Hospital ready to comply with new legislation

Lake of the Woods District Hospital says its nearly 70 percent compliant with new patient care legislation drafted by the provincial government.

The Excellence in Care for All Act goes into effect as of April 1st.

Under the act, the Hospital has to create a Quality Control Committee that will report directly to the board of directors.

The Hospital also have to have a Quality Improvement plan in place by April 1st.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belcaen says they have tight timelines, but should
be able to meet them.

Just over 50 percent of hospital workers have flu shot

Concern has been raised about the number of employees at Lake of the Woods District

Hospital who have received a flu shot this year.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belcaen estimates that only 55 percent of staff at the hospital have had their flu shot this year.

He adds that administration and medical staff try to lead by example, and almost 100 percent

of doctors have had their vaccinations.

He adds that they can't force employees to get a flu shot, but they make it as convenient

as possible.

So far this year, the hospital has held 20 clinics for staff, including some during evening shifts.

Gas Prices Up

Higher oil prices have pushed up the price at the pump.


Over the weekend, the price of a liter of unleaded gas went up four cents to
116.9 at most outlets across the city.

The average price in Ontario is 112 a liter.

Kenora is by no means the most expensive place in northern Ontario to fill up.

In Thunder Bay, gas is selling for 1.24 cents a liter at many service stations.

Thistles lose two on the road

The Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles managed to pick up two points on a western road trip over the weekend, despite a pair of losses.

The Thistles were edged 5-4 by the Yellowhead Chiefs yesterday in a shootout.

It was the same scenario Saturday night in Brandon as the Kenora Midgets were shaded 7-6 by the Wheat Kings, also in a shootout.

Kenora Hydro Expansion

Kenora Hydro will be expanding its workforce this year.

The municipal utility will be hiring a conservation expert.

Hydro president and CEO Dave Sinclair says the position is mandated by the provincial government.

Kenora Hydro is just finishing a 350 thousand dollar renovation to its building on Mellick Avenue to increase office space.

Saints win gold in weekend tournament

 The Thomas Aquinas Saints senior Girls volleyball team capped a perfect weekend with a gold medal.

The Saints were the co-hosts of the Winter Smash tournament, and didn't drop a set in the
round robin or the play-offs.

T.A. faced their NorWOSSA rivals from Dryden in the A-side final, and beat the Eagles two sets to none.

In Winkler, Manitoba Beaver Brae's boys hockey team had to settle for a silver medal.

The Broncos were blanked by the Dryden Eagles 1-0 in a shootout in the tournament final.

Beaver Brae was unbeaten in the round-robin.

Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, the Beaver Brae Girls hockey team skated away with a silver medal from the Piper Classic.

The Broncos faced the St. Mary's Flames in the final, and dropped a 2-1 decision.

Hospital still in the black

Lake of the Woods District Hospital still expects to break even on its operations this year.

After the first eight months of this fiscal year, the hospital is running a surplus of about 388 thousand dollars.

Finance Manager, Cindy Gasparini points out the surplus will likely shrink during the winter months, because they have higher utility costs.

She adds there will also be some added expenditures, including equipment maintainance contracts.

She says they are still in good shape financially and barring any unforseen expenses they should be in the black once again this year.

Visitor Restrictions Lifted at Hospital

Some good news for anyone with a loved one at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

Administration has lifted visitor restrictions that have been in place since before Christmas.

Leslie Brown is the head of patient care and says they decided to lift the visitor ban yesterday
afternoon because they've seen a decrease in the number of people with the flu.

Brown says anyone who has a cough, a runny nose, has a fever or any symptoms of vomiting or
diarrhea should avoid visiting patients at the hospital.

Quiet year for RIDE Campaign

The message of not drinking and driving seems to finally be sinking in.

The OPP wrapped up its seasonal RIDE program over the weekend and just two people were pulled off the road for impaired driving.

In all, officers stopped over 63 hundred vehicles during the five week seasonal campaign.

Two license suspensions were also issued along with 21 other criminal code and liquor license violations.

NOHFC funds three new local businesses

Six local entrepreneurs are getting funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to

start up new businesses in the region.

Taiga Property Services of Kenora has been promised just over 35 thousand dollars to
purchase a back-hoe loader to provide earth-moving services to local cottagers.

Comfort Table Bakery of Vermillion Bay is also getting over 92 thousand dollars to purchase a

building so it can produce fresh baked goods, such as bread, cinnamon buns and pastries.

Another Kenora business, North West Doors, will get 25 thousand dollars under the Young

Entrepreur Program to purchase a trailor, a scissor lift and other tools to repair and install

garage doors.

NDP promise to take HST off Home Heating Bills

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath continues to attack the McGuinty Government's failure to remove the HST from hydro, and home heating bills.

Horwath says Northerners are struggling and need a break.

Horvath says if her party is elected she would remove the HST from home heating oil and natural gas.

New Fishing Regs available

There are no major changes to the fishing regulations in the 2011 Ontario Recreational Fishing Summary for lakes in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts.

The booklets are now available and MNR Biologist Amy Godwin says some clarifications were made to the northern pike season at Eagle Lake near Dryden.

Godwin says the MNR is currently reviewing fisheries management plans for this area which could lead to regulation changes in the future.

Saints win on the Court, lose on the Ice

Thomas Aquinas court sport teams haven't missed a beat after being idle for the Christmas Holidays.

The Saints won all three games played yesterday in Ignace against the Falcons.

The T.A. junior boys basketball team cruised to a 59-33 victory.

Jarrod Sundmark led all scorers with 19 points.

In girls volleyball action, both the Saints junior and senior girls won in three straight sets.

Both girls teams will be back in action today as Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae are hosting the 30 team Winter Smash tournament.

Action begins at noon at both gyms.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team lost its first game of the NorWOSSA Single "a"

season.

The Saints were in Sioux Lookout last night and lost 6-5 in a shootout to the Warriors.

STR getting local snowmobile trails ready

The Sunset Trail Riders Snowmobile Club is hoping to have more of its trails in the Kenora area open soon.

So far, just two trails are officially listed as open.

Shaun Clifford is a spokesperson for STR and says they are working hard to get lake trails ready.

Clifford says crews will be out again this weekend signing trails and hopes they will be able to open a few more once that work is complete.

Mike Richards Charity Golf Tournament back in 2011

The Mike Richards Charity Golf Tournament will be back for another year in 2011.

Organizers announced that the second annual fundraiser will take place on July 14th

at the Kenora Golf and Country Club.

Last year, the Charity Golf tournament attracted 180 golfers, guests and sponsors and raised over 11 thousand dollars, which was shared evenly between the Cancer Society and the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

In a news release, Richards says he's looking forward on building on last year's success and making this year even better.

Last years event sold out quickly.

Ring of Fire Office to open in 2011

An office for the Ring of Fire should be open by February or March.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle says they are moving forward on the initiative and will have an office in Thunder Bay. 

He adds that the government will also be creating an advisory council.

The aboriginial consultation stakeholder director will be announced in February or March as well.

Alzheimer Society Targets Baby Boomers

A new survey shows that almost a quarter of baby boomer's can't name any of the early sign's of Alzheimer's Disease.

The Alzheimer's Society of Kenora and Rainy River is trying to raise awareness of the disease this month.

Lynn Moffatt is the executive director of the local Alzheimer's chapter and says the risk of getting the disease increases the older you get.

Moffatt says they have a couple of events planned this month, including a virtual dementia tour, which will take place in Kenora at the end of January.

New Years Baby born

Kenora's new years baby waited just six hours to be born in 2011.

Christine Wiebe was born early Saturday morning at Lake of the Woods

District Hospital to Lyndsay Wiebe and Brendan Orosi.

The baby girl was born at 6:07 A.M. on January 1st.

