Police investigate Snowmachine accident

The OPP are continuing to investigate a collision between a snowmachine and a motor vehicle over the weekend.

Police say that sometime yesterday, a 15 year old female sledder left the trail and started driving onto Airport Road.

The snowmobile ended up hitting a north bound vehicle.

The OPP say no-one was hurt in the collision.

Police say anyone 12 to 15 has to hold a valid snow vehicle operators

licence, but is not permitted to travel on or across any roadway.

Broncos win Silver in Manitoba Girls tournament

A couple of medals for Kenora girls high school hockey teams. 

In Pilot Mound, Manitoba, the Beaver Brae girls won the silver medal, after dropping a 4-1 decision to the host Pembina Tigers in the tournament final.

Thomas Aquinas Girls hockey team took the bronze medal in that same tournament.

T.A. faced their NorWOSSA foes from Fort Frances and overcame a 3-1 deficit with five minutes left to play and edged the Muskies 4-3 in overtime.

Melissa White had a hat trick in that game, including the game winner in O.T.

Plans in the works to import more elk to NWO

The Lake of the Woods Elk Restoration Committee is hoping to be able to increase  the size of the herd in northwestern Ontario in the next year or so.

Numbers have dwindled down to about 39 in the Cameron Lake area southeast of

Kenora.

Murray English is the co-chair of the committee and says because they are no longer allowed to import wild elk from out west, they are looking to southern Ontario now to increase their numbers.

English says it would be 2012 at the earliest to have any elk transported from southwestern Ontario.

Kenora's Relay for Life Team honored

Kenora's Relay for Life team has been singled out for its fundraising efforts.

Two members of the local Relay for Life Committee were in Toronto recently to accept an award for Fundraising Development.

Kenora's Relay for Life in 2010 raised more than 77 thousand dollars, which was more than double the previous year.

Co-chair Amanda Van Wallenghem says last year more teams, more people and more money was raised and they want to make this year's event bigger and better.

Rickford shuffles parliamentary secretary duties

Kenora M.P. Greg Rickford will have new duties when parliament

resumes sitting today.

He has been moved over as parliamentary secretary for Official Languages

to parliamentary secretary for Indian and Northern Affairs.

Rickford replaces Winnipeg M.P. Shelley Glover, who has been shuffled

over as the new parliamentary secretary for Finance.

Rickford just took on his new duties as parliamentary secretary this past

summer.

Parliament Resumes today

Members of Parliament are heading back to Parliament Hill today after a month off.

Thunder Bay Rainy River MP John Rafferty says he's anxious over the fate of his pension bill.

He'll be making a last minute plea to his federal counterparts tomorrow.

Rafferty says it's going to be a busy week.

Rafferty says there still are some Liberals and Conservatives who are not supporting his bill.

Broncos take silver at Junior KIT

Beaver Brae's junior Boys basketball team had a strong showing at their own Kenora Invitational Tournament.

The Broncos made it all the way to the a-side final, but ran out of gas, dropping a 45-28 decision to Dryden in the gold medal game
Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, the Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles split their road games on the weekend.

Saturday, the Thistles were blanked 3-0 by the Southwest Cougars.

Yesterday, the Kenora Midgets eked out a 3-2 win over Pembina

Valley Hawks.

In the Casey's men's hockey tournament over the weekend, CHCP took top honors.

The Jeff Richards-led team tripped up Liesure Time 6-1 in the A-side final Sunday afternoon

 at the Keewatin arena.

Fort Frances OPP arrest two people for trafficking

The OPP have arrested two people on trafficking charges after pulling over
a vehicle in Emo.

Members of the Community Drug Action team stopped the vehicle yesterday
on Highway 11.

Officers seized over five pounds of marijuana.

The drugs have a street value of about five thousand dollars.

44 year old Carl Meeches and 33 year old Rhonda Johnson, both of Fort Frances
have been charged with possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking.

The duo are scheduled to appear in Fort Frances court next month.

Opening Doors back up and running

An after school program for kids in the Kenora area is back up and running with the help of a number of different agencies.

The Opening Doors program runs three days a week at Pope John Paul School.

OPP Constable Dave Cain says Opening Doors is targets at kids between the ages of 10 and 14.

Cain also says they help the kids out with their homework and also get them involved in other activities such as well as sports.

