Broncos and Saints win on the road

     Beaver Brae's girls hockey team has improved to a perfect 7-0 in NorWOSSA league play.

The Broncos blanked the Red Lake Rams 2-0 in Red Lake last night.

Hunter Becks earned the shutout, while Erin Gasparini and Kaitlyn Sparkman

scored for Beaver Brae.

The Broncos are back on the road this weekend with a tournament in Portage

La Prairie.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas Boys hockey team has started their NorWOSSA league schedule on the right foot.

The Saints nipped Sioux Lookout 4-3 last night in overtime.

Colt Manson scored the game winner, while Teddy Baily, Tyler Caron and Trevor each
added singles.

A successful road trip for the T.A. court sport teams.

They played Atikokan and Rainy River Monday and Tuesday and won seven of the eight games played.

Yesterday in Rainy River, the Saints senior boys basketball team got 28 points from Devon Luby en route to a 64-49 win over the Owls.

The Thomas Aquinas junior boys also won downing Rainy 55-21.

On the volleyball courts, the T.A. senior girls won 3-0 over the Owls, while the Saints junior girls lost the only game of the road trip, losing three straight games to Rainy River.

Snow leads to arrest of Thieves

All the snow is making it easier for local police to solve crimes.

The OPP say they were called out to a residence in Minaki over the weekend following a break-in.

Police say a quantity of food was stolen from the fridge.

Officers managed to follow the foot prints of the culprits to their hideout.

A 20 year old man and a 17 year old male youth have both been charged with break, enter and theft.

Jeffrey Questions NDP Allegations

Ontario Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffery says show me the proof!

The NDP's Gilles Bisson claims road access to some remote lakes in the North is being cut off in favour of tourist outfitters.

Jeffery says she needs specific details.

Jeffery says there are instances where road access is being controled to protect those remote areas.

Cold Weather here for a while

Get ready for some long johns weather.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather says a cold Arctic air is making its way over the area and will stick around for a little while.

Laidlaw says we will get a short break from the cold Thursday but by the weekend we'll be right back into the deep freeze.

Canfield delivers Inaugural Address

New Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield is putting to rest any suggestion the city will use any of the Citizan's Prosperity Fund to help pay for any new infrastructure projects.

In his inaugural address, Canfield says if he has his way, council won't be allowed to touch the principal of the 41 million dollar trust fund.

While Canfield presented a sobering picture of the city's finances, he did promise to grow Kenora's economic base and also its population again.

OPP warn of poor ice conditions

The Kenora OPP are advising local snowmobilers not to head out on any local bodies of water just yet.

Over the weekend, four snowmobiles went through the ice of local lakes.

Constable Dave Cain says while the temperatures have been relatively cold, there has been too much snow to make good ice.

There was one fatality over the weekend, after a 55 year old man died after going through the ice of a lake near Ingolf.

Houston Lake Plans more Drilling near Kenora

Houston Lake Mining says it plans to do more drilling on its property southwest of Kenora this winter.

The company has been conducting exploration work on its West Cedartree property near
Sioux Narrows for a number of years.

Company president Trevor Walker admits they have lost some ground to other exploration companies like Rainy River Resources, but is still bullish on their gold project.

He says they recently secured 10 million dollars in funding to continue their
exploration work.

New Members of Council Sworn In

Some changes are being made to the committee structure at City Hall.

At the swearing in ceremony this morning, the six members of council were assigned their committee duties for the next year.

A couple of new committees have been created and a couple have been eliminated altogether.

One of the new committees is Corporate Services, which Rory McMillan will be taking charge of.

McMillan had been chair of the former Finance and Administration Committee.

Ron Lunny take over as chair of the Finance Committee, while Sharon Smith is chair of Economic Development and Hydro, which is another new committee.

Charito Drinkwalter has been named chair of the Community and Protective Services Committee,
while Louis Roussin heads up Property and Planning.

Rod McKay is the new chairman of the Operations Committee.

Snowmobiler dies near Ingolf

A 55 year old man is dead following a snowmobiling accident near Ingolf.

The OPP say the incident took place Friday afternoon around 4:30 after

a sled went through the ice on Longpine Lake.

