Dryden

The Northwestern Health Unit is detailing the benefits of two new anti-viral COVID-19 treatments in Ontario.

Pfizer’s Paxlovid can be used to treat adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high-risk of progressing to serious disease, including hospitalization or death. It’s the first COVID-19 therapy that can be taken at home, and is intended to be used within five days of symptoms.

Ted Lake, Ralph Potter, June McNally, and Tim Gadd of Dryden along with Kenora’s Jessica Scott are bronze medalists after competing in the Inter Provincial 5-pin bowling Championships in Kelowna over the weekend. They made it to the semi-finals where they fell to British Columbia. They bowled against Team Manitoba "B" and earned third in the tournament. Manitoba "A" earned gold, while B.C got silver. 

Jeff Milloy of Kenora’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry office has been chosen as Ontario’s Conservation Officer of the Year, after being nominated and winning a number of awards.

Milloy started his career with the ministry 27 years ago in 1995, working in a variety of positions. He later became a Conservation Officer in the Chatham area in 2001, before moving back to the Kenora area.

Generosity and community support for the Dryden Food Bank continued last week.

Dryden OPP members, Brittany Bembeneck and Ron Frults dropped off all donations collected from their Easter Bunny Food Drive to the food bank.

“They collected over 198 pounds of food and $105 in cash and dropped it off here,” said Al Huckabay, Dryden Food Bank Manager. “Their whole desire is just like the food banks, they want to help people who are struggling with food insecurity and they want to help families.”

Manitou Gold Inc. has struck an agreement with Dryden Gold Corp.  

Announced in early March, Sudbury’s Manitou Gold Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell its Dryden gold exploration properties to Dryden Gold Corp., a privately owned company.  

Manitou has agreed to sell their Dryden properties, including Kenwest and Gaffney, for $7 million to Dryden Gold.  

The Ontario government has extended its high-risk mask mandate until June 11.

Ontario’s been mask-free in most public settings since March 21 and had plans to end mask requirements in shelters, long-term care homes, retirement homes, public transit, healthcare settings and other congregate settings like jails by April 27.

But on April 22, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced that Ontario will maintain existing masking requirements until June 11, noting the province will continue to monitor key COVID-19 indicators across Ontario.

Kenora could once again have another operating lumber mill, after a huge performance-based loan from the province to a Toronto-based forestry company.

The $17.2 million loan will be used by GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. to support a proposal to relocate, improve and expand the former Kenora Forest Products mill site.

Recent precipitation across northwestern Ontario has helped to balance out lake levels on Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul, but flow conditions are expected to rapidly change over the next week.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is in its 50th percentile level for this time of the year, after rising by about 4 inches over the past week.

Unvaccinated children aged five to 11 travelling with a fully vaccinated adult will no longer need a COVID-19 test to enter Canada as of Monday.

Pre-entry tests will still be needed for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers over the age of 12 who are eligible to travel to Canada. 

Children under five years of age don't currently require a COVID-19 test.

Government officials announced several other small changes to ease restrictions for international travellers that will take effect on the same day.

Two Kenora residents are working towards housing a displaced Ukrainian refugee.

Nathan and Olena Moncrief have opened up their home to help support a childhood friend Nadiia, who had to flee her home of Kyiv following Russia’s invasion of the capital city.

“She woke up to the missiles pretty much, and so she fled Kyiv on February 25, 2022, to the Western Ukraine where her family is,” said Olena.

Olena adds that Nadiia is currently in Warsaw, Poland, going through the application process of the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET).