OPP release of American angler found near Morson

The OPP are continuing to search for a missing angler in the Morson area of Lake of the Woods.

Two men were reported overdue Monday night, after they had gone out fishing in a  16 foot boat.

The body of 73 year old James Wealther from Addison, Illinois was found on the shore of the lake on Tuesday.

The OPP say the capsized boat was also located in the area.

The Marine Unit, along with an Underwater Search and Recovery Unit are continuing their search for 69 year old Richard Herman from Peoria, Illinois.

OPP hiring Summer Students

The OPP has extended the deadline for any student who wants to apply for their summer constable positions.

Today was supposed to be the last day to accept applications, but that has been moved now to June 3rd.

Constable Dave Cain says the job is ideal for any youth interested in a career in policing.

Cain says the Kenora Detachment of the OPP has received funding to hire three students once again this summer.

School vice-principals appointed

With the school year quickly winding down, local school boards are starting to think ahead to the fall.

Both the Kenora Catholic and Keewatin-Patricia District School Boards have finalized their hirings for principals and vice-principals.

The separate school board has announced that Nicole Kurtz will be taking over as vice-principal at St. Margarite Bourgeois.

At the public board, Gail Mutrie has been appointed as the acting vice-principal at King George.

The changes will take effect September 1st.

OPP hand out awards in annual ceremony

A Kenora police officer involved in a shooting in downtown Kenora, almost a year ago, has received a comendation from the OPP.

Katheryn Moyer had to shoot 39 year old Helen Proulx last June, after the Grassy Narrows resident threatened her with a small knife.

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis presented the awards at a ceremony yesterday in Dryden and says this is a way to thank those who keep our streets safe.

Moyer received the Commissioner's Citation for Bravery for her courageous actions involving a knife wielding woman in downtown Kenora.

Rickford picks up new duties on Parliament Hill

When Greg Rickford returns to Parliament Hill, he won't be enjoying much free time.

The Kenora Conservative MP has been named Parliamentary Secretary to 3 Ministers; Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Canadian Northern Economic Development and FedNor.

Rickford notes he's excited about the opportunity.

Rickford says he's always had a passion for issues in the Arctic as well as aborignal concerns.

Provincial cash announced for Local Roads Boards

The Provincial Government is providing 25 million dollars to local roads boards across the province.

Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle says the 191 rural road boards in the region will share that cash.

Gravelle says the money is used on roads in a number of unincorporated communities across the northwest.

No Target Store expected in Kenora

It looks as if Kenora won't be getting a Target store any time soon.

Earlier this year, Target announced it was buying up a number of Zeller's outlets in Canada.

Yesterday the company announced which of the 105 stores across Canada would be initially converted.

Spokesperson Amy Reillery says they hope to have the new stores open by 2013.

The only Zeller's in northwestern Ontario to be converted is in Thunder Bay.

Four stores in Winnipeg will be changed over to Target outlets.

Saints Girls host NWOSSA soccer championships

The Thomas Aquinas Girls soccer team is eyeing a return trip to the All-Ontario Championships.

The Saints are hosting the NWOSSA championships this weekend.

The best-of-three final against Terrace Bay begins this evening at 6:00 at the T.A. soccer field.

Game two is scheduled for 10:00 tomorrow morning, and game three if necessary is at 2:00 Saturday afternoon.

The winner will move onto the OFSAA finals next week.

Final Draft from Lake of the Woods Task Force Complete

A task force set up by the International Joint Commission to look at water issues on Lake of the Woods has come up with its final draft report.

The final report will be presented to the IJC in July, but between now and then local residents will get a chance to comment on the recommendations that are being made.

Kelli Saunders is the Canadian secretary on the task force and says one of the main recommendations is representation by first nation groups in the decision making process.

Other recommendations, include streamlining the number of agencies working in the Lake of the Woods

and Rainy River drainage basins, and reviewing water level guidelines for the lake.

A public consultation session is scheduled to take place in Kenora on June 16th.

MNR sending more Fire Rangers Out West

The Ministry of Natural Resources is sending more firefighters to Alberta.

An additional 82 forest fire staff will leave today for the Western Province, bringing the total of Ontario staff to 191.

Half of the resources are from Northwestern Ontario.

There were no new fires reported yesterday in this Region and crews are making good progress on a large fire currently being held near Savant Lake.

The MNR is also controlling a small fire about 22-kilometres southeast of Red Lake.

OPP see an increase in drug related crime in Kenora

The Kenora OPP says there has been an increase in the number of assaults, break and enters and mischief complaints in the first three months of 2011.

Inspector Dave Lucas presented his most recent report to the police services board Wednesday morning.

He says they are noticing a trend in those areas and are taking action to address those problems.

Lucas also submitted his 2011 business plan to the Police Services Board, which was drafted following community consultations and an analysis of crime in the city since the OPP took over in the summer of 2009.

Cancer Care Northwest sees room for improvement

Cancer Care Northwest has made improvements to its colorectal cancer programs.

That's one of the areas they saw improvements in a province wide cancer index.

Vice President Micahel Power says even though they did well they will continue to work towards improvement.

The screening rates for that cancer are below the provincial average and came in at 26 percent.

Search continues for missing angler near Morson

An OPP dive team is expected on Lake of the Woods near Morson today in search of a missing boater.

The man was with another fishing on the lake and reported overdue Monday.

OPP found their capsized boat Tuesday and the body of the other man on the shore.

No names have been released.

Bronco Girls win NorWOSSA Gold

Beaver Brae's girls soccer team is heading to the provincial championships.

The Broncos edged the Dryden Eagles 2-1 in penalty shots yesterday in the gold medal game.

They now head down to Windsor next week for the OFSAA Championships.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae's boys had less success.

The Broncos dropped a 1-0 decision to Fort Frances in the gold medal game, and had to settle for silver this year.

Angler Drowns on Lake of the Woods

One person is dead and another is still missing following a fishing expedition on Lake of the Woods.

The OPP say they were contacted Monday night about two overdue anglers near Morson.

The OPP's Marine Unit was dispatched to the scene, and officers managed to locate the body of one of the men on shore.

His boat was located a short distance away and had capsized.

The Northwest Emergency Response Unit is continuing to search the shoreline for the other missing man.

The OPP's Underwater Search and Recovery Unit is expected to be on the scene later today.

Kenora BIZ Reflects on a Year of Success

The Kenora Business Improvement Zone says it will continue to do what it can to improve the downtown area.

BIZ held its annual general meeting last night, and chair, Kerick Funk outlined some of their successes in the past year.

That included 50 thousand dollars in funding for the new Harborfront Tent, and the installation of cigarette butt containers on light standards.

BIZ says it still wants to deal with the parking issue in the downtown core, specifically, it wants to make sure parking spaces in front of local businesses are set aside for customers, and not the staff of local businesses.

NAN looking for Better Education Funding

The Deputy Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation is again calling on the Federal Government to better fund aboriginal education.

Terry Waboose says the funding gap is growing bigger each year.

Waboose says they're working on creating a self governing first nation's education system that would give them more control over funding and curriculum.

Fire Hazard Reduced to Low in NWO

All the rain this weekend has reduced the fire hazard in northwestern Ontario.

We started the weekend with a high to extreme hazard, but its now down into the low range.

Fire Information Officer Debbie McLean says there were very few new fires reported over the past four days.

McLean says Thunder Bay fire #22, which forced the evacuation of 11 people in Wabakimi Provincial Park over the weekend, is now listed as being held.

Fort Frances Area Man killed in Train Accident

A Morley Township man has been identified as the victim of a collision involving a vehicle and a train near Fort Frances last Friday night.

92-year-old Donald Robert Bolen was killed in the mishap that occurred at a CN Rail crossing on Highway 617 in Stratton.

Both OPP and CN Rail Police have determined the red lights at the crossing were flashing and operating property at the time.

A post mortem examination is taking place in Kenora at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

Beaver Brae hosts NorWOSSA ``AA`` Soccer Finals

The NorWOSSA Double A Soccer championships take place in Kenora today.

The host Broncos already have a bye into this afternoon's gold medal games.

Now they are just waiting to find out who they will play.

In semi-final action this morning, Dryden will take on Fort Frances in both the boys and girls semi-finals.

Those games are scheduled to start at 10:00.

The finals will go at 2:00.

OPP investigate Vehicle Fire near Golf Course

The OPP are investigating a vehicle fire on Golf Course Road over the long weekend.

