Kenora

As of 8:30 am Sunday, May 29:

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure want to advise people not to travel into the Whiteshell Provincial Park area. Many highways are flooded, making travel conditions treacherous. Flood Warning in Effect for Winnipeg River and Whiteshell Lakes Area.

Highway 17 - from Manitoba / Ontario Border, Easterly for 6.8 kilometres expected delays for as long as 20 minutes due to construction. Traffic is controlled by flagging.

As the temperatures warm up and it begins to feel a lot more like some summer in northwestern Ontario, our seasonal guests…. No not tourists…. but bears will begin to make more of an appearance.

To prepare residents and tourists this summer, the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources, and Forestry has shared some important tips to protect yourself from bears.

The MNRF says to make noise such as singing whistling, and talking when you move through heavily wooded areas to alert bears of your presence, which allows them to avoid you.

“The cabin’s flooded, and then seeing the pictures it’s just so heartbreaking, cause you know everything you have is destroyed."

That was the reaction Manitoba resident Lisa Downton had after seeing her family's Black Sturgeon cabin completely destroyed and unliveable, from the high water levels on the lake.

Downton and her family are grain farmers from the Iles des Chenes and Lorette area, south of Winnipeg, and bought their cabin last spring, as a family getaway from their busy work lives.

The City of Kenora has added a new playground area to their plans for Central Park.

During Kenora’s May 10 Committee of the Whole meeting, councillors moved to accept a $452,000 contract for the installation of new playgrounds at Norman Park and Central Park. The Norman Park project was announced in February, but playground equipment coming to Central is new information.

Students in Northwestern Ontario are encouraged to apply for one of 15 scholarships offered for LEAP Week 2022 in Los Angeles, California. 

Leap Week is a week-long, in-person life skills development program at UCLA, which equips students with the knowledge, life skills, and confidence to achieve higher personal, academic, and professional goals!

Back-to-back storm systems could drop upwards of 80 mm of rain by Tuesday.

Environment Canada says showers and thunderstorms are expected to start affecting the area from Sunday afternoon with rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 mm expected by Monday afternoon, noting that some areas could see rainfall totals of 20 to 40 mm due to thunderstorms.

Another round of precipitation is expected to move in from Minnesota on Monday evening and will likely persist into Tuesday.

As of 12:00 pm Saturday, May 28:

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure want to advise people not to travel into the Whiteshell Provincial Park area. Many highways are flooded, making travel conditions treacherous. Flood Warning in Effect for Winnipeg River and Whiteshell Lakes Area.

Hwy 71, at Maybrun Rd, there is water over the road, one lane blocked, traffic control is in place. Please use caution in the area.

Blue Lake Loop Road – Vermilion Bay, between Hwy 647 Jct and Quibell Rd is closed.

Disclaimer: This article is the last part of a four-part series. This series will discuss sensitive matters pertaining to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

After spending weeks in Ukraine amidst the ongoing war, Jordan Searle, a local paramedic with Ornge Air ambulance, is sharing his story in hopes of bringing more attention to the crisis.  

Water levels continue to inch closer to all-time records in the Lake of the Woods area, after going up another 4 inches this week.

The Lake of the Woods Control Board says Lake of the Woods has now reached 323.81 meters or about 1062 feet. That’s above the highs seen in 2014 which peaked at 323.78m, roughly 1062 ft, but below the all-time record of 324.31m or 1064 ft set back in 1950.

Ontarians across the province are able to cast their vote in advance for one more day. 

Today is the last day for residents to head to their local returning or advance voting offices in advance of the June 2 provincial election. 

Kenora: Ukrainian Hall at 509 4th St. N until 8:00 p.m.

Dryden: Dryden Satellite Office at 16 Earl Ave. until 8:00 p.m. 

Fort Frances: Fort Frances Satellite Office at St. Michaels School 820 5th St. E. until 8:00 p.m.