Easter Monday Closings

You'll be hard pressed to find any government services available today.

Municipal, provincial and federal employees will all be enjoying an extra long weekend today, that includes postal service,

All schools are also closed today, however the Waste Transfer Station and the Kenora Rec. Center will both be open for business today.

Banks are also open today as are all department and grocery stores, after being closed for the Easter Sunday holiday.

Cross Lake Wins NAFN Tournament

For the second year in a row, the Cross Lake Islanders took top honors at the North American First Nations Tournament of Champions at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Cross Lake downed Norway House 5-3 in the A-side final last night and won 15 thousand
dollars for their effort.

In the B-side final, the OCN Penguins got by Rat Portage.

The Winnipeg Hurricanes upended Whitefish Bay in Oldtimers final, while the first ever
women's division winners were Eagle Lake, which topped the OFN Snipers 4-1.

At the Allen Cup, the host Dundas Real McCoys won their first national senior men's
hockey championship.

Dundas outlasted Clarenville 3-2 in Overtime in Saturday's final.

The Real McCoys advanced to the championship game by blanking the Kenora Thistles
4-0 on Good Friday.

Council Says Farewell to Long Time City Clerk

It's the end of an era at Kenora city hall.

City Clerk Joanne McMillan is retiring after 37 years on the job.

Councillor Rory McMillan and several other council members spoke highly of her work over the last four decades.

McMillin attended her last council meeting this past week and officially retires at the end of July.

Road Flooded By Dingwall Ford

Some traffic woes on the Sunset Strip.

The road between Dingwall Ford and the Days in is covered in
water.

It appears as though there has been a water main break in the area.

Vehicles are moving through the area, but at a reduced speed.

Hydro Rates Going Up Again

New electricity rates in Ontario kick in May 1st.

The Ontario Energy Board has approved a point-3 cent increase to both the off-peak and mid-peak rates and a point-6 cent increase in the on-peak rate.

The Energy Board says it will result in an monthly increase of about 2-dollars and 83 cents to the average household user.

Operations Department Braces for Pothole Season

It's pothole season.

City operations manager Rick Perchuk says crews are working to fill the holes but only so much can be done right now.

He says until the snow is gone, the holes will continue to develop and grow.

He says the freezing and thawing of water on the road is the main culprit at this time of year.

Perchuk expects more potholes to pop up as the spring melt continues.

City Hopeful Of Funding For Downtown Revitalization

We should find out soon whether there will be construction on
Second Street South this summer.

The city is waiting on the federal government to find out whether it
will help fund phase three of downtown revitalization.

Mayor Dave Canfield is confident the funding will be in place.

The province has already indicated it will be supporting the project through the
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Tenders for the project will close today.

CanStar Revives Kenora Gold Project

An old gold mining site east of Kenora is being revived.

CanStar Resources says it has acquired the rights to several properties
in an area known as the Kenora Gold Project.

CanStar suggests the area has outstanding exploration opportunities.

The area was last mined in the late 1800's and early 1900's but hasn't seen much
activity since.

Horwath Asks Province to Support Special Education

The New Democrats say the provincial government needs to review the way it funds special education.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath says it's disappointing funding is being cut back at a time when there is an increasing demand.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says it could lose more than a million  dollars in special ed funding over the next couple of years.

Premier Kathleen Wynne Confirms Attendance at NOMA

Fort Frances plays host to Ontario's Premier next week.

Kathleen Wynne is in town to attend the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference.

NOMA vice-president Andrew Hallikas says it's hoped her attendance will lead to a few cabinet ministers showing up.

Hallikas says Wynne will be attending NOMA's banquet next Thursday evening, but it's not certain if she'll participate in the question and answer session of the meeting.

Osisko Recruits Another Ally

Osisko Mining has another ally as it tries to fend off a hostile takeover from Goldcorp.

Agnico Eagle Mines is joining with previously announced Yamana Gold to acquire Osisko, creating a new company called New Osisko.

The deal is valued at about 575-million dollars, well below what's being offered by Goldcorp.

Part of the agreement includes the new company continuing the exploration of the Hammond Reef Gold project near Atikokan.

Province Reduce Moose Tag Allocations

Ontario is reducing the number of adult moose tags available for the 2014 hunting season.

It comes after a recent aerial survey showed a decline in the animals population in the Northwest.

The largest tag reductions will occur in the areas with the largest declines namely the north.

The survey showed notable decreases in Dryden, Thunder Bay  and Fort Frances districts.

NAFN Turns 25

One of the biggest sporting events of the season is back in Kenora for another year.

Rob Hrabec says the 25th annual North American First Nations tournament starts tonight.

