Police Lay Charges in Weekend Stabbing

A 28 year old man faces a long string of charges following a stabbing incident over the weekend.

John Victor Munroe has been charged with break and enter with the intent to commit an offence as well as assault causing bodily harm.

The OPP say the stabbing incident took place Saturday.

The victim was treated at Lake of the Woods District Hospital and later released.

Munroe appeared in court over the weekend on the charges.

57 Year old Man faces Drug Charges

A 57 year old Kenora man faces drug charges following a bust by the Kenora Joint Forces Drug Unit.

Police say they executed a search warrant at a home on the Homestake Road last Friday and seized about 400 grams of marijuana as well as an illegal weapon.

Gordon Pernsky has been charged with production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking marihuana, careless use of a firearm, and possession of a prohibited firearm.

He appeared in Kenora Court over the weekend for a show/cause hearing.

Treaty Three Welcomes new NAN Chief

The new grand chief of Treaty Three is extending his congratulations to the new chief of the Nishinabe Aski Nation.

Chief Warren White says he's looking forward to working with Harvey Yesno, who was elected last week.

He says he wants to build a strong alliance with the Nishinabe Aski Nation.

He suggests that Yesno's knowlege as one of the founding members of NAN will ensure treaty rights are respected, protected and enhanced.

Thistles Banner Stolen from Pavillion

It looks as if someone was looking for more than just a photo with Mike Richards.

The OPP are investigating the theft of a number of banners from the White Cap Pavillion over the weekend.

Sometime between 4:00 Friday afternoon and 8:00 Saturday morning, a Kenora Thistles 1907 Stanley Cup Championship banner was stolen along with a Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Flag and a Canadian flag.

The Thistles banner is 8 feet long and 3 feet wide and is burgundy and white in colour.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Council Members Head to Ottawa for AMO

Infrastructure funding will be at the top of the wish list this week as members of Kenora City council are in Ottawa for the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says they have eight meetings set up over the next couple of days with provincial politicians and cabinet ministers.

Canfield says the future of government services will likely be another hot topic this week.

Councillors Louis Roussin, Ron Lunny and Rory McMillan are also in Ottawa this week for the AMO conference.

Fire Crews Heading Out West

Despite a relatively dry weekend, the Ministry of Natural Resources says it was a pretty quiet weekend on the forest fire front in northwestern Ontario.

Just two new blazes reported, including on in the Kenora District.

MNR fire crews were called out to deal with a camp fire that got out of control on Lake of the Woods.

The fire grew to 0.1 hectares in size.

Because its been so quiet here, the MNR says its able to lend out 36 fire rangers to help out with the fire situation in British Columbia.

Dryden Concussion Symposium Deemed a Success

It was a chance to sit down and talk about the serious issue of concussions.

A large crowd turned up Saturday afternoon at the Centre in Dryden to take part in a symposium on concussions.

Hockey great Ken Dryden facilititated the event and notes its a chance for coaches, doctors and players to brainstorm on ways of preventing serious head injuries.

Some agreed that a plan should be put in place on when a player should return from a concussion.

First Riders Program at King George

It's almost time for students to board the big yellow school bus.

The First Riders Program was held at King George School this past Saturday.

Transportation Officer Robyn Paquette says this program can calm the nerves some students get when going on for the first time.

The students were able to go on a bus ride with their parents, and then went on by themselves.

OPP host annual Summer Camp this week

Forty 12-year-olds from northwestern Ontario are spending the week with Ontario Provincial Police officers at a summer camp near Fort Frances.

The annual Youth Summer Camp is taking place at Sunny Cove Camp.

Constable Anne McCoy says part of it focus on a curriculum based on the program Rachel's Challenge.

Campers will also participate in some fun activities such as houseboat rides, horseback riding and their own version of the Olympics.

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