Kenora District Services Board

Housing for low income residents in the Kenora Riding will continue to be a huge challenge

for the Kenora District Services Board in 2012.

Chief Administrative Officer Dan McNeil met with city council yesterday to provide an
overview of some of their budget issues next year.

McNeil expects they will end up working more closely with the province on the issue of homelessness.


McNeil adds that municipalities currently pay 100 percent of the non-profit housing budget in
the Kenora District, and that continues to be a huge part of their budget.

No Parking

Motorists who insist on parking in the fire lane beside the Kenora Rec. Center may soon get a rude awakening.

The City wants to get tough on people who continue to park illegally.

Council says its not willing to tow away vehicle just yet, but it is prepared to
start ticketing vehicles.

The lane on the north side of the Rec. Center is currently posted as a Fire Lane.

The Nutritious Food Basket

Northwestern Ontario continues to be one of the most expensive areas of the province to buy

food.

The Health Unit has released the results of its annual Nutitious Food Basket.


It shows the cost to feed a family of four has risen to just over 918 dollars a month.

Public Health Dietician, Chelsea Lecain says that doesn't leave a lot left over for other
bills.

The Nutritious Food Basket is based on 67 food items purchased in 13 communities the Northwestern
Health Unit services in the region.

http://www.nwhu.on.ca/

Water Meters

When it comes to reading water meters, the City of Kenora is going to continue to

go "old school".

The Operations Department wants to hire a meter reader to go door to door, once
every three months.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says it would cost two million dollars to install
a new remote "reading" system.

He expects the cost will eventually go down, but in the meantime, he says its more
feasible to hire someone to do the reading manually.

Kenora Assembly of Resources

The City plans to extend its agreement with the Kenora Assembly of Resources for another year.

K.A.R. is responsible for helping out with special events on the Kenora Harborfront.

Councillor Ron Lunny says the contract is the same as last year at 151 thousand dollars.