TransCanada Wraps up Northwestern Pipeline Open Houses

Trans Canada Pipeline has wrapped up the last of it's open houses in northwestern Ontario on its proposed Energy East project.

The pipeline would see Alberta's oil sent to the East Coast.

Spokesperson Phillip Cannon says they've heard concerns across Northwestern Ontario.

He says most people seem concerned about the safety of the project.

The public information sessions have taken place over the past week in Kenora, Dryden,  and Thunder Bay.

Kenora Student Promotes new Initiative at LU

Lakehead University's Outpost bar is the first in Canada to offer pregnancy tests in their bathroom dispensers.

Kenora's Charmaine Romaniuk is the Student Union vice-president and says the initiative will start up this week and tests will cost 3 dollars.

The Outpost Bar hopes this will prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and want other local bars to follow suit.

PJP Hosts Carnival/Open House

It's a parents/teachers meeting with a twist.

Pope John Paul School is holding a carnival in connection with tonight's
open house.

In addition to games, bingo, a photo booth and face painting, there will be a  lollipop tree, cotton candy, and a concession featuring hot dogs and hamburgers.

The carnival is a fundraiser for school projects and will run from 5:00 to 6:30.

Interim Chief for Treaty Three Police Hired

The Treaty Three Police Service is dipping into the ranks of the OPP for its next chief of police.

OPP Detective Inspector Dan Davidson has been named the interim chief, to take over from Conrad Delarond.

Delaronde announced his retirement last month.

His last day on the job will be October 18th, and Davidson will start his new
duties on October 7th.

Davidson is currently posted with the Sioux Lookout Detachment, and has also
worked in Red Lake and Thunder Bay.

He grew up in Morson on Lake of the Woods.

Grade 7 and 8's Settling In At Beaver Brae

The new school year is just four weeks old, but grade 7 and 8 students
up at Beaver Brae seem to be settling in just fine.

Sean Monteith is the director of education at the Keewatin-Patricia District
School Board and says all reports back from the high school have been
positive.

The grade seven and eights were moved up to Beaver Brae this year,
from the elementary school system as part of the fall out from the closure
of Lakewood school.

Former Ontario Rangers to Lobby MPP's

Alumni with the former Ontario Rangers program are hoping to get the ears of MPP's at Queen's Park today.

They'll holding a lobby day as part of their fight to restore the program.

Spokesperson Martin Dubec say they've yet to talk to Natural Resources Minister David Oriazetti.

Dubec says they've set up a luncheon for MPP's to hear from alumni who've benefited from the program cut last fall.

Cliffs Threatens Pull-Out in Ring of Fire

A vice president with Cliffs Natural Resources confirms the mining giant's future in the Ring of Fire is in real danger.

Bill Boor says the company can't operate without an all weather road and a recent mining commission road ruling against that proposal make the company's pull out a continuing reality.

Boor says the company has not set a deadline for a possible pullout, hoping instead there can be a solution worked out.

Crimestoppers Crime of the Week

Crimestoppers in Northwestern Ontario is looking to the public to
help solve an assault and break-in in the Rideout area of town.

The incident took place back on September 4th around 2:00 in
the morning after two people forced their way into a home.

The male suspects demanded the occupants give them money and valuables,
while assaulting them.

One of the men had dark hair, with a short flat-top haircut, with the sides of his head shaved.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crimestoppers.

Saints Split in Atikokan

The Voyageurs seem to be the team to beat this year in NorWOSSA Single "A" volleyball.

Thomas Aquinas court sport teams traveled to Atikokan yesterday and
split their four games.

The Saints senior boys lost in three straight sets to the Voyageurs, while
the T.A. junior boys were beaten in a five set marathon.

In girls basketball, Thomas Aquinas senior girls edged Atikokan 28-25,
while the Saints junior squad upended the Voyageurs 32-15.

T.A. concludes it's two day road trip in Rainy River this morning.

Candidates prepare for fall election?

Still lots of chatter of a possible fall election campaign in Ontario.

The Conservatives held their policy convention over the weekend in
London.

Kenora-Rainy River Tory candidate Randy Nickle says they've been on
alert for a while now.

The NDP and Liberals also have their candidates in place for the next provincial election, with Sarah Campbell holding the New Democratic banner
and Anthony Leek ready to run again for the Grits.

