Three Way Race for Kenora Mayor

The election race in the City of Kenora is Officially underway.

Friday was the deadline to file nominations.

Its going to be a three-way race for mayor, with Jim Parson moving from
council over to the mayoralty.

All three candidates agree that the economy will be the biggest issue in
the fall election.

Parson says one area he wants to seem improvement is an expansion of our tourism
base.

Andrew Poirier says he wants to continue to work closely with the economic
development commission to implement the key elements of its plan.

Former Mayor Dave Canfield says in order to improve economically, the city is going to
need a strong voice lobbying for the community.

The municipal elections officially take place October 25th, but mail-in ballots will be sent out
to local residents the last week of September or the first week of October.

Broncos win Season Opener

Beaver Brae's Football team has opened the regular season with a convincing 27-0  win over the Dryden Eagles.

Cody Jones had 12 of the Bronco points, including three field goals.

Beaver Brae head coach Chris Penner says after a lackluster first half, his team rebounded with a strong second half.

Nick Hendy had a 65 punt return for a touchdown in the first half for the Broncos, while

Billy Kitt had the other major for Beaver Brae on a five yard touchdown run.

The Broncos next game is on the road in Winnipeg next Friday against the Maples Marauders.

Bassin For Bucks

The northwestern Ontario Bass tournament circuit makes a stop this weekend in Sioux Narrows.

Fishing is just getting underway in the 14th annual Bassin' For Bucks.

A full field of 120 teams are hitting the water for the three day tournament.

Weigh-ins will take place each day at the Sioux Narrows Wharf, with final day weigh-ins taking place on Sunday.

High School Football Season ready for Kick-off

The High School Football season begins in earnest today for Beaver Brae.


The Broncos are at home to the Dryden Eagles.

Last week, Beaver Brae trounced the Eagles 31-6 in an exhibition game, but coach Chris Penner says they aren't going to take anything for granted this week.

The Broncos have four homes games this year, including three this month alone.

Game time is 3:00 at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

Worst Roads

If you're sick and tired with the state of an area road, highway or bridge, its time to voice your displeasure.


The Canadian Automobile Association has launched its 'Ontario Worst Roads' campaign.

Spokesperson Korey Kennedy says the intiative has been well received in this area.

Kennedy points out that 90-percent of the roads that make the Top 20 Province-wide, have been either repaired or are slated to be repaired.

You have until the end of the month to submit nominations for Kenora's worst road.

Request for Proposals for old Fire Hall

A request for proposals for the Old Firehall on Second Street South will be going out soon.


A committee has been set up to find a buyer for the heritage building.

Tara Rickaby is the city's planning administrator and says they have three or four people who
have already expressed interest in the building.

One of the items of contention is whether some of the heritage features of the old fire hall,
such as the call box and bell should be included in the request for proposal.

The fire fighters want to bring those two items with them when they move into the new
fire hall on Barsky's Hill.

Whitefish Bay Protest

Members of the Whitefish Bay First Nation say they want answers about what's happening with the school in their community.

A protest was held yesterday at BaiBombeh School south of Kenora.

The school was closed yesterday and there are questions about the band's handling  of education issues in the community.

The band recently fired the board and the education director of the education authority, and the principal and several teachers have quit their jobs.

The band is in financial difficulties after a 2009 audit found that Whitefish Bay is in deep debt.

Hit and Run charges laid

The OPP say they have laid charges in connection with a hit and run accident on the Airport Road over the weekend.

Police say 18 year old Stephanie McDowell of Kenora was charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

The charges were laid after a cyclist was struck by a vehicle around 9:00 Saturday morning.

The bike rider was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Election Deadline Looming

Candates continue to come out of the woodwork for the October 25th municipal election.


Waylon Scott, a former band councillor on the Wabaseemung First Nation filed his nomination papers for the city council race yesterday.

That brings the number of candidates seeking one of six council seats up to 13.

There are still only two people in the race for the mayor's chair.

Dave Canfield and Andrew Poirier will battle it out, unless someone comes forward at
the last minute.

The deadline to file nomination papers for the election is 2:00 this afternoon.

Abitibi land sale delayed again

Its taking a little longer than expected to finalize the sale of the Abitibi lands in Kenora to a private investor.

John Gale has been negotiating with the company for over a year.

