OPP investigating Keewatin Mischief complaints

The OPP are investigating a number of mischief complaints received over the past few days.

Police says over the weekend, they received a number of vandalism complaints in Keewatin.

A number of windows were smashed and property damaged on Ottawa Street.

Anyone with information about the mischief is asked to contact the Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers.

SIU looking into Dorion fatality

A man is in hospital in Thunder Bayafter he shot himself on Tuesday.

OPP were called to the Dorion cutoff area to speak with a man who had barricaded himself in his truck with a gun.

Sergeant Shelley Garr says the S.I.U. has taken over the investigation.

During the interaction with the police he shot himself.

Plane Crash Survivor improving

The sole survivor of a recent fatal plane crash that killed four people in northwestern Ontario has undergone surgery on his left ankle and foot.

Thirty-six-year-old Brian Shead of Winnipeg was the lone survivor of the January 10th crash of a Keystone Air Service twin-engine plane into North Spirit Lake.

Irene Shead says all things considered, her son's foot injuries and broken nose are minor and she's grateful that he will heal.

Killed were the plane's pilot and three employees of a Winnipeg-based First Nations office.

Its A Dogs Life Seeking Homes

Wanted: new homes for dogs in Kenora.

It's a Dogs Life says its in desparate need of homes for over 19 dogs.

Bobbi Derksen is a spokesperson for the pet rescue agency and says the situation is critical.

It's a Dogs Life says there are dogs at the pound in need of a home, or you can check their website for animals in need of adoption at  http://www.adogslife.cc/

Thistles look to get back into the Win Column

The Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles will be trying to put some distance between themselves and the Eastman Selects.

The Thistles host the Selects at the Kenora Rec. Center this evening in a mid-week tilt.

The Kenora Midgets lead Eastman by four points in the standings, but the Selects have one game in hand.

Game time is 7:30 tonight.

Kenora's Operations Department

The lack of snow this winter has been bad news for snowmobilers, but good news for the City of Kenora's snow removal budget.

The city maxed out its budget last year due to higher than average snowfall.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield the lack of snow is double-edged sword for the city.

Cold weather means less snow, but it also means more water line breaks.

The city budgets about 800 thousand dollars a year for snow removal services.

Mount Evergreen Ski Club Theft

Some good news for a couple of local skiiers.

The OPP say that a pair of snow boards and two pairs of skis have been returned to their rightful owners.

The ski equipment was stolen from Mount Evergreen Ski Club on January 4th.

Nine days later, the OPP say they received an anonymous tip about where the items could be located.

Officers recovered the property and have returned it to the owners.

16th Annual Bell Business Awards

You can now pick up your nomination forms for this year's Rainy River District 16th Annual Bell Business Awards.


The awards will be held in Fort Frances February 23th.

The awards are open to individuals, organizations and business across most of the Rainy River district, excluding Atikokan.

Nomination forms must be returned to the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce by February 10th.

Kenora Man arrested in Dryden

A Kenora man is in Dryden Police custody.

City Police were alerted to an abandoned dump truck on Highway 17 just east of the cemetery around 2 o'clock this morning.

Police contacted the registered owner and found out that the vehicle was stolen from Thunder Bay.

Officers and the OPP K-9 unit followed footprints into the cemetery and to a local business.

The accused was found hiding in a storage building.

Police say 39 year old David Wayne Sandberg faces a charge of possesion of property obtained by crime.

Blood Donor Clinic Wraps up today

A good turn-out for the first day of the Blood Donor Clinic in Kenora.

Yesterday, 162 people showed up at Thomas Aquinas to give the gift of life.

Canadian Blood Services says it collected 137 units of blood on day one.

That was three higher than their original goal.

Today there are still 30 appointment times available.

The Blood Donor Clinic runs until 12:30 this afternoon.

Field set for 2012 Ontario Scotties in Kenora

The final teams have qualified for the 2012 Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts taking place in Kenora next week.

Former provincial champion, Sherry Middaugh qualitied for the Scotties over the weekend in a last chance tournament.

She's joined by another former Ontario champion, Jenn Hanna from Ottawa, who also qualified through the last chance bonspiel.