Council Puts Off on Planning Decision

Kenora City Council has put off a decision to award a contract for the Planning department.

City staff want to hire FoTenn Consulting out of Ottawa for any external planning advice.

Property and Planning Manager Charlotte Caron feels the company will provide better service to the department.

Mayor Dave Canfield says he prefers one of the other tenders and raised  some concerns about the work FoTenn did on Kenora's last Official plan.

Council has agreed to re-visit the issue at next month's Committee of the Whole meeting.

Public School Board Nears Full Implementation of All-Day Kindergarten

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is one step closer to having all elementary schools offer full-day kindergarten.

Superintendent of Education Caryl Hron says they are in their fourth year of the program, and so far it's been a huge success.

Hron says their goal is to have every student reading by the time they finish kindergarten.

She adds 92-percent of students can, and the other 8-percent were identified as needing additional assistance.

She says next year they will have full implementation in the 16 elementary schools across the board.

Con College Eyes New Locations for Float Plane School

Confederation College is hoping to decide where to locate its float plane
training classes in the next couple of months.

The college agreed to move the course from its current location on Eva
Lake near Atikokan after receiving numerous complaints from cottagers.

College president, Jim Madder says they've received a lot of interest from
communities interested in hosting the school from Kenora all the way to
Manitouadge.

September 5th was the deadline to submit proposals for the flight school.

Job Seekers Coming to Kenora

The Kenora District Services Board is holding a "Job Seekers" event at the Seven Generations Education Institute in Kenora.

Coordinator Josee Mantle says it's a great way for folks to learn about educational and job opportunities in the community.

The Job Seekers Forum will take place this Wednesday, September 25th from 10 AM until 1 PM at the
former Lakewood School.

Meetings will also be held in Dryden and Sioux Lookout this week.

School Calendar Survey Released

Before Labor Day or after Labor Day.

That's one of the questions the Keewatin-Patricia District School
Board wants answered as it begins work on next year's school
calendar.

The public school board has posted a survey on its web site, asking
parents if they want the school year to start on August 26th,
or September 3rd next year.

The board also wants to see whether parents and staff prefer to have
professional development days on Friday's or Monday's.

The survey will be available until September 29th.

Whitefish Bay Boys Volleyball Teams Excel

A good weekend for Whitefish boys volleyball teams.

The Winterhawks won the junior division of the annual Kenora Invitational tournament over the weekend.

Whitefish Bay got by Crocus Plains from Brandon in the A-side final in two straight sets.

Dryden defeated Fort Frances in the Bronze medal game.

In the senior side of the Tournament, the Winterhawks once again advanced to the
final, only to lost this time to Dryden in two straight sets.

Atikokan took third place with a win over the Westgate Tigers from Thunder Bay.

Teams from both Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae bowed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Bronco Football Teams Split

Beaver Brae's junior Varsity football team had fallen to 1-1 this season.

The Broncos grade seven and eights traveled to Fort Frances Saturday and dropped a 24-7 decision to the Wolverines.

The loss followed the Broncos win in the Winnipeg High School Football League on Friday afternoon.

Beaver Brae upended Tec Voc 34-6 to improve to 2-1 on the season.

The Broncos will head to Winnipeg on Friday for their next game against the Maples Marauders.

Gas Prices Drop Slightly

It might be a good time to fill up you car.

Gas prices are starting to drop again in Kenora as the summer starts to wane.

A number of local service stations have lowered their price at the pump to 136.9 cents a liter.

That's a drop of two cents from yesterday and down three cents from this summers high of 139.9.

Kenora is still a lot higher than the national average, which is 127.8 cents
a liter today.

Con College Releases Strat Plan

Improving access, aboriginal education and serving northwestern Ontario.

Those are three of the main themes contained in Confederation College's five year strategic plan.

Jim Madder was in Kenora this morning to outline the plan and says improving technology is a key component to achieving their goals.

Madder says the college is also working to increase partnership opportunities with other educational partners such as schools and community colleges.

School Bus Operator Reacts to Ottawa Bus Tragedy

The Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium says it has strict safety standards in place when it comes to school buses and rail crossings.

The country is still reeling from Wednesday's fatal crash involving a double-
decker bus and a Via Rail train.

The Consortium says all school bus drivers must stop, look and listen.

The drivers must also open their doors and look in both directions.

Six people died in the Ottawa tragedy.

Air Miles Scam Spreads to Kenora

Remember, if it seems too good to be true it probably is!

The CJRL newsroom has received word about a scam that promises the attended victim 26,000 Air Miles.

The fraudsters apparently use a system that allows them to use local numbers, without knowing who it actually belongs to.

If you get this type of call, don't buy into it!

If you have been a victim or fraud, or want to report one, you can do so by
visiting www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca, call 1-888-495-8501 or email info@antifraudcentre.ca.

St. Louis Renovations Almost Complete

Renovations should be complete at St. Louis School in Keewatin in
the next couple of weeks.

The Kenora Catholic District School Board has spent the summer improving
the office and entrance areas of the school.

Operations manager Andrew Poirier says the project is 90 percent complete
and the offices are now ready for occupancy.

He says the secretaries and principal will be able to move into their new
digs by next week.

Province Promises Power Announcement this Fall

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli is taking issue with NDP Leader Andrea Horwath's repeated questions about the future of the Thunder Bay Generating Station.

Horwath raised the question of the plant's future in Question Period yesterday.

Chiarelli says Horwath needs to concern herself with all of the Northwest's power needs.

Chiarelli says the government plans to make an announcement dealing with the Thunder Bay plant within three weeks.

Another Planned Power Outage In Store

Kenora Hydro is turning the lights off in the city once again.

Hydro has a full city outage planned for Sunday morning.

The outage is required to perform maintenance on the system.

The power will be out between 6:30 and 7:30.

Broncos Face Tec Voc in WHSFL Action

A battle between two 1-1 teams in the Winnipeg High School Football League this  afternoon.

Beaver Brae will play its second consecutive home game this afternoon against the Tec Voc Hornets.

The Broncos got their first win of the season last week against Dryden.

Kick-off is 3:00 sharp at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

For live updates follow us on Twitter @CJRLnews https://twitter.com/CJRLnews.

Bronco Boy Golfers Win Silver

A silver medal for the Beaver Brae boys team at the NorWOSSA golf championships.

The Broncos had a collective total of 334.

Jed Rattai led the way with an 81, while Cam Novak was a shot back at 82, and Duncan
McGillvray came in with an 85.

The Thomas Aquinas boys were 22 shots back of Beaver Brae and won the bronze medal.

Bryn Jones was the top Saints golfer shooting an 81.

The NorWOSSA finals were played at the Heron Landing Golf Club in Fort Frances yesterday.

Beaver Brae now qualifies for next weeks NWOSSA golf championships next Thursday in
Geralton.

Province Announces Committee for Aboriginal Jury Pools

The Province is announcing the 11-people who will sit on a First Nation Juries Review Committee.

Deputy Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Alvin Fiddler will be a co-chair of the committee and will work towards implementing the recommendations in Justice Frank Iacobucci's report on Ontario Juries.

Former Treaty Three Grand Chief and Lawyer Diane Kelly as well former Kenora Judge Erwin Stach will also sit on the panel.

Ontario's Attorney General John Gerretsen made the announcement this morning and is holding its first
meeting today.

Soccer Association Seeks Volunteers for One More Night

Lake of the Woods Soccer Association is hoping to complete the removal of the rink boards at the Jaffray Mellick Arena today.

Over the past two days, volunteers have been working diligently to take down the glass and the boards.

The only thing remaining now is the wood framing that formed the supports for the boards.

Volunteers who have a battery operated drill or impact driver is asked to come  out this afternoon at 4:00 to help finish the job.

Beausejour Man Faces Fraud Charges

A former funeral home manager in Beausejour, Manitoba faces a number of fraud charges following a lengthy investigation by the RCMP.

53 year old Harvey Giesbrecht faces 25 counts of fraud due to financial
irregularities at Russel's Funeral Home.

The Mounties say Giesbrecht is alleged to have collected payment for
prearranged funerals but failed to use the money for that purpose.

He faces 18 counts of fraud under five thousand dollars and seven courts
of fraud over five thousand dollars.

He's due to appear in Beausejour Court October 22nd to face the charges.

