Province Says Its Committed to ELA

It appears the Ontario government is committed to keeping the Experimental Lakes area open in the long term.

There have been concerns that the provincial involvement would only be one-time funding.

Ontario Natural Resources Mininster David Orazietti says the money will be below 2-million dollars but isn't commenting on a specific number.

The exact funding formula hasn't been determined.

The province and the federal government continue to negotiate the transfer of the research station to the
Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development.

A tentative transfer agreement expires at the end of August.

Four Vehicle Collision Ties Up Traffic in Downtown Fort Frances

OPP says it could have been a lot worse.

As many as four vehicles were involved in that accident yesterday afternoon on Portage Avenue in Fort Frances.

Constable Anne McCoy says it started when the driver of a pick up truck suffered a medical problem a couple of blocks from the downtown area.

The truck went back onto the road, missing oncoming car before colliding with two parked vehicles.

The 65-year-old driver and a woman inside one of the parked vehicles were taken to hospital for treatment.

Police Seek Suspect in Minto Mischief Rampage

The OPP say they are now investigating several more mischief complaints
in the Minto area of town.

Around 5:00 Monday morning, a man was seen striking a vehicle with a
crow bar.

He has been described as being about six feet tall and wearing dark colored
clothing.

Police say there were at least eight other vehicles in that area of town that also
sustained damage.

Anyone with information about the these incidents is asked to contact the
Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers.

Police Investigate Mischief Complaints

The OPP are investigating a couple of mischief complaints.

Monday morning, police were called to a home in the 9th Street
North area, where a car had been egged and the side of the vehicle
scratched.

A little later on, officers were dispatched to the Minto area, where the
rear window of a vehicle was smashed in.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers.

Funding Restored for Legal Aid Clinics

The Northwest Legal Clinic is relieved the provincial government has
reversed its funding cuts.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of the Attorney General announced it was
providing an additional 30 million dollars to community legal clinics.

Trudy McCormick is the executive director of the Northwest Legal Clinic
and says earlier this year the province had slashed their budget.

McCormick says if the province had not restored their funding, they were
looking at potential service cuts across the region.

Campbell Pleased With Youth Employment Program

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is happy Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced details on a new youth employment program.

The province will provide up to 78-hundred dollars for each eligble youth, starting in September.

Campbell says it was one of the NDP's demands in the spring budget.

The grant also includes up to one-thousand-dollars to hep youth pay for costs like tools and transportation to work.

Police Investigate Baby Death on Big Trout Lake

Provincial Police are investigating the sudden death of a six-week-old baby girl in Big Trout Lake.

Officers were called to the nursing station Monday morning, and the child was pronounced dead.

Police say the deceased is Shantelle Sainnawap.

A post mortem is being done in Toronto.

Another Scam Reported

A scam in Northwestern Ontario, but this time the warning is out from the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.

The Commission says people claiming to be with Sental Insurance have been targeting mostly Royal Bank of Canada clients.

They are asking for personal information in an effort to sell identity theft protection insurance on behalf of the bank.

But the Commission says the firm is not associated with the bank nor is it licensed to do business in Ontario.

Report Suggests Ontario Jails Over-crowded

Almost half of Ontario's jails are holding more prisoners than they were designed for.

Inspector Kevin Glenister says many inmates in the region end up at the Kenora Jail.

Glenister suggests the situation locally might not be as bad because a few years ago the Kenora Jail closed it's youth facility and says that's freed up more space for the adult population.

Glenister says all prisoners under 18-years-old either go to another facility in Kenora, Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie.

CNIB Eye Van Back in Town

Ivan the Eye Van is back in town.

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind's mobile eye clinic is
spending a couple of days in Kenora.

The Van arrived yesterday and will open for appointments until
tomorrow.

Shelley Stoddard is a nurse on the Eye Van and says they do more than just eye testing.

She says they screen for diabetes as well as test blood sugar levels.

The Van arrived yesterday and will open for appointments until noon tomorrow and then
it heads to Ear Falls.