While a passenger managed to get out of the water to safety, the

driver had to be rescued by emergency personnel.

Rick Schween was pronounced dead at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The OPP say in the past week there have been numerous incidents of snowmachines going through the ice on Rabbit Lake, Round Lake and Laurenson's Lake.

Hospital coping with bed shortage

Lake of the Woods District Hospital says its been dealing with its bed shortage, even
though they haven't seen many of their patients moved into long term care facilities.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belaen says 13 patients are still waiting for a bed
of open up in either the Kenora District Home for the Aged or Birchwood.

He adds they are still waiting for word from the Ministry of Health, that as many as
10 beds could be opened at Pinecrest.

Belcaen says there is a lot of demand for the Alternate Level of Care beds, but they
have been managing pretty well in recent weeks.

Snowmobiles fall through ice

It's the old saying:  if you don't know, don't go.


Over the weekend, there have been numerous reports of snowmobiles going
through the ice of local lakes and rivers.

Sleds have fallen through thin ice on Round Lake, Laurenson's Creek and
Shoal lake over the past couple of days.

Fortunately, no one was injured in those incidents, but caution is
advised when heading out.

The heavy snow, hasn't allowed the ice to thicken up very much so far.

New Edition Council to be sworn in today

A big day for the new edition of Kenora City Council.


Council members will be publically sworn in at a formal ceremony in
Council Chambers.

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield says he's met individually with each of the six
council members to determine which committees they will be sitting on over
the next few years.

The swearing in will take place starting at 11:00 this morning.

Council gets down to work tomorrow, with their first committee meetings slated
for 2:30.

PLT deadline extended

A victory for property owners who pay the provincial land tax.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton sent an open letter to Premier McGuinty demanding he extend the deadline to pay 2010 property tax bills.

Hampton says his constituency offices have been overwhelmed by calls from people who have been told they have just day's to pay or face penalties.

The province has agreed to extend the deadlines, the first payment to January 31st, and the
second at the end of February.

Broncos Win, Thistles lose

A disappointing weekend for the Kenora Triple "A" midget Thistles.

The Thistles were tripped up 8-1 yesterday at the Kenora Rec. Center by the
Central Plains Capital.

Friday night, the Winnipeg Wild walked away with a 4-1 win over the Kenora Midgets.

Meanwhile, the Beaver Brae Girls Hockey team continues to roll along.

The Broncos nipped the Fort Frances Muskies 5-4 Friday night, to remain
unbeaten in NorWOSSA League Play.

Beaver Brae hits the road tomorrow night to take on the Rams in Red Lake.

Tourism Kenora planning more special events

Tourism Kenora says its plans to host more special events in the months ahead.

On Friday, it was announced that the Beach Boys would be playing the Kenora Harborfront on June 15th.

Heather Paterson is the city's Tourism Development Officer and says now that they are under the umbrella of the Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission, they will be doing more of this kind of special event promotion..

Tickets for the Beach Boys will go on sale this Friday.

Beach Boys coming to town

Tourism Kenora says you will be hearing some good vibrations coming from the Harborfront next spring.

The Beach Boys have been signed to play one night under the big tent.

The iconic 60's California Surf band will entertain local residents on
Wednesday, June 15th.

Chair of the Kenora Economic Development Commission, Dennis Wallace says this is not just a concert, but an economic impact event for the city.

Tickets for the all-ages concert will go on sale on December 10th.

Prices range from 59 to 100 dollars.

New Name for merging Children's Aid Societies

The new children's aid society for the Kenora and Rainy River District will have a new name.

Kenora-Patricia Child and Family Services and Family and Children's Services of the District of Rainy River will officially merge on April 1st of next year.

Agency staff, foster parents and children all were given the opportunity to come up with
a new name for the amalgamated children's aid society.

The transitional leadership team has come up with new name of Kenora-Rainy River Districts
Child and Family Services.

A new logo for the joint is still being worked on by staff.

Fort Frances man jailed on Sex Charges

A 44year-old man has been convicted of  three counts of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual interference in relation to an historical sexual assault investigation.


