Bad Weather, Icing Blamed for North Spirit Lake Air Crash

The Transportation Safety Board has ruled that operational pressures, bad weather, and a lack of experience factored in a fatal plane crash in northwestern Ontario.

Spokesperson Peter Hildebrand says the pilot and three passengers died when the Keystone Air Service aircraft went down in a snowstorm about 2-kilometers shy of the runway at North Spirit Lake on January 10th, 2012.

Hildebrand says the aircraft was forced to circle for several minutes resulting in the build-up of ice.

He says the plane stalled during the final approach at an altitude from which recovery wasn't possible.
36-year-old Brian Shead from Winnipeg
was the only survivor of the crash.

Red Cross Raffle Tickets Now On Sale

The Red Cross needs your help to continue offering disaster relief services.

The organization has launched its Northern Raffle and hopes to sell over 4-thousand tickets.

Disaster Manager Coordinator Dave Wright says money raised stays local.

Tickets can be purchased Canadian Red Cross Offices across the region.

Horwath Critical of Government Handling of Ring of Fire

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the Provincial Government has dropped the ball when it comes to the handling of the Ring of Fire.

Cliffs Natural Resources has announced it will suspend indefinitely its chromite project in Northern Ontario by the end of the fourth quarter of this year.

Horwath says she's not surprised by the company's decision.

The announcement will mean the loss of around 40 jobs.

Bronco Girls lose on the Road

The Fort Frances Muskies look like the team to beat this year in the NorWOSSA girls hockey league.

The Muskies shut down the Beaver Brae Broncos 10-0 last night in Fort Frances.

The Broncos will get a chance to work on their game this weekend as they welcome the Baudette Bears to town for a pair of exhibition games.

The first game is tonight at 7:00 at the Keewatin Arena.

The same two teams will square off again tomorrow at noon in Keewatin.

Meanwhile both Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae boys hockey teams are in Dryden this weekend for a high school tournament.

The Subway-Dingwall Ford Invitational gets underway this morning.

The Saints will play their first game at 11:30 against the Murdoch McKay Clansmen from Winnipeg, while the Broncos will take on John Taylor at 1:00.

Substance Abuse Task Force Adds Housing Pillar

The Kenora Substance Abuse and Mental Health Task Force is creating a new pillar of action.

Kim Elke with the Northwestern Health Unit says the task force are adding housing into their attack plans.

Elke says when someone doesn't have a safe meaningful place to live it hinders the possibility of making a healthy recovery.

Elke also says when someone receives the housing and support they need they can better look after their children and in turn help prevent them from entering the system themselves.

She adds the task forces decided to add the pillar as housing is a social determinant of mental health.

TSB To Release Report on North Spirit Lake Crash

The Transportation Safety Board is planning to release a report on a fatal plane crash in northwestern Ontario almost two years ago.

The crash of the Piper Navajo near North Spirit Lake killed four people, including the pilot and three other people from southern Manitoba.

36 year old Brian Shead was the only survivor of the crash.

The plane went down in a snowstorm about two kilometers short of the runway at North
Spirit Lake on January 10th, 2012.

The report is being released at 10:00 this morning.

School Buses Running This Morning

Overnight snow hasn't been enough to cancel school bus service this morning.

About five centimeters of white stuff has fallen so far.

But all roads in the Kenora area are open this morning and no bus cancellations have been announced.

Motorists are asked to drive with caution as intersections are very slippery and not a lot of plowing has taken place so far.

Food Bank Use Down Slightly

Surprising numbers from a new survey by Food Banks Canada.

It shows the number of people using food banks has dropped by about
40 thousand in the past year.

Sandra Poole is the business manager for the Salvation Army in Kenora
and says they've also seen a decline, but its mostly because they've
tightened up their qualifications.

Poole says they usually see anywhere from 30 to 40 people a month
at their food bank in downtown Kenora.

Fellowship Center Gearing Up for Winter

Kenora's only emergency shelter is gearing up for another winter.

The Kenora Fellowship Center is collecting winter clothing to distribute
to homeless.

John Pencoff is one of the supervisors and says they can still use some help from the community and are looking for warm weather gear such as mitts, toques and winter boots.

Pencoff says they offer overnight shelter to an average of 14 people a night, but their actual capacity is 21.

The Fellowship Center held an open house this week to let community members learn about some of
the services they provide daily.

Province Reviewing New Snowmobile Regs

There may be hope for snowmobile clubs in Ontario.

The provincial government is promising to review a decision to force
clubs to pay to use hydro right-of-ways.