OPP Investigate Rash of Break-Ins

The OPP are investigating a rash of break-ins over the weekend.

A couple of the break and enters were reported to garages in the
Lakeside area, where several power tools were stolen.

A couple downtown businesses were also the victims of break-ins.

In one instance a 42 inch Samsung television, a Samsung blu-ray player
and an older model Sony DVD player were stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Calls For Service Drop for Treaty Three Police

The Treaty Three Police Service is following a national trend that shows crime rates are going down.

In its annual report released last week, the Treaty Three Police say its seen a 21 percent drop in the number of calls for service in the past year.

In 2012, there were just over 88 hundred calls, down from over 11 thousand the year before.

The Wabaseemung First Nation continues to be the busiest in terms of crime with over 21 hundred calls, followed by Grassy Narrows at 11 hundred.

Lock it Or Lose It Campaign Launched

The OPP say local residents and visitors alike aren't doing a good job
of keeping their vehicles secure.

Youth in Policing Students conducted a Lock it or Lose it campaign
last week.

In all 500 vehicles in town were checked, and only 117 actually were
found to be secure.

That not only means the doors were locked and keys removed, windows closed, but valuables were kept out of sight.

The OPP says that's the best way of ensuring your car and its contents
aren't stolen.

Rickford Pleased with Long Gun Registry Court Victory

Kenora MP Greg Rickford is calling it a victory for long-gun owners.

A judge has rejected Quebec's attempt to stop Ottawa from destroying long-gun registry data.

Rickford says the registry isn't needed.

Rickford says it costs about 100-thousand-dollars each month to maintain the registry in Quebec.

Dryden Child Care Center Beefing Up Security

Dryden's Child Care Center is making some changes, following the incident where a child left the day-care unnoticed.

Manager of Children's Services Vanessa Shepherd says they are looking at installing a surveillance system and have installed a chime system any time the door is open or closed.

She adds they have also posted a large stop sign at the door to remind the children to stay put.

Shepherd says they have had regular meetings with staff and the mother of the child who escaped.

Three Sharks Return Home From National Championships

Three members of the Kenora Sharks Swim Club are home after competing in
the National Age Group Championships in Montreal.

Alex Olson, Kira Kuzemchuck and Winnie Boucha all made the finals in their events.

The highlight of the weekend was Olson's time in the 200 meter breast stroke,
which qualified her for the National Championships in February.

This marks the end of the formal training season for the Sharks, but they will start right back
up at the beginning of the new school year.

Con College Looking For New Board Member

Confederation College is looking to fill a vacant spot on their Board of Governors.

The three year term starts September 1st.

Interested people can apply to Confederation College by August 31st.

Maybe Annual Coney Island Festival Will be Back for a 6th Year

Organizers of an annual music festival on Coney Island say better docking is the best way to grow their event.

Yesterday about 21 hundred people took in the 5th Maybe Annual Coney Music Festival.

Ferg Devins says they have lots of room on the island to grow their numbers, but getting people there remains the biggest issue.

Devins confirmed there will be a 6th Maybe Annual Music Festival on Coney Island next July.

Nault "Disgusted" by Reports of Nutritional Testing on Aboriginal Students

A former Indian Affairs minister says he was surprised as anyone to
find out that aboriginal children in residential schools were subject to
nutritional experiments.

A number of rallies were held yesterday to express their feelings about
the experiments conducted during the '40's and '50's.

Former Kenora-Rainy River M.P. Bob Nault says he never heard about any such activities while he was a cabinet minister.

Reports have suggested that some of the testing was carried out at the Cecillia Jeffrey School along with St. Mary's in Kenora.

Kenora and Canadian Crime Rates Drops

Kenora is following a national trend in crime.

Over the past 2 year the crime rate in Kenora has dropped across the board.

Inspector Dave Lucas is the Commander of the Kenora OPP and says the community has plays a large part.

Last year the OPP laid over 25 hundred charges, down from 38 hundred last year and 41 hundred on 2010.

The Violent Crime Severity or Seriousness of Crime decreased by 5 per cent in Canada and 4 per cent in Ontario.