The tournament has 31 teams competing in a men's, women's, and old timers division.

Over 50 thousand dollars in prize money is up for grabs.

Gas Prices Going Up Again

Just in time for the Easter long weekend.

You might notice the price at the pump starting to go up.

A number of service stations in Kenora have boosted gas prices
to 139.9 cents a liter.

It pays to shop around though, because some outlets are still selling at
132.9.

The average pump price in Ontario today is 136.9.

Beaver Brae Wins NWOSSA Badminton Team Title

Beaver Brae's badminton team continues to excel.

The Broncos took home the NWOSSA Trophy as the regional championships in Wawa yesterday.

Three local badminton players have qualified for the provincial championships.

Tyler Neil finished second in the senior boys singles division and will advance to
OFSAA along with Logan Ginn and Kate Charlebois, who placed second in the mix
doubles event.

Other medal winners were Johnny Houlden and Eric Nelson who placed second in the
junior boys doubles division, while Alex Smith and Boe Rogers were third in the
senior boys doubles competition.

Thistles In Must Win Territory At Allen Cup

A familiar foe for the Kenora Triple "a" senior Thistles at the Allen Cup in
Dundas.

The Thistles will play their quarter-final game this evening against the
Southeast Prairie Thunder at 6:30.

The Thunder ousted the Bentely Generals last night 3-1 to finish the
round robin with a 1-1 record.

The only other game yesterday saw the 2011 Allen Cup champs, the Clarenville
Caribous dump the Brantford Blast 6-2.

Clarenville and Dundas both have byes into the Allen Cup semi-finals tomorrow.

Public School Board Worried About Loss of Special Education Funding

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is raising the alarm bell over declining funding for special education.

The Ministry of Education will be increasing the budget of the public school board by about
1.9 million dollars next year.

But Director of Education Sean Monteith says they are concerned by the continued erosion
of their special education budget.

Monteith suggests their budget for special education could decrease by more than a million
dollars over the next couple of years without any changes to the funding forumla.

Dryden Exhausts Snow Removal Budget

Mother nature isn't helping Dryden's finances.

Public Works has exhausted 90-percent of its snow removal budget, leaving officials little to work with for the rest of the year.

Chief Administrative Officer Andre Larabie says the City is coming to their aid.

Larabie says he's allocated an additional 120-thousand dollars.

Catholic School Board Working on Energy Plan

Spending money to save money.

That's the plan of the Kenora Catholic District School Board as it finalizes it's five year energy plan.

Operations manager Andrew Poirier says they have 1.8 million dollars set aside for capital expenditures, but that will save the board money over the long haul.

Poirier says that's a savings of about 25 percent on their annual energy bill.

The board is looking at a number of options including LED lighting at Thomas Aquinas and more energy efficient heating systems.

Progress Being Made on Water Main Breaks

The water pandemic is not over just yet in Kenora.

Operations manager Rick Perchuk says spring weather normally leads to a handful of water main breaks.

On a positive note Perchuck says crews have done a great job handling the rash of breaks and frozen water lines.

He notes the waiting list for pipes to thaw is now down to 15 homes.

NOACC Elects A New President

There's a new person at the helm of the Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce.  

Nathan Lawrence has been elected as the organization's new president.

Lawrence says he wants to make sure all the chambers are working together on future projects.

Lawrence believes all the chambers should be allowed to voice their concerns and opinions on issues critical to them.

Dryden's Richard Jonasson has been elected Vice-President.

NDP Demand Action on High Natural Gas Prices

The NDP are asking the provincial government to do something about the increasing cost of natural gas.

NDP critic Gilles Bisson says Union Gas rates are going up 28 percent.

The government says natural gas prices are regulated by the Ontario Energy Board  and it's not their policy to interfere with an independant regulatory body.

Ontario Says It's Now A Coal Free Zone

Ontario is now coal free.

The last remaining load of coal has burned at the Thunder Bay Generating Station, Ontario's last remaining coal-fired plant.

The plant is being converted to burn biomass.

Meantime, the conversation of Ontario Power Generation's Atikokan plant continues and is expected to be complete by August.

Another Weather Record Falls In Kenora

Temperature records continue to fall.

For the second day in a row, Kenora has set a record low for this date.

The previous low for April 16 was -10.1 set back in 1989.

Overnight, the thermometer bottomed out at -11.

There is hope however, it looks as if we'll hit near normal conditions starting Easter Sunday with warmer weather moving in early next week.

Thistles Drop High Scoring Affair

The Kenora Triple A Senior Thistles have dropped another high scoring affair at the Allan Cup.

With the Clarenville Caribous up 1-0 to start the third the teams opened the flood gates.

5 goals were scored in 8 and a half minutes.

