Dryden

This Sunday marks the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and the Lake of the Woods Speedway will be honouring Emergency Responders on the day.

Barry Bennett is the track’s Pit Marshall.

Leadership with Grand Council Treaty #3 is asking Canadians across the country to keep the 28 victims of this weekend's attacks in James Smith Cree Nation in their prayers, after the capture and death of 32-year-old suspect Myles Sanderson on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says after a slow summer season, northwestern Ontario’s forest fire risk is rising.

There were hugs, tears and calls for change Thursday as Indigenous leaders gathered on the James Smith Cree Nation — a Saskatchewan community struck by a deadly mass stabbing.

Darryl Burns, whose sister was killed in the attacks Sunday, hugged Skye Sanderson, the wife of Damien Sanderson, a suspect found dead the day after the killings.

"Our family is here to forgive," Burns said. 

Forgiveness has been important to Indigenous people long before colonization, Burns added.

As momentous as the death of Queen Elizabeth II may be after her 70 years on the throne, it's pretty much business as usual in terms of Canada's governance.

The monarch remains the constitutional head of state in this country, no matter who is filling the role at any given time, says Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor of international affairs at Carleton University and an expert on the role of the Crown in the Westminster system of government.

Canadians are used to seeing Queen Elizabeth II on our money.

But this could change following the death of the longest-serving British monarch and Canadian head of state.

However, the Bank of Canada, which produces Canada's paper bills, says changes likely won't be seen immediately. 

It says the current $20 bank note, which features the Queen, is intended to circulate for years to come.

The central bank says there is no legislative requirement to change the design within a prescribed period when the monarch changes.

As he stood between wind-whipped Canadian flags on a podium in Iqaluit in 2017, Prince Charles recalled his official first visit to Canada's North nearly half a century earlier.

"I have never forgotten the warmth of the welcome from the Inuit people, which made me feel instantly at home, as indeed I have with all Canadians on my subsequent visits," said Charles, who drew applause from the crowd in Nunavut's capital with a halting attempt at an Inuktitut greeting.

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada and the Commonwealth, ascended the throne as much by a twist of fate as by the grace of God.

As the daughter and granddaughter of men who were not first in line to the throne, Elizabeth was once destined for a life of relative regal obscurity.

Instead, she became one of the world’s most famous women at the age of 25, when her father’s death in 1952 made her England’s sixth ruling queen and longest-reigning monarch.

Residents in the Sioux Lookout, Big Trout Lake and Kasabonika Lake areas are warned of a string of severe thunderstorms making their way through the region today.

Environment Canada says the storms are expected to produce up to 90 kilometre per hour winds with Toonie-sized hail.

Staff remind the public to always seek shelter when threatening weather approaches, and to never leave your shelter until at least 30 minutes past the last roar of thunder to ensure the system has passed your area.

In Kenora Slo Pitch action, the Moncrief diggers were led by Mark Splett with 2 home runs to a 20-19 win over Titan to punch their ticket to the B side final. Home runs by Myles Henry and Randy Thomas contributed to the win.

There are no games on the docket tonight. The playoffs resume tomorrow.

The Toronto Blue Jays will get the day off following a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles last night. The Blue Jays took three out of four games in the series.