New Fire Hall almost ready to move into

The count down has begun for Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Fire fighters are expected to move into the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill by the middle of this month.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says they are just putting the finishing touches on the building.

Brinkman says one of the issues that delayed their move was the need to re-paint the floor of the garage.

2010 wetter and milder than normal

2010 will go into the books as a wet and mild year.

Figures compiled by Environment Canada show that the average temperature in Kenora last  year was 4.6 degrees, which was almost two degrees warmer than normal.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says overall it was much warmer than usual.

Last year was also wetter than normal with 909.1 millimeters of precipitation.

That's about 250 millimeters more than normal.

Greyhound Passengers Furious after being stranded in NWO

Greyhound Bus passengers are furious at their treatment after being stranded for 15 hours in White River over the weekend.

Paul Hitchin says they felt simply abandoned by the driver and got no help from the company.

Some passengers are considering a lawsuit.

Greyhound is now apologizing, blaming weather for the delay, and says it is reviewing its protocols.

Passengers say Highway 17 to Thunder Bay was re-opened at 6:00 Sunday morning, but Greyhound
didn't have a driver available until 4:00 in the afternoon. 

Tough Start for the Broncos in 2011

Beaver Brae's girls hockey team has the first blemish on its record in

NorWOSSA league play.

The Broncos lost their first game of the year yesterday afternoon at the
Kenora Rec. Center, after being shut out 2-0 by the Dryden Eagles.

Beaver Brae now has an 8-1 record.

Meanwhile, things weren't any better on the court for Beaver Brae.

The Broncos just managed on win on the road in their first action of 2011.

Beaver Brae's senior boys basekball team held on for a 41-38 decision over the Eagles.

The Broncos junor boys were edged 40-37, while Beaver Brae's junior and senior girls volleyball teams lost in three straight sets to Dryden.

Fighter fighers busy over New Years

The New Year's long weekend proved to be pretty eventful for Kenora's

Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Fire crews had five calls over three days, including a fire to a trailor home

on New Year's Eve.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says the blaze broke out in the crawl space of

the trailor, but crews were responded quickly.

At least one person had to be treated for smoke inhallation, but no other

injuries were reported.

Crews also responded to a multiple vehicle accident on Matheson Street,

and a carbon monoxide alarm at a local home.

Treaty Three Police Set to Open new Detachment

The Treaty Three Police Service is hoping to have a new detachment up and running in the Fort Frances area sometime in the next month or so.

Chief of the aboriginal police service, Conrad Delaronde says they are just putting the finishing touches on a new detachment office on the Couchiching First Nation.

Delaronde says they also want to expand their drug unit and enhance their administrative services in the new year.

More Family Doctors Expected in 2011

Kenora should see some new family doctors in the new year.

The Paterson Medical Clinic is hoping to attract some new recruits in 2011.

Dr. Buzz Pedersen says they are hoping to land one or two family doctors from the first graduating class of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Pedersen says having the students work in Kenora during the course of their schooling is probably one of the best ways of recruiting new doctors to the community.

Five Kenora Skiiers Heading to Canada Winter Games

Five Kenora cross country skiiers will be heading to Halifax next month for the Canada Winter Games.

Eric Lockhart was selected to be part of Manitoba's Bi-Athlon team.

Meanwhile, Amy Matthews, Sammy Burkhart, Jenny Hissa and Maya Boivin will be part of
Manitoba's Cross-country Ski squad.

The Canada Winter Games will take place from February 11 to 27th.

Midget Thistles Win First game of 2011

A good start to the new year for the Kenora Triple A midget Thistles.

The Thistles were in Steinbach on Sunday and edged the Eastman Selects

2-1 in their first game of 2011.

Bowen Alcock and Dustin Taylor scored in the third period to lead the Kenora midgets to victory.

Their next game is this Saturday on the road in Brandon.

Post-Christmas Break-In foiled

The OPP say some observant neighbors managed to spoil a post-Christmas break-in attempt.

