Police Investigate Fatality on Poplar Hill

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service is trying to determine whether or not the death of a 20-year-old man and the injuries to a 21-year-old man are related.

Police were dispatched to Poplar Hill First Nation, about 120-kilometres north of Red Lake, last Friday after a man was found on a road with serious injuries.

Police say Aaron Strang was transported to the community nursing station where he was pronounced dead.

The following day Jobby Strang of Poplar Hill drove himself to the nursing station seeking medical attention and he was transported to Winnipeg Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Police are looking for answers in this case.

Vermillion Bay youth charged in Connection to two Break In's

A Vermillion Bay youth has been arrested in connection to a couple of break-ins in that community.

The OPP say that between July 14th and 18th, the same residence was entered twice.

Following an investigation, police arrested a suspect.

He has been charged with break and enter and two counts of failing to comply with an undertaking.

He is due to appear in Dryden court in September.

Con College Raises money for Scholarships

Confederation College has managed to raise 15 thousand dollars for its students.

Organizers have tallied up the reciepts from a charity golf tournament held last week at the Kenora Golf and Country Club.

A total of 12 teams took part. 

The college says the money raised will go towards scholarships and bursaries for local students.

Red Cross looking for volunteers to help evacuees

The Red Cross says its still looking for volunteers to help out people who have been evacuated from their communities in northwestern Ontario.

Spokesperson Shanna Hansson says they have had pretty good support so far.

Hansson says that over the weekend, they had help from Kenora and other communities throughout the District.

Fire crews making progress

Fires continue to burn out of control in northwestern Ontario, but the Ministry of Natural Resources believes

it is making some progress.

There are 118 fires burning today, with 10 new blazes popping up on Sunday.

The MNR says while a couple of large fires continue to threaten remote communites in the region,

no new evacuations are planned.

Red Lake Fire 82 has burned to the edge of the community of Keewaywin, but so far crews have managed

to prevent any property loss.

Another fire of concern is Sioux Lookout #72, which is 159 thousand hectares in size and burning near the Musselwhite Mine.

Fire Crews have been working diligently from prevent any loss of property.

To date 36 hundred people have been evacuated, but there is talk that some members of the Cat Lake


First Nation may be able to start returning home later this week.

Province to look into evacuation complaints

Officials in Ontario are looking into whether families have been split up while being evacuated from communities threatened by forest fires raging in our area.

Deputy community safety minister Ian Davidson says the province has done its best to keep families together since evacuations started.

But he says the province is investigating unconfirmed reports that the evacuation process has separated members of some First Nations families from each other.

Officials say weather conditions are improving, and no further evacuations are currently planned.

Electricity back on in Pickle Lake

The power is back on in Pickle Lake and New Osnaburgh First Nation.

The lights were out for nearly 2-weeks as a forest fire near Ear Falls consumed some 18-power lines.

Hydro One was able to go on site late last week and fix the problem.

Hampton Seeking Help for Cat Lake Evacuees

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is asking the McGuinty Government to help Cat Lake First Nation residents.

Hampton says it appears residents will be allowed to return home in the middle of this week but he notes the remote community is suffering from a severe food shortage.

The power has been out for nearly 2-weeks and Hampton says most food is now spoiled.

Hampton says most people make trips during the winter months by the ice road to get their food and stock it in the freezer.

He's asking the Province to ensure the community has food and other supplies when residents return home.

Walk for Good Life Ready to roll

A seven day 500 kilometre walk around the Kenora and Rainy River districts is set to go next month.

It will be the third year for the Walk for Good Life organized by the group Good Life for Young People.

C-E-O Teresa Hazel says its a journey of self discovery and accomplishment.

The event is open to anyone with registration made through the group's office or its website : http://www.goodlifeforyoungpeople.com/

Record Attendance For Coney Island Festival

The Coney Island Music Festival continues to grow.

This year, about 12 hundred people took in the one day event at Coney Beach.

The Third Maybe Annual Festival features seven acts over six hours yesterday.

Attendance has tripled over the past three years.

Tie for First at Canadian Bass Championships in Fort

For the first time in the history of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, there are co-winners.