Fort Frances OPP charged Garry Mathewson back in July with several sexual offences.

The offences involved three male victims and took place within the Rainy River and Thunder Bay District's between 1992 and 1999.

Mathewson has been ordered into custody to serve 66 months concurrent with 141 days of pre-sentence custody.

He must register with the sexual offenders information registry and submit DNA samples.

Mathewson is also prohibited from attending any place with children for ten years and can't own a firearm for his lifetime.

Paterson Medical Clinic officially opens

Kenora's newest medical facility has celebrated its grand opening.

The Paterson Medical Clinic on Tunnel Island held its ribbon cutting last night.

Don Parfitt is chair of the Kenora Health Center Board and says the total project will cost about 7.5 million dollars once all is said and done.

Dr. Buzz Pederson is with the Sunset Family Heath Team and says the new facility makes it a lot easier for doctors to do their jobs.

Other tennants in the new building include the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and
the Community Care Access Center.

Hospital reports a surplus

Lake of the Woods District Hospital continues to operate in the black.

Through the first seven months of this fiscal year, the hospital had a surplus
of 341 thousand dollars.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belcaen says he's confident they will be able to
break even on their operations by the end of the year.

He says tradionally the winter months are a little lean for generating extra income,
because they don't see the same number of patients from Manitoba and the U.S.

CP Holiday Train stops in Kenora this weekend

The Canadian Pacific 'Holiday Train' rolls into Northwestern Ontario this weekend.

The train will arrive Saturday in Vermilion Bay at 1:45, then Kenora at 3:45.

Spokesperson Kevin Hrysak says the train has become a festive tradition.

Canadian rockband 'The Odds' will be performing and Santa Claus will be on hand
at the CP Rail Yard behind the WholeSale Club.

Report looks at retaining grads in NWO

Northwestern Ontario's labour force has a hard time retaining post secondary graduates.

That's one of the findings in a report created by an economist at Lakehead University.

Author Livio Di Mateo says the first step retaining our youth is to create a graduate survey.

The report recommends retention incentive programs and employer surveys.

MPP calls for insurance rebate for snow tires

A northwestern Ontario member of the Ontario Legislature wants insurance companies to give motorists who use snow tires a break.

Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro introduced a motion last week calling for

rebates for any one putting the heavy duty tires on.

Mauro calls it a win win situation.

Young Drivers of Canada says while snow tires do help in poor conditions, safe driving

habits are just as important to avoiding collisions in bad weather.

NDP Complain about public access to remote lakes

The NDP are concerned about reports of tourist outfitters being given exclusing access to Northern lakes and crown land.


People have been contacting Natural Resources Critic Gilles Bisson stating signs have been posted saying only Tourist Outfitters can access the lake.

Bisson says he's been raising the issue with Minister Linda Jeffrey.

Bisson says most of the closed off lakes are in the Wawa area but notes it's probably happening in the rest of the Northwest as well.

NorWOSSA Second Season Begins today

The second season in NorWOSSA court sports begins today.


Thomas Aquinas boys basketball and girls volleyball teams are heading
to Whitefish Bay today to take on the Winterhawks.

This weekend, the senior girls are in Dryden for the annual Eagles High School
Volleyball Tournament.

Festival of Trees Starts Tonight

The Festival of Trees turns seven years old this weekend.

The annual event is a major fundraiser for the Kenor and Lake of the Woods
Regional Community Foundation.

Darlene McGilvary is the executive director of the foundation and says they
will have 25 christmas trees decorated, three wreaths and three gingerbread
houses on display at the museum over the next three days.

She estimates the foundation will be able to raise about 25 thousand dollars
during the three day event.

Tonight is seniors night, which will be followed by the gala tomorrow night and
family day on Saturday.

Funding to pave Rabbit Lake Trail

Plans to complete a paved trail along Rabbit Lake are starting to come together.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has promised the Kenora Trails Committee
68 thousand dollars for the project.

Barb Manson is the City's Parks Supervisor and says they want to create a
fully accessible loop.

The next phase of the project will see the section of the paved trail expanded
to Garrow Park.

Manson says they hope to complete the work next summer.

