Northwest LHIN's Promises Overhaul of Health Care in the Region

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network is overhauling the health care system in the region.

The governing body for health care spending is creating Local Health Hubs and regional programs.

CEO Laura Kokocinski says the goal is to share services and common practices at a local level.

Thunder Bay would handle more regional programs including cancer care.

Rickford Promises Balance Approach in Today's Budget

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says today's Federal budget will strike a balance.

Rickford says we can expect a measured response by the Government in terms of reducing the deficit.

However, Rickford stresses the Feds understand that maintaining several key programs is essential in keeping the economy going.

Lakewood School to be declared Surplus?

The future of Lakewood School is a little clearer today.

Trustees with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board met Tuesday night to discuss what to do with the building.

Trustee Bob Onysko says after much discussion and debate they agreed to support a recommendation by senior administration to declare the school surplus and put the property up for sale.

A resolution to that effect will go to the next open meeting on April 10th.

Midget Thistles in Virden for Western Regional Championships

The Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles are in Virden, Manitoba today for the start of the Telus Western Regional Play-offs.

The winner will advance to the national championships next month.

First up for the Thistles are the host team, the Southwest Cougars.

Game time is 8:00 this evening.

Tomorrow, the Thistles will face the Manitoba Midget League Champions, the Winnipeg Wild.

The Kenora Midgets advance to the Western Regional Championships by beating Thunder Bay two weeks ago in the Northwest Branch finals.

Search and Rescue helps standed anglers on Lake of the Woods

The OPP have cautioned local residents about heading out on the ice for the past couple of weeks.

But apparently that message hasn't reached the south end of Lake of the Woods.

Early this morning 13 American Anglers had to be rescued from an ice floe near Birch Point on the Manitoba side of the Lake.

Terry McLeod is president of Lake of the Woods Search and Rescue and says they sent their air boat out last night, making five trips from the mainland to the chunk of ice, to rescue the stranded ice anglers. 

The anglers went out on ATV's yesterday around noon, but conditions deteriorated as the day went on.

Everyone was safely evacuated from the ice floe by around 3:00 this morning

NOACC Disappointed with Provinicial Budget

Local business groups are disappointed with Tuesday's provincial budget.

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce is concerned with the delayed implementation of corporate tax cuts.

Chief Operating Officer, Harold Wilson says there's really nothing in the budget to encourage economic growth.

Wilson suggests the promised corporate tax cuts could take as long as eight years to implement, because the government wants to wait until it erases the deficit.

Gravelle Defends Tuesday's Provinicial Budget

The Provincial Government is not touching the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

The Drummond report called on the Government to move the Fund and combine it with other economic development corporations.

Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle says Heritage funding will stay at 100-million dollars.

Gravelle adds that the Provincial budget will also preserve the Northern Industrial Electricity rate for at least one more year. 

Two BC men face Weapons Charges

Two British Columbia residents are due to appear in Kenora Court today on weapons charges.

The OPP say they were called to a hotel last week to assist ambulence personnel.

One man was taken to hospital for treatment and later released.

While at the scene, officers notice a handgun in the hotel room.

They got a search warrant and seized the gun.

A 37 year old and a 23 year old man remain in custody pending today's bail hearing.

Habitat For Humanity Launches another Fundraiser

Habitat for Humanity is counting down to its first ever build in Kenora.

A couple of more fundraisers are being planned this spring to help raise money for the project.

Spokesperson Thelma Wilkens-Page says at the end of May they will be hosting a Re-Fit day where old building materials can be donated to the cause.

Habitat For Humanity is hoping to turn sod on its first Kenora home sometime in May.

Health Unit Continues to Deal with Oxcontin Withdrawal

The Northwest Health Unit says its not planning to start up any new clinics to help people deal with withdrawal from prescription pills.

There is still concern about the impact of taking oxycontin off the market.

Dr. Jim Arthurs is the medical officer of health and says they simply don't have the resources to start up a new clinic to deal with the problem.

Arthurs says there are supports in place in the community, such as the Morningstar Clinic, that are more suited to dealing the problem.

Boundaries Commission Looks at Ontario Ridings

The process towards a redrawing of the federal political maps in Ontario has started.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission of Ontario is looking at how add 15 new seats to the House of Commons.

There are some concerns it will also mean some change in boundaries to northwestern Ontario's ridings where the population continues to decline.

The Commission is giving the public until the end of April to comment.

Grassy Declares another Logging Victory

The Grassy Narrows First Nation says the province has promised not to allow logging in its Traditional Land Use Area in the Whisky Jack forest while an appeal of a court ruling in going on.

Last summer, the Ontario Superior Court ruled the government couldn't take away Grassy's treaty rights by allowing clear cut logging near the community.

Since then the Provice has decided to appeal the decision.

Grassy says that a no-logging agreement now prohibits any forestry activity in about 50 percent of its traditional land use area.

Province releases 2012 Sunshine List

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has more employees on the so-called Sunshine list of public servants making more than 100 thousand dollars a year than any other agency in the region.

The public school board has 45 employees on the list, topped by director of education Jack McMaster at almost 190 thousand dollars.

Over at the Kenora Catholic District School Board, Phylis Eikre remains the highest paid employee at 180 thousand per annum.

The City of Kenora has just five workers on the list, with Chief Administrative Officer Karen Brown topping the chart at 122 thousand dollars.

Dr. Kerry McDonald continues to be the best-paid public sector worker in Kenora.

The chief pathologist at Lake of the Woods District Hospital made 310 thousand dollars last year.

Autopsies this week on Four people who died on Selkirk Lake

Police are still trying to figure out how four people died on a lake north of Kenora last week.

Yesterday, the OPP confirmed the identities of the four who died on the lake.

The body of Robert Kantimere was initially found last Thursday on the thin ice.

The OPP believe that Kantimere tried to save his friends' lives.

His boots and jacket were found on the shore and the engine of his truck was still running.

Autopsies will be performed on the four bodies.

Hospital Unions Rally in Kenora

Hospital unions are raising the alarm about today's provincial budget.

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions is doing a cross-province tour to try and convince the McGuinty Government to find adequate funding for the health care system.

Michael Hurley is president of the Council and says a cut in funding could take millions out of hospital budgets.

The Council is also worried the new funding formula announced last week could result in a drastic reduction in hospital beds at hospitals across the province.

Day One results from Kids for Cancer Tournament

Novice Division:

• DST Penguins 10, Novice Snipers 4

• Builders 15, Raging Angels 5

Pee Wee Division:

• Jarnel Renegades 10, Green Hornets 4

Bantam Division:

• Rink Rage 7, Chow Time Bulldogs 6

• Puckgoinski Pylons 10, Vanderkrabben 7

Open Division:

• Grassy Narrows 21, Senior Snipers 20

• Dirty Dawgz 20, Ratcliffe 8

Youth Drop-In Center Needed in Kenora

A youth drop-in center has been identified as the main priority for Kenora's new youth council.

The council was set up back in January and has started to meet on a regular basis.

Mitch Frenette is Kenora's youth mayor and says a drop-in center would solve a number of the issues they've identified in the city.

Frenette says they'll be meeting once again this week, and will start meeting with school groups to help recruit new members for the youth council in the future.

Cameron Excited by New NDP Leader

It's full steam ahead for the Federal NDP.

Kenora Riding NDP candidate Tania Cameron is back home after attending the party leadership convention in Toronto.

Cameron is excited about the future now that Thomas Mulcair is in as leader.

She says Mulcair knows what the issues are and where the party wants to be in the next few years.

KIds for Cancer Tournament Underway

A major fundraiser for Cancer Research is underway.

The 4th annual Kids for Cancer 3 on 3 hockey tournament began last night in Keewatin and the Kenora Rec. Center.

Dean Caron is one of the organizers and says this year they have expanded the tournament into a week-long event.

The tournament will wrap up next weekend.

The team that raises the most money is the winner.

Drug Bust on Northern Reserve

A Lansdowne House First Nations woman faces charges following a drug bust on the remote reserve northeast of Pickle Lake.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police searched a home on Wednesday and officers seized 600-dollars worth of oxycodone and 41-hundred dollars cash.

Police also found debt lists, pill cutters and false-bottom containers.

39-year-old Rebecca Sakanee faces counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Kenora gets set to host NOMA Conference

Municipal leaders from across the region will be descending on Kenora next month.

