OPP make arrest in Rec. Center Mischief Incident

A 19 year old Kenora man faces charges in connection to a mischief incident last month at the Rec. Center.

The OPP say that in the early morning hours of September 30th, someone used an excavator from the construction site on Mike Richards Way and bashed a fence at the large ball field and also destroyed one of the bleachers.

When officers arrived, they saw a couple of suspects running away from the scene.

Dylan Parisian has been charged with michief over five thousand dollars.

He scheduled to appear in Kenora Court on the charges on November 15th.

Thistles Split weekend games

The Kenora Triple "A" Midget Thistles were .500 in shootouts this weekend.

The Thistles beat the Winnipeg Wild Sunday 3-2 in a shootout, after the game was tied 2-2 after regulation.

The Kenora Midgets lost their home opener Friday night with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Central Plains Capitals.

The Thistles have a record of 2-2-1 after the first two weeks of the regular season.

This weekend the Kenora Midgets host the winless Parkland Rangers for a pair of

games at the Thistle Rink. 

Broncos lose on the road

Beaver Brae's football team suffered only its second loss of the season.

The Broncos were upended 27-13 by the unbeaten Murdoch McKay Clansmen on Friday in Transcona.

Beaver Brae falls to 3-2 on the season, whiel Murdoch McKay leads the division with a perfect 5-0 mark.

The Broncos now face the Steinbach Sabres on Friday

The expansion team is still looking for its first win of the season after dropping a 20-15 decision to Dryden last week.

It was the Eagles first win of the season

Rash of late season forest fires

The warm weather has resulted in some Fall-time activity for Ministry of Natural Resources Fire Crews.

Eight new fires have been reported in Northwestern Ontario since October first and five are still burning.

The Dryden District is the hot spot, with 5 fires.

The MNR stresses they have adequate resources on hand to deal with the recent fire activity.

The other fires were reported in the Fort Frances and Thunder Bay District's.

None of the blazes have exceeded 2.5-hectares.

NOSM support staff vote on first contract

Striking administrative, clerical and technical workers at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will vote on a tentative contract today.

Union Spokesperson Tyler England says they'll start reviewing the deal this afternoon.

The Union isn't for or against the tentative agreement, England says they're staying neutral and will

let employees decide whether the deal is fair or not. 

Sioux Lookout woman identified in crash

The OPP in Sioux Lookout have released the name of a woman killed

last week in a single vehicle accident on Bindo Lake.

52 year old Sophia Trist of Sioux Lookout was pronounced dead at the

scene.

Police say the vehicle ended up in the lake after driving off a single lane

bridge on Vermillion Rriver Road.

The OPP say the accident is still under investigation.

Breast Screening Program promotion

The Ontario Breast Screening Program wants to see 160 over 50 on Monday October 18th.

It's the second year for the 12 hour drop in breast screening day in Northwestern Ontario.

Manager of Cancer Screening, Lori Della Vedova says there are some real benefits to being

screened.

New clients who participate in the challenge will receive a free "Thingamaboob" and will be entered into a draw for a 50 dollar gift card.

By-Law being considered to protect Heritage Landscapes

Kenora's Heritage Committee is looking at sample by-laws from other communities across Ontario that protect local landscapes.

The Committee wants to draft a similar by-law protect and preserve a 300 year old Eastern Cottonwood Tree in the Rideout area of town.

The by-law would designate the tree as part of the city's heritage landscape and

could prevent it from being cut down in the future.

The tree is thought to be the oldest eastern Cottonwood in Ontario.

Under similar by-laws, the fine for cutting down or damaging the tree could be

as high as 20 thousand dollars.

OFIA Upset with Ontario's Environmental Commissioner

Statements made by the Environmental Commissioner's Office have ruffled the feathers of the Ontario Forest Industry Association.

The ECO recently released a press release claiming caribou haven't returned to previously logged forest areas.

Spokesperson Scott Jackson says that statement simply isn't true.

The OFIA feels the Environmental Commissioner's Office should be more than a cheerleader for southern Ontairo special interest groups.

Operation Impact

People trying to jam in one more weekend at the cottage or hit too many Thanksgiving dinners should be careful.

The Ontario Provincial Police will be out in force during the holiday weekend.

