MNR to Conduct Prescribed Burns

Shades of Deep Purple.

Expect some smoke on the water over the next couple of days.

The Ministry of Natural Resources will be carrying out a couple of
prescribed burns on Lake of the Woods over the next couple of days.

Pat Harvey from the Kenora Fire base says there are a couple of reasons to intentionally set the fires, including scientific and ecological.

Harvey says the prescribed burns will be lit on Blaze and Small Islands today and will likely burn over the next couple of days.

Northwest Region Conference Underway

Energy, mines and forestry.

Those are just some of the topics up for discussion over the next two days in Thunder Bay at the Northwest Ontario Regional Conference.

President of NOMA, Dave Canfield says they will continue to discuss the future of the Thunder Bay Generating Station.

Canfield says they will also receive updates from the federal minister of Science and Technology Greg Rickford and also Northern Development and Mines minister Michael Gravelle.

The conference began last night underway and will wrap up tomorrow.

More EQAO Results Released

The Kenora Catholic District School Board continues to post impressive results in the Grade 9 standardized math and literacy tests.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office released its most recent statistics yesterday and it shows that 89 percent of grade 9's in the academic stream met or beat the provincial average, up two percent over last year.

At applied level 64 percent achieved the provincial standard, a 20 percent improvement over 2012.

That's well above marks posted for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, were 33 percent of the applied students achieved the provincial standard, and 77 percent for academic students.

In the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, 86 percent of students at Thomas Aquinas successfully completed it, while the mark was 64 percent at the public school board.

NAN Develops Residential School Curriculum

A long time coming.

That's the thought of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, as NAN launches a Residential School Curriculum.

Fiddler says initially they will introduce the curriculum into aboriginal schools across the region.

But he adds they will also be working with local school boards to try and implement it.

Fiddler says it's important that Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals know about the residential schools and the harm they caused.

Drivers Licences Soon to Be Available On-Line

Motorists in Northwestern Ontario will now be able to renew their drivers licences online.

Now by going to ServiceOntario.ca, you can use your existing photos on your licence for an additional 5-years.

Drivers can also get licence plate stickers, driver abstracts and other products in the same transaction.

Government Services Minister John Milloy says Ontario becomes the first province in Canada to provide drivers with the online option making it easier and more convenient.