HST Atikokan

While most want it decrease, Atikokan town council is advocating a on per cent hike in the HST.

The town says the revenue could be earmarked for municipalities for infrastructure improvements.

Mayor Dennis Brown says it may be the only really option to covering the high cost of that work.

Brown adds that under their proposal, his community would receive more than 850-thousand dollars

Betty's

A recent window display has earned Betty's of Fort Frances some international recognition.


The display showed off German-based Schleich toy figurines and was entered in a company sponsored contest.

Blair Anderson says their store was selected third best among hundreds of retailers worldwide


Anderson says they get a voucher for free product they'll distributed to customers while photos of the display will be used by the company in future promotions.

Temperature records tumble in NWO

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday was was a record breaking day in four northwest communities yesterday.

Kenora hit 2.7 -degrees, eclipising the previous high of 1.3 which was set in 1990.

Fort Frances was the hot spot with a record 5.1-degrees.

Rat Portage Charging for Ice Road Access

The Rat Portage First Nation has once again decided to charge for the use of the ice road that runs through the reserve.

Effective yesterday, check points have been set up on the Gap Road and Matheson Bay entrances to the community.

A seasonal pass for non-residents of Rat Portage is 75 dollars, or 50 dollars a month, or 25 dollars a day.

Passes are available at the band office.

NorWOSSA games cancelled

Poor road conditions are playing havoc with the NorWOSSA court sports season.

Both Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae boys basketball and girls volleyball teams were supposed to be in action today.

The Saints were scheduled to host Red Lake, while the Broncos had a home date against Dryden.

Eight games in total have been cancelled due to road closures and treacherous conditions.

Highway 17 East open to one lane of traffic

Traffic is starting to move slowly again on Highway 17 east of Kenora.

The OPP say one lane of the Trans-Canada has been opened following a fatal multiple vehicle collision about 30 kilometers east of Kenora.

Police say a westbound transport jack-knifed near Dogtooth Lake around 1:00 this morning.

An eastbound semi was unable to avoid the truck and collided with it.

Police say the driver of the eastbound unit was killed.

A short time later  another tractor-trailor unit and a passenger vehicle also slid into the first two trucks.

There was one other accident reported last night, when a transport rolled over near Chadwick Lake on Highway 17 east and lost its load.

The OPP say the driver was not injured in that mishap.

One Person Survives North Spirit Lake Plane Crash

The only person who survived the crash of a small plane flying from Winnipeg to northern Ontario is said to be in stable condition in a Winnipeg hospital.

Thirty-six-year-old Brian Shead works for Aboriginal Strategies Incorporated, an administrative service for First Nations based in Winnipeg.

His wife Tracy says at first it was believed he died, but then she found out he had a broken ankle and broken bones in his face.

She says she's been told he's awake and his vital signs are good.

More troubles for Pikangikum

The only school in a troubled northwestern Ontario First Nation may have to shut its doors because mould has driven away many of its teachers.

The Pikangikum First Nation says it has seen almost all the non-local teachers leave the community because of mould growing in the teachers' residences.

Director of education Kyle Peters says after fighting for years for a decent school, and dealing with rampant suicide, substance abuse and poverty, this is the last thing the youth of Pikangikum need.

 Improving education is at the top of the agenda when First Nations leaders meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in two weeks for a summit in Ottawa.

Highway 17 east still closed

The OPP say it could be a couple of more hours before the wreckage from a fatal overnight crash on Highway 17 east of Kenora is finally cleared away.

Police say a westbound tractor-trailor unit jack-knifed about 30 kilometers east of town around 1:00 last night.

It was struck by an eastbound semi, which was unable to stop, due to slippery road conditions.

The driver of the eastbound unit was killed in the collision.

In the meantime, two more transports also collided with the other two semis.

Earlier in the evening, the OPP say there was also another roll-over on the Trans-Canada east of Kenora near Chadwick Lake.

Police say the semi spilt its load, but the driver was not injured.

Lakewood School Proposal pitched to KPDSB

Administration with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board isn't ready to endorse plans to re-develop Lakewood School just yet.

Geordie McEwan made his pitch for the Lake of the Woods Center at last night's board meeting and says there is definitely a need for such a facility in Kenora.

Trustees say they want administration to come to their next committee of the whole meeting
with some feedback about the proposal.

The board then says it will look at doing a community consultation on the idea.

Evergreen School Remains Open for One more year

Evergreen parents are breathing a sigh of relief today.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has agreed to keep the elementary

school open for at least one more year.

Trustees made the decision last night after hearing a presentation about a proposal

to re-develop Lakewood School into an adult education center.

Pam Cederwall says she's pleased the decision to close Evergreen has been

delayed.

The public school board was going to close the school at the end of this school year,

but agreed to delay closure until at least the spring of 2013.

Highway 17 Closed

Highway 17, 30kms east of Kenora is closed this morning.


The Kenora Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police say icy road conditions where the main factor of a motor vehicle collision in which they are still investigating.

A detour is available at Highway 11.

School Buses Cancelled

It's only the third day of school for students in 2012 but already they're catching a break thanks to Mother Nature

Unless you live within walking distance to the school, you might as well let the kids sleep in this morning.

School Bus services for  Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Dryden, Red Lake/Ear Falls ,Ignace, Minaki have been cancelled due to icy road conditions.

Any further updates will be posted. Please log onto www.nwobus.ca

Four feared dead in North Spirit Lake Plane Crash

One person has survived a plane crash that killed four others in North Spirit Lake.

Maggie Kakegamic, a band councillor from the North Spirit Lake reserve where the small plane crashed, says the person is being treated at the local clinic.

The Transportation Safety Board says the Keystone Air plane crashed into the lake around 10 o'clock this morning.

Spokesperson Peter Hildebrand says the small aircraft was flying from Winnipeg to North Spirit Lake when it crashed a half a mile before the runway.

Hildebrand says five people, including the pilot, were on board.

He says there was a fire in the aircraft after it went down.

Hildebrand says two investigators have been dispatched to the scene, but it may be tomorrow before they get any further information about the cause of the crash.

Kakegamic says the small community of several hundred people about 400 kilometres north of Dryden is in shock and everybody is crying.

Plane Crash in Northwestern Ontario

Details are still sketchy about a plane crash in northwestern Ontario.

The Transportation Safety Board says a Keystone Air Service plane flying from Winnipeg to North Spirit Lake went down around 10:00 this morning.

The plane was carrying five people including the pilot.

Peter Hildebrand from the Safety Board says they don't know the condition of those on board at this time.

He says there was a fire in the aircraft after it went down on North Spirit Lake.

NorWOSSA Hockey Action Resumes today

Local high school hockey players will get a chance to work off their Christmas turkey today.

NorWOSSA hockey action resumes with a pair of games at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Beaver Brae's boys team is first up with a game against the Sioux Lookout Warriors.

The Broncos will be out for a measure of revenge, after the Warriors beat them in their first game of the season.

Game time is 4:30 at the Thistler Rink.

Following that contest, the Bronco girls are in action.

They'll face off against the Fort Frances Muskies at 7:30.

Hospital gets a new board member

Lake of the Woods District Hospital has a new trustee.

Dorothy Monteith was introduced at the hospital's monthly board meeting last month.

The position had been vacant since the summer, after one of the appointees decided not to fill the position.

The hospital board's nomination began their search to fill the vacancy in the fall.

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.