Parliament's Fall Session

Conservative, Liberal, and New Democrat M-P's say they intend to focus on job creation during Parliament's fall session.

But when the Conservative government begins rolling out its legislative agenda today, it'll start with the re-introduction of a series of crime bills.

Among other things, the bills would increase the number of mandatory minimum sentences and eliminate house arrest for violent offences.

M-P's opened the fall session yesterday with tributes to the late Jack Layton

Union Gas

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

Union Gas Spokesperson Vanda Wall says the cost of natural gas will be decreasing slightly during the colder months. Eight dollars and twenty-five cents worth of savings could be coming your way on consumption of about 2600 cubic meters a year. Wall says the rate change comes into effect October 1st.

Northern Ontario Drug Bust

No word of any charges yet following one of the largest seizures of marijuana plants in northern Ontario.
Police say they seized 16-hundred plants during the weekend at Brunswick House First Nation near Timmins.Police put the value of the plants at 1.6 million dollars. Nishnawbe-Aski Police didn't say whether the plants were found in a field or growing inside homes on the reserve, 200 kilometres southwest of Timmins.

Suspects have been identified, but no names have been released.

Walmart Green Student Challenge

Walmart Canada President and CEO David Cheesewright announced today the launch of the Walmart Green Student Challenge, inviting post-secondary students across Canada to develop proposals that are good for the environment and for business.

Cheesewright says "We're asking for their best, most innovative ideas to make business more environmentally sustainable in the future."

Full contest details, including a video announcement, are available at www.sharegreen.ca/student

Forest Fire Update

Northwestern Ontario is getting involved in the forest fire fight south of the border.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has dispatched 16-fire rangers, a waterbomber and a birdog to Northern Minnesota. A 94-thousand acre forest fire continues to blaze in the Pagami Creek area.

The fire is only 19-percent contained and evacuation notices remain in effect in the area.

Rainfall Warning Issued for Northwestern Ontario

Don't forget your umbrella tomorrow.

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for the Kenora area and much of northwestern Ontario.

Geoff Coulson is a severe weather specialist and says the rain will be with us for at least the next two days.

Coulson says we can expect to see at least 50 millimeters worth of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Thistles unbeaten in weekend exhibition tournament

A promising weekend for the Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles.

The Thistles were in Beausejour for a pre-season tournament and finished with a record of three wins and a tie on the four games played.

Head Coach Doug Novak says he doesn't want to read too much into the results.

The Thistles allowed just five goals in four games, and recorded two  shutouts.

The Kenora Midgets blanked the Central Plains Capitals 1-0, got by the Winnipeg Thrashers 4-3, then shutout the Pembina Valley Hawks 3-0 and tied the Interlake Lightning 2-2.

Their home opener is September 30th against the Winnipeg Wild.

Knowlege is Power presentation tonight

Understanding and Living with Cancer.

That's the theme of a presentation sponsored by the Kenora Dragon Tamers.

Lorna Haney is a member of the team and says they have lined up a number of guest speakers for tonight's event.

The event is being called "Knowlege is Power" and will be held at the Best Western Lakeside Inn starting at 7:00.

Terry Fox Run A success

The weather wasn't great, but that didn't stop almost 300 people for turning out to the 31st annual Terry Fox Run in Kenora.

Yesterday's event raised just over 10 thousand dollars for cancer research.

Organizers are also thanking the 38 volunteers who help stage the annual run.

Con College Workers set to return to work

The president of Confederation College, Jim Madder says he's ecstatic now that a tentative agreement has been reached to end the strike by support staff.

Madder says it was good news to wake up to.

Madder hopes to have operations back to normal by the end of the week.

Public meeting tonight on City Deer Hunting

Kenora City Council will find out this afternoon how the public feels about

its plan to allow deer hunting south of the Kenora By-Pass.

A second public meeting is being held prior to the open meeting of council this afternoon.

Councillor Sharon Smith says they expect to hear both the pros and the cons of the plan.

The plan would allow bow-hunting on crown land or private property over five hectares in size, with the permission of the property owner.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 4:00 this afternoon.

Bikes for Triple Play

Triple Play will be going into the bicycle business soon.

The OPP are planning to donate 24 bikes to Triple Play this year instead of holding its annual bike auction.

The bikes are either lost or stolen, but remain unclaimed by their owners.

Last year the bikes were donated to a couple of remote first nation communties in northwestern Ontario.

Catholic Board Responds to EQAO results

The Kenora Catholic District School Board says there's still room for improvement.

Staff are still digesting the latest figures from grades three and six, reading, writing and math tests.

Phylis Eikre is the director of Education and says the EQAO results show where they can do better.

