KBI Festivities Well Underway

The Kenora Bass International is now underway.

The first flight of teams were giving the green light at 6:30 this morning.

Included in the flight are last years championship team of Aaron Wiebe and Peter Tully.

Over 125 teams are going after the 25 thousand dollar first prize, while Team Canada is looks to retain the Frank Townsend Memorial Trophy over Team USA.

895 The Lake will have live updates of the weigh ins starting at 4:00 on the Harbourfront.

Meanwhile, the KBI  Kids tournament starts today at 10:00 on the Harbourfront docks.

The bar under the Whitecap Pavilion opens at 3:00 with dinner at 5:30 hosted by Gropps Country Catering.

Day 1 wraps up with a movie under the Whitecap Pavilion at 7:00.

Hydro One to Build New Transformer in Barwick

Hydro One is set to spend 25-million dollars on the construction of a new transformer station for the Rainy River district.

The station, to be located in Barwick, will replace an existing and aging one in Fort Frances.

Spokesperson Tiziana Baccega Rosa says they have all of the approvals in place to start the work.

She says the station will improve the electricity capacity for the area between Fort Frances and Rainy River.

MNR Offers Bear Safety Tips

The Ministry of Natural Resources has some tips to protect yourself against a bear attack following an attack at Sandbar Provincial Park North of Ignace.

Spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski says its important to keep an eye on your pets, and to properly store food away at any campsite.

Kowalski also said its a good idea to carry a whistle, bear spray, and even an axe.

She adds the bear that attacked that man was euthanized and sent for tests.

Canadian Blood Services Looking for 50,000 Donations

More blood is needed across Northwestern Ontario.

And the Canadian Blood Services says the situation is the same across the country.

Fortunately, Local Rep Mike Choi says as of right now there are no hospital patients going without blood.

Choi says more than 50-thousand-donations are needed by Labour Day.

The next clinic in Kenora is September 9th and 10.

Treaty 3 Hosts Planning For The Future Forum

Grand Council Treaty 3 is planning for the future.

They are hosting a youth career exploration forum in Kenora on August 14th and 15th at the Best Western Lakeside Inn

Youth who enroll in the forum will learn about career and education planning, job readiness, and financial responsibility.

Registration ends today.

Contact Annie Boyd at reception@treaty3.ca or at (807) 542-4214

City Council Expands Bow Hunt

Tighten those strings and sharpen your arrows.

Kenora city council is making changes to the city bow hunt.

The season will now begin on September 1st with hunting allowed on private land larger than 5 acres.

Mayor Dave Canfield says that's just the start as the city is continuing to work with the MNR regarding the hunt.

Canfield says controlling the deer population is a balancing act.

KBI Introduces teams Canada and USA

Team Canada and team USA has been introduced for the Kenora Bass International.

The teams were introduced during the KBI breakfast this morning.

Team Canada consists of Aaron Wiebe & Peter Tully, Jim Gustafson & Ben Gustafson, Jess Swenson & Michael Reid, Jeff Dingwall & Blair Dingwall, and Oliver Gibbons and Jason Gibbons.


Team USA is made of Kraig Dafick & Janice Dafick, Jim Flack & Andy Flack, John Liestman & Todd Tougas, Ernie Hearn & Forest Green, and Bill McGhie and Ken McGhie.

The 2 teams compete every year for the Frank Townsend Can-Am Challenge Trophy.

Team USA leads the overall tally 13-12.

National Aborigal Committee Welcomes Brad Maggrah

Added responsibility for Wabigoon's Brad Maggrah.

Maggrah has been appointed
to the National Aboriginal Committee on Species at Risk.

The Committee was created with the mandate to provide the Minister of Environment with advice on the handling of the Species at Risk Act.

His term will last 3-years.

Maggrah is the current President of the Ontario Coalition of Aboriginal People.

Con College Adds New Mining Course

Good news for folks in the region who are interested in a career in the mining sector.

Confederation College is expanding its mining program thanks to a new partnership with the Haileybury School Of Mines in Timmins.

President Jim Madder says the end result will be a ready work force for future mining employment.

The College will deliver the mines program through its Thunder Bay campus.

Sarah Campbell Applauds Youth Job Creation

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is applauding the provincial government for its new youth jobs program.

The province will provide up to 78-hundred dollars for each eligible youth, starting in September.

Campbell says it was one of the NDP's demands in the spring budget.

The grant also includes up to one-thousand-dollars to hep youth pay for costs like tools and transportation to work.

Quiet Long Weekend for area OPP

A pretty quiet weekend for Provincial Police in Northwestern Ontario.

Sergeant Shelley Garr says they laid 286 speeding charges, nineteen seat belt charges, six charges for impaired driving and three for distracted driving.

According to OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis, the 2013 Civic Long Weekend saw the lowest number of fatalities in almost 20-years.