NDP critic, Michael Mantha is worried that the government will instead foist  the costs onto local towns and cities.

Transportation Minister Glenn Murray says they are looking are reviewing the decision because of the feedback they've received.

Christmas Tree Lighting Tonight

Christmas is still more than a month away, but that's not stopping Kenora's Business Improvement Zone from celebrating a little early.

The lightning of the big Christmas Tree on Main Street will take place
tonight.

Lisa Lyle from BIZ says there will be lots of other activities as well.

There will also be sleigh rides beginning at 5:45.

The actual tree lighting will take place at 6:00.

Cliffs Puts Brakes on Ring of Fire Project

There's a big question mark hanging over the Ring of Fire mining development following a surprising decision by Cliffs Natural Resources. 

Cliffs has announced it will suspend indefinitely its chromite project in northern Ontario.

The company has decided not to sink any more capital into the Ring of Fire due to the uncertainty of the timeline and concerns about the necessary infrastructure needed to bring the project on-line.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle, says the government is still committed to the project and the development is about more than just one company.

Gravelle says he's disappointed with Cliffs' decision but notes the province must work with all partners to ensure the project moves forward properly.

Broncos Beat Rams in NorWOSSA Hockey

Red Lake is 0 for 2 in Kenora this week in NorWOSSA boys high school hockey.

After losing to Thomas Aquinas Tuesday night, the Rams took on Beaver Brae last night and suffered an 8-3 loss.  

The line of Jed Rattai, Rhyse Mandamin and Eastin Gauthier did most of the damage for the Broncos racking up 18 points.

Rattai had a four goal night and added three assists.

Beaver Brae is back in action this weekend at the annual Dryden High School Hockey Tournament, which begins tomorrow.

Campbell Complains About Winter Road Maintenance

The provincial government is defending it's winter road maintenance program in northwestern Ontario.

Yesterday in the Ontario Legislature, Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell complained about the closure of a number of roads in the region over the weekend due to snow.

Transportation Minister Glen Murray says the government is putting more resources into the road maintenance.

Murray says if there are continuing problems, he's willing to meet with the local road contractor to make sure the proper maintenance is being carried out.

Investigators Release Details of ORNGE Report

Federal investigators are holding Ontario's embattled air ambulance service to task.

Investigators say Ornge failed to protect the health and safety of its helicopter pilots.

The report relates to the May 31st crash in northern Ontario where 4 crew members died in a remote area near Moosonee.

The helicopter was on its way to pick up a patient in a remote northern community early in the morning.

Federal investigators say Ornge failed to adequately educate the pilots on the health and safety hazards associated with northern operations, among other problems.

They are asking the agency to fix the problems by the end of May.

The Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash.

NAN Discusses Justice Issues This Week

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is meeting this week to discuss First Nation legal issues.

Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says they've brought in experts and community members to talk about access to justice.

Executive Director for NAN Legal Services Celina Reitberger adds that they'll be talking about bringing back traditional aboriginal justice systems.

Issues up for discussion include Aboriginal justice systems, First Nation Representation on Juries, legal representation in the North and fly-in courts for remote communities.

OPP Investigate Kasabonika Lake Murder

A 20 year old woman from the Kasabonika Lake First Nation is dead following an altercation over the weekend.

The OPP's Regional Crime Unit has been called into investigate the death of Courtney Mamakeesick.

21 year old Clarissa Anderson from Kasabonika has been charged with second degree murder.

She's due to appear in Kenora Court on Friday to face the charge.

A post-mortem exam was conducted yesterday at Lake of the Woods District Hospital, but
the cause of death is not being released.

Con College Student Wins Premier's Award

A graduate of Confederation College is being recognized by the province.

Ramesh Ferris has been awarded a Premier Award in Community Services for his activism in the fight against polio around the world.

A polio survivor himself, Ferris organized an awareness campaign in 2008 and helped lobby the Canadian government to commit 250-million dollars to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Ferris graduated from the College in 2001.

Busy Night in NorWOSSA Hockey

The Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team is undefeated so far this season.

The Saints cruised to a 9-2 win over the Red Lake Rams last night at the Kenora
Rec. Center.

Jesse Rush led the Saints scoring attack with three goals, while Justis Kennedy chipped
in with two more.

T.A.'s boys squad heads to Dryden Friday for the Annual NorWOSSA High School tournament.

Meanwhile, it was a tough night on the road for Beaver Brae's hockey teams.

The Bronco girls didn't have as much luck with the Rams.