A total of ten rinks have been confirmed for next week's draw, including four from northern Ontario.

The Scotties will begin Monday evening at the Kenora Curling Club.

Northwestern Ontario Health Survey Results

The Northwestern Health Unit is painting a poor portrait of the lifestyles of local residents.

The Health Unit has just released a number of reports that looks at some of the overall issues affecting the health of people living in this region.

Dr. James Arthurs says on a per capita basis we're one of the poorest areas of the province.

Arthurs says the good news is the Health Unit can use these reports to develop programs or put more money into existing programs to improve the health of local residents.

Illegal Deer Hunting in Kenora

Two Kenora men are 22 hundred dollars poorer after illegally killing a deer.

David Adams and Victor Longe were stopped MNR conservation officers on the English River Road, north of town back in October.

The officers found evidence that Adams had killed a deer, which he denied at the time.

The conservation officers discovered that Adams had killed an antler less deer three days before and didn't have a tag for the animal.

The harvested deer and parts of another deer were located at Longe's home.

Illegal Hunting in Vermilion Bay

A Vermillion Bay man is going to have to cough up a thousand dollars for illegally killing a wolf.
Trevor Robinson pleaded guilty to hunting and killing a wolf without a license.

The MNR says they received information that Robinson had shot a wolf on Little Clay Road near Vermilion Bay back in November of 2008.

Robinson was not licensed to hunt wolves, but he affixed a seal on the dead animal from another hunter.

Kenora's 2012 budget

Progress is being made on Kenora's 2012 budget.

A draft of the operating and capital budgets has been completed.

Councillor Ron Lunny says councillors will get a chance to view the proposed budget over the next couple of weeks.

Last week the City of Dryden approved a 10 percent increase, but Lunny says Kenora's increase won't be anywhere near that high.

WestJet

WestJet developing a regional jet service could mean big opportunity for Confederation College students.  Dean of Aviation Joe Vieira says it will benefit both pilots and mechanics.

WestJet could add 40 turboprop jets to compete head to head against Air Canada.

Vieira says he hopes this'll lead to more people enrolling in the the avaition mechanics program.

Special Olympian:David Ducasse

A Special Olympian from the Fort Frances district is being adopted by the Ontario Provincial Police.


Officers and staff across the district will help raise money for David Ducasse to attend the Ontario Provincial games at the end of May.

David Ducasse will compete in bowling in his third trip to the provincials.

Area residents can also help out by visiting the detachments or going online to specialolympics2012games-dot-com.

Health Unit Offices Still Recovering from "flood"

Things still aren't quite back to normal at the Northwestern Health Unit offices in Kenora.

A broken toilet flooded parts of the Health Unit's Wolsley Street location on Tunnel Island last weekend.

Medical officer of health, Dr. James Arthurs says they've had to rip up carpet and tear down drywall damaged by water.

Some files also sustained some water damage.

He adds that the front desk was hit hardest and calls are still be re-routed through their Market Square offices today.

Broncos Boys lose two over the weekend

Beaver Brae's boys hockey team is heading into the exam break on a two game losing skid.

The Broncos dropped a 4-3 decision to the Dryden Eagles last night at the Kenora Rec. Center and were beaten 5-1 Friday night in Fort Frances by the Muskies.

Beaver Brae doesn't play again until January 27th, when they travel to Dryden to face the Eagles.

The Broncos just have four games left in the regular season.

Fort Frances Wins Kenora Bantam Tournament

Fort Frances took top honors at the Kenora Double "a" Bantam Hockey tournament over the weekend.

The Canadians upended the Dryden Paper Kings in the A-Side final Sunday afternoon 5-3.

The host Kenora Double "a" Bantam Thistles earned the bronze medal.

Blood Donor Clinic Starts today

Canadian Blood Services is asking for your help

Adrienne Silver, Communications Specialist for Northwestern Ontario says the need blood is constant.

In the new year alone they'll be looking for atleast one hundred thousand new donors just to keep up with the high demand.

