Idle No More Back in Kenora

They may have been quiet but the work has continued.

Idle No More organizer Tania Cameron says they have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes.

After more then a month without a demonstration in the city, Idle No More held a water walk today from McLeod Park to the harbor front as part of their days of action for water.

Cameron says tomorrow they will be holding a round dance on the harbor front at 12:15.

Winter Games Taking Place At Keewatin Arena

A busy day at the Keewatin Memorial Arena.

The first ever winter games for students at six local first nation schools is
taking place.

Lynne Thompson says its kind of a team building exercise for the students from
different communities.

Activities include skating, broomball, hockey, curling, and snow sculpting.

About 150 students from Grassy Narrows, Shoal Lake, Whitedog, Whitefish Bay
and Eagle River are taking part in the day-long events.

Saints Lose First Game At OFSAA

The Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team is off to a slow start at the All-Ontario A/AA championships taking place in Orillia.

The 13th ranked Saints were beat 5-1 by the 7th seeded Holy Cross High School in their first game this morning.

Jack Bernie scored the lone goal for T.A

The Saints are back on the ice at 2:00 this afternoon against Robert Hall from the Peel Region.

The final round robin game for T.A will be tomorrow morning at 10:00 against the number 1 ranked Applebey College from Oakville.

Kenora Drops in MoneySense Rankings

Moneysense Magazine still isn't a big fan of Kenora.

In it's annual ratings of the best cities to live, Kenora has fallen to
152nd place, down from 121 last year.

Kenora is sandwiched between Welland and Courtney, B.C.

The survey shows Kenora's unemployment rate at 7.2 percent, the
average house price at 206 thousand dollars, and the average household
income at 77 thousand.

Kenora continues to be last in terms of the percentage of residents employed
in Arts and Recreation, at just 0.56 percent.

Idle No More Returns to Kenora

The Idle No More movement in Kenora will be out on the harborfront supporting our water.

Tania Cameron says the plans coincide with a the United Nations world water day.

Cameron says they will hold a water walk from McLeod park to the Harbor front this afternoon and will be having a round dance on the habor front tomorrow.

Both demonstrations will take place at 12:15.

OPP Investigate Theft On Lake of the Woods

A number of items have been stolen from a cottage in Lake of the Woods Township.

The O.P.P. say the items missing are a green and tan coloured 17 foot Lund, a green Johnson motor, a yellow and black Minkota electric motor, a grey 9.9 horsepower Honda and a grey EZ Loader trailer.

Anyone with information is asked to call Provincial Police or Crime Stoppers.

Dryden Police Continue Investigation of Assault

Dryden Police continue their investigation of an assault at a fast-food restaurant.

Chief Rob Davis says the victim is from Pikangikum First Nation.

Police say the accused has also been identified.

Davis says their names are being withheld at this time.

Davis says they are still asking for the public's help identifying the person who shot the video, adding they are not a suspect or in trouble with police for capturing the footage.

Police are also requesting the public's help in identifying two key witnesses, including a man seen in the background of the video.

Police have already received tips from across northwestern Ontario and even Duluth, Minnesota.

Campbell Disappointed Budget Consultations By-Pass the North

Northwestern Ontario is being shut out of any pre-budget consultations by a legislative committee.

And that's not sitting well with Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell.

So she's sending out her own pre-budget report in an effort to solicit input.

Campbell says it's still disappointing the committee isn't holding any hearings in the region.

Gravelle Promotes Ontario Mining Success

The benefits of mining to the province's economy are being promoted at Queen's Park.

Responding to questions about the industry in the legislature, Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle says investments the province are making are paying off.

Gravelle says exploration spending surpassed the one billion dollar mark in 2011, making Ontario the leading jurisdiction in Canada.

Greenpeace Retracts Accusations against Resolute

Greenpeace Canada has acknowledged it was wrong when it accused Resolute Forest Products of secretly logging in protected boreal forests.

The environmental group says it has learned that the allegations it made the company in December were inaccurate.