Treaty 3 Police Chief Resigns

The Treaty 3 Police saga has taken another turn.

Board Chair Chief Eli Mandamin says Conrad DeLaronde has resigned as the chief of police.

DeLaronde has recently fallen under intense pressure due to the financial troubles facing the force the lead to a 45 day lay off notice for all officers.

Mandamin says the board will meet next week to discuss how to proceed, but he doesn't expect the change to affect union negotiations.

City Council Discusses Parking Concerns

City council is opening up parking on Lakeview drive.

Council is working to change parking regulations near Husky the Musky during special events like the farmers market.

Mayor Dave Canfield says ticketing people is not the right thing to do.

Canfield says the city is talking to the OPP to change the by-law.

He does say the area will be open to park tomorrow during the farmers market.

Boat Parade Kicks Off KBI

KBI festivities kick off tonight.

The boat parade will head through the streets of downtown.

The parade starts at the rec centre and heads down first avenue south to Matheson street where the boats will the head over to Main Street.

The parade gets underway at 6:00.

NWHU Releases Health Report Card

The Northwestern Health Unit has released its annual health report card.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jim Arthurs says a main focus is chronic disease prevention.

Arthurs says the report card also includes information about programs and services in the region.

Arthurs says they also need to identify better with vulnerable populations that need this information.

head to www.nwhu.on.ca to view the full report.

MPP Sarah Campbell Going Door to Door

If you have concerns, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell wants to hear them!

Campbell says she has been going door-to-door across the riding, getting input from people on what they want to see changed.

Campbell says she welcomes phone calls, emails, and letters from anyone who wants to offer their two-cents.

MP Greg Rickford Donates to Dryden Library

A generous donation by Kenora MP Greg Rickford to the Dryden Library.

The Minister of State has handed over 24-books from some well-known Canadian Authors.

Rickford says it's important to help support small libraries.

Rickford is expected to make a similar donation to the Ignace Library.

Mine on Hold in Atikokan

Lower than expected gold prices is having an impact on a planned mine for the Atikokan area.

Osisko Mining has been working on its Hammond Reef project since taking it over from Brett Resources in 2010

President Sean Roosen says its still a valuable asset, but better prices are needed.

Roosen says the company still plans to complete a permitting process which is underway.

OPP Cracks Down on Life Jackets

OPP are seeing a dangerous trend on area waters this summer.

Police say their marine patrols are seeing an increase in boaters not only not wearing life jackets, but not even having them on board.

Constable Anne McCoy says its something they'll be watching throughout the summer.

McCoy says anyone not having a life jacket face an immediate fine of 240-dollars.

Quetico Park Turns 100

A major milestone for a popular northwestern Ontario destination.

It was 100-years ago that Quetico Park was designated a provincial park, one of the first in the Ontario Provincial Parks Act.

Several events took place this past weekend including a barbecue, guided hikes, and native drumming.

Biz Kids Camp Come to Kenora

Young entrepreneurs are getting a chance to showcase their skills once again this summer.

The Biz Kids camp is being held once again in Kenora this month.

Diane Schwartz-Williams is the Manager of the Northwest Business Centre and she provides some details about the program.

The Kenora camp will take place August 12th to 16th.

Quetico Celebrates Milestone

A major milestone for a popular northwestern Ontario destination.

It was 100 years ago that Quetico Park was designated a provincial park, one of the first in the Ontario Provincial Parks Act.

Several events are planned including a barbeque, guided hikes and native drumming.

Speaking of great destinations, Eagle Lake First Nation is holding its annual Pow-Pow.

Festivities continue throughout the weekend.

Lengthy Waits Expected At Northwest Border Crossings

Expect delays at northwestern Ontario border crossings this long weekend.

Canada Border Services says Friday afternoon is the peak time for travel and for those coming back to Canada, the agency says Sunday evening, and Monday afternoon, are typically the busiest times

And while there's no magic solution to avoiding long lines, the agency says travellers should remember to have all their documents in order, to cut down on unnecessary delays.

NOSM Increases Student Grants

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is doling out cash to future MD students.

16 students are getting six thousand dollars each in grant money.

The medical school doubled the amount of grants awarded this year from 8 to 16 to provide more opportunities to potential students.

OPP Confirm Arson Cause of Central Fire

The OPP have confirmed that a fire that took place in the
Central area of town earlier this week was deliberately set.

Fire crews and police showed up at a house around 7:30
Wednesday night.

Police say the fire caused only minor damage to the home, and
was extinguished before the fire department showed up at the
scene.

The OPP say they are continuing their investigation into the incident.

Harborfest Ready to Rock the White Cap Pavillion

It has the makings for the busiest weekend of the Summer.

Harborfest begins tonight with the first concert of the weekend
under the White Cap Pavillion.