They're at St. Thomas Aquinas today and tomorrrow and looking to book over 140 appointments

The Blood Donor Clinic starts this evening at 4:30 and runs till 9:00, and then again tomorrow from

9:30 to 12:30.

Give the gift of life in 2012 - book your appointment - call 1888-2-donate

OFIA Complains about Environmental Commissioner

The Ontario Forest Industries Association continues to be engaged in war of words with the province's Environmental Commissioner.

Last week Gordon Miller complained about a lack of a plan to protect natural spaces and species at risk in Ontario.

Jamie Lim is the president of the OFIA and questions Miller's science.

Lim says Ontario has already recognized the importance of forestry to its Climate Change solution.

Dryden Youth Killed near Oxdrift

A 14 year old Dryden teen has been identified as the victim of an accident near Oxdrift over the weekend.

Tristen Wise was hit by a transport around 3:00 Saturday afternoon.

The OPP say the highway was closed for about four hours while Technical Traffic Investigators looked into the cause of the fatal collision.

The Driver of the semi was not injured and police say no charges are pending at this time.

Kenora Arena's

The City's Recreation Department has completed a facility review of its arenas.

The Jaffray Melick Arena had to be closed down this winter due to deficiencies, but the Keewatin Memorial Arena has passed with flying colours.

Recreation Services Manager, Colleen Neil says no major problems were uncovered
with the actual building.

Neil says one issue that needs to be addressed is a crack in the arena floor, but they
can include that in any future capital planning for the facility.

Kenora City Council 2012 Meeting

Kenora City Council holds its first open meeting of 2012 tonight.


One of the items that could to generate some debate is a resoultion on paving the shoulders of provincial highways.

The resolution comes from the Township of Carling and says paving the shoulders would create safer traffic conditions cyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says the only highway in the City of Kenora that would be affected is the Redditt Road, because all the other provincial highways in the city have paved shoulders.

Chair of the Operations Committee Rod McKay says while he's not opposed to the idea, he questions whether the provincial government should be pursuing such initiatives, especially when its facing a 16 billion dollar deficit this year.

Adult Education Center

The viability of a new adult education center in Kenora should be a little clearer by the end of this month.

The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission is expecting to receive a final business.

Geordie McEwan is the vice-chair of the commission and says they'll be presenting the
findings to all their partners.

McEwan says regardless of whether the public school board approves the use of Lakewood
or not, he believes an adult education center is going to be a viable project.

North Spirit Lake Plane Crash Update

The Transportation Safety Board has released some initial findings into a plane crash that killed four people in North Spirit Lake.

 Investigators have determined the landing gear of the Piper Navajo was down and the flaps partially extended at the time of the crash in Northwestern Ontario.

Investigators also found heavy fire damage in the fuselage and the right-wing area.

The team is planning to take a further look at the engines and propellers.

The pilot and three passengers died in the crash last Tuesday.

One man survived and is recovering in hospital.

Terrace Bay Pulp Mill

It's bad news for the Town of Terrace Bay.


After 3-months of downtime was announced just before Christmas; Buchanan has decided to sell the mill.

Mayor Mike King says he doesn't think the mill will be able to meet it's downtime deadline.

King is still hopeful they'll be able to find a buyer and the mill will continue to operate in the future.

Highway 17 Weekend Closure

OPP are expected to release the name of the young pedestrian killed in Saturday's collision on Highway 17.


Police say a pedestrian was struck by a transport near Glengoland Road around 3 o'clock.

The pedestrian was transported to Dryden Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the semi was not injured and no charges are expected to be laid.

The victim is said to be a young teen.

Rick Hansen Relay Arrives tomorrow

The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay arrives in Kenora Saturday.

A total of 27 people will be participating in the run, which will start at Mount Evergreen at 11:45.

The relay will eventually make its way to the Harborfront Tent for a 3:00 ceremony.

Entertainment will start at 2:30 under the big tent.

Tough Weekend for Midget Thistles

A tough task for the Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles.

The Thistles will take on the Winnipeg Thrashers tonight at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The Thrashers site 29 points ahead of Kenora in the standings.

Game time is 8:00.

Tomorrow night, the Thistles will take on the first place Winnipeg Wild at home.

