Dryden

The RCMP has confirmed that the fire that destroyed a Whiteshell landmark last week was deliberately set.

On Thursday at 3:50 am, officers from the Whitemouth and Lac du Bonnet RCMP detachments were called to the Rennie Hotel and post office as a fire was noted inside. Both buildings were destroyed. 

Police say no injuries were reported.

Russ Gawluk is Reeve for the Rural Municipality of Reynolds. He says the hotel had been closed for the last couple of months but says it was a huge part of the community. 

Ottawa police were so concerned about leaks from "Freedom Convoy" sympathizers in their ranks that they proactively shut off the email accounts of members on leave, but now the force has little to say about how real those fears turned out to be.

The Public Order Emergency Commission investigating the federal Liberal government’s use of the Emergencies Act learned there were several times when senior officers were concerned protesters who gridlocked downtown Ottawa for several weeks last winter were getting leaks.

Two Québec residents are facing charges following a break-and-enter in Wabigoon. 

On December 10, 2022 at approximately 7:24 a.m. officers received a report of a break and enter in progress at a business in the Hamlet of Wabigoon.

Officers attended the business and found that entry was made at the business by damaging a window. Once inside, a number of cigarettes and processed meats were removed.

The New Democrats are ready to withdraw from their confidence-and-supply agreement they signed with the Liberals if there is no federal action to address the health-care crisis, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday.

The deal reached in March would see the NDP support the minority government on key votes in the House of Commons to avoid triggering an election before 2025. In exchange, the Liberals have promised to make progress on a number of NDP priorities, including health care.

Police have provided more details on a deadly crash that took the lives of two men from Steinbach Friday afternoon.

Jeff Duggan, Detachment Commander and Inspector for Kenora OPP, says they were first notified at around noon on Friday of the crash along the Trans-Canada Highway. They responded to the two-vehicle collision in the area of Clearwater Bay. Clearwater Bay is about 25 kilometres east of the Manitoba/Ontario border.

The City of Kenora has a new Fire Chief after Kent Readman quietly stepped down earlier this month.

Deputy Fire Chief David Pratt has been named as the Kenora Fire and Emergency Services’ new Chief, effective December 5, and will be responsible for all aspects of the service and the city’s Emergency Management Program.

“The fire service finds itself in a season of change,” says Pratt. “I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead the dedicated, professional and well-trained staff who are ready to help keep our community safe.”

Ontario’s pharmacies will now be able to prescribe an anti-viral COVID-19 treatment.

As of today, pharmacies in Ontario are able to prescribe Pfizer’s Paxlovid to eligible individuals in-person or virtually, at no cost – if you’re within 5 days of having COVID-19 symptoms with a positive PCR or rapid antigen test.

A Superior Court judge has authorized a lawsuit brought by Quebec parents who allege their children became addicted to the popular online video game Fortnite.

Justice Sylvain Lussier issued the ruling on Wednesday after hearing arguments in July regarding the class-action request from three parents who described how their children had symptoms of severe dependence after playing the game.

The Ministry of Transportation reports that Highway 17 is closed in both directions between Kenora and the Manitoba border after a collision.

MTO’s 511 service says all lanes are closed between the Manitoba border and Highway 17A’s West Junction, traffic control is in place and all drivers are asked to use caution in the area.

The OPP is asking all drivers to either stay in Kenora or stay in Winnipeg today, as the closure is expected to take multiple hours. 

The Sioux Lookout OPP has taken nearly half-a-million dollars worth of illegal drugs off of the streets of northwestern Ontario.

On December 7, officers with the OPP and Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service executed a search warrant at a King Street residence in Sioux Lookout, where officers seized methamphetamine, cocaine, oxycodone, $3,300 in cash, two stolen televisions and a stolen fetal heart rate monitor.

As a result, 33-year-old Jade Kabestra-Savage of Sioux Lookout has been charged with: