Road Closed To Grassy Narrows

The Grassy Narrows First Nation is cut off this morning due to flooding.

The OPP say Highway 671, about 25 kilometers south of the community  has been closed due to a road wash-out.

Police say due to the strong current, work to repair the road won't take
place until later today.

Over the past two days the Kenora area has seen over 36 millimeters of
rain swelling local lakes and rivers.

Kasechewan Evacuated

Only a handful of community members and band leaders are now in the remote community of Kashechewan.

Nearly 16-hundred residents are now being housed elsewhere, including Thunder Bay, to wait out rising waters near their community.

Meantime, Pic Mobert First Nation near White River has declared a state of emergency as its watch water levels on the White River.

Flood Watch Issued For Dryden Area

The Ministry of Natural Resources has issued a flood watch in the Dryden area.

The MNR says the Wabigoon Chain of Lakes and Eagle Lake are experiencing increased water levels.

Officials say anyone living close too or downstream from the lakes may be hit with flooding.

Residents should take steps to protect their property.

The forecast is calling for more precipitation.

Council Asked To Reject Energy East

The Energy East Pipeline continues to be a divisive issue locally.

Yesterday, Kenora City Council was taken to take for allowing the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association to endorse the project.

Teika Newton is with the Kenora Environmental Committee and feels the project won't reduce the transport of dangerous material via rail through the community.

Mayor Dave Canfield took exception to Newton's comments saying NOMA has done it's homework and they have to look at both sides of an issue in order to make the right decision.

Big Spruce 2nd To Start June 2nd

It's being call the Big Spruce Two.

Phase Three of Downtown Revitalization is set to begin in June.

Expect a lot of construction and detours in downtown Kenora this summer
as work on Phase Three is scheduled to begin on June 2nd.

Work will start at the corner of Main and Second Street South where pavement will be removed and excavatin will begin.

All of Second Street South will be dug up during the summer with final paving slated for the end of September.

Moncrief Construction had the winning bid at just over 4.7 million dollars.

Kenora BIZ says it's working on an Open For Business campaign during construction.

Northern Policy Institute Appoints Advisory Panel

The pieces of the government's new Northern Policy Insitutute are slowly coming into focus.  

President Charles Cirtwill says he's  chosen six members for the advisory committe and is looking for some more candidates.

Cirtwill says the advisory members were selected for their experience, knowledge and connections in key sectors across the entire Northern Ontario region.

He adds that he's still looking for people who are leaders in their communties and policy field to sit on
the advisory panel.

Fort Frances Set To Re-Open Tourist Info Center

Ontario's former tourist centre in Fort Frances will be reopening, for at least year anyway.

The town will operate the centre on a one-year lease with the province.

Mayor Roy Avis says they're also receiving some money through Ontario Sunset Country Travel Association to help operate the facility.

The provincial government had stopped operating the centre due to budget cuts.

NorWOSSA Soccer Games Scrubbed Today

The weather continues to play havoc with the NorWOSSA soccer season.

Beaver Brae was supposed to host both Fort Frances and Dryden today at
the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

But the damp conditions and snow flurries means today's games will be post-poned.

The new date for the games is Friday May 23rd.

Body ID'd, Man Reported Missing Says OPP

The body a deceased man has been identified by the Kenora OPP.

Provincial Police says 26 year old Aaron Keewaycabo of Kenora was found dead yesterday morning in the North End of town.

A post mortem was conducted yesterday at the Lake of the Wood District Hospital and foul play is not suspected in the death.

In other police news the OPP are looking for help to find a missing Kenora man.

47 year old Hughie Whiskeyjack was last seen Saturday near Separation Rapids Camp off English River Road.

He has not been seen since.

Whiskeyjack is of aboriginal descent and is described as 6 foot 1, 160 pounds, with a slim build, long black hair, brown eyes.

Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to call the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Overnight Snow Creates Slippery Conditions

Nothing like a good, old fashioned May snow storm.

A couple of centimeters of snow blanked the Kenora area overnight.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says it's just cold enough to create some interesting driving conditions.

There are reports that Houghton Road is underwater by the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.

School buses in the Ear Falls area are delayed a couple of hours due to
snow, and slush.