Unfortunately Kenora only scored 2 of them as Clarenville would also add an empty net goal for a 5-2 win.

The Thistles went 0-2 in the round robin and will play their quarterfinal Thursday.

New Fire Base Opens in Sioux Lookout

The Ministry of Natural Resources is celebrating a new fire base in Sioux Lookout.

The province spent 13.7-million dollars on the facility as well as 5.7-million to upgrade living accommodations for staff.

Construction of the fire management headquarters also created about 25-local jobs during construction.

 The government says the energy-efficient building includes modern firefighting equipment and is strategically located so that water bombers, supplies, and firefighters can get to forest fires quickly.

Kenora Crime Rate Continues to Tumble

There has been a noticible decrease in the crime rate over the past five years in the City of Kenora.

Figures released by the OPP show the number of calls for service has dropped by about 43 hundred
since 2009.

Inspector Dave Lucas says they have adopted a three pronged approach to reducing crime.

Lucas says drug and alcohol addiction also contributes to the city's crime rate, and it's something they've
focused on in recent years.

Green Ousted from MasterChef

Kenora's Mike Green will not be Canada's first Master Chef.

Green was cut from the show last night after failing to perfectly
cook his steak frites.

Green, who now lives in Winnipeg, made it to the final five and says he post-poned his honeymoon to take part in the TV show.

Rickford Announces Funding For Fort Hope Police Station

The federal government is coming on board with funding to construct a new police station in the remote northern community of Fort Hope.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford made the announcement yesterday.

Rickford says the government has committed 1.82-million dollars for the project, while the province is on board with 1.68-million.

He notes since 2009, the Conservative Government has invested in new police stations for 8 First Nations communities in the Kenora riding alone.

Suspect Arrested for Vehicle Break-ins

A 20 year old Kenora man faces theft charges after a number of
vehicles were broken into in the north end of town.

The OPP say they were notified early Sunday morning that someone was breaking into cars in the 11th Street North area.

Police say the suspect was located a short time later along with some of the stolen items.

Brandon Savoyard has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime under five thousand dollars.

He's due to appear in Kenora court next month.

Premier Announces A Major Infrastructure Program

The Wynne government has announced a new infrastructure plan for the province.

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement yesterday and says she is committing 29 billion
dollars towards the fund.

Wynne stresses that the Moving Ontario Forward fund will not see increase to the Gas Tax, HST, or income taxes.

The plan includes two funds, one for the Greater Toronto Area and the other for the rest of the province.

The money will be spent over 10 years.

Dryden Mayor Scheduled to Return to Work

The Mayor of Dryden is returning to work.

Craig Nuttall is expected to return to City Hall this morning at 9 o'clock after taking a leave of absence.

Nuttall has been off since the start of the month.

Chief Administrative Officer Andre Larabie says he's spoken with Nuttall and he's anxious to return to work.

He adds he's looking forward to his return.

NOSM Launching New Strat Plan

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is continuing to work towards creating their 5 year Strategic Plan.

They've created a 28 person group that will oversee the planning process.

Dr. Roger Strasser says you can also have your say by logging onto their website and follow the links.

NOSM will start to form their plan this year and implement it from 2015 to 2020.

Lakerun Challenge Launched

Promoting a healthy lifestyle.

That's the goal of Clay Hammett and the newly established Lakerun event.

Hammett says the first weekly run is just around the corner.

It will see participants run a five kilometer route from the Harborfront to the Hospital and back.

He says they will be starting April 19th and going right until the Thanksgiving long weekend.

He notes anyone can join Lakerun as there is no competition involved.

Temperature Record Set

Not a record to be proud of.

We've officially smashed the previous record for the coldest April 15th since
Environment began keeping track.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says the thermometer this morning was
five degrees colder than the previous record low.

Back in 1962, the temperture dropped to -12.2.

This morning it hit -17.

Laidlaw says we will be staying unseasonably cold until at least Easter Sunday.

Jets Seeking Input on Re-Location of It's AHL Team

True North Entertainment and Sports is looking to hear from the public on their interest in having the Winnipeg Jets American Hockey League team re-located to Thunder Bay.

They have created a survey with the program Survey Monkey.

The company is looking for support for their venture in the proposed event centre.

The Jets farm team is currently located in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Take the survey here.

Thistles Drop Game 1

Game one at the Allan Cup has ended in confusion for the Kenora Triple A Senior Thistles.

The team has to solve how a 4-1 lead got away from them against the Brantford Blast.

Kenora saw the 3 goal lead disappear in only 2 minutes late in the 1st period.

The Thistles then went behind 5-4 for good as Dave Russell scored the winner for the Blast in the second making it 5-4.