Beaver Brae pulled it's goalie in the dying minutes, but lost a 6-4 decision, as Red Lake
scored an empty netter.

Rylee Smith had a pair of goals in the loss for the Broncos.

In Fort Frances, the Musky boys doubled up Beaver Brae 6-3.

Elsewhere, Dryden crushed Sioux Lookout 9-3 in boys hockey action.

City Joins FCM's Housing Crunch Campaign

Kenora city council is pushing back against the downloading of services.

A resolution was passed today to join the Canadian Federation of Municipalities Housing Crunch campaign.

Councillor Sharon Smith says the province's housing market is already in a bad situation as property taxes are used to cover social costs normally covered in income taxes.

Smith says that the federal government needs to increase funding to supply more housing in an effort to battle the homelessness issue.

She adds that the housing issue is also preventing more and more middle class residents from purchasing houses which in turn is increasing rental rates.

Main Street Christmas Tree Goes Up

It's beginning to look a lot more like Christmas.

The large Christmas Tree on Main Street South was erected by Kenora Hydro crews.

They spent the morning anchoring the large spruce to the roadway and
installing the lights.

The actual lighting of the tree won't take place until Thursday.

A special ceremony will take place at 6:00.  

KPDSB Stands Up to Bullying

It's anti-bullying and prevention awareness week at the Keewatin Patricia District School Board.

Sean Monteith is the Director of Education and says they have activities planned across the board.

In Kenora, students at Keewatin Public will have an assembly with OPP Constable Ronni Grosenick, while students at King George will hold an assembly that includes songs, poems, and skits.

Monteith says the school board has also launched a new anonymous online reporting tool.

The tool allows anyone to report cases of bullying in all their schools, and is aimed at having students stand up against bullying.

Here is the link to the tool https://safeatschool.kpdsb.ca/

KDSB Approves 2014 Budget

Communities in the Kenora District are going to have to cough up a bit more money to pay for social services next year.

The District Services Board approved the 38.9 million dollar budget at a special meeting last week.

Chairman of the board, Barry Baltessen says the increase could have been a lot more, if they hadn't done a fair bit of restructuring over the past couple of years.

The overall increase amounts to about 192 thousand dollars in 2014, or the equivalent of about a 1.26 percent increase in property taxes.

Health Unit Applauds New Anti-Tobacco Legislation

The Provincial Government has introduced legislation to protect youth from the harmful effects of tobacco.

The Youth Smoking Prevention Act was presented at Queen's Park on Monday and would prohibit smoking on playgrounds, sports fields, and restaurants and bar patios.

Christine Kiewning is the Youth Engagement Coordinator for the Northwestern Health Unit and she says the legislation would also double fines for those who sell tobacco to youth.

Kiewning says the Act will help keep outdoor spaces clean, help reduce second hand smoke and aid smokers in butting out.

Province Defends Conversion of Thunder Bay Generating Station

The province's energy minister says the latest move to convert the Thunder Bay generating station to burn biomass may not be the end of its expansion.

Bob Chiarelli said with the north on the verge of a mining boom there still could be room for future growth of the plant

Chiarelli was responding to NDP leader Andrea Horwath's concerns that the conversion is only for a limited time.

Initially the province indicated it planned to close the Mission Island Power Plant, but last week the
Wynne Government had a change of heart and announced the conversion of the coal burning station
to biomass fuel.

More Snowplows Hitting Roads in Northern Ontario This Winter

It may not seem like it yet, but there will be more snowplows on area highways this winter.

The Provincial Government is deploying 50 additional snowplows, 42-of them in northern Ontario.

John Vanthof is the Natural Resources Critic for the NDP and he applaud
s the government for the move.

The Ministry of Transportation and selected contractors were flooded with complaints in the north last winter about snow clearing on area highways.

Blood Donor Clinic Wraps Up Today

More blood is needed across Northwestern Ontario.

The Canadian Blood Services is at Thomas Aquinas for another blood donor clinic.

Local Rep Mike Choi says as of right now there are no hospital patients going without blood, but they always like to build up their blood supplies heading into the holiday season.

The clinic will wrap up today and run  from 9:30 to 12:30.

Canadian Blood Services is hoping to have as many as 300 donors come through the doors
during the two-day clinic.

Kenora Volunteer Heads to Philippines

As we reported last week a Kenora Shelter Box Volunteer is heading to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

Ron Noseworthy will be heading to the Bantayan Islands, North of Saiboo, on the 20th to hand out Shelter Boxes to victims.