Police say that early Sunday morning, shortly after 3 A.M., they were called out to a blaze reported near the Kenora Golf and Country Club.

The vehicle was fully engulfed by flames by the time officers arrived at the scene, and Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department was  called out to extinguish the blaze.

Police say the vehicle was a black 2007 Dodge.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment of the OPP.

Petition For JM Arena Presented to Council

Pressure is being put on Kenora City Council to do something about the future of the Jaffray Melick Arena.

A petition was presented to council last week asking that an ice plant be installed in the community run facility.

Heather Rogers presented the petition to council last week.

The petition was started up this past winter, after the JM arena had to close early, due to warm weather and a lack of volunteers to operate the facility.

Fatal Accident Near Stratton over the Long Weekend

The investigation continues into a collision involving a vehicle and a train that killed one person in Stratton.

A C-N train hit the vehicle on the tracks at Highway 617 about 50 kilometres west of Fort Frances.

Police are trying to determine if the crossing lights were working at the time.

They had little information yesterday about the victim.

Forest Fire Threatens Northwestern Ontario Community

A fairly quiet weekend for Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews, but one blaze is continuing to  be a cause for concern.

A large forest fire is burning in Wabakimi Provincial Park, about 38-kilometres east of Savant Lake.

The fire is burning near fly-in-lodges and the CN mainline and at one point forced the evacuation of 11-residents from the tiny community of Allanwater.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the fire had grown to over 14-hundred hectares in size but notes thanks to the combined efforts of firefighters and air attack, no property was lost.

Evacuees have returned to their residence and operations on the CN main line have resumed.

There are 21-fire crews and 5-helicopters still commited to the blaze.

The cause is not known.

Work begins on new Tourism Portal

A number of economic development agencies in the region are launching a significant new tourism development project in the Kenora District.

The project is the first step towards the ultimate goal of a multimedia web portal that will showcase this area.

Spokesperson for the group, Vicki Kurz says they have to do a lot of ground work before they can launch their portal. Kurz says the infrastructure will include a mobil application so that people can plan an activity when travelling through the District.

Kenora, Red Lake, Ear Falls, Sioux Lookout, Ignace and Machin are involved.

OPP get new sponsor for trauma teddies

The OPP are continuing their efforts to help out children who are victims of trauma.

Local Superintenent Ron van Straalen says they've recieved a new supply of stuff toy bears to give away

Van Straalan says the program is also good for the image of the OPP.

The OPP have a new sponsor to supply the stuffed toy bears they give out to truamatized children, Aviva Canada.

OPP Marine Unit Hits Lake of the Woods

The OPP says it will be out in force this weekend on Lake of the Woods.

The Marine Unit will have several of boats patroling the big lake and some of the other smaller bodies in the region.

Mike Barclay is a spokesperson for the Marine Unit and says they will be looking specifically for open alcohol in boat and safe boating practices.

Barclay adds that the marine unit will also be teaming up with MNR conservation officers, making sure anglers obey local fishing regulations.

Harborfest Line-up Announced

Harborfest will be rockin' once again this summer.

The concert line-up for the 20th annual August Long Weekend festival has been released.

Friday night will feature four bands including Honeymoon Suite and Streetheart.

Randy Nickle is chair of Harborfest and says they had a tough time finalizing the Sunday night concert line-up.

Sunday night will feature the Watchmen and Sloan, while Saturday night has Doc Walker as the headliner.

Tickets will go on-sale on the Harborfest website this afternoon.

Alcohol Ban imposed in Some Provincial Parks this weekend

The alcohol ban at provincial parks continues this May long weekend.

Parks Spokesperson Barb Rees expects a busy weekend despite the booze ban.

The alcohol ban is in place at Blue Lake, Rushing River, Sleeping Giant, Aero Lake and Silver Falls until May 24th.

Heightened MNR Enforcement expected this weekend

It's the opening weekend of the fishing season in Northwestern Ontario.

Conservation Officer Ross Johnston says you can expect to see enforcement officers out on area lakes and roadways all weekend long.

Johnston adds it's illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol.

Regional Nursing Program Gets Kudos

The regional community based nursing program is getting rave reviews from hospitals in northwestern Ontario.

Darlene Furlong is with the Dryden District Hospital and says the program is a great recruiting tool.