Jennifer Findlay is the city's economic development officer and says they met recently with Gale to talk about his plans for the land.

The sale of the land was supposed to be finalized by August 31st, but Findlay says it now looks
as if the deal won't be completed until later this month.

Police Investigate Fatality on CP Tracks

Police say foul play is not suspected in the death of a man on the C.P. tracks in Kenora.

The incident took place last night around 7:00 on Tunnel Island.

The conductor of the train reported that they had hit a man on the tracks.

The OPP say the man died as a result of the collision.

So far the name of the deceased has not been released.

Nestor Falls a Finalist for Ultimate Fishing Town

Nestor Falls and Thunder Bay among the top ten cities into the final round of the World Fishing Network's search for the Ultimate Fishing Town in Canada.


A second round of voting is now underway and will end September 28th.

The winner will be announced in early October.

Kenora finished out of the running for the top ten list.

Kayakers located on Lake Superior

A group of nine kayakers who were overdue from a trip on Lake Superior have been located safe and sound.

The eight students and a teacher from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay were spotted this morning by a C-130 Hercules from CFB Winnipeg.

They were in the north end of Nipigon Strait, northeast of Thunder Bay, and indicated weather had hampered their progress and ability to communicate.

The group left Thunder Bay, along with 16 other kayakers, on Aug. 26 and were last heard from this past Sunday.

Eight other kayakers returned as scheduled Wednesday, and the other eight are on course to return today or Friday.

Rickford prepares for vote on Long Gun Registry

September 21st is the day the House of Commons will decide whether or not to move forward with a vote to dismantle the long-gun registry.


Supporters of the registry are starting to speak up in a bid to keep what they say is a useful tool.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford won't tip his hand whether the Conservatives are planning a counter attack.

Rickford says he believes most of the Northern Ontario NDP MP's are still on side with Legislation to kill the registry even though two more New Democrats have indicated in the past week that they will vote against the private members bill.

Thistle Rink Upgrades nearly Complete

While construction activity continues outside the Kenora Rec. Center, work inside the Thistle Rink is nearing completion.

New boards, glass and netting have been installed this past summer.

Recreational Services Manager for the city, Colleen Neil says they have also made some enhancements to the ice plant and heating units.

Neil also hopes they will be able to pave the Rec. Center Parking lot this fall before the snow flies, but that job will be dependant on whether the work on the new sewer and water and storm drainage system in the area is completed.

City offers property for new Land Ambulence Base

The never-ending soap opera about the location of a new land ambulence base in Kenora may finally have a conclusion.

Kenora City council is planning to declare a piece of property next to the new fire hall on Barsky's hill suplus.

Councillor Rory McMillan says the idea would be to transfer the land over to the Kenora District Services Board.

The city is hoping it can finalize the tranfer by September 17th.

Charges laid in Boating Accident

The OPP say there were a few accidents in the Kenora area over the Labor Day long weekend.

On Saturday morning, the marine unit was called out to a collision between two boats in the area of Northern Harbor.

The OPP say a 16 foot boat coming out of the harbor ran into a 19 foot vessel that was trolling in the area.

Police say one person, who wasn't wearing a life jacket at the time, end up falling into the lake.

Fortunately they were able to get back into the boat.

A Manitoba resident has been charged with careless operation of a motor vessel.

OPP investigate Hit and Run

The Kenora Detachment of the OPP says its investigating a hit and run accident

involving a cyclist.

Police say that around 9:00 Saturday morning, the cyclist was struck by a vehicle
on Airport Road.

The cyclist was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital for treatment of
unspecified injuries.

Police say they were able to locate the vehicle involved in the accident a short time later.

There's no indication what charges have been laid in the incident.

Activity Tax Credit

The Ontario Government is making it a little easier for parents to get their children involved in after school activities.


The province is introducing legislation creating a tax credit for those activities.

Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says its going to help both the families and kids.

If the legislation is passed, parents will be able to claim up to 500 dollars of expenses per child.

Space still available for BScN Program

Confederation College and Lakehead University says some space is still available in a community-based nursing program.


It allows students to earn L-U's bachelor program through the region's college's campus.

Spokesperson for Con College, Anne Renaud says they will still go ahead with or without a full class.

The College and L-U graduated twenty students at the end of a four-year pilot program in June 2009

Voters lists go on-line

The City of Kenora is gearing up for the municipal elections this fall.

The nomination deadline is this Friday, and local residents can check
on-line to see if they are on the voters list.
Joanne McMillin is the city's returning officer and says this is the first
time they've used the on-line voters list.

She says you can find out if you are an eligible voter by entering your name and address on the city's web portal.

McMillin says the vote by mail kits should be in your mailbox sometime during the last week of September or
the first week of October. 

Ten People Seeking a Seat on Council

Then there were ten.

Another person has thrown his hat into the ring for the city council race in Kenora.

Rod McKay, the manager of the moth-balled Kenora Forest Products mill, filed his nomination papers yesterday.

At least one other person is expected to enter the election fray before Friday's deadline.

Anyone wanting to run for council has until 2:00 to file their nomination papers on September 10th.

New Fire Hall Nearing Completion

Its going to be at least another month before Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services

Department moves into its new building on Barsky's Hill.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman provided council an update on the Fire Hall project yesterday.

Brinkman says they are basically on time, but a few things have to be done before they can
begin moving in.

Brinkman says he wants to hold an open house at the new Fire Hall by the middle of October
to show off their new building.

Missing Winnipeg Man found near Hadashville

An 86-year-old Manitoba man is doing well despite being stranded for days in a swamp.

Joseph Kuz was reported missing last week after he'd set out on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway near Hadashville to walk to his nephew's cabin.

Mounties on A-T-Vs found Kuz yesterday.

He was dehydrated and hungry but otherwise alright.

Kuz's nephew, Myron Lamaga (la-MAH-ga), says his uncle is familiar with the outdoors and used to trap.

Clement Defends Fednor

Industry Minister Tony Clement doesn't see the value of making FEDNOR a separate agency within the federal government.

Opposition M-P's say feel it would speed up the time it takes to approval funding request.

But the Minister responsible for FEDNOR says there would be really no difference.

Clement adds the government has no plans to dismantle the regional economic development agency.

Lac Seul F.N. Settlement Vote

Lac Seul First Nation will be voting today on a 27 million dollar settlement offer on its old timber claim.

A voting booth will be set up in a number of communities across the region, including Thunder Bay.

Lac Seul received the offer from the Canadian Government to settle the claim which dates back to a harvested burn on reserve lands in 1907 and the surrender of the reserve's timber in 1919.

The voting will take place from 7:00 this morning until 7:00 this evening.

Strike Continues at NOSM

Talks between the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and

striking members of OP-SEU will continue later this month.

The talks ended Friday with limited progress and an agreement to
meet again starting September 14th.

Both sides agreed to a media blackout over the talks.

Some of the outstanding issues include hours of work, sick leave,
contracting out, family leaves and wages.

The union represents administrative, clerical and technical staff
at Laurentian University in Sudbury and Lakehead University in
Thunder Bay and campuses in Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie.

HST exemption now available

Area first nations can now get an 8 percent exemption from the HST at local retailers tills.


Anyone who has difficulty getting it is asked to contact the local chapter of the Union of Ontario Indians.

Spokesperson Judy Currie says she checked for herself to see if she would get the exemption and suggests
most of businesses in this area are honouring it at the cash register.

Northwest LHIN's Under Attack

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is under fire from the Progressive Conservative party.


The PC's are taking aim at their spending.

Democratic Reform Critic Steve Clark feels the 4.8 million dollars the NW LHIN spent on administration could have been better spent.

The Northwest LHIN also spent 1.5 million dollars on consultants over the past four years.

Grassy Narrows Man arrested following standoff

A 23 year old Grassy Narrows man has been arrested following a stand-off in the First Nations Community North of Kenora.

Late last week, Treaty Three Police were called out after a 28 year old woman sustained several slash wound.

She was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital for treatment.

Police say the male suspect was still inside the victims residence when they arrived at the scene.

A crisis negotiator and the OPP's Northwest Emergency Response Unit were called in.

Several hours later, Barry Payash was taken into custody.

He appeared in Kenora Court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault and three
counts of breach of probation.

Fall Tourism Campaign Planned

With Labor Day now over, Tourism Kenora is looking ahead to the fall.

A new ad campaign is being planned for the Winnipeg and southern Manitoba
markets.

Heather Paterson is Kenora's Tourism Development Officer and says they are
taking a little different approach this year.

