Defense Presents It's Case to the Jury

The second degree murder Trial of Kenneth Ivall is rapidly winding down.

Yesterday, defense lawyer Chris Watkins presented his case.

In a short opening statement to the jury, Watkins claimed that Angela Duchesne was the only person who seemed to have a motive to kill Ed Wilson.

He says Duchesne exhibited a lot of anger and animosity to the victim.

Watkins also presented just two witnesses to give evidence.

Both were both briefly cell-mates with Duchesne in the Kenora Jail.

Kimberly Skead says Duchesne told her that Wilson was a stalker and
a paedophile and he deserved what he got.

Both the crown and the defense will present their final arguments for the
jury beginning this morning.

Fraser Institute Rates Local Schools

A good news, bad news report card for elementary schools in Kenora.

Overall, Kenora schools received a mark of 5.3 out of ten from the Fraser
Institute, just below the provincial average of 6.0.

Peter Crowley is one of the authors of the annual Elementary Schools Report
Card and says it shows where there is room for improvement.

Ste. Margarite Bourgeoys led all schools with a rating of 8.4 out of ten, ahead of Valleyview
at 6.0, King George at 5.1 and Pope John Paul at 4.7.

Mixed Reviews for Throne Speech

The MPP for the Kenora-Rainy River Riding says the throne speech lacked in commitment to fix problems facing the province.

Sarah Campbell says she's interested to see what premier Kathleen Wynne does to keep her promises.

Campbell adds that the speech did include a lot of concerns facing the province but lack any plans for action.

Meanwhile,  Kenora mayor Dave Canfield  says no one promise in the throne speech caught his attention.

Canfield says he is happy to hear the province is promising to continue to work on infrastructure.

Canfield adds that he plans to continue talking to ministers at the Good Roads conference next week about work on the Winnipeg River West Branch Bridge.

OPP Getting Ready for Crime Prevention Campaign

The Kenora O.P.P will be looking for some public feedback during Crime Prevention Campaign.

Constable Dave Cain says they are using the information to plan workshops throughout the year.

Cain says crime prevention is important because the O.P.P can't be everywhere at once.

He adds that community initiatives such as Neighborhood Watch are proving to be effective.

Memorial Bench Project Being Launched

The City of Kenora is giving people the chance to memorialize a loved one.

Councillor Sharon Smith says the city has a new memorial bench project in place.

Smith says anyone interested in donating a bench has a number of options to choose from.

She says the benches can be placed along any one of the city's urban trails.

You can get more information on the memorial bench project by calling the city's Operations or Parks department.

Saints Begin Hockey Play-offs Tonight

The High School hockey play-offs begin tonight in Kenora.

The Thomas Aquinas boys squad will face Dryden in game one of their semi-final series tonight at the Rec. Center.

The Saints finished the abbreviated regular season in second place, just behind Fort Frances, while the Eagles were third.

Game time tonight is 7:30.

The Broncos will take on the Muskies Saturday night in game one of their series.

Crown Wraps Up Its Case in Second Degree Murder Trial

After more than five weeks and dozens of witnesses, the crown has finally
wrapped up its case in the second degree murder trial of Kenneth Ivall.

The final witness was detective sergeant Daniel Cook, who interviewed
Ivall over 12 hours after Ed Wilson was killed on March 21st, 2009.

A video of the statement was played for the jury yesterday.

In it Ivall repeatedly states that he doesn't know what happened to that
fellow.

He does remember being punched by Ed Wilson outside the
Tower Motel.

Ivall at one point says "I'm almost 40 years old. I got knocked out in front of
the bar.  That didn't help my pride at all."

Ivall's lawyer Chris Watkins hasn't indicated yet if he will be presenting any
witnesses today for the defense.

PARO Gets FedNor Funding

The PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise is on the receiving end of FedNor funding.

They are using 1.5 million dollars to offer workshops, training, coaching and mentoring activities to women entrepreneurs in Northwestern Ontario.

The training will be provided to women across the region via video conferencing and traveling.

Gravelle gives Throne Speak Thumbs Up

Yesterday's Speech from the Throne received support from the Minister of Northern Development and Mines.

Michael Gravelle says there was something for everyone in the speech from the throne and hopes the opposition parties will support it.

In her first throne speech yesterday, Premier Kathleen Wynne promised they would give local residents more say in whether they get a wind farm, gas plant or casino.

Gravelle is also pleased the premier has made mention of the importance of the Ring of Fire to the region.

Wynne Vows to Work with Opposition

 The Ontario government is promising to work with the opposition,
the private sector and others to help improve the economy, create
jobs and slay the huge provincial deficit.
 