He says Shelter Box is aiming at distributing over 4000 boxes which include tents for 10 people, dishes, water purifiers, and much more.

Typhoon Haiyan was one of the largest storms ever recorded and has resulted in almost 4,000 deaths.

To donate visit www.shelterboxcanada.org

Highway Condition Still Slick on Highway 17 east of Kenora

Make sure you take it easy when driving the next couple of days.

Roads are extremely slippery and several collisions have been reported the past 32-hours.

All roads and highways are open but extreme caution is urged.

There have been periodical delays on Highway 17 West of Dryden due to jack-knifed transports and minor collisions.

Other transports have had problems navigating hills, resulting in delays.

Dryden and Wabigoon Fire responded to a two vehicle collision this morning around 9 o'clock.
Officials say a SUV collided with a Highway Grader.

The SUV was totally destroyed and one person was transported to hospital with unknown injuries.

Road Conditions Slowly Improving

Roads in the Kenora area are open this morning.

Yesterday, Highway 17 between Kenora and Vermillion Bay was closed for about eight hours, causing a back log of traffic.

Highway 502 between Dryden and Fort Frances was also closed for several hours last night.

Both both cases, jack-knifed transports were blocking the highway.

The 502 was finally re-opened around 4:00 this morning.

The Kenora area saw about 20 centimeters of snow on Sunday.

Due to the road condition though, all school buses in the Kenora area have been cancelled today.

Horwath Speaks Out for More Social Housing

Creating more affordable housing will lessen the need for emergency shelters in
northwestern Ontario.

That's the feeling of NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

She was in Kenora on Friday and talked about some of the challenges facing the Kenora Fellowship Center.

Horwath says emergency shelters are not supposed to provide affordable housing for the homeless and says there's a problem when people are staying at places like the Fellowship Center for more than a month at a time.

Public School Board Evaluating 21st Century Learning Program

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board isn't putting the brakes on its 21st Century Learning program, but it is slowing down.

The public school board has spent two million dollars over the past couple of years putting a computer into the hands of every student.

Director of Education Sean Monteith says they want to take some time to evaluate the success of the program now.

Monteith says they still have a number of laptops and net

books in reserve for new students and they want to use those first, before looking at any new purchases.

Northern Cancer Fund Helping Local Patients

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation has completed a local tour where the Northern  Cancer Fund handed out funding to four hospitals to purchase new chemotherapy screening and treatment equipment.

Foundation President Glenn Craig says it's important to support communities such as Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and Kenora.

Craig says cancer is growing at a phenomenal rate in northwestern Ontario and the Thunder Bay hospital doesn't have the room to facilitate the entire region.

Local Taxi Company Lobbies Council for Help

Taxi drivers in Kenora are once again lobbying city council to use
older model vehicles.

Currently, the city doesn't allow cabs to be any older than 10 years.

Eric Lovas is the manager of Co-Ot taxi and says its not necessarily true
that older model cars are in poor mechanical shape.

Lovas says their costs keep rising, and they need to find a way to remain
profitable.

Thistles Traveling Teams Excel on the Road

A good weekend for Kenora's traveling hockey teams.

The Double "a" Bantam Thistles won a tournament in Fort Frances
over the weekend, compiling a 5-1 record over three days.

The Thistles upended Sioux Lookout in the A-side final yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Kenora Double "a" midget Thistles earned a silver
medal at a tournament in Dryden.

The Thistles lost a 5-3 decision to the host Dryden Paper Kings in the
A-side final.

Midget Thistles Win Two at Home

Home cooking seems to agree with the Kenora Triple A Midget Thistles.

The Thistles earned a pair of one-goal wins over the weekend against the
Pembina Valley Hawks at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Yesterday, the Kenora Midgets held on for a 2-1 win over the Hawks.

Dylan Husak scored the game winner midway through the third period.

On Saturday night, the Thistles needed a shootout to get by Pembina Valley
3-2.

The Thistles are now just one game below .500, with a 7-8 record.

Their next game is Friday on the Road in Portage against the Central Plains Capitals.

Lake of the Woods Girls Hockey Teams Return from Thunder Bay

A convoy from the Lake of the Woods Girls Hockey League was in Thunder Bay for the Women's Chill tournament.

The Chaos had the best result, picking up a silver medal in the bant
am division.

The Chaos were undefeated in round robin play and faced a tough Emo squad in the final on Sunday, but were edged 1-0.

The Bantam Grenades earned a 5th place finish after losing to the Dryden Warriors in their final game yesterday.

The Kenora Dynomite were ninth overall in the Bantam division.

