Last Blast of Winter on the Way?

Here we go again.

The calendar might says it's spring, but Mother Nature still thinks
it's winter.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says we can expect a big
dump of snow Saturday.

He suggests up to four inches could fall between early Saturday morning and late Saturday evening.

Laidlaw says the system will bring with it unseasonably cold weather to start next week.

More Reaction to Flaherty's Passing

A somber day on Parliament Hill.

Flags are flying at half mast after word that former federal  finance minister Jim Flaherty has passed away.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says Flaherty was good not only for
the nation but northwestern Ontario as well.

Flaherty was just 64 and died less than a month after resigning as federal finance minister.

Concern Raised About ORNGE Helicopter Again

Questions are again being raised about the equipment being deployed by
the ORNGE air ambulence service.

Conservative MPP Frank Klees says pilots in Moosenee wrote to him to complain about a Sikorski S-76 that's being sent to that base.

The pilots describe the helicopter as the oldest Sikorski-76 in the world with the least amount of automation.

The helicopter is the same model that crashed almost a year ago near Moosenee killing all four people on board.

Campbell Calls For Review of Winter Road Maitenance

The MPP for Kenora Rainy River has introduced a motion in Queens park.

Sarah Campbell's motion calls for a committee to review winter road maintenance contracts throughout the province.

Campbell stresses on big issue is the clarity and demands of the contracts.

She also notes that contractors have failed to meet requirements of local roadways such as Highway 17, 105, and 502.

NAN Opposes Aboriginal Education Act

There's no question about where the Nishnawbe Aski Nation stands on the Harper government's new First Nation education legislation.  

NAN is flatly rejecting it saying, among other things, it doesn't respect First Nations inherent and treaty rights nor does it respect its jurisdiction over education.

Ultimately NAN is upset that the Aboriginal Affairs minister will have total control over their education while taking none of the blame for any liability.

Common Ground Sells Out Again

It's become an annual story-telling tradition.

The Common Ground forum takes place tomorrow at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Lori Nelson is curator at Lake of the Woods  Museum and says they
have another interesting day set aside to talk about the history of Kenora.

 The event has become so popular in recent years it sells out well in advance and this year is no exception.

Common Ground will run from 9 until about 4:00.

NOACC Holds AGM in Geralton

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce are holding their annual general meeting in Geraldton for the next three days.

Chamber representitives from across the region will also vote on a number of resolutions that if passed will become NOACC policy for the next two years.

This year's speakers list includes Kenora Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell, a spokesman from the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, Premier Gold Mines, and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Mount Evergreen Set To Close for the Season

Mount Evergreen is closing with a bang.

This Sunday is the last day for the ski hill as it hosts the Mardi Gras Slush Pit Bash.

Manager Steve Simpson says events are planned throughout the day.

Simpson notes they are offering 10 dollar lift tickets and rentals for the day.

O'Flaherty Selected for Team Northwestern Ontario

Just one player from Kenora has managed to crack the line-up of a regional team
set to play in the OHL Cup.

Kevin O'Flaherty from the Kenora Triple "a" Midget Thistles is one of twenty players named to represent Hockey Northwestern Ontario in Kitchener.

O'Flaherty is a six foot forward for the Thistles.

While O'Flaherty is the only Kenora skated listed on the main roster, three local
high school players have been added as alternates on the team.

Adam Withers from Beaver Brae and Skylar Lentz and Connor Keith from Thomas Aquinas could be
added in case of injury, or if any of the other roster players are unable to participate.

The tournament begins May 8th.

Local MP's Offer Condolences

Local reactions are coming in following the death of MP and former finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer says it was sad to see Flaherty's health deteriorate noting he saw him in pain during his last days working in the House of Commons.

Hyer calls Flaherty a one-man institution.

Meanwhile fellow Thunder Bay MP John Rafferty says the news of the former Finance Minister's death came as a complete surprise.

Rafferty noted that Flaherty's career touched a lot of people.

The 64 year old Flaherty stepped down as federal finance minister last month after 7 years in the position.