It's all in yesterday's throne speech marking the start of the new legislative session.
   
But Premier Kathleen Wynne will have to convince at least one of the opposition parties to support the speech to avoid triggering an election.
   
The province plans to tighten corporate tax compliance, work with
public sector workers on wage talks, and give local residents more
say in whether they'll get a wind farm, gas plant or casino.

And along with paying down the deficit, the speech says the
government will push job creation and building a fair society.

Canfield Speaks out on Changes to ESA

Environmental groups are attacking proposed regulation changes in the Endangered Species Act.

They are asking for additional terms and rules, something the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says isn't needed.

Vice-President Dave Canfield says the proposed changes strike a balance between helping the forest industry and protecting species at risk.

He calls the push back from environmental groups "complete non-sense".

Rec. Center Usage Rises

The Kenora Rec. Center continues to be a popular place.

Numbers released by the Recreational Services Department show
and increase of about five thousand visits in 2012.

Manager, Colleen Neil says the numbers are exact, but offer a pretty
good picture where people are spending their time.

Neil says the Fitness Center continues to be the biggest draw with almost
54 thousand visits in 2012, followed by the Walking track.

Hyer Continues to Lobby for ELA in Parliament

Make the fiscally sound decision.

Thats the message from Thunder Bay MP Bruce Hyer who has come out against the closing of the Experimental Lakes Area.

Hyer says the cost of operating the facility is substantially less then closing it.

Hyer says the government should look for a new owner if they won't change their minds on the decision and offer 3 years of bridge financing to build a strong business model.

Hyer will be speaking in Kenora at an ELA forum in March.

He was supposed to be in town on Monday, for the ELA supper, but that event was cancelled due
to the snowstorm.

City Ready to Pay MNR Fire Bill

The City of Kenora is expected to cut a cheque for 32 thousand dollars this week to
the Ministry of Natural Resources for battling a wild fire back in September.

Fire chief Warren Brinkman says they met recently with the MNR to talk about
mutual fire aid.

He the Valleyview fire last year did raise some concerns about the local tele-communication system.

Initially the city had balked at paying the fire fighting bill from the MNR, but after much discussion
they decided to move on.

Northern Communities Urged to Form United Front

Northern communities must band together in order to grab the province's attention on pressing issue.

That's the feeling of Red Lake Mayor Phil Vinet  as municipal leaders prepare for a trip to Toronto for the Ontario Good Roads conference.

Vinet says poor infrastructure is just one issue that needs to be raised.

He also says he wants to discuss revenue sharing, an energy crisis and low property assessments.

Tourist Numbers Increase in 2012

A big increase in tourist traffic in Kenora last summer.

The Lake of the Woods Development Commission has released its year-end figures for 2012 and its shows the number of visitors at the Discovery Center almost doubled.

Mort Goss is vice-chair of the Commission and says that's a big economic impact on the city.

The final figures show over 20 thousand visitors signed in at either the Discovery Center
or the Thistle Pavillion, up from 13 thousand 800 the year before.

New Taxi By-Law Expected to be Approved Tonight

Kenora city council says its willing to work with local cab companies to
ensure they remain profitable.

A new taxi by-law will come into effect this summer.

Eric Lovas is with Co-ot Taxi and says they would like to see the number of
safeties needed reduced from two down to just one a year.

Council has agreed to just one safety a year, but says it's not willing to
allow vehicles older than 10 years to be newly registered as a taxi.

Campbell Eager to Get Back to Work at Queen's Park

MPP's will finally get back to work today after a four month break.

The speech from the Throne will be read this afternoon around 2:00.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell is itching to get back to work at
Queen's Park.

Campbell says she'll hold premier Kathleen Wynne at her word, that she'll work with the opposition.

At the same time, Campbell says she has a number of issues she wants to
raise at Queen's Park and wants more than lip service from the new government.

Thistles Will Face Wheaties in Quarter-Finals

The Kenora Triple A Midget Thistles will have a tall order in  the next round of the play-offs.

The Thistles will take on the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Best-Of-Five quarter final round starting on Friday.

The Thistles advanced after getting by the Eastman Selects two games to one in their preliminary round series.

The Kenora Midgets iced the series on Sunsday afternoon with a 4-1 win at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The Thistles will now face the top team in the western Conference in the next round.

School Buses Cancelled in the Kenora area This Morning

It's an extra-long weekend for some students today.

Poor road conditions and the massive amount of snow has resulted in the cancellation of school buses in the Kenora
area this morning.

The Sioux Narrows school bus, and service to several other communities such as Ear Falls, Red Lake, and
Vermillion Bay have also been cancelled this morning.

