NOMA Hoping to Grill Liberal Leadership Candidates

The President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is looking at the positives surrounding the  resignation of Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Ron Nelson says this now provides a window of opportunity.

Nelson says they will grill the candidates on everything impacting the north including mining, tourism and the forestry sector.

One More Forest Fire for MNR

Its seems unlikely given all the recent snow and precipitation, but forest fires continue to pop up in northwestern Ontario.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has confirmed one new fire in the Sioux Lookout District.

It was reported last week in the Cat Lake area, and is being monitored.

There are still four active fires in the Northwest region, including two perscribed burns in the Kenora and Sioux Lookout Districts.

Cliffs Holds works on EA on Ring of Fire Project

Cliffs Natural Resources is working on it's environmental assessment for it's Ring of Fire project.

Spokesperson Jason Aagenes says they are in the early stages of the EA process.

The mining company hopes to submit their completed assessment to the Provincial and Federal Government in 2013.

Dryden Finalizes Sales of Mobility network

The sale Dryden Mobility has finally been closed with Tbaytel.

Dryden city manager Joe van Koeverden says they will start work on moving customer accounts today.

He adds letters are being mailed out to residents.

Some people will be mailed new sim cards that they can put in their phones, but some people will have to go to a Tbaytel counter to have their phone switched over.

Van Koeverden says it will take a couple months to get everyone switched over and the process should be complete by mid-December.

Traffic Moving Near Wawa on Trans-Canada

Traffic is flowing again on the Trans-Canada Highway through Wawa.

Provincial police say two lanes have been reopened after flooding caused by heavy rain washed out chunks of the highway last week.

Wawa Mayor Linda Nowicki says the remaining lanes should be open by Wednesday.

Junior Saints Win Pumpkin Smash in Dryden

A good weekend for the Thomas Aquinas Junior Boys volleyball team. 

The Saints were in Dryden for the Annual Pumpkin Smash Tournament and came away with the gold medal. 

T.A. finished the round-robin in first place in its pool, and won their quarter-final and semi-final games Saturday. 

In the gold medal game the Saints defeated Atikokan in two straight sets. 

Midget Thistles Win one of three weekend games

The Kenora Triple "A" Midget Thistles continue to play .500 hockey.

Over the Weekend, the Thistles earned one victory on home ice, while losing

twice. Yesterday, the Thistles dropped a 2-1 decision to the Winnipeg Wild.

Their lone win of the weekend came Saturday night in a 3-2 shootout victory over

the Pembina Valley Hawks. On Friday night for Pink the Rink, the Kenora Midgets were doubled up 6-3 by the Hawks. The Thistles now sport a record of five wins, five losses and an overtime loss.

It'a A Dogs Life Wall Ball Tournament

Wall ball is no longer a games to play in elementary.

Lakewood school is the site for a Wall Ball tournament in support of It's A Dog's Life.

Chris Jones is on of the organizers and says the idea came from a joke during a meeting.

The tournament is on November 3rd.

Visit adogslife.cc for more information and to sign up a team.

Mather-Walls Haunted House

A huanted house will be open tonight and tomorrow.

Beaver Brae drama teacher Heather Newman says almost all the work is being done by students.

Newman adds the proceeds from the open house go towards the upkeep of the Mather-Walls house.

You can visit the haunted house friday and saturday evening between 6 and 9.

Drive Away Hunger Campaign

BDO is celebrating the success of their Drive Away Hunger campaign.

Committee chair Colleen Sinclair says they surpassed this years local donation goal raising a total of 15,928 pounds.

Sinclair adds BDO also surpassed their goal nationally raising 462,000 pounds.

Lakewood Adult Education Center Still Alive

The Lakewood School Project is still alive and well.

The Lake of the Woods Development Commission is working with a number of education partners to buy the elementary school and transform it into an adult education center.

Don Denver is with the Commission and says right now they are kind of in a holding pattern.

Denver says they hope to make an announcement sometime in December about the future of the school.