Last Tuesday, a 3rd Street South resident contacted police about a

male suspect who had entered a nearby home.

Police were able to locate the would-be thief and after a brief chase,

they managed to arrest him.

26 year old Ryan Parker has been charged with break and enter and

failing to abide the terms of an undertaking.

Suit against Nault dismissed

A lawsuit against former Indian Affairs Minister Bob Nault has been dismissed by
an Ontario Court Judge.

The Pikangikum First Nation brought the suit forward after a third party manager
was imposed on the community back on 2001.

Justice John Wright says Nault didn't actually ask for a third party manager,
instead he had lobbied his own department to discuss a co-management sitution.

The band argued that the imposition of a third party manager held up millions of
dollars worth of projects on Pikangikum, but Justice Wright says dismissed the bands
claims.

He says despite Nault's opposition to a third party manager, the decision to impose
one was appropriate.

Snowfall Warning Issued for Kenora

It looks like Kenora is going to ring in the new year with a big dump of snow.
A snowfall warning has been issued for the area, with as much as 20 centimeters
expected to fall in the next day or so.

Alicia Young is a meteorologist with Environment Canada and says Colorado Low is
heading our way.

Snowfall is expected to start this evening and continue until at least tomorrow morning.

Gravelle supports replacing NWO Emergency Field Officer

Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle is backing calls in support of the emergency field officer in northwestern Ontario.


Gravelle says he's against his government's plan not to replace the current officer who retires soon.

Gravelle says he's lobbying Community Safety Minister Jim Bradley to have the decision reversed.

A number of communities across the region, including Kenora has passed resolutions demanding
the government fill the vacancy.

Canfield wants to kick-stat Common Ground Talks

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says he's eager to the see the Common Ground

Initiative on Tunnel Island get back on track in 2011.

The City of Kenora, Treaty Three and three area first nations are the main partners
in Common Ground, but development of a management plan has been on hold
for the past year and a half.

Canfield says its time for all the parties to sit down and get the process moving
again.

Negotiations over a management plan broke down over whether to include a
dispute resolution mechanism or not.

Kakegamic murder Conviction upheld

A man who was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting and strangling a teenage girl in Kenora has had an appeal quashed.

James Kakegamic was convicted in 2005 of the first-degree murder
of 16-year-old Jocelyn McDonald in 2000.

Kakegamic, who was 22 at the time of the killing and is now serving a sentence of life with no chance of parole for 25 years, appealed his conviction.

He argued that the trial judge's private conversations during jury selection with potential jurors to discuss their personal reasons for not being able to serve meant he was improperly excluded from his own trial.

The Court of Appeal for Ontario agrees he was improperly excluded, but in dismissing the appeal, the court says Kakegamic suffered no prejudice because of that.

McDonald was last seen at a party in Kakegamic's apartment in
Kenora in October 2000 and her remains were discovered March 2001 near the apartment complex.

Still no Visitors are allowed in the Hospital

Hospital officials are still not letting Visitors into the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

That announcement wqas made before Christmas, and there still has been no changes made to that statement.

The only way any visitors are being let in is if you are going to visit someone who is in Palative Care or if someone is giving birth.

Northwest Local Health Intergration Network is taking a step towards electronic health records.

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is taking the first step towards creating electronic health records.

A pilot project called "Doorways" will mean information will follow mental health and addiction patients.

Spokesperson Dan Muraw says it's a vast improvement from the old system.

The project will include agencies in Thunder Bay before being expanded elsewhere.

MPP Howard Hampton says don't be Fooled by Deficit Plan

Kenora-Rainy River M-P-P Howard Hampton says the public shouldn't be fooled by the province's plan reduce the deficit.

The plan, announced last week, included eliminating some government agencies.

Hampton says it's nothing more than window dressing.

Hampton says none of the agencies targeted for closures will have any impact on the public.

Year End in Politics not so Productive

Thunder Bay-Rainy River M-P John Rafferty says he was hoping the past session of Parliament would have been a little more productive than it was.