Dave Blake is the director of entertainment and says they've done some
tweaking to improve the evening concerts, including raising the main stage.

Blake says Saturday night's concert is almost sold out, while tickets are
moving briskly for tonight's show and also Sunday night.

Sweet, Bachman/Turner and Kenny Shields and Streetheart on the the schedule tonight.

Man in Wheelchair Found Dead

The OPP say foul play is not suspected in the death of a 39 year old man
in a wheelchair in downtown Kenora.

Officers responded to a report of an intoxicated man on Chipman Street around 11:30  Tuesday night.

Police say he was dead when they arrived at the scene.

A post-mortem exam was conducted Wednesday at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The deceased has been identified as 39 year old Craig Shawataskung.

OPP Gearing Up for Long Weekend

Provincial police says officers will be out in full force over
the Civic Holiday weekend.

The OPP are also reminding people about the "Move Over Law".

Sergeant Shelley Garr says they'll be out this long weekend making sure motorists obey it.

Garr says violating this law could cost you anywhere from 400 to 1200-dollars, and three demerit points upon conviction.

BIZ Pleased with Summer Campaign

The Kenora Business Improvement Zone says it's pleased more shops and restaurants are staying open later and opening on Sunday.

BIZ made a concerted effort to try and increase late night hours for stores in the downtown core this summer.

Mort Goss is chair of the business group and says their efforts seem to be paying off.

Goss says while lots of tourists and seasonal visitors are taking advantage of the increased store hours, locals don't seem to have embraced the concept.

Resolute Preparing to Open Two Sawmills

Things are moving along as Resolute Forest Products plans to open a retooled plant in Ignace and its new sawmill in Atikokan next year.
   
President Richard Garneau says they're spending 32 million dollars on the Ignace operation and 50 million dollars on the Atikokan plant.
   
While Garneau didn't comment on specifics with the Ignace plant, he says construction on the Atikokan plant will start soon, as they
still have to cut some wood before starting the foundation.

Liberals Lose Three Seats in Five By-Elections

The Progressive Conservatives scored their first win in a Toronto riding in more than a decade, but it was their only win in five by-elections across the province.
   
The New Democrats took seats in Windsor and London, but the minority Liberal government held on to two of the five seats on the line in yesterday's by-elections.
   
The Liberals took Scarborough-Guildwood and former premier Dalton McGuinty's old riding of Ottawa South, while losing Windsor-Tecumseh and London West to the New Democrats and Etobicoke Lakeshore to the Tories.

The by-elections were the first opportunity to see how voters were judging Premier Kathleen Wynne after six months on the job.
   
Wynne admits voter backlash over the 585 million dollars the Liberals spent to cancel two gas plants cost the Liberals three of the five seats on the line in Ontario byelections.

Borderland Rage Back in Action

The Borderland Rage Under 10 girls team is hitting the road again this weekend for a summer
hockey tournament.

The Rage are competing in the USA International Hockey Cup tournament in Blaine, Minnesota.

Their first game is this morning when they take on the Minnesota Miracle.

The Rage are made up of players from Kenora, Dryden, and Fort Frances.

102nd Ag Fair Underway

The grand-daddy of Kenora festivals is underway for another year.

The 102nd Kenora Agriculture Fair is taking over the Kenora Rec. Center for the next couple of days.

Chris Madison is secretary of the Agriculture Society and says unfortunately they've seen entries into the vegetable growing competition drop right off this year.

Madison adds that the midway is also at the Rec. Center in conjunction with  the Agricultural Fair.

The fair continues today at 4:00 and wraps up Saturday night.

Central Fire Under Investigation

Some excitement in the Central area of town last night.

Police and fire fighters were called out around 7:30 after a blaze was reported in the 7th Avenue South area.

Fire officials says it appears a fire was deliberately set in the doorway of a home.

Fortunately the fire was extinguished by the times fire fighters arrived at the scene.

The blaze is being described as suspicious, and the OPP are continuing their investigation of the incident.

Results of School Bus Survey Released

It may be the middle of the summer, but the Northwest Student Services
Consortium is hard at work on arranging bus service for the new school.

The Consortium recently compiled the results of a survey of parents, students
and teachers.

Judy Green is the manager and says they are very pleased with the feedback.

Green says they recieved almost 300 surveys back and 97 percent of
respondants felt the local school buses were on time, with 92 percent
generally satisfied with the local school bus transportation.

Off-Reserve Aboriginals Meeting this Weekend

The pressure is on to establish a Framework agreement with the Ontario Coalition of Aboriginal Peoples and the Province.

OCAP President Brad Maggrah says it's one of the topics he will bring up at their Annual General Assembly on Sunday.

Maggrah also feels that off-reserve aboriginals need to be more involved in the mining boom in
the region.

