Job Fair Today

A total of 18 employers will be represented at a job fair taking place in
Kenora today.

Employment Outreach 2013 will take place today at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Josee Mantel is with the Kenora District Services Board and says there is
a wide spectrum of agencies and businesses that will be represented.

The Job Fair will run from 10:00 this morning until 3:00 this afternoon.

School Bus Cancellations Expanded

The Northwest Student Services Consortium has expanded its school
bus cancellations today.

It has already pulled buses off the road in Kenora, Dryden, Vermillion Bay,
Red Lake and Ear Falls.

Now Sioux Lookout and Ignace have been added to the list.

School bus officials says they are concerned with the state of local roads,
especially side streets and lanes, which are still snow-clogged after yesterday's storm.

Local schools will remain open for any students who walk or who can get
a ride.

Meanwhile, municipal transit services are running as normal today.

Saints Girls at OFSSA Hockey Championships

The Thomas Aquinas girls hockey team are 1 and 1 at the OFSSA championships.

The Saints were in tough to start the tournament when they lost 5-0 to Ridley College.

However T.A battled back in the 2nd game earning 3-0 victory over EJ Lajuenesse.

Brianna Skead, Tori Stebnitsky, and Lexi Williams scored for the Saints.

The girls are back on the ice for game 3 tomorrow morning at 7:00 against St. Stephens Secondary School

Swimming Sharks Results

A successful weekend for the Kenora Swimming Sharks.

The team sent 22 swimmers to the 2013 Speedo ManSask Provincial Championships and 9 swimmers earned a total of 15 medals.


Here is a list of the medal winners.

11 year old girls
Alex Illman - 1st 800 Free, 2nd 200 Fly, 3rd 400 Free
Olivia Friesen Kroeker - 1st 200 Fly, 2nd 400 IM
Breeze Boucha - 2nd 800 Free

12 year old girls
Alyson Stoliker - 1st 1500 Free, 2nd 800 Free  
Rheanna Price - 2nd 1500 Free, 3rd 200 Free

13 year old girls
Winnie Boucha - 1st 400 Free, 2nd 200 Free

14 year old girls
Hanna Stoliker - 3rd 1500 Free

15 year old girls
Alex Olsen - 3rd 200 Breast

15 year old boys
Bryce Jones - 3rd 200 Back

KDSB Hosts Job Fair Tomorrow

An opportunity for summer employment and a future career path.

The Kenora District Services Board is hosting a job fair starting at 10:00 tomorrow at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Josee Mantel with the KDSB says they will have a lot of different industries to learn about.

The morning will include presentations by services providers in the region while the afternoon job fair will includes companies in policing, forestry, hospitality, and retail industries.

Snowstorm Batters NWO Again

A snowfall advisory has been issued for much of northwestern Ontario
today.

Between 10 to 20 centimeters is expected to fall over the next 24 hours.

Rob Kuhn from Environment Canada says the system is coming in from
the U.S.

Kuhn says the Kenora area has already seen about five centimeters of
snow overnight.

School Buses Running Today

It won't be an extended spring break for local students.

The Northwest Student Services Consortium says its buses in the
Kenora area are running today.

The only cancellations so far are in the Red Lake and Ear Falls area.

Roads in the Kenora area are considered snow-covered, and visibility
is poor.

Rickford Denies Demolition Work at ELA

Some rumours regarding the Experimental Lakes Area are floating around.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says that none of the buildings at the research facility are being demolished.

Rickford says the government is still working hard on determing the future of the ELA.

Rickford adds that the actual remediation cost is between one and eight million dollars, not the 50-million that was stated by the Coalition to Save the ELA.

Fraser Institutes has Mixed Reviews for Local High Schools

Bad news for some area high schools are coming from the Fraser Institute.

The institute has released its annual report card for the province's secondary schools, and co-author Peter Cowley says it does not look good for 2 school in particular.

He says Beaver Brae at 3.3 out of ten and Fort Frances have seen their ratings decline in
recent years.

Kenora's other high school, Thomas Aquinas, received a grade of 7.1 out of ten.

The provincial average was six out of ten.

Con College Looking at Advanced Paramedic Course

There's a possibility of a new, advanced paramedic course at Confederation College.

