New Years at the Rec. Center a Popular Draw

The Kenora Rec. Center now has one of the biggest New Year's events in the City.

Councillor Charito Drinkwalter says this year's family night on December 31st, attracted 407 people.

That's 150 more than last year.

The Rotary Club sponsors the family night from 4:00 to 8:00 allowing families to swim and skate at the Rec. Center for Free on the last night of the year.

Tourism Survey Deadline Looming

The deadline is quickly coming for an on-line survey about Kenora's tourism industry.

The survey was presented by Roger Brooks last month during a return visit to the city.

Councillor Sharon Smith says so far the response has been fantastic.

Tomorrow is the last day to submit your survey on Kenora.ca.

The information will be used to help determine a specific tourism message the city wants to market to visitors in the future.

Boil Water Advisory lifted in Keewatin

A five day old boil water advisory has been lifted for the Keewatin and Norman areas.

The advisory was issued last Thursday after a water pipe in the Portage Bay area broke.

The city was waiting for two consectutive water tests to come back free of any bacterial contamination before it lifted the advisory.

The Advisory was lifted just before 10:00 this morning.

Boil Water Advisory

The City of Kenora is hoping to lift a boil water advisory in the Keewatin and Norman

areas today.

The advisory has been in place since last week after a water line in the Portage Bay
area broke.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says this is the fourth break in the line in the
past three years.

Perchuck says the first results of water tests done on the line came back negative for the presence of bacteria, but they need one more test result before they can lift the boil water advisory.

MS Kenora

The MS Kenora is ready to set sail to Coney Island.


But the owner of the tour boat says the City is going to have to address the docking situation on the island first.

Al Luby made a deputation to city council yesterday and says before they can go forward with their plans, the city is going to have to improve the public docks on the north side of the island.

Luby is asking the city to do an engineering report on the docks and then they can decide whether to go ahead with their plans to operate a daily service to the island.

Drug Bust on the By-Pass

A traffic stop on the Kenora By-Pass has taken another 25 hundred dollars in illegal drugs off the street.

The OPP say they stopped a vehicle near the intersection of the Redditt
Road around 12:30 this morning.

Officers says they found about 200 Oxycodone pills inside the vehicle.

Both occupants have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

24 year old Calvin Delarond of Kenora and 35 year old Cheryl Ann Bird of Winnipeg are due to appear in court this February on the charges.

Health Unit Celebrates "Man"-uary

This is "MANuary"!

The Northwestern Health Unit is trying raise awareness of testicular cancer.

Public Health Nurse Patty Foster says they were surprised at the lack of awareness among men in our communities.

Foster says they have launched a Facebook campaign and will be hitting area schools to raise more awareness.

Rickford expects a lean federal budget in 2012

The federal government plans to do some belt-tightening in the new year.

The budget isn't expected for a couple of more months, but Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the Harper Government is committed to reducing spending.

Rickford says the goal is to try and reduce spending as much as possible to try and bring down their deficit.

City Council back in Session Today

Kenora city council is back in session today after a couple of weeks off for the Christmas and New Year's Break.

The committee of the whole will meet at 3:30 this afternoon, with a fairly thin  agenda.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says 2011 was a very busy year for the city and is hoping things like the Community Improvement Plan on the Abitibi properties will pay dividends in 2012.

Canfield says while they only have one business on the Abitibi property right now, they hope to be able to announce more activity in the months ahead.

Break in at Mount Evergreen

The OPP are investigating some mischief and a theft at the Mount Evergreen Ski Club.

Last week, police say someone drove a truck down the ski hills and some of the groomed trails.

Two snowboards and two pairs of skiis were also stolen.

Anyone with information can contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Boil Water Advisory

The City of Kenora's boil water advisory remains in effect for all those in the Norman and Keewatin area who are connected to the City of Kenora’s Water System.

Kenora’s Water & Sewer Department says it’s caused by a water main break at Portage Bay in Keewatin.

The city can’t guarantee the quality of the water until satisfactory sample results are received from the lab”

A boil water advisory for all locations in Norman and Keewatin remain in effect until further notice

Nathan Cullen

Thunder Bay is playing host to a candidate in the Federal NDP leadership race.


B.C. MP Nathan Cullen is holding a meet and greet this afternoon at the Madhouse Tavern and then another event in the evening for party faithful.

An NDP all candidates debate will be held in Sudbury in February.

Lock It before you Pocket

Police are launching a campaign called``lock it before you pocket.''

They'll be cracking down on 9-1-1 pocket dialers.

The program launches today in Toronto where last year the force got more than 100 thousand pockets dials and more than 115 thousand misdials.

