Treaty #3 Upset with Dryden Hospital

The Grand Chief of Grand Council Treaty 3 says he's disappointed with the Dryden Regional Health Centre.

Chief Warren White says a Dryden doctor received a slap on the wrist after he was found breaching code of conduct by making racist comments to an Anishinaabe family during an emergency visit.

White says the impacts of hatred can't be minimized and stresses progress can't take place when events like this occur.

White is calling on the hospital to send a message that it adheres to zero tolerance of racism.

He says the response to the incident by delivering cultural sensitivity training isn't enough and the doctor must be disciplined.

Yesno Elected NAN Grand Chief

One of the original founders of the Nishinabe Aski Nation is now its head man.

Harvey Yesno was elected yesterday as grand chief during elections held on the Kaseshewan First Nation.

Yesno needed three ballots to edge out deputy grand chief Terry Waboose 22-21.

Yesno had been the top candidate on all three ballots.

Union Seeks Court Injunction against Daycare Closure

The Union representing the 17 workers at the Castle of Learning Daycare Center say it plans to get an injunction against the closure.

Council voted last night to shut down the municipally run daycare at the end of December.

Carol Bruneau is vice-president of CUPE Local 191 and says the city is violating the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

CUPE is the City's largest Union and Bruneau says the lay-off of staff at the Castle of Learning could result in a lot of bumping of employees from their jobs.

Local School Boards Ready to Provide Daycare Services

Both the Kenora Catholic and Keewatin-Patricia District School Boards say they will do what they can to accomodate parents who have kids at the Castle of Learning Day Care Center.

The City announced it will close the municipally run daycare at the end of this year.

Jack McMaster is the director of education with the public school board and admits they are dealing with fairly tight timelines.

The Castle of Learning is already located in King George School, so McMaster is hoping they can get another provider to take over the daycare with little disruption to the parents.

Fellowship Center Develops Action Plan

The Kenora Fellowship Center on Water Street is starting to develop and action plan to deal with the homeless population in the city.

Colin Wasacase spoke to Kenora City Council yesterday about some of their programs and is hoping the city will be involved in some of their solutions.

Wasacase says there are a number of different agencies in the community that can help out.

Wasacase says they feed as many as 100 people each day at the Fellowship Center and receive about 60 thousand dollars a year in donations from the local community to keep the program going.

Pink Bus Tours Kenora Today

You might have noticed a large pink bus in town over the past couple of days.

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is taking its "Pink Tour" across the province.

Its aimed at educating the public on breast cancer and screening.

Vice President of Development Karen Malone says they have a target of 30,000 visitors to the bus.

The bus will be stopping in front of the CIBC on Main Street this morning and Shoppers Drug Mart this afternoon.

Special Designation Planned for Norman Park

There could be soon better protection for Norman Park.

Kenora city council has agreed to amend its official plan and give the park a special designation.

Last week a number of Norman Residents asked city council to put a covenant back on the park to ensure it would never be be used for anything but recreational purposes.

Instead council is directing the Planning Department to draft a policy for Norman Park and present it at the next Property and Planning meeting in September.

Resolute Sets Tree-Planting Milestone

One billion trees and counting.

Resolute Forest Products says its now hit a milestone in tree planting in northern Ontario.

The company celebrated by planting a two-meter tall white spruce tree at it's mill sites at Fort Frances, Iroquos Falls and Thunder Bay.

President and CEO Richard Garneau says the ceremony represents the unwavering commitment to forest renewal and sustainable forestry.

Stanley Cup to Arrive Saturday

Plans have now been finalized for the arrival of the Stanley Cup in Kenora.

The Cup will be here Saturday and will be making a two hour pit stop under the White Cap Pavillion.

Mike Richards is scheduled to bring the Cup by boat to the Kenora Harborfront at Noon.

Richards and the Cup will then be available for photographs for about two hours.

Richards won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Los Angeles Kings this past June and

gets to spend 24 hours with the trophy. 

Council Votes to Close Castle of Learning

Despite the pleadings of hundreds of parents, employees and even union leaders, Kenora City Council has decided to close the Castle of Learning Daycare center.

The issue was discussed at some length last nigh at City Hall.

Sue Devins is one of the parents affected by the decision and says the city has the resources to continue the program.

Council voted 4-2 in favour of closing the daycare with Rory McMillan and Sharon Smith voting against the closure.

Smith feels the city hasn't done its due diligence.

The union representing the 17 workers at the Castle of Learning says its looking to get a court injunction against the closure, claiming it violates their collective agreement.

Council Approves Indoor Soccer Complex

The Lake of the Woods Soccer Association now has the green light to proceed with plans to transform the Jaffray Melick Community Center into an indoor soccer complex.

Last night, council voted unanimously in favour of a three year agreement with the soccer association for the re-development of the arena.

Plans call for artificial turf to be installed for a year round indoor soccer and sports training facility.

The Soccer Association says its working on plans for the complex and isn't sure when it will be ready for use.

OPP Concerned about Increase in MVA's

The OPP say they are developing a new policy to inform motorists about lengthy highway closures.

Inspector Dave Lucas of the Kenora Detachment says they've notice a bit increase in the number of accidents on Highway 17 west, especially during the weekends.

Lucas says the accidents can cause significant delays for motorists.

Lucas says they will be using signage and asking officers to speak with motorists waiting in line,

keeping them informed about the length of the road closure.

MP Launches Campaign to save Katimavik

A young member of parliment is taking a stand for youth across Canada.

The Katimavik Program, which provides oppertunities for youth to volunteer and gain working experience in different organizations, was recently cut by the government.

MP for Terrebonne-Blainville Quebec Charmaine Borg says it is completley unfair.

Allison Wight attended the program in January, and is also very upset with the government's decision.

Borg has started a petition to keep the program, which already has over 7000 signatures.

Big Trout Chief Receives Honor

Chief Donny Morris of the Big Trout Lake First Nation stood up for what he believes in, and now he's been awarded a medal.

Morris was presented a diamond jubilee pin, honoring the work he's done for his community.

In March 2008, Morris and others were put in jail for standing up to the province.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell presented the medal, saying Morris has been a "true leader".

OPP Warn Motorists of Possible Scam

The Ontario Provincal Police want the public to be aware of a scam that's happening in Northwestern Ontario.

On Sunday there were two seperate incidents in the Nipigon area and Thunder Bay area on highway 11/17.

In the Nipigon area, a female flagged down a driver, saying she had ran out of gas and said she had a ring she would exchange for money.

In the same incident in Thunder Bay, a man flagged down a driver and made the same offer. The man offered the ring in exchange for money, which he said was worth 800 dollars.

Police say the ring was later found to be fake.

The man and woman appear to be of Turkish descent and were driving a dark coloured Audi.

Police want the public to be cautious with any offer that seems to good to be true.

MNR Monitoring Fire on Lake of the Woods

A quiet weekend for Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews.

Just a couple of new blazes over the past three days.

One of the fires was located on an island down Lake of the Woods.

The MNR says the fire is burning near Tranquil Channel about 25 kilometers south of Kenora and is currently being monitored.

The blaze is about 0.1 hectares in size but isn't considered a threat to any property.

Dragon Boats Profitable for Community Foundation

A big weekend for the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

The foundation managed to raise 22 thousand dollars from this past weekend's dragon boat races on Rabbit Lake.

Over 340 paddlers took part in the day long festival at Garrow Park.

A couple of local teams took top honors, with the Super Troopers winning the A-side title, and Carpe Diem, members of Kenora's legal community placing first in the b-side event.

Thunder Bay Woman Injured in Falcon Lake Crash

A 29 year old Thunder Bay woman is in Kenora hospital following a collision on Highway 1 in eastern Manitoba.

The RCMP say the single vehicle accident took place Saturday afternoon around 3:00 about 3 kilometers west of Falcon Lake.

The Mounties say the woman lost control of her pick-up truck and rolled the vehicle.

She was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital in critical but stable condition.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt, but alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

No West Nile Yet in Northwestern Ontario

Despite high numbers of reported cases of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in southern Ontario, we appear to be quite safe here in the North.

Entomologist, Dr. Ken Deacon says there have been no positive tests on mosquitoes trapped here so far.

Apparently we need even higher temperatures than what we've experienced for it to be a legitimate threat.

Dr. Deacon still says precautions should be taken and the West Nile season runs until the end of August.

Federal Government Unsure of Costs for New Schools

The federal government admits it doesn't know how much its going to cost to build schools in the remote communities of Pikangikum and Fort Severn.

Aboriginal Affairs minister John Duncan announced the construction projects last week.