Tears For Justice Passes Through Kenora

Organizers of a cross country trek says they are disappointed the federal government has decided not to call an inquiry into missing or murdered aboriginal women.

Tears for Justice passed through Kenora on Friday and spokesperson Gladys Radek says the Harper government has been less than sympathetic to their cause.

Radick says their list of missing or murdered aboriginal women has reached over 42 hundred.

Seven walkers are continuing their cross-Canada journey to Prince Rupert, B.C.

Fire Hazard Drops to Low

At last, the forest fire hazard situation in our area of Northwestern Ontario is down to low.

However Ministry of Natural Resources Spokesperson Deb McLean says there is still quite a bit of activity.

McLean says the hazard in the northern parts of the region is still at moderate, but the rain is expected to help that.

There were no new forest fires reported in the region over the weekend, although the MNR says a
fire on an island on Lake of the Woods, which  has grown to about two hectares in size.

Its currently being monitors and does not threaten any properties.

Government Invests in New Fire Bases

The Provincial Government is investing 47-million-dollars in updating three forest fire response centers.

They include the Sudbury Facility, the Hailburton Fire Management Headquarters and the Armstrong Fire Attack Base.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle says the 9 and a half million dollar upgrade for Armstrong will include building a new warehouse and sleeping facilities.

Construction is expected to begin later this year.

Olson Wins at National Age Group Championships

Alex Olsen continues to excel at the National Age Group championships.

The 15 year old member of the Kenora Sharks Swim Club won the
200 meter backstroke over the weekend in Montreal.

Her time of two minutes and 38 seconds is good enough to qualify for
the Senior Nationals.

Gussy Wins Fort Bass Tournament

A big win for Kenora's Jeff Gustafson.

Gustafson and his partner John Peterson from Minnesota won the
annual Canadian Bass Championships in Fort Frances over the weekend.

The duo reeled in over 55 pounds of bass.

Their weight of over 20 pounds on day three put them over a pound and
a half ahead of the second place team of Ryan Hyatt and Karl Wolff from Fort Frances.

Brandon Team Wins Men's Soccer Tournament

A team from Brandon took top honors at the Lake of the Woods Men's Soccer tournament over
the weekend.

Double Decker scored in the first half of overtime for a 1-0 win over the Sure Thing Centuries
from Kenora.

In the B-side final, it was an all Kenora affair with the Fury coming out on top with a 2-1 win over the Gunners.

In the C-Side final, Stonewall blanked Fort Frances 1-0.

New Board says Treaty Three Police Will Not Close Next Month

The new board of the Treaty Three Police Service is clarifying some previous statements about the possible closure of the police force.

The board held its first meeting yesterday and says if it decides to shut its
doors it would have to give at least a year's notice.

Yesterday the new board met with the police chief Conrad Delaronde, aswell as the financial comptroller and also a representative from the officers union.

The board says it plans to meet more frequently and expects to be able to come to some sort of resolution that all parties can agree upon.

Kenora Residents Love to Recycle

Kenora is setting the bar for e-waste diversion in the province.

City clerk Heather Kasprick says residents diverted almost 70 thousand kilograms of E-waste in 2012.

Kasprick says the community has really responded to some previous initiatives.

Kenora placed in the top 10 communities for e-waste diversion in Ontario.

Sobey's Selling Off Some Safeway Stores

Empire Company, which owns Sobey's stores in Canada, has struck a deal to sell some of its newly acquired Safeway properties in a sale-leaseback deal with property management company Crombie of Nova Scotia.

None of the stores impacted are in northwestern Ontario.

EFTO Supports Inquiry into Missing Women

An inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women is being supported by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

Local President Anne Saltel says it's unfair that the federal government has said no to the inquiry.

Saltel says the ETFO believes all people should be treated the same
, adding the government seems to be treating Aboriginal women like second-class citizens.

Aboriginal Groups Lobby Premiers

Addressing the needs of Aboriginals living off-reserve.

That's the focus as the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples meets with Canada's premiers at their semi-annual summit in Niagara On The Lake.