They say ``Operation Impact'' is part of a Canada-wide initiative to catch unsafe drivers.

Police will be focusing on impaired driving, aggressive motorists and seatbelt violations.

The national road safety initiative is aimed at saving lives and reducing serious injuries.

A total of 243 people have been killed in accidents so far this year on OPP patrolled roadways.

FedNor provides funds for northern agriculture

The Federal Government is investing in Northern Ontario's Agriculture industry.

FedNor Minister Tony Clement has announced nearly 365-thousand dollars in funding to help agri-food representatives from this Region attend the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

A Northern Ontario Pavilion will be set up at the 10-day event and 350-thousand consumers are expected to attend.

Last year, immediate and follow-up sales by Northern exhibitors were estimated at about 750-thousand dollars.

Heritage Fund gets a new executive director

There's a new Executive Director at the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Bruce Strapp is taking on the job.

Strapp was the CEO of the Sault Ste. Marie economic development commission.

He also worked with Red Lake's economic development corporation.

Broncos hit the road in WHSFL

Two of the top offenses in division two of the Winnipeg High School Football League

will meet up today.

The 3-1 Beaver Brae Broncos will travel to Winnipeg to face the Murdoch McKay Clansmen.

Both Beaver Brae and Murdoch McKay has scored 107 points so far this season, but the Clansmen have allowed just four points in four games.

Game time is 3:00 this afternoon at Murdoch McKay High School.

Municipal Election just over two weeks away

Local residents have just over a week to mail in their ballots for the October 25th

municipal elections.

October 16th is the deadline to have the ballots in the mail.

After that the kits will have to be dropped off in person prior to election day.

Returning officer Joanne McMillin say they also have contingencies for people who did not get a mail in ballot.

McMillin expects to get results from this year's election a lot faster than the past two elections.

She says the votes are being run through a computerized tabulator each day and the

final results will be printed off at 8:00 on election day.

Wasaya Airways Expands

Wasaya Airlines is expanding its operations in northwestern Ontario.

The First Nations owned company has added a Bombardier Dash 8 to it's fleet.

President Tom Morris says they also plan to order another Dash 8 in the near future.

The new aircraft will be used to fly Goldcorp workers to it's Musselwhite mine site.

Grassy Blocks MNR Officers

Residents of Grassy Narrows say they have once again barred MNR officials shutting down road repair work in their community.

Enforcement officers were at the site of a blockade to check out work being carried out on the Slant Lake Road.

The blockade members says the MNR has threatened to shut down the work because they don't

have the necessary environmental permits.

This week, band members say they denied the enforcement officers access to Slant Lake and

repair work continued on uninterupted.

Repairs have not been made to the road since 2002, when Grassy set up the blockade to

protest clear-cutting operations near their community.

Hampton weighs in on Lobby Contraversy

The lobby contraversy at Queen's Park goes right up to the premier's cabinet table.

That's the assertion of Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton.

Hampton says former government members are now paid lobbyists, and former lobbyists are now members of the Liberal government.

Hampton also questions the government's sincerity when it says it will pass legislation to curb the use of public money to pay for lobbyists.

House fire on Peterson Road

A busy night for Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Fire Fighters were called to a house fire on Peterson Road around 10:30 last night.

All four stations were called out to deal with the blaze, and pumpers spent the night

shuttling water back and forth from a hydrant several miles away on Veteran's Drive.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but damage is said to be extensive.

There was no-one home at the time the fire broke out.

Machin opens new centennial pavilion

The Town of Machin is celebrating its 100th anniversary by unveiling a new waterfront pavilion.

The 13 hundred square foot log structure is located in Pine Tree Park, overlooking Eagle Lake.

The pavilion includes a set of interpretive panels the depict some of the important events in the last 100 years in the community.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Contributed over 16 thousand dollars to help build
the structure.

OPP search for body near Sioux Lookout

The Underwater Search and Recovery Unit has been called in after a vehicle was reported going into a lake, just outside Sioux Lookout.

OPP received a report on Tuesday that a women had driven her vehicle from Vermillion River Road into Bindo Lake.

OPP are investigating and officers want to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this event.

No other details are available.

