CJRL News

Friday, September 9, 2011

NDP Leader

The federal N-D-P's brass meets in Ottawa today to start laying the groundwork for a convention to pick a new leader.

Among other things, a date and location for the convention will likely be selected, and some of the ground rules are expected to be set down. M-Ps Thomas Mulcair and party president Brian Topp are mentioned

as possible candidates to succeed Jack Layton, who died of cancer on August 22nd.

College Strike

The union representing striking community college support staff says it has requested new contract talks.But the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says college management has said it isn't interested.

OPSEU represents more than eight-thousand employees at 24 community colleges across the province.

Wages, benefits and job security remain the outstanding issues.

Forest Fire Update

The forest fire hazard is starting to rise once again.

There were 11-new forest fires reported by the end of the day yesterday.

There are over 30-active fires in the region and that number is expected to rise.

The hot, dry weather as well as previous lightning strikes are expected to complicate the situation.

Unemployment Rate

Statistics Canada says the country lost jobs for the first time in five months as the unemployment rate also edged up one tenth of a point to 7.3 per cent in August.

The loss of jobs was small at 5,500, but it makes the second straight month that job creation was virtually flat in Canada. The good news was that there was a modest gain in full-time employment of 25,700, with part-time work declining by 31,200

Working In Ontario

The issue of helping newcomers find work in Ontario is still a hot topic on the campaign trail.

The Liberal proposal calls for a tax credit to offset training costs for employers who hire professionals who are trained abroad. P-C Leader Tim Hudak calls it a ``bizarre scheme'' that doesn't help the 500-thousand people in the province who can't find work. But the Liberal party suggested in a release that such attitudes

are intolerant and anti-immigration.

Kienan Hebert

About 150 people held a candlelit vigil last night in the southeastern British Columbia community of Sparwood, where a young boy vanished two days ago.

They prayed and observed a moment of silence for Kienan Hebert, who is being sought in B-C and Alberta.

Paul Hebert says he's ``100 per cent optimistic'' his son will be found unharmed. In addition to the boy, police are also searching for 46-year-old Randall Hopley, a person of interest. Hopley is thought to be driving a brown '87 Toyota Camry

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Northern Tourism Plan coming together

Northern Ontario's new tourism orgnaization has a draft plan in place.

Board member Doug Reynolds says the plan focuses on four main areas including: marketing, training, investment and product development.

The board has been in place since the Spring.

Reynolds says they hope to finalize the plan by November.

Shoal Lake Threatens protests over water rights

A Kenora area aboriginal community that sits on a lake which is the source of Winnipeg's drinking water is threatening to cut off that supply.

Officials with the Shoal Lake #39 First Nation says they are upset about a City of Winnipeg plan to pipe water to neighbouring communities.

They say if somebody doesn't start listening to them, they may choke off a channel connecting Lake of the Woods to Shoal Lake.

The band argues Winnipeg has no right to sell the water to third parties and must first resolve decades' worth of claims over the lake water.

Voter cards in the mail soon

Voters can expect to see their vote information cards in the mail within the next week or so.

The cards let you know how and where to vote in the provincial election.

Chief Returning Officer for the Kenora-Rainy River riding Ian Simpson says they're still fine tuning where polling stations will be before the cards can be distributed.

Simpson says all of the voting locations will be total acsessible.

Forest Fire Update

After seven slow days the number of new fires in Ontario registered a slight increase last night. A total of 5 new fires were reported in the Northwest Region yesterday. There are currently 42 active fires in the province.

OPP Road Stats

The OPP have talllied up the numbers from the Labour Day weekend blitz in Northwestern Ontario.

A total of 335-charges were laid by OPP officers.

263-of the charges were for speeding.

Police also dealt with several liquor licence act violations, with 34-charges laid.

11-people were arrested for impaired driving.

Ofther offences included not wearing a seatbelt, drug possession, and driving while suspended.

Economic Development Commission

Northwestern Ontario is ahead of the game in economic prosperity.

That statement from Steve Demmings, the CEO of the Thunder Bay Economic Development Commission

Demmings says Thunder Bay has already seen major economic spin-offs from the mining industry and notes it won't be long until outlying communities will see the same.

Terry Fox Run

Plans for the 31st Terry Fox Run are well underway here in Kenora.

Local organizer Laurine Goerzen says "To date we have raised over $356,000 for innovative cancer research."

Participants are encouraged to pick up their pledge sheets and join other communities across Canada to raise donations for cancer research. Registration is at Valleyview School from 9 a.m. to noon on September 18th.

For more information call 807-548-1794

OCAA

Ontario's community colleges could start the new term without varsity athletics because of an ongoing strike.

Josh Bell-Webster, of the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association,says many athletic directors in the schools are support staff workers.

The OCAA represents about 4,000 college athletes in men's and women's soccer, rugby, cross country, golf and women's fastball.Five members of the association's seven-person executive board are on picket lines.They're part of OPSEU, which represents about 8,000 cleaners,food service staff and registration officers at 24 community colleges in the province.

Harbourfront tent

The new Harbourfront Tent will be up in the next week or so.

That's the promise of Tourism Development Officer Heather Paterson.

Paterson says they are gearing up for the Blue Rodeo Concert and says work is progressing on schedule.

Paterson adds that the best tickets for Blue Rodeo are almost sold out, and the rest of the tickets for the concert are also moving quickly now.

http://www.kenoraattractions.ca/

Election Trail

The tone for the 2011 Ontario Election was set yesterday when the Liberals branded Tory Leader Tim Hudak ``Tea Party Tim who is in eastern Ontario today with stops planned in Belleville and Peterborough..

Hudak shot back at Premier Dalton McGuinty accusing him of wasting tax dollars.

Meanwhile, New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath says she won't be spending this campaign ``squabbling'' with her opponents. Horwath is in the north today with stops in Greater Sudbury, Sturgeon Falls and Thunder Bay.

Kienan Hebert

An Amber Alert remains in effect for a missing three-year-old boy from Sparwood, B-C.

Kienan Hebert was last seen Tuesday night wearing blue Scooby-Doo shorts when his family put him to bed. He was reported missing yesterday morning.

After investigating the home, police are now referring to the red-headed Caucasian boy as an ``abducted'' child. They're on the hunt for 46-year-old Randall Hopley -- a person of interest in the case who is not related to Kienan.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

David Bouchard

The value of literacy and learning was highlighted at Beaver Brae Secondary school last night. David Bouchard, a member of the Order of Canada, mesmerized the audience through music and storytelling. Bouchard says there's no magic solution to get kids reading but turning the television off does help. Bouchard is scheduled to speak at Lakewood public school and Shoal Lake later today.