Tourism Kenora Seeks Local Photo's

Tourism Kenora wants to tell your story.

Heather Gropp is the tourism services officers and says their new spring promotion will feature how residents experience Lake of the Woods.

Gropp says they want local residents to submit photo's featuring how they enjoy and sue Lake of the Woods.

She says the idea is based on the belief that local residents have the best stories and experiences in the region.

Photos can be submitted at tourism@kenora.ca until March 31st.

Police Investigating Jewelry Thefts

The Kenora OPP are investigating multiple jewelry thefts in the city.

Police say a man on Thursday entered a business and was able to make off with two bracelets valued at $3,500.

On Saturday and Sunday 2 more thefts took place, this time a number of suspects stole three rings from a business valued at $9,500.

The OPP say the suspects are aboriginal and are in their early twenties, one with a very short brush cut style hair cut and one with short hair.

Anyone with information call the OPP or Crimestoppers.

White to Pick Up Top Principal Award Tonight

Thomas Aquinas principal Paul White gets his day in the sun today.

White is in Toronto for a ceremony recognizing the 40 top  principals in Canada.

White says the award is a reflection of his staff as much as his leadership skills.

The Learning Partnership will be presenting the awards this evening at a gala awards dinner at the Hilton Harborcastle.

New Scam Circulating in NWO

Be on the lookout for another on-line scam in our area.

This scam is timely as it is tax time.

An email is being sent from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency.

It advises folks of a refund that will go directly on to your Visa of Mastercard.

It asks for your credit card information to transfer the funds.

An agency representative says it doesn't issue refunds in this manner, especially if you haven't filled out your taxes yet.

Casino Plans Could be On Hold for Months

Still no indication when the provincial government intends to award a
casino contract for communities in northern Ontario.

The request for proposal for the Ontario North Gaming bundle closed almost a year ago.

Pat Brett from the Golden Eagle Charitable Casino says it could be a while before they find out who gets the contract.

He says the government was supposed to release a short list last April, but now, he's hearing
it could be the end of the year.

The Northern Gaming Bundle, includes new casinos for Kenora and North Bay, plus
the operation of existing casinos in Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.

School Board Adopts Five Year Capital Plan

Trustees with the Kenora Catholic District School Board have approved a new five year capital plan.

Operations manager Andrew Poirier says previously they've they always limited their capital plans to just two years.

He adds that they have received a lot of input from specialists.

Poirier adds the other plan is based on input from school councils, principals and staff about how to improve the school environment.

Conservatives Critical Of Province's Handling of Mining

The Liberal government at Queens Park is getting criticized for the way it's handling mining in the province.  

In the legislature Vic Fedeli of the Progressive Conservatives noted that Ontario's credibility in mining has been taking a hit over the last decade.

Fedeli also notes that the Far North Act has cut off half of  northern Ontario from being explored,  causing many companies to move out of the province.

He's also worried the government will want to tax the chromite coming out of the Ring of Fire, deterring exploration.

Feather Of Hope Report Released

Ontario's Advocate for Children and Youth has released a special report by First Nations Youth.

Feather of Hope urges local, provincial, federal and First Nations leadership to partner with them in order to create safer and healthier First Nations communities.

Deputy Chief for Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Alvin Fiddler says the report will be fodder for future discussions.

Fiddler says, they are very committed to working with their youth on the report.

Broncos Girls Swept By Muskies

Beaver Brae's girls team ran out of gas in Fort Frances.

Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the Broncos were beaten
8-2 by the Muskies yesterday in game two of their best-of-three semi-final.

The Muskies take that series in two games straight.

Fort Frances will play the winner of the series between Dryden and Red Lake.

Game two of that series goes tonight in Red Lake, with the Eagles leading one game
to none.

Broncos bust the Saints

The battle of Kenora goes to Beaver Brae.

The Broncos used the power play in the second period to vault them
to a 5-4 win over Thomas Aquinas in the third and deciding game of
their best-of-three semi-final.

Rhyse Mandamin scored the game winner in the third period on a penalty
shot.

The Broncos will now face Fort Frances in the NorWOSSA finals.

The Muskies trounced Dryden 10-3 last night to win that semi in two straight.