Greenpeace Launches Caribou Caravan

Greenpeace launched its "caribou caravan" campaign at Queen's Park.

The environmental group is pressuring Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle to save the woodland caribou.

Spokesperson Richard Brooks says the government can balance both environment and the forest industry.

The caravan will be heading to northwestern Ontario at the end of October.

OPP investigate rash of Break-Ins

The OPP are investigating a rash of break-ins over the past couple of days.

In one instance, a travel trailer parked in the area of Millers Rapids Road was broken into.

Police say a number of items were stolen including a set of binoculars,

three rifle scopes and several rods and reels.

The OPP also say a number of unlocked vehicles were entered on

Birchwood Crescent.

A laptop computer, a GPS unit, cellphones and a satellite radio were among the items stolen.

Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment of the OPP or Crimestoppers.

KMTS Announces Upgrades to its System

KMTS has just completed a 1.5 million dollar upgrade to its mobility network.

The new High Speed Packet Access will allow local residents to use a wide range of smart phones, including the IPhone.

Doug Anderson is a spokesperson for KMTS and they teamed up with NorthernTel

on the network upgrade.

The project included 531 thousan dollars to install the new towers in Redditt, Grassy Narrows

and Whitedog.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund provided 85 percent of the cost of that project.

Saints win in Whitefish Bay

The Thomas Aquinas Boys Volleyball teams continue to roll along in league play.

The Saints were in Whitefish Bay, and won both games played against the WinterHawks.

The T.A. junior boys swept Whitefish Bay in three straight games, while the Saints lost their first set in league play, but still prevailed three games to one.

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys are coming off a weekend tournament win in

Portage La Prairie.

The T.A. girls basketball teams were idle yesterday.

Nestor Falls Runner Up in Ultimate Fishing Town Contest

Nestor Falls will have to settle for being a runner up in the World Fishing Network's Ultimate Fishing Town Contest.

Port Alberni, British Columbia collected the most votes last month to collect the 25 thousand dollar first prize.

Nestor Falls work didn't go unrewarded however.

The tiny community on Lake of the Woods will get a five thousand dollar cash award for  finishing second in the contest.

Concerns Raised over Abitibi's Plans to Sell northern Dams

The provincial government wants AbitibiBowater to continue honouring water and power agreements with local communities if it proceeds with a sale of its hydro-electric dams in Kenora, Iroquois Falls and Fort Frances.

Concerns about the dams were raised in August when it was revealed the company was again looking at selling off its hydro assets.

Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey says she's received no formal request to sell the Ontario dams, but shares the concerns about how the sale will impact local mills and communities.

A pair of Honors for Broncos Gridiron stars

For the second week in a row, Beaver Brae running back Scott Morgan has been named the offensive player of the week in the Vidruk Division of the Winnipeg High School Football League.

Morgan had 144 yards rushing and a touchdown in last weeks 42-7 win over the Miles MacDonnel Buckeyes.

Jared Davis was also singled out for his play and was named the special teams player of the week for his 80 yard punt return.

The 3-1 Broncos face their toughest challenge of the season on Friday when they travel to Winnipeg to face the 4-0 Murdoch McKay Clansmen.

ER Study Ordered for Northern and Rural Ontario Hospitals

Fourteen medical professionals and experts have been assembled by the provincial government to look at issues surrounding emergency rooms in rural and northern Ontario.

Ministry of Health Spokesperson David Jenson says the group have been asked to make recommendations on improving small E-R's.

Jenson says concerns from a variety of groups and medical personnel led to the task force being set up.

Two killed in Couchiching Fire

The Treaty Three Police have confirmed that two people died in a house fire on the Couchiching First Nation.

Police are describing the fire as accidental.

A female occupant in the home managed to escape after the smoke detector went off.

However, a 36 year old man and a 73 year old died in the blaze.

An autopsy conducted earlier this week showed that both men died as a result of smoke inhalation.

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office is continuing to investigate the fire.

Health Unit offers Stop Smoking Program

The Northwestern Health Unit is once again offering a program to help smokers quit for good.

STOP On-The-Road Workshops are being held in Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances starting on October 18th.

On top of Counciling, Enforcement Manager Jennifer McKibbon says participants will receive a 5-week supply of free nicotine replacement therapy.

