Aboriginal access to education needs to improve

A call is being made to improve access to education for Aboriginal students.

Pat Smoke is the Aboriginal Students Commissioner and says the next Premier needs to do something to improve the system.

Smoke notes it's harder for remote aboriginal students to make ends meet since they also have to deal with the cost of travel.

Missing Hunter Found

A successful end to a search for a missing hunter east of Fort Frances.

Police says 53-year-old Patrick O'Connell of Fort Frances was found safe around the noon hour today in the Turtle River area.

He had gone hunting in the bush yesterday afternoon, but failed to return home.

Deer remain a road hazard

Collisions between deer and motor vehicles continue to be a real road-side hazard in the Kenora area.

The most recent statistics show there have been more than 53 accidents involving deer so far on local highways in 2011.

Last year, there were a total of 83 collisions.

Its estimated that the average accident involving deer results in about six thousand dollars in repairs.

College Support Staff Ratify Contract

Support workers at Ontario's 24 community colleges have endorsed a tentative contract settlement reached last month.

The eight-thousand workers, represented by the OP-SEU, voted 87 per cent in favour of the tentative deal.

The pact was reached September 18th following an 18-day strike.

Fire Season Isn't over yet

The Ministry of Natural Resources is concerned with the number of human caused fires that have sparked in recent days.

Information Officer Debbie MacLean says day burning is prohibited and all campfires must be completly extinguished.

MacLean says the fire hazard is expected to hit extreme by the end of the week.

MacLean is also asking hunters to watch for firefighters when out in the bush.

Habitat For Humanity meeting next week

The Kenora Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is going ahead and building their first home on Main Street North in the spring of 2012.

Kenora's Habitat for Humanity's family selection committee is hosting an information session on October 12th.

Any applicants interested in owning the new home is invited to attend.

The meeting will take place at Kenora Métis Centre, 70 Park St.

Good Turn Out for Advance Polls

About 8 per cent of eligible voters in the Kenora-Rainy River riding have cast their ballots in the provincial election.

Elections Ontario says over 36-hundred people took advantage of ten days of advance polls that ended last Friday.

There are just over 45-thousand eligible voters in the riding.

Meantime, about 43-hundred of the 56-thousand plus voters took part in advance polls in Thunder Bay-Atikokan cast their ballots.

Lakehead President Promises to reach out

After years of neglect, Lakehead University is beginning to reach out to communities across northwestern Ontario.

Brian Stevenson was in Kenora yesterdat and says while their finances are limited, they are willing to work with community partners to expand there programs beyond Thunder Bay.

Stevenson says there is some cutting edge technology that could soon bring students from communities across northwestern Ontario into Lakehead's classrooms.

Operation Impact

Ontario Provincial Police all over the country including those in Kenora will be out in full force this weekend targeting impaired drivers, those who drive aggressively or while distracted as well as those who are not compliant with seat belt and child restraint laws over the long weekend. It's all part of a campaign they call Operation Impact, an annual nation-wide traffic enforcement and education campaign aimed at saving lives and reducing injuries on roads throughout the country.