President of the Ontario Affiliate Brad Maggrah says one of their main concerns is affordable housing.

Maggrah says 70-percent of Aboriginals in Canada are living off-reserve.

New Gold Continues Pursuit of Rainy River Resources

New Gold says it now has 86-percent of all shares in Rainy River Resources in a planned take-over of the mining exploration company.

New Gold is giving shareholders, who have
yet to take a cash-and-stock offer, until August 8th to accept.

The company says if it has at least 90 per cent of Rainy River share, it will acquire the rest through a compulsory acquisition.

Men'sSoccer Tournament Underway

Day one of the Lake of the Woods Men's soccer tournament is in the books
and three teams have posted wins.

The Gunners started pool play off with a 5-0 win over the Legends,
while The Fury edged the Stingers 3-2 and the Centuries opened the tournament with a 4-1 win over the Playaz.

Day two of the tournament resumes tonight at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

Gussy in First After Day One of Fort Bass Tournament

Anglers return to the water this morning for the second day of fishing at the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Jeff Gustafson of Kenora and John Peterson of Bemidgi led the field, pulling in over 19 pounds of bass yesterday.

Chad Adrain and Caleb Colwell are are half pound back in second.

Day 2 of the bass fishing tournament is already underway.

CYBF celebrates entrepreneurs in Kenora

Celebrating entrepreneurs in Kenora.

Scott Bowman with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation is in town today to meet with entrepreneurs who have started up with help from the CYBF.

He will also be performing a ribbon cutting at the Tangled Tree in the afternoon.

Bowman says passion is the 1 thing that all entrepreneurs have in contact.

Bowman encourages anyone interested in starting a business to contact the CYBF.

The foundations website is http://www.cybf.ca/.

And, you can also get information on the foundation through the Northwest Business Centre at http://www.nwbiz.ca/.

Union Pleased with Changes to the Treaty Three Police Board

A new police board for Treaty Three is bringing a new outlook on life.

Some changes to the board was made this week at the Treaty 3 Police annual general meeting

Judith Monteith-Farrell is with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and says the union is excited by the new boards commitment to save the force from closing

Monteith-Farrell says the new board is also open to disclosing the services finances with the union to ignite talks for a new employment agreement.

Downtown Revitalized by New Restaurants

Downtown revitalization is starting to pay off in a bit of a culinary explosion in Kenora.

About a half a dozen new eateries have opened up in the past year.

Mort Goss from Kenora Harbortown BIZ says he's encouraged by the number of new businesses opening up.

Goss says while the restaurants are enjoying good traffic this summer, they key will be able to survive during the leaner fall and winter months.

Goss adds that they'd also like to set up a restaurant association to provide some support to the
new restauranteurs.

Rain Helps Reign in Forest Fires

A large forest fire burning near Red Lake is now listed as being held.

The fire, 50 kilometrers northwest of the northwestern Ontario town has burned more than 18-thousand hectares.

It started July 3rd by a lightning strike.

Meanwhile, two fire ranger crews are continuing to work on a five hectare blaze in the Kenora area.

Kenora Fire 39 broke out Tuesday, but isn't posing any immediate concerns for the MNR.

Police Continue Investigation of Cycling Fatalities

Provincial Police continue to investigate the circumstances behind a tragic three vehicle collision in northwestern Ontario.

A group of 25-cyclists on a cross country tour were travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway and were passing through the area of Red Rock on Tuesday when 2-of the cyclists were struck by an eastbound truck.

The truck then hit two westbound vehicles.

The cyclists, 65-year-old Robert Booth and 69-year-old Irene Booth of North Glengarry, Ontario were pronounced dead at the scene.

Two residents of Austin, Texas in the eastbound truck were transported to hospital with injuries.

Two others in the involved vehicles were also sent to hospital.

Rallies Planned Today Across Canada

Seven rallies are planned around the country today to draw attention to recent news about nutritional experiments conducted on aboriginals.

