Fire Department Urges Caution with Spring Burning

Local residents are being urged to use caution when doing any daytime burning this month.

The rapid snow melt has left some very dry conditions in the Kenora area.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says at this point he's not planning to impose any burning restrictions.

Brinkman says last week local fire crews had to deal with a couple of large brush fires that were caused by local residents who left fires unattended.

Local Business man Lobbies for Slot Machines

A long-time proponant of slot machines is lobbying city council to help try to bring the gaming machines to northwestern Ontario.

The provinical government indicated last week its willing to expand the number of slot machines in Ontario.

Doug Stemkowski owns the Lakeshore Hotel in Keewatin and says slots would help out the struggling tourism sector in the region.

Stemkowski says municipalities receive about five percent of the revenue from slots and suggests its a good alternative to raising taxes.

Campbell Blames Province for Doctor Shortage

The MPP for Kenora-Rainy River is taking aim at the provincial Liberal riding association's claims the province has done much to improve access to health care in northwestern Ontario.

One of the initiatives is the creation of Family Health teams the Association says has brought over 25 new doctors to the region. 

The NDP's Sarah Campbell says it's those teams that are part of the problem.

Local Liberal president Anthony Leek admits more needs to be done, but the Ministry is working hard to improve access further.

OPP Investigate more Mischief Complaints

The OPP is looking into a couple of mischief complaints in the north end of town.

Police say several parked vehicles were damaged over the weekend.

In one instance, a van parked on Mascott Avenue had one of its rear windows smashed out.

The next night, two more vehicles on 3rd Street North had their tail lights broken.

More Weather Records Fall

The last day of winter in Kenora felt more like the first day of summer.

Temperatures soared to 23.8 yesterday, making it the warmest March day on record.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says things should start to feel more spring-like starting today.

Almost every community in northwestern Ontario set records yesterday, with Fort Frances the hot spot at 26 degrees.

Bronco Girls Hockey Team At OFSAA

Beaver Brae's girls hockey team will try to make its mark at the provincial championships today.

The Broncos are in Belleville for the A/AA OFSAA finals.

Beaver is ranked 10th out of 20 teams entered in the three day tournament.

Their first game is at 9:00 this morning against Our Lady of Lourdes from Guelph.

The Broncos also play at 1:00 this afternoon against St. Christopher from Sarnia.

Kenora Rockets win two medals at Manitoba Juniors

The Kenora Rockets badminton Club had its best ever showing at the Yonex Manitoba junior championships this past weekend in Winnipeg.

The Rockets brought back a pair of medals.

Andrew Neil and Jonny Houlden won a silver medal in the boys under 14 doubles division.

Tyler Neil won the bronze medal in the 16 and under singles competition.

Prior to this weekend, the best finish for a Kenora badminton player had been 5th at the Manitoba juniors.

Sharks medal at Man/Sask Swimming Championships

The Kenora Sharks Swim Club brought home a number of medals from the Manitoba/Saskatchewan

championships this past weekend at the Pan/Am Pool in Winnipeg.

12 year old Winnie Boucha led the medal parade with a gold, a solver and two bronze, while Bryce Jones collect a couple of silve medals in the boys 14 year old division.

Alex Olson had two third place finishes in the 50 and 100 meter breast stroke.

Other medalists included Michelle Belcaen with a silver in the 100 free, Alyson Stolicker a bronze in the 200 meter back stroke and Gabe Mastromateo with a third in the 100 breast stroke.

Tourism Kenora gets Funding for Winter Carnival

Tourism Kenora has been working to raise the profile of the Winter Carnival.

This year, the city receive a five thousand dollar grant to help promote the event in Winnipeg.

Councillor Sharon Smith says the money came from the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Fund.

It was used primarily for a radio advertising campaign in the Manitoba capital.

Council is expected to approve a by-law authorizing the funding arrangement at tonight's open meeting.

OPP Investigate Rideout Break-In

The OPP are investigating a break-in to a home in the Rideout area of town.

Police say three men entered a home on Mikado Avenue around 10:00 Saturday night.

The culprits were apparently scared off the by owner, who was at home at the time.

The OPP say there were no injuries and nothing was stolen during the break and enter.

Anyone who might have information about the incident is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment Office or Crimestoppers.

Bill introduced to scrap the Far North Act

A Progressive Conservative MPP wants to see the Provincial Government's Far North Act repealed.