Bearskin Sale Delayed

It may be another month before the acquistion of Bearskin Airlines is completed.

Winnipeg-based Exchange Income announced its intentions to purchase the Northwestern Ontario airline back in September.

President Michael Pyle says the deal is moving along but notes it may be another 30-days until its finalized.

Pyle notes they are waiting on a number of things to happen, including Government approvals, but he doesn't anticipate any problems.

Airline officials were hoping to have the deal completed the first week of December.

Right to Play heads north

The Provincial Government has committed 490-thousand dollars over 4-years to support the Play Hockey Program in northern Ontario.


Aboriginal children in Sandy Lake and Moose Cree First Nations will be hitting the ice to receive hockey lessons and compete in hockey games.

The pilot progrem helps aboriginal youth improve their health and self-esteem through sports.

Canfield takes over mayors chair today

There has been a quiet changing of the guard at city hall.


The new edition of council is officially in charge.

Mayor Dave Canfield says while their official swearing in ceremony doesn't take place
until next week, council members have taken their oath of office and are ready to start their new duties

The official swearing in ceremony will take place on Monday, December 6th.

Old Firehall to become a Micro-Brewery

One of Kenora's oldest heritage buildings is going to be transformed into a brewery.

The City of Kenora has accepted a proposal from Lake of the Woods Brewing Company
to take over the old fire hall on Second Street South.

Jennifer Findlay is Kenora's Economic Development Officer and says the committee that
put out the RFP was very impressed with the proposal.

Findlay says complete details of the business proposal which includes a brew pub, won't
be made until a 90 day due diligence period has expired and the property has been
officially transferred.

Trillium Foundation Funding announced

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has awarded 820-thousand dollars in grants to 19 not-for profit organizations across Northwestern Ontario.

Two Kenora groups are getting funding.

The Kenora Trails committee is getting 68 thousand dollars to finish paving a section of the Rabbit Lake
Trail to Garrow Park.

The Lake of the Woods Aeromodellers have been promised 45 hundred dollars to install fully accessible
portable washroom at its facility out on the east highway.

Police Crackdown on Prescription Drug Trafficking

The war against prescription drug use in Northwestern Ontario continues.

Drug Enforcement Officers showed up at the Thunder Bay Airport on Monday and arrested twi men from Toronto for possessing oxycodone tablets.

Police say one of the men concealed the drugs internally.

Officers believe the tablets were destined for Fort Hope and Martin Falls First Nations.

The value of the drugs is 44 thousand dollars, however the value is higher in the Far North, putting it at roughly 176 thousand dollars.

Police say 37 Shawn Baxter faces counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and breach of recognizance.

36 year-old Steven Armstrong has been charged with possession and trafficking in a controlled substance.

Rainy River Resources to move to TSX

Rainy River Resources is looking to make a move to the main board on the T-S-X.

C-E-O Raymond Threlkeld says they'll looking at the change from its position on the TSX Venture Exchange in the first quarter of next year.

Rainy River’s stock has catapulted from 2-dollars a share a year ago to just over 11-dollars in trading last week.

Schools buses running today

Despite some snow overnight, its going to be business as usual for local schools.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says its buses will be running in the Kenora area this morning.

Already, road crews are out plowing local streets and highways.

The Kenora area has been hit with about five centimeters of snow so far, and Severe Weather Specialist, Geoff Coulson says about the same amout of snow will likely fall today.

Roads in the Kenora area are listed as snow-covered with some slushy sections and

poor visibility.

The OPP say further to the east in the Dryden area, travel is not advised this morning.

Bell admits problems with PST rebates

Bell Canada is working with the Union of Ontario Indians to provide PST rebates to its first nation customers.

Spokesperson Jacqueline Michelis says they were overwhelmed with the amount of calls they received about the refund.

The rebates will be retroactive to September 1st when the PST was to be exempt from phone, satelite and cable bills for first nation residents.

Kenora Figure Skaters medal in Winnipeg

The Kenora Figure Skating Club took part in its first major competition of the year and had a strong showing at the Super Skate in Winnipeg.

The club brought home 23 medals including nine gold, nine silver and five bronze.