Police say if that happens to you, don't hang up and explain to the operator it was a mistake.

North American Palladium

North American Palladium says it's committed to building the mining industry in the Thunder Bay area.


CEO Bill Biggar says about 16-square kilometres has been acquired northwest of the current Lac-des-Iles operation.

He says they plan to invest up to 4-million dollars at the site to get it ready for operations next year.

A mine shaft at their current operation is still in production.

First Nations Help

Two First Nations near Attawapiskat are also sounding the alarm over concerns of their own.


Kashechewan and Fort Albany are both calling on federal and provincial governments for immediate
emergency help with their housing situations.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan recently announced more than 3-million dollars for housing in Kashechewan

Highway 17 East

Highway 17 east of the Terrace Bay airport is open to both lanes of traffic after an accident overnight.

A transport jack knifed blocking both lanes.

Police say the road was closed for five hours while crews towed the rig off the highway but luckily no one was hurt.

Tuition Rebates

Ontario students can now go online to apply for a rebate on their tuition fees.

The McGuinty government is making good on a campaign promise to take 30 per cent off the average cost of tuition.

Students enrolled in the Ontario Student Assistance Program will be automatically considered and don't have to apply.

To qualify for the grant, students must be less than four years out of high school and their parents' gross income can't be more than 160-thousand dollars

Weather Record

It's one of the warmest winters we've had in over 20 years. A new record high was set in Kenora yesterday when the mercury hit 2.5 degrees.


CJRL Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says the old mark of 0.8 was set back 1992 but we weren’t the only ones breaking record highs in January.

It was a little warmer in Fort Frances yesterday, temperatures were steady at 8.2.

Amber Alert Update

Police in Northern Ontario have ended an Amber Alert for two young children they say were abducted in the Timmins area.

Three year old Aiden Johnson and one year old Kara Johnson have been safely recovered in the North Bay area.

The father, 34 year old Zachary Johnson is in police custody.

Crime Stoppers Month

Join the fight against crime!

January is Crime Stoppers Month.


Supplying police with information about a crime that leads to an arrest could garner an award of up to $2,000.

The process is simple and your name remains anonymous.

If you have any information that could help police solve a crime, call 1-888-222-TIPS or visit ontarioccrimestoppers.ca

Drug Bust

A drug shipment didn't make it to its destination last week thanks to The Nishnawbe-Aski Drug Enforcement Unit and the North East Region Crime Unit.

The intercepted package contained sixty one grams of Marihuana and was destined for the community of Kashechewan First Nation.

Thirty two year old Kathy Kimberly Koosees has been arrested and charged with Possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and will appear in court on March 28th.

RRSP

You now have until the end of next month to make your RRSP contribution and according to a CIBC study many of us will be making contributions despite economic troubles.

Investment Expert Blake Cameron says what the report doesn't show is that not many people use RRSP's. Cameron adds it's somewhere around thirty percent.


Cameron says troubles with various other pension plans and the Canadian Pension plan seem to be driving people to RRSP's.

Economy

It could be a volatile year economy wise for Northwestern Ontario.

Thats the prediction from Lakehead University Economics Professor Livio Di Matteo.

He says construction should continue to provide a boost to the economy but two areas to watch is the forestry sector and the minority government.

Attawapiskat Aid

An Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team is to leave Oshawa today with 100-thousand dollars in aid supplies for Attawapiskat.

The aid includes water purification systems and tablets, adult and child hygiene kits, medical supplies and thermal clothing.

The team delivering the aid will include a Durham Region police officer, two paramedics, one each from Durham Region and Toronto E-M-S, and a water technician.

Riding Association

Liberals in the Kenora-Rainy River riding are looking to reorganize.


A riding association meeting is planned for January 17th in Dryden.

Anthony Leek, who represented the party in last October's election, says it's important to have a strong local riding association in place.

The riding association was not that active in the year's leading up to last fall's election.

Osisko Mining

Osisko Mining has become the target of an unsolicited mini-tender offer.

The company proposing an open-pit gold mine near Atikokan says its neither recommending nor endorsing the bid from TRC Capital.

TRC wants to acquire up to 5-million dollars in Osisko shares at a discounted share rate.

Mini-tender offers are designed to seek less than 5 per cent of a company's outstanding shares.

Atikokan Cultural Plan

A final draft of a new municipal cultural plan is now in the hands of Atikokan township councillor.

It makes 33 recommendations aimed at promoting and using the town's cultural assets as an economic development tool.

Mayor Dennis Brown says the township will be able to carry out some, but not all of the recommendations.

Council will hear more about the plan when the plan's author visits next Monday night.

Winter Driving

Provincial police say winter conditions were factors in two multi-vehicle crashes that left seven teens dead.