To take part call 1-888-404-4231.

Thumbs up for new Highway 17 Twinning Route

The Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association is cautiously optimistic about new plans revealed for the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Kenora.

Over the weekend, a consultant for the Ministry of Transortation revealed a new route for Highway 17, taking it north of the Clearwater Bay area.

Susan McLeod is the executive director of the Property Owners Association and says someone seems to have been paying attention to their concerns.

McLeod says the final route plans won't be unveiled until sometime in the new year, so a lot of work still needs to be done before they are completely happy with the Highway twinning project.

Alarmed for Life

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department will be taking it to the streets for Fire Prevention Week.

Fire fighters will be taking their Alarmed for Life Campaign into the Rabbit Lake Trailor Park this evening.

They will be making sure local residents have working smoke alarms.

Crews will be going door to door between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 this evening.

Fire chief Warren Brinkman says their goal is to ensure every home in Kenora has a working smoke alarm on every level.

A sign of recovery in NWO forest industry

It's a big day in Terrace Bay.

The community's main employer is back in business.

Terrace Bay Pulp is making pulp again putting 300 people back to work.

It came after it's parent company, Buchanan Forest Products of Thunder Bay, managed to bring it out of creditor protection.

The provincial government kicked in a 25 million dollar loan to help refinance the start up

Another quiet Forest Fire Season in NWO

It was another quiet forest fire season in Northwestern Ontario.

With one month remaining, the Ministry of Natural Resources has responded to 351-fires, with just over 95-hundred hectares of land burned.

Information Officer Debbie McLean says there hasn't been a lot of hot spots.

The average over the past 5-years is 626-forest fires, with over 45-thousand hectares burned.

Children's and Youth Services Minister promises spring summit

Ontario's Children's and Youth Services Minister is commiting to working with native child welfare agencies in improving services.

Laurel Broten spoke recently at a provincial conference in Fort Frances.

Broten says with the hiring of John Beaucage as a advisor, they'll be talking further about making the system better.

Broten says it's an opportunity to work together to ensure that children and their families are well cared for.

NOMA Conference wraps up

How do we make Northern issues matter to the rest of the province?

That was the topic of a panel discussion at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference.

Past President of the Ontario Associated Community Futures Development Corporation Bill Spinney says municipal and business leaders have to get together and develop a common message for the Ontario government. 

The two day fall conference wrapped up over the weekend in Thunder Bay. 

Healthy Smiles Program returns

The provincial government has announced funding for a new dental program for children in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts.

Healthy Smiles Ontario will provide a no-cost dental program for kids under the age of 17, who do not currently have access to any dental coverage.

Dr. Jim Arthurs is the medical officer of health of the Northwestern Health Unit and says they also plan to be bring the program into communities that do not currently have dentists.

The program is intended for low income households across the region, that is families with a net income of 20 thousand dollars a year or less.

Abitibi getting ready to sell Kenora Mill Property

Insolvent newsprint giant AbitibiBowater is seeking court approval to sell 160 hectares of land that once housed a paper mill in Kenora, Ont., for $6 million.

A numbered company that is an affiliate of Imperial Trading Corporation verbally agreed three years ago to purchase the land once the mill was demolished and environmental remediation was completed.

Demolition of the mill was completed in September 2009, although a recycled paper plant still remains on the site. A phase one environmental study was completed two months later.

Montreal-based AbitibiBowater announced permanent closure of the mill on Dec. 14, 2005.

The sale is part of AbitibiBowater's efforts to sell about $1 billion of non-core assets before it exits court protection from creditors as a lower-cost producer.

Another Phone Scam

The OPP are warning Kenora residents about yet another telephone scam.

Police say they received a report about a phone call from a someone claiming to be from a local sports organization.

The caller said the group doing a fundraiser and requested a donation.

The homeowner decided to support the cause and provided credit card information over the phone.

Police say it was later learned the organization isn't actively involved in any fundraising right now.

The OPP say providing credit card details over the phone is risky, and if you have any doubts

about the authenticity of a telemarketer you should contact the Kenora Detachment office or

Phonebusters.

Local Pet Supply Company nominated for prestigious award

A Kenora pet supply business has been nominated for a prestigious international retail award.