Poor road conditions in Manitoba

The RCMP says travel is not recommended on some highways

in Manitoba due to heavy snow and blowing snow.

Visibility is very low in some of the highways in the interlake region where
whiteout conditions have been reported.

A number of weather related accidents on Highway 1 in the Portage la Prairie area have also been reported.

The Trans-Canada between the Ontario/Manitoba border and Winnipeg also has
poor visibility due to snow, with drifting and swirling snow in traffic.

High School Sports Resume after Exam Break

After a two week break for exams, local high school sport teams are back in

action.

First up is the annual Kenora Invitational Junior Boys Basketball tournament

up at Beaver Brae.

Teams from across the region will be competing in the two day tournament.

Action gets underway this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Bronco Boys hockey team resumes NorWOSSA league play with a double header against the Red Lake Rams.

The first game is scheduled for this evening at 7:30 at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The same two teams will do battle tomorrow at 2:00.

And the Beaver Brae Girls will also try to knock some rust off as they travel to Pilot Mound for a weekend tournament.

OFIA opposes changes to Endangered Species Act

Greenpeace might think the Forest Industry is getting away scot-free from the Endangered Species Act; but the Ontario Forest Industry Association disagrees.

President Jamie Lim says they were promised the industry would be exempt from Caribou habitat legislation but it just hasn't happened.

The Province recently posted changes to the act on the Environmental Bill of Rights website.

Fire Chief makes plea for old fire hall alarm bell

Kenora's fire chief has made a passionate plea to keep a couple of

artifacts from the old fire hall on Second Street South.

Warren Brinkman met with the Heritage Committee and members of
city council yesterday to talk about what should be done with the old alarm bell and the call box.

Brinkman wants to bring them up to the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill.

He says local fire fighters can do a better job of protecting the heritage value of those items.

Heritage Kenora says it still wants to see the items remain in the old firehall.

More snow on the way

As if we haven't had enough snow already.

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Kenora area.

As much as 15 centimeters could fall today.

Meteorologist Rosemary Tabory says we can expect not just one, but two snow storms back to back.

Tomorrow, another two centimeters of snow could fall in the  Kenora area

Charity Challenge Launched for Winter Carnival

Tourism Kenora says local charity groups are embracing the charity challenge

leading up to this year's Winter Carnival.

Charities will keep 50 percent of the proceeds of any button they sell for
the winter Carnival.

Heather Paterson is Kenora's Tourism Development Officer and says eight charities
have signed up.

The Winter Carnival will take place the first weekend of March and most of the events will take place down at the Harborfront or Mount Evergreen.

Summer Beaver Fire Update

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service has wrapped up its investigation into a fatal house fire on the remote Northern reserve of Summer Beaver.

Two boys, aged 2 and 3, died of smoke inhalation in the January 13th blaze.

A third child, a 6-month-old girl, is said to be doing well in a Pediatic Unit at a London Hospital.

Police say the girl is eating, smiling and interacting with others.

Police confirm the cause of the fire was accidental and no foul play is suspected.

The children's parents suffered no major injuries in the blaze.

BISNO Welcomes new Funding

Brain Injury Support of Northern Ontario says new funding from the

Northwest LHIN's will improve services in the Kenora area.

Alice Bellavance is the executive director of BISNO and says even though
there is no new funding for the Kenora office, the 715 thousand dollars
announced this week, will have some spillover effects locally.

Bellavance says the funding will allow them to put a support worker
in Dryden and Fort Frances, and establish a aboriginal cultural advisor
for Sioux Lookout.

OFIA asks for building code changes

The Ontario Forest Industries Association is calling on the government to change the provincial building code.


President Jamie Lim wants contractors to be able to use lumber in six storey buildings.

She says the amount of wood needed to build those structures could make a huge difference
to the lumber industry in northern Ontario. 

Lim says that's just one way the Province can help the region's forest industry.

NOMA voices concerns to Finance Committee

The Vice-President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says area communities are facing extreme challenges with population declines, rising social costs and declining tax revenues.


Dave Canfield asked for a boost in funding for infrastructure and the Northern Communities Grant at a Provincial Pre-Budget session this morning in Thunder Bay.

Canfield also raised the on-going issue of non-emergent land ambulence transfers in the region.

As well, the Kenora Mayor called for an energy transmission and generation strategy for the North.