Mike Richards Brings Stanley Cup Home

Thousands Enjoy Time with Stanley Cup

Over three thousand people crowded under the White Cap Pavillion to cheer on Mike Richards

as he brought the Stanley Cup to Kenora.

Hundreds line up afterwards to have their picture taken with the Los Angeles Kings star.

Brian Rupert was the Master of Ceremonies and introduced Richards, his mother Irene and his

brother Matt up on the main stage.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford and acting mayor Rod McKay also welcomed Richards to the White Cap

Pavillion.

NOMA Applauds new Infrastructure Fund

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is hoping for more details this weekend about a new infrastructure program.

The province announced 60 million dollars for rural and small municipalities yesterday.

Vice-President of NOMA Dave Canfield says while its not a lot of money, he's hoping its the start of bigger things.

The funding also includes nine million dollars to help municipalities prepare asset management plans for their infrastructure.

Non-Profit Housing Boards to Merge

More than a decade after Kenora, Keewatin and Jaffray Melick amalgamated, a move is afoot to merge the Non-Profit Housing Corporations.

Kenora City Council is expected to approve the amalgamation of the two boards by October.

Councillor Louis Roussin suggests this is something that should have taken place 12 years ago.

The city estimates it will save about 20 thousand dollars by bringing the Kenora and Keewatin Non-Profit Housing Corporations together.

Household Hazardous Waste Day Sunday

This might be a good weekend to clean out the garage.

The City of Kenora is holding its annual Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day at the Waste Transfer Station on Barsky's Hill.

Things like old paint, batteries, used motor oil, and propane cannisters can all be dropped off this Sunday.

In order to defray the cost of Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day, there is a 10 dollar charge for each vehicle through the gate.

You can drop off items for disposal between 9:00 and 4:00 on Sunday.

Arson Charges Laid in Sioux Narrows

A 25-year old woman remains in custody and is charged with arson.

Provincial Police laid the charge after investigating a rash of fires that caused structural damage in the Sioux Lookout area.

O.P.P. were looking into 3 fires in particular and with the help of the Northwest Crime Unit, were able to arrest and charge the woman.

She is scheduled to appear in a Sioux Lookout court today.

Fire Hazard Drops to Low across NWO

Cooler temperatures and rain throughout the rgion are keeping the forest fire situation at bay.

There were no new fires confirmed yesterday in the Northwest Region.

Widespread rain has reduced the forest fire hazard to low for the entire region and is keeping the fire situation quiet.

There are 53 active forest fires in northwestern Ontario; of those 53 fires, 51 are being monitored by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

OPP Look At Programs to Combat Drug Crime

The Kenora OPP are looking at a couple of new programs to try and reduce the amount of crime caused by drug and alcohol abuse.

Inspector Dave Lucas says they are looking at setting up a drug court to deal with frequent offenders.

He says their goal is to get these people some help.

Lucas another program they are looking at is an alcohol maintenance program, which allows people dealing with alcoholism a way of dealing with their addiction in a more controlled way.

KPDSB Says Deal Not Possible Before Classes Begin

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says there's no way it will reach an agreement with local teachers before the start of the school year without legislation.

Director of Education Jack McMaster says its not realistic to negotiate a settlement in the next two weeks with seven separate bargaining units.

McMaster says the board is moving into negotiations in a couple of weeks under the parametres that both sides agreed to last spring.

DSAB Looking to Trim Draft Budget

Municipalities in the Kenora District Could be looking at another increase in the amount it pays for social services.

The Kenora District Services Board says its initial draft budget for 2013 shows an increase of 1.2 percent in the municipal levy.

The Board says it is committed to reducing that number.

A final budget is expected to be tabled by December.

The District Services Board pays for such things as land ambulence, social housing, and Ontario Works.

Head Injury Symposium Tomorrow

Hockey experts are gathering in Dryden tomorrow for a one day symposium on head injuries.