The program is about to be featured in a position paper to be released by Confederation College and Lakehead University.

The program is currently being offered at satelitte campuses of Con College in Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances.

Saint Girls win NorWOSSA Gold

Thomas Aquinas could manage just one gold medal at the NorWOSSA single A soccer

championships yesterday at the T.A. field.

The Saints girls squad earned a 2-0 shut-out over Rainy River yesterday afternoon in the championship game.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas boys team dominated possession of the ball, but couldn't find the back of the next.

In the end the Saints were shut out by Red Lake 1-0 in the gold medal game and had to  settle for silver.

Long Wait Times Expected at Northwest Border Crossings

Officials in both Canada and the U-S are anticipating longer than usual wait times to cross at the Fort Frances-International Falls border this May weekend.

Both the Canada Border Services Agency and U-S Customs and Border Protection say long lines at the border could begin as early as today and again Monday afternoon.

They say wait times to cross could reach up to 45 minutes long during peak times.

New Directors for LHIN's appointed

Dianne Loubier of Ignace has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Northwest Local Health Integration Network.

The former Councilor is now the Chair of the Ignace Economic Development Committee and Treasurer of the Ignace Golf and Country Club.

Loubier will sit on the LHIN Board for a 2-year term.

She is joined by Goyce Kakegamic, the former Deputy Grand Chief of the NIshnawbe-Aski Nation.

He played a strong role in establishing the Northern Ontario Medical School campus in Thunder Bay.

Kakegamic will serve a 3-year term.

Whitedog Chief loses house to fire

The Wabaseemung First Nation is trying to help out its band chief during a difficult

time.

The house of Chief Eric Fisher was destroyed by fire over the weekend.

While everyone managed to get out of the home, one person is still recovering

from smoke inhallation.

Some community members are now trying gather up donations of household goods

for the family, which has been displaced by the fire.

Items such as mattresses, blankets, sheets, pots and pans and food donations

are being accepted.

Winnipeg Man Arrested on Drug Charges

A 39 year old Winnipeg man faces drug charges following an arrest by the  OPP's Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.

 Police say the seized about three grams of cocaine on Tuesday.

Jack Brown has been arrested and will appear in Kenora Court next month on a charge of possession of a narcotic.

NOMA Supports Northern Policy Institute

The Northern Policy Institute is starting to take shape.

The Institute was one of the key promises contained in the Northern Growth Plan released earlier this year.

Dave Canfield is vice-president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and says they recently had a chance to provide their input to the special advisors the province had appointed to guide the process.

Canfield admits that universities in Sudbury and Thunder Bay will likely get to host the Northern Institute, but is hoping smaller communites in the region get a chance to be a part of the process.

Spring Feast this Afternoon at Rec. Center

Get ready to strap on the feed bag.

A spring feast is being held today at the Kenora Rec. Center to celebrate the season.

Constable Bob Bernie of the OPP says a number of different community groups are helping organize the event.

The Spring Feast will start at noon and run until 3:00 this afternoon.

More Forest Fire Activity in the Northwest

The Ministry of Natural Resources is hoping that the weather forecast will provide some relief for fire crews in the northwest region.

There has been a number of new fires in the past day in the Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances Districts.

One fire was located in Sioux Narrows.

It was located southwest of the bridge in behind the Narrows Limited gift shop.

The MNR says the blaze grew to about one hectare in size before being

brought under control.

The cause of the fire is still being looked into.

Heading into the long weekend, the fire hazard right across the region is listed as high.

Economic Development Commission to take over City Special Events

The City of Kenora has outlined how it plans to carry out special events in the future.

The City says it will continue to work with the Kenora Assembly of Resources on certain events, such as the Farmer's Market, but increasingly, special event management will be turned over to the Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission.

Starting June 1st, the Commission will be responsible for co-ordinating and renting special events equipment.

The city has also promised KAR free access to the big tent and other special event infrastructure to carry out the farmers market this year, but next year the weekly event is to be transferred over to special events.

New President Announced for Confederation College

Confederation College has announced its new President.

Jim Madder will be taking over for outgoing President Pat Lang who will be stepping down in July.

Madder says handling a region this large will be a challenge.

Madder most recently was the Executive Vice President Academic at Red Deer College in Alberta.