A valiant comeback effort proved unsuccessful for the Thistles.

Kenora needs a quick lesson as they face the Clarenville Caribous tomorrow afternoon at 2:30.

Once again we will provide up to the minute updates on twitter @CJRLnews.

One other game at the Allen Cup last night saw the host Dundas Real McCoys edge the Southeast
Prairie Thunder 4-3 in the night game.  

Drug Charges Laid Following Traffic Stop

A Calgary man is facing drug and weapon charges following a traffic stop in Kenora.

On Friday evening police pulled over 44 year Owen Czech on highway 17-A.

OPP searched the vehicle and found cocaine and methadone inside.

Czech is now facing 2 counts of drug possession and possession of a weapon for a dengerous purpose.

He will answer to the charges in June.

New Gold Named Developer of the Year

New Gold has been named Developer of the Year by the Ontario Prospectors Association.

It was selected for its Rainy River gold project, near Barwick.

The project, acquired in a buy-out of Rainy River Resources, is in the Environmental Assessment Stage with construction projected to start next year.

Rotary Pleased With Auction Results

Going...going...gone.

The annual Rotary Auction is in the books and it proved to be
a good fundraiser.

Rotary officials say they raised over 30 thousand dollars during the
nine day on-line auction of goods and services.

People who have not picked up their winning items yet are urged to do
so this week at the Safeway Customer Service Desk.

A New Judge Appointed In Kenora

The provincial government is appointing a new judge for the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora.

A managing partner at McAuley and Partners in Dryden has been appointed to the bench.

Sarah Trach has been working at McAuley & Partners for the past 10-years, focusing on family law.

She has also practised general litigation, including small claims court matters, employment, criminal and civil litigation in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice.

Hockey For Health Another Big Success

Another Successful hockey for heath tournament in Kenora.

Dean Caron started the event in 2009 and says Jess Rheault did a great job taking over as organizer this year.

Caron stepped aside from organizing this y
ear so he could play with his sons in the open division.

Overall hockey for health raised just under 34 thosuand dollars.

Lakehead Expanding It's Virtual Classroom

Lakehead University is trying to reach more students across northwestern Ontario.

President Brian Stevenson says they are currently at work on expanding their vitural classroom.

Stevenson says the technology involved in the new virtual classroom makes it the next best thing to being in the same room as the professor.

He says they are working with Confederation College in Kenora on the project.

Health Unit Warns of Needle Disposal

With the snow melting, there are plenty of reports of old needle
s being found on local streets.

Public Health Nurse Brittni Trudgen with the Northwestern Health Unit is offering tips to protect yourself if you find discarded needles.

She say when disposing of needles include wearing gloves, place it in a hard sided container, and washing your hands immediately after.

Trudgen notes the health unit does provide free pick up kits.

IISD Outlines Research Priorities at ELA

It's going to be a busy spring and summer at the Experimental Lakes area.

Several research projects are planned this year at the facility located between Kenora and Vermillion Bay.

Matt McCandless is with the International Institute for Sustainable Development and says they have a couple of projects ready to roll including simulating the impacts of climate change on lake trout.

Another project is looking at so-called nano-silver particles and their impact on the environment.

Kings Bay Sells Gold Project in Nestor Falls Area

A junior mining company is selling off some of its interests in northwestern Ontario.

King's Bay Gold says it's handing over its 20 per cent stake in two properties in the Nestor Falls area to Cameron Gold Operations, a subsidiary of Australia's Chalice Gold Mines.

King's Bay earns 100-thousand dollars Canadian in the deal.

The sites remaining interests were owned by Coventry Resources which was bought out by Chalice in February.

Nuclear Waste Agency Conducting Flights Over NWO

Don't be alarmed if you see planes flying low to ground in the Ignace area.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization will be conducting aerial surveys.

Pilot Andre LaFontaine says they are trying to find suitable locations to bury nuclear waste.

LaFontaine says disturbances will be kept down to a minimum.

Ignace is one of three communities across northwestern Ontario being examined for possible use.

Local Cheerleaders Bring Home Medals from the Nationals

The Beaver Brae and Kenora All-Star Cheer teams are bringing back a couple of suitcases full of medals from the National Cheerleading Championships in Niagara Falls.

The Broncos won the bronze medal in the High School, small all-girl division on Saturday.

The Kenora Junior All-Star Cheer and Dance Team were given an outstanding performance award in the Large Junior age group.

That earned them a top ten finish in the country.

The Senior All-Star Dance Team won a silver medal in the Small Pom Dance Division.

A day later, the Dance Team won a silver medal another competition in Brantford.

A total of 50 cheerleaders attended the National Championships and are heading home today.