Josh Cariou ended up with four gold, finishing first in every event he was entered in.

Julia Withers, Haylee Creed, Cassandra Moncrief and Emily Whiting also medaled in every event coming back with multiple medals.

Fort Frances Man charged in connection to stand-off.

A man remains in police custody, facing a number of charges including attempted murder in connection to an incident in Fort Frances over the weekend.

Richard Kabatay is to return to court next Monday after making a brief court appearance yesterday.

Police have not confirmed whether Kabatay is connected to a weekend incident in which one man was sent to hospital with serious injuries while another was holed up in a home on Scott Street in Fort Frances for much of the day Saturday.

More Money for Winter Roads

The Provincial Government has increased the funds for this year's winter roads network.

4.5 million dollars is allocated for the road network that spans 3-thousand kilometres.

Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle doesn't foresee a problem with the warm weather we're experiencing.

Gravelle notes the winter roads will connect 31 northern First Nation communities.

New Fire Hall Officially Open

Kenora's fire and emergency services department is hoping the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill lasts as long as the century old fire hall on Second Street South.

The grand opening for the new fire hall took place yesterday with more than 100 guests on hand for the ceremony.

Charito Drinkwalter is the chair of the emergency services committee and says it was exciting to see the new building opened.

Meanwhile, Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says even though they had their ribbon cutting yesterday, its going to be a couple of more weeks yet before they can move into their new digs.

Brinkman is hoping they can move in by the middle of December at the very latest.

Police Arrest 38 people in Project Ghost

A six month undercover investigation involving four police agencies has resulted in the arrest of 37 individuals and 153 drug related offences.

Raids were carried out yesterday morning in Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Ignace.

Officers seized over two thousand oxycodone tablets, 185 grams of cocaine and 14 pounds of marihuana worth an estimated 245 thousand dollars.

Inspector Tom Dirling is the Program Manager of the OPP Drug Enforcement Unit and says they are being proactive in keeping drugs off the street.

The suspects arrested during Project Ghost include residents of Dryden, Eagle Lake, Wabigoon,
Fort Frances, Ignace and Sioux Lookout.

More Snow on the Way

Northern Ontario is going to be getting all kinds of precipitation over the next few days.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the region, stretching from the Manitoba border to North Bay.

North and west of Lake Superior and east of Kenora will get more than 10 centimetres of snow.

But ice pellets and wet snow are expected to hit Atikokan to Geraldton.

Thunder Bay and the north shore of Superior will see some wet snow changing to rain and eventually a change back to snow tomorrow.

Stand-Off in Fort Frances ends Peacefully

One man in is custody while another taken to hospital following a stand-off with police in Fort Frances that lasted nearly 12 hours.

The OPP were initially called to an assault involving two men about 4:30 Saturday morning.

One man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

His condition is not immediately known.

The other man barricaded himself inside a home on Scott Street, forcing police to close a section of the road to traffic and evacuate some nearby homes.

The Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service was also called to the scene.

The man eventually surrendered to police without incident.

Official Opening for Kenora's New Fire Hall Today

Its been more than a year in the making, but Kenora's new fire hall on Barsky's Hill will finally be opened up to the public today.

A grand opening ceremony will take place this afternoon at 1:30.

The fire hall cost the city about six million dollars, with one million of that coming from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

The new fire hall will replace the old 100 year old facility on Second Street South.

Later in the afternoon, Kenora City council will hold a special meeting to look at the request for proposals for the heritage fire hall.

Broncos and Thistles win Weekend Games

Beaver Brae's boys hockey team fired a lot of rubber at the Red Lake Rams this weekend and won both games on the road.

The Broncos had 60 shots in Saturday's game against the Rams, but the game was still tied at 1-1 after regulation.

The Broncos won the game scoring three times in the shootout.

Friday night, Colt German had a pair of goals and an assist as Beaver Brae downed Red Lake 6-1.

Meanwhile, the Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles had a good weekend winning both of its

homes games.

Saturday, the Thistles blanked the Pembina Valley Hawks 4-0.

Matt Benson turned aside 18 shots for the shutout.