Rafferty says too many pieces of legislation are being slowed from becoming law.


Rafferty says an affordable housing bill and his own private members bill on workers pensions are among two pieces of legislation he would have like dealt with quicker.

AGING AT HOME-FUNDING

Three long term care facilities in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts will be getting funding

to expand home-care services.


The Northwest Local Health Integration Network has promised 420 thousan dollars to extend

their Aging At Home initiative.


Laura Kokochinsi is CEO of the LHIN's and says the service is badly needed in the region.

The Pinecrest Home for the Aged will be getting 240 thousand dollars to provide home support

services for 20 people.


Kevin Queen is CAO of Pinecrest and says the money should ease the demand for beds in the

long term care facility.


Patricia Region Senior Services will be getting 60 thousand dollars under the program, while

Northwest Independant Services will receive 120 thousand dollars for a program in Rainy River.

Keeping Track of Santa Clause

NORAD will once again be tracking Santa's Progress for his Christmas Journey.

Both the Canadian and U.S. military defence oraganization will be teaming up with Google to keep an eye on Jolly Old Saint Nick.

To keep Santa safe NORAD will be using 4 CF-18 fighters to escort Santa into North American Airspace.

You can currently track Santa's progress at www.noradsanta.org as well as google earth.

Lighting of the Candles

A Christmas eve tradition will take place once again this afternoon.
Thousands of ice candles at Lake of the Woods Cemetary will be lit up.

Barb Manson is the city's parks supervisor and says before they begin lighting

the candles, local residents can drop by the cemetary for a special ceremony.
Manson says in addition to the hundreds of ice candles local residents purchased

at the cemetary,just as many will be placed by local residents who made their own.

OPP Hwy Tips

The OPP are reminding the motoring public to take it easy on area highways this winter.
Constable Carol Michtics says has these safety tips.
Michtics recommends calling for road conditions before heading out on the road.
The MTO's road conditions hotline is 1-800-268-4686.

Thistles End Their First Half of Season with Another Loss

The AAA Midget Thistles have lost their 15th game of the season.
They took to the ice last night after two alumni games last night at the Thistle arena.
The Thistles were down 3-0 going to the third period scoring two in an effort to make a late comeback, against the Eastman Selects.
Bowen Alcock scored a Power Play goal then potted another with 38 seconds left in the third.
The Eastman Selects scored another with one second to go to win 4-2.
The Thistles go into the Christmas break with a record of  11-15-0-2 for a total of 24 points.

Kenora sees Building Boom in 2010

The City of Kenora has seen a bit of a building boom this year, but it won't set any records.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says through the month of November there was over 28 million
dollars in building permits taken out.

Canfield says while it was an impressive year for construction, he suggests next year will be a little
quieter.

Some of the projects undertaken this year include the new fire hall, the Discovery Center in
Norman, the Headwaters Condo project and phase two of Downtown Revitalization.

Gas prices going up

You might get a bit of a surprise if you plan to fill up your car today.


Gas prices have jumped by six cents a liter in the past day.

Most service stations are now selling a liter of unleaded at 112.9 cents.

That's up from a dollar six yesterday.

The average price of gas across Canada today is a 109.2 cents a liter.

Kenora Midget's Alumni Reunion

Some familiar faces will be in the line-up today as the Kenora Triple "A" midget program

celebrates 25 years as a hockey club.

A pair of alumni games are scheduled this afternoon at the Kenora Rec. Center, prior to the
the Thistles game this evening.

Exhibition games featuring alumni midget players will take place at 4:00 and 5:30.

The Midget Thistles will take to the ice at 7:30 for their final league game of 2010, when they
take on the Eastman Selects.

Confederation College Expanding

Confederation College is expanding.

Starting next year it's regional campus network is going to include Red Lake and Wawa.

President Pat Lang says the expansion shows a commitment to the region


As of February, both campuses will offer full time programs in Office Administration along with construction and mining .