Richard Rud and Jon Austin of International Falls and Thunder Bay's Glenn Leroux and Trevor Zimak avoided controversial tie-breaking methods to share the title after tying for the lead after three days of fishing.

Rud says both teams agreed to share the title.

Jeff Gustafson from Kenora and his partner John Peterson placed sixth overall, six and a half pounds back of the winners.

Team Symonds Wins Bronzeback

A couple of Keewatin anglers too top honors at the 5th Annual Friends and Family Bronzeback Classic.

Brad and Jayden Symonds came from behind to win the two day bass tournament on Lake of the Woods.

They weighed in 28.65 pounds of bass, beating out the day one leaders, Scott and Kyle Cook by just over a pound.

Steve Ellie and Tom Hefford placed third with a catch of 26.6 pounds.

Fisher tops Women's Field at Kenora Borealis Triathlon

Edie Fisher continues to be an ageless wonder.

Fisher was the top female finisher in the annual Kenora Borealis Triathlon/Duathlon at Garrow Park.

Competing in the 50-54 year old age group, Fisher finished the Olympic Course in a time of two hours and 26 minutes.

The top male was Chris Graham from the Tribalistic Team in a blazing time of two hours and seven minutes.

The top female racer in the Long Course Duathlon was Julie Whelan at two hours and 54 minutes.

Playaz Win Men's Soccer Tournament

The Playaz are the new kings of Kenora Soccer.

The Playaz won the Lake of the Woods mens soccer tournament over the weekend with a 2-0 win over Stonewall in the A-side Final Sunday afternoon at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

McGuinty Says He won't Declare State of Emergency in NWO

Premier Dalton McGuinty says there's no need to declare a state of emergency to deal with forest fires that have driven thousands of people from their communities in northwestern Ontario.

McGuinty is in the region today to survey the damage and talk with fire personnel, volunteers and evacuees.

The premier says that the province is doing everything it can to support firefighters and evacuees.

McGuinty says that includes helping out with aircraft and providing financial support for the effort.

He'll also visit Thunder Bay later today.

Discovery Center opens its doors

The new discovery center on Lakeview Drive is getting rave reviews.

The center will act as the city's new tourism bureau and was opened to the public for the first time yesterday afternoon.

Dennis Wallace is chair of the Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission and says they hope to be able to expand the number of services offered there.

The two million dollar facility is opening its doors to the public for the very first time today.

Lake of the Woods Task Force issues final report

A report looking at the management of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River basins is suggesting the creation of a single International Watershed Board.

The Board would merge the International Rainy River Water Pollution Board and the International Rainy Lake Board of Control.

A series of public meetings on the report are planned for next month.

The Kenora session will take place on August 20th. 

Hampton Tours fire ravaged communities

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. has been touring the region meeting with residents of first nation communities which have been threatened by wild fires.

Hampton has chartered his own plane to get into some of the  hard to reach areas.

He says fire fighters have been working under very difficult conditions.

Hampton has been critical of the government's response to the crisis and says more needs to be done to ensure this doesn't turn into a catastrophe.

Kenora set to help out evacuees

The City of Kenora says its ready to do what it can to help with the evacuation of thousands of residents from remote first nation communities.

Another 18 hundred people are expected to be flown out today due to smoke from over 100 forest fires.

Karen Brown is the City's chief administrative officer and says the Emergency Measures Group met yesterday and agreed to declare a state of emergency.

Brown says she will be meeting with fire chief Warren Brinkman to determine how many evacuees the city might be able to accommodate.

Natural Resources Minister Tours Fire Zone

Don't expect Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey to call a state of emergency over the forest fire situation in Northwestern Ontario.

Jeffrey tells our newsroom she's reluctant to do so because the situation appears under control

Jeffrey took an aerial tour of the fire zone to get a first hand look at the fires

Fires continue consume Northern Forests

The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to try and gain the upper hand on over 100-forest fires burning in Northwestern Ontario.

Information Officer Owen Vaughan says they have recieved a lot of help in their fight.

B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Quebec and the Yukon are all helping firefighters in Northwestern Ontario.

Vaughan adds that several MNR employees who don't usually fight fires are also involved and he asks the public for patience as there may be some delays in other services.

