More Laptops for Public School Students

Every student and teacher in Grades 5 to 8 at three area Elementary Schools will have their own netbook laptop computer next school year.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has approved the plan for Dryden's Open Roads School, Sioux Mountain in Sioux Lookout and Lakewood School in Kenora.

Student Success Leader Scott Urquhart says the Board is confident that this investment will improve student engagement, achievement and success.

He adds that the Board is focused on making sure students have the skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.

CIP Approved for Abitibi Lands

Kenora City Council has passed the Community Improvement Plan for the Abitibi lands on 9th Street North, but not without some debate.

Councillor Louis Roussin says he's not comfortable giving out tax breaks, when businesses are going to be making a profit.

But councillor Sharon Smith defending the tax incentives, saying they need to do something positive to encourage industry to set up on the former mill property.

The tax incentives call for a phased in industrial tax rate of zero percent in the first year, with a 20 percent increase in taxes over the next five years.

Kenora Runners finish the Manitoba Marathon

Beaver Brae's relay team was the top local finisher at the Manitoba Marathon.

Five Broncos finished fourth in the co-ed relay in a time of three hours, 16 minutes, and were 16th overall in the relay.

Ben Gustafson was the top male finisher in the Marathon, placing 43rd in a time of three hours, 18 minutes and 52 seconds.

The best finish by a Kenora woman was Linda Wilson, in 108th place in a time of three hours 37 minutes and 46 seconds.

Community Improvement Plan extended for Harbortown area

Building owners in downtown Kenora who want to fix up their property will have another year or so to get some funding from the city.

Council has given its tentative approval to continue the Community Improvement Plan for the Harbortown area.

Councillor Ron Lunny says the C.I.P. was part of the whole downtown revitalization project.

Grants are also available for new signage, archtectural plans and landscaping.

Municipal Cultural Plan complete

The City of Kenora is hoping to shed its image as a cultural wasteland.

Council is set to approve a Municipal Cultural Plan at tonight's open meeting.

Ariana Moscate has worked on the plan for the past six months and says the next step is to set up a committee to ensure the recommendations are carried out.

The plan has five main strategies, including ideas on how to raise the profile of culture in the community and building a home for the arts community in Kenora.

Public School Board expands Summer Literacy Camp

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is expanding its Summer Literacy program.

Last year, the six week summer camp was held in Sioux Lookout, but this year, its also being brought to Evergreen, Dryden and Red Lake.

Superintendant of Education, Caryl Hron says this year, the program will be shortened.

Hron says some of the Summer Literacy programs still have space and parents can contact the board office to enrol their kids.

Fire Hazard drops after wet weekend

Cool, cloudy conditions helped keep the fire situation in northwestern Ontario in check


over the weekend.

There were 10 new wildfires were reported.

Three of those were in the Sioux Lookout District and one in the Fort Frances area.

The MNR is monitoring a large 18 thousand hectare blaze southeast of Pickle Lake.

That fire is currently blowing smoke into the communities of New Osnaburgh and Pickle Lake.

The fire hazard is in the low to moderate range in the Kenora area due to the rain

over the weekend.

PARO sets up new Website

There's another way for Northwestern Ontario women to connect.

PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise Executive Director Rosalind Lockyer says they've created a new website.

The website was funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The website can be found at:  enterprisingwomen.ca

Law Enforcement Torch Run today

Special Olympics programs will get a big boost today.

The Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run will take place this morning starting at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The OPP, staff from the Kenora Jail and the local Ministry of Natural Resources office will be all be taking part in the run.

The run will start at 11:00 and wrap up at the Kenora Jail, where at fundraising barbeque will take place at 11:30.

Earthroots Apologizes

The environmental group Earthroots is offering an apology to Weyerhaeuser.

Earlier this week. Earthroots claimed that the I-Level Timberstrand mill in Kenora used formaldehyde in the production of its engineered lumber.

Weyerhaeuser disputed the report and Earthroots has now sent out a release apologizing for its error.

The environmental group says formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of some i-Level products but admits the Kenora mill uses a different kind of resin.