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro says bill 44 was introduced in the Legislature last week, but he's not planning to support it.

He says the bill bill undo a number of new initiatives untaken by the McGuinty Government.

Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller introduced the legislation that aims to scrap the far north act.

Fort Kraft Mill experiences downtime

More bad news for Mill workers in Fort Frances.

A lack of qualified personnel has put a halt to production at the Resolute Forest Products kraft mill.

Company spokesperson Pierre Choquette says the mill doesn't have enough second class stationary engineers needed to run the plant.

Such personnel are often trained in several areas as mechanical, chemical and electrical.

Choquette says they're evaluating operations to determine their best course of action.

Production on the paper side is not effected.

Northwest LHIN's Defends its Record on Chronic Disease

The head of the Northwest Local Health Integration Network says she's well aware that the organization is struggling when it comes to coordinating health care services for chronic diseases.

The problem is highlighted in a Hamilton Specator report on the LHINs in Ontario.  Laura Kokocinski says the challenges to overcome here are numerous.

Kokochinski says the results show why it's important for health care planning to take place as close to home as possible.

Doctor Raises Awareness of Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease may be one of the most under-reported diseases in Canada.

That's the feeling of Dr. Ernie Murakami, a specialist in the disease.

Murakami will be in Kenora tomorrow to talk about the tick-borne illness and says it doesn't make sense that there are a thousand cases reported each year in Minnesota, yet in northwestern Ontario the disease is considered almost non-existant.

Murakami has made it his life's work to raise awareness of Lyme Disease and will be speaking at Knox United Church tomorrow night about the problem.

The presentation will take place in the lower Hall starting at 6:30. 

Weather Records Smashed over the Weekend

Northwestern Ontario didn't just set a number of temperature records over the weekend, it smashed them.

In Kenora yesterday, the thermometer topped out at 22.7 degrees, beating the previous high by over 12 degrees.

It was the same situation Saturday, with daytime highs hitting 20.2, breaking the previous record by 10 degrees.

Fort Frances was the hot spot in northwestern Ontario over the weekend, hitting highs of 26.4 yesterday, and 24.8 on Saturday.

More records are expected to fall this week, as temperatures will remain well above normal.

Midget Thistles Win in Thunder Bay

A huge victory for the Kenora Triple A midget program.

The Thistles skated into Thunder Bay over the weekend for the Northwest Branch Playdowns and beat the host Kings two games to one, to advance to the Telus Regional Playdowns in Virden next month.

The Thistles won the third and deciding game of the playdowns yesterday afternoon 2-1.

It was the Kenora midgets first win at the Branch playdowns in 11 years and only the third time they've managed to beat Thunder Bay in 27 years.

Meanwhile, the Kings took the other two playdowns over the weekend, winning the Triple A Peewee championship with a 5-2 win over the Northwestern All-stars yesterday morning.

Thunder Bay also won the Bantam Triple "a" final two games to one.

Kenora Broomball Finals Underway

The Flying V's drew first blood in the final of the Kenora Broomball League.

The V's shutout the Pink Pirates 1-0 last night in game one of their best of three championshps series.

Jordan Redsky scored the lone goal of the game, while Matt Skead earned the shutout.

Game two will go Thursday night.

A record Warm Weekend Expected

It's the middle of March, but its going to feel more like the middle of May this weekend.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says temperatures will soar into the 20's by Sunday.

Kenora set a record high yesterday of 11.2, and is expected to smash the temperature record again today and tomorrow.

Mount Evergreen Scheduled to Open this Weekend

Despite the warm weather, Mount Evergreen plans to be open one final weekend.

The ski hill has been closed the past few days because of heavy rain on Monday and warm temperatures the rest of the week.

There is snow cover on all the runs, though the base is soft.

On Sunday, the annual slush pit will open up at noon for anyone who wants to try and jump the 15 foot wide pool of water.

Rickford Defends Safe Streets Act

The Safe Streets and Communities Act has passed in the House of Commons despite the objections of a local lawyers group.

The Kenora Lawyers Sentencing Group has opposed changes to bill C-10 saying it will result in more youth and aboriginal people ending up in jail.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford is defending the act and says they did consult local residents.

Rickford says the government plans to phase in a number of elements in the bill, so the provinces will have time to absorb some of the increased costs resulting from the legislation.

Major Oxy bust in two First Nation Communities

A major prescription drug bust for Nishnawbe-Aski Police.

Police searched two homes in Webequie First Nation and Deer Lake First Nation and officers seized nearly 62-thousand dollars worth of oxycodone pills.

Officers also seized nearly 3-thousand dollars cash and several firearms.

Police say 41-year-old Ricky Jacob, 33-year-old Valerie Shewaybick and 24-year-old Purvis Crowe all face possession for the purpose of trafficking charges.

Police say 54-year-old Wesley Shewaybick has been charged with careless storage of a firearm.

Coney Shuttle To Operate Again this Summer

You should be able to enjoy a day trip to Coney Island once again this summer.

Kenora City Council has given approval for the Coney Shuttle to operate once again in 2012.

The only hitch is that the city is reducing the annual grant to operate the service.

This year, the company that operates the shuttle will get 25 hundred dollars, which is half of what the city paid last year.

The MS Kenora had also expressed interest in operating a daily shuttle service to Coney, but raised concerns about the structural safety of the municipal docks on the island.

Non-Union Staff at City due for a pay raise

The City of Kenora's Non-Union employees will be getting a pay raise this year.

City Council is expected to approve a 2.75 percent wage increase in 2012 on Monday night.

Councillor Ron Lunny says they are just trying to keep administration at the same level as unionized workers.

He suggests the pay raise is fair and necessary.

OPP step up Oxy enforcement

OPP in the region are helping to educate the public of the steps they can do to avoid their prescription drugs from ending up on the streets.

The removal of oxycontin in Ontario has some thinking addicts will seek out alternatives.

Constable Anne McCoy says safe storage and disposal of prescription drugs can avoid problems for residents.

Police area also promoting crime prevention with area pharmacies.

Injured Workers Upset with WSIB

The salary of the head of a government organization is not sitting well with injured workers groups.

They are upset David Marshall's gig as the President of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board includes a bonus of up to 400-thousand dollars on top of his annual salary of 400 thousand.

Local spokeserson Steve Mantis says it's absurd to think Marshall is being paid to cut injured workers benefits.

Ontario's Injured Workers have sent a letter to the Premier to stop making cuts to the WSIB and scale back the President's pay.

Fishing Fine on Lake of the Woods

Taking one for the team!

A Rainy River man has been fined 1-thousand dollars for possessing 10-walleye over the legal limit.

Dorion Ozykowski was found by U.S. authorities at the Baudette-Rainy River International Bridge.

The man told officers that he didn't know how many fish he actually had or was entitled to.

He went on to say he was fishing with a group on Lake of the Woods and they gave him the fish.

He refused to give up any names.

City Planning Fees Going up

They say you can't fight city hall, that's not true in Kenora, but it will cost you.

The Property and Planning Committee is looking to re-vamp its planning fees.

That includes the costs associated with appealing planning decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The Committee is proposing to make the complainant pay for any and all costs associated with a planning appeal to the OMB.

Mayor Dave Canfield says the idea is to deter any frivolous challenges.

Planning Administrator Tara Rickaby says the city has had only two appeals taken to the OMB in the last five years, so its not a very common occurance.

Sharks take to the pool in Winnipeg

Several members of the Kenora Sharks Swim Club are in Winnipeg this weekend for the Manitoba/Saskachewan championships.

Racing began last night.

Bryce Jones had the best result in the 200 IM preliminary heats, with the best time in the 14 year old boys division.

Winnie Boucha had the second fastest time in the 12 and under girls 200 meter I preliminary
heats.

Thistles In Thunder Bay for Branch Playdowns

Its the last chance for the Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles to do some damage.

The Thistles are in Thunder Bay for the start of the Northwest Branch Playdowns, where they will take on the Kings in a best-of-three series.

Coach Doug Novak says his team should be ready after taking some time off from a gruelling regular season in the Manitoba Midget Hockey League.

Two other branch playdowns will also take place this weekend in Thunder Bay, with the Northwest Triple "a" Bantam All-Stars and Triple "a" Peewee All-Stars facing Thunder Bay.

Shoal Lake Takes City of Winnipeg to Court

The Shoal Lake #39 First Nation is taking the City of Winnipeg to court to try and prevent the sale of water to other communities in Manitoba.

Winnipeg gets its water from Shoal Lake, but the First Nation has been trying to get the city to cough up 124 million dollars a year for that right.

The Shoal Lake Band argues Winnipeg doesn't have the right to sell the water and is launching a judicial review which could bring the dispute to court later this year.

Yesterday, lawyers went to Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench to prevent the city from concluding its water agreement's with West St. Paul and Rosser.

New Subdivision proposed for Black Sturgeon

Yet another sub-division is being planned for Black Sturgeon Lake.

The city's Property and Planning Committee is being asked to approve a 15 lot project on the site of the former Birchcliff property on the Coker Road.

Doug Lafreniere is planning to develop nine waterfront lots and six lots off the lake.

He submitted his proposal this week for a zoning change on the property from institutional to rural residential.

No objections were made to the proposal.

STR Closes local Snowmobile Trails

The recent warm spell has been great for pedestrians and cyclists, but not so much for snowmobile enthusiasts.

The Sunset Trailriders has been forced to closed down its trails in the Kenora area due to all the melting.

Shaun Clifford is a spokesperson for STR and says overall it was a good season on the trails.

He adds the Cross-Town Corridor got good reviews, but they will continue to look at possible changes in the Lakeside area.

Clifford says another concern was vandalism to some of their trail markers this winter, which were either pulled out or run over.

Local Service Agencies United

There's a new united front coming from the agencies who deliver social services programs in Northwestern Ontario.

Representatives from the Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay District Services Boards joined as one in a recent meeting with the Province to push for more funding.

Spokesperson Deb Ewald says all three face similar struggles.

It's the first time the three have made a joint submission.

Early Start to Forest Fire Season Not in the Forecast

Record high temperatures may lead us to believe we are looking at an early start to the forest fire season.

That may not be the case as Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Debbie MacLean says the region experience minimal percipitation over the winter but the long-term outlook calls for wet weather in the Spring.

MacLean says staff training will begin in the next couple of weeks.

City Councillor Takes Premier to Task

Premier Dalton McGuinty's ears might be burning these days.

Councillor Sharon Smith took the premier to task this week for refusing to include an infrastructure program in the upcoming provincial government.

Smith says the time is ripe for government's to be spending money on public projects.

Smith was commenting on McGuinty's speech at the Ontario Good Roads Conference last month, where he told municipal leaders the government was going to focus on skills and education and sacrifice the infrastructure fund.

Lakeside Landmark to Close

A landmark in Lakeside will be going the way of the dinosaur.

The owners of the Lakeside Mini-Mart have made an application to the city's property and planning committee for permission to turn the convenience store into a four unit apartment complex.

There are currently two apartment's on the upper floor of the building and the owners are proposing to develop the lower floor to include two more apartments.

Jeff Port made the pitch to the committee this week and says the change in use of the building will result in less traffic in the area and is consistant with the land usage in the neighborhood.

City Funds Debenture for Harborfront Tent

Kenora City Council will be dipping into the KMTS Citizan's Prosperity Trust once again to help pay for a major capital project.

Council says it will borrow just over 740 thousand dollars in order to finance the long term debt on the new Harborfront tent.

The city has also received 800 thousand dollars from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund,
50 thousand from the Kenora BIZ and a five thousand dollar donation from a local businessman for the tent.

Councillor Ron Lunny says at three percent a year, the city is making good money on the loan, and paying itself at the same time, so its a win/win situation.

He adds this is the last major debenture the city will have to take out, after previously financing the new fire hall and the Discovery Center.

More Co-Operation Sought on Oxycontin

The medical officer of health for the Northwestern Health Unit wants to see more discussion in dealing with the withdrawl of oxycontin.

Doctor James Arthur says it's an issue that simply one agency alone can't solve.

Arthur says placing blame for the reasons behind the drug's high use in Ontario does little to address the problem.

More Temperature Records Fall

A sign of things to come weather wise.

Four records were broken yesterday in Northwestern Ontario.

The hot spot was Fort Frances at 12.6-degrees.

The previous high was 12.5 set in 1995.

Thunder Bay reached 12.2-degrees, blowing away the previous high of 9.4.

Atikokan hit 11.4 and Ear Falls 11.1 degrees.

 

Kenora topped out at 10.2 yesterday, still a couple of degrees lower than

the previous high for March 13th.

Outdoor Patios Being Encouraged by City

Outdoor eating could soon be the rule rather than the exception in downtown Kenora.