Taylor Made Pet Supplies in Keewatin is up for a Summit Award.

Crystal and Doyle Friesen have been singled out for their support of the Cat Shelter and

Its A Dog's Life fostering network.

They are also involved in school co-op programs and offer puppy and dog socializing programs.

The awards will be handed out at the 5th Annual International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies

in Lake Louise, Alberta later this month.

Premier Announces Ring of Fire Co-ordinator

Although the Nishnawbe Aski Nation has come out against the new Ring of Fire Coordinator; she feels she has a good working relationship with area first nations.

Dr. Christine Kaszicky was the assistant deputy minister of Northern Development and Mines, during the time members of the Big Trout Lake First Nation were sent to jail over a mining dispute.

Kaszicky says she's learned a lot since that incident.

Kaszicky starts her new job October 25th.

Hampton Opposes Hydro rate increase

Opposition New Democrats are calling on Premier McGuinty to review an Ontario Energy Board decision that raised the guaranteed rate of return for electricity distributors and transmitters.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton says those rates went up despite recommendations no change was necessary.

Energy Minister Brad Duguid says the NDP are speaking figures that are inaccurate.

Last All-Candidate Forum puts focus on the homeless

Its all over but the shouting for the candidates running for Kenora City Council.

Last week, the participated in four all-candidate forums over five days.

Some of the the canadidates shared some interesting ideas for economic development.

Sharon Smith says she'd like the city to become more involved in eco-friendly intiatives.

For her part, Wendy Cuthbert says the city needs to be accountable to all its citizans, that

includes, young and old.

There are 13 candidates seeking 12 seats on council.

Ballot kits started showing up in local mail-boxes on Friday.

i-Level Lay-offs Announced

The I-Level Timberstrand mill on the Jones Road has announced some lay-offs.

Effective this past Saturday, three managment staff and 14 associates were laid off.

The company is blaming a slow U.S. market for the need to trim its staff.

Weyerhaeuser says its will be going with two crews four days a week.

Thistles start hockey season with a win

The Kenora Triple "a" Midget Thistles picked up two of a possible six points on a tough western road trip to start the 2010/2011 season in the Manitoba Midget Hockey League.

The Thistles started the campaign out on Friday night with a 4-2 over the Southwest Cougars in Souris.

The Kenora Midgets followed that up with a 2-1 loss on Saturday night to the Yellowhead Chiefs.

Yesterday, the Thistles squandered a couple of two goal leads, and lost a 7-5 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Kenora Midgets play their home opener on Friday night at the newly refurbished Thistle Rink against the Central Plains Capitals.

SIU releases report on Lac Seul Shooting

Three OPP officers from Sioux Lookout have been cleared of any wrong-doing by the Ontario Special Investigations Unit in the shooting death of a Lac Seul area resident.

The incident took place back on May 9th, when Brian Gray began firing shots near the home of George Carprenter.

Police were later informed that Carpenter had been killed in his home and there were at least six other people in his house that were being held hostage.

Later the 54 year old exited the house with a male hostage and had a rifle pointed at his head.

When Gray fired a shot in the air, the officers opened fire and shot him several times.

He was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries.

The SIU determined the officers were justified in the use of lethal force because Gray had proven to be unpredictible and violent in the events leading up to the shooting.

Mischief Incident on Construction Site

The OPP are investigating a mischief incident at the Ball Diamonds at

the Kenora Rec. Center.

Police were contacted shortly after 3:00 Thursday morning after recieving reports that one of the excavators was in use at the construction site on Mike Richards Way.

When officers arrived at the scene they saw a couple of suspects running away from the scene.

The OPP say that the fencing at the big ball diamond and one of the bleachers was destroyed by the excavator.

Police are currently trying to identify the culprits.

OPP Awards Ceremony

Three OPP officers from Kenora and two civilians have received Commissioner Citations for their work in the area.

Gord and Mark Rickaby also recieved a St. John Ambulence award yesterday for their life-saving actions on Lake of the Woods in June of 2009.

Gord Rickaby says the award is bittersweet, because the person they were sent out to help, eventually died.

Constable Dave Cain also recieved a Commissioners Citation for his work in expanding the junior constable program in the region.