The collisions occurred on Tuesday within four hours of each other in the Parry Sound and Sudbury areas.

Police say the tragedies show how important it is for motorists to adjust their driving behaviour to the road conditions.

The O-P-P is asking parents to speak to their young drivers about the dangers of winter driving and to lead by example

Amber Alert

Police in Timmins, Ont., have issued an Amber Alert for two young children they say were abducted in the Timmins area.


Police are looking for three-year-old Aiden Johnson and one-year-old Kara Johnson, who they believe to be with their father Zachary Johnson.

Zachary Johnson is described as five-foot-10, skinny build, short curly dark brown hair with some grey, grey-green eyes, and scruffy facial hair.

Aiden Johnson is described as three-foot-six, stocky build, light brown medium length hair with blue eyes.

Police say he was wearing black and red Oshkosh snow boots with two Velcro straps and a white winter jacket with blue and black rockets and spaceships.

Kara Johnson is described as two-feet-tall, petite build, light brown short hair with bangs, fine hair, and hazel eyes.

She was wearing a one-piece, turquoise baby sleeper with a bunny in front.

The vehicle Johnson was driving was located broken down near Westmount Avenue and University Street in Timmins.

Police have been unable to locate Johnson and the kids and say he could be headed for Ottawa, Nova Scotia or Saint Sauveur des Monts,Que.

Salvation Army Canada

The bells weren't the only thing jingling during the Salvation Army's annual Kettle Campaign.

The organization says it raised a record 20-million dollars this Christmas.

The Salvation Army marked the 120th anniversary of its Kettle Campaign with nearly two-thousand kettles in stores and on street corners across Canada and through an online campaign.

Hunting Fine

A northwestern Ontario woman has been fined 15-hundred dollars for hunting violations relating to an incident last fall in the Sioux Narrows area.


Trisha Brackett was charged in October after a Ministry of Natural Resources investigation revealed the resident of Marathon had fired from and across a road at a deer.

She later killed the animal, despite not having a proper tag.

Canada Day Poster Challenge

Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Honourable James Moore has launched the 2012 Canada Day Poster Challenge.

This years theme is " The Fight for Canada".

This national competition invites young Canadians aged 5 to 18 to design an original poster that illustrates how the people, places, and events of the past have shaped our country.


The deadline for entering the contest is March 9, 2012.

For more details, visit the competition website: Canadian Heritage

Veterans Access to Benefits

A software program that could end many disagreements between injured soldiers and Veterans Affairs Canada has been stuck in the federal bureaucracy for over a year.

Canada's veterans ombudsman Guy Parent wants the application made available online so vets and former Mounties can determine what benefits they're entitled to.

The program was developed by the ombudsman's office and is currently approved only for internal use.

Festive RIDE Program

The Festive RIDE Program came to a disappointing end. Spokesperson

Shelley Garr says 47 impaired charges were handed out in the Northwest and a new issues is people tweeting RIDE location.

 Garr says although tweeting the locations is not illegal it is generally frowned upon. Garr commented its disappointing to still see people drinking and driving.

Municipal employees: Fort Frances

Municipal employees in Fort Frances have started 2012 with new contracts.


Separate four-year-deals for unionized workers and managers and non-unionized staff were agreed to just before the Christmas break.

The deals include wage hikes of two per cent in each year.

One with the Canadian Union of Public Employees impacts 67 full and part time workers, along with eighteen unionized positions.

The other covers about 40 managers and non-unionized staff, along with another 28 students.

Kenora Winter Carnival Charity Challenge

It's a tight race for the Kenora Winter Carnival Charity Challenge.

Tourism Development Officer, Heather Patterson says “so far so good”.

The Lake of the Woods Hospital Foundation and It’s a Dog’s Life are tied for a close first having sold just over 400 winter carnival buttons.






Other charities selling buttons include:

Kenora Scouts
Habitat for Humanity
The Canadian Cancer Society
Alzheimer’s Society
Special Olympics
Triple P.L.A.Y

Winter Carnival Buttons" are $2.00 each and are available at The Discovery Center, City Hall or online at http://www.kenorawintercarnival.ca/

The Kenora Winter Carnival is March 2-March 4th 2012.

Fibrek

Quebec pulp producer Fibrek is urging its shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid from Resolute Forest Products.



Resolute is offering 130-million dollars for the company that has pulp mills in Quebec, West Virginia and Michigan.


In a letter to shareholders, Fibrek says the bid deprives them of the opportunity to participate in the upside of the pulp business and other earnings streams.

Driven to Quit Challenge

Quit smoking and you could win a car.