President Jim Madder says they've already looked at several programs that already exist at other colleges and will look at if they can be offered out of their facility.

Madder says its going to take some time before they can actually offer the program.

Kings Beat PeeWee and Bantam All-Stars

It was a tough weekend for the Triple A hockey programs in northwestern Ontario.

The Northwest PeeWee All-Stars lost to the Thunder Bay Kings in two straight games over
the weekend by scores of 8-2 and 4-3.

The Northwest North Stars also lost in two straight games to the Kings in the Bantam playdowns.

The North Stars lost by scores of 7-1 and 4-1.

Thunder Bay will now represent the region at the provincial bantam and peewee championships.

Midget Thistles De-Throne Kings

For the second year in a row, the Kenora Triple "A" Midget Thistles have knocked off the
Thunder Bay Kings in the Northwest Branch Playdowns.

The Thistles won the best-of-three series two games to one, with an emphatic 3-1 win
Sunday afternoon at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The Thistles got out to an early lead, finishing the first period up 2-0.

Nolan Ross added a power play goal in the second period to increase their lead to 3-0.

The Kings finally solved Thistles goaltender Brandon Beaulieu with just over five minutes
remaining, but Kenora's defense held the fort the rest of the way.

Thistles head coach Doug Novak says the victory is particularly sweet because it was the
first time they have beaten the Kings on home ice.

The two sides will see each other in another couple of weeks as the Kenora Thistles will
host the Telus Mid-West Regional Championships at the beginning of April.

OFAH Annual Conference Underway

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is holding their 85th annual conference, which began today.

Manager of Communications Shannon Gutoskie says hundreds of people are expected to attend the meeting in Mississauga.

Environment Minister Peter Kent, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak will also be in attendance.

5 Youth Injured in Single Vehicle Accident

5 Youth from Sioux Lookout are in hospital with minor injuries for a single vehicle accident on Highway 17 East of Dryden

Highway 17 West of Thunder Lake Road near Dryden has been re-opened following an accident last night.

O.P.P. say around 5:30 last night a mini van lost control and rolled over several times.

Health Unit Releases New Opioid Overdose Plan

Preventing overdose deaths across the region.

The Northwestern Health Unit has started an Overdose Prevention Program, which is for those at risk of overdosing on opioids which includes oxycodone and heroin.

Manager of Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Programs Gillian Lunny says they will be offering a drug called Naloxone.

Lunny says anyone who knows someone who uses opioids and is at risk for overdose should contact your local health unit.

Kenora Places Bid for OLG Casino

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says yesterday was the last day for municipalities in Northwestern Ontario to make a bid for a casino in their community.

OLG Spokesperson Tony Bitonti says there was a lot of interest from other areas of the province, but they can only have so many.

Kenora was the only community in the region to make a bid.

Dryden decided not to place a bid despite pressure by Wabigoon.

HNO Branch Playoffs This Weekend

The Hockey Northwestern Ontario branch playoffs are this weekend, and Kenora will be well represented.

The Kenora Triple "A" Midget Thistles will play host to the Thunder Bay Kings, while the Peewee All-Stars and Bantam North-Stars, made up of players from Kenora, Dryden, and Fort Frances, are also facing the Kings.

Starting tonight the Thistles are hosting the Kings in the best of three series at the Rec Centre.

Game time tonight is 7:00 with game 2 tomorrow at 7:00 and game 3 Sunday at 1:00.

The Peewee and Bantam teams are in Thunder Bay for their playoffs.

5 Men Fined by MNR

5 men have been fined by the Ministry of Natural Resources for illegally killing a bull moose near Lily Lake, West of Thunder Bay.

The MNR say that 5 men were fined $9,000 after conservation officers received a tip about a bull moose being shot.

The officers found the group of hunters near by where they denied any involvement.

However, ballistic evidence did prove their claims to be false.

The fines are for possession of an illegally killed bull moose, abandoning the flesh and allowing it to spoil, and obstructing an MNR officer.

Mining Exploration Companies Upset

Junior mining exploration companies in Northwestern Ontario have a bone to pick with MP Michael Gravelle.

They say government policies are stopping them from exploring for minerals and driving them out of the country.