There are reports of a number of vehicles in the ditch along Highway 105 as
well.

Beaver Brae Students Competing At Envirothon

The provincial Envirothon Championshps are taking place this week in
Lindsey, near Peterborough.

Beaver Brae is one of 14 teams entered in the competition.

Nancy Wagenaar is a teacher at the high school and says the students will
really be put through their paces tomorrow.

Wagenaar says Beaver Brae is the lone team representing northern Ontario
this year.

Envirothon wraps up this Friday at Sir Sandford Fleming College.

Child Porn Charges Laid in Dryden

Two Dryden men have been charged with child pornography.

Members of the Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Unit, OPP and Dryden Police searched two separate homes last Thursday.

Officers seized two computers, two cell phone and other items.

Police say 50-year-old Garth Rice faces 2-counts of possession of child pornography.

31 year old Corey Pyyka is charged with 1 count of making child pornography available, 2 counts of possession of child pornography and 1 count of accessing child pornography.

Both men are due in court June 16th.

Fire Destroys Two Sioux Lookout Homes

Two homes in Sioux Lookout have been destroyed by fire.

Fire Chief Rob Favot says the fire started early Monday morning on Drayton Road and were fully engulfed by the time fire crews arrived at the scene.

Favot says no-one was injured.

The cause isn't yet known but Favot says it appears it started on the deck of one of the homes and spread to the second one.

Horwath Promises To Eliminate HST Off Hydro Bills

High Hydro rates seem to be the big issue early on in the provincial election campaign.

The NDP released it's energy platform during a stop in Thunder Bay yesterday.

Party leader Andrea Horwath is promising to remove the HST off of hydro bills starting in 2016 if her party forms the next government.
Horwath says that will save a typical family about 120 dollars a year.

Flood Evacuation Complete in Kasechewan

Almost all two thousand people from the James Bay community of Kashechewan have now been evacuated.

It follows a state of emergency called by First Nation officials due to flooding from the Albany River.  

Thunder Bay Deputy Fire Chief Dave Paxton says they have accepted 600 evacuees and aren't accepting any more at this time.

The evacuees are being housed in a couple of city hotels.

Discovery Airs Fools Gold Tonight

A northwestern Ontario junior mining company is in the spotlight in a television
program to air next week on the Discovery Channel.

Fool's Gold follows Shotgun Exploration as its explores the former Straw Lake Mine, once an operating gold mine southeast of Nestor Falls.

In a trailer for the program company founder Todd Ryznar says he has high hopes for the property.  

Ryznar calls it a learning experience given that none of his crew has any prior mining experience.

The snow will debut tonight and run for eight weeks.

NorWOSSA Soccer Season Opens in Fort

A tough way to start the season for Beaver Brae's boys soccer team.

The Broncos were in Fort Frances and they failed to score a goal in the
two games they played.

Beaver Brae was blanked 3-0 by both Fort Frances and Dryden yesterday.

Meanwhile the Beaver Brae girls squad managed a 1-1 draw with the Muskies.

All three teams will be back in action tomorrow at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

Kenora Martial Artists Perform Well at International Event

Local martial arts competitors are showing off their medals from the World Sikaran-Arnis tournament in Winnipeg.

8 competitors took part in the tournament that included teams from the US, New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines.

Miguel De Costa and Jewel Henry both took a gold medals in the hands and weapons events.

Other first place finishes include Jaylen Green, Jay Green and Decara McDonald in sparring.

Local instructor Marianne King also won 2 gold medals at the event along with earning her 4th degree blackbelt.

The team returned home with 23 total medals.

Sudden Death Investigated in Kenora

The OPP are investigating a sudden death in the north end of town.

Police say they received a report of a deceased man around 7:00 this morning.

The Kenora Crime Unit and the Forensic Identification Unit are looking into the incident.

The OPP say they won't release his name until next of kin have been notified.

Red Lake Officer Arrested For Impaired Driving

A Red Lake OPP officer is in some hot water.

The OPP say they were conducting a RIDE Check stop Saturday night
on Highway 125 in the community.

They pulled over a vehicle and discovered the driver had been drinking.

She gave a breath sample to officers and registered a fail.