Eikre says academic math scores were nine percent higher than than the provincial average.

Officers to receive Accolade Awards

Well deserved recognition for two Northwestern Ontario OPP officers.

Constable Bob Bernie of the Kenora Detachement is going to be named OPP Officer of the Year.

Bernie will receive the award at a special ceremony in Orillia Monday afternoon.

Bernie is being recognized for outstanding service as well as his work with the Kenora Mental Health and Drug Awareness Task Force.

Detective Constable Clarence Pierce from the Fort Frances-Emo area will also pick up an award for enforcement.

The Federal Long-Gun Registry

The Federal Long-Gun Registry is one of the Harper Government's top priorities for today's start of the new session of Parliament.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says he hopes to have a bill to dismantle the Registry in place sooner rather then later.Rickford notes it all depends on what games the opposition play, noting its an issue that continues to divide the NDP.

ePassports

Canadians could soon be paying a lot more for passports if the first versions of Canada's new electronic passport are any indication.

Since 2009, Ottawa has issued 40-thousand so-called ePassports to senior government officials and diplomats.

The document has a computer chip that stores key personal data. According to an expense claim filed by Prime Minister Harper,they cost 225 dollars each.Currently, adult Canadians pay 87 dollars for a passport

Air Canada

At last word, Air Canada and its flight attendants' union were still talking in Montreal late last night ahead of this week's union-imposed strike deadline.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says the airline presented a counter-offer to a proposal that CUPE made Saturday.Two federal mediators are said to be involved in the talks aimed  at heading off a walkout by Air Canada's 68-hundred flight attendants early Wednesday morning

House of Commons

Parliament gets back to business today after the summer recess.


M-P's will return to work in the House of Commons where some will offer tributes to late N-D-P leader Jack Layton, who died of cancer last month.

Although Prime Minister Harper has stressed job creation his top priority, a tough-on-crime agenda will be the first major bill to be introduced this week.

Laws in the omnibus bill are expected to include measures to toughen jail terms for child predators and an end house arrest for violent offenders.

OPSEU

The province's 24 community colleges should be back to normal within days after striking staff reached a tentative deal.

The eight-thousand support workers who were on picket lines since just before school resumed are expected back on the job tomorrow.Negotiators for OPSEU members who handle everything from

cleaning, to food services and registration reached a tentative deal late last night.

Blue Rodeo Ready for Tonight's Concert

The new Harborfront Tent is being prepped for tonight's Blue Rodeo Concert.

Greg Keelor is one of the lead men for the Canadian Super Group and says they still enjoy performing after 30 years on the road.

Fat City is scheduled to open for Blue Rodeo starting at 7:15.

Boys Volleyball Tournament this Weekend

Local senior boys high school volleyball teams will see their first real action this weekend.

The Kenora Invitational Volleyball Tournament will be taking place up at Beaver Brae and Thomas

Aquinas today and tomorrow.

A total of ten teams will be taking part in the two day warm-up to the NorWOSSA season.

Both the Saints and Broncos will open the tournament in their home gyms at noon.

The finals are slated for Beaver Brae Saturday afternoon at 2:00.

Two local Bridges Being Named after Fallen Officers

The province is planning to name a couple of bridges in the Kenora area in honor of two OPP officers who died in line of duty.

The bridges are located along the Kenora By-Pass and will be named after Constable Peter Sebborn and Sergeant Tom Cooper.

Sebborn was killed in a collision on July 1st, 1952, while driving to the scene of an accident.

Cooper was shot while responding to a domestic disturbance on the Grassy Narrows First Nation on July 25th, 1991.

The naming ceremony will take place at the Discovery Center on September 29th.

Aboriginal Education Panel Visits Rat Portage

The National Round-Table on Aboriginal Education has received a list of several recommendations to improve learning in Northern communities.

The 3-member Panel was in Rat Portage First Nation yesterday for the first of 7 stops across Canada.

Jack McMaster is the Director of Education for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says the Feds need to bridge the gap between primary and secondary learning.

McMaster says students living on reserves need to have a smooth transition when attending High School in Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and Kenora.

October Elections

Advanced poll locations for the October 6^th elections open to the public next Wednesday, September 21st. You have until September 30^th to cast your vote at Kenora’s satellite office:

227 2^nd Street South. 

 

Bombardier

Bombardier says final assembly of its Global seven-thousand and eight-thousand business jets will be done at its manufacturing site in Toronto.

The Montreal-based aerospace giant has not determined how many jobs will be created by the move.Already, about four-thousand people work at the Bombardier site in Toronto.

