008.

However, Earthroots says Weyerhaeuser continues to press for access to wood regardless of the outcome of ongoing negotiations between Grassy Narrows and the province.

No Subsidy for Tournament for Cancer

Organizers of a summer hockey tournament which raises money for the

Canadian Cancer Society won't be getting any financial support from
the City of Kenora.

The second annual Kenora Hockey Kids for Cancer tournament will take place
at the Keewatin Arena at the end of August.

Organizers had requested a break on ice rentals for the weekend, but council
says at123 dollars an hour, the city already subsidizes ice times.

Councillors say even though the event is for a good cause, if they gave them
a break on ice rentals, they'd have to do the same thing for other groups.

Rec. Center Tender to be finalized

A local company has won a bid to install new sewer and water lines and a storm drain system

at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Norquip Construction had the lowest of four bids for the job at just over 600
thousand dollars.

The infrastructure work has to be completed before the parking lot at the Rec. Center
can finally be paved.

Councillor Dave McCann says the tender is about 250 thousand dollars lower than
any other bid on the project.

Chemical Spill on the By-Pass

A chemical spill is expected to keep the Kenora By-Pass closed for several more

hours.

A two vehicle collision involving a couple of tractor trailor units near the
intersection of Highway 17-A and the Minaki Highway took place around
2:00 this morning.

The OPP says both drivers sustained only minor injuries.

Miller Environmental Services has been called in to help clean up the
chemicals spilled in the collision.

Police says the section of the By-Pass between the Redditt Road and the
west entrance could be closed until at least noon today.

Environmental Education being encouraged

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is one of the first boards

in northern Ontario to adopt an Environmental Education Policy.

Trustees unanimously approved the policy at this week's board meeting.

Environmental Education leader, Kathy Boone says they've had a lot of
input.

Boone says the goal of the policy is to increase awareness and knowlege
and incorporate environmental education into the curriculum.

Services Board Budget Finally Passed

It took 6-months, 4-drafts and another 5-hours of debate yesterday, but the Kenora District Services Board has finally agreed on an acceptable 2010 budget.


After being instructed in March to trim the budget by 1-percent, staff came back with a document which included signficiant cuts in child care, ontario works, social housing and land ambulance.

Sten Lif  is the Chief Adminstrative Officer of the Services Board andsays Municipal Leaders agreed to maintain services.

If Board members had approved the March 18th budget, communities would have had to shell out roughly 200-thousand dollars less for social services.

Accident closes By-Pass

The OPP say a section of the Kenora By-Pass could be closed for several more hours

this morning.

A two vehicle collision took place near the intersection of Highway 17-A and the Minaki Highway
around 2:00 this morning.

Police say both drivers sustained minor injuries and an investigation into the cause of
the accident is continuing.

Currently the by-pass is closed at the Redditt Road and the west entrance to Highway 17-A.

The OPP say that section of the by-pass may be closed until at least noon.

Sioux Narrow/Nestor Falls Budget

Residents of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls can expect to pay a bit more in taxes
this year.

The town council recently passed its 2010 budget and is looking at an overall
increase of about one percent.

Mayor Bill Thompson says while they have been able to hold the line on municipal
spending, other costs are beyond their control.

Thompson says while the education portion on the tax bill has gone down,
assessments in his community are up about seven percent, so that has offset
any savings local property owners might have enjoyed.

Training and Education Strategy

The City of Kenora is being asked to embrace higher learning in order to
build out local economy.

An Education and Training Strategy has been developed by the Lake of the Woods
Development Commission.

Chair of the sub-committee, Geordie McEwan says there are lots of opportunities
in the education field.

McEwan says they have hired an intern to do a study on the opportunities
in Education and Training.

That report is scheduled to be presented to council in September.

Hudson's Bay Presentation at Museum

Northwestern Ontario residents are being given the opportunity to get a glimpse into history of the one of the oldest companies in the world.

Winnipeg is home to the archives of the Hudson's Bay Company, and archivist James Gordon is travelling the region to explain how they can be accessed.

Gordon says the material dates back to the company's incorporation in 1670.

A presentation will be made tonight a the Lake of the Woods Museum.

Local High Schools Rated

High schools in the Kenora-Rainy River district are ranked well below many of their counterparts in southern Ontario according to the Fraser Institute's latest study.

The Conservative Think-Tank ranks schools based on the results of annual provincial testing.

Spokesperson Michael Thompson says its fair comparison.

St. Thomas Aquinas School in Kenora was in the middle of the pack at 350 out of 722 schools rated.

Beaver Brae placed 640th overall.