The NorWOSSA Final is expected to begin Thursday night in the Fort.

Free Business Workshops in the City

A couple free workshops in the city for local businesses.

Dana Bridgeman-Cross with Shooniyaa Wa-Biitong says they are bringing in a  renowned speaker  Denise Bissonnette for the workshops title "Workplace Inclusion Training" and "30 Ways to Shine."

The workshops take place at the Bestwestern Lakeside inn tomorrow and Wednesday.

to R.S.V.P you can email Dana at dcross@shooniyaa.org

Kenora's Snow is Twice as Much as Usual

How much snow is too much snow.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says the Kenora area has already seen about twice as much snowfall as  we'd get in a "normal" winter.

He says the snow pack at the Kenora Airport is about 85
inches, which is about double the amount for the end of February.

The Kenora Airport says this has probably been the most snow they've seen in at least 25 years.

Attiwapiskat Walkers Make it to Ottawa

A more than 17-hundred kilometre walk from the remote northern community of Attawapiskat to Ottawa is over.

The group has arrived on Parliament Hill and is sharing its experience.

The trip, organized in part by Danny Metatawbin, started on January 4th.

Roughly 25 people ended up taking part in the trek when all was said and done.

Metatawbin has stated that they need to have open dialogue with the Provincial and Federal governments.

Walkers raised several issues including poverty, poor housing and high suicide rates.

School Board Pleased With Solar Projects

The Kenora Catholic District School Board says it's run into a bit of a problem with it's solar panels.

The separate school board installed a number of solar units on top of Pope John Paul School
last year.

Operations manager Andrew Poirier says overall they are exceeding their targets for electrical
generation.

However, he admits they haven't been able to generate any power over the past couple of months
because their solar panels are covered with snow.

He says they haven't been able to remove the snow from the solar units and is hoping for an early
spring they can resume generating electricity.

City Well Represented at Good Roads

Municipal leaders are in Oakville today for the annual Good Roads Confererance.

Mayor Dave Canfield says they have one big issue on their agenda this year.

He says they have a file on homelessness that will be presented to
the cabinet ministers they meet.

Canfield also notes that bridge repairs and taxation will be on their agenda.

NOMA has applied for upwards of nine meetings with provincial cabinet ministers.

RCMP Officer Injured In Weekend Collision

A close call for an RCMP officer on duty in eastern Manitoba.

Early Sunday morning, a marked police cruiser was on patrol just west
of Pinawa, when it was side-swiped by an eastbound vehicle.

The force of the collision caused the window of the police car to shatter.

The car made no attempt to stop, so police began pursuit.

The suspect vehicle was pulled over about a kilometer away from the scene of the collision.

The RCMP say the 45 year old driver was charged with impaired driving
and breach of conditions to abstain from alcohol.

The driver of the police cruiser was treated in hospital for minor injuries, while the officer in the passenger seat was unharmed.

Rickford Outlines Government Infrastructure Plans

Minister of State Greg Rickford says the new infrastructure program for Canadians will be rolled out shortly.

Rickford says the focus this year will be on such things as roads and bridges.

Several communities are looking at other projects including Kenora with a new events center and arena and Rickford says funding for the those projects is up in the air.

He notes the Recreational Infrastructure program was in place a couple of years ago.

Health Unit Works on Customer Satisfaction

The Northwestern Health Unit is taking new steps to improve its client services.

Offices are collecting client feedback surveys and have put in place a scent-reduced policy for all of its offices.

Quality Improvement Officer, Alex Berry says it's all about making sure local residents are happy with the service they receive.

The surveys are anonymous and voluntary.

Union Gas Doesn't Expect Any Natural Gas Shortages

No worries of a shortage of natural gas for users in northwestern Ontario.

The colder than usual winter has increased demand.

But Union Gas' Andrea Stass says supply is still strong.

New prices come out in March, but Stass says any change will likely below market price because the company purchase on longer-term contracts to keep consumer costs down.

NAPS Launches Project North Star

A new anti-gang initiative is being launched by the Nishinabe-Aski Police Service.

Sergeant Jackie George says they have received 100 thousand dollars for something they call Project North Star.

Project North Star will start up today and run for 6 months.

The money for funding was provided by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Proceeds of Crime.