Property and Planning Approves Outdoor Patios

Outdoor eating could be a growth industry in Kenora this summer.

The Property and Planning Committee has paved the way for more outdoor patios, by approving a new policy.

Councillor Ron Lunny says they will be allowing local bars and restaurants to set up outdoor patios on municipal property and hopes local businesses take advantage.

A detailed application form should be available as early as next week, if city council adopts the new Outdoor Patio Policy.

NAPS Investigate Death of an 18 month old Pikangikum toddler

A 33 year year old woman has been charged in the death of an 18 month old child from the Pikangikum First Nation.

The Nishinabe-Aski Police say they were called in to investigate the death of Isaac Keeper last week on the Poplar Hill First Nation.

His caregiver, Shannon Moose has been charged with aggravated assault.

She's currently in custody and is due to appear in Kenora Court on Friday.

Harborfest Concert Line-up Finalized

(Buckcherry)

Harborfest has finalized its nightly entertainment for this August Long weekend.

The Saturday night show will feature Treble Charger and Buckcherry.

Director of Entertainment, Dave Blake admits they are targeting a younger crowd with their Saturday night concert.

Tickets for the Saturday night show will go on sale this Friday.

Wintle wins Dryden By-Election

A former Mayor and Councilor has been elected in Dryden's by-election for one vacant Council seat.

Sid Wintle received 997-votes yesterday to win the vote by a wide margain.

Shayne MacKinnon came in second, while Chuck Schmitt finished third.

A total of 29-hundred ballots were cast and voter turnout was 52.45-percent.

Thunder Bay follows Kenora's Lead on Deer

The City of Thunder Bay is following Kenora's lead.

A legal deer hunt within Thunder Bay city limits will start this fall.

Their City Council passed the bow hunting by-law last night and Councillor Ken Boshcoff says he's heard positive feedback.

Boshcoff says they can't afford to hide their heads in the sand anymore, because the over population of deer needs to be addressed.

Canfield Critical of Bear Wise Cuts

Kenora City council is asking the provincial government to reconsider cuts being made to the Bear Wise program.

The MNR has announced it will no longer be relocating nuisence bears.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says the policy doesn't make any financial sense.

Canfield says he plans to bring the issue up next month when he'll get a chance to meet with the Minister of Natural Resources.

Proposals for Rec. Center Floated to City Council

The tennis and basketball courts at the Kenora Rec. Center could be due for some upgrades.

Kenora City council is being asked to support re-locating both the tennis and basketball courts this summer.

Recreational Services manager Colleen Neil says they also want to move the outside washroom facilities closer to the docks on Laurenson's Creek.

Neil says there is money in the capital budget for the changes, but city council says it wants to hold a special meeting before approving any of the projects.

Fire Crews Deal with Blaze behind Thomas Aquinas

Some excitement for residents in the Minto area last night.

A wild fire broke out in the bush behind Thomas Aquinas.

An MNR fire crew actually spotted the blaze and helped municipal fire crews bring the blaze under control.

It was the second time yesterday, fire crews were dispatched to that area and Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department is trying to find out if last night's blaze was sparked again by high winds or some other cause.

Sioux Narrows Faces Shortfall on Infrastructure projects

The Town of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls is being forced to dig a little deeper into its reserves to fund a couple of major infrastructure projects.

Mayor Bill Thompson says they came up about 500 thousand dollars short in their funding from the federal and provincial levels of government.

Thompson says they had appealed to the federal government for help, but without any success.

Sioux Narrows got funding for a new tourist information center and also a new runway for the Nestor Falls Airport.

Foul Play Ruled Out in Keewatin Fatality

Police say they don't believe there was any foul play in the death of a 22 year old man in Keewatin over the weekend.

The body of the man was found around 5:30 Sunday morning near the C.P. rail crossing on Government Road.

A post-mortem exam was conducted yesterday at Lake of the Woods District Hospital, but the cause of death hasn't been released.

