Dryden

Kenora, Dryden and surrounding communities were in a potato frenzy after one Kenora woman arranged free potatoes for all.  

Thursday, April 28, was known as Free Potato Day for northwestern Ontario thanks to the efforts of Tania Cameron who arranged the event.  

The whole idea started during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions when potato farmers in Manitoba had a surplus of stock and families in northwestern Ontario were having a more challenging time affording food.  

If it wasn’t bad enough that the northwestern Ontario tourism industry over the last two years has suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now the current weather conditions are causing a problem.

A long-winded winter, that brought over 300 cm of snow, and the current weather conditions, have caused lakes in the area to thaw slower than in years past. The current conditions have forced one local resort owner to push back his opening date a few weeks.

Four people lost their lives in an airplane crash in the region.

Sioux Lookout OPP says, a number of organizations responded to a report of an overdue aircraft.

The plane wreckage was located between Ignace and Sioux Lookout in the Kukukus Lake area and all four occupants were pronounced deceased.

The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and the Transportation Safety Board has been notified.

The expected widespread rainfall in the region has led the Lake of the Woods Control Board to authorize an outflow of 1025 m³/s for the Lake of the Woods beginning on Sunday (May 1, 2022). 

A rainfall warning was issued for Kenora on Friday (April 29, 2022) as yet another Colorado Low is expected to sweep through the region this weekend, bringing with it an estimated 20-40 mm of rain. 

Tomorrow kicks off National Emergency Preparedness Week and this is what Kenora Fire and Emergency Services would like you to know.  

Every year, Emergency Services from around the country participate in Emergency Preparedness Week, an initiative organized by Public Safety Canada. This year, Emergency Preparedness Week runs from May 1 to 7, and will be following the theme of Be Ready For Anything.  

St. John School’s principal was recently named Principal of the Year. 

The Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario held their Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on April 22, where Corinna Glazier, principal of St. John Catholic School in Red Lake, received the Principal of the Year Award.  

Kenora’s Rosemary Pereira, is $754,910 richer after winning the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation’s 50/50 grand prize draw on Friday (April 29, 2022).

Foundation President, Glenn Craig broke the news to Pereira, and she honestly thought the call was a joke.

“Is this a joke?” she asked during the call. “Oh my god, thank you so much. I just went through a knee replacement and I’ve been in so much pain this past month and I thought I need something good in my life, thank you so much!”

A Kenora resident is facing $7,500 in fines after illegally shooting a moose during the closed hunting season.

Court heard that on October 8, 2020, Jonathon Parrino of Kenora shot a bull calf moose unlawfully while it was swimming on Heathcote Lake during the closed season for calf moose hunting. He was fined $7,500 and had his hunting licence suspended for one year.

The ministry reminds residents that you may not hunt moose, elk, deer or black bear while they are swimming.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Dryden, Vermilion Bay, and the surrounding communities as another Colorado Low is expected to hit the region this weekend.

The weather agency says, "A low pressure system developing over Colorado is expected to bring significant rainfall amounts to portions of northwestern Ontario beginning Saturday. Total rainfall amounts of 20 to 40 mm are possible by the time rain tapers to showers on Sunday."

The special weather statement could be upgraded to a warning as the system draws near.

Kenora MP, Eric Melillo has had a busy week in Ottawa. Due to the rising costs of gas, Melillo is asking the federal government to remove the recently introduced Carbon Tax increase and introduce a GST break.

On April 1, 2022, Ottawa implemented its latest Carbon Tax increase, which then caused gas prices to spike by 2.2 cents per litre.

“I’ve been calling on the government to reduce those taxes to help make things easier for folks in Northwestern Ontario and Canadians from coast to coast actually,” says Melillo.