The Rat Portage School Bus has also been cancelled this morning.

The Northwestern Ontario Student Service Consortium says minimal snow clearing has occured and they are concerned about the safety of bus drivers and children.

All schools remain open.

City transit is running as usual.

NOMA Fights for More Doctors

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says the province isn't helping in physician recruitment efforts.

Vice-President Dave Canfield says several communities have lined up doctors to practice but stresses they are experiencing long delays in gaining provincial approval.

Canfield says the current model is based on population.

The Mayor of Kenora points to this community which has a size of 16-thousand people.

He notes the true number is 30-thousand when you factor in first nation communities and the unincorporated
areas.

Duchesne Wraps Up Testimony at Ivall Trial

The second degree murder trial of Kenneth Ivall is starting to wind down.

Week five wrapped up yesteray as the jury gets a well-deserved four day
weekend.

Yesterday, Angela Duchesne wrapped up her testimony.

She was cross examined by defense attorney Chris Watkins at some length.

He asked if Duchesne was actually the one responsible for the final assault
on Ed Wilson the morning of March 21st, 2009 and suggested it was she
who place his body on the train tracks.

Duchesne denied that accusation.

She did admit to washing Kenneth Ivall's clothes afterwards.

She claims she did it on her own accord because she didn't want the
bloody clothing in her house, and didn't do it to conceal evidence.

The Crown is planning to wrap up its case on next Tuesday.

Firefly expands Partnerships with local Schools

Firefly is continuing to build on its relationship with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

CEO Karen Ingebritson says they have a number of projects in the works that will eventually be implemented in local schools.

Other projects include walk-in counseling services and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder classrooms.

Ingebritson notes that they are still in the early stages of development.

New Executive for Chamber of Commerce

There's been a changing of the guard at the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce.

Wes Romaniuk is taking over as president, replacing Andy Scribilo, who has been president for the past three years.

Romaniuk says he's excited about business prospects of the city in 2013.

Blair Hutchings has also moved into the vice-president's position, which
had been previously held by Romaniuk.

Rickford Looking for Budget Feedback

The MP for the Kenora Riding wants to hear from you.

It's budget time for the Federal Government and Greg Rickford says that it's important that Northwestern Ontario has a say in what matters to them.

Rickford says forestry and the mining industry are main priorities for him, and he's looking at creating a tax credit for mining exploration.

He adds that you can go on-line and leave comments at gregrickford.ca

Foul Play Ruled out in Kasabonika Fatality

The Ontario Provincial Police have completed their investigation into the death of a woman in Nishnawbe-Aski Police custody.

O.P.P determined that when the NAPS officer realized that 23-year-old Lena Anderson from Kasabonika Lake was unresponsive, he took her to the local nursing station.

Acting Sergeant Anne McCoy says shortly after, Anderson was pronounced dead.

McCoy says the Regional Coroner's Office has confirmed that an inquest will be conducted regarding the incident.

Rec. Center Open Family Day

The Kenora Rec Centre is the place to be this Family Day holiday.

Megan Derouard with the Rec. Center says all the facilities will be open between 8:00 and 3:30.

Deroaurd says there are some free incentives including free hot dogs for the first 100 people through the door.

Deroaurd says there is also a free skate from 12:30 to 2:00 and a free swim from 1:00 to 2:30 sponsored
by Royal LePage

Thistles Open Play-Offs at Home

Excitement is building for the Kenora Triple "A" Midget Thistles.

The Thistles host the Eastman Selects tonight to start the playoffs.

It's game one of their best-of-three preliminary round series.

Coach Doug Novak says it's a nice luxury to have home ice advantage in the
first round.

The Midget look to build of a season that saw them earn 56 points.

Face off is scheduled for 7:30 tonight at the Thistle Rink.

High School Hockey Regular Season Wraps Up

The Thomas Aquinas boys have won round two of the battle of Kenora.

The Saints doubled up Beaver Brae 4-2 last night at the Kenora Rec. Center in
the final regular season game for both teams.

The victory avenges a 3-2 loss two weeks ago at the hands of the Broncos.

Goal scorers for the Saints were Mac Alcock, Dan Bishop, Tanner Kapera and Jackson Fregeau.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae's girls hockey team also finished the regular season on
a winning note.

The Broncos edged Fort Frances 3-2 yesterday afternoon at the Keewatin Arena.

Captain Haley Moncrief led the way with a pair of goals including the game winner.


The play-offs in high school hockey are scheduled to begin next week.

Chamber Hands Out Annual Business Awards

A glittering gala for Kenora's Business Community.