EQAO Test Results Released

Room for improvement.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office has released its annual
grade three and grade six reading, writing and math results.

Sean Monteith is the director of education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says overall their marks are down compared to last year.

Monteith says they are particularly concerned with their math scores.

Just 38 percent of grade six students met or exceeded the provincial average.

Council Supports New Marina Development

Kenora city council is planning to lend its support to the development
of a new marina in Cameron Bay.

Council has agreed to seek funding from FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to extend sewer and water services to the development.

The city is also ready to pony up 360 thousand dollars of its own money
for the project.

The city's share of the funding would come from sewer and water reserves.

Winnipeg Sport and Liesure is currently working on developing a 200 slip marina in Cameron Bay.

Take Back the Night Tonight

An annual march through downtown Kenora takes place this evening.

Take Back the Night will start this year from the Whitecap Pavillion.

Jennifer Dennis from the Kenora Woman's Action Network says everyone is welcome to come out and march in support, men, women and children.

The Grassy Narrows Women's Drum group will start things off at 5:00 this evening, followed by the actual march at 5:30.

Transfer Station Closed to Construction Waste

Anyone wanting to dump construction waste is going to have a little
longer drive today.

The City's Waste Transfer Station says one of its trucks is out of service
for repair.

That means anyone who needs to dump construction materials will have
to make the trek out to the Jones Road Landfill site.

City spokesperson Heather Kasprick says you can still weigh the waste at the Transfer Station and pay for it there, but you will have to transport it yourself.

Saints Sweep Season Opener, Broncos Split

A pretty good start to the NorWOSSA Court Sport season.

Thomas Aquinas made it a clean sweep over Pelican Falls in their
home opener yesterday.

The both the Saints junior and senior boys volleyball teams shut out the
Timberwolves in three straight sets.

In senior girls basketball action, T.A. cruised to a 39-2 win.

In Dryden, the Beaver Brae split its games with the Eagles.

The Bronco junior boys needed five sets to subdue Dryden, while the
Beaver Brae senior squad lost in three straight sets.

On the basketball court, Maddie Gan had 11 points as the Bronco junior
girls edged the Eagles 32-29.

Beaver Brae's senior girls weren't as fortunate, dropping a 27-19 decision
to Dryden.

Body of Missing Hunter Found

The OPP say the body of a missing duck hunter near Ear Falls has been found.

Police say 22 year old Tyler Mills was located as the result of a search on the English River.

Mills and another man were duck hunting when the fell into the river on Thursday.

The other hunter made it to shore safely.

A post mortem has been scheduled at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

Grants Available for Aboriginal Students

Aboriginal students in Northwestern Ontario have a chance to receive 25-hundred-dollars towards their education.

The Forest Products Association of Canada is out with its Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth.

Spokesperson Monica Bailey says their focus is attracting more people to the forestry sector.

Applicants must be between 18 and 25-years-old who are currently enrolled in an apprenticeship program, in college or university.

New Operator Found for Anicinabe Park

Anicinabe Park is going Green.

Kenora City Council has approved a five year contract with
Scott Green to operate Anicinabe.

The deal will expire in November of 2018.

Green is best known for operating Green Adventures in Kenora.

Council approved the deal at yesterday's open meeting.

Catholic Board Ready to Move Ahead on SMB Expansion

The Kenora Catholic District School Board is ready to get to work on the expansion of Ste. Margarite Bourgeoys.

Last night, operations manager Andrew Poirier told trustees that they plan to open tenders next Tuesday.

He says the 10 thousand square foot expansion of the school will allow them to bring in all-day junior and senior kindergarten programs next year.

Poirier adds that the province has agreed to foot the bill for the expansion project.

Nickle Approves Tory Northern Policy

The Conservatives are reaching out to northern Ontario in the latest of
their white papers.

Tory leader Tim Hudak unveiled his northern policy this week.

Kenora-Rainy River candidate Randy Nickle says they want to open the
region up for business again.

Nickle says the Conservatives goal is to issue permits for as many as 10
new mines in the region over the next five years.

New NorWOSSA Season Begins Today

The high school court sport season begins today on two fronts.

Both Thomas Aquinas boys volleyball and girls basketball teams will
see their first action of the young season.