Paterson says the spring campaign that was launched in May and June in
southern Manitoba proved to be very successful.

Village Corner in Vermillion Bay Destroyed by Fire

A popular rest stop between Kenora and Dryden has gone up in smoke.


The Village Corner in Vermillion Bay was destroyed by fire yesterday.

Fire crews from Machin, Dryden, Oxdrift and Wabigoon were called out shortly
after 6:00 yesterday morning.

Fire Fighters spent most of the day putting out the blaze at the corner store and
gas station.

The cause of the fire still hasn't been determined, and there has been no estimate
placed on the extent of the damage.

Officials say no-one was injured in the fire.

Sioux Narrows/Nestor Fall Elections

It looks like there will be at least two election races in Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls in October.

With a week left before the nomination deadline, three people have signed up to run for two councillor at-large positions.

Former mayor Gerry O'Leary will battle incumbants Chan Motlong and Lou Kabel.

In Ward One, which represents Sioux Narrows North, Gail Black is being challenged
by John Stuhldrieir.

There is only one candidate for mayor so far.

Incumbant Bill Thompson has filed his nomination papers.

The only candidate in Ward Two, which is Nestor Falls south, is Randy Hanson

Broncos Upend Eagles in Exhibition Football

An impressive debut for Beaver Brae's Football Team.


The Broncos upended the Dryden Eagles 31-6 yesterday in exhibition action at Pete Fair Memorial
Field.

Scott Morgan had a pair of touchdowns for the Broncos, while Colt German had a couple of
touchdown passes.

Overall, head coach Chris Penner says he was pleased with how his players performed on both
offense and defence.

Ryan Van Bellingham and Nick Hendy each had touchdown receptions for the Broncos, while
Cody Jones added seven points from the kicking game.

Beaver Brae will start the regular season next Friday at home against the Eagles once again.

Fire Rangers Back Home

The last remaining Ministry of Natural Resources personnel working in British Columbia return home today.


The departure of 178 fireRangers and 30 support staff will end Ontario's support to the fire fight in B-C that began at the end of July.

In all about 750 people provided more than 10-thousand days of support, Ontario's the third largest dispatch on record.

Drug Bust on Fort Hope F.N.

Nishnawbe Aski Police executed a search warrant of the Fort Hope First Nation.


Police seized a street value of approximately 14-thousand dollars worth of OxyContin prescription drugs.

32 year old Linda Josephine Wabano and 32 year old Normand Sidney Shawinimash have each been charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking.

Wabano and Shawinimash have both been released on conditions and will appear in court on November 4th.

Nishinabe Aski Nation To Rally at Queen's Park

The Nishinawbe Aski Nation plans to rally at Queen's Park this fall.


Grand Chief Stan Beardy says they vehemently oppose the far north act and want it scrapped.

Beardy says they'll take action, but are still willing to talk with the government.

Beardy feels the far north act takes their land jurisdiction rights away.

Province ready to roll-out tourism zones

The provincial government is expected to roll out funding for the new regional tourism zones.


Minister Michael Chan says it will be any day now when the zones are made official.

Chan says he spoke with tourism officials in the northwest and they seem to be on board with the new larger zones.

Trus-Joist Back up after Downtime

Weyerhaueser says its not sure how the U.S. housing market it going to affect the

Trus-Joist Mill on the Jones Road this fall.

The mill is just coming off a week's down time.

Wayne Rosnowski says after a fairly promising start to the year, things have tailed
off in recent months.

Rosnowski says they hope to be able to operate at least five days a week during the
fall months, but that will all depend on how the american housing market performs.

Broncos gear up for Regular Season

Beaver Brae's football team will get its first real test today.


The Broncos play their first and only exhibition game this afternoon
at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

The Dryden Eagles are in town for the 3:00 kick-off.

The same two teams will tangle again next Friday at Beaver Brae in the first game of the season in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

Division two of the league has expanded to 16 teams this year and the Broncos will play four home games this season.

MNR Fire Fighters Return Home

The Ministry of Natural Resources tour of duty in British Columbia is coming to an end.

Information Officer Debbie MacLean says 81-Ontario firefighters arrived home last night, while the remaining 214-personnel are due back by the end of the week.

MacLean says the hard work by firefighters combined with rain has allowed crews in B.C. to get a handle on the fire situation.