The annual Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference will be taking place the last week of April.

Mayor Dave Canfield says he's still trying to encourage a number of cabinet ministers to make the trip north.

The last time Kenora hosted a NOMA conference, prime minister Paul Martin made a special appearance.

Rabbit Lake Resident reports Wolf Attack

A resident of the Rabbit Lake Trailor Park is the latest person to report a wolf attack on a pet.

The incident happened earlier this week, when a wolf allegedly grabbed a dog by the neck.

The 76 year old resident of the trailor park says he slammed the door, and that seemed to cause the wolf to let go of his dog.

He says other than a couple of bite marks, the dog was unharmed.

Other residents in the Rabbit Lake area have also reported seeing wolves in the area over the past couple of weeks.

Four bodies recovered from Selkirk Lake

An outing on a lake north of Kenora on a warm, sunny March day, has turned into a terrible tragedy.

The OPP now confirm that four people were killed on Selkirk Lake.

The Underwater Search and Rescue Unit located the bodies of 43 year old Dianne Otto and 42 year old Chris Mainville on Saturday.

Yesterday, the body of a fourth person, 53 year old Edward Everson was found in the chilly waters.

On Friday, the body of 55 year old Robert Kantimere was found lying on the ice of the lake.

All three bodies were found in the water in the same area where Kantimere's body was initially discovered.

Northwest NDP M.P.'s Applaud Election of new Leader

One local MP is happy with the election of the new federal NDP party leader.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says Thomas Mulcair will be great for Northwestern Ontario.

Rafferty says he supported Mulcair from the very beginning.

Thunder Bay Superior North M.P. Bruce Hyer is also applauding the appointment of Mulcair

as the new NDP leader. 

MNR seeking input on Pelican Habitat Protection

The Ministry of Natural Resources is opening up public feedback on it's proposed habitat regulations for the American White Pelican.

Biologist Glen Desy says they want basic information before they put the plan in place.

The MNR wants to protect 300 meters of water or land on the outer edge of the nesting colony.

Feedback will be collected until April 2nd.

Kenora Hospital Workers to Hold Rally today

Hospital workers in Kenora are planning a rally today to protest changes to the funding formula for Ontario's medium-sized and large hospitals.

The rally is scheduled to take place out in front of MPP Sarah Campbell's constituency office in the Kenora Legion at noon today.

The Council of Hospital Unions says the McGuinty Government is considering a billion dollars worth of cuts to the health care system in tomorrow's budget.

The unions are predicting Kenora could lose dozens of beds as a result of the cuts.

Girls Hockey Teams bring back four medals from Winnipeg Tournament

A number of medals for teams from the Lake of the Woods Girls hockey association in their final tournament of the year.

The Kenora Blaze downed Thunder Bay Fury for gold.

In the Atom division it as an all Kenora final in the final, with the Lake of the Woods Storm beating the Panthers.

In the Peewee Division, the Thrasher collected a bronze medal while the Dynomite placed fourth.

In novice action, the Red Devils won silver after losing to Southdale in the final.

Missing Woman

An investigation is underway into the death of a 55 year old man and the disappearance of 43 year old woman.

Police have yet to confirm the identity of the deceased who was discovered on the ice surface of Selkirk Lake pending notification of his next of kin. The missing woman has been identified as 43 year old Diane Otto.

OPP Emergency Response Teams and The Underwater Search and Recovery Unit have been called in to assist with the search for the missing woman just off of highway 596.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kenora O.P.P Detachment at 548-5534

Beaver Brae Broncos Girls Hockey OFFSA Final - Bronze

Two power play goals were the difference for the beaver brae broncos at the girls all Ontario high school hockey championship in Belleville losing 2-0 to the st. Stevens royals from bowmanville.

 The broncos end the tournament with a record of four wins, two losses and a tie and will bring home a bronze medal, finishing fourth overall

Broncos lose in OFSAA Semi-Finals

Beaver Brae's girls hockey team will be playing for a medal at the All-Ontario High School Championships in Belleville...but it won't be gold.

The Broncos lost their first game at OFSAA, a 7-0 decision to the Number one team in the tournament, St. Theresa from Belleville in the semi-finals yesterday afternoon.