In the meantime, the OPP say Northwest Criminal Investigations branch is continuing to look into the fatality.

The name of the deceased isn't being released until next of kin have been contacted.

Unicycle Ride Ends prematurely

Derrick Ferguson's cross-province tour on a unicycle has ended a lot earlier than expected.

Ferguson set out from Kenora last weekend, but had to call off his marathon just 80 kilometers in.

Ferguson says he developed bursitis in both of his knees and was sent to hospital for treatment.

He had planned to ride his unicycle across Ontario in a month to raise money for the Rick Hanson

Foundation.

OPP Investigate Fatality in Keewatin

The OPP haven't released any details yet of a fatality in Keewatin over the weekend.

A body was found on the railway tracks near Portage Bay early Sunday morning.

The Northwest Mobile Command Unit was on site yesterday, along with a number of investigators.

More information is expected to be released later today.

Northwest CCAC Hiring more Nurses

The Northwest Community Care Centre is hiring 11 new mental health nurses.

CEO of the CCAC Tuija Puiras says the nurses will be working in area high schools.

The Provincial Government has provided the cash to the CCAC to offer the positions.

KDSB upset about double dipping

Child care centres will likely close!

That's the warning from the Kenora District Services Board.

The KDSB is growing more frustrated with paying rent to School Boards to operate child care facilities in Provincialy funded schools.

Chair Phil Vinet says it's a classic case of double and triple dipping and he's already expressed his concern with the Province.

Vinet says the KDSB will send a letter of concern as well to the respective School Board's.

Habitat Closes in on Fundraising Goal for Kenora Build

Habitat for Humanity is inching closer to its fundraising goal for its first ever build in Kenora.

Ralph Page is a member of the local committee and says they are 8 to 10 thousand dollars away.

He says they continue to get support from unexpected places as well.

Page says they still have a few fundraisers in the works and is hoping to turn sod on their project by the end of this month or early in June.

Mauro Raises concerns about NDP Auto Insurance Bill

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro calls a private members bill from the NDP on auto insurance short sighted.

Mauro says the bill would drive up our premiums to subsidize the rates paid by Southern Ontario drivers.

Mauro is calling on Northern Ontario NDP MPP's to vote against the proposal and call for auto insurance reforms that will help all drivers in the province.

Mothers Day Road Race Results

Ideal weather conditions for the annual 10 K Mothers Day Run.

Cory Gallagher once again topped the field.

The Winnipeg Runner finished the loop in a time of 33 mintues 35 seconds.

Ben Gustafson was the top local male finisher, about seven mintues behind.

Janet Findlay topped the podium in the women's event, in a time of 41 mintues 53 seconds.

Saints Boys, Bronco Girls place Second in Weekend tournament

The Miles MacDonnell Buckeyes spoiled an otherwise splendid weekend for local high school soccer teams.

The Buckeyes won both the boys and girls divisions at the Broncos Invitational Soccer tournament over the weekend at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

Miles Mac blanked the Thomas Aquinas Saints 1-0 in the boys final.

T.A. had a perfect 3-0 record heading into the final, including a 3-0 win over their cross-town rivals from Beaver Brae Sunday morning.

In the girls final, it was a battle between two undefeated teams as the Buckeyes prevailed 1-0 in overtime to beat the host Broncos.

The Thomas Aquinas girls squad finished with a 2-2 record in the tournament. 

 In the third place game on the boys side of the tournament, Dryden got by Springs Christian from Winnipeg 5-2, while Fort Frances won the 5th place game, with a 1-0 win over Beaver Brae.

Northwest Communities Flounder in Ultimate Fishing Town Contest

Northwestern Ontario communities have some work to do if they want to be declared Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town.

With 19 days left in the voting, only Ignace sits in the top ten.

Ignace has just over 18 hundred votes and sits in 9th.

Nestor Falls is a thousand votes back in 12th.

Kenora, Fort Frances and Sioux Narrows are all well back of the pack.

Voting ends on May 31st.

Winnipeg Man Arrested in Downtown Drug Bust

A 24 year old Winnipeg man has been arrested following a drug bust in downtown Kenora.

Last night around 11:30, the OPP Street Crimes Unit came across a suspect on Matheson Street who was believed to be involved in drug activity.

Police say they seized about 22 grams of cocaine.

Kevin Huber has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime and failing to comply with a probation order.

Broncos host weekend soccer Tournament

Local high school soccer teams will be strutting their stuff this weekend at the Tom Nabb Complex.

A two day tournament will start tomorrow and wrap up Sunday afternoon.

A total of seven boys teams and five girls teams are entered.

In addition to squads from Beaver Brae, Thomas Aquinas, Dryden and Fort Frances, out of town teams will also be coming from Winnipeg and Brandon.

This is the fifth year in a row Beaver Brae has hosted the boys tournament, but the first time girls teams have also been invited.

Gravelle Says the Northwest can still benefit from the Ring of Fire

Understanding the bigger picture, that's what Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle is asking from northwestern Ontario aboriginal and municipal leaders.

Gravelle says he understands local residents are disappointed in a decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to locate a billion dollar smelter near Sudbury.

But he is reminding people that this project is massive, there will be jobs and money coming into Northwestern Ontario.

Gravelle adds that the entire project is worth 3-point-3 Billion Dollars and is expected to create more than 9-hundred jobs, along with further secondary jobs associated with the Ring of Fire Development project.

Emergency Preparedness Expo this Weekend

Emergency Preparedness week in Kenora is going to be wrapping up with a special event at the Kenora Fire Hall.

The first ever Emergency Expo will take place tomorrow.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says they want local residents to know what kinds of support there is in the community in the case of an emergency.

The Emergency Service Expo will take place from 10:00 to 2:00 at the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill and will also feature a charity barbeque.

Campbell Supports Changes to the Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act is going under the microscope at Queen's Park.

An amendment has been proposed to soften the species at risk legislation.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell supports the amendment saying the Act is causing more harm than good.

Campbell says the Act is so restrictive that it can put farmers and tourist outfitters out of work, if an endangered species is found on their property.

Local Consultants Launch new Company

A group of local consultants have teamed up to form a new company in Kenora.

Kenora Resource Consultants was formed earlier this year.

Kelli Saunders is one of the partners in the venture and says they hope to capitalize on some environmental and scientific research they hope will be carried out on Lake of the Woods through the International Joint Commission.

Saunders says their company is comprised of environmental consultants, GIS mapping specialists and  a fish and wildlife expert.

Mystery Shopper Scam Unveiled

Receiving money to become a mystery shopper?!

It sounds too good to be true and yes it is.

Provincial Police in Sioux Lookout are warning the public about fake cheques being sent to local residents to prospective shoppers.

The victim receives a cheque in the mail that appears to be legitimate and worth around 4-thousand dollars.

The victim is asked to complete a series of assignments to rate customer service at numerous retail outlets as well as security precautions taken by Western Union in relation to money transfers.

The scam is complete when the victim wires cash.

KDSB gets more funding for Social Housing

A pleasant surprise for the Kenora District Services Board.

The KDSB has been notified that it will receive an additional 156-thousand dollars over the next five years for housing.

Chief Administrative Officer Dan McNeill says they are pleased with the extra funding, but says

there is concern what will happen after the five years are up.

The money is provided jointly by the federal and provincial levels of government. 

NOMA Disappointed in Ring of Fire Decision

The President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is lending his voice to a decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to locate a their smelter in Sudbury.

NOMA President, Ron Nelson, says he is disappointed and that they supported bids to have it built anywhere west of Wawa.

Nelson says his organization will continue to pressure the government heavily in order to ensure they meet promises made associated with the Ring of Fire.

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.