He says they are looking at bundling the tenders to try and get a better price.

Both Pikangikum and Fort Severn are fly-in communities which means most of the construction material will have to be shipped on ice roads during the winter.

NAN Prepares for Election of Grand Chief

Election Day is coming up this week for Chiefs with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Delegates at the Keewaywin Conference in Kashechewan First Nation will be voting for NAN's executive council.

Chief Electoral Officer Larry Amos says it's been a busy couple of weeks for campaigning.

August 15th is election day.

Council to Vote on Daycare Closure Tonight

Another standing room only crowd is expected in council chambers tonight.

Council is expected to have a final vote on the future of the Castle of Learning Daycare center.

Last week a majority of council indicated they supported a report recommending the closure of the city run daycare center.

But parents who have children at the Castle of Learning are fighting back.

They've released their own report which shows the Castle of Learning actually has been operating with a surplus over the past couple of years.

Council is expected to vote on the issue at 5:00.

SKBI Wraps up 25 Years of Bass Fishing

The 25th edition of the Shaw Kenora Bass International went off without a hitch.

The fishing tournament wrapped up under the White Cap Pavillion Saturday evening with a couple of thousand people in attendance for the final day weigh ins.

Chair of SKBI, Duncan McEwan says they enjoyed their new digs.

This year a total of 133 teams entered the 25th Shaw KBI.

Wiebe and Tully Win KBI

A raw rookie and a relative newcomer to the Shaw Kenora Bass International have claimed first top spot in the 25 annual edition of the fishing tournament.

Aaron Wiebe and Peter Tully from Winnipeg came from behind to win SKBI this year.

They had the biggest weight on day three, pulling in a basket of 18.85 pounds of bass.

That gave them a three day total of 52.61 pounds, almost a pound better than day two leaders,

Ben and Jim Gustafson of Kenora ended up finishing second overall.

Wiebe and Tully won over 22 thousand dolllars for their victory.

Third place went to Jess Swenson and Mike Reid from Sioux Narrows.

In the Can/Am Challenge, Team Canada easily prevailed over Team USA, winning by just over 23 pounds.

Changes to Land Ambulence Service Proposed

The Kenora District Services Board is taking a bold move to get everyone at the table to solve the long-standing issue of non-urgent land ambulence patient transfers.

The Board has adopted a new policy that could see them bill hospitals for so-called code 1 and code 2 transfers or cut the practice out all together.

Chair Phil Vinet says folks need to think what they would do if there was no ambulance available in the case of a true emergency.

Mark Balcaen is the CEO of the Lake of the Woods Hospital and he agrees, but notes they do provide an essential service.

The Board believes some hospitals or doctors are improperly coding cases in order for the patient to receive a ride home.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Announces School Funding

The federal government is carrying through on a promise to provide new schools for first nation communities.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan was on the Fort Severn First Nation yesterday to announce the construction of a new elementary school.

He says this is the first announcement from their 175 million dollar pledge in the spring budget.

Today Duncan has a meeting scheduled with the new leadership of Grand Council Treaty Three and then will fly to the Pikangikum First Nation for another announcement.

Rickford Helps Find Supreme Court Judge

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford will have a hand in selecting the next justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Rickford was one of five M.P.'s chosen to sit on the selection panel.

He says he takes that responsibility seriously.

The panel will create a short-list of three qualified candidates from the Province of Quebec and submit that to the Prime Mininister and the Minister of Justice.

Dragon Boat Festival this Weekend

Dragon boats will be plying the waters of Rabbit Lake this weekend.

The 10th annual Dragon Boat Festival gets underway on Sunday.

Darlene McGilvary is the executive director of the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Foundation and says they expect people of all ages to take part.

Racing gets underway Sunday morning from Garrow Park.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Comes to Kenora

Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission meeting face to face with inmates at a correctional institution for the first time.

A statement gatherer has been speaking with inmates from the Kenora Jail over the past two days and will wrap up the visit today.

Ry Moran from the commission says this is really uncharted territory for them.

Moran says there is a dispropotianate number of first nations people incarcerated at the Kenora Jail, with 92 percent of the population of aboriginal origin.

Green Party Says Go Slow on Ring of Fire

The Leader of the Ontario Green Party feels the Liberals are mishandling the development of the Ring of Fire.

The green party leader spoke out recently about the project noting his party supports mining development when it's done right.

Mike Schreiner says the Government is rushing the project through.

Schreiner says the mineral resources found in the Ring of Fire aren't going anywhere and there isn't a need to rush the process.

Protection Sought for Norman Park

Residents in the Norman area are rallying in support of a popular beach area.

The city is considering some changes to the official plan to give Norman Park a special designation.

But councillor Sharon Smith says she also wants to see a covenant that was removed on the park back in 2008, put back in place.

Former Kenora mayor Joyce Chevrier says she wants to make sure there are protections in place to ensure Norman Park is never used for any other purpose than recreation.

Ryberg and McNanney Lead after Day 1 of SKBI

A couple of familiar names are on top the leaderboard after day one of the Shaw Kenora Bass International.

Matt Ryberg and Brian McNanney from Sioux Narrows had the top weight yesterday, bringing in 17.84 pounds of bass.

Ryberg and McNanney are members of Team Canada and won KBI back in 2009.

A total of six teams weighed in more than 17 pounds of fish on day one.

Genvie Grafham and Bruce Berringer from Keewatin were just a couple of ounces back at 17.82 pounds, followed by Tim Strempler of Winnipeg and his partner Terry McClymont from Kenora are in third with 17.72 pounds.

It was a tough day for a number of teams, last year's champs, Mark Libitka and Dave Bennett are in 38th place with 14.26 pounds, while Jeff Gustafson and Chris Savage are in 42nd place with 14.06 pounds.

In the Can/Am Challenge, Team Canada took a commanding lead with almost 15 more pounds than the Americans on Day one.

Fishing begins this morning again at 6:30.

Tim Horton's Camp A go

Encouraging news for local kids in Northwestern Ontario.

Officials say a Manitoba First Nation has backed off its opposition to a Tim Horton children's camp near the Ontario/Manitoba border.

Dave Newnham of the Tim Horton Children's Foundation says it recently signed a lease for a site on Sylvia Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

He says a right-of-way has been cleared and road construction is expected to start shortly.

This would become the closest camp for kids in our area who attend camp on a yearly basis.

Baird Rules Out Canadian Intervention in Syria

Canada's Foreign Affairs minister is concerned about the on-going conflict in Syria.

John Baird spent the weekend in Kenora, but took time to reflect on some of the recent happenings in the middle east.

He says the resignation of Kofi Annan as a special UN envoy to Syria should be a wake-up call for everyone.

Baird says Canada will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the country but says he has no intention in sending our troops into the war-torn region.

MNR Conducts Enforcement Blitz

An enforcement blitz at a lake along the Canada-U.S border has found several anglers not following the rules.

Ministry of Natural Resources Conservation officers laid 20 charges and issued 78 warnings during the four-day blitz in the middle of July at Basswood Lake located within Quetico Provincial Park

Infractions included anglers fishing without a licence, having an over-limit of fish and using barb hooks or live bait, both of which are prohibited in the park.

Rainy River Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Smuggling

A man from the Rainy River area has been sentenced to three years in prison for trying to smuggle guns across the Manitoba-U.S. border.

The Canada Border Services Agency says Dorion Larry Ozykowski arrived at the entry point of Sprague last December.

He told border officers he didn't have any guns, but when they searched his vehicle they found a prohibited 9-mm handgun and magazine clip.

They also found ammunition.

The 67-year-old pleaded guilty in Winnipeg provincial court to one Criminal Code offence and one Customs Act offence.

Shaw KBI Underway

Fishing is officially underway at the 25th annual Shaw Kenora Bass International.

Over 130 boats are entered into this years event.

Mark Libitka and Dave Bennett are the defending champions and are the captains of Team Canada this year.

Libitka suggests the weather forecast will play a big role in their success.

First Day weigh-ins will start at 4:00 this afternoon. CJRL will have live updates from the White Cap Pavillion.

Parents Protest Daycare Closure

It was standing room only in Kenora Council Chambers last night, in fact it was an overflow audience for the Committee of the whole meeting.

Over 100 parents and children wanted to find out if council was going ahead with plans to close the Castle of Learning Day Care Center and its after school programs.

Carol Bruneau is vice-president of CUPE Local 191 and says as many as 17 jobs will be affected.

She adds the city is creating an unnecessary crisis.

Only Councillor Rory McMillan indicated he would vote against the closure of the daycare.

The city report says daycare is running a deficit and with the province ready to provide all-day kindergarten programs, the city doesn't need to provide the service any longer.

Milestone for SKBI

A major milestone for one of Kenora's signature events.

The Shaw Kenora Bass Internation turns 25 years old this year.

Duncan McEwan is chair of SKBI and says there's no secret to their success.

Fishing begins tomorrow morning and final day weigh-ins will take place Saturday afternoon.

Over 100 thousand dollars in prize money is up for grabs.

Indoor Soccer Complex Proposed for JM Arena

The Jaffray Melick Arena could find new life, not as a hockey rink, but as an indoor soccer facility.

The Lake of the Woods Soccer Association has submitted a proposal to turn the facility into the Kenora Indoor Soccer Complex.

Councillor Ron Lunny says he's all for the change.

Under the proposal, the soccer association would partner with the city to transform the Arena into a year round facility.

The cost to install indoor turf is estimated at about 126 thousand dollars.

OPP Release Long Weekend Stats

A sad statistic for Ontario.

This past long weekend was a busy one for Ontario Provincial Police.

Sergeant Shelly Garr of the Northwestern Division says five people died in road and waterway incidents in the province.

She adds that there were more charges laid this year for speeding and dangerous driving that last

year during the same weekend. 

Fortunately there were no fatalities reported in Northwestern Ontario.

Fire Hazard Continues to Drop

The forest fire hazard has dropped to low to moderate in Northwestern Ontario.

There are currently 58 active fires in the region.

Two new fires have been reported, one near Dryden and one in Nipigon.

Fire crews were called out to deal with a grass fire along highway 17 about 30km west of Vermillion Bay.

Additional Charges Laid in Boating Accident

The OPP have charged a second person in connection with a boat accident on Lake of the Woods last week.

Police say 40 year old Kristin Hansen of Winnipeg was the operator of a 19 foot crownline, which was involved in a collision with a 15 foot Bayline last Sunday morning.

She's been charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

The 25 year old operator of the Bayliner was charged with impaired operation of a vesssel causing bodily harm.

Hansen is due to appear in Kenora Court in October on the charge.

TSB Not Investigating Sioux Lookout Plane Crash

No more details are being revelaed about the plane crash in Sioux Lookout on Sunday.

The transportation safety board says there will be no full investigation, however Slate Falls Airways is continuing their own investigation.

The Cessna aircraft occupied by a pilot and 4 passengers crashed around 2pm, shortly after take off from Pelican Lake.

All 5 occupants recieved minor injuries and have been released from Meno Ya Win Health Center.

Shaw KBI Gears up for 25th Anniversary

After three days of fun on the Harborfront, Harborfest is getting ready to make way for the 25th annual Shaw KBI.

This year, things will kick off with a boat parade.

Kristie Cavenaugh is organizing the event and says they will be making their way through downtown Kenora early this evening.

The parade is scheduled to start at 6:00 this evening.

Fire Crews Heading Home

M.N.R. officials are letting fire crews from out of province head home after the forest fire sitation eased over the weekend.

The Ministry of Natural Resources say one new fire started on Sunday near Lake of the Woods near Kenora.

Out of province resources from Saskatchewan and New Brunswick were released from the Northwest Region assignment over the weekend.

Contract crews are also being released from fires. These resources provided support to the Northwest Region during the peak of fire activity.

Busy Long Weekend for the OPP in Kenora

The August Long Weekend proved to be a busy one for the Kenora OPP.

They arrested a number of people for drinking and driving offenses and are investigating one hit and run accident on Valley Drive.

Police were also called to a boat fire on Lake of the Woods near Devil's Gap.

A 1997, 22 foot Sea Ray caught fire around 2:00 Sunday afternoon.

Police say the two occupants were rescued by passing boaters, but their vessel was completely destroyed and sank to the bottom of the lake.

The OPP say they blocked that area of the lake off for about an hour as the boat burned.

Local Groups Applaud Lake Announcement's

Several groups which work on Lake of the Woods are pleased the federal government has finally announced its intentions for a water management plan.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird made the announcement in Kenora over the weekend.

Todd Sellars from the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation says one of the key recommendations is the creation of a new board out of two existing entitities.

Plans are also in the works for a water quality summit for Lake of the Woods.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford expects that will take place sometime in the next year or so.