Meanwhile, two members of the Thistles will be in Morden on Sunday for the annual Manitoba Midget All-Star game.

Captain Grant Valiquette and goalie Davey Fisher will represent Kenora in the annual East versus West contest.

Busy weekend for NorWOSSA court sports

A busy weekend for local high school volleyball and basketball teams.

Beaver Brae and Thomas Aquinas are hosting a girls volleyball tournament today and tomorrow.

Both senior and junior teams will be in action starting this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Saints junior and senior boys basketball teams are on the road today.

T.A. is taking part in a tournament in Thunder Bay.

Beaver Brae junior and senior boys basketball teams are in Portage La Prairie for a weekend tournament.

Drugs Found in Northern First Nation

A drug bust in the remote Northern First Nation of Weagamow Lake is still under investigation.

Sioux Lookout OPP say that information was received that drugs were in the community and search warrants were obtained and acted on by the Combined Forces Organized Crime Unit.

A quantity of drugs and a large amount of cash was seized.

No arrests have been made as of yet.

More snow heading our way?

Its cold again today but warmer weather is coming, but with that will come more snow.

Our Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says a Colorado low is heading our way.

Laidlaw says we could see as much as 10-15 centimetres Sunday and Monday by the time the system blows through the region.  

Public School Board Embraces ipads

An Apple a day is good for student learning.

That seems to be the feeling of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

The board is involved in a number of pilot projects using I-Pads and other computer technologies in the classroom.

Superintendant of Business Dean Carrie says they have set aside 100 thousand dollars as part of their 21st Century Learning Plan.

The public school board is already using I-Pads in one pilot project and Carrie says they have approved 11 more applications under the 21st Century Learning Plan.

Pikangikum hoping to re-open Community School Soon

School's out in Pikangikum this week, but the First Nation is hoping the disruption to the school year is short-lived.

The band council is meeting this week with federal officials to try and address a mould situation in the living quarters of the teachers in the community.

Chief Jonah Strang says there are no alternative living accommodations in the community for the teachers, and that's resulted in many having to leave and the cancellation of their classes.

Strang says they are seeking a lasting solution and is encouraged by the committment of the federal government.

He's optimistic that negotiations will result in a return of full operations of the  school and an early return of the teachers.

Vinet Returned as Chair of KDSB

Even though he's currently some 7-thousand kilometres away, Phil Vinet has still managed to hold on to his position as Chair of the Kenora District Services Board.

The Red Lake Mayor was acclaimed at the KDSB general meeting in Dryden today.

Vinet is currently vacationing in Hawaii.

This is his second consecutive term as Chair.

Social Services Levy set for local Municipalities

Municipalities in the Kenora District now have a rough idea on what they will have to pay for social services.

The Services Board has released its draft levies under the 2012 budget and CAO Dan McNeill says the average increase is 3.5-percent.

Kenora will have to pay just over 2.8 million dollars, 18 thousand higher than 2011.

Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls will see its levy increase by 6.67 percent.

Beaver Brae Basketball/Volleyball

It was a tough way to start 2012 for the court sport teams from Beaver Brae .


The Broncos travelled to Fort Frances yesterday and lost three of four matches.

On the basketball court the senior boys lost 40-23.

Beaver Brae's junior boys won the lone game of the day, topping the Muskies 28-20.

In volleyball action both the juniors and seniors lost by identical 3 sets to 1 margins.

There is no rest for the teams though as both girls volleyball teams will be participating in the "Winter Blast" tournament hosted in Kenora at both Beaver Brae and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Bronco boys basketball teams travels to Portage for the annual tournament hosted by Portage Collegiate.

Mineral Mountain Resources

Mineral Mountain Resources says the first phase of a drilling program in an area of the former Straw Lake gold mine, north of Fort Frances, will begin later this month.


The company is focusing its work on newly acquired property.

The area has never been drilled in the past.

OPP release names of Deceased in North Spirit Lake Crash

The OPP have officially released the names of four people killed in a plane crash earlierthis week in northwestern Ontario.

The pilot of the Keystone Navajo aircrash has been identified as 41 year old Fariboz Abasabady of Lockport, Manitoba.