Counterfeit Heist

The R-C-M-P have seized half-a-million dollars worth of counterfeit designer goods from GKS CLOTHES in Winnipeg
Mounties went to the store armed with a search warrant and say they found items with labels such as Prada, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Gucci. Police are looking at possible charges under the Copyright, Trademark and Textile Act

Order of Canada

Forty-five Canadians will be honoured at Rideau Hall in Ottawa this morning when they're awarded the Order of Canada.

Among those named as an officer is astronaut Julie Payette, who flew on two shuttle missions.The group also includes former senator Pat Carney, who served in the cabinet of then-prime minister Brian Mulroney in the late 1980's

Kenora OPP

The Kenora Detachment of the OPP says its continuing to focus on the drug trade in the Kenora area.

Inspector Dave Lucas says they've seen a big jump in the number of drug-related charges
in the city compared to last year.

Lucas says many of the property crime, auto thefts and mischief incidents they've investigated have been directly related to their drug investigations.

Aboriginal-Juries

A motion filed by a Thunder Bay lawyer over a lack of aboriginal representation on the region's jury roll could delay jury trials starting next week.
Christopher Watkins raised the issue on behalf of his client. Watkins filed a motion during Thursday morning's assignment court, calling for a trial of the jury roll issue.Watkins claimed that his client should be tried by a jury that reflects the region's population.

NAN

It's thumbs down by the Nishnawbe Aski Nation to an offer from the Ontario government. Premier Dalton McGuinty is offering meetings instead of a Commission of Inquiry into the deaths of seven NAN students in Thunder Bay. Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose says they expect nothing less from the Premier than to announce the inquiry.

All-Candidates Debate

The region's forest industry, health care, taxes and energy were all hot topics at last nights all candidates debate in Dryden. The NDP's Sarah Campbell, Progressive Conservative candidate Rod McKay and Green hopeful Jo Jo Holiday focused all their attention on Liberal candidate Anthony Leek. All parties touched on government policies on taxation, energy and forestry. Kenora is hosting a second debate on Tuesday

OFL

The Ontario Federation of Labour will co-ordinate simultaneous solidarity rallies at every community college campus in Ontario next Tuesday.

The O-F-L has been supporting the striking support workers at the colleges who have been out for more than two weeks.O-F-L president Sid Ryan will join picket lines today at Mohawk College to show his support.

Trustee upset over EQAO test results

Aboriginal High School literacy test results have caught the attention of a Sioux Lookout Trustee with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

Bob O'Donohue says the success rate has dropped 10-percent over the past 5-years and he believes all the time and energy spent on aboriginal education is not paying off.

Superintendent of Education Sean Monteith is defending the results.

89 students wrote the mandated exam last year and 57-passed.

46 of 70 students were successful in 2009-2010.

McGuinty Says No to Northern Leaders Debate

Premier Dalton McGuinty is the lone holdout for a Northern Ontario leaders debate ahead of the October 6th election.

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is hosting the debate in Thunder Bay next Friday.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says that McGuinty is once again turning his back on Northerners.

P.C. Leader Tim Hudak says the Liberals don't care about local issues.

McGuinty says he'll instead push for a Northern segment in the televised leaders' debate September 27th in Toronto.

EQAO

More students in the Keewatin-Patricia School District are passing the EQAO reading and writing exams.

The success rate for reading is 74-percent for Grade 6 and 63-percent for Grade 3 students.

Superintendent of Education Caryl Hron says she's not surprised by the results.

The success rate for writing is 64-percent in Grade 6 and 61-percent for students in Grade 3.

All-Candidates Forum

Local and Provincial issues will be in the spotlight tonight as the first All-Candidates Forum of the Provincial Election is being held in Dryden.

The Kenora-Rainy River candidates will debate the hot topics.Candidates will be able to grill one another and questions will also be accepted from the Media and the Floor.The Forum starts at 7 o'clock at the Royal Canadian Legion.

If you can't make it, the debate will be broadcasted live on Shaw Cable 10.

Kenora Hydro

Kenora Hydro is trying to find the cause of regular power outages in the Lakeside, north end and
Coney Island areas.

Over the past few weeks, electricity has been interrupted several times, sometimes for hours on end.

President and CEO of Kenora Hydro Dave Sinclair says they've done a complete inspection of the system, but haven't been able to find out what's triggering the outages.

Sinclair says if anyone notices any strange activity, or noise on the hydro lines in their neighborhood, they should contact Kenora Hydro with the details.

Riverside Foundation for Health Care

A long-time resident of the Rainy River district is presenting Riverside Foundation for Health Care with one-hundred thousand dollars.
Foundation Director Nicke Baird says gift comes from someone who is choosing to remain anonymous.


Baird says the individual is also leaving it up to the Foundation on how the money will be used.