Wild fires Threaten Pickle Lake

The Ministry of Natural Resources and OPP are investigating three forest fires near Pickle Lake.

The 8-hectare fires burned dangerously close to the community this week.

Mayor Roy Hoffman says the situation could have been different if the wind had picked up.

No damage is reported and the fires are now classified as held or under control.

Clement continues in FedNor Portfolio

The Head of the Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario is staying put.

Tony Clement has kept his post as FedNor Minister in the new Federal Cabinet.

Since taking over the Industry Canada program in 2006, Clement has spent nearly 150-million dollars in the North.

John Duncan keeps his job as Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister, while the Natural Resources portfolio will see a change with Toronto-area MP Joe Oliver taking over.

MNR Investigates bush fire on Highway 17 East

The Ministry of Natural Resources is continuing to investigate a wild fire on Highway 17 east of Kenora.

The blaze broke out yesterday afternoon and MNR fire crews were called out to help out members of Kenora's fire and emergency services deal with it.

The fire grew to about 0.5 hectares in size before being contained.

Crews were able to get a hose line around the fire.

The fire broke out near a sand pit just off the Parmeter Road.

Forest Tenure Bill Passes Third and Final Reading

The Provincial Government has passed the forest tenure Bill.

Third reading of Bill 151 and an hour of debate took place yesterday.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton calls the entire process a travesty.

The NDP member says Northern First Nations were also not consulted.

Petition Calls for A Deer Cull in Kenora

At least one business in Kenora is tired of dealing with the city's rampant deer population.

Debbie's Green House has started up a petition asking the city to deal with the issue.

Vince Schatkowski says the deer continue to be very destructive.

Schatkowski is suggesting a cull of the deer, or perhaps an expanded hunting season in the city.

Municipal Cultural Plan Coming together

After about six months of work, a draft municipal cultural plan for the City of Kenora.

The draft was presented to city council and members of the community earlier this week.

Ariana Moscate is the consultant who has been heading up the project and says hopefully the plan will pave the way for improved access to arts and culture in the city.

Comments on the draft municipal cultural plan can be made on-line until May 24th.

The final plan is expected to be presented to city council next month.

City Council Supports Shoal Lake's "Freedom Road"

Kenora City Council is throwing its support behind a proposed all-weather road from the Shoal Lake #40 First nation to the mainland.

The island community currently doesn't have year-round road access but is proposing to construct its so-called "Freedom Road" to access the Trans-Canada Highway.

The resolution passed by council suggests the lack of a permanent road to the mainland has had dire consequences for the communities economy, and resulted in band members moving away from their homes.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says they developed the resolutions following an informal meeting with the chief and bands members earlier this month.

Three northwestern Ontario Police Officers Honored

Three Northwestern Ontario Police Officers have been appointed to the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.

The Order was created in 2000, to recognize exceptional service by members and employees of Canadian Police Forces.

Thunder Bay Chief Robert Herman, Treaty 3 Chief Conrad DeLaronde and Kenora OPP Detective Dennis Olinyk have been honoured.

The Order of Merit recognizes contributions by officers that extend beyond the protection of the community.

Landlords getting hit with Unpaid Tennant Utility Bills

The City of Kenora has found a way of re-couping the cost of unpaid utility bills.

Its now charging unpaid bills to the landlords of the delinquint tennants.

The new regulations aren't sitting well with local landlord Vince Cianci, who made a deputation to city council last night.

The city sent out the notices of the policy change last month and followed  that up with the actual bills last week.

Unpaid utility bills are now being added onto the landlords tax account for that property.

Northwestern Ontario Fire Fighters Heading Out West

Ontario is sending firefighting crews to Slave Lake to help the Alberta town battle a devastating forest fire.

Eighty fire rangers will be dispatched this morning and are expected to arrive in Alberta this afternoon.

Winds gusting up to 100 kilometres per hour have fuelled the wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.

Provincial officials say Ontario will assess its ability to provide additional resources as the fire situation evolves in Alberta.

Rickford Returns to Parliament Hill Next Month

A bill to kill the long-gun registry is expected to be high on the priority list when the House of Commons resumes sitting.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford and his fellow MP's will return to work on June 2nd.

Government House Leader John Baird says the long-gun registry will be among several pieces of Legislation that will be introduced.

First things first; choosing a Speaker and the throne speech.