Harbortown Center Committee Continues to Meet

The Harbortown Committee will continue to meet regularly to deal with issues important to the downtown area of the city.

There had been some talk about disbanding the committee.

But chair Ralph Page feels they still have a role to play.

There had been concerns that there are too many committees in the City, and the that the Harbortown Committee's mandate overlaps with the Downtown BIZ.

Health Care Tour stops in Kenora next month

Kenora is one of the stops for an Ontario-wide tour talking about the future of Health Care.

The Ontario Health Coalition is putting on the meeting that will talk about the Provincial Government's plans to cut health care services.

The meeting is going to be held on Saturday, June 2nd at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Campbell Again Demanding Answers Over Tourism Center Closures

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell is continuing to battle for our tourist information centers.

Campbell requested an adjournment debate last night to get more answers on the reasons for the closure of the tourist centers in Kenora, Rainy River and Fort Frances.

She says the government still hasn't adequately explained by the closures are necessary.

Parliamentary Assistant for Tourism Kim Craitor responded that the

Pigeon River Tourism Center south of Thunder Bay was kept open because it serves an important American Market.

NAN Raises Concern At Ring of Fire Announcement

Plenty of controversy in Wednesday's Ring of Fire announcement.

Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Grand Chief Terry Waboose approached Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kathleen Wynne following a media event in Thunder Bay.

Waboose accuses the Province and Cliffs Resources of talking behind closed doors.

Waboose is threatening to pull First Nation support from the project.

Wynne says they don't want that to happen.

Wynne says now that the business side of it has been agreed on, the next step is engaging First Nations.

Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls Approves 2012 Budget

The Town of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls is trying to hold the line on taxes.

Once again this year, the town council has passed a budget with no increase in the mill rate.

However, Mayor Bill Thompson says that doesn't mean home owners in his community will be paying the same amount of taxes as last year.

Thompson says while municipal spending will increase less than two percent, the community will have to shell out more for policing and the Kenora District Services Board.

OPP Not Planning to change Bear Response

Provincial Police aren't making any immediate change to how they deal with nuisance bears.

The Ministry of Natural Resources did announce changes to its protocol, leaving police with the job of trapping and relocating bear in the near future.

Constable Anne McCoy says bear problems are still the responsibility of the MNR for now.

McCoy says the province's hotline is also still active for people to call to report nuisance bears.

Boobie Nights get ready to Bust Out

Another major fundraiser for a new digital mammography unit at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

Boobie Nights is back once again this year.

Angela Kuchma is one of the organizers and says they hope a change in venue will help raise more money.

This year the fundraiser will take place under the new tent on the Kenora Harborfront, rather then

the Kenora Curling Club, where its been held the past two years. 

Tickets are now on sale for Boobie nights, which takes place on June 2nd.

Cops run for Cancer in Winnipeg

A total of 55 OPP personnel from northwestern Ontario are back from Winnipeg where they participated in the Cops for Cancer Half Marathon.

The OPP employees came from from Kenora, Dryden, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Fort Frances.

Another 15 volunteers from the local detachments also helped out at a water station along the marathon route.

The Cops for Cancer Half Marathon is organized each year by the Winnipeg Police Service.

RNAO CEO Visits Kenora

Nurses in Ontario are being underutilized in the health care system.

That's the feeling of the CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.

Doris Grinspun was in Kenora this morning and says a recent task force report suggests nurses can, and should provide more primary care services.

Grinspun says allowing nurses to carry out more duties, will save the health care system money, and provide better access to primary care for thousands of Ontarians.

Ignace Man faces Mishchief Charges

In Ignace man may have been having a good time, but transport drivers sure weren't smiling.

Provincial Police were called to a Highway 17 business in Ignace after a vehicle pulled in and started doing donuts.

OPP say several tractor trailers had their windshields damaged due to rocks being thrown up.

One transport had to remain out of service due to the damage.

22-year old Cory Jalbert faces two counts of mischief over five thousand dollars.

Cliffs Chooses Sudbury for Chromite Smelter

Cliffs Natural Resources has announced it will build a 1.8 billion dollar chromite processing facility in Capreol, near Sudbury.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci says the new smelter will mean about 900 new jobs for the area, half during construction and the other half when it's operating.

Bartolucci says another 700 direct jobs will be created over and above the mining and spin-off jobs as the development takes advantage of the mining expertise in Sudbury.

Ralph Rowe to Face More Charges

A former Anglican Church minister and boy scout leader in northwestern Ontario is facing more sexual assault charges.

Ralph Rowe will appear in Kenora Court at the end of this month on two charges of indecent assault and five charges of sexual assault.

Rowe has already been found guilty on more than 50 indecent and sexual assualt charges in two previous court cases.

He's currently living in the Vancouver area and was served by the RCMP this week.

The charges stem from incidents that allegedly took place between 1973 and 1986 on the First Nations communities of Fort Severn, Big Trout Lake, Wunnumin Lake and Kingfisher Lake.

OPSEU Warns of More Nuisence Bears

The problem of nuisence bears in northern Ontario is going to get worse this summer.

That's the prediction of the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

Smokey Thomas says the cuts to the Bear Wise program were contained in the recent provincial budget.

Thomas says the number of technicians employed by the Bear Wise program is being cut in half.

Public School Board announces Summer School Opportunties

Two words students dread: summer school.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is bringing back a couple of learning options for elementary and secondary school students this summer.

In August, a Literacy camp will be held in Kenora, Dryden and Sioux Lookout.

The two week camp is aimed at helping kids improve their reading and writing skills in a fun environment.

This is the third year in a row that program has been offered.

A number of courses are also being offered at the secondary level as well at high schools across the region.

More Flash Mob video

More video from Friday's Flash mob at Canadian Tire. 

CEO of RNAO visits Kenora during Nursing Week

Nurses in northwestern Ontario will be getting some high level support this week.

The CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario will be touring a number of hospitals in the region.

Doris Grinspun will be starting her day tomorrow in Kenora at Lake of the Woods District Hospital, followed by stops in Dryden and Sioux Lookout.

Grinspun is touring the region as part of Nursing Week.

Road Closed today in Downtown Kenora

You might have to take a detour if you're heading downtown today.

A section of 1st Avenue South by the Bannister Center is closed this  morning as City of Kenora work crews dig up the road to do some sewer and water work in the area.

Traffic is being detoured down 3rd Street South and the Safeway hill.

Kings Bay expands exploration for gold

Northwestern Ontario continues to be a lure for companies seeking out gold deposits.

King's Bay Resources says it has acquired two additional properties southeast of Kenora near Nestor Falls.

The company says it will be doing exploration work in an area northeast of the Rainy River Resources gold zone.

King's Bay says it now has 18 claims in the area.

Cuts to Bear Wise Program

Changes are coming to the province's Bear Wise program.

Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle says from now on they'll leave decisions on what to do with bears up to local police and will no longer trap and relocate the bruins.

Gravelle says the province will continue to operate the Bearwise hotline.

Meanwhile, a union leader says Ontario residents face greater danger from bears this year because of provincial government cutbacks.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Smokey Thomas says the number of staff trained to deal with bears that threaten public safety has been cut by more than half.

Thomas says changes to the Bear Wise education and response program are among what he terms ill-advised cuts at the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The ministry has 21 technicians in 15 northern Ontario communities, down from 48 in 25 communities.

Doctors Worried How OHIP Cuts will affect Recruitment

The head of the Ontario Medical Association is calling on the Province to head back to the bargaining table.

Stewart Kennedy is a doctor living in northwestern Ontario and says the Province is proposing fee cuts which he calls troublesome especially for recruitment initiatives here in this region.

Kennedy sent a letter to the Minister of Health suggesting three concilliators they could use to continue bargaining.

Evergreen Holds Parent Info Session on Mental Health

According to recent statistics, about 20 percent of students in Ontario have a mental health or emotional disorder.

With that information in mind, Evergreen School is holding a parent information session on Mental Health issues.

Pam Cederwall is with the Evergreen Parents Council and says they have a number of guest speakers lined up.

The information session will take place Thursday evening at 6:30 at Evergreen School.

City of Dryden Looking at Lots of Red Ink

The City of Dryden is bleeding red ink in a big way.

The city's auditor released his report for 2010 last week.

Mayor Craig Nuttall says the City recorded an 8.4-million dollar deficit in 2010.

The Municipality has an accumulated debt of 24-million dollars.

OPP says Lock it Or Lose It

Another reminder from the OPP to Lock it or Lose it.

Police say they had a number of reports over the weekend of unlocked vehicles being entered.

In one instance, a resident in the 8th Avenue South contacted the  OPP about a youth who was attempting to enter a vehicle.

Police say you should not only lock your vehicles when they're parked, but you should also keep valuables out of sight.

OPP Investigate Weekend Break-ins

The OPP are investigating a couple of break-ins on the west end of town.

Over the weekend, a camp owner told police that some one had broken into their cottage on Middle Lake sometime in the past two weeks.

Some alcohol, propane tanks and some gas were stolen.

Meanwhile, someone also broke into the Keewatin Legion.

The coolers were entered, but police haven't indicated if anything was stolen.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Unicycle Tour of Ontario starts in Kenora

A unique cross-province tour is now making its way across northwestern Ontario.

Derrick Ferguson began his Wheel In Motion Tour in Kenora yesterday.

Ferguson is riding a unicycle across the province to raise money for spinal cord research.

Ferguson says he was inspired by Rick Hanson's Man in Motion tour, and plans to ride across Ontario over the next month.

The Stratford resident hopes to raise 25 thousand dollars over the next four weeks.

Fire activity expected to slow this week

The Ministry of Natural Resources says it's seen an increase in the number of spring fires this year.

There have been over 100, mostly grass fires, since the start of the fire season April 1st.

Fire Information Officer Heather Pridham says the weather is now reducing the threat.

Pridham says it's also allow crews to resume training in preparation of the warm months.

Property Owners Association Turns 50

The Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association is celebrating a major milestone this year.

The cottagers group turns 50 years old today.

Susan McLeod says they've always been a voice for people who live on and near Lake of the Woods.

The Property Owners Association will hold its annual general meeting and Cottage Show in Winnipeg tomorrow at the Victoria Inn.

Dreams of a new hospital in Kenora a long ways off

It could be a decade or more before Kenora gets a new hospital.

That's the suggestion of the Chief Executive Officer of Lake of the Woods District.

Marc Belcaen says with the recent austerity measures of the provincial government, even hospital projects that had previously approved are being delayed due to a lack of funding.

In the meantime, Belcaen says they need to improve their surgical units, but the Ministry of Health says it doesn't have a lot of money for smaller capital projects.

Belcaen says a new surgical unit would be a multi-million dollar project for the hospital.

Brand Leadership Team Announced

It may sound more like a sandwich than a new city committee.

But the membership of the BLT has been announced.

The Brand Leadership team has the task of rolling out Kenora's new brand of being North America's premier Boating Desitnation.

The 13 member committee will be headed by Randy Nickle, who is also chair of the city's Tourism Committee.

The committee will work with the local business community, community partners, residents and the boating industry to implement all 60 recommendations made by Roger Brooks in creating Kenora's new brand.

Injured Workers Upset at Witmer's WSIB appointment

Injured Workers Advocate Steve Mantis is the latest to disagree with the Premier's appointment of former Tory MPP Elizabeth Witmer to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Mantis says the Premier should never have appointed the former Minister of Labour that was responsible for opening up the board to include the interests of both workers and employers.

He suggests Dalton McGuinty saw the opportunity for a by-election with the appointment and jumped at the chance of getting a majority.

Float Plane Crashes Northwest Kenora near Manitoba Border

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton says a float plane that crashed near the Ontario/Manitoba border had an emergency locator beacon on board, but it was a friend of the pilot who alerted authorities to look for the aircraft.

CaptainJean Houde says the plane was found upside-down in Lake Kapekun just west of Woodland Caribou Park.

Houde says the rescue centre didn't receive a signal, and suggested it could have been because the beacon may not have transmitted well underwater.

The 81-year-old pilot,who took off Saturday morning from Gimli, was found dead inside the plane.

Home and Leisure Show a Big Success

Maybe the weather had something to do with it.

The Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce says its pleased with the attendance from this past weekend's Home and Leisure Show.

A couple of thousand people are estimated to have passed through the doors between Friday and Sunday afternoon.

Exhibitors also say they were pleased with the traffic, reporting good numbers all three days of the Home Show.

A portion of the money collected at the door went to the Habitat for Humanity build in Kenora.

Police Push Summer Safety

The OPP is gearing up for another busy summer on the Lake.

The local police are wrapping up Summer Safety week, which is a chance to remind local residents how to stay safe while on the water or in the bush.

Mike Barclay from the OPP says if you run into problems on the Lake, be prepared and don't panic

The theme of Summer Safety week is Expect the Unexpected.

Rickford not sorry to see Penny go

The Canadian one cent piece is going the way of the dodo bird today.

The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg produced its final penny today.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says the penny has really outlived its usefulness and cost

the federal government more than it was actually worth.

Rickford says the penny will still be able to be used as long as they remain in circulation.

Flash Mob Hits downtown Kenora

Its not often traffic in downtown Kenora is brought to a halt.

But that's what happened this afternoon when Kenora's largest ever flash mob took place.

About 600 students from eight elementary schools in Kenora danced to Katy Perry's Firework on Main Street and the Canadian Tire Parking lot today.

There was an anti-bullying message behind the flash mob, and the students all wore pink shirts with the message EPIC, which stands for Every Person is Cool.

26th Home and Leisure Show Opens Today

A busy weekend in Kenora, with the Kenora Home and Leisure Show taking center stage at the Rec. Center.

The Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce is staging the event once again this year, and president, Andy Scribilo says its going to be one of their biggest yet.

The 26th Annual Home and Leisure Show starts this afternoon and will wrap up Sunday afternoon at 3:00.

A portion of the door proceeds will go to the Habitat for Humanity build in Kenora. 

Hospital Not Expecting a Big Increase in Its Budget

Hospital budgets are going to be tight this year.

The Northwest Local Health Integration Network has sent out letters with initial budget projections for each hospital in the region.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belcaen from Lake of the Woods District Hospital says they don't have all their numbers yet, but they do know they will have less than one percent more to work with in the 2012/2013 fiscal year.

Belcaen says with increased inflation and labor costs, they are going to have to find ways of cutting their expenses and see if there are any areas to increase their income from other sources.

New Campaign to Save Tourism Centers

The campaign to save tourist information centers in Kenora, Fort France and Rainy River is going to be stepped up today.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell will be heading out to the Visitors Center at the Ontario/Manitoba border to launch the latest initiative this morning.

Yesterday in the Ontario legislature, Campbell asked Minister of Tourism Michael Chan in the to explain the reason behind the closures.

Minister Chan was evasive in his answer but did says the provincial government has put more than 68 million dollars in tourism initiatives in

northern Ontario since 2003.

Beaver Brae set to Launch Hockey Academy

Call it Hockey 101.

Beaver Brae Secondary School is planning to launch a hockey academy next fall as part of its curriculum.

Dave Tresoor is one of the teachers who will be involved in the program and says the academy won't replace their high school hockey program.

Tresoor says they will be able to accept about 28 students in the first year.

The deadline to apply to the program is May 18th.

Spring Gathering this weekend

Its being called a spring gathering.

The Treaty Three Grassroots Citizans Coalition will be meeting under the big tent on the Harborfront this weekend.

Kelvin Chicago-Boucher is helping to organize the event and says this type of event has its origins in traditional aboriginal culture.

The spring gathering will start this afternoon and will wrap up tomorrow.

Richards scores again for the Kings

The Los Angeles Kings had to win a four-team battle last month just to grab the last Western Conference playoff spot.

Now, they're one win away from the conference final.

The Kings are up 3-0 in their conference semi after beating St. Louis 4-2.

Mike Richards scored the Kings first power play goal of the series and added an assist.

Richards says that before the series, they never thought about sweeping the Blues.

The Kings can now wrap up the series at home on Sunday.

Sunset Country holds its Annual General Meeting

Tourism officials in northwestern Ontario still aren't sure what this summer will bring in terms of business.

The Sunset Country Travel Association held its annual general meeting last night in Kenora.

Gerry Cariou is the executive director and says there is some optimism.

But he says the closure of the tourist information centers in Fort Frances, Rainy River and Kenora isn't going to help an industry, which has seen a decline in numbers over the past few years.

Health Unit Campaign Targets Hypodermic Needles

Communities in northwestern Ontario are sitting on a ticking time bomb when it comes to intervenous drug use.

That's the message from the Northwestern Health Unit.

Spokesperson, Gillian Lunny says they are doing what they can to tackle the problem and have launched a couple of public safety poster campaigns.

Lunny says the campaign tackles the sensitive subject of how to safely dispose of needles that might be found in public places.

FedNor Cuts Raised in House of Commons

Federal government is being accused of cutting money used for economic development in northern Ontario.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says government has taken out a billion dollars from the forestry sector and millions more in tourism and marketing grants that went to small towns.

Industry Minister Tony Clement says government remains committed to economic development in the north, noting FEDNOR had provided over 263-million dollars to hundreds of projects over the past five years.

NOACC Sends Resolutions to St. Catharines

The provincial Mining Act, Katimavik, building with wood, and the Endangered Species Act.

Those are just some of the topics covered off in the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chamber of Commerce's resolutions adopted at their annual spring meeting in Sioux Lookout.

The Chambers are also urging the federal and provincial levels of government ensure there are always at least ten ridings in northern Ontario represented at Queen's Park and the House of Commons.

NOACC will be taking all the resolutions to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce annual meeting starting today in St. Catharines. 

Local Schools prepare for Flash Mob

Expect some traffic delays in downtown Kenora Friday at around noon.

A large flash mob is being planned for Main Street South between the Library and 1st Street South.

Valleyview teacher Kelly Olgilvie says the students are looking forward to their performance.

Some 600 pink-clad students will stage the flash mob at noon on Friday on Main Street, and then again about an hour later at the Canadian Tire Parking lot.

Veteran's Affairs office in NWO set to close

First its was immigration, now the only Veteran's Affairs office in northwestern Ontario is slated for

closure.

Veteran's advocate, Moe Nelson says if that happens it will be missed terribly because so many local vets rely on the services provided.

The office is slated for closure in the next couple of years.

Border Crossings increase

Some positive news on the tourism front in northwestern Ontario.

Statistics released by the Canada Border Services Agency show almost 54-thousand travellers crossed in March.

That's about 25-hundred more than in February and a 7-and-a-half per cent increase over March 2011.

Just over 29-thousand vehicles were processed at the border, a slight increase over February numbers, but a one per cent drop from one year ago.

Northern Ontario Shut out of Worst Roads

Northern Ontario has been shut out of the top 10 worst roads in the province.

CAA has just wrapped up its annual Worst Roads contest, and all of the top nominated roads were either in Toronto or southern Ontario.

Spokesperson for the contest, Kory Kennedy says regardless of where the roads are, they are hoping the upper levels of government are listening when it comes to road maintenance.

Dufferin Street in Toronto topped the list this year.

Scribilo Vows to Take NOACC to Queen's Park

The local president of the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce is back at the helm of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce.

Andy Scribilo was re-elected this past weekend at the spring meeting of NOACC in Sioux Lookout.

Scribilo says one of his main goals is to get a delegation together next year to take to Queen's Park.

Scribilo says they will try to set up as many meetings as they can with provincial cabinet ministers next year.

FedNor Trying to Streamline Application Process

Its now easier and more convenient to get a loan from FedNor.

That's according to Director General Aime DiMatteo.

He says they've spent the past year streamlining the application process.

DiMatteo says staff at FedNor are also trying to get confirmation letters out to potential applicants much quicker than in the past.