Saints head to OFSAA Volleyball and Basketball championships

The Thomas Aquinas senior girls volleyball and senior boys basketball teams are in southern Ontario today for the start of the All-Ontario Single A championships.

The Saints girls squad has won silver the last two years at OFSAA and are gunning for gold this year.

They are the second ranked team in the tournament and take on the host team, Toronto District Christian School at 8:00 this morning in their first round robin game.

The Saints boys meanwhile are down the QEW in St. Catharines.

T.A. is ranked 13th at the OFSAA basketball championships and play their first game at 7:00 tonight against Ecole Secondaire Lejeunesse.

Torch Relay for Life comes to town

An ambitious campaign to sign up one million organ donors in Ontario hit the ground running in Kenora today.

The Torch Relay for Life started at Beaver Brae before heading to City Hall.

George Marcello is spearheading the campaign and says they've been working a long time on increasing organ donations across the country.

The campaign moves to Dryden on Monday and then Fort Frances and Thunder Bay later next week.

Changes in Store for Land Ambulence Service

Some changes to the way land ambulence service is provided in the region.

Chief executive at Lake of the Woods District Hospital says non-emergent ambulence transfers could become a thing of the past.

He says its an issue the District Services Board is currently looking at.

Belcaen says they currently have about 300 non-emergent transfers to hospitals in Winnipeg each year, and that doesn't include local transfers between the hospital and local long term care facilities.

He says northwestern Ontario isn't like southern Ontario and a different solution is needed.

Bronco Boys and Girls aim for NORWOSSA Gold

Two long-time rivals meet again for the Girls High School Hockey title.

The Dryden Eagles entertain the Beaver Brae Broncos tonight in Game 1 of the Best of 3 Final.

The Eagles finished just ahead of the Broncos for first place in the standings.

The two teams have met in every single NorWOSSA Final.

Puck-drop is 6:30 at the Memorial Arena in Dryden.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae's boys team travels to Fort Frances tonight for game one of their best-of-three final against the Muskies.

Torch of Life Relay Begins this Morning

A cross-province campaign to sign up one million organ donors gets underway in Kenora today.

The Torch of Life Relay will begin this morning with an assembly at Beaver Brae Secondary School.

The Torch will then make its way to city hall, where the Torch will be passed to Kenora mayor Dave Canfield.

The relay will visit 75 communities across Ontario over the next four months.

Hospital Worried About Impact of Drummond Report

Lake of the Woods District Hospital says it doesn't know how much more it can cut without affecting services.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belcaen says they are worried about the impact the Drummond Report will have on their finances this year.

The Drummond Report recommends a wide array of cost-cutting measures for the provincial government, including capping health spending at one percent.

Canfield returns from ROMA/OGRA Conferences

Still no guarantee of funding for Kenora's aging bridges.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield has returned from the Ontario Good Roads Conference in Toronto with out any promise from the provincial government.

Canfield says while they received mixed messages on the infrastructure front, they did have a very positive meeting with Glen Murray, the Minister of Colleges, Training and Universities.

Canfield is hoping to get more government ministers to come to Kenora in April, when the city hosts the annual Northwstern Ontario Municipal Association Conference.

Youth arrested in Sandy Lake School Fire

Nishnawbe-Aski Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy for allegedly starting a large fire at the Sandy Lake First Nation elementary school.

The February 19th fire caused extensive damage to Thomas Fiddler Memorial School.

Police arrested the young teen on Wednesday.

The boy has been charged with break and enter as well as arson.

He has been released on conditions and is due in Court on April 17th.

The school will be closed for the remainder of the school year due to the damage it sustained.

Kenora Winter Carnival Begins this evening

Just in time for the Winter Carnival, its starting to look like a winter wonderland in Kenora.

The carnival kicks off tonight with a fireworks display at 7:00.

Crystal Stokes is one of the organizers and says over the weekend, most of the activities will be in or around the big tent on the Harborfront.

There are also other activities throughout the community, including the Blues Fest, which starts tonight at the Lake of the Woods Hotel.