Economic Development Commission Holds AGM

The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission says the bricks and mortar are in place in order for Kenora's economy to thrive.

The commission held its annual general meeting yesterday in the new Discovery Center on Cameron Bay.

Dennis Wallace is chair of the commission and says they have seen a lot of interest from business to set up shop in Kenora.

Wallace says there's also been a lot of interest shown in the former Abitibi property on 9th Street North and believe there should be some growth in that area in the coming year.

17 New Non-Profit Housing Units for Kenora

A total of 17 new non-profit housing units should be ready to move into by next spring.

The Aamikkowiish Non-profit housing agency held a ground breaking ceremony this morning.

Collette Surovey says they will be building in a number of areas of the community.

Aamikkowish is getting 2.89 million dollars from the provincial government for the non-profit housing project.

Dragon Tamers publish local cancer booklet

The Kenora Dragon Tamers have launched their first ever publishing venture.

The breast-cancer survivors have come out with a booklet called: The Kenora Experience, which is a local guide for people affected by cancer.

Marilyn Strain is one of the people who helped put the book together and says they spent the last year compiling all the information.

The booklet is available at most health care facilities in Kenora, as well as Edgewater Natural Health.

A busy sports line-up for the Weekend

A good weekend to be a spectator in Kenora.

A total of four major sporting events are taking place.

First up is the Lake of the Woods Men's soccer tournament at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

Action gets underway this evening at 5:30 and will wrap up with the finals on Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow, a couple of events hit the water.

On Rabbit Lake the Tops and Bottoms rowing regatta, while over on Lake of the Woods the 5th annual Friends and family Bronzeback classic takes off.

On Sunday, the Kenora Borealis Triathlon/Duathlon starts from Garrow Park.

Non Profit Housing Project ready for Kenora

More details about a housing project in Kenora will be released today.

The Aamikkowiish Non-Profit Housing Corporation will be holding a sod turning ceremony at the Neechee Friendship center this morning.

A total of 17 new housing units are being built for aboriginal families.

The Executive Director of the Ontario Aborigianl Housing Service will also be on hand for the groundbreaking.

The ceremony is scheduled to start at 10:00.

Rain helps fire crews in Northwest

A short-lived reprieve for fire fighters in northwestern Ontario.

Wide-spread cloud and rain help keep the number of new forest fire starts down yesterday.

Only four new blazes were reported in the region, but that's on top of the 103 that are still burning.

Smoke from the fires in the far north remains the biggest challenge for fire crews and aircraft battling the blazes.

Rickford and Clement meet with local evacuees

FedNor Minister Tony Clement says the forest fire situation is a very serious and he is asking the Province to take the initiative and ask for help.

Clement and Kenora MP Greg Rickford met with firefighters and evacuees in Dryden this morning.

Clement says the Federal Government is doing everything it can.

In terms of emergency assitance relief, its up to the Province to ask for Federal support, and Clement says he's hoping they do it "sooner rather than later".

Evacuations Continue from the Far North

More than 3,000 residents of northwestern Ontario have now been evacuated from their homes as forest fires continue to rage through parts of the province.

Mike Morton of Emergency Management Ontario says so far Kenora has not been asked to welcome any evacuees.

Residents of Cat Lake, Sandy Lake, Keewaywin, Wunnamin Lake and Kingfisher Lake have been evacuated to Moosenee, Arthur and as far away as Ottawa.

Youth Charged in Morson Break-ins

Four youth face charges connection with a rash of break-ins in the Morson area of Lake of the Woods.

OPP say a number of cabins at a tourist resort and several homes were broke into over the weekend with damages estimated to be over one-hundred thousand dollars.

The four accused will now appear in Fort Frances court next month on break and enter and possession of stolen property charges

New Confederation College President on Tour

The new president of Confederation College has kicked off his first visit to the regional campuses.

Jim Madder is meeting with staff at the Lake of the Woods Campus in Kenora this week.

He says he wants to strengthen the partnerships the College now enjoys.

Madder says the visit also gave him a better understanding of the issues and opportunities facing the Campus.

Kenora Man fined for Illegally Killing a deer

A Kenora man has been fined three thousand dollars for illegally hunting Deer.

The Ministry of Natural Resources say they arrested a man last November after he had killed a deer on private property on the Essex Road.

MNR Conservation officers conducted an investigation and determined the deer had been killed at night.

Marcel Brousseau was fined for hunting at night and possessing an illegally killed deer.

Brown now officially City's CAO

Karen Brown is now officially Kenora's Chief Administrative Officer.

Brown has been on the job as the city's top civil servant since August 1st of last year, but her probation period has just been completed.

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield says three members of city council did a performance review and it was agreed that Brown has been doing a good job as the city's administrator.

Brown replaced long time CAO Bill Presentanz last summer.

Four weather records set

It was a record setting day across northwestern Ontario.

A number of communities across the region set temperature records.

In Kenora, the thermometer hit 33.1 degrees, breaking a 71 year old record.

The previous high for July 19th was 30.6.

Red Lake was the hot spot in northwestern Ontario, with the temperature topping

out at 35.2, smashing the previous record by three degrees.

Discovery Center almost ready to open

Tourism Kenora is getting ready to move into its new digs.

This week is moving week.

Tourism Development Officer, Heather Paterson says the old tourism office on Highway 17 east has been closed down

as the city prepares to open the new Discovery Center on Cameron Bay.

That facility is scheduled to officially supposed to open its doors on Friday morning to the public.

The grand opening is expected to take place sometime in September.

Health Unit Issues Smoke Advisory

With all the smoke this week caused by forest fires burning in the far north, the Northwest Health Unit has come out with an advisory for local residents.

The Health Unit says the young, the elderly, pregnant women, people with heart or lung problems, and people doing strenuous exercise are at the greatest risk.

If the smokey conditions prevail, the Health Unit suggests local residents stay indoors, and remain inactive and keep their windows and doors closed.

If you begin to feel unwell, you should contact your health care provider.

Conditions in Red Lake, Thunder Bay and Dryden are said to be very bad today.

Clement to meet with Fire Evacuees

FedNor Minister Tony Clement is in Dryden this morning to meet with volunteers, firefighters and evacuees affected by wildfires raging in the area.

Clement will be joined by Kenora MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Aboriginal Affairs Greg Rickford.

The two will be at the Dryden Airport at 10 o'clock.

Burning Permits in the City Suspended

The hot dry conditions are causing concern for Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services.

It's forced officials to suspend all burning permits within the city citing unusually dry conditions.

The burning ban won't be lifted until the situation improves.

Premier urges residents to be careful with fire

Forest fires in northwestern Ontario have forced evacuations in several communities.

Premier Dalton McGuinty is urging those venturing into Ontario forests to be careful.

 More than 115 forest fires are raging across northwestern Ontario, and thousands of residents are in immediate danger from the growing flames and dense smoke.

Communities Looking for Help with Evacuees

Forest fires in northwestern Ontario have communities scrambling

to find accommodation for thousands of people who may have to be evacuated.

Thunder Bay wants Queen's Park to get involved in the evacuation and help with the temporary housing needed for up to 7-thousand evacuees.

Timmins and Sudbury have agreed to take in evacuees.

Some have already gone to Wawa, Sioux Lookout, Kapuskasing, Matachewan and Greenstone.

NAN Urges Governments to Commit more resources to Evacuations

Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy is asking the Provincial and Federal Governments to commit all available emergency resources to help First Nations threatened by forest fires.

Beardy wants Ottawa to ensure that enough aircraft are available to evacuate the communities at a moment's notice.

More than 115 forest fires are raging across Northwestern Ontario, and Beardy says thousands of residents are in immediate danger from the growing flames and dense smoke.

As many as 200 residents of Keewaywin First Nation were evacuated to Winnipeg on Monday evening after 197 residents were evacuated Sunday.

76-residents of Cat Lake First Nation have been evacuated to Dryden and 170 residents of North Spirit Lake First Nation have been evacuated to Greenstone.

About 750 residents of Sandy Lake First Nation have been evacuated to Thunder Bay, and 230 residents of Kingfisher Lake First Nation are on standby for evacuation.

A total of 46-hundred people have already been evacuated and more are expected in the coming days.