Maggrah says they have nine districts across Ontario, and is calling on folks to write to their MP's regarding issues facing off-reserve aboriginals.

Diamonds and Ice Turns 19

An annual summer sporting tradition is back again in Keewatin.

The 19th
Diamonds and Ice hockey tournament starts tonight at the Keewatin
Memorial Arena.

The tournament is sold out once again this year with 22 teams in the hockey
portion and 16 in the mixed slo-pitch tourney.

Action begins tonight with the finals slated for Sunday afternoon.

Niagara Police Issue Amber Alert

Police in southern Ontario's Niagara Region have issued an Amber Alert as they search for a missing nine-year-old boy in an alleged
case of parental abduction.
   
Joseluis Resendiz and his father are U.S. citizens who live in Georgia, and were in Niagara Falls for a family visit to Marineland.
 
Police allege during the course of the day, the boy's biological mother and his uncle took the boy and left the large group.
   
It took about six hours for the family to notice the boy was gone.
   
Joseluis is four-foot-six, and 65 pounds with dark hair, and was last seen wearing a blue soccer T-shirt and blue plaid shorts, and he has a birthmark on his left wrist.
 
Police are trying to locate his mother.
   
It's believed both fled Niagara Falls with Joseluis in a grey
four-door sedan.

Province Says Its Committed to ELA

It appears the Ontario government is committed to keeping the Experimental Lakes area open in the long term.

There have been concerns that the provincial involvement would only be one-time funding.

Ontario Natural Resources Mininster David Orazietti says the money will be below 2-million dollars but isn't commenting on a specific number.

The exact funding formula hasn't been determined.

The province and the federal government continue to negotiate the transfer of the research station to the
Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development.

A tentative transfer agreement expires at the end of August.

Four Vehicle Collision Ties Up Traffic in Downtown Fort Frances

OPP says it could have been a lot worse.

As many as four vehicles were involved in that accident yesterday afternoon on Portage Avenue in Fort Frances.

Constable Anne McCoy says it started when the driver of a pick up truck suffered a medical problem a couple of blocks from the downtown area.

The truck went back onto the road, missing oncoming car before colliding with two parked vehicles.

The 65-year-old driver and a woman inside one of the parked vehicles were taken to hospital for treatment.

Police Seek Suspect in Minto Mischief Rampage

The OPP say they are now investigating several more mischief complaints
in the Minto area of town.

Around 5:00 Monday morning, a man was seen striking a vehicle with a
crow bar.

He has been described as being about six feet tall and wearing dark colored
clothing.

Police say there were at least eight other vehicles in that area of town that also
sustained damage.

Anyone with information about the these incidents is asked to contact the
Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers.

Police Investigate Mischief Complaints

The OPP are investigating a couple of mischief complaints.

Monday morning, police were called to a home in the 9th Street
North area, where a car had been egged and the side of the vehicle
scratched.

A little later on, officers were dispatched to the Minto area, where the
rear window of a vehicle was smashed in.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers.

Funding Restored for Legal Aid Clinics

The Northwest Legal Clinic is relieved the provincial government has
reversed its funding cuts.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of the Attorney General announced it was
providing an additional 30 million dollars to community legal clinics.

Trudy McCormick is the executive director of the Northwest Legal Clinic
and says earlier this year the province had slashed their budget.

McCormick says if the province had not restored their funding, they were
looking at potential service cuts across the region.

Campbell Pleased With Youth Employment Program

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is happy Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced details on a new youth employment program.

The province will provide up to 78-hundred dollars for each eligble youth, starting in September.

Campbell says it was one of the NDP's demands in the spring budget.

The grant also includes up to one-thousand-dollars to hep youth pay for costs like tools and transportation to work.

Police Investigate Baby Death on Big Trout Lake

Provincial Police are investigating the sudden death of a six-week-old baby girl in Big Trout Lake.

Officers were called to the nursing station Monday morning, and the child was pronounced dead.

Police say the deceased is Shantelle Sainnawap.

A post mortem is being done in Toronto.

Another Scam Reported

A scam in Northwestern Ontario, but this time the warning is out from the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.

The Commission says people claiming to be with Sental Insurance have been targeting mostly Royal Bank of Canada clients.

They are asking for personal information in an effort to sell identity theft protection insurance on behalf of the bank.

But the Commission says the firm is not associated with the bank nor is it licensed to do business in Ontario.

Report Suggests Ontario Jails Over-crowded

Almost half of Ontario's jails are holding more prisoners than they were designed for.

Inspector Kevin Glenister says many inmates in the region end up at the Kenora Jail.

Glenister suggests the situation locally might not be as bad because a few years ago the Kenora Jail closed it's youth facility and says that's freed up more space for the adult population.

Glenister says all prisoners under 18-years-old either go to another facility in Kenora, Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie.