Dryden

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are set to begin a three-day tour of Canada this week that will focus on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change — and on connecting with a Canadian public that is increasingly skeptical of the monarchy.

David Milgaard, the victim of one of Canada's most notorious miscarriages of justice, has died after a short illness. He was 69. 

James Lockyer, a Toronto-based lawyer who worked closely on the case and helped found the organization Innocence Canada, confirmed the death after speaking with Milgaard's sister on Sunday.

His loss is "devastating for the family," Lockyer told The Canadian Press.

As of 9:25 am Saturday, May 14:

At 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14, East Melick Road will be closed at Essex Road.

East Melick Road is closed 600m north of the Portier bridge. 

Highway 658, North of Basket Lake Bridge, is fully closed due to water over the road.

The eastbound lane of Highway 17 A is closed at the Highway 17 junction due to erosion.

Flooding on HWY 71 Northbound at Mayburn Road has closed one lane. Traffic control is in place.

The first unofficial weekend of summer is only a week away and Tim Armstrong from Lake of the Woods Ice Patrol is confident we will be ice-free before May long weekend.

“The lake is half open, I would say. That means the ice is free to blow around. It’s already been weakened by the spring conditions, so now things are changing everyday and we’re only (I think) days away from being ice-free,” said Armstrong on yesterday’s Q Morning Show.

Armstrong warns boaters that there are still pans of ice on Lake of the Woods and boat traffic is light.

The final two candidates for this year’s provincial election in Kenora and Kiiwetinoong have been announced, with the Conservative government looking for re-election, the NDP looking to retain seats in Kiiwetinoong and Thunder Bay and the Liberals looking to make up ground after the last election.

One of Kenora’s own doctors is walking away with some hardware while being recognized by the province of Ontario.

Dr. Shannon Wiebe was recently nominated by her peers and has been recognized as the 2022 Ontario Rural ER Physician of the Year.

The work of a nurse in Sandy Lake First Nation is being honoured by the federal government.

During National Nurses Week and on May 9, the national Indigenous Nurses Day, Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, announced the recipients of the 2022 Excellence in Nursing Awards.

The four winners include Hannah Gray, an Indigenous Services Canada nurse in Sandy Lake First Nation, located north of Red Lake and Pikangikum. 

It has been a spring for the ages, from the over 300 cm of snow the area got this winter, to the heavy rainfall already received this spring, which has caused severe flooding conditions in the region.

In the last week, several roadways and highways have closed due to flooding or a washout, cutting off residents to various communities.

The Lake of the Woods Control Board is forecasting the level of the Lake of the Woods is expected to rise by 22 to 30 cm (9-12 in) over the next week, which could exceed levels seen in 2014 of 323.78 m. 

Northwestern Ontario does not need any more rain with washouts, flooding and evacuation notices in the area, but Environment Canada has more bad news in the forecast.

Meteorologist Gerald Cheng says showers and possible thunderstorms are expected to develop on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, to continue what’s been a rainy start to May.

The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry has issued a flood watch for the Red Lake district.

Residents across the Red Lake area, including those near Dixie Lake, Suffel Lake, Longlegged Lake, Pakwash Lake, the Chukuni River and the Coli Lake watersheds are asked to use extreme caution on roadways and bridges with the high water levels in the region.