Wanted: President for NOMA

Dennis Brown says he's willing to stay on as the president of the
Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association if no-one else wants
the job.

The Atikokan mayor was appointed to the position on an interim basis
last month.

Brown says the NOMA executive will meet next month elect a new board
of directors.

Brown took over as president of NOMA last month after Anne Krassilowski was
defeated for the mayor's chair in Dryden.

Natural Gas Rates dropping in the new year

Finally some good news for cash-strapped homeowners in northwestern Ontario.


Union Gas says the cost of natural gas will be decreasing slightly to start the new year.

The Ontario Energy Board has approved a 2.3 cent per cubic meter drop in the
price consumers pay for natural gas.

Union Gas says for the average homeowner, the price to heat your home next year will
drop by about nine dollars.

Beach Boys Concert almost sold out

Less than two weeks after they went on sale, over 14 hundred

tickets for a Beach Boys concert next spring have been sold.

Kenora's Tourism Development Officer, Heather Paterson says as of

yesterday, they had just 87 tickets left.

The tickets for the June 15th concert on the Harborfront went on sale

December 10th.

Despite a computer glitch that prevented the Tourism Office from processing

ticket sales on-line, local residents have been clamouring for the ducats.

Just 15 hundred tickets were printed for the concert.

Hospital Imposes Visitor Restrictions

Some visitor restrictions have been put in place at Lake of the Woods District
Hospital.

Adminstration at the Hospital says an increase in the flu and respirator illness in
Kenora has forced them to restrict visitor access.

Effective yesterday only immediate family of terminal patient, the spouse of a
woman in labor, the parent of a child or immediate family of a critically ill
patient will be allowed to visit.

The hospital says the measures will be in place until further notice.

Kenora M.P. Ready for Spring Election

The M.P. for the Kenora Riding doesn't think there's any big need for an election
yet.

But Greg Rickford says he'll be ready to hit the campaign trail in the new
year if necessary.

Rickford says while an election is on the mind of the opposition parties, its not a sure
thing just yet.

There's been widespread speculation the election could come as soon as this spring,
after the government delivers its annual budget.

RCMP release more details on Dryden Firearms Seizure

Two Dryden men have been arrested following the seizure of 100-firearms and 50-prohibited knives from the Brandon Gun and Hobby Show on December 12th.


Rob Duttchen is a Detective with the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team and he provides details of the investigation.

Duttchen says the licenced dealer is 71-year-old Robert MacGillvary and Police say they have been investigating the sale of the prohibited weapons since the start of Fall.

The arrest led to the search warrant of MacGillvary's home on December 13th, which led to 11-charges against the accused.

The two men were held in custody and were released within 24-hours.

The name of the second man has not been released.

Officers seized several spring-loaded knives.

Another Scary incident on Greyhound Bus

A Greyhound Canada driver is being praised after fighting off a passenger who grabbed the steering wheel of a moving bus en route to Kenora from Winnigeg.


The incident happend last Friday night near Falcon Lake.

At about 10:15 p.m., the bus began swerving alarmingly from side to side on
the Trans-Canada Highway.

A passenger, who apparently wanted off the bus grabbed at the steering wheel.

Police say the driver was able to calmly kick the man away and keep control of the moving bus.

Two passengers then stepped in to grab him and hold the man.

RCMP were called to the roadside where a 24-year-old Alberta man was taken into custody.

No charges have been laid.

Police said the passenger was taken to a hospital to be checked out.

New Gateway Signage in Kenora Officially Unveiled

The rehabilitation of Highway 17 east and west of Kenora has officially been completed.

A ceremony to unveil the new gateway signage took place yesterday.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says funding for the project was included in the roughly eight  million dollars spent to fix up the east and west accesses into the city.

The signage cost about 50 thousand dollars to build and included work from a number of local contractors.

The final design was created by Mike Newton.

Roussin Appointed to KDSB

Councillor Louis Roussin will be the city's next representitive on the

Kenora District Services Board.