Constable Caitlyn Van Straalen, a six year member of the police force, was arrested.

The OPP say she will be restricted to non-operational duties until her first
court appearance on June 5th.

Good Response To Day of Action on Climate Change

The Energy East Pipeline dominated discussions during a day of action against climate change.

Event organizer says Teika Newton said the process does have it flaws.

Newton also noted the deadline to apply for a chanc
e to speak at the next OEB consultation is Thursday.

Guest Speaker Mark Calzavara recommended that apart from consultations people should continue to make the Energy East Pipeline a priority in the upcoming provincial election.

Slow Start Expected to Tourism Season

This summer could be a mixed bag for tourist outfitters across the region.

The Kenora District Camp Owners says the long winter and slow start to spring won't help visitor numbers.

President Jacqui Hawkness says over the past 15 years they've noticed a steady decline in the number of
American anglers heading north.

She hopes that a lower Canadian dollar might be enough to encourage more traffic north this summer.

Hawkness adds the Fort Frances border is doing a better job processing American visitors with prior minor convictions through but notes more needs to be done.

Kasechewan Evacuating Again

Flooding in Kaschewan First Nation has become a major problem once again.

A state of emergency is in effect and more than 600-people have been evacuated to Thunder Bay and Greenstone.

The remaining residents of the community of 2-thousand people are expected to be relocated today.

The Canadian Red Cross is working closely with provincial and municipal officials to support the needs of evacuees.

Volunteers are registering evacuees and providing for personal needs such as baby supplies and hygiene items.

Local Candidates Hit The Campaign Trail

Election signs are starting to pop up like blades of grass across the
Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

All four declared candidates have hit the campaign trail.

Incumbant NDP candidate Sarah Campbell says she's concerned about the rampant spending of the Kathleen Wynne Government.

Elsewhere, Conservative Candidate Randy Nickle says he will be opening his Kenora campaign office this Thursday at Central Community club.

Concern Raised About e-cigarettes

The Northwestern Health Unit recognizes that e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular.

Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kit Young-Hoon says there is research that suggests it may be beneficial in helping people quit.

But she says that research is not conclusive.

She says there is concern that people may still be using cigarettes at home, while employing e-cigarettes at
work.

The e-cigarettes have already been banned in New York and Chicago.

Another Call For Inquiry Into Murdered and Missing Aboriginal Women

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation Women's Council is at Parliament Hill today.

The Council is in Ottawa to honour missing and murdered aboriginal women in a day long ceremony.

The ceremony started on Mother's Day and wraps up tonight.

Morwood Wins Mother's Day Road Race

A new name atop the leader board this year at the annual Mother's Day Road Race.

Dan Morwood took top honors in the 10k event finishing in a time of 37 minutes and 51 seconds.

Janet Findlay was the top female, finishing eight mintues back.

In the five kilometer race, Jason Bruce completed the race in 20 minutes and 40 seconds.

Charlotte Rosewarne was four minutes back, as the top female finisher.

A total of 216 people signed up for this year's road race along Lakeview Drive.

NorWOSSA Soccer Action Underway

A couple of close games this morning at Thomas Aquinas.

Beaver Brae battled the Saints in boys and girls soccer action.

The elements kept scoring down in the first game of the day as
the Bronco boys played to a 0-0 draw with T.A. in a driving rain.

In the second game of the day, Thomas Aquinas blanked Beaver
Brae 1-0.

The round-robin exhibition series will wrap up at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon with the Saints boys taking on Dryden.

KDSB Offers Funding for Non-Profit Housing

Some social housing units in the Kenora District are getting a facelift

The Services Board has approved an extra 30 thousand dollars in funding to carry out the upgrades.

Director of Finance and Asset Management Corrine Owen says they originally set aside 310-thousand  dollars for capital work, but stresses more was needed to ensure tenant safety.

Aamikkowish Non Profit Housing in Kenora will get 15 thousand dollars to replace a failed furnace and remove water damaged/mouldy drywall.

Kenora Non Profit Housing is also getting 90 thousand dollars for various upgrades.

Fire Fighters Applaud New Cancer Regulations

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department is applauding a decision by the
provincial government to expand cancer coverage for fire fighters.