Library Cuts Job to Save Money

The Kenora Public Library is planning to cut staff in order to address its budget woes.

Head Librarian Erin Roussin told council yesterday they are planning to cut one full-time job in order to trim their spending.

Roussin says they are planning to increase hours for part-time employees, so there shouldn't be any reduction in service at the Library next year.

Council Holds First Budget Meeting

Five local groups are seeking more than 1.4 million dollars in funding from the City of Kenora next year.

City council held its first budget meeting yesterday and received funding requests from the Museum, Library, Economic Development Commission, Triple Play and Handi-Transit.

Debbie Moore from Triple Play says their fundraising efforts are starting to pay dividends.

Lori Nelson from the Lake of the Woods Museum says they are actually seeking a small decrease from the city this year.

The Kenora Public Library also is requesting less money, saying it plans to cut one position, which will reduce their budget demand by about 30 thousand dollars.

Treaty Three Re-Affirms Relationship with Province

The province and Grand Council Treaty 3 are promising to continue working together in providing the quality of life for area First Nations.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kathleen Wynn and Northern Development Minister Rick Bartolucci were at Couchiching First Nations to reaffirm those commitments.

Bartolluci says it's an opportunity to understand, respect and trust each other.

An agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources was also signed.

Elementary Teachers Seek Conciliation

Teachers working in the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board are asking for the help of a conciliator in their contract talks.

Local members of the Elementary Teachers Federation met earlier this week with the board.

Local representative Anne Saltel says Bill-115 is making it very difficult to come to any sort of an agreement.

Saltel says the legislation which forces teachers to accept a wage freeze and benefit cuts is leaving them no choice but to seek conciliation.

Kick-Start Energy Plan for NWO Released

A Northwest Kick Start Plan is proposing cleaner and cheaper energy for Northern Ontario.

At the Ontario Waterpower Conference, a proposal was made to provide a grid connection to a number of First Nations Communities who use diesel generation and all the way to the Ring of Fire.

President and CEO of Imperium Engery Larry Doran says the move would also allow them to develop hydroelectric generators.

Doran says the power lines would provide the communities with more oppertunities, such as broadband for the internet in areas that don't have it.

Campbell Launches Campaign to Get MPP's Back to Work

Kenora Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell wants the Liberal Government to bring MPPs back to work.

Campbell has launched an Ontario wide petition asking for the Ontario legislature to resume work.

She says there's valuable legislation that isn't being addressed while the legislature is on break.

The legislature is adjourned while the Liberals look for a new leader.

Rainy River Resources Ready for E.A.

Rainy River Resources is not worried about the need to go ahead with a federal environmental assessment for its proposing gold mines south of Kenora.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency made the ruling last week.

Company vice-president Kyle Stanfield says he wasn't surprised by the decision.

Stanfield expects the process to take at least a year and won't impact on their timetable to have a mine open by 2016.

Broncos Win Quarter-Final in WHSFL

A big upset in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

The Beaver Brae Broncos went into the East Side Stadium and left with a 9-6 victory over the heavily favoured Elmwood Giants.

Weather played a big factor in the game, which the Broncos led 1-0 at the half.

In the second half, Dylan Pykerman scored on a 45 yard touchdown run, to move Beaver Brae ahead for good, as they held on for the victory in a brisk westerly wind.

The Broncos will now face the winner of today's game between Steinbach and Fort Frances in next week's semi-finals.

Broncos Split against Dryden

The NorWOSSA Double "a" Court season is starting to wind down.

In their second final games of the year, Beaver Brae split against their rivals from Dryden yesterday.

Both Bronco boys volleyball teams lost their games.

The Beaver Brae seniors were dropped in three straight sets by the Eagles, while Dryden upended

the Bronco junior boys three sets to one. 

Meanwhile the Beaver Brae girls basketball teams both won.

The Bronco senior girls got by the Eagles 46-36, while the junior squad earned a 44-26 win over Dryden.

The regular season wraps up next Thursday with Beaver Brae heading to Fort Frances.