Beaver Brae has been relegated to the bronze medal game tomorrow morning.

They will face the 6th ranked team, St. Stephens from Bowmanville.

Game time is 8:00 tomorrow morning.

Broncos advance to OFSAA Semi-Finals

Beaver Brae is into the medal round at the All-Ontario girls high school hockey championships taking place in Belleville.

The Broncos got by Ecole Secondaire Louis Riel 4-1 this morning in quarter-final action.

Rylee Smith, Hannah Rose, Spencer Alcock and Hayley Moncrief each scored for Beaver Brae.

Their next game is a tough one against the number one seed in the tournament, St. Theresa from Belleville.

That game is a 1:00 start.

The winner moves onto the final, the loser heads to the bronze medal game tomorrow.

Northern Ice Roads Closed

Quick deteriorating winter road conditions has led to unsafe driving conditions on the winter road network in the Far North.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police say several vehicles have attempted to use the road network and have become stuck.

Most Northern communities have closed their winter roads.

Development Commission releases 2012 Work Plan

The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission expects to see more investment in the City of Kenora this year.

The Commission released its 2012 work plan yesterday.

Chair Dennis Wallace says over the past five years the city has invested a lot of money in infrastructure upgrades, and he expects that will pay off.

Wallace says he also expects more investment in the former Abitibi lands in the coming year.

Kenora's new brand to be released next week

A two month long process to come up with a new tourism brand for the City of Kenora is coming to an end.

An official unveiling of Kenora's re-branding will take place next Friday.

The city has been working with tourism guru Roger Brooks on the re-branding process and a small group was tasked with coming up with a single concept to market the city.

The official unveiling will take place March 30th at the Discovery Center.

Campbell endorses Ashton for NDP Leadership

Local New Democrats are split over who to support in the upcoming leadership vote.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell has come out in support of Niki Ashton from northern Manitoba.

Tania Cameron, the NDP candidate in the last federal election says she'll be throwing her support behind Paul Dewar, while former Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Howard Hampton is supporting leadership frontrunner Thomas Mulcair.

The NDP will elect a new leader this weekend at a convention taking place in Toronto.

Red Lake Airport Gets Funding

Safety improvements at the Red Lake Airport.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford has announced 250-thousand dollars in funding for the purchase of a new snowplow truck.

The money is also being used for a replacement cable for the omnidirectional approach lights.

Rickford says the investment is the finishing touches to the Airport after a new permieter fence and parking lot were funded last year.

Mayor Phil Vinet says they are greatful for the on-going support.

Canfield won't endorse VLT's

Don't expect to be able to play Video Lottery Terminals in Kenora anytime soon.

Earlier this week, hotel owner, Doug Stemkowski lobbied the city to support VLT's in local bars and restaurants.

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield says its not something he's eager to get into right now.

Yesterday, Premier Dalton McGuinty suggest municipalities would be able to hold referendums on whether to allow VLT's in the future.

City Council Costs released

The City of Kenora is in the middle of the pack when it comes to council salary and travel costs.

Last year the mayor and council were given a total of just over 129 thousand dollars.

That includes their honorarium, travel costs and per diems.

Councillor Louis Roussin had the highest travel costs last year, with just under 66 hundred dollars

to get to and from conferences.

Mayor Dave Canfield was about 100 dollars behind.

Last year Dryden spent 125 thousand dollars on council expenses, while Fort Frances was at 135 thousand.

Union Gas Rates Going Down

Look for lower natural gas bills soon.

Paul Crawford of the Ontario Energy Board says Union Gas has been approved for a rate decrease that takes effect April 1st.

Crawford says the decrease is due to a lower than expected price Union Gas will pay for natural gas over the next twelve months.

More Temperature Records Falls in NWO

Ho-Hum...another day another weather record in Kenora.

For the 7th consecutive day temperatures in Kenora his record highs.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says yesterday we hit 17.2 degrees at the Airport, which beat the previous record for March 21st of 12.8.

That record was set way back in 1939.

Fort Frances was once again the hot spot at 20 degrees, its ninth consective day of record warm

weather.

Broncos advance to Quarter-Finals at OFSAA

Beaver Brae's girls hockey team is into the quarter-final round at the All-Ontario High School Hockey Championships taking place in Belleville.