The regulation change was made last week just before the provincial election was
called.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says cancer is just one of their on-the-job hazards.

The province is adding breast, testicular and multiple melanoma to the list of cancers
fire fighters can get coverage for immediately.

Prostate, lung and skin cancers will be phased in by 2017.

Red Cross Concerned About New Osnaburgh

New Osnaburgh First Nation remains in a state of emergency as the community has difficulty dealing with a February 13th fatal fire.

A mother, her two young daughters and her nephew perished in the blaze.

A team from the Canadian Red Cross is in the community this week to assess the situation and Spokesperson Tracey Browne says this is a groundbreaking visit.

Browne says the ultimate goal is developing a plan to improve the quality of life in New Osnaburgh and determining what services various agencies should be offering.

Aboriginal Leaders Continue To Discuss First Nation Education

First Nations leaders are in Thunder Bay this week to discuss the First Nations Education Act.

NAN leaders, as well as members from the Chiefs of Ontario continue to express their opposition to the piece of legislation.

Bill C-33 was introduced on April 10th by the federal government, but has remained on hold since the resignation of National Chief Shaun Atleo.

Fort Coming To Grips With Resolute Closure

The town of Fort Frances says its ready to move ahead without the existence of its major employer for the past 100 years.

Resolute Forest Products announced Wednesday it will permanently shutdown its pulp and paper mill.

Mayor Roy Avis says it has lifted a cloud of uncertainty that existed for months.

Avis says the focus now will be on initiatives that help offset the economic loss.

National Day of Honor

The Royal Canadian Legion is perplexed about why the federal government gave them so little time to prepare commemoration ceremonies across the region for today’s National Day of Honour.

The day is to mark the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, however little notice was given.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says several branches didn't have time to put something together.

No ceremony is planned locally, though residents are encourage to take two minutes of silence at 12:30 to honor our soldiers who died in the Afghan mission.

Sioux Lookout OPP Make Trafficking Arrest

A tip from someone has resulted in a bust for Provincial Police in Sioux Lookout.

Officers received information about a man travelling through the community who was believed to be carrying a large amount of cash.

Police nabbed the inidividual and found nearly 18-thousand dollars worth of what is believed to be drug money in his possession.

The accused was also in possession of a controlled substance.

OPP say 38-year-old Dean Bluecoat of Thunder Bay faces two charges.

Mother's Day Road Race Set to Go

Another edition of the mother's day road race is ready to go.

The annual 5 and 10 kilometre event goes Sunday at the Whitecap Pavilion.

Jennifer Findlay says the proceeds are going to the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

There will also be a fundraising pasta supper tomorrow night at Borelli's.

For registration details visit the Kenora Borealis Page here.

Muskies Ready To Make Their Home on Main

A community project.

That's how Irene McQuaig with the Lake of the Woods Arts Community feels about the Muskies on main project.

LOWAC gave a sneak peek of some the Muskies during an event on Wednesday.

They will be put for display on Main Street June 27th.

Team HNO Loses First Game at Gold Cup

Hockey Northwestern Ontario dropped its opener at the OHL Gold Cup in Kitchener.

The regional under 16 team fell to Hockey Eastern Ontario 4-2 yesterday.

Kevin O'Flaherty is the lone Kenora player on the squad.

They will try to rebound this morning at 8 o'clock against the team from the Greater Toronto Area.

NorWOSSA Soccer Season Gets Underway Today

The late spring means there won't be any high school soccer tournaments this year, but local teams will still get
a pre-season tune-up.

Both Beaver Brae and Thomas Aquinas boys and girls soccer teams will be involved in a series of games at the T.A. field today and tomorrow.

Action gets underway with the Saints hosting the Broncos in boys soccer at 9:00 Friday morning and the girls will do battle at 10:30.

Two teams from Winnipeg and the Dryden Eagles are also taking part in the two-day exhibition series.

Communities Readying to Host Flood Evacuees

A number of communities across northwestern Ontario say they are willing to host 300 flood evacuees from James Bay.

Kashechewan First Nation declared a state of emergency due to the flooding of the Albany River and is expected to begin evacuating vulnerable residents as early as today.

Thunder Bay, as well as Kapuskasing, Greenstone, Wawa, Fort Frances and Dryden are stepping up as host communities.

It's not yet confirmed which communities will be asked to host evacuees but they are prepared to do iso if they are requested by the Province.

Hunting Accident Results in Hefty Fine

A Timmins man has been fined three thousand dollars following a bizarre hunting incident.

Michel Quirion was pulled over by conservation officers east of Fort Frances last November after they noticed some damage to his passenger side door.

Quiron says he accidentally fired a shot inside his truck while deer hunting near Sioux Narrows.

He told conservation officers that he loaded the gun inside his truck because he didn't want to spook a deer he had seen on the road.

But he slipped while getting out of the truck and accidentally discharged the rifle.

The shot put a hole through the door, shattered the window and deployed the airbags.

Students Encouraged To Champion Human Rights

Students in northwestern Ontario who identify as being gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or trans-gender are being encouraged to promote dignity and human rights in their schools.

About 80 gathered for a conference in Fort Frances yesterday.

Human rights-consultant Chris D'Souza hopes the message can spread outside schools as well.

D'Sousa was encouraged that school administrators and teachers attended to support the students efforts.

City Approves More Funding For Bridge Repairs

It's going to cost almost a million dollars more to repair the Winnipeg West Branch Bridge than
initially projected.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says they discovered some issues with the concrete arch
while doing work on the bridge last summer.

He says fortunately they won't have to close the bridge in order to do the work.

Innovative Civil Constructors Inc. had the lowest of four bids for the project at 946 thousand
dollars.

Elections Ontario Readies For June 12th Vote

Elections Ontario is starting to gear up for the provincial election in
the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

The main returning office will be located in Fort Frances once again in the
old town library.

Ian Simpson is also returning as the returning officer.

Satellite offices will be located in Kenora's Market Square, as well as Dryden,
Sioux Lookout and Red Lake.

Green Party Candidate Ready To Hit the Road

The Green party candidate in Kenora-Rainy River is ready to launch an aggressive campaign.

Tim McKillop of Pickle Lake says he won't be sitting on the sidelines this campaign.

McKillop says he wants to bring some stability back to the Ontario Legislature.

He is a teacher with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and has been involved with the party for a number of years.

OFIA Concerned By Funding Cuts for Forest Access Roads

The Ontario Forest Industries Association is in shock.

President Jamie Lim feels after the Liberal budget reduced the Ontario Forest Roads Program by 24 percent.

Lim is calling out Northern cabinet ministers for hiding the cuts.

It's the second reduction to the program since 2011 when it was cut back by 36 percent.

Harbourfest Seeking New Directors

Harbourfest is changing things up.

Board member Jay Whetter says they are looking for new directors to organize the August festival.

Whetter says the change is to keep things fresh at the event.

Some of the positions to be filled include a director in charge of food vendors, a volunteer coordinator, and a director for grant writing.

For more information you can visit:

 http://www.harbourfest.ca/

Aboriginal Police Services Concerned About Funding

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police and Anishinabek Police Service says the future of aboriginal policing is in doubt.

NAN Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says the Federal government has negotiated police contracts in bad faith and used underhanded techniques which led to poor policing conditions.

NAN's statement comes after the Auditor General released a scathing report on First Nation policing.

Electricity Restored Following Overnight Outage

There might be a few people running a bit late this morning.

The power was out overnight for about 700 homes north of
town in the Jaffray, Mellick, Redditt, Minaki and Dalles area.

Hydro One says a fallen tree damaged three conductors.

The electricity was just just after midnight but Hydro One says most
home should have had power restored by 5:30 this morning.

Accuweather Predicts Cooler Summer

Not the kind of news you want to hear after the sort of winter we just
had.

Accuweather is out with it's summer forecast and it's calling for
cooler than normal conditions in northwestern Ontario.

Brett Anderson is a senior meteorologist and says a high pressure system
on the west coast will likely be the major influence on our weather over the next few months.

He says while British Columbia can expect warmer, drier conditions, the jet stream will likely block that weather from moving very far inland.

Anderson says the good news is the cooler than normal conditions will keep humidity levels down, therefore reducing the risk of severe weather.