Just one Kenora team in the Atom Division, where the Blue Bucaneers earned a third place finish, after losing their final game 3-2 to the Nipigon Elks in their final game.

School Buses Cancelled This Morning

Mother nature has put the breaks on school bus operations across most of the area.

School buses have been cancelled in Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and Ear Falls.

Rat Portage says it's school bus is also not running this morning.

The Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium says road conditions are poor and very little clearing had occurred by late Sunday night.

The Consortium adds that all area roads remain icy.

All schools remain open.

Highway 17 re-opened

The OPP say Highway 17 west of Vermillion Bay has been re-opened to two-way traffic.

The Trans-Canada between Kenora and Vermillion Bay was closed for about eight hours due to a
Number of transports that had jack-knifed, blocking the highway.

Due to the high volume of traffic that was backed up, motorists travelling in the area are to expect delays.

Motorists are advised to proceed with caution due to the treacherous road conditions.

Highway 17 East of Kenora closed again

The OPP have closed Highway 17 at Vermillion Bay due to poor road conditions.

Police say a number of transports have slid into the ditch and a couple of semis have jack-knifed and are blocking the Trans-Canada about 10 kilometres west of Vermillion Bay.

Tow-trucks have been dispatched to the scene to assist with the removal of the disabled vehicles.

Police are advising motorists to use extreme caution while driving in the area as the roads are slippery due to the weather.

Highway 17, has been closed at Kenora for eastbound traffic, and motorists are being re-routed to Highway 11.

It is unknown at this time, how long the highway will be closed for.

Electricity Protest in Dryden This Afternoon

It's time to take back the power.

That's the name of a peaceful protest that's happening this afternoon in Dryden.

Organizer Denise Carruthers says the purpose of it is to demand an end to the high hydro prices in Northwestern Ontario.

The protest is from noon until 1:00 at the government building in Dryden.

Public School Board Wants to Close Graduation Gap

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says it wants to close the graduation gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students.

For the first time, the public school board has separated the two statistics.

Scott Urquhart is the student success for the public school board and says there is about a 20 percent difference in grad rates.

Urquhart says about 75 percent of  their students graduate after four years, but for aboriginal students that figure drops to 55 percent.

Library and Museum Employees to Get a Pay Raise

Employees at the Kenora Public Library and the Lake of the Woods Museum will be getting pay raises this year.

City council has approved 1.7 percent increases for 2013.

The pay raise means the city will have to add over 11 thousand dollars to this year's budget.

The pay raises for the museum and library staff are the same as other unionized workers in the city this year.

The city says it will be funding the pay raises through the police cost savings.

The OPP billings have been below budget so far this year.

City Spending Under Control

With the year starting to wind down, it looks like the City of Kenora will be able to break even.

The September financial statements were released this week and councllor Rory McMillan says currently the city is on budget in most areas.

He says while user fees are down, the city expenses are on track.

He adds that rental of facilities like the Whitecap Pavilion and the Discovery Center are running ahead of target.

NDP Leader to Visit Kenora This Afternoon

Ontario's NDP leader is on a tour of northwestern Ontario today.

Andrea Horwath was in Thunder Bay yesterday and will be making
pit stops in Fort Frances and Kenora today.

Horwath will be meeting with party faithful at a supper meet at the
HoHo Restaurant
this evening.

She'll also be attending a meeting with tourism stakeholders this afternoon
at the Discovery Center.

Fort man Recovering from ATV Accident

A 20 year old Fort Frances man remains in Thunder Bay hospital in serious condition following an ATV accident Wednesday.

OPP says the man was driving the ATV on LaVallee Road North, about nine kilometers north of Highway 11, when he lost control, causing the vehicle to roll and come to rest in the ditch.

The man was not wearing a helmet at the time.

Bearskin Crash Survivor Issues Statement

A woman who survived the Bearskin Airlines crash in Red Lake has released a personal statement.

Obtained by the Winnipeg Regional Health Sciences Center, Julie Dayholos says " words cannot describe the overwhelming feeling of love and support that I have received over the past few days".

She goes on to say that her thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones.

Dayholos adds that she hopes everyone understands her need for privacy, as she focuses her energy on recovering.

Red Cross Now Accepting Donations for the Philippines

You can help support relief efforts in the Philippines.

Keri Rafter is the Disaster Management Community Services Coordinator with the Red Cross in northwestern Ontario says any help is appreciated.

Rafter says donations can be made at any one of their local offices across Northwestern Ontario.

The death toll this morning has been put at 36 hundred from the typhoon.