A total of eight awards were handed out in the annual Kenora and District
Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Banquet.

Laura Moore was a double winner, picking up the Entrepreneur of the Year and Business Improvement Awards.

Other winners last night were the Royal Bank for Customer Service Excellence for
a large business, the Bijou Restaurant for best new business, and Bareheart Boutique
for Innovative Small Business.


Restaurante Pizzaria Italia won the Tourism Hospitality award, while
Bruce Anderson Carpentry too the Customer Service Excellence award for
a small company, while Haily Yanshishyn was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Pathologist Presents Findings at Murder Trial

Some rather gruesome evidence has been presented at the second degree
murder trial of Kenneth Ivall.

Dr. Michael Pollanen is Ontario's Chief Forensic Pathologist and he presented
some of the photographs from Ed Wilson's autopsy yesterday.

Wilson's face was very badly beaten and Pollanen says he found numerous
lacerations, abrasions and bruises on his face.

Dr. Pollanen says blunt force trauma to Wilson's face and head caused extensive bleeding and that led him to choke on his own blood.

Crown Attorney Mary-Ann Mousseau asked the pathologist whether there was a single fatal blow that caused his death.

Pollanen answered that would have been a simplification of this case.

Ed Wilson died as a result of the multiple injuries he sustained.

He did confirm that Wilson was dead before he was run over by a train.

He adds that if he had received proper medical attention, there is no reason
why he should have died from his injuries.

Valleyview to get a Makeover

Valleyview Public School is expanding.

The Keewatin Patricia District School Board announced plans including 4 new classrooms, an expansion to the gymnasium, and a new playground area.

Director of Education Jack McMaster says it's a great announcement.

Work on the new classroms will begin this spring with work on the gymnasium starting in the fall.

Canfield Likes Look of New Cabinet

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says he's excited about the prospects of
working with some of the ministers in Kathleen Wynne's new cabinet.

Canfield says in particular he's glad to see Michael Gravelle re-assigned as the Minister of Northern Development and Mines.

He's also pleased that Glen Murray has been named the new minister for Transportation and Infrastructure.

Canfield says Murray's knowledge of the Kenora area will really help in any future funding discussions for roads and bridges with the province.

Valley Throws Support Behind Justin Trudeau

The President of the Federal Liberal Association in the Kenora riding has joined the Justin Trudeau team as an organizer.

Roger Valley says he strongly believes that Trudeau will become the next party leader and the next Prime Minister.

Valley says it's nice to be part of something new and exciting.

Valley is hoping that Trudeau will make an appearance in our riding.

He has confirmed that Bob Rae will meet with supporters in Dryden on March 12th.

Red Lake Cab Driver Charged with Drunk Driving

A taxi driver in Red Lake has been charged with impaired driving.

Provincial Police say last week, a taxi was exiting the Ice Road at the Government Docks when it hit a snow bank.

An officer stopped to check on the driver, and noticed that he was under the influence of alcohol.

As a result, police have charged 56-year-old Michael Desmeules.

JM Judo Club Claims Five Medals in Winnipeg

Three gold medals for the Jaffray Melick Judo club at the recent Winnipeg
Inter-City Championships.

Kerwin Klywak won his 30-kg under 13 age group, while Noah Sullivan placed first in the 46kg Under 18 division, while Luke Hetherington was tops in the 73-kg Under 21 division.

Heatherington also claimed the silver medal in the senior men's 73 kilo event.

The tournament drew 200 competitors from across Saskatchewan, Manitoba
and northwestern Ontario.

OPP Charge Driver of Mini-Excavator

Charges have been laid following an incident last week including a mini-excavator.

The charges stem from an incident last Thursday on Darlington Drive where several vehicles were damaged by a mini-excavator operated by 64 year old John Contini.

Kenora OPP have charged Contini with mischief under $5000, mischief endangering life, unauthorized possession of a weapon, and knowledge of unauthorized possession of a weapon.

Contini will appear in Kenora Court on February 27th.

McMaster Announces Resignation

After more then 20-years with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, Jack McMaster says he will retire on July 31.

McMaster is the Director of Education with the school board, and says that he knows the board will be in good hands in the future.

McMaster says he hopes to still stay involved with the schools.

There's no word yet on a replacement.

Duchesne Takes the Stand at Murder Trial

A key prosecution witness is on the stand at the Second Degree Murder Trial of Kenneth Ivall.

Angela Duchesne took the witness stand yesterday.

Duchesne says she had met Ed Wilson previously when she was just
16 years old.

She says she sold him crack cocaine.

