Missing Man found near Ontario/Manitoba Border

A Manitoba angler is safe and sound after being lost in the bush near the Ontario border.

The RCMP say a 50 year old Winnipeg man took his canoe out last Friday on Mink Lake in Nopiming Provincial Park.

He walked to a nearby lake to do some fishing, and when he returned, he couldn't locate

his canoe.

He managed to place a call to the RCMP, but they couldn't locate him using GPS tracking.

The angler ended up making a temporary shelter and spent the night in the bush.

The next day, an RCMP helicopter and search team manage to find the missing

man.

He had made a large fire and searchers were able to see the smoke.

The angler is said to be in good condition and is making arrangements to

pick up his canoe.

Beaver Brae Scholarships Announced

Six former students at Beaver Brae Secondary School have received

lucrative scholarships.

The Ministry of Education has announced the winners of the Queen Elizabeth

Aiming for the Top scholarships.

Nicole Campbell, Montana Lomnicki, Erin Van Breda, Kelsey Craven, Ashley McDonald and Jamie Warkentin will receive as much 35 hundred dollars a year for up to four years.

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, the students have to maintain at least
an 80 percent average at the post-secondary level.

Council meets one more time

Member of Kenora City Council will be taking time off the campaign trail this morning for a special meeting.

A number of items are on today's agenda, including the expenditure of 30 thousand dollars

to do repairs to Rideout Community Club.

Council is also expected to pass a resolution to make the Fire Hall on Second Street South

surplus, so the city can get ready to sell it.

The special meeting of council is scheduled to start at 9:00 this morning in the Second Floor

Meeting Room of the Kenora Rec. Center.

Kenora Metis Council Receives Funding

The Kenora Metis Council is getting some help in its attempts to launch a traditional language training program locally.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford presented a cheque for 20 thousand dollars yesterday on behalf of the Minister of Official Languages.

The funding will help the Kenora Metis Council work with local school boards and enable them to set up a lending library at their office beside the old

Fire Hall on Park Street.

Local Schools Get new Smart Boards

A number of classrooms in the public school board are getting smarter and more technologically savvy thanks to 11 school board trustees.

Under a new initiative, trustees have asked to have Smart Board's installed in local public schools as part of a legacy project.

Sean Monteith is a superintendant of education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says smart boards are revolutionizing the education system.

Beaver Brae, Keewatin Public, Evergreen and Valleyview Schools in Kenora have all been beneficiaries of the Smart Board Legacy Project.

Other schools in the region getting new Smart Boards include New Prospect, and Riverview, Ignace, Lilian Berg in Vermillion Bay, Ear Falls, Red Lake, and Sioux Mountain in Sioux Lookout.

Air Ontario Crash in Dryden Re-Visited

The worst air disaster in northwestern Ontario history will be relived tonight on television.

The Discovery Channel will take a look at the Air Ontario Flight 13-63 crash that killed 21 of 65 passengers and 3 of 4 crew members on March 10th, 1989.

The plane crashed into a wooded area about 15-seconds after take-off at the Dryden Airport in snowy and icy conditions.

The incident will be the feature of the Discovery Channel's Mayday program at 9 o'clock central.

Aboriginal Student Voices Report Released

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is looking for ways of creating a better learning environment for aboriginal students.

Recently, a the board held a forum called Aboriginal Student Voices to get feedback and generate some ideas on how to improve the learning environment in local schools.

Beaver Brae student Will Landon presented a report with five recommendations to the board last night, it included ideas how to help students who are struggling.

The recommendations also include cultural awareness training for new teachers to the board, an aboriginal sports program, and a fundraising program to help students to go on school trips.

Hampton Blasts government for another Flip-Flop

The New Democrats warn property tax payers will be on the hook for the Ontario government's decision to scrap eco fees that were slapped on thousands of household products July 1st.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton says the government's decision to back off the eco fees is yet another flip-flop by the Liberal government.

There was no public warning that eco fees would be put on thousands of household items on July 1st, and the government faced a major backlash from consumers and retailers.

OPP Investigate Several Drug Busts in Kenora

The OPP's Organized Crime and Drug Units were involved in a number of busts in the Kenora area over the weekend.

In one incident, about 35 thousand dollars worth of drug were seized in a raid of a local home.

Police say they seized 31 grams of cocaine, over 15 hundred grams of marijuana, as well as codeine and oxycodone pills.

52 year old Lorne McGuffin faces charges of trafficking and possession, while 52 year old Lea Cameron has been charged with trafficking, and 57 year old Robert Roy has been fined

with possession.

Two other people were charged with possession of marijuana following separate RIDE

check stops in the Kenora area.

Support Staff Strike at NOSM Continues

Support staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have voted not to accept a tentative deal.

Tuesday's vote was a decisive 76.8-percent against.

Tyler England of Local 677 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says the members made it clear that the deal was not good enough.

Turnout for the vote was 94 per cent.

The 150 clerical, technical and administrative workers have been on strike in Thunder Bay and Sudbury since August 16th.

Issues include wages, hours of work and overtime.

Rainy River Resources Expands Exploration Work

Rainy River Resources is hoping to advance its gold exploration program south of Kenora early next year.

Kyle Stanfield, Director of Environment and Sustainability, says the company is working toward applying for some key permits from government by the end of this year.

Stanfield says they'll also hoping to secure permits with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and does not expect any difficulty in approvals.

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.