Kenora City Council is looking at a policy that would encourage businesses to set up patios.

Councillor Ron Lunny supports the idea and wants to see council move the concept forward.

The City's Planning Department is hoping to come up with a policy, including costs and regulations for business owners by the middle of May.

Dufresne Furniture Extends Charity Challenge

Four Kenora groups could benefit thanks to a new Dufresne Furniture promotion.

The Winnipeg-based company has expanded it's 1-million dollar charity challenge and is now giving away a 5-thousand dollar bonus to one of 51 charities.

The Firefly Minto Resource Center, the Hospital Foundation, Triple Play and Aamiikowish Housing are in the running.

You are asked to go on Facebook and like Dufresne.

For there you will be able to pick which charity should be selected for the extra 5-grand.

Man Arrested Following Stand-off on North Spirit Lake

A 42 year old man faces charges following a stand-off with Police in North Spirit Lake.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police were notified by Band Council on Monday about a barricaded man and a second injured individual.

Officers made contact with the man and were able to reach the victim.

The man was airlifted to Hospital in Winnipeg with 4-stab wounds.

Provincial Police and Negoitators were called in and the accused turned himself in on Tuesday morning without incident.

Police say Robert Anthony Rae has been charged with aggravated assault, uttering threats and breach of probation.

He remains in custody.

OPP seeks Summer students for Marine Unit

The Ontario Provincial Police is looking for applications for a summer Marine Assistant position.

The salary position will start July 3rd and will run for about 7-weeks.

Constable Anne McCoy says the students will help officers conduct marine checks on recreational vessels as well as perform other duties.

Two positions are available this summer in Kenora, one in Fort Frances and one in Dryden. 

You must be over the age of 18 and have a Ontario G2 Driver's licence to apply.

OPP Investigate Cottage Break-Ins

A couple of camp owners got a unwelcome surprise this week.

The OPP say they were contacted Monday about break-ins to two camps on Lake of the Woods.

One was on Pine Island and the other on Gordon Island.

In both instances, the culprits broke a window the gain entry.

Once inside furniture, walls, doors and other personal property was damaged.

The damage estimate has been put at about three thousand dollars.

Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Council Covers Economic Development Deficit

Kenora City Council seems to be in a forgiving mood.

Council has agreed to fund an almost 50 thousand dollar deficit for the Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission in 2011.

Councillor Sharon Smith says over the past few years, the Commission has consistently had a surplus.

But she says the accumulated surplus was only 80 thousand dollars, not 130 thousand, as the commission was led to believe.

That left them with a bit of a shortfall last year, due to extra costs for consulting fees on the Lakewood School project and the commissioning of the new Discovery Center.

Rickford Supports Legislation Preventing Air Canada Strike

It could be a long night for M.P.'s tonight in the House of Commons.

A bill to keep Air Canada pilots and ground crews working will be voted on this evening.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the bill not just about preventing workers from striking.

Rickford expects the bill will likely gain third reading early tomorrow morning, barring any prolonged delays.

Council Supports IJC Report on Lake of the Woods

The City of Kenora is once again being urged to support efforts to preserve the water quality on Lake of the Woods.

Council is being asked to support a resolution calling on the federal government to go ahead with recommendations to create a joint watershed management board for the Lake.

Todd Sellars is with the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation and says that's the main recommendation contained in a recent IJC report on the lake.

Sellars says the federal government has already committed funding for the protection of border waters, so the decision should be a no brainer.

Kenora Forest Management Plan Approved

Users of trails in the Ingolf and Kramer Lake area can breathe a sigh of relief.

A final Forest Management Plan for the Kenora Forest has been drafted, and some of the concerns of recreational users have been taken into consideration.

Ian Pyke is an area forester for the MNR and says logging buffers have been put around some of the recreational areas identified by the public.

While the final Kenora Forest Management Plan has been approved by the MNR, there is still a 30 day comment period until the beginning of April.

More Doctors Sought for NWO

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell wants a letter-writing campaign to Ontario's Health Minister to continue.

The campaign was started to force solutions to the town of Rainy River's doctor shortage.

While Deb Matthews is promising to keep the Rainy River Health Centre's emergency room open, Campbell says she still needs to visit.

Campbell says the issue in Rainy River won't be resolved until more doctors are found.