She says they drove in his truck and at one point he began pawing at her, but she managed
to fight him off.

She adds that she described Wilson to Kenneth Ivall as a creep and stalker-type guy.

In the early morning hours of March 21st, 2009, she says she saw
Wilson again outside the Tower Motel.

She remembers Wilson striking Ken Ivall, and then hitting her.

She also witnessed Wilson being assaulted by a group of people.

Later she found him lying in the middle of A Street West and slapped and
kicked him.

She says she and Ivall dragged his body to a nearby trail that leads up to
the train tracks, where she say Ivall repeatedly stomp Wilson on the head.

She admits to frequent black-outs that night and doesn't remember moving Wilson's body onto the train tracks.

Today, a pathologist will be on the stand.

Prosperity Trust Fund Comes Up Short

Yet another financial challenge for the City of Kenora.

Figures released for 2012 show the return on investment on the
KMTS Citizen's Prosperity Fund was way down.

Councillor Ron Lunny says instead of averaging a five percent return, like
they've done in the past, last year, the figure was 1.7 percent.

He says that means there will be less money to help offset taxes this year.

Lunny says over the past couple of years the city had set a target of 1.1 million
dollars from the KMTS Prosperity Fund to be used to offset taxes.

Local Bishop Reacts to Pope's Resignation

The Catholic Bishop that represents northwestern Ontario, Bishop Fred Colli says he is surprised that the Pope is resigning.  

Colli  calls it a courageous move from a man who has done something no other pontiff has done for 600 years and will be missed.

Colli hopes the resignation sets an example to other leaders in the church about when to call it quits.

Gravelle Pleased with New Cabinet Post

Michael Gravelle can barely contain his excitement in being named to the new Kathleen Wynne cabinet.

Gravelle says to be back as Minister of Northern Development and Mines is what he had hoped for.

He says that he will be devoting a lot of attention to the Ring of Fire  which the premier has made a priority.

Gravelle was shuffled out of the Natural Resources porfolio earlier this week.

Student Summer Jobs Grants Now Available

Kenora MP Greg Rickford is encouraging employers to apply for funding to help create student jobs.

Funding is available for not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses.

People between 15-30 years-old who are full time students and intend on returning to school the following year qualify for these job opportunities.

Rickford says this opportunity allows area businesses to provide meaningful jobs for students, and strengthen the local economy.

Officer Charged with Impaired Driving

A Treaty Three Police officer has been suspended from active duty for
for impaired driving.

Treaty Three Police say they were contacted on Saturday afternoon about one of their vehicles which was parked on an ice road on Lake of the Woods, about 1.6 kilometers from the Sabaskong First Nation.

Police say they found the occupant of the vehicle to be intoxicated.

He was arrested and taken to the Kenora Detachment of the OPP for a
breath test.

49 year old Constable Garland Kejick has been charged with impaired driving.

He is due to appear in Kenora Court on March 7th.

Campbell Receives Special Valentine's

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell has a present for Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Campbell received dozens of paper valentine hearts yesterday during a rally held by the union representing the children aid society in Kenora-Rainy River.

Campbell says Kenora-Rainy River Child and Youth Services is severely underfunded.

The province has slashed 67-million dollars from Child Welfare agencies and Campbell will hand over the valentines to the Premier.

NAPS Continue to Crackdown on Drugs

The fight against drug trafficking in the far north continues.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police have seized 67-hundred dollars worth of marijhuana and oxycodone from an Attawapiskat home.

Officers also found a debt list, a small amount of cash and drug paraphernalia.

Police say 33-year-old Pauline Edwards and 42-year-old Dennes Iahtail both face charges.

Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet Tonight

Tickets are still available for tonight's Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting and awards banquet.

Manager Carol Leduc says it will be a great evening for all attending, with guest speaker Michael Hlinka.

Leduc says they are also presenting eight awards that recognize customer service, new business, and entrepreneurs.

Tickets can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce office for 75 dollars.

Saints Beat Eagles

The Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team has bounced back from a pair
of losses in league play.

The Saints doubled up the Dryden Eagles last night 4-2.

Tanner Kapera, Daniel Thomson, Justis Kennedy and David Snyder each
scored for the Saints.

Their last regular season game is tomorrow night against their cross-town rivals from Beaver Brae.

Broncos Girls lose in a Shootout

A rare loss for Beaver Brae's girls hockey team.

The Broncos dropped a 3-2 decision to Dryden last night in a
shootout.

Ainsly Lindquist and Kaitlyn Sparkman both scored for the Broncos.

Beaver Brae is back in action tomorrow at 1:30 in Keewatin against Fort Frances.