Earthroots says it is double-checking all the facts in the report to ensure their accuracy.

Greenpeace Critical of Ontario's Forest Policies

Greenpeace Canada says Ontario's Liberal government has mismanaged public forests and failed to protect habitat for the threatened woodland caribou.

Greenpeace spokeswoman Catharine Grant says she's not optimistic the Tories or New Democrats would be any better at managing the forests.

 Greenpeace says there's been very little improvement in forestry sector prosperity, despite what it calls massive subsidies from the province.

Public School Board bringing back Summer School

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is bringing back the concept of summer school.

This year, a number of summer learning opportunities will be introduced at high schools in Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake.

Sean Monteith is a superintendant of education with the public school board and says the program is really targeted at students at risk.

Some of the offerings include a summer co-op program, credit recovery, and a Reach Ahead program for grade eight students heading into grade nine in the fall.

Police Investigating Break-In to Camp on Lake of the Woods

The OPP are investigating a break and enter to a camp on Lake of the Woods.

Police say the break-in took place either this past Tuesday or Wednesday at a cottage on St. Helena Island.

A number of items were stolen, including a DeWalt cordless drill, a couple of rain suits, a Toshiba lap-top, a digital camera and some alcohol.

Police say the owners discovered the break-in after returning to their camp.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Kenora Detachment of the OPP.

Minister Gives Update on Northern Policy Institute

The Northern Policy Institute is taking shape.

The think tank will help create economic development initiatives for the region.

Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Michael Gravelle says they've created the mandate of the institute.

Gravelle says the NPI's location should be announced by the end of the summer.

Keewatin-Patricia Enrolment Expected to Decline

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board expects enrolment to drop by 1.5 percent in the next school year.

Superintendant of Business Dean Carrie says the decline in enrolment is having a definite impact on their finances.

Carrie says while secondary numbers remain fairly stable, elementary enrolment is expected to drop another 4.1 percent next year.

OPP Release the Names of the deceased in Upsala Collision

The OPP have released the names of three people killed in a collision on Highway 17 just east of Upsala.

The accident took place just after 6:00 Sunday evening and claimed the lives of three Geralton residents.

The deceased have been identified as 20 year old Rick Oulett, 18 year old Tammy Lefebvre and 11 month old Bailee Lefebvre.

The OPP say their vehicle crossed the center line and collided with a semi  tractor-trailor unit.

The driver of the transport was not injured.

Lake of the Woods Task Force Holds final meeting in Kenora

Local residents will get one final chance to comment on a final draft report by an International Task Force for the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods watershed,

The public meeting will take place at the Best Western Lakeside Inn this evening at 7:00.

The last chance to submit comments is June 24th.

The final draft has to be submitted to the International Joint Commission by July 15th.

Meetings have already taken place this week in Atikokan, Fort Frances and Baudette.

Economic Development Commission Behind Abitibi CIP

The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission is throwing its support behind a Community Improvement Plan for the former Abitibi lands in Kenora.

Thelma Wilkens-Page chairs the business development and attraction committee and says the tax incentives proposed by the city are a good first step towards filling up the vacant industrial property.

Wilkens-Page says she also likes the idea of developing one main entrance for the former mill property.

The CIP is expected to be approved by council this Monday.

Mixed Results for local students in OSSLT

The Grade 10 literacy test results for area Schools are out.

Students wrote the test back in March.

Jack McMaster is the Director of Education for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and says he's pleased with the results.

67 percent of Beaver Brae students who wrote the literacy test were  successful, compared to the provincial average of 83 percent.

At Thomas Aquinas, the pass rate was 90 percent.

MNR Bringing Fire Crews Back Home

Forest fighting efforts in Western Canada for the Ministry of Natural Resources are being scaled back.

Because of an increasing fire hazard here at home, a planned dispatch of fire rangers to Alberta this week has been cancelled.

The MNR adds when the remaining 374 Ontario fire staff return from Alberta, they will not be replaced.

There are 10-active fires in the District including a fire that's been burning on an island on Lake of the Woods since the weekend.

The hazard is high to extreme across Northwestern Ontario.