Beady is also asking the Province to declare a state of emergency so that all necessary resources can be directed to protect the health and safety of the residents of the effected communities.

OPP searching for Suspect in Airport Road Assault

The OPP are searching for a suspect in connection to an assault that took on a trail just off the Airport Road.

Police say the incident took place just before 7:00 last night on the hydro highline trail near Tetroe Road.

A woman was walking her dog when a man ran out of the bush and allegedly assaulted her.

The woman ran out of the bush and managed to flag down a motorist.

The OPP were contacted and they brought out their Emergency Response Team and a K-9 unit in their search for the suspect.

He is described as a First Nations man, tall, with a muscular build wearing dark shorts.

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

Temperature Records could fall today

It could be a record-breaking day, weather-wise.

Its going to be another scorcher for Kenora and parts of northwestern Ontario.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says the temperature isn't the only thing local residents will have to deal with.

He says with the humidex is could feel like 40 celcius. 

The thermometer is expected to peak at 33 this afternoon.

The record for July 19th is 30.6.

Power Out in Pickle Lake Again

Pickle Lake residents are once again dealing with a power outage.

Red Lake Fire number 84 near Ear Falls has damaged power lines which has left 629-Hydro One customers in the dark.

Hydro One says power might not be restored until Friday.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says up to 6-kilometres of line have been affected.

Pickle Lake dealt with a lengthy power outage last week before power was restored for a brief period of time.

Ignace Woman faces Animal Cruelty Charges

An Ignace woman is facing not one, but three animal cruelty charges.

Earlier this month, the OPP say a large Bullmastiff managed to escape and killed a smaller dog.

The owner Tamela Inkster was initially charged with two counts under the Dog Owners Liablity Act.

11 days later, the OSPCA contacted Ignace OPP in relation to another complaint of animal cruelty.

Police were led back to Inkster who was then charged with Animal Cruelty under the criminal code and will appear in court on August 30.

Library ready to move forward with Operational Review

The Kenora Public Library says its ready to proceed with an operational review.

Council last night approved the terms of reference for the review, which includes governance, internal staff structure, service delivery and a  financial review.

Councillor Rory McMillan says the terms of reference do address a number of concerns council has raised about the Library's debt and deficit this year.

The Library Board has agreed to find its own funding to pay for the operational review.

Forest Fire Situation Intensifies in the Northwest

The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to struggle to get the upper hand on several wildfires in the Northwest.

Information Officer Debbie MacLean says they have over 2-thousand firefighters involved in the fight.

Sioux Lookout Fire number 70 has grown to over 87-thousand hectares in size and is now burning 1-kilometre away from the Mussewhite Mine.

Firefighters continue to try and protect the mine site.

Musselwhite Mine Road and Highway 599 just north of Pickle Lake have been closed as a result.

More Evacuations due to Forest Fires

Nearly 400 people in northwestern Ontario have been evacuated by Canadian Forces personnel as forest fires threaten their communities.

The Forces says that 385 residents from Fort Hope and Sandy Lake have been flown out.

Members of the Fort Hope First Nation were evacuated Monday to Greenstone, using a Hercules from CFB Trenton.

People from Sandy Lake First Nation were airlifted on a Hercules to Winnipeg.

KACL Gets Green Light for Accessible Community Garden

The dream of a fully accessible community garden is now a bit closer to reality.

Kenora City Council has given its blessing to the project by allowing the Kenora Association for Community Living to use a road allowance in the Lakeside area to build the garden.

Lisa Gate-Villa has been spearheading the project and says plans for the garden are really coming together.

After meeting with city staff, council agreed to allow KACL to use the road allowance along 6th Street South and 3rd Avenue South for their community garden.

Ontario's Coronor's Office Looks at Pikangikum Suicides

The Ontario chief coroner's office is releasing some startling research on a rash of suicides on the Pikangikum First Nation.

Dr. Bert Lauwers, the deputy chief coroner for investigations in Ontario, says a unique feature of the Pikangikum suicides is that many happened in clusters.

Lauwers says a crisis intervention team should be put in place after a youth suicide to identify vulnerable children and provide them with immediate counselling.