Dryden

Last week, the provincial government announced they will continue investing in Seniors Active Living Centres in 2022-2023. Seven Kenora-Rainy River centres will split a combined $226,228, which will help local seniors stay active, healthy, and socially connected within their communities.

The provincial government says northwestern Ontario residents can look forward to the first phase of work to twin Highway 17 to the Manitoba border by 2024.

The government’s new completion target was announced in today’s provincial budget, Ontario’s Plan to Build, detailed by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy in Toronto.

This summer could be the first somewhat normal summer in over two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is very good news for the northwestern Ontario tourism industry.

Back on April 1, 2022, the federal government removed the COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada. Provincially, the majority of COVID restrictions were removed in most indoor public settings back on March 21, 2022.

Seven housing projects in the Kenora-Rainy River region have received a combined $3.6 million in government funding.

The money will be funded through the Social Services Relief Fund to sustain, repair and grow community housing. This funding includes the already $1.6 million that was given to the to Kenora District Services Board’s Dryden Supportive Seniors project that will create 41 new senior housing units.

Water levels on Lake of the Woods are expected to rise by up to 12 inches today after additional outflow increases from the Lake of the Woods Control Board, to fight back against ‘extreme’ weather conditions and precipitation in the region.

The Kam River Fighting Walleye are definitely putting up a fight. They now trail the SIJHL playoff final 3-2 under the Red Lake Miners after a 7-5 home win last night. The Miners started the finals on a winning note, taking the first three games of the best-of-seven series. Game six will be tomorrow night back in Red Lake. 

Northwestern Ontario is tracking to break a 98-year-old weather record this weekend.

Another low-pressure weather system is moving through the southern Manitoba area this weekend, bringing an estimated 20 to 50 millimetres of rain to the already water-logged area.

Environment Canada is now projecting that a section of that system will hit the Kenora area, and residents can expect up to another 20 millimetres of rainfall to finish off the month. The rain is expected to begin tonight and continue into Monday.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the housing market in Kenora has become oversaturated, causing some difficulties for first-time home buyers.

Tyler Tomashowski has faced some of those difficulties, as it took him a few years to find and purchase his first-ever home. Through his house-hunting process, he said the biggest struggle was the competitiveness between buyers.

Education in Nestor Falls received a huge boost on Wednesday (April 27, 2022), as the province announced a $2.6 million investment in the Rainy River District School Board.

The money announced by Kenora-Rainy River MPP, Greg Rickford, will go towards a new elementary school in Nestor Falls. This investment will support the creation of 46 elementary student spaces and is part of the Ford government’s commitment to building state-of-the-art schools for Ontario youth.

A group of Grassy Narrows First Nation community members joined together on Wednesday afternoon (April 27, 2022) to protest and demand the removal of the community's check stop.

In an interview with Q104 and KenoraOnline, a community member, who wished to remain anonymous, says workers at the community check stop are performing involuntary searches of residents' vehicles that are entering back into the First Nation.