Four feared dead in North Spirit Lake Plane Crash

One person has survived a plane crash that killed four others in North Spirit Lake.

Maggie Kakegamic, a band councillor from the North Spirit Lake reserve where the small plane crashed, says the person is being treated at the local clinic.

The Transportation Safety Board says the Keystone Air plane crashed into the lake around 10 o'clock this morning.

Spokesperson Peter Hildebrand says the small aircraft was flying from Winnipeg to North Spirit Lake when it crashed a half a mile before the runway.

Hildebrand says five people, including the pilot, were on board.

He says there was a fire in the aircraft after it went down.

Hildebrand says two investigators have been dispatched to the scene, but it may be tomorrow before they get any further information about the cause of the crash.

Kakegamic says the small community of several hundred people about 400 kilometres north of Dryden is in shock and everybody is crying.

Plane Crash in Northwestern Ontario

Details are still sketchy about a plane crash in northwestern Ontario.

The Transportation Safety Board says a Keystone Air Service plane flying from Winnipeg to North Spirit Lake went down around 10:00 this morning.

The plane was carrying five people including the pilot.

Peter Hildebrand from the Safety Board says they don't know the condition of those on board at this time.

He says there was a fire in the aircraft after it went down on North Spirit Lake.

NorWOSSA Hockey Action Resumes today

Local high school hockey players will get a chance to work off their Christmas turkey today.

NorWOSSA hockey action resumes with a pair of games at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Beaver Brae's boys team is first up with a game against the Sioux Lookout Warriors.

The Broncos will be out for a measure of revenge, after the Warriors beat them in their first game of the season.

Game time is 4:30 at the Thistler Rink.

Following that contest, the Bronco girls are in action.

They'll face off against the Fort Frances Muskies at 7:30.

Hospital gets a new board member

Lake of the Woods District Hospital has a new trustee.

Dorothy Monteith was introduced at the hospital's monthly board meeting last month.

The position had been vacant since the summer, after one of the appointees decided not to fill the position.

The hospital board's nomination began their search to fill the vacancy in the fall.

New Years at the Rec. Center a Popular Draw

The Kenora Rec. Center now has one of the biggest New Year's events in the City.

Councillor Charito Drinkwalter says this year's family night on December 31st, attracted 407 people.

That's 150 more than last year.

The Rotary Club sponsors the family night from 4:00 to 8:00 allowing families to swim and skate at the Rec. Center for Free on the last night of the year.

Tourism Survey Deadline Looming

The deadline is quickly coming for an on-line survey about Kenora's tourism industry.

The survey was presented by Roger Brooks last month during a return visit to the city.

Councillor Sharon Smith says so far the response has been fantastic.

Tomorrow is the last day to submit your survey on Kenora.ca.

The information will be used to help determine a specific tourism message the city wants to market to visitors in the future.

Boil Water Advisory lifted in Keewatin

A five day old boil water advisory has been lifted for the Keewatin and Norman areas.

The advisory was issued last Thursday after a water pipe in the Portage Bay area broke.

The city was waiting for two consectutive water tests to come back free of any bacterial contamination before it lifted the advisory.

The Advisory was lifted just before 10:00 this morning.

Boil Water Advisory

The City of Kenora is hoping to lift a boil water advisory in the Keewatin and Norman

areas today.

The advisory has been in place since last week after a water line in the Portage Bay
area broke.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says this is the fourth break in the line in the
past three years.

Perchuck says the first results of water tests done on the line came back negative for the presence of bacteria, but they need one more test result before they can lift the boil water advisory.

MS Kenora

The MS Kenora is ready to set sail to Coney Island.


But the owner of the tour boat says the City is going to have to address the docking situation on the island first.

Al Luby made a deputation to city council yesterday and says before they can go forward with their plans, the city is going to have to improve the public docks on the north side of the island.

Luby is asking the city to do an engineering report on the docks and then they can decide whether to go ahead with their plans to operate a daily service to the island.

Drug Bust on the By-Pass

A traffic stop on the Kenora By-Pass has taken another 25 hundred dollars in illegal drugs off the street.

The OPP say they stopped a vehicle near the intersection of the Redditt
Road around 12:30 this morning.

Officers says they found about 200 Oxycodone pills inside the vehicle.

Both occupants have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

24 year old Calvin Delarond of Kenora and 35 year old Cheryl Ann Bird of Winnipeg are due to appear in court this February on the charges.

Health Unit Celebrates "Man"-uary

This is "MANuary"!

The Northwestern Health Unit is trying raise awareness of testicular cancer.

Public Health Nurse Patty Foster says they were surprised at the lack of awareness among men in our communities.

Foster says they have launched a Facebook campaign and will be hitting area schools to raise more awareness.

Rickford expects a lean federal budget in 2012

The federal government plans to do some belt-tightening in the new year.

The budget isn't expected for a couple of more months, but Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the Harper Government is committed to reducing spending.

Rickford says the goal is to try and reduce spending as much as possible to try and bring down their deficit.

City Council back in Session Today

Kenora city council is back in session today after a couple of weeks off for the Christmas and New Year's Break.

The committee of the whole will meet at 3:30 this afternoon, with a fairly thin  agenda.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says 2011 was a very busy year for the city and is hoping things like the Community Improvement Plan on the Abitibi properties will pay dividends in 2012.

Canfield says while they only have one business on the Abitibi property right now, they hope to be able to announce more activity in the months ahead.

Break in at Mount Evergreen

The OPP are investigating some mischief and a theft at the Mount Evergreen Ski Club.

Last week, police say someone drove a truck down the ski hills and some of the groomed trails.

Two snowboards and two pairs of skiis were also stolen.

Anyone with information can contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Boil Water Advisory

The City of Kenora's boil water advisory remains in effect for all those in the Norman and Keewatin area who are connected to the City of Kenora’s Water System.

Kenora’s Water & Sewer Department says it’s caused by a water main break at Portage Bay in Keewatin.

The city can’t guarantee the quality of the water until satisfactory sample results are received from the lab”

A boil water advisory for all locations in Norman and Keewatin remain in effect until further notice

Nathan Cullen

Thunder Bay is playing host to a candidate in the Federal NDP leadership race.


B.C. MP Nathan Cullen is holding a meet and greet this afternoon at the Madhouse Tavern and then another event in the evening for party faithful.

An NDP all candidates debate will be held in Sudbury in February.

Lock It before you Pocket

Police are launching a campaign called``lock it before you pocket.''

They'll be cracking down on 9-1-1 pocket dialers.

The program launches today in Toronto where last year the force got more than 100 thousand pockets dials and more than 115 thousand misdials.

Police say if that happens to you, don't hang up and explain to the operator it was a mistake.

North American Palladium

North American Palladium says it's committed to building the mining industry in the Thunder Bay area.


CEO Bill Biggar says about 16-square kilometres has been acquired northwest of the current Lac-des-Iles operation.

He says they plan to invest up to 4-million dollars at the site to get it ready for operations next year.

A mine shaft at their current operation is still in production.

First Nations Help

Two First Nations near Attawapiskat are also sounding the alarm over concerns of their own.


Kashechewan and Fort Albany are both calling on federal and provincial governments for immediate
emergency help with their housing situations.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan recently announced more than 3-million dollars for housing in Kashechewan

Highway 17 East

Highway 17 east of the Terrace Bay airport is open to both lanes of traffic after an accident overnight.

A transport jack knifed blocking both lanes.

Police say the road was closed for five hours while crews towed the rig off the highway but luckily no one was hurt.