Andre Wareham: Not Guilty

Andre Wareham is a free man. A jury found him not guilty in the death of William Atkins in 2009.

Wareham calls the verdict overwhelming and just wants to put it all behind him saying it's been hard but "you have to walk through it all..stand strong, and just see it to the end".

When the verdict was read Wareham  had  an expression of great relief.

Fort Frances Shooting

A Fort Frances teenager is facing several charges including attempted murder following an incident last night at a Trailer Park in that community.

 OPP were initially called to the area around 6 last night about a missing boy. Family members later informed police he had been located, but was in possession of a gun.

 It was later determined that a family member was shot at, but was not injured.

The 14-year-old was eventually located inside a home at the park and taken into custody without incident.

Stan Beardy Calling For Help

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy says a catastrophe is looming with the decision to stop manufacturing the drug OxyContin.


Beardy says thousands of residents of Northern Ontario reserves are addicted to the drug, which is up to twice as strong as morphine.

Health Canada says when the pill is chewed or crushed, then injected or inhaled, it produces a ``heroin-like euphoria.''

The company that produces OxyContin will stop manufacturing the drug in Canada at the end of the month.

Purdue Pharma Canada will replace OxyContin with a new formulation called OxyNEO, which is formulated to make abuse more difficult.

Beardy says addicts will go into withdrawal, and says it's something that scares him.

He says without treatment to help deal with the addiction, a public health catastrophe is imminent.

Aboriginal Education

The Harper Government is signalling its intention to pour more money into aboriginal education, even as it prepares to slash spending on almost everything else.


The governing Conservatives have thrown their support behind an NDP motion calling on the government to provide the necessary funding to ensure First Nations children receive an education of equal quality to that received by kids in provincial school systems.

Moreover, the NDP says Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has indicated a personal interest in the issue during private pre-budget consultations.

The Feds currently spends $1.4-billion annually on aboriginal education; the Assembly of First Nations has calculated that an additional $500-million a year is needed.

Conservative MP Thanking Two NDP Members

Kenora MP Greg Rickford is condeming NDP Interm leader Nycole Turmel for punishing two Thunder Bay MP's for breaking party ranks and joining the Conservatives to scrap the long gun registry.


Rickford says Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty were voting for their constituents.

He says appreciates and respects the two for standing their ground.

The Kenora Midget Triple "A" Thistles

The Kenora Midget Triple "A" Thistles kick off their best of three playoff series with the Nor-Man Northstars tonight.  All three games of the series will be played in Thompson.  Game 2 is tomorrow night with Kenora acting as the home team and game three if necessary will be held Sunday.  The Thistles finished the regular season with 32 points, good for 5th spot in the Eastern Conference.

Aboriginal Student Success

The principal at Beaver Brae says he's noticing a better atmosphere at his school for aboriginal students.

Clinton Bruetsch made a presentation on aboriginal student success to trustees this week.

He says he's been working with the Aboriginal Advisor on strategies to help engage aboriginal students in their day to day classes.

Bruetsch says overall aboriginal students have lower marks, higher absentee rates and lower graduation rates.

He says they are working to change that, but its not going to happen overnight.

Affordable Housing in Kenora

Affordable housing support is on its way for the Kenora District Services Board.


The Board has inked an agreement to access 1.4-million dollars over 10-years in Federal and Provincial dollars.

CAO Dan McNeil says the money will go towards projects which include a rent supplement program for the working poor and Ontario Works clients.

$50,000 is being earmarked for Habitat for Humanity in Kenora

Break & Enter: St. Thomas Aquinas High School

A 15 year old male from Kenora was caught red handed yesterday.


Ontario Provincial Police charged the youth with break and enter after responding to an alarm at St. Thomas Aquinas High School

Further investigation revealed that earlier last night the same 15 year old was responsible for a theft from a vehicle.

Break & Enter: Jaffray-Melick Community Centre

Over $20,000 worth of damage has been reported at the Jaffray-Melick Community Centre.


Ontario Provincial Police were called out to a break and enter at the building on February 13th after staff members came in to find a significant amount of damage to windows, doors, the concession stand and a number of lights used to illuminate the ice surface.

Two male youth from Kenora ages 15 and 17 have been arrested and charged with mischief over $5,000 and break and enter

Mental Health

Mental health issues have been identified as a growing problem for local educators.


The Keewatin-Patricia District School Boards used Provincial funding to hire a Mental Health Leader.

Lisa Doerksen started her job last month and says one of her jobs is to work with teachers and raise awareness of mental health issues.

Doerksen says one in five students have a mental health or emotional disorder, but only 50 percent will talk to anyone about their depression or anxiety.

Ambulance Services

A comprehensive review of the land ambulance service in the Kenora District is now underway.


The Services Board is looking at the entire operation to ensure staff and resources are being used in an efficient and effective manner.

CAO Dan McNeil outlines one area they are looking at.
 
McNeil says the study will also look into a call for a land ambulance base in the Vermilion Bay area.

KDSB Changes

The Kenora District Services Board has finally found a replacement for a vacant seat.

Ray Leray has been appointed the member for Oxdrift.

He replaces Sarah Campbell, who was forced to step down when she was elected in the last Provincial election.

The Board says Leray was the only candidate to submit an application before the deadline.

The Board is also dealing with the loss of its Director of Housing Services.

Adrian De Porto announced his retirement at a KDSB meeting this morning.

Poverty Challenge

Twelve local residents learnt this week that $52 doesn’t go a long way.

Making Kenora Home has officially wrapped up the 2nd Annual Poverty Challenge.

 It’s one of many initiatives taken to raise awareness during the Week of Action Against Poverty.

Participants from Kenora spent the last week blogging about their experiences while on social assistance.

Making Kenora Home Website

Adam Beach

You might recognize him from the CBC Show "Arctic Air" .


Adam Beach is visiting The White Dog First Nations today to meet with community elders, community members and students.

His visit is encouragement to the community and is focused on suicide prevention.

Long-Gun Registry

Kenora MP Greg Rickford has finally got his wish!

The Conservatives used their majority Wednesday night to put the national long-gun registry out of its misery.

The Commons vote was 159-to-130.

Thunder Bay NDP MP's Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty broke party ranks and sided with the Government.

The bill now goes on to the Senate, where a Tory majority ensures passage.

Kin Carnival

Tis' the season for Winter Carnivals.

This weekend, Vermillion Bay is the place to be.

The community is hosting the annual Kin Carnival and one of the highlights is the 'Kids Carnival'.

Organizer Sarah Wilson says they will have lots of activities.

The Carnival is Saturday from 10 to 3 at Lillian Berg School.

Drummond Report

There's a lot to take in!

That's the feeling of Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle following the release of the Drummond report.

The Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP says the Government must go through the 362-recommendations with a fine tooth comb.

Gravelle admits there are some recommendations on cutting back on health care and education which he believes are not feasible.

Couchiching First Nation

Residents of Couchiching First Nation go to the polls today in elections for a new band council.


As many as eight people, including incumbent Chuck McPherson, are on the ballot for chief.

Thirty-one candidates were nominated for six council positions.

KDCC Executive Directors

It's a new year for the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce but some things will stay the same.


Andrew Scribilo was re-elected president at last nights annual general meeting and says its good to know that we're all on the same page

“Initiatives for 2012: we’re really pressing on the business community for resolutions to take down to NOACC. We really want resolutions to make changes and improvements to the communities, not only Kenora but across the Northwest.”

Wes Romaniuk of the lake of the woods hotel is back on the board as 1st Vice President and Kathleen Novack from the Royal bank of Canada has stepped in the 2nd Vice Presidents position for for the 2012 season