City Council Adopts 2014 Budget

Kenora city council has unanimously approved the 2014 municipal budget.

Council held a special meeting this morning to adopt the spending estimates.

The budget includes a four percent decrease in the mill rate, but the average homeowner will
see their taxes go up by about 2.3 percent, or the equivalent of about 43 dollars this year.

Mayor Dave Canfield admits he had to fight hard for the four percent cut in the tax rate.

The 2014 budget also sets aside 4.5 million dollars for phase three of Downtown Revitalization
and 2.2 million dollars for the roads program, 600 thousand dollars to install new L.E.D. street lights,
and 700 thousand dollars to complete the rehabilitation of the Winnipeg River West Branch Bridge.

Water main Breaks Could Affect 2014 Capital Budget

The City's capital budget in 2014 could be a moving target.

All the water main breaks this winter could take a chunk out of the
capital budget.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says they are hoping the province
will come through with some financial assistance.

Perchuck says if the city does't get any additional funding, they may have to re-evaluate this year's capital plans.

The city says even though snow removal costs have been much higher this winter than usual, they
don't plan to increase that budget for 2014.

Rickford Says Ring of Fire Still a Federal Priority

The newly appointed Minister of Natural Resources says the Ring of Fire remains a high priority for the Federal Government.

Greg Rickford says the dialogue between the Feds and the Ontario government continues.

Rickford already had the Ring of Fire portfolio before the cabinet shake-up, but the new appointment will give him better control of the massive mining project in northern Ontario.

OPP Recover Stolen Vehicle

A 34 year old Winnipeg woman faces theft charges after the OPP pulled over a stolen vehicle on Highway 71.

Police pulled the vehicle over in Nestor Falls because it didn't have any visible licence plates.

A quick check determined the vehicle had been reported stolen in Winnipeg back on February 7th.

Louise Hill has been charged with possession of stolen property.

She made her first court appearance in Kenora on Friday.

PETA Launches Letter Writing Campaign Against Spring Bear Hunt

The animal activist group PETA is asking for people to write the Premier and Minister of Natural Resources to cancel the spring bear hunt.

A limited hunt is being brought back in some parts of northern Ontario for the first time since 1999 this
spring.

PETA representative Ashley Byrne says the spring hunt won't help with bear populations or human bear conflicts.

PETA feels Ontario should enforce strict wildlife feeding prohibitions and provide residents with more information about how to better coexist peacefully with their wild neighbours.

Health Unit Promotes World TB Day

Tuberculosis is still a concern in Canada.

That message from Public Health Nurse Chanda McAuley with the Northwestern Health Unit as she promotes World TB day today.

McAuley says the health unit has a lot of information on the disease.

McAuley says both the active and latent forms of the disease are treatable.

Treaty Three Commemorates Residential School Survivors

Focusing on the future.

Richard Green has helped organize a residential school commemoration today at the best Western Lakeside Inn in Kenora.

Green say he hopes people will remember the challenges people faced while attending the schools.

The commemoration will focus on survivors of all 5 schools located within the Treaty 3 Territory.

It runs from 9 until 6.

Injured Workers Concerned With Proposed WSIB Changes

Proposed changes to how workers compensation will be handed out are coming under fire from the Ontario Network of Injured Workers.

The group says the move will limit workers compensation eligibility if someone has a pre-existing condition.

Karl Crevar says they are currently raising funds to launch a legal challenge.

Crevar notes the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is acting illegally.

Shopper's Sale to Loblaws Approved

The Shoppers Drug Mart store in Kenora is safe.

The Competition Bureau has approved Loblaws acquisition of Shoppers.

Loblaws is selling 18 Shoppers Drug Mart stores but none are located in northwestern Ontario.

The deal is expected to close on Friday.

Marijuana and Mushrooms Sized by Kenora OPP

Kenora OPP have been arrested 2 people following a drug bust in the city.

On Thursday police stopped a vehicle on highway 17.

Upon investigation police found 400 grams of marijuana and 2 grams of magic mushrooms.