Council approved Roussin's nomination to the board at a special meeting Friday in council chambers.

Roussin will take over from Rory McMillan, who had been chair of the

District Services Board over the past couple of years.

Council also agreed to appoint mayor Dave Canfield as Roussin's alternate if he can't attend the board meetings.

Multiple Vehicle Accident closes Trans-Canada for five hours

Steady snow this weekend made for some slick road conditions in the Kenora area.

At one point, Highway 17 west of Kenora near the Ontario/Manitoba border was closed down Saturday night due to a multi-vehicle collision.

The OPP say four or five vehicles were involved in the accident near the intersection of the Shoal Lake Road.

The Trans-Canada was closed for about five hours while the wreckage was cleared.

There are reports that traffic was backed up all the way to Falcon Lake at one point.

The highway was finally re-opened around 1:30 Sunday morning.

Proposal for Norman Accessibility Park

Norman Park seems to be the next area of development for the City of Kenora.

City Council has approved a lenghty report which could make the park more accessible for peole with physical handicaps.

Councillor Sharon Smith its a worthwhile project that will not only enhance tourism, but benefit local residents.

The proposal calls for a low grade walking trail from Norman Park to the new Discover Center at Cameron Bay and along Lakeview Drive to the Dairy Queen, a splash pad and also new accessible washrooms.

The exact cost of the project won't be determined until tenders come back.

Food Costs increase in region

The Northwestern Health Unit says the cost for families in the Kenora-Rainy River district to eat healthy, nutritious food each month has risen 11 per cent over the past year.

Nutritionist Julie Slack says their healthy food basket survey shows it now costs 916 dollars.

She says unfortunately the increasing cost of food is forcing many to make unhealthy choices so they have money for other expenses.

Slack says while food prices continue to rise, incomes have not kept up at the same pace.

Midget Thistles win pair of home games

The Kenora Triple "a" Midget Thistles have won three of four games on their current five game home stand.

The Thistles took a pair from the Norman North Stars over the weekend.

Saturday night, the Thistles cruised to a 5-1 victory.

Friday night, the Kenora Midgets came back from a 2-0 deficit

and rallied for a 3-2 win over Norman.

The Thistles have one more game at home before the Christmas Break.

The Eastman Selects are in town Wednesday night.

Police Board Rules on Found Money

It turns out that there is such a thing as finders keepers in Kenora after all.

The Kenora Police Services Board has had a change of heart and will
be returning some money to a woman who found some cash in the city this past summer.

Initially, members of the police board talked about donating the money to a charity.

Mayor Dave Canfield says there is no incentive to turn in lost items, if the city is
just going to turn around and give it to someone else.

Its believed a woman found about four hundred dollars in cash on June 28th.

Since the money hadn't been claimed with in three months, the Police Board was asked
to decide what to do with it.

Tourist Resorts get NOHFC Funding

Three area businesses have received funding to make energy efficient changes.

Motlong's Camp in Sioux Narrows has been given a grant to convert to bio-diesel for use in its diesel vehicles.

Anishinabi Lodge in Vermilion Bay will install a self-contained solar electrical system as well as a wind

turbine.

The move will eliminate the reliance on the existing gasoline-powered generator.

Camp Lake St. Joseph in Pickle Lake will upgrade its current solar energy system to increase its power generation to 860-watts.

The money is from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Allan Cup to get more TV exposure

The 2011 Allan Cup in Kenora will get twice as much national exposure on television than previous national senior hockey championships.

Judy Bain is one of the members of the Allen Cup Committee and says they have received word from TSN that it plans to produce not only the final, but one other game during the week-long tournament.

Bain adds that the games will also be broadcast in High Definition.

The Allan Cup will take place April 11th to 16th.

City sets Recycling Targets

The City of Kenora is hoping to get closer to the provincial government's target for recycling

in the next couple of years.

Local residents currently recycle about 33 percent of their household waste.

Thats less than the provincial target of 60 percent, but still better than the average across Ontario of just 25 percent.

The Solid Waste Department's Waste Management Promotion and Education Plan was approved by Kenora City Council on Friday.

Solid Waste manager Mike Mostow says the plan sets out targets for increasing the amount of material being recycled locally.

Mostow adds that they will be meeting with officials from Waste Diversion Ontario in the new year to talk about Kenora's Recycling program.

He says currently, Waste Diversion Ontario provides about one third of the funding for their blue box programs, while the municipality picks up the rest.

The reports can be found on the Kenora re-use website.

Policing costs in Kenora to Rise in 2011

Its going to cost a bit more to police the City of Kenora next year.

The 2011 policing estimates were presented to the Police Services Board this week.

Inspector Dave Lucas says there's about a two percent increase next year.

The budget estimate for policing next year is 6.68 million dollars, which is largely due to a increase in employee salaries.

The estimate does not include another potential increase for officers based on a re-negotiated settlement for 2011.

Council holds special meeting this morning

The newly sworn in edition of Kenora City Council is going to be ready for a holiday break.

Councillor's have been fed a steady diet of meetings even before they

were sworn in on December 6th.

This morning, council will squeeze in one more meeting before the

new year.

A special meeting is scheduled for council chambers this morning at 10:00.

Items on the agenda include a waste recycling strategy for the city and a funding application for Norman Park.

Police Seize Guns in Dryden

A News Conference has been scheduled for 1 o'clock Monday afternoon in Winnipeg to discuss the circumstances behind a Monday night raid of a home in Dryden.

Dryden Police Detective-Sergeant Anne Tkachyk says the arrest of 71-year-old Robert McGillivray is an extension from an investigation conducted in Brandon, Manitoba.

Tkachyk says McGillivray faces 11-charges.

McGillivray has been released on numerous conditions and is due in Court on February 7th.

Con College nears completion of new building

Confederation college students will soon be getting a state of the art learning facility.

The College launched a fundraising campaign for the REACH building in Thunder Bay with a 250 thousand dollar contribution for a new Dental Clinic.

President Pat Lang says the building will cost about 22 million dollars. 

She says the new facility will give students an edge with top of the line hands on learning.

American fined for illegally hunting a black bear

A Colorado man has been fined 25-hundred dollars for shooting a black bear without a valid licence near Fort Frances.

Levi Larsen is banned from hunting in Ontario for a year after he was fined for unlawfully hunting a black bear, possessing a void licence and exporting the bear out of Ontario without a permit.

Court heard that Larsen tried to purchase a non-resident hunting licence on a number of occassions, but was denied by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

However, Larsen persisted and purchased a licence in another location and went on to shoot a bear.

Students Decorate LCBO Bags

Grade Four students across Kenora have been busy doing some artwork.

The students have been commissioned to decorate LCBO paper bags.

Constable Dave Cain says they asked the students to come up with their
own messages about not drinking and driving.

Cain says they'll have about 500 hundred of the specially designed bags

ready to hand out starting today.

Broncos and Saints hockey teams win at home

Colt Manson and Blake Lundin each scored hat tricks as the Thomas Aquinas Boys hockey team

trounced the Sioux Lookout Warriors 9-2 at the Thistle Rink.

T.A. improves to 2-0 in NorWOSSA single "a" league play.

Over in Keewatin, the Beaver Brae girls hockey team is now a perfect 8-0 on the season,

with a 3-1 win over Fort Frances.

Ainsly Lindquist, Haley Moncrieft and Jess Ricklefs each scored for the Broncos.

Broncos split games against Muskies

Beaver Brae's court sport teams started the second season in NorWOSSA with a split of their games against Fort Frances.

The Broncos were at home yesterday and the Senior Boys Basketball team was upended by a score of 68-30.

Beaver Brae's junior boys are in the win column with a 52-27 win over the Muskies.

The Broncos senior girls were stretched to the limit, but prevailed three sets to two against Fort.

The Beaver Brae junior girls lost in three straight sets.