Ontario staff and equipment have been in the Western Province since July 29th.

Two new lighnting caused forest fires sparked yesterday near Igance and Kenora.

CFIB Survey Crictical of City

A survey by the Canadian Federation of Independant Business suggests the City of Kenora

could be doing a better job.

The CFIB polled 37 business owners in Kenora this summer and 81 percent felt they were
not getting good value for the money spent on public service.

77 percent of respondants also felt the city had a poor awareness of the business sector.

Where Kenora did get good marks was in reasonable tax levels.

43 percent of business owners felt tax rates were reasonable, which was the tops among
the communities rated in northern Ontario.

Rickford looking forward to new duties

Kenora MP Greg Rickford is already embracing his new role.


The Conservative member has been named Parliamentary Secreatary for Official Languages.

Rickford says the Caucus appointment is a great honour.

The Secreatary looks at all of the policies and issues that arise in enforcing and understanding Canada's Official Languages Act.

Focus North Conference Wraps Up

Canada's Northern Development Ministers are leaving Thunder Bay with a better sense of how they can help the north.

Ontario's Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle says they're going to tackle the north's infrastructure deficit.

Gravelle adds each provincial minister had the opportunity to speak with Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan.

Goss Joins Council Race

A Kenora business man is looking to take a stab at municipal politics.

Mort Goss is the latest person to enter the race for Kenora City Council.

Goss, owner of Sure Thing and a executive member of the Kenora Business Improvement Zone, filed his nomination papers yesterday.

He joins eight other people in the race for six seats on council.

Another person has also signed up to run for the Kenora Catholic District
School Board.

Brenda Bye is the fifth person in the race for one of five seats on the
Separate School Board.

September 10th is the final day to submit nomination papers.

Six Robbery Suspects Sought

The OPP Street Crimes Unit is looking for witnesses to an assault and robbery that took place near the Kenora Rec. Center last month.

Police say a lone woman was walking along 1st Avenue South around 11:30 on the night of August 1st, when she was accosted by a group of six people.

They demanded cigarettes and alcohol from her, then knocked her to the ground and kicked her several times.

They also grabbed her purse during the assault and stole some cash and dumped the rest of the contents on the ground.

Two of the suspects are described as heavy set aboriginal females

There were also three first nation males with short dark hair.
The other suspect was a white male with blonde medium length hair.

The victim suffered minor injuries as a result of the assault.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the OPP Street Crimes Unit or
Crimestoppers.

Ladies Slo-Pitch Finals

The Days Inn Ladies Slo-Pitch League is starting to wind down.

The A, B and C side finals are being played out this week.

Last night, the Shoal Lake Troopers claimed the B-side crown by getting by the E & G Blades in two straight games in their best of three series.

In the C-Side Final, Roen Contracting got by the Neniska Crushers also in two straight games.

Johnny's Trashers and Northern Harbor are currently duking it out in the A-Side final.

Lunny To Run for Council

A familiar name has been added to the nomination list for the upcoming municipal  elections.

Former City Councillor Ron Lunny has decided to enter the race for councillor.

Lunny is the eighth person to sign up for one of the six council seats available

The deadline to file nomination papers is fast approaching.

September 10th is the last day to run for either the city council or one of the school boards.

OPP Rule Out Foul Play in Fatality

The OPP have ruled out foul play in the death of a 34 year old Kenora man over the weekend.

Police say they were called to a home on Railway Street on Sunday after a male was found unresponsive.

By the time emergency service personnel arrived at the scene, the man was proncounced dead.

A post-mortem exam was conducted Monday at Lake of the Woods District Hospital and it determined the man died of natural causes.

The deceased has been identified as Clifton Skead.

IJC Task Force in Kenora

The first of three meetings examining the binational management of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake Basins was held in International Falls last night.

Tonight, the task force will be in Kenora for another public consultation session.

Melanie Hanson, the Canadian co-chair to an International task force, says public input will be important.

The task force will be Best Western Lakeside Inn tonight starting at 7:00.

Aging At Home Funding

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is expanding aging at home programs.


Three million dollars was announced for 16-community and home based initiatives.

Chief Executive Officer Laura Kokocinski outlines some of the programs they'll be funding this year.

The money will help provide health care and respite services for Seniors who want to stay in their own home.

Kokocinki says the funding will also reduces Emergency Room wait times.