The Broncos finished the round robin with a 3-0 win over Smith Falls yesterday afternoon.

Hannah Rose had her third goal of the round robin, while Jodi Melillo and Spencer Alcock also scored. It was Alcock's first goal of the season for Beaver Brae.

The Broncos finished the round robin at the top of their pool with a record of three wins and a tie.

They play this morning at 9:00 against Ecole Secondaire Louis Riel from Ottawa.

The winner will advance to this afternoon's medal round.

Kenora Rises in Moneysense Survey

Kenora has moved up a few notches on the Moneysense list of the Best Places to Live index.

The publication rates Kenora 120th of the 190 communities across  Canada rates.

That's just ahead of Timmins and just behind Barrie.

Kenora has moved up 10 places since last year's survey, but the city is still ranked dead last in terms of Arts and Culture.

Fire Season Arrives Early in NWO

The official fire season doesn't start until April 1st, but the the Kenora District has already reported its first blaze of 2012.

It was a small 0.1 hectare grass fire near Ingolf.

Due to the dry conditions, fire information officer Debbie McLean says they will be putting on extra crews before the end of the month.

While daytime burning is allowed until April 1st, McLean is advising local residents to use common sense before doing any burning.

Health Unit to Launch Community Challenge

The slogan used to be Walk a block a day...now its walk 30 minutes a day.

The Northwestern Health Unit has launched a new challenge to get people our of their seats on on their feet.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield issued the challenge yesterday and says walking can help reduce a number of health care problems.

Canfield says studies have shown that walking a half hour a day could potentially cut helath care costs by half.

OPP concerned over Growth of Grandparents Scam

OPP are growing concern with a rise in the number of people becoming victims of the so-called grandparents scam.

It's where someone will call claiming to be a relative in trouble and seeking money.

Detective Constable Dave Felstead of the OPP's anti-racket branch says the con artists have become very sophisticated in their actions.

More than 460 people in Ontario fell victim to the scam last year, being bilked for over two-point-five million dollars.

Broncos 2-0 at OFSAA

Beaver Brae's girls are becoming the comeback queen's.

The Broncos have a 2-0 record at the All-Ontario High School Championships taking place in Belleville.

For the second game in a row, Beaver Brae needed a late goal to secure the win.

Yesterday afternoon, the Broncos edged St. Christoper from Sarnia 4-3.

Ainsley Lindquist provided the dramatics this time, scoring with just 42 seconds left in the game to steal the victory.

It was her second of the game.

The Broncos face their toughest test this morning when they take on 4th ranked St. Mary's from London at 10:00.

They wrap up the round robin at 1:00 against Smith Falls.

Vehicle goes through ice on Lake of the Woods

The OPP are advising local residents to think twice before heading out on to the lake.

Yesterday afternoon around 5:00 a Toyota Sequoia SUV went through the ice near the Rat Portage First Nation.

Police say three Americans managed to get out of the vehicle before it eventually plunged into the water.

The vehicle was hauling a trailor with two snowmachines, which also ended up in the lake.

In another incident, police were contacted about a dog going through the ice on Lake of the Woods near Dairy Queen.

The woman walking the dog managed to get it safely out of the water.

Broncos win first game at OFSAA

Beaver Brae has its first win at the All-Ontario Girls high school hockey championships.

The Broncos earned a 2-1 win over Our Lady of Lourdes from Guelph this morning in their

first game of the round-robin.

Hannah Rose scored both goals for Beaver Brae, including the game winner with less

than two minutes left to play.

The Broncos next game is 1:00 this afternoon against St. Christopher from Sarnia.

Beaver Brae will also play two round robin games tomorrow with the play-offs taking place on Thursday.

Hospital Unsure how new Funding Foruma will affect it's finances

Its unclear how a patient-based funding formula will impact Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The provincial government announced a funding change yesterday.

The hospital's Finance Manager Cindy Gasparini says they don't have many details about the funding forumla yet, so its too early to say if it will help them or not.

She says starting this year, hospitals will be paid for the care they provide patients, rather than a lump sum.

 She says 55 smaller hospitals won't be affected, but Lake of the Woods is just large enough that it will be a part of the new funding arrangement.