Planner Wab Kinew from the Onigaming First Nation says he hopes the events will help people express their sorrow and show support for efforts to get the federal government to release more documents to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Cecillia Jeffrey  residential school in Kenora has been identified as one of the schools in northwestern Ontario that carried out the experiments.

Ottawa has said it could take 40-million dollars and 10 years to find and digitize all the required records.

Heart of the Continent Seeks Funding

A marketing initiative involving the National Geographic Society is being touted to communities along the Ontario-Minnesota border.

The Heart of the Continent partnership is trying to raise 256-thousand dollars, allowing the Society to create maps and a website for the area between Lake of the Woods, Thunder Bay and Duluth.

Committee Chair Frank Jewell says the Society wants to help promote the area.

Atikokan, International Falls, Koochiching County and Thunder Bay have committed to contributing money.

Men's Soccer Tournament Starts Tonight

Last weekend it was the women, this week men's soccer take center stage at the Tom Nabb Complex.

The Lake of the Woods Men's Tournament gets underway this evening with a field of 16 teams entered.

Pool play will continue tomorrow night and Saturday, with the finals slated for Sunday.

Teams from across northwestern Ontario and Manitoba will be competing for the first
prize money of 14 hundred dollars.

Delaronde Responds to Police Lay-offs

The chief of the Treaty 3 Police is blaming the federal government for the financial troubles that face the service.

Conrad Delaronde responded to questions during yesterdays police services AGM.

Delaronde says he never tried to pass blame to officers.

Delaronde was able to offer one positive note, saying that the province of Ontario would provide funding for the 7
officers that were recently laid off.

Petition Presented at Treaty Three Police AGM

Pushing for action.

Over 2,500 people signed a petition asking for action in saving the Treaty 3 Police Service.

Tania Cameron presented the petition yesterday at the police baords annual general meeting and says the petition shows how dedicated people are to save the force.

Numerous people took the opporunity to voice their concerns as well during a question and answer period at the AGM.

Campbell Urges Increased Oversight for Ombudsman

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is in favour of having Ontario's Ombudsman look after the "MUSH" sector.

It stands for municipal, universities, schools and hospital, along with long term care homes and children's aid societies.

Campbell says it would make sense that he would look after those areas.

Campbell says people are concerned about oversight in those sectors, and when people run into a problem they feel like there's no where to go.

Warmer Temperatures Expected to Return Next Week

Don't worry, the warm summer temperatures will be back in Northwestern Ontario soon enough!

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says the warm front is moving slowly east and temperatures
should move back into the high 20's by early next week.

Meanwhile there was a full-moon Monday night, and Laidlaw says don't be surprised if we get another one in late August that might bring a touch of frost.

Dryden Investigating How Child Went Missing

The City of Dryden and the Child Care program are taking a close look at changes to policies and procedures after a child managed to escape undetected last Friday morning.

A concerned citizen spotted the child walking along Duke Street and notified Police.

Acting Chief Administrative Officer Debra Kincaid says the City was forced to act quickly.

Kincaid says a "Serious Occurrence Notice" was immediately posted and the Ministry of Education and Kenora District Services Board were both notified.

Two Cyclists Die on Trans-Canada near Nipigon

A cross-country trip has resulted in tragedy in northwestern Ontario.

Two cyclists are dead after a collision on the Trans-Canada Highway near Red Rock yesterday.

They were part of a group of 25-cyclists who were riding across Canada.

The group was just in Kenora last week.

The two were struck by a pick-up truck.

The incident also resulted in the pick up colliding with two other trucks, one of them a tractor trailer which sent four people to hospital.

Rally Takes Place to Save Treaty Three Police

An aboriginal drum group has welcomed a small group of supporters of
the Treaty Three Police Service.

A rally is taking place today at the Best Western Lakeside Inn, as the Police Board holds its annual general meeting.

Mike Bennett is president of the Treaty Three Police Association and says he's still hoping the Police Board has a change of heart and decides not to close its doors.

The police board meeting will include a deputation from supporters of the police department, who have been circulating a petition to each of the communities serviced by the aboriginal police force.