NHL legend Ken Dryden is the keynote speaker and he says it's a great opportunity for everyone to sit down and share ideas on how to prevent concussions.

Other speakers include doctors, coaches and local players who have suffered concussions.

The event is free and starts at 1 at the Training Center in Dryden

109th NWIRA Regatta Starts Today on Rabbit Lake

Another weekend, another major sporting event in Kenora.

The 109th annual Northwestern International Rowing Regatta begins this morning on Rabbit Lake.

Over two hundred paddlers from northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are expected in town for the two day event.

While the Kenora Rowing Club is hosting, fewer than a dozen local rowers are expected to compete.

Organizers are still looking for volunteers to help out with the regatta.

Welfare Rates Declining in the Kenora District

The number of people relying on welfare in the Kenora District is dropping.

The Kenora District Services board says its seen a decrease in it's Ontario Works caseload over the past couple of years.

As of the end of June, there were 576 cases compared to 660 at the same time two years earlier.

The Services board says so far in 2012, they have seen 104 Ontario Works recipients leave to pursue employment opportunties.

Campaign to Save the ELA Continues

The fight to save the Experimental Lakes are isn't over yet.

Diane Orihel is leading the crusade to save the outdoor laboratory east of Kenora.

She asked Kenora City Council this week to work with her to ensure the ELA remains open.

The ELA is scheduled to close at the end of March 2013, but Orihel says its too important a facility to get rid of.

NOTO Suggests Visitor Numbers are Up

The Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters Association is reporting a slightly better tourist season this summer.

Executive Director Doug Reynolds says camp owners are seeing better turnout than in previous years.

He suggests the warm weather has also resulted in more last minute trips this summer.

Reynolds says it seems American anglers are less nervous about their economy and are coming back to vacation in Northwestern Ontario.

Rainy River Wants to Buy Tourism Center

The town of Rainy River is expressing interest in taking ownership of one of Ontario's now-shuttered tourism centres.

The centre in Rainy River was among those closed in May as part of costing-saving measures.

Mayor Deb Ewald says they've since inquired about buying it for a dollar.

Ewald says the Province is now considering their offer.

Changes Planned for Downtown Parking

The City of Kenora is once again tinkering with is Parking Policy to try and free up more space in downtown Kenora.

Council has agreed to reduce the number of long-term parking spots available in the South Parking lot on the Harborfront, and designate them for short term parking.

Starting next spring, the city will be eliminating half of the long term parking spaces and will be converting them to hourly spots.

The city is also planning to increase rates for parking in the South Parking lot as of October 1st.

New Policy Guide For White Cap Pavillion

It took a while, but the city has finally come out with a user's guide for the White Cap Pavillion.

The guide outlines exactly how many people the tent can hold safely for certain events, depending if there is seating and/or alcohol being served.

The city wants the Chief Building Official and the Fire chief to review event plans at least 30 days in advance.

Council also has officially approved the name White Cap Pavillion and a grand opening ceremony is currently being planned.

Bike Ride for Muscular Dystrophy Canada

Two firefighters are going a step farther to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

Atikokan firefighter Graham Warburton and Dryden's Reagan Breeze will bike from Kenora to Thunder Bay on September 10th.

Warburton says the public can help them raise money.

All funds collected will be handed over at a regional firefighters conference on September 13th.

Treaty #3 Upset with Dryden Hospital

The Grand Chief of Grand Council Treaty 3 says he's disappointed with the Dryden Regional Health Centre.

Chief Warren White says a Dryden doctor received a slap on the wrist after he was found breaching code of conduct by making racist comments to an Anishinaabe family during an emergency visit.

White says the impacts of hatred can't be minimized and stresses progress can't take place when events like this occur.

White is calling on the hospital to send a message that it adheres to zero tolerance of racism.

He says the response to the incident by delivering cultural sensitivity training isn't enough and the doctor must be disciplined.