Saints Eliminated in OFSAA Quarter Finals

The Thomas Aquinas Senior boys volleyball team are heading home empty handed from the OFSAA championships.


The Saints were upset 3 sets to 1 in their quarter final today against Ecole Secondaire Publique Louis Reil.

Louis Reil won with scores of 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20.

The Saints were on a roll heading into todays quarter final having not dropped a set in yesterdays round robin.

Winter Storm Closes Highway 17 east of Ignace

Ontario Provincial Police say the Highway between Igance all the way through to Nipigon is closed this morning because of a Winter Storm that has made driving conditions very difficult this morning.

Sargeant John Haley with the O.P.P. says caution should be the word of the day for motorists.

Haley says they've expanded their Highway closure to include Highway 17 between Nipigon and Schreiber.

There is no timetable as to when the Highways can expect to be re-opened but O.P.P. are monitoring the situation.

In the Kenora area, all school buses are running this morning as we received only a dusting of snow overnight.

McKay Won't Seek Conservative Nomination Again

The Conservatives will have a new candidate to represent them in the next provincial election.

Kenora Councillor Rod McKay ran for the party two years ago, but says he won't be seeking the nomination this time around.

McKays says he has too much on his plate right now, including the possible re-opening of the Kenora Forest Products mill in the spring.

Randy Nickle is the only declared candidate for the nomination right now.

The Conservatives will chose their candidate on December 1st in Dryden.

Campbell Hopeful Resolute Will Re-Open Fort Mill

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is among who is still hopeful that operations in Fort Frances will get back to normal at a later date.

Campbell says she meet with Resolute representatives as early as yesterday, but indicated they weren't asking for any provincial assistance at this time.

Campbell says the company isn't marking a date as to when operations may resume, but says she did come away with a sense that it will happen.

Managed Alochol Program Being Explored

Local agencies are getting the low down about a new initiative to help people who live on the street.

Patty Hajdu from Shelter House in Thunder Bay has been explaining how their managed alcohol program works.

She says they have been operating a pilot project for the past six months with very good results.

Hajdu says people who enter their managed alcohol program are offered regular doses of wine every day and it works much like a methadone program for drug addicts.

Aboriginal Groups Opposed Generic Oxycontin

Native leaders across the region are upset the federal government is planning to licence a generic form of Oxycontin.

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service and the Chief of Treaty Three have added their voices to those opposed the decision.

NAPS Deputy Chief Bob Herman says it affects their service by increasing enforcement.

He adds at the same time, the federal government has cut their funding, meaning it will be more

difficult to keep up with the dealers. 

Grand Chief of Treaty Three Warren White says he's shocked by the federal government's decision and describes it as a step backwards.

Northwest LHIN's Announces 3.7 million in Funding

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is delivering 3.7 million dollars to a variety of programs aimed at helping seniors, addicts and people living with chronic conditions.

St. Joseph's Care Group will be using 500 thousand dollars to provide a drug outreach program for pregnant and parenting moms in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Sioux Lookout.

Spokesperson Nancy Black says it's a unique program for Northern women age 16 to 24.

The Region's Brain Injury Service will be using money to bring two people living with physical disabilities out of the hospital and into the community.

Two Arrested in Golf Course Break In

Two teenagers are facing charges after a break and enter at the Kenora Golf and Country Club.

Wednesday night police arrived and found two suspects running from the scene.

Both have been arrested and charged with break and enter.

The youth were 14 and 15 years old respectively.

CP Holiday Train Returns next Month

Another Holiday tradition will be returning to northwestern Ontario next month.

The CP Holiday Train will be making several stops across the region.

The train will be in Kenora on December 5th.

Salem Woodrow from CP says there all donations will go to a great cause.

Woodrow adds other stops for the train include Dryden and Vermillion Bay on December 5th.

This year Brothers Dube and Miss Emily are the musical groups that will be on tour with the Holiday Train in Kneora. 

Saints Perfect So Far at OFSAA

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys volleyball team is perfect so far at the All-Ontario Single "a"

Championships in Belleville.

Yesterday, the Saints won all four of their round robin games, and didn't lose a set, recording wins ove Kings Christian High School, Woodland Christian, Chippewa Secondary School from North Bay and Toronto District Christian School. 

The Saints will finish first in their pool and now head to the quarter-finals this afternoon.

This is the tricky part of the schedule.

A win moves the Saints into the medal round, while a loss will send them home empty-handed.

The Saints will find out who they play later this morning.

The Quater-final will be played at 3:00.