Kelly Seeking Leadership of AFN

The former Grand Chief of Treaty 3 is in the running for the top post with the Assembly of First Nations.

Diane Kelly has officially announced her candidacy for the Grand Chief position.

Kelly says it will now be a busy time on the road.

Kelly says there hasn't been a strong treaty voice over the past 4-years and notes she's ready to challenge the majority Government.

The vote will take place July 18th.

A total of eight names will be on the ballot, including incumbant Grand Chief, Shawn Atleo. 

Campbell Goes to Bat for the ELA

The Provincial government says its not prepared to see the

Experimental Lakes Area east of Kenora closed down without a fight.

In the Ontario Legislature today, Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell asked the Environment Minister to join the lobby effort to keep the outdoor laboratory open.

Environment Minister Jim Bradley says he's already joined with his provincial counterpart in Manitoba and written a letter urging the federal government to keep the ELA open.

Public School Board Expects Record Number of Retirements

A major overhaul at the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

The Board has recognized 36 staff who are retiring this year.

Director of Education Jack McMaster says they are losing a lot of knowledge.

McMaster also attributes the on-going dispute with teachers and the Province and possible changes to pensions.

Mixed Results at local schools for OSSLT

The Kenora Catholic District School Board is crowing about the results from the latest Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test for grade 10 students.

The separate school board had 87 percent of its students complete the test compared to the provincial average of 82 percent.

The results are encouraging for the Catholic School Board, which is featured in the EQAO's profiles of success stories.

Results were much lower at the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board with a completion rate of just 69 percent.

Share the Road this Sunday

If you're looking for something to do with your dad on father's day, how about a bike ride.

Safe Communities Kenora is officially launching Kenora's new bike lanes on Sunday.

Maria Bagdonis says its part of their campaign called "Share the Road".

The bike ride will begin at noon on Sunday from the Discovery Center and will make its way down to the new Harborfront Tent.

Northern Rendez Vous Starts Tonight

Some pretty sporty vehicles will be driving around town today.

The Northern Rendezvous will be making its ever appearance in Kenora starting this evening.

Tom Struthers is one of the organizers and says they will be featuring mainly British sports cars.

Struthers expects more than 100 vehicles will be in town for the Northern Rendez Vous with the feature being the MG.

Struthers says 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the classic British roadster. 

Public School Board Approves 2012-2013 Budget

Just a slight increase in spending this year for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

Trustees approved an 85.2 million dollar budget this week, which is an increase of about 500 thousand dollars from the year before.

Superintendant of Business Dean Carrie says the good news is that they expect their enrolments to start stabilizing after years of fairly significant declines.

The school board's funding is largely based on Student enrolment, and Carrie says their numbers will drop this year by about 60 students.

Council debates Harborfront Tent Capacity

A new document called the Harborfront Tent Users Guide is generating quite a bit of discussion at the council table.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says he drafted the policy after getting repeated questions about how many people the new tent can hold.

Mayor Dave Canfield suggests the new policy adds more red tape for people who want to rent the new tent.

But Brinkman says the information is based on the Ontario Fire Code and says if alcohol is

being served, no more than 1240 people should be under the tent.

He suggests that the standing room capacity is closer to 35 hundred, if no alcohol is being

served.

NOMA Applauds new Electricity Rate

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is giving its thumbs up to a new industrial electricity rate announced by the province this week.

The new rate will amount to about 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour.

Dave Canfield is the vice-president of NOMA and says that's a good start.

The new rate will take effect new year for large industries that plan to expand or to re-locate in Ontario.

Fire Fighter Recalls Sandy Lake Airplane Fire

A harrowing tale from a Sandy Lake firefighter involved in yesterday's blaze at the community airport.

Ringo Fiddler says a Wasaya Airways plane was destroyed.

Fiddler says flames were shooting as high as 40-feet into the air and full fuel tanks were about 25-feet away.

He says firefighters had to fight the flames about 50-feet away from the blaze.

Ivan the Eye Van Returns for a 40th year

An anniversary for the CNIB's Eye Van.

The medical mobile eye care unit is back on the road for its 40th year.

Executive Director Monique Pilkington says it's brought much needed services to northern Ontario.

The Eye Van reaches Kenora at the end of July and the first part of August.

13TH Triple Play Take A Kids Fishing Day this Saturday

Wanted: a couple of good anglers to take a kid fishing.

Triple Play will hold its 13th annual Take A Kid Fishing day this weekend.