The Minister of Natural Resources doesn't see the doom and gloom.

Gravelle believes the industry runs in cycles and that the companies realize the opportunities remain here.

Event Centre Committee Wants Public Opinion

The City of Kenora is researching what should be included in an events centre.

Mike Dietsch is the vice chair of the vice chair of the event centre committee and says the city has given them specific goals.

Dietsch says one big part of their discussions will be the twinning of the ice at the Rec Centre.

He adds the committee will hold a public meeting in mid-May.

Northern Bands Hockey Tournament in Dryden

There's something for everyone this week at the Dryden Memorial Arena.

24-teams from remote First Nations communities are competing in the Northern Bands Hockey Tournament.

Max Kakepetum is one of the organizers, and says everyone is invited to participate in the festivities.

Kakepetum says Dryden has been a great host.

MPAC Won't Appeal Dryden Mill Assessment

The ball is back in the City of Dryden's court regarding the on-going mill assessment issue.

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation President Antoni Wisniowski says they have no plans to appeal the 14-million dollar assessment of the Domtar Mill.

He notes he understands the impact on the community and will continue to work with Dryden officials to find a solution.

Revera Staff Join CEP

25 Revera employees are joining the Communication, Energy and Paper-workers Union.

CEP Spokesperson Marvin Pupeza says in a vote last week, 60 percent of the staff from Thunder Bay and Kenora voted in favor of joining the CEP.

Revera home health care provides service across Northwestern Ontario and the CEP already represents 40 personal support workers in the Dryden area.

OFL wants to hear from People in Northern Ontario

The Ontario Federation of Labour wants to hear from northerners.

The group is holding province-wide pre-budget consultations.

There are no stops in the Kenora District but Vice-President Irwin Nanda says they still want to hear from the "people".

The only northwestern Ontario stop was last Thursday in Thunder Bay.

Winter Fish Off This Saturday

The 10th annual Falcon Lake Winter Fish Off takes to the ice this Saturday.

Andrew Klassen with the event says their is plenty of opportunities to walk away a winner with over $90,000 in prize money.

Klassen says they are expecting 14-hundred people to compete in the fish off and tickets are still on sale.

Adult tickets are $70 while second hole and child tickets are $30.

Visit www.winterfishoff.com for more information.

Kenora Family Involved in Accident on Trans-Canada

A family from Kenora has been involved in an accident on Highway 1 near Steinbach, Manitoba.

R-C-M-P say the accident took place yesterday afternoon around 12:30 when a Westbound car turning off the highway collided with an SUV heading East.

the 45 year old Kenora woman driving the SUV and her 2 children were treated with non life-threatening injuries.

The male driver of the car has been airlifted to a Winnipeg Hospital and is listed in critical condition.

Police say that alcohol is not a factor in the collision and that they are continuing to investigate.

More Concerns Over Patient Transfers

The Lake of the Woods district hospital has brought up new concerns over ambulance transfers with the Kenora District Services Board.

The Hospital says that their staff faces the risk of being stranded in Winnipeg now that ambulances only wait for one hour before heading back to the district.

Director of EMS Andrew Tickner says the decision is based on the need of keeping response times down with having the ambulance available to the district.

Talks are on going between the Hospital and the KDSB.

Bob Rae Talks About Forest Industry

Federal Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae says there's still major challenges facing the forest sector.

Rae stresses the importance of getting the government involved in moving the industry forward.

He says that he wants more aboriginal gets involved in the industry.

Rae adds the Feds have also cut back on forestry research and notes more attention must be put on new products and product development.

Anthony Leek Supports Trudeau

The front runner in the federal Liberal leadership race has the support of some in northwestern Ontario.

Anthony Leek, president of the Kenora-Rainy River provincial Liberal Riding Association, believes Justin Trudeau has what the party and Canada needs.

The federal Liberals will select a new leader April 14th.

Post-Mortem Conducted After Incident at Norman Dam

Some more details have been released about the body that was recovered at the Norman Dam last week.

O.P.P confirmed that a male body was found and that a post-mortem was conducted at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The post-mortem did not discover the cause of death but has ruled out foul play in the death.

Police say they are hoping more answers will come from the the results of a toxicology report.