Full-Day Kindergarten

Area classrooms are bustling with little ones this year as the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board enters the second year in implementing the Full-Day, Early Learning Kindergarten Program.254-students are enrolled in the program across the District this year, 86 of those right here in Kenora

College Student Alliance

A student advocacy group is calling for a resumption of negotiations in the strike by support workers at Ontario community colleges.

Brian Costantini, president of the College Student Alliance, says the impact on students will increase the longer the strike that started Sept. 1 continues.

The group says students from various colleges have reported problems getting needed services such as IT, child care and tutoring, and adds some students' semesters are threatened by the walkout.

The workers are members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents about 8,000 cleaners, food service staff, registration officers and other workers at the province's 24 colleges.

Wages and job protection are major issues in the dispute. The colleges say they will remain open during the strike, using management and non-unionized part-time staff.

Lake of the Woods

The federal government should get some high level recommendations on how to protect
water quality on Lake of the Woods by Christmas.

The International Joint Commission is looking through a report by a Task Force that was set up last year to look at the local watershed.

Kelly Saunders was a member of the committee and is hoping the commission takes their recommendations seriously.

The governments in Canada and the United States are expected to announce their water quality
plans for Lake of the Woods by the spring of 2012.

Bob Bernie

A member of the Kenora Detachment of the OPP is getting a provincial honor.

Constable Bob Bernie has been chosen as Officer of the year.

He was singled out for his work with the Kenora Mental Health and Drug Awareness Task force.

Bernie will pick up his award at the OPP Accolades Ceremony in Orillia next Monday.

Ford Canada

Forty-four years of production comes to an end today at the Ford of Canada plant in the southwestern Ontario community of St. Thomas.

When the last Crown Victoria rolls off the assembly line, the plant's last 12-hundred hourly-paid employees will be out of work. Sales of Crown Victorias and other large rear-wheel drive cars made by Ford have been falling in recent years as consumers opt for more fuel efficient models

Randall Hopley

A psychiatric examination was ordered for Randall Hopley when he appeared in a court in Cranbrook, B-C yesterday.

The evaluation will determine if Hopley is fit to stand trial on charges of kidnapping and abducting a child under 14. He has been ordered to be back in court for a bail hearing on November 9th.

Hopley was charged after three-year-old Kienan Hebert vanished for four days in Sparwood, B-C.

Canadian Blood Services

253 Kenora residents took one hour of their time over the last 2 days to donate blood at Thomas Aquinas High School. Harvey Heather from Canadian blood services says over 600 patients will benefit from this weeks blood donor clinic. For more information about becoming a blood donor call 1-888-2-DONATE or visit: www.bloodservices.ca

AbitibiBowater

AbitibiBowater says it's concerned about proposals for managing the Abitibi River forest.


The Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association has said the proposal would immediately cut the conifer wood supply in the area by 25 per cent.

AbitibiBowater says the such reductions in wood supply could jeopardize future forest sector investments.

It says it could also impact the economic foundation of 25 northern Ontario communities.

The Ontario Health Coalitions

The Ontario Health Coalitions wants to make health care a priority in the provincial election campaign.

Spokesperson Natalie Mehra says the political parties need to explain where they stand on the key issues in health care. Mehra says more than 18-thousand hospital beds have cut since 1990 while 24-thousand people wait for nursing home beds and 10 thousand wait for home care.

Randall Hopley

The Mounties say kidnapping charges await Randall Hopley when he  appears in a court in Cranbrook, British Columbia today.

Hopley was arrested yesterday 20-kilometres east of Sparwood. Three-year-old Kienan Hebert was returned to his Sparwood home on Sunday, four days after he disappeared.

R-C-M-P Inspector Brendan Fitzpatrick says it appears Hopley acted alone. Fitzpatrick adds no deal was made for the safe return of the boy

Air Canada Strike

Air Canada's flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to give their union leadership a mandate to call a strike.

Some 68-hundred workers could walk off the job as early as September 21st after giving the airline 72 hours notice.

The two sides continue to negotiate, but union president Jeff Taylor says progress has been very slow. Air Canada says it's business as usual until a strike is launched, when it plans to operate a partial schedule including code share flights operated by its partner airlines

Forest Fire Update

A shift in weather conditions has drifted smoke from a forest fire in Minnesota into Northwestern Ontario and as far east as Owen Sound and Barrie.


The lightning caused fire is 60-thousand acres in size and is about 15-kilometres south of the Canadian Border.The fire poses no threat to Canadian communities; however some U.S. road closures and evacuations have taken place.There are 45-active fires in the Northwest Region, with an area of nearly 480-thousand hectares burned.