Greenpeace says it sincerely regrets its error, and all references to the allegations have been removed from its website.

Saints Boys Hockey Team at OFSAA

A second Thomas Aquinas hockey team begins play this week at the All-Ontario A/AA championships in Oakville.

The Saints Boys begin the OFSAA championships two days after the T.A. girls wrapped up their trip to the provincials.

Thomas Aquinas has a pair of games today.

The first is at 9:00 against Holy Cross from St. Catharines.

T.A. will also play Robert Hall from the Peel Region at 2:00.

Kenora Soccer Star Wins Provincial Award

A former Kenora soccer star has won a provincial honor in Manitoba.

Ashley Adams has been named the Outstanding Youth Female Player of the Year.

Adams currently attends the National Development Center at Glenlawn Collegiate.

She also captained her club team in Winnipeg to a fifth place finish at the National Club Championships last October.

Adams will be going to South Dakota State in the fall on a soccer scholarship.

Youth Charged in Assault

A 17 year old youth is facing assault charges following an altercation at a downtown business.

The OPP say officers responded to a panic alarm at the Chipman Street Laundry around 7:00 last night.

A 44 year old woman had been attacked, but the assailant fled before police arrived at the scene.

The suspect was located a short time later and arrested.

The youth has been charged with assault and will appear in Kenora Court today on the charge.

IISD Negotiating for Transfer of ELA

The incoming president and CEO of the International Institute for
Social Development says he'd take over the Experimental Lakes Area
in a heartbeat.

There's word the IISD is in negotiations with the federal government for
the transfer of the property east of Kenora.

Peter Kirby from the group Save ELA says the facility is too valuable to
close.

Kirby says talks between the IISD and the federal government are an open secret, but are moving slowly.

Rickford Looking Forward to Federal Budget

It's budget time!

The Feds will unveil the fiscal document tomorrow.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says it will strike a balance.

Rickford stresses the goal is balancing the budget for 2015 as orginally planned.

Campbell Speaks Out Against Cuts in the North

Talks are continuing in the Ontario Legislature leading up to the provincial budget.

And Kenora Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell, speaking on the Interim Supply Motion, says the government has no accountability for the North.

She says the government is more concerned about moving gas plants in southern Ontario, rather than maintaining important services in this region, such as Tourist Information Centers and provincial
parks.

Campbell says the Supply Bill does stay the course and she will support it as the N.D.P continue to push the Liberals to meet their demands on the budget.

Phy-Ed Teacher Shortage in the North

Northern Ontario is mentioned in a report about physical education teachers in elementary schools.

The study from People for Education found that only 22-percent of schools in the north have phys-ed teachers, compared with 75-percent in the Toronto area.

Majority of schools in the area don't have teachers that teach only phys-ed classes, instead the classes are taught my each teacher.

The report also says that due to the shortage, it's preventing students from getting the 20 minutes of daily physical activity, which is recommended by the province.

Spring Has Sprung?

Today is the first day of spring but looking outside it is hard to believe.

The Kenora area received roughly 15-centimeters of snow in the early week storm.

If you think back we were enjoying temperatures of plus 14 at this time last year.

It’s going to be colder than normal to start spring off in the Northwest, but we should see more seasonal temperatures later this week.

The storm resulted in several minor vehicle collisions but no serious injuries were reported.

Saints Girls Eliminated from OFSAA Finals

The Thomas Aquinas girls hockey team is out at the All-Ontario Single A/AA championships.

The Saints dropped a 4-0 decision to Holy Cross High School from St. Catharines in the consolation semi-finals.

T.A. finished the tournament with a record of one win and three losses.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team is in Oakville for the OFSAA
A/AA championships.

Play begins tomorrow morning.

Near Record Year for Snow Removal

The Kenora area received another 15 centimeters of snow yesterday
and that's posing problems for the city's operations department.

Manager Rick Perchuck says expects it will be a record year for snow
removal, when all is said and done.

Perchuck adds that their supplies of winter sand are also running low.

He is asking local residents to be patient as city crews work to get all the
city streets cleared.