Headwaters Groundbreaking

Qualico has broken ground on its Headwaters condominium project on Tunnel Island.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this morning with company and city officials on hand.

Barry Hedgecock is heading up the project for Qualico and says they have sold enough units to begin construction, and isn't worried about the lack of sales so far.

The first building, which will have 10 condo units is slated to be completed by next summer.

About 90 units in all are expected to be built over the next four to five years.

Houston Lake Mining Update

Houston Lake Mining is pleased with its recent results from its Dubenski property.

President and C.E.O. Grayme Anthony says the results have exceeded their expectations and increased the indicated mineral reosource by 84 percent.

Anthony adds that since the gold resource is near surface, they've only just started to reveal the real potential at the Dubenski property.

The property is considering a second drilling program on the property.

United Reef Limited

United Reef Limited is buying five mining claims in the Kenora Mining District.

The claims take up 435 acres of land and are located 45 kms south east of Dryden.

The Santa Maria Project lies within the Eagle-Wabigoon-Manitou Lakes Greenstone Belt, and has gold and quartz properties.

Inititial work on the property is expected to continue into the coming months.

Royal Agricultural Fair

Northern Ontario will have a strong presence at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

The annual event, now in its 87th year, showcases Canada's agricultural industry.

CEO Bill Bill Duron says the fair has led to some success for northern Ontario producers who attend.

The fair opens Friday and runs through to the middle of the month.

Royal Agricultural Fair

Northern Ontario will have a strong presence at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

The annual event, now in its 87th year, showcases Canada's agricultural industry.

CEO Bill Bill Duron says the fair has led to some success for northern Ontario producers who attend.

The fair opens Friday and runs through to the middle of the month.

Dryden Theft Ring

Three people face charges after Dryden Police broke up an internal theft ring.

Officers arrested the trio after searching a Highway 502 home and a Boyd Road residence.

Police recovered more then 12-thousand dollars worth of merchandise stolen from a local business.

20-year-old James Anthony Shearer and 18-year-old Geoffery Shearer have been charged with possession of stolen property, theft over 5-thousand dollars and posession of property obtained by crime.

28-year-old Adrian Piche has been charged with possession of stolen property.

Most of the goods were taken from a local store where Geoffery was employed.

Northwestern Ontario Agriculture Study

A new study on agriculture in northwestern Ontario shows the industry in the Rainy River district is strong.

The study reports the industry generated more than 13-million dollars in agri-related business in the district and created over 300 jobs in 2008.

Author Don Murray says the Rainy River district also showed an increase in the amount of land used for farming over the past forty years.

Murray says the presence of a research station and new abatoir bode well for the future of agriculture in the district.

Hampton on Buchanan

Criticism in the legislature yesterday over the lack of severance pay given to employees with the Buchanan Group of Companies.

Kenora-Rainy River NDP MPP Howard Hampton told the house while the forest company received millions of dollars from the government, none of it went to laid-off workers.

Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle did not say if the government would force the company to comply with provincial laws, but say it is working with those impacted.

Long Gun Registry Rickford

A private members bill calling for the repeal of the federal long gun registry has crossed another hurdle.

Members of Parliament voted in favour of scrapping the legislation this week.

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford says was good to see members of otherparties vote in favour of the Conservative motion.

Rickford says the bill still has to go before a parliamentary committeefor review and possible revision, before its goes to a third and finalvote.

AFN Chief Visits Whitefish Bay

Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn Atleo was impressed with his visit to the Treaty Three Community of Whitefish Bay.

Atleo was in the first nation yesterday for the Kenora Chiefs Advisory's first Public Health Day.

The new National Chief says he was pleased to see the preparedness and cooperation in the first nation community.

Atleo also unveilled the AFN's Influenza Surveillance Guide for all first nation communities across Canada.

The plan includes a checklist for schools, and helps teachers keep track of students showing signs of influenza.

Hospital Surplus

A good turn around for Lake of the Woods District Hospital financially.

The hospital is reporting a surplus of 484 thousand dollars in the first six months of the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

Chief Executive Officer Marc Belcaen believes the surplus isa credit to their staff rather than a third party review conducted last year.

At this point last year, the hospital had a modest surplus of 412 thousand dollars.

Kenora Waterline Construction

Construction of a new submarine waterline between Kenora and Norman has been completed.

Work began late this summer and wrapped up recently.

Operations manager Rick Perchuck says employees of Galcon Marine are still on site mapping the current location of the waterline on the lake bed.

He adds that the two million dollar submarine water line is in use and carrying water to Tunnel Island, Norman and Keewatin.

AFN Chief Visits NWO

The new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations will be paying his first visit to theTreaty Three area today.

Shawn Atleo is scheduled to spend a couple of hours on the Whitefish Bay First Nation.

He'll tour the community with Chief Warren White and take part in Public Health Day Activities.

Atleo will also attend a public vaccination clinic and a noon-hour feast.

Atleo was elected national chief this summer.

RCMP Drug Seizure

The RCMP in eastern Manitoba say they have seized about 700 marijuana plants with a street value of about 700 thousand dollars.

Police raided a former business last Friday in the tiny community of Elma, which is about 60 kilometers northwest of Falcon Lake.

Sergeant Glen Reitlo said a prior grow-op investigation at a property in the rural municipality of Lac du Bonnet in September led police to raid the Elma location.

RCMP said two men were arrested in connection with the most recent seizure.

Flu Clinics Kenora

Residents in the Kenora-Rainy River area seem to be heeding the advice of local health officials in getting their H-1-N-1 flu shot.

Director of Health Protection for the Northwestern Health Unit Arlene Lesenke says numbers for the first week alone exceeded expectations.

Lasinski says there have been some changes to its flu clinic schedule with local offices offering additional clinics as required.

A flu clinic is being held today and tomorrow at the Kenora Rec. Centre.

Failing Plant Minnesota

A failing sewage treatment plant in Williams, Minnesota is threatening to dump thousands of gallons of raw sewage into Lake of the Woods.

The treatment plant is only nine years old, but city officials says they can't afford the one-point-million dollars needed to fix a tank holding the raw sewage which is heavily corroded and has
started to leak

The city contends faulty material is to blame while the engineering firm that designed the plant believes chemicals being added by the city of two-hundred to the treatment process is contributing to the corrosion.

Adoption Month

November is Adoption Awareness Month in Ontario, and Kenora-Patricia Family Services says its in need of more parents interested in adopting a child.

Marge Matheson is a spokesperson for the local Children's Aid society and says they provide training and support for people who might want to adopt.

Matheson says there are currently 20 children that are wards of the crown that are in need of adoption.

Rainbow Health Ontario

David Belrose has been appointed as Northwestern Ontario's representative for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered group Rainbow Health Ontario.

Belrose says they want to raise awareness in the region that there is a LBGT community.

The Rainbow Health Ontario group wants to improve health care services for the LBGT community.

Kenora Landfill Compactor

It could be a few more weeks before the City of Kenora can begin hauling municipal waste out to the Jones Road Landfill site.

Council approved the purchase of a Caterpillar landfill compactor at a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Councillor Dave McCann says they need the machinery before they can start sending garbage out to the landfill site.

The landfill compactor will cost about 238 thousand dollars, and the city is spending another 87 thousand dollars to construct a building to house the equipment.

Long Gun Registry Repeal

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is applauding a vote in the House ofCommons to repeal the Federal Long Gun Registry.

Second reading of a private members bill was passed yesterday afternoon.

Greg Ferrant is a spokesperson for the OFAH and says while they won the battle, they haven't won the war yet.

The bill still has to go before a commons committee for review, but Ferrant says the legislations seems to have some momentum now.