The value of the seized drugs is roughly 9 thousand dollars.

As a result a 17 year old and a 21 year old man, both from Toronto, have been charged with multiple possession charges.

They will both answer to the charges next month in Kenora court.

Ice Roads Starting to Deteriorate

The warmer weather is playing havoc with local ice roads.

Windigo Island says the ice road is passable from the MNR landing
in Kenora to French Portage, but after that there is a lot of slush.

The band says there is still lots of ice on the lake, but
suggests only people with four wheel drives use the
ice roads at this time, due to all the slush.

New Chief for Shoal Lake #39

A new chief has been elected on the Shoal Lake #39 First Nation.

Fawn Wapioke beat out incumbant Eli Mandamin for the top job.

She'll be joined on the new council by Karen Keejick, Leon Douglas Mandamin Senior, Earl Stanley Wapioke and Vanessa Fedus.

The band elections were held this past Wednesday.

Kenora To Host Volunteer Service Awards

The region's volunteers will be honoured at a ceremony planned for Kenora this May.

The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards will be handed out to volunteers for continuous service to an organization of between 5 and 60 years.

Youth will also be recognized for two or more years of volunteer service.

The Kenora event will take place May 27.

Alberta Clipper Swerves South

 Positive weather news has been in short supply this winter, but things are looking
a little better today than expected.

An Alberta Clipper is just making it's way into northwestern Ontario, but fortunately we'll only just get clipped by it.

Environment Canada has lifted it's special weather statement for the Kenora
area.

We can still expect some snow today, but only a couple of centimeters compared to the five to 10 for the Fort Frances area.

Council Approves Keewatin CIP

Keewatin is the next part of the city that will be getting a Community Improvement Plan.

City Council agreed to put just over 39 thousand dollars in this year's budget to develop the plan.

Councillor Sharon Smith pushed council to fund the CIP and is glad the
rest of council agreed.

Smith says if the municipal budget is passed Monday, then a request for proposals will go out to develop Keewatin's Community Improvement Plan.

Kenora's Cultural Ranking Rankles

Kenora has been named in the top 15 Canadian cities to move out of.

That ranking came from a recent report on citiesjournal.com stating there is no culture in the city.

Harbourfest chair Randy Nickle says that simply not true.

Nickle notes that the report is cynical in the fact it only looks for financial figures and ignores the work of volunteers in the city.

Harbourfest, Trylight Theatre, LOWAC, and Winter Bites are examples Nickle gave of culture in they city.

Kenora Hunter Fined

A Kenora man has been fined 2 thousand dollars for illegally killing a moose.

In October last year William Carson was contacted by MNR conservation officers at a fly in cabin North of Kenora.

Carson informed the officers that he forgot to bring his hunting licence and calf seal with him.

Upon arriving back in town Carson admitted to not having a licence.

He was fined 1 thousand dollars for hunting moose without a licence and another 1 thousand for making a misleading statement.

First Nations Group Worried About New Aboriginal Education Act

Their is some concern from Anishinabek Nation Chiefs when it comes to Federal legislation of first nations education.

Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee says legislation introduced by the government in early February does not allow communities more control over their education.

Madahbee adds that it's time for the government to simply listen to first nations educators.

Reservist Applications Going On-Line

The local reserve unit doesn't want you to fall through the cracks.

Master Bombardier Lynn Danielson with Kenora's 116th Field Battery says the DND is changing the application process.

The military is doing away with paper applications and now doing them on-line.

Danielson says it's a good idea to find out where your application stands.

More information you can contact Danielson at:

807-468-6749 or lynn.danielson@force.gc.ca

Ontario Beekeepers Get Provincial Support

Premier Kathleen Wynne is thanking the Ontario Bee Health Working Group for their report into the risk honey bees face from pesticide use.

Wynne adds that the province is working with the Federal Government when it comes to the use of pesticides.

Barry Tabor from the Thunder Bay Beekeepers Association says 1.2-million dollars in funding from the province is a good start.

Tabor says he would of liked to see more attention given to bee keepers instead of growers, in the bee health working group's report.