The Saints are at home today to Pelican Falls.

Action begins at 10:30 at the T.A. gym.

Meanwhile, Beaver Brae teams hit the road to play the Dryden.

The Dryden Eagles entertain the Broncos in Girls Basketball and Boys Volleyball.

The Senior Boys kick things off at noon.

Canfield Weighs in On Energy East Project

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield is offering his opinion on the Energy East Pipeline.

Canfield attended Trans-Canada info session on the project and says he stressed his major concern.

Canfield added he wants to see the pipeline have automatic shut off valves if a leak is detected.

The Energy East project would pump oil from Alberta to the East coast.

TransCanada will be holding another open house on the project today in Dryden.

Council Seeks Social Housing Task Force

Kenora city council is shifting some attention the Kenora District Services Board 10 year homelessness plan.

Council is requesting that the board creates a multi-disciplinary task force.

Councillor Louis Roussin says there is one key topic the force would look at.

Roussin says the task force would also work on support services, and continually follow up on homelessness concerns.

Heritage Designation Sought for Memorial Park

Heritage Kenora is planning to offer some protection for Memorial Park
in the downtown core.

The Committee is planning to give the green space a heritage designation.

That means that no changes can be made to the park, without the prior
consent of Heritage Kenora.

Memorial Park contains the Cenotaph, which is considered one of the heritage attributes.

City council will be asked to approve the heritage designation at a future
meeting.

Catholic School Board Hires Spec. Ed. Coordinator

The Kenora Catholic District School Board has filled a key vacancy.

The separate school board has announced that it has hired Chris Moorley as their Special Education Coordinator.

She replaces Estelle Cantera, who retired this past spring.

Moorley is currently a special education teacher at Pope John Paul School, and has worked for the Catholic School Board for the past 26 years.

She'll start her new position once staffing is worked out at PJP.

Sand Mandala Created at the Discovery Centre

A Tibetan artist is in Kenora working on a sign of peace for the community.

Ven Lama Losang Samten is creating a sand mandala at the Discovery Centre.

Samten says the mandala tradition dates back over 2600 years to India where it where then became a Tibetan tradition.

The Mandala being created is a sign of healing for the community.

The project is on display until next Monday.

Family Safety Night tonight

Family Safety Night is taking over the Haboufront tonight.

The event is aimed at teaching people about risks they encounter everyday.

Maria Bagdonis with Safe Communities Kenora says they will have some great displays taking place.

Bagdonis says the highlight will be a vehicle extraction involving the Jaws of Life at 5:30.

Family safety night runs from 4 until 7 under the Whitecap Pavilion.

Hudak Releases Northern Policy

Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak says his northern vision will give more decision making power to people in this part of the province.

Hudak released details of his Northern Platform yesterday.

He says its about time northerners had a say in how their natural resources are utilized.

As an example Hudak says under a PC government northerners will have more of a say over wildlife and hunting management and cottage development

Minister of Natural Resources Defends Transformation

The Minister of Natural Resources says the NDP is misleading Northerners on MNR transformation.

Minister David Orazietti is responding to a recent media release from an NDP member that MNR internal reorganization will hurt Northern Ontario by downsizing staff.

He notes the province returned 40-million dollars to the MNR base funding.

He notes that during the 1990's the NDP government hacked more than 107-million dollars from the MNR budget and 23-projects and offices were closed across the province.

Boise Inc. Sold for 2 Billion

New owners for the mill in International Falls.

Packaging Corporation of America says its acquiring Boise Inc. in a deal valued at nearly 2-billion dollars.

PCA says the acquisition of Boise's operations, which include four mills and 26 converting facilities, is an excellent fit for them,  both geographically and strategically.

The announcement comes just four months after Boise had announced plans to shut down two of its paper machines and eliminate 265 jobs at its International Falls mill by October.

Good Response for Terry Fox Run in Kenora

Cool, clear weather helped boost this years numbers for the 33rd Annual Terry Fox Run.

Laurine Goertzen is one of the organizers and says they had more than 300 people show up and participate this year.

Over 13 thousand dollars was raised locally, which was two thousand dollars better than last year.

Since the Terry Fox Run began, local residents have contributed almost 400 thousand dollars to cancer research.