Road Reports

The Freedom Convoy 2022 is expected to roll through Kenora Tuesday night (January 25, 2022) on their way to Ottawa to stand up for the recent federal vaccine mandate for transport drivers.

The Kenora Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has been in contact with the convoy and has confirmed approximately 200 to 300 vehicles will be coming through Kenora.

Kenora OPP Provincial Constable, Jason Canfield said they had a meeting earlier on Tuesday to come up with a plan for the traffic.

Update: The scene has now been cleared.
 

A transport trailer unit is currently stuck on the hill of Veterans Drive, and delays can be expected for the time being.

A tow truck is on scene to assist. Drivers are reminded to always drive according to conditions, which are expected to be slick today.

This transport truck is not anticipated to be part of the Convoy for Freedom 2022, which is expected to arrive in the Kenora area this evening.

The City of Kenora has been hit with a major amount of snow this winter, 114 cm to be exact, and that has put crews into overdrive trying to maintain clearing services.

In Kenora when it comes to snow clearing, crews follow a priority mapping system that shows which roads get cleared first, second, and third, and how long after a storm they will be plowed.

City councillor Mort Goss says Kenora residents shouldn’t have to deal with repeated closures of Highway 17 due to snow clearing issues, an issue that he says is becoming all too common in 2022.

“We’re very, very unhappy with the road conditions to the east and west of us. We’ve had several closures on the roads,” says Goss. “At some point, I wonder if council can put something out to senior levels of government. It’s unconscionable.”

City of Kenora crews is hard at work cleaning up the result of Tuesday’s snowstorm that saw roughly 16 cm of snow fall, which caused troubles for drivers within the city and on highways.

Kevin Gannon, Director of Engineering and Infrastructure who oversees snow clearing operations spoke on the progression of the plow efforts following the storm.

“Our department is managing it within the tools and the availability that we had. Fortunately, we didn’t have a lot of staff off and were able to maximize our output,” Gannon said.

Winter in Kenora this year has been significantly colder while bringing much more snow than the winter before.

Environment Canada Meteorologist, Steven Flisfeder was able to shed some light on what has changed in the terms of weather this winter.

“So far this year there have been quite a few systems making their way through the area. A lot of Alberta Clippers, which typically don’t give all that much snow, but this year have been a little bit more on the high end of their potential,” Flisfeder said.

The Ministry of Transportation has reopened Highway 17 in both directions.

The MTO and the OPP closed the Highway between the Manitoba border and Ignace this afternoon due to poor winter driving conditions.

The City of Kenora has declared a Significant Weather Event due to the recent snowfall that has hit the city.

The city says declaring a Significant Weather Event related to snow accumulation is a way to advise residents, pedestrians, and motorists to expect winter maintenance service delays due to the current winter storm event.

The city is deploying resources to address road conditions as a result of the storm. Please be cautious on roads, sidewalks during the Significant Weather Event as road conditions can vary drastically during an event.

— Update —

Highway 17 has opened.

— Original —

The OPP has confirmed Highway 17 between the Ontario/Manitoba border and Ignace is closed due to poor driving conditions.

There’s no timeline on when the highway is expected to reopen. 

The region is expected to get hit with 10 to 15 cm of snow throughout the day bringing with it heavy winds gusts up to 50 km/h causing limited visibility.

The lane has been opened and traffic is moving in both directions. 

-----Original Story Below----

The Ministry of Transportation is reporting a collision has taken place just east of Kenora. 

The incident took place at the junction of Highway 17 and Highway 71, and the eastbound lane is partially blocked. 

The ministry is asking drivers to use caution when in the area.