O.P.P say that they have not be able to identify the man but do not believe that he is from the Kenora area.

No Injuries in Oxdrift Fire

No one was injured in an overnight fire in Oxdrift on Sunday.

Last night, Oxdrift Firefighters responded to the blaze on Coates Road.

Captain Andrew Trudgen says the first responders found the home and garage to be completely engulfed.

Firefighters spent the next three-hours putting out the fire.

The cause is unknown at this time.

Local Agencies Form Aboriginal Training Alliance

Employment preparations are being made for the Ring of Fire.

Confederation College, Noront Resources and Matawa First Nations Employment and Training Services have developed an Aboriginal Training Alliance.

Program Manager Morris Wapoose says they hope to encourage more Aboriginal people to get involved in the mining sector.

The three groups signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will remain in place for a minimum of five-years.

City Set to Approve 2013 Budget

A decrease in the municipal tax rate is being used to combat the increased MPAC assessments in the city.

Councillor Ron Lunny says the city has worked hard in order to lower the municipal tax rate by 1 percent.

When the rate is combined with the education tax decrease it works out to a reduction of 1.41 percent.

However, Lunny says that because of the increase in MPAC assessments homeowners will see an increase in their taxes.

Lunny says the city has also included a 10 percent rate increase for sewer and water.

Health Unit Releases Drug Action Study

The Northwestern Health Unit has released the results of their Youth Action on Drugs Survey.

Over 2000 students from across the Kenora-Rainy River Districts participated in the study.

Health Promoter Saralyn Semeniuk says one major finding was that majority of them underestimate drug use among their peers.

Semeniuk says more then half of students reported that there aren't enough activities in the community that they can get involved in.

Bob Rae Visits Kenora and Dryden

Interim Federal Liberal Leader Bob Rae is in Kenora and Dryden today as he continues his northern tour.

Rae will start his day in Dryden at a luncheon for local Liberals at the Riverview Lodge at 1 o'clock.

He will then tour the Dryden Native Friendship Centre at 2 o'clock.

Later this afternoon he will be in Kenora for the "Thanks a Million, Bob" fundraiser and reception.

Rae is in the last stretch of his term as the Liberal interim leader.

The party's new leader will be chosen in April.

Impaired Driving Charges in Kenora

Impaired driving continues to be an ongoing issue in the city.

O.P.P say 2 people were charged in separate incidents in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police say 42 year old Hassan Mohamed of Kenora was charged with exceeding the legal limit, while 50 year old Dennis Halverson of Rat Portage was charged with impaired driving.

Both will answer to the charges on April 11.

MNR Issue Fines for Fishing Violations

A Winnipeg man has been fined for fishing violations on Shoal Lake.

In court last week, the Ministry of Natural Resources say they found Ryan Jeron Smith using live bait which is prohibited on the lake, and that he was in possession of a walleye which is in a closed season.

Smith was also found to be fishing without a licence.

The MNR has fined Smith a total of 950 dollars.

Higher Then Expected Cost to Fix City Hall Roof

Its going to cost a lot of money to keep the mayor's office at City Hall dry.

The cost to replace the heritage roof at city hall has been estimated at over 500 thousand dollars.

Facilities manager John Nabb says there are only a few contractors who are actually capable of doing the project.

City council has agreed to go ahead with the project, even though it will have to come up with the lion's share of the money.

The federal government has agreed to provide 200 thousand dollars in funding.

MPP Sarah Campbell Against Declawing of Cats

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is supporting a petition to ban the declawing of cats.

The petition has been spearheaded by Camille Cox from the Second Chance Pet Network.

Campbell read the document at Queens Park last week.

Campbell notes declawing a cat takes away their natural defense and leaves them helpless.

The petition has gathered around 600 signatures.

Bob Stewart Million Dollar Draw to the Button Contest

Bob Stewart from Longbow Lake got his chance to be a national curler last night during the Brier final in Edmonton.

Stewart was the selected contestant in the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest.

Unfortunately, Stewart was unable to draw to the button on to win the million dollar prize, but he did walk away with 5-thousand.

Stewart says the contest that saw him compete at the Scotties and the Brier was an unbelievable experience.

Lakehead University Law School Offers New Aboriginal Course

Lakehead University's Law School is hoping they've pleased the students that are staging a sit-in outside the presidents office, as well as the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation.

The school is offering a new course called Aboriginal Perspectives that will be a mandatory half credit component to their first year.

Spokesperson Rod Handley hopes things can move forward in a positive manner.

The course complements the already existing Native Canadian World Views & Law, which was previously approved by Lakehead University Senate.

Paul Elliot to Lead OSSTF

The new leader of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation of Ontario is from Fort Frances.

Paul Elliott was voted to lead the 60-thousand member union in Toronto yesterday.

Elliott, a teacher from Fort Frances High School, was first elected to the Provincial Executive as Executive Officer in 2005, and is a former Vice-President three times.

Sue Doughty-Smith, an Educational Assistant from Thunder Bay, will serve as Executive Officer for the upcoming term.

Senior Thistles Defeat Thunder

Redemption for the Kenora Triple "A" Senior Thistles.

The Thistles overcame a 3-1 deficit to earn their first victory of the year over the Southeast Prairie Thunder.

Ross Johnson scored 2 third period goals giving Kenora the game winner with under 3 minutes remaining.

Coach Brian Olson says he was happy with the play of both his goaltenders.

The Thistles will play a road game against the Thunder next weekend as the final tune up for the Renwick Cup.

Heartbreak for Bantam Thistles

A heartbreaking end for the Kenora Double "A" Bantam Thistles.

The Thistles lost the Eastman Championship last night to the Seine River Snipers 3-0.

Coach Dave Withers says he's proud of the team and the unbelievable season they had.

Withers passed his congratulations on to the Snipers for a very hard fought championship series.

Hospital Expects to File Deficit for Upcoming Year

Funding changes are affecting the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The province is going away with global funding and changing to a Quality Based Practices model.

The QBP model tracks the amount of procedures performed at hospitals and takes away funding to provide back over time.

As a result the Lake of the Woods District Hospital is expecting to file a deficit for the upcoming year of $887,000.

However, the board says they are not currently expecting to cut any services provided at the hospital.

Dragon Boat Festival Cancelled

Dragon boats won't be plying the waters of Rabbit Lake this
summer.

The Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation
has announced that it will be cancelling the popular Dragon Boat
Festival.

Chair of the foundation, Don Parfitt says they just don't have enough
volunteers to keep the event running.

Parfitt says the Dragon Boat festival has averaged about 20 thousand
dollars in revenue each year.

Development Commission Appears Before Budget Committee

The Lake of the Woods Development Commission is being grilled
about its spending.

Members of the Commission appeared before the city's budget committee yesterday.

Fred Wright is one of the directors and admits it was a learning year with
both the Whitecap Pavillion and Discovery Center coming on line.

He says their goal going forward is to better match their costs with their
revenues.

Wright says the Discovery Center cost about 30 thousand dollars more to operate than expected, in part because they handed out more tourist brochures due to the closure of the Tourist Information Center at the
Ontario/Manitoba Border.

Health Unit Supports Report on Childhood Obesity

A registered dietician with the Northwestern Health Unit has some healthy eating tips following this week's report on childhood obesity.

Julie Slack says children tend to copy what their parents do.

Slack also recommends keeping healthy foods, like cut-up veggies in fruits, in the fridge at eye level.

Slack says schools have really stepped up their game in promoting healthy food choices and parents
need to follow suit.

Campbell Supports Changes to Gas Tax Revenue

Call it the first step to correct infrastructure funding.

Kenora Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell spoke in the legislature about a new bill that will change how the gas tax is divided.

Campbell says she supports the bill even though it doesn't solve all the issues.

Campbell says the bill is a good step in pressuring the government to set up a dedicated fund for infrastructure maintenance that will benefit rural and Northern Ontario.

New MNR Minister Addresses Job Cuts

The new Minister of Natural Resources is commenting on any future job cuts in his ministry.

The province talked in September of 2012 of possibly closing the Ignace MNR office, as well as cutting positions at several area Provincial Parks.

David Orazietti says he'll try to balance providing first line MNR service with cost efficiencies.

Orazietti says all Ministries are facing financial pressures.