 On Friday night, the Thistles beat up Pembina Valley 3-1.

Saints win Silver Medal at OFSAAA

The Saints two year reign atop the OFSAA Single "A" senior boys division has come an end.

Thomas Aquinas had to settle for a silver medal this year after losing the final in three straight sets to Quinte Christian High School from Belleville.

T.A. head Coach Joanna Krisko says they just didn't have their "a" game on Saturday.

The Saints had won the gold medal at the All-Ontario Championships the previous two years.

Local Health Unit Gains Accreditation

The Northwestern Health Unit says its the first one in the region to be accredited by the Ontario Council on Community Health Accreditation.

The Health Unit showed of its newly minted certificate last week.

Alex Berry was the team lead for the accreditation process and says it took about three years to complete all the work.

Berry says of the 36 health units across the province, only 14 are currently accredited.

Another Good Year for the Miracle Marathon

It was a good weekend for the Salvation Army's Christmas Cheer Campaign.

The CJRL Miracle Marathon raked in thousands of dollars in cash donations, toys and non-perishable food items.

Captain Debbie Gosse says the community certainly responded in a big way this year.

Gosse says they managed to collect a lot more this year during the Miracle Marathon than last year.

That's good because she feels there is going to be a bigger need this christmas for hampers in the community.

Saints through to the Quater-Finals

The Thomas Aquinas Saints have finished the round robin without a loss.

The Saints played their fourth game this morning and beat London District Chrisitan in two straight sets, by scores of 25-17 and 25-20.

The Saints will finish first in their pool with a perfect 4-0 record and have yet to drop a set.

T.A. will play in the quarter-finals this afternoon at 3:00.

Their opponant still has to be determined.

Drug Bust in Fort Albany

Two people face charges after Nishnawbe-Aski Police executed a search warrant at a Fort Albany First Nation home.

Police seized 25-hundred dollars worth of marijuana, 33-hundred dollars cash, 2-firearms and various packages of ammunition.

Police say 29-year-old Ross Loone and 28-year-old Angie Lagasse have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, careless storage of a firearm and unauthorized use of a firearm.

Police to release details of undercover operation

Police Agency's from across Northwestern Ontario will take the wraps off a major 6-month undercover investigation tomorrow morning.

A press conference is taking place in Dryden involving the OPP, Treaty 3 and the Anishinabek Police Services.

Police say the probe led to significant cash, drug and property seizures.

The announcement is expected to coincide with a report relased yesterday highlighting the escalated prescription drug problem.

Miracle Marathon turns 20

The Salvation Army and CJRL is celebrating a special milestone today.

The 20th annual Miracle Marathon is being broadcast over the next two days to raise money to help support the Christmas Cheer Fund.

Captain Debbie Gosse says its a special time of year for her.

Over the past 19 years almost 1.5 million dollars in cash, non-perishable food items and toys have been donated to the Salvation Army through the Miracle Marathon.

The Miracle Marathon will run until 2:00 Saturday afternoon.

Bell Canada under fire for PST refunds

Bell Canada is being accused of failing its First Nation customers.

The Union of Ontario Indians says its members have had a hard time getting their PST refunds.

Spokesperson Maurice Switzer says some people have had to wait on the phone for over 4 hours.

All phone, cable and satelite bills were expected to be PST free as of two months ago.

OPP Launch seasonal RIDE campaign

Police in the region are gearing up for another Festive RIDE campaign.

Sergeant Ken Manti of the OPP says this year there are stricter rules in force.

The seasonal RIDE campaign begins today and will wrap up on January 2nd.

School Buses Running

Its business as usual at local schools this morning.

Local school buses and the city transit buses are running once again after being shut down yesterday due to all the snow.

Road crews have been out plowing, salting and sanding local

roads overnight.

The Kenora area received a lot less snow yesterday than

predicted.

Only about six centimeters has fallen, less than the 10 to 15 that had been predicted.

Road conditions on the main highways are described as partially snow-covered with some bare and dry sections.

Saints Unbeaten so far at OFSAA

The Thomas Aquinas Saints have a perfect record after the first day at the All-Ontario Single "a" championships.