Premier Vague on Future of the NOHF

The Premier is not saying if the Drummond Report will have any effect on funding levels for the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Speaking in Thunder Bay today Dalton McGuinty would only commit to keeping it in existence

The fund currently has an annual budget of 100 million dollars.

ORNGE Scandal Expands

The former President of Confederation College is getting a rough ride over her appointment to the board at the province's scandal plagued air ambulance service.

Progressive Conservative critic Frank Klees says Pat Lang should never have been put on the board because of her past connections to ORNGE CAO Rick Potter, who was working for her at Confederation College.

Potter is coming under fire after he admitted he lied about his university credentials

Hope and the City Sells Out in Minutes

It was the hottest ticket in town, now Hope and the City is already sold out.

Tickets went on sale this morning and all 208 were sold in a matter of minutes.

People started lining up before 9:00 this morning to try and get tickets for the fundraiser for Cancer research.

Ashley Hoffmeister is the co-chair of the event and says its a fun evening for a good cause.

Hope and the City takes place April 28th at the Lakeside Inn.

Sharks hit the road for two swim meets

Members of the Kenora Sharks swim club are heading both east and west for a pair of competitions.

Five swimmers are in Nepean for the Ontario Junior Provincial Championships.

14 of the clubs younger swimmers will be in Winnipeg for Manitoba Junior and 10 and under championships.

The Ontario Junior Championships get underway today.

Police Confirm fatality in Rideout Fire

The OPP have confirmed that one person was killed in a fire in the Rideout area of town early yesterday morning.

Police say 56 year old James Rutherford was killed in a blaze at a two story home on Rupert Road.

A post-mortem exam is expected to be conducted later today at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

An investigator from the Ontario fire Marshall's office is expected to arrive at the scene today and look for a possible cause in the fatal fire.

Push the Button Campaign Launched

Area kids are being encouraged to "push the button".

That's the name of a new fire safety campaign launched by the Office of the Fire Marshal and TVO Kids.

TVO Spokesperson Marnie Malabar says kids should ask parents permission to do one thing.

The initiative runs until March 11th.

Rideout Fire still under investigation

The OPP and the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office are continuing to investigate a blaze in the Rideout area of town.

There have been some reports that someone may have been in the house on Rupert Road early Wednesday morning.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says more information will become available as the investigation continues.

The fire destroyed the two-story house but the cause still hasn't been determined.

Regional Economic Development Agency Proposed

Local residents are being asked what they think about a proposed regional economic development agency for northwestern Ontario.

Ian Angus was in Kenora yesterday to talk about the new initiative.

Angus says this won't be just another level of bureaucracy.

Angus says they want some feedback on the kind of board the new agency should have and who should sit on the board.

The federal and provincial levels of government are expected to foot part of the bill for the new agency.

Hunting Tags now available on-line

The Ministry of Natural Resources hopes they can teach old dog's new tricks.

Hunters can now apply for big game draws for moose, deer and elk online.

Spokesperson John Cooper says mostly the MNR's new automated and online systems for licensing have proven popular.

Draws can be entered online on the Ministry website, through the telephone lincensing hotline, and at Service Ontario sites.

Election Results Finalized

The provincial election was five months ago, but Elections Ontario has just finally released the official results.

While Conservative Candidate Rod McKay finished second overall, he polled very well in his hometown of Kenora.

McKay won most of the polls in Kenora and the Sioux Narrows Area.

Sarah Campbell meanwhile, picked up more votes in Dryden, Fort Frances, the Rainy River area as well as in the far north.

There were no changes to the final results in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

Local Judokas prepare for Ontario Winter Games

Four members of the Jaffray Melick Judo Club will be heading to Collingwood next week for the Ontario Winter Games.

This past weekend, three of the fighters got a tune-up by competing in the Inner City Judo Tournament in Winnipeg.

Karley Lockhart won gold in her under 15, 44 kilo division, while Thomas Hertz also won his under 15, 34 kilo grouping.

Daniel Gordon was fighting up a weight class, and finished out of the medals.

Taylor Tom will also be traveling to southern Ontario for the Winter Games next week.