He had been on steroids to help manage some health concerns.

Another Scam Circulating in NWO

A warning of a scam circulating all of northwestern Ontario.

People are getting phone calls asking for donations for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Officials say the calls aren't coming from the Health Sciences Foundation and they aren't making phone solicitations.

The Foundation is asking local residents to report such calls to local police.

Union Says Bearskin Restructuring Should See Jobs Restored

A union official is confident Bearskin Airlines will come out stronger after restructuring regional operations.

Michael Corrado of the Machinist and Aerospace Workers Association says the company's re-shuffling of services means all aircraft maintenance work is now taking place in Thunder Bay until further notice.

Corrado hopes the Sioux Lookout operations and the 11 temporarily laid off workers will be brought back online by the end of the year.

School Board Approves King George Renovations

A bit of a make-over for King George School this summer.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is planning to spend
about 1.2 million dollars on a renvoation project.

Director of Education Sean Monteith says that will include some landscaping
work.

Monteith says they plan to take some underutilized change rooms and turn those into
extra classroom space.

Renowned Psychiatrist Visits Public School Board

How love builds brains.

That was a key message last night has Psychiatrist Dr. Jean Clinton spoke to parents, students, and staff of the Keewatin Patricia District School Board.

Clinton says strong relationships are important to learning.

Also during her trip she visited Evergreen school and held a video conference with staff from 16 schools across the board.

Kenora's Mining Sector Profile Released

Kenora is touting itself as a mining centre in the region.

Economic development officer Jennifer Findlay released the city's mining sector profile this week at the Northwestern Ontario Mines and Minerals Symposium in Thunder Bay.

Findlay says the mining profile has been getting great feedback from attendees at the meeting.

Other highlights include labour force, existing companies, and prospective new businesses.

NDP Demanding Review of Mining Safety

The NDP is asking the provincial government for an inquiry into mining safety.

That after a miner was killed in a Sudbury area mine over the weekend.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath says a legislative committee is doing a review, but hardly anyone knows about it's consultations.

Labor minister Kevin Flynn says a public consultation session will be taking place in Marathon in May.

Energy East Consultations Continue

It looks as if the proposed Energy East Pipeline is running into some opposition following public consultations on the project.

The Council of Canadians hosted an event in Kenora this week and Chair Maude Barlow says she has seen how the publics opinion can influence a project like this.

She says ultimately they would like to make Energy East a federal election issue.

Public consultations will be held across Ontario, ending in Cornwall April 16th.

Heartbleed Bug Shuts Down CRA website

You won't be able to e-file your tax returns for the next little while.

The Canada Revenue Agency still has its website shut down over security concerns.

The precautionary move is related to the "Heartbleed Bug" - a newly discovered software that can swipe passwords and your personal information.

In a message posted online, the agency states it has temporarily closed its services site "to protect the security of taxpayer information."

The agency will provide daily updates until the situation is resolved.

Final Winter Market Moves to Rec. Center

Another great season for the Matiowski's farmers market.

Saturday marks the last winter market of the year.

Crystal Stokes in the city's special events coordinator and says the turnouts have been fantastic.

She adds that because they have the Festival of the Arts on at the Discovery Center, the Market will be moving to the lower level of the Rec. Center.

Saturday market is at the Rec Centre from 10 until 2:30.

Broncos Win Senior Badminton Title

Beaver Brae took top honors in the seniors division of the NorWOSSA badminton championships.

The Broncos won the overall points trophy, while Atikokan claimed the junior crown.

As far a medals go, Beaver Brae won a pair of gold in the junior division, with Teale Iverson taking top spot in the single girls grouping, while Jonathan Houlden and Eric Nelson won the junior boys doubles.

Not to be outdone, Thomas Aquinas also claimed a couple of gold medals, with Chase Laffin
and Emma Wehner winning the junior mixed doubles crown, and the team of Jorden Olsen and Ryan Landon winning the senior boys doubles event.

Overall, the Broncos claimed six medals, while T.A. won four.