The Saints won all three round-robin games they played yesterday.

Last night they got by Ecole Secondaire Lajeunesse by scores of 25-21 and 25-9.

Saints Coach Joanna Krisko says so far they have had a pretty easy schedule.

The Saints wrap up the round robin this morning against London District Christian, which is also unbeaten in the round-robin.

Kenora Hydro proposes rate increase

Kenora Hydro is proposing a 10 percent increase in its rates next year.

Hydro has submitted a request to the Ontario Energy Board for an increase in rates effective May 1st, 2011.

The new rates would help Kenora Hydro off-set some of the costs of a couple of major capital projects, including the installation of smart meters.

Hydro says the rate hike will also help pay for the re-build of their  sub-station on Mellick Avenue.

For the average consumer, rates would increase about nine dollars and 45 cents a month.

Road Closure near Wabigoon

It looks as if we'll be getting at least another 24 hours of snow.

So far about 10 centimeters has fallen, and its expected to snow

all day today and tonight.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says things won't start to

improve until Friday.

Meanwhile, there is one road closure to report this morning.

The Trans-Canada in Wabigoon has been shut down because of a collision involving two semi tractor trailor units.

The OPP say small vehicles and trucks are able to detour through the town.

Saints go for OFSAA gold

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys Volleyball team is gunning for its third straight provincial title.

The Saints are in Missasauga for the All-Ontario Single "a" championships.

Their first game is this morning at 11:30 against the lowest ranked team in the tournament, Bloor Collegiate from Toronto.

The number one ranked Saints' next game is at 2:30 against Brampton Christian High School.

T.A. wraps up the day with a game at 5:15 against Lajeunesse from Southwestern Ontario.

Broncos win league gridiron awards

Some hardware for Beaver Brae's Football team.

The Winnipeg High School Football League held its award ceremonies last night and the the Broncos took home two major awards.

Dannon Saunders was named the lineman of the year in the Vidruk East Division.

The Beaver Brae Football Club also received kudos for having the top coaching

staff in the Vidruk East Division.

Abitibi ready to exit Bankruptcy Protection

Abitibi Bowater could be on the verge of exiting bankruptcy protection. 

The company has been given the green light by an American court to go ahead with a restructuring plan that will shed five and a half billion dollars in unsecured debt. 

Part of the deal ensures the company will meet all pension obligations in Canada.

Hampton Outlines Energy ideas

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton says his party has a lot of ideas

to help produce and conserve electricity.

Hampton was responding to complaints by Premier Dalton McGuinty that the

opposition doesn't have any ideas on its own how to handle Ontario's energy

demands for the next 20 years.

Hampton says there are a lot of things the province could and should be doing to

help conserve energy.

Hampton calls the McGuinty Government's 87 billion dollar energy plan is hap-hazard

and too expensive.

Compton Reflects on Four years in office

Out-going Kenora Mayor Len Compton says the city is well poised to move forward.

Compton will leave office at the end of this month and says the city has benefited greatly from a number of big projects over the past couple of years.

He says while the federal and provincial governments have contributed with

their infrastructure projects, private companies have also been very active.

Compton says the city was able to capitalize on all the infrastructure funding

because they had projects that were shovel ready.

Another Snow Day in Kenora

Its another snow day for students who have to take the bus to school.

Excel Coachlines says none of its buses will be running today, including the city Transit vehicles.

None of the secondary roads surrounding Kenora have been plowed, and  Excel says its just too difficult for its school buses to get around right now.

Schools will remain open today for students who walk or who have other means of transportation to get to school.

The Rat Portage School Bus is also not running today.

More snow on the way

Expect it to snow for the rest of today and overnight.

Another 10 centimeters of snow is expected before the system finally blows through northwestern Ontario.

Mark Shuster is a meteorologist with Environment Canada and says things should start to improve tomorrow.

The Kenora area has received another 10 centimeters of snow since yesterday afternoon.

There is one road closure this morning.

Highway 17 through Wabigoon has been closed down due to an accident

involving two semi-tractor trailor units.

The Trans-Canada east of Dryden is expected to be closed for at least an

hour.