Debbie Novak from Triple Play says they are still looking for some volunteers to help out.

A total of 16 kids between the ages of 8 and 15 have signed up for this years day of fishing.

It will take place Saturday starting at 11:00 at Anicinabe Park.

TSB to Looking Sandy Lake Airplane Fire

Details are emerging after a Wasaya Airways plane that was destroyed by a fire yesterday.

The Hawker was off-loading fuel at the Sandy Lake Airport when something went wrong and the plane caught on fire.

Regional Manager of the Transportation Safety Board Peter Hildebrand says they are trying to find out what exactly went wrong.

Hildebrand says he hopes to speak with the two crew members in the next day or so and get more information on what possibly caused the fire.

The TSB is also talking with Wasaya officials.

Meantime, a Sandy Lake First Nations firefighter says yesterday's fire could have been a lot worse.

Ringo Fiddler says firefighters received the call just before 2 o'clock in the afternoon and it took about 5-minutes for crews to arrive.

Fiddler says flames were shooting as high as 40-feet into the air and full fuel tanks were about 25-feet away.

He says firefighters had to fight the fire about 50-feet away from the blaze.

Fiddler says the fire started near the fuel tank.

No one was injured in the incident.

Lake of the Woods Control Board to Hold Open House tonight

Water levels continue to rise on Lake of the Woods.

The lake level went up about three inches this past week and are expected to go up a similar amount in the next seven days.

Due to all the rain, the Control Board has increased outflow at the Norman Dam by about 50 cubic meters per second, with a second increase scheduled for tomorrow.

In the meantime, the Lake of the Woods Control Board will be holding its annual Open House in Kenora this evening for anyone who has questions or concerns about waters levels on the lake.

The Open House will run from 7:30 to 9:00 at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Council to Approve Outdoor Patio Policy

City council will once again try to pass regulations to allow outdoor patios on municipal property.

The Property and Planning met yesterday and approved changes, which would allow businesses to take out permits to expand or create patio areas on local sidewalks.

The proposed by-law was withdrawn last month for some more work and review by municipal solicitor.

The by-law would allow local businesses to set up outdoor eating areas for an annual lease of about 350 dollars.

Council is expected to approve the new by-law at its next open meeting next Monday.

Public School Board Promises a Computer for almost Every Student

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is getting into computers in a big way.

Starting this fall, every student from grade four to grade 12 will get their very own netbook or laptop.

Director of Education Jack McMaster says the trustees were really the driving force behind their 21st Century Learning plan.

The total cost of the computer project will be 2.3 million dollars this year, which will come from the boards reserves.

The public school board is also planning to purchase another 335 i-pads for students in Kindergarten to grade 3.

Longboating for Head Safety

With summer around the corner, it's prime time for helmet safety.

Mike Harris and Jeff Abbot are making a difference by long boarding across the country to raise funds for the Canadian Brain Injury Association and to promote helmet use in sports.

However Abbott and Harris weren't so lucky before. Both have had numerous concusions that almost cost them their life.

They left Vancouver on May 1st and currently are near Vermillion Bay.

Hydro Re-Stored to Thousands of Hydro One Customers

Hundreds of residents living between Emo to Kenora were in the dark for several hours yesterday.

The outage began just before 4:00 yesterday afternoon.

No reasons have been immediately given.

More than 45 hundred of Hydro One customers were effected.

Power was fully restored by 2:00 this morning.

Public School Board approves French Immersion

Trustees with the public school board have approved a couple of significant changes to the schooling landscape in Kenora.

Beaver Brae will become a school for students from grades 7 to 12 starting in the fall of 2013.

Superintendant of Education Sean Monteith says they will spend the next year on the transition.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board will also begin rolling out a french immersion program at Valleyview in the fall of 2013, but trustees were adamant that there had to be at least 16 students enrolled before the program would be allowed to proceed.

Big Fines for Fort Frances Hunting Guide

A Fort Frances guide is in hot water for his hunting practices.

Grant Gustafson has been fined 40-thousand dollars for charges relating to his deer hunting business.

He was convicted on several charges including killing a moose without a licence, unlawfully hunting wolves, using an illegal firearm and making a false statement to a conservation officer.

He is banned from hunting for the next 10 years and from guiding for the next 2 years.

Two of his employees and 5 of his clients were also fined a combined total of 15 thousand 500 dollars and 26 years of hunting suspensions.

Province Promises Cheaper Industrial Electricity Rates

The Provincial Government is providing new and existing businesses with cheaper electricity rates.

Minister of Natural Resources Michael Gravelle says the only catch is the company must promise to create jobs in order to get the rebates.

The cheaper electricity rates will be provided to existing companies who are expanding or new ones that are willing to relocate to Ontario.

Wasaya Plane Destroyed by fire

Only one wing is left after a Wasaya Airways plane was completely destroyed in a fire yesterday afternoon.

The company says the aircraft was doing a routine fuel trip and received operations in Sandy Lake First Nation.

Reports indicate that the hose connection leaked and sprayed fuel on the still hot engine.

Ministry of Natural Resources helicopters were called to help extinguish the blaze and the main ramp at the airport and the terminal had to be closed.

No one was on board and the two crew members weren't injured in the mishap.

Con College Holds Spring Convocation

Confederation College's class of 2012 has collected their diplomas.

A total of 32 students graduated yesterday morning from the Lake of the Woods Campus during their convocation.

Jim Madder is president of the college and says he sees a bright future for the grads and our region.

The largest class this year was the Personal Support Worker course, which graduated 14 students.

OPP Investigate Stolen Boating Gear

The OPP are investigating the theft of some items from a boat in Minaki.

Police say last night, someone stopped by a Front Street residence and stole several pieces of boating gear.

Stolen items included a Minnkota trolling motor, three Troll master batteries and the Wave Wacker splash guards from the rear of the boat.

Anyone with information about the theft can call the Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers.

City Council Looking at Expanded Bow Hunt for Deer

The City of Kenora continues to grapple with our expanding deer population.

Council has agreed to expand the time period for a bow hunt in city limits this fall.

Councillor Sharon Smith says that's about the only thing the city can do to try and curb our deer numbers.

The bow hunt within city limits will be expanded by a full month this year to the end of deer hunting season on December 15th.

Smaller parcels of land will also be eligible for the hunt, going from 5 hectares down to 4.

Councils Asked to Support ELA Resolutions

Opposition to a Federal Government decision to close the Experimental Lakes area east of Kenora continues to ramp up.

Jill Wilkenson is calling on local municipal councils to pass a resolution denouncing the move.

She says the ELA is important to our community.

She says the ELA is the world's top fresh water research facility and is something we should fight to keep.

Sod Turning for Habitat for Humanity

All systems are go for the Habitat For Humanity build in Kenora.

A sod-turning ceremony took place on the property located just off Main Street Rideout.

Thelma Wilkens-Page is a one of the Habitat members and says they have raised about 75 percent of the money they need.

Meanwhile, Ashley Neniska will be the recipient of the new Habitat home.

She and her daughter are looking forward to finally moving in.

Actual construction will begin next Monday, when the site is excavated and work begins on the foundation.

M.P.'s Summer Holiday's Delayed

It could be a few more weeks before M.P.'s get back to their ridings for the summer.

The Federal budget Omnibus bill has been delayed by back to work legislation for CP rail workers, and now hundreds of budget amendments from the Opposition.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says at this point he's not sure when the current sitting will actually end.

M.P.'s are now preparing for what's could top 24 hours of voting on more than 800 proposed amendments to the Tory government's massive budget-implementation bill.

CUPE Protests Provincial Budget Bill

The Canadian Union of Public Employees is warning about what it sees as possible adverse consequences of a new bill moving through provincial legislature.

Jules Tupker of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, believes that a section of Bill 55 will lead to mass privatization of public services.

CUPE held a protest out side the offices of Natural Resources minister Michael Gravelle yesterday.

Operation Corridor this Week

A 24-hour crackdown on transport drivers is coming to Northwestern Ontario.

"Operation Cooridor" starts Thursday evening.

The 24-hour initiative targets commercial vehicle speeding and aggresive drivers.

Sergeant Shelley Garr is asking all motorists to slow down and be safe.

Rain Dampens Fire Hazard

Widespread thunder storms and heavy down pours have put a damper on the forest fire hazard across northwestern Ontario.

The Fire hazard is now considered "Low" across the Northwest region.

A number of fires were called "Out" in the last two days, including Kenora Fire #36, which had grown to 588 hectares in size on Falcon Island on Lake of the Woods.

There are now 15 active fires in the region.

Stanley Cup to Return to Kenora

The Stanley Cup will be coming home to Kenora this summer.

Mike Richards and the Los Angeles Kings put an emphatic finish on the NHL finals with a 6-1 shelling of the New Jersey Devil's to win the best-of-seven series 4-2.

Richards had a pair of assists in the game.

Richards now adds his name to the Stanley Cup along with the Calder Cup, the Memorial Cup, the World Junior Hockey Championships, and an Olympic Gold medal.

Jonathan Quick was named the Conn Smythe Trophy Winner as the play-off MVP.

Several Areas Still without Power Following Sunday Storm

Some residents in the Longbow Lake area are still without power today following yesterday's storm.

Hydro One says less than 20 customers are still waiting for their electricity to be restored.

Hydro is expected to be restored later this afternoon.

Several other areas in and around Kenora are also without electricty today, including some customers in the Silver Lake area and around the Whitefish Bay First Nation and just north of Clearwater Bay.

Hydro One says high winds damaged some of its power lines in the area.

Iron Ore Project gets a boost

A $900 million mining development is in the works for Northwestern Ontario.

The construction of the iron mine in the Wabigoon area is expected to begin in 2015, where close to 1,000 workers will be hired to construct the mine site.

President and CEO of Bending Lake Iron Ore Group Henry Wetalainen seems confident about it and

says they have a Chinese company interested in becoming a major investor in the project.

Bending Lake hopes to have the mine in full production in 2017.

Interpretive Forest Planted at Discovery Center

The Discovery Center is showing off its newest exhibit.

An interpretive forest was unveiled on Friday behind the building on Lakeview Drive.

Heather Paterson is Kenora's Tourism Development Officer and says the forest gives visitors an idea of some of the plant life in the area.

The city received 15 thousand dollars from the TD Green Streets fund for the interpretive forest.

The total project will amount to about 60 thousan dollars over two years.

Battle for ELA Continues

The battle to keep the Environmental Lakes Area open east of Kenora isn't over.

A meeting took place last night Knox United Church talking about the importance of the outdoor laboratory.

The public meeting was billed as "Closing the ELA-What's at Stake", and  featured a number of guest speakers including Thunder Bay-Superior North M.P. Bruce Hyer.

Relay for Life sets record in Kenora

A record breaking weekend for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Relay for Life in Kenora raised a total of 110 thousand dollars over 12 hours.

That's the best ever total.

Hundreds of people walked the track at Lakewood School Friday night and early Saturday morning.

All totalled, Relays for Life generated 375 thousand dollars in four separate events in northwestern Ontario over the past two weekends.

Severe Weather over the Weekend

There are reports of a tornado touching down in the Rainy River district.

Emergency officials say it happened last night in the Stratton area.

There are no reports of any damage or any injuries.

David Rogers of Environment Canada says a system was prime for severe weather.

Because of the funnel cloud report, much of the district was briefly placed on a tornado watch.

Kenora was also a victim of the intense weather system getting 82 millimeters of rain.

Sod Turning for Habitat for Humanity This Morning

A milestone for Habitat for Humanity in Kenora.

A sod turning ceremony will take place this morning for the first ever build in the city.

So far Habitat has raised about 44 thousand dollars in cash, plus even more worth of "in-kind" donations.

The sod turning will take place at 10:00 just off Mellick Avenue.

Actual construction will begin on June 18th.

Saints Enjoy best ever showing at OFSAA

The Thomas Aquinas boys soccer team is back home after its best ever showing at the provincial championships.

The Saints finished with a record of two wins, a loss and two ties.

The only loss was a costly one, coming in the Quarter-final round.

T.A. lost 2-0 to the eventual gold medalists, Kings Christian from Halton.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae's girls team won its final game at the All-Ontario Double A championships, finishing with a 1-3 record at OFSAA, but out of the play-offs.

Saints Advance to OFSAA Quarter-Finals

Its a landmark day for the Thomas Aquinas boys soccer program.

For the first time ever, the Saints have qualified for the play-offs at the All-Ontario Single "a" championships.

The Saints earned a berth into the quarter-final round with a 2-2 draw with St. Patrick Secondary School from Toronto.

Patrick Van Belleghem scored on a penalty kick late in the game to secure the tie, while Tristan Argue added the other goal.

T.A. finishes second in its pool with a record of two wins and two ties  and now plays Kings Christian in the quarter-final round this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae won't be playing in the second round at the OFSAA double A championships.

The Broncos are winless in three games, after losing 3-0 this morning to St. Paul from Mississauga.

Beaver Brae plays one final game in the round robin this afternoon against Lester B. Pearson from Burlington.

Thomas Aquinas Boys Win Again at OFSAA

The Thomas Aquinas boys soccer team controls its own destiny at the All-Ontario Single "a"

championships.

The Saints need a win or a tie this afternoon to move onto the quarter-finals at the OFSAA

tournament in Windsor.

This morning T.A. won its second game with a 2-1 win against Walkerton District High School.

Patrick Van Belleghem scored both T.A. goals, giving him three in three games.

Thomas Aquinas has one more game in the round robin against St. Patrick Secondary School from
Toronto.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae won't be playing in the second round at the OFSAA double A championships.

The Broncos are winless in three games, after losing 3-0 this morning to St. Paul from Mississauga.

Beaver Brae plays one final game in the round robin this afternoon against Lester B. Pearson from Burlington.

New Tourism Web Site Launched

There's no place like home for Waysaya Wild Adventures.

The tourist group has recently launched their website, waysayawild.com.

Tour Advisor Bruce Fallen says there was a specific idea in mind when the site was being created.

Tourists will be able to see the northern way of living, such as fishing and local communities.

Thunder Bay declared a disaster area

Thunder Bay, Conmee and Oliver-Paipoonge are now disaster areas and are elibigle for funding from the provincial government.

The announcement was made in Thunder Bay yesterday by Municipal Affairs Minister Kathleen Wynne.

Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs calls it a great start.

The three areas will share in up to 16 million dollars in disaster relief funding

Sioux Narrows Embraces Grey Power

Officials in Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls say they're not surprised that the community has the oldest population in the Kenora District.

A recent StatsCan report showed the number of people 65 or older in the town was 24.3 percent.

Town Planner Jeff Port says Stats Can last year also showed Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls was also the fastest growing community in the region, which he attributes to more seniors deciding to

declare their cottages their primary residence.
Port says Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls move to approve condo developments is something that he sees as a positive for the aging population in his community.

Louisiana Man Drowns in Quetico Provincial Park

A tragic drowning in Quetico Provincial Park.

Provincial Police say two men were on a canoe trip in Carp Lake, about 70-kilometres south of Atikokan.

OPP say the men were fishing in their canoe when one of them suffered a medical emergency.

The canoe capsized and the victim couldn't be kept above water by his friend.

The survivor managed to swim to shore and call for help.

27-year-old Jacob Jones of Ruston, Louisiana has been identified as the victim.

OPP say Jones wasn't wearing a life jacket at the time.

Relay for Life Takes Center Stage Tonight

Another major fundraiser for Cancer patients and research tonight.

The annual Relay for Life will take place at the Lakewood School track.

Amanda Witta is the co-chair and says one of the most inspirational moments is the lighting of the luminaries.

The Relay will start around 7:00 this evening, with the luminaries being lit starting around 10:00.

Hospital Finishes Fiscal Year in the Black

Despite increasing costs, Lake of the Woods District Hospital managed to record a small surplus this past year.

The hospital was 80 thousand dollars in the black in the 2011/2012  fiscal year.

Vice President of Corporate Services Cindy Gasparini admits it wasn't easy to balance their books.

Gasparini says the outlook for the year ahead isn't very rosy.

They are expecting only a modest increase in spending of just 0.4 percent from the province.

Richardson Acclaimed as Chair of Hospital Board

Not a lot of suspense in the election of the hospital board's executive last night.

Fred Richardson was acclaimed as chair for another term.

He admits these are challenging times to be a hospital in Ontario.

New board member, Dorothy Monteith was also acclaimed as vice chair.

There were a couple of departures from the hospital board as both Joan Reid and Dale Munro have resigned.

Adam Pringle and Theresa Stevens were selected to replace them on the board. 

Forest Fire Activity Picks up

There are 20 active forest fires in Northwestern Ontario.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is reporting three new fires which started yesterday.

The Sioux Lookout District has the most fires with 9, there are 5 in the Red Lake area and one each burning in the districts of Dryden, Fort Frances and Kenora.

Information Officer Debbie McLean says if the rain in the forecast holds true, the fire hazard rating will drop to low for the South and Central portions of the region, but remain high to extreme in the North.

Campbell Speaks Out Against Energy Retailers

There's a call to ban the door-to-door sale of hydro or natural gas.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says contracts signed at the door are both misleading and costly for consumers.

Campbell says she's received hundreds of complaints about these companies across her riding and

is urging the provincial government to ban the practice of selling energy contracts door-to-door.