The Canadian Cancer Society has launched its seventh annual “Driven to Quit Challenge”

The Challenge itself is funded annually by the Ontario government and is open
to anyone over the age of 19-who used tobacco for at least 10 months in
2011.

Those who stay smoke-free for the month of March could win their
choice of a new Ford Fusion hybrid or Ford Edge.

Click here to register!

Alzheimer Awareness month

There's a delay in Canadians seeking diagnosis for dementia according to a new Alzheimer Society survey.


It finds that people are delaying diagnosis because they believe their symptoms are part of old age.

January is Alzheimer Awareness month.

Cash Draw

What a difference $20,000 would make.

The Kenora Swimming Sharks CASH DRAW takes place at the Kenora Recreation Centre on January 19th.

Just under 2,500 tickets will be sold for $20 each and are available at many businesses around Kenora including Sunset Strip Husky

Freedom of Information Legislation

Most Ontario hospitals are expected to post their executive contracts online today now that they're subject to freedom of information legislation.

The N-D-P want to cap the salaries of hospital C-E-O's at 418-thousand dollars a year but Tom Closson of the Ontario Hospital Association says this is the wrong time to limit pay for hospital administrators.

Closson adds that being more transparent will boost the public's confidence in what he says is the most efficient hospital system in Canada.

Kenora Youth Council

Want to make a difference in the community?


If you're between the ages of 14-21, attending high school or an educational institute: why not join the Kenora Youth Council?

Interested volunteers have until Friday, January 6th 2012 to submit their application to:

Joanne McMillin
City Hall
One Main Street South
                                                Kenora, ON
                                                P9N 3X2
                                                Phone: (807) 467-2000
                                                Fax: (807) 467-2009
                                                E-Mail: jmcmillin@kenora.ca

Application forms and terms of reference are available at City Hall or by visiting www.kenora.ca

2012 in Fort Frances

The Mayor of Fort Frances says the lack of a municipal election in 2010 proved to be beneficial for his community.


Roy Avis says with everyone back, council was able to plot strategies right away in 2011.

Avis says with Resolute Forest Products still facing economic challenges, and the mill seeking a reduction in taxes, 2012 could be a challenge.

Sarah Campbell

2011 wasn't as productive at Queen's Park as Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell would have liked.


Campbell, who took over for Howard Hampton in October's election, says she would have liked to see more come out of her first session.

Campbell says the inability to form parliamentary committees in the last session prevented many proposed bills from moving forward.

Equipment Donation

Youth at four area First Nations around Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls are benefiting from a large donation of sports equipment from residents of Ottawa.

The U-Hall truck load of equipment was distributed to children at Whitefish Bay, Northwest Angle #33 and #37 and Onigaming yesterday.

Peter White, an elder at Whitefish Bay, says it's a great gift.

Former Metis Nation of Ontario president, Tony Belcourt, who lives in Ottawa, helped organize the drive.

Immunization

The Northwestern Health Unit is encouraging area residents to get immunized against pertussis or whooping cough.


The respiratory infection comes with severe spells of coughing followed a whoop sound before the next breath.

The Health Unit says its noticed a slight increase in the number of cases, effecting both young infants to adults.

Ontario Budget

MPP's head back to work in a months time.

Michael Gravelle says they'll start straight in on the province's budget.

“We know that we’re going to be facing a daunting year in terms of the fiscal situation in the province of Ontario. We’re all conscious that the upcoming spring budget will be a very important one in terms of the decisions that are made by our government”


The Ontario legislature resumes in February.

REACH Health Facility

Confederation College's Dean of Health and Community Services says they'll be reaching out to the regional campuses in 2012.


Kathleen Lynch says they're going to hit the ground running in the New Year.

"We'll be full steam ahead with all of our new equipment and our ability to do simulation, adding more of that to the curriculum so it’s very exciting for us”

Lynch also adds that they look forward to using their video conferencing capabilities to touch base with those who are using distance education.

The REACH building in Thunder Bay welcomed students in September.

NDP Leadership Debate

Issues pertaining to Northern Ontario will get all the attention of the federal NDP leadership hopefuls.


All eight candidates will be duking it out in Sudbury for an all candidates debate early next year.

Organizer Richard Eberhardt says they want to hear from each candidate on their position for Northern Ontario.

The event is scheduled for February 5th 2012.

CJRL's Sister Changes

There's a fresh new look and name for CFOB-FM, better known as B-93 - CJRL's sister station in Fort Frances.


93-1, The Border, took to the airwaves in Fort Frances and the Rainy River district this week.

Station Manager Leo Melanson says there's also a fresh new sound for area listeners.

Melanson says 93.1 The Border will continue to build on its reputation of community involvement and complete local news coverage.