Abasabady was hired by Keystone this past summer.

The three other people killed in the plane crash near the North Spirit Lake First Nation have been confirmed as 38 year old Martha Campbell from Winnipeg.

She was a former resident of North Spirit Lake.

62 year old Ben Van Hoek of Carmen was the president of a company called Aboriginal Strategies.

39 year old Colette Eisinger of Winnipeg was also an employee of the company.

36 year old Brian Shead was the lone survivor of the crash.

Two New Police Detachments Opened in the far north

Two Northwestern Ontario First Nations are celebrating the opening of new Nishnawbe-Aski Police Detachments.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford was on hand as the facilities opened their doors in Sandy Lake and Fort Severn.

The Feds spent over 2.3-million dollars on the Detachments, while the Province threw in more than 2.1-million dollars.

First Nation officials in both communities say the new facilities provide better working conditions for police officers and ensure the safety of residents.

The Chief of Fort Severn credited Rickford for his personal intervention to get the Detachment constructed.

Saints and Broncos in action tonight

One game in Girls High School Hockey today.

The Red Lake Rams host the Beaver Brae Broncos.

Game time is 4:30 at the Ear Falls Arena.

In boys hockey action, the Thomas Aquinas Saints are at home to the Dryden Eagles.

The Saints have 11 points while, the Eagles are struggling with just seven.

Game time is 7:30 at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Shoal Lake Water Review Ordered

The Ontario Government has launched a review to see if Winnipeg's plan to extend its water and sewer pipes to rural municipalities violates any historical agreements involving the source of the city's water.

Ontario gave Winnipeg permission to draw water from Shoal Lake in Northwestern Ontario for municipal purposes in 1913.

Natural Resources Spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski says the department's legal branch started to sift through 100 years of water agreements two weeks ago.

The review comes as one First Nation in Shoal Lake threatens to sue the city, saying Winnipeg has no right to sell water before it resolves decades' worth of claims over lake water.

Name of Truck Driver Killed in Crash released

Ontario Provincial Police say a 45 year old Winnipeg truck driver has died in a collision east of Kenora.

Police say Amir Mohammadi died Wednesday when his eastbound tractor-trailer collided with a westbound tractor-trailer.

The westbound transport had jackknifed across Highway 17 in the Dogtooth Lake area.

Another westbound tractor-trailer and an eastbound passenger vehicle were involved when they could not avoid the collision ahead of them.

Police say those vehicles were damaged but the drivers were not injured.

The highway was closed from early Wednesday until Wednesday afternoon.

EQAO Tests

Writing an exam may never be the same again.


Jack McMaster is the director of Education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says they will be trying something different this year with some of their EQAO tests.

McMaster says they have received permission from the Ministry of Education to use computers for the writing section of the grade 6 EQAO tests.

McMaster believes the use of computers will especially help boys, who traditionally
do not perform as well in the reading and writing portion of the standardized tests.

Meno Ya Win Health Centre

Nursing students in the region can now train using the latest in simulation equipment and techniques at the Sioux Lookout Hospital.



Officials with the Meno Ya Win Health Centre and Confederation College unveiled the new Simulation Training Lab at a ceremony Wednesday.

Vice President of Health Services Barb Linkewich says the state-of-the art lab will help in retention efforts.

Designed as a real-life hospital setting, health care workers learn in lab experiences that simulate common scenarios including giving birth.

Ontario Wood Logo

The Provincial Government has its first lisenced user of the Ontario Wood Logo.

Forestry Minister, Michael Gravelle says the logo represents products that are grown, produced and designed in Ontario.


Gravelle adds that he's very optimistic that the logo will help promote and strengthen the province's forestry sector.

North Spirit Lake First Nation

Donations are being sought to help out the North Spirit Lake First Nation.


A crash Tuesday morning near the remote northwestern Ontario community
killed one community member, three other employees of a company called
Aboriginal Strategies.

Brian Walmark from K-Net says they've set up a website to accept cash
donations.

Walmark says donations will be used to help defray the cost of funerals and grief councillors, who are being brought into the community.