Kenora

The Ontario government is predicting a spike in COVID-19 cases this fall, prompting them to make third doses of the vaccine available to children under the age of 12 for the first time.

“As we start spending more time indoors this fall, we can expect to see another increase in COVID-19 transmission. We’re also approaching a time of the year where other respiratory viruses increase in circulation,” explained Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore.

After two months of repairs, the Tunnel Island Trail has reopened for Kenora residents.

The City of Kenora is thanking staff on their Roads crew who worked to rehabilitate the trail for hikers, bikers and pets.

The province has confirmed a toxic blue-green algae bloom in Rice Bay on Rainy Lake.

The Northwestern Health Unit and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks began testing a sample of the lake water on August 23, and confirmed that the toxins exceed water standards on August 30.

Residents are asked to avoid the Rainy Lake area for a minimum of two weeks after the algae bloom has disappeared before using water, swimming or drinking from the lake.

The CRTC says it will launch a new emergency crisis number for people in need of immediate mental health or suicide prevention support.

It says starting at the end of November 2023, Canadians will be able to call 988 to be connected to a mental health crisis or suicide prevention service, free of charge.

The Public Health Agency of Canada will decide which group will provide the service, along with the scope of care it will offer.

The move will bring Canada in line with the United States, which launched its 988 service last month.

Officers with the Dryden OPP are investigating the circumstances around a sudden death in the community on Monday.

Police say on August 29 at 10:30 a.m., officers and paramedics with Northwest Emergency Medical Services responded to an unresponsive individual at a residence on Kirkpatrick Avenue.

Despite life-saving efforts, the individual was pronounced deceased. Their identity was not revealed, and investigators believe there is no threat to public safety.

Hydro One says crews are continuing to work to restore power to the Minaki and Malachi areas north of Kenora, after over 500 customers were without power early this morning.

Hydro One says the issue was reported to crews around 7:30 a.m., and no power was found from any feeders out of Minaki. Their investigation has revealed that the cause of the outage was 'contact with an animal.'

The utility says the majority of homes have had their power restored, and any remaining issues are expected to be resolved by 2 p.m. this afternoon.

In women's slo-pitch, Northern harbour faced Kenora DJ services for the title of pennant, which is awarded to the team with the least amount of losses during the regular season.

Both teams were tied in the season with the least amount of losses in their respective divisions with two losses each.

Northern harbour defeated DJ services and claim the pennant.

Playoffs continue tonight with CUPE and the Shear Heaven Clippers going at it for a spot in the C-Side final.

It was a warm Saturday evening and a group of journalists had gathered at a Paris restaurant to enjoy the last weekend of summer. At sometime past midnight, phones around the table began to ring — seemingly all at once — as news desks contacted reporters and photographers to alert them that Princess Diana’s car had crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.

Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney says Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, was a "great man" who will be "sorely missed" on the world stage.

Gorbachev, who during his seven years in power made dramatic reforms that paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, died Tuesday at a Moscow hospital at 91.

Mulroney said in an interview that while U.S. president Ronald Reagan gets a lot of credit for ending the Cold War without a shot, "it takes two to tango," and Gorbachev was an indispensable leader on the other side.

More than half of Conservative party members have voted for its next leader, leaving one week for the remaining members to do the same. 

As of Tuesday, the party says over 350,000 mail-in ballots have been returned out of the 678,000 they sent to people who can vote in the contest. 

That means voter turnout is currently sitting at around 52 per cent so far. In the party's 2020 leadership contest, which was won by Ontario MP Erin O'Toole, around 65 per cent of members voted.