Dryden

On March 21, 2022, Ontario will be the next province to remove its mask mandate, following suit with Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to name a few.

Masks will be no longer required to be worn in most indoor public settings, which includes schools and child care.

Police are warning the public about a laced batch of drugs circulating around the Big Trout Lake area.  

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) Police and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) issued a public safety warning after a possible supply of laced cocaine in Big Trout Lake led to an overdose in the community.  

A freezing rain warning has been issued for the region.

Environment Canada says, freezing rain associated with a warm front is expected to develop tonight (Tuesday, March 15, 2022) near midnight and may mix with ice pellets, snow, and even rain at times. The freezing rain is expected to end Wednesday morning.

With temperatures hovering near the freezing mark, the weather agency says moderate icing of untreated surfaces is possible.

By Wednesday morning, ice accretion of 2 to 4 mm could be possible.

Rainy River OPP say the two teenagers have been found.

— Original Story —

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned plea for more support and the closure of his country's airspace during a virtual address to Canadian members of Parliament and senators in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Zelenskyy says 97 children have been killed since Russia launched its invasion of his country. He asked Canadians to imagine the terror and horror of homes burning and cities being bombed and destroyed.

A 37-year-old Sioux Lookout resident is facing charges after a standoff near Dryden on Sunday.

The Dryden OPP say shortly before 10 a.m., members of the OPP received a report of an assault at a Cemetary Road residence in Wabigoon, Zealand Township. 

Upon arriving on scene, police discovered the suspect had barricaded themselves within the residence with another individual.

It was a day to remember last week for members of Wabaseemoong Independent Nation, along with federal and provincial ministers as they jointly signed a child and family services coordination agreement.

The coordination agreement now allows Wabasseemoong to have full legislative authority on the well-being of child and family services within the community, which now has support at the federal and provincial levels.

With the first day of spring only five days away, some may begin to wonder when we will start to see the winter snow start to leave.  

According to Environment Canada, we can expect to see normal to below normal weather for Spring 2022.  

Environment Canada Meteorologist, Gerald Chang, explains further, “In terms of temperatures, we still see normal to below normal weather for March, April, and May.”  

Manitoba has lifted all remaining COVID-19 public health orders and restrictions.

That, officially happened at 12:01 this morning. Prior to today, there were still three public health orders in effect with respect to mask-use, self-isolating and travel to northern Manitoba.

In less than a week on March 21, 2022,  the province of Ontario will remove its mask mandate in most indoor public settings mandate that has been in effect within the Northwestern Health Unit since August 12, 2020, and since October 3, 2020, provincially. 

Though concern has been raised on if the province jumped the gun on removing masks, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford says it is the right time to end the mandate.