Tim Davidson

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is hosting an open house later this week in Thunder Bay.

The NWMO says it will take place on Thursday at the Superior Inn from noon until 6 pm.

They’ll be talking about the proposed deep underground nuclear waste repository located between Ignace and the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation.

The NWMO says it will have representatives on hand to answer questions from the public and to have conversations about the deep geological repository project.

The NWMO is the process of planning for a Center of Expertise in Ignace as one of the first major projects planned for the nuclear waste site.

The Kenora District Services Board says it will hold the open house for Woodland Terrace in Red Lake next week.

A previous open house was postponed because of the weather last week.

The new date for the open house in next Tuesday, April 14th from 11:30 to 2:30 pm.

Woodland Terrace is a 10-unit seniors complex located in a fully renovated motel.

The Kam River Fighting Walleye will be looking to get back into their semi-final series against the Fort France Lakers tonight.

The Walleye trail 2-0 after losing both their games in Fort Frances over the weekend.

The other series sees the Thunder Bay North Stars looking to take a stranglehold against the Dryden GM Ice Dogs.

The Stars have a 2-1 series lead heading into tonights game at the Fort William Gardens.

The Ice Dogs won their first game last night with a 3-2 victory over Thunder Bay.

It seems like winter will never end, but according to Environment Canada, the month of March was pretty normal in terms of temperature and precipitation.

Geoff Coulson is a severe weather specialist and says he doesn’t expect much change for the month of April.

“The way things are shaping up right now, I think March for much of northwestern Ontario came in around seasonal temperatures overall,” explains Coulson.

“April at this point looks to be the same situation, generally expecting temperatures to be seasonal for the month of April. Normal daytime highs for the area are around 5 degrees. Normal overnight lows are around -6. And those are the types of temperatures we’re looking at as we head into the Easter weekend and maybe that continuation of the first week of April into next week.”

The Daily Mean Temperature in Kenora last month was -7, in Dryden it was a little warmer at -6.1 Celsius and Fort Frances was -4.9.

In terms of precipitation, Kenora had 43.9 millimeters, which was a mix of snow and rain.

We normally get 27.7 millimeters.

In Dryden, it saw 28.4 millimeters, which was near the average of 30.4, and Fort Frances was very dry with 13 millimeters of precipitation.

It usually gets around 30.9 millimeters.

The Kenora District Services Board has handed out just over $130,000 from the 2026 Child Poverty Reduction Reinvestment Fund.

The funding is for programs and services designed to support the health and well-being of children.

“The approved applications from community partners for the 2026 Child Poverty Reduction Reinvestment Fund included thoughtful ideas for programs and services designed to support the health and well-being of children and youth,” says Fred Mota the chair of the Kenora District Services Board.

“The Board deeply values the Child Poverty Reduction Reinvestment Funding program, recognizing its role in supporting brighter futures and ensuring children and youth in our communities experience greater equity, opportunity, and well-being within the Kenora District.”

The largest grant of $47,095 for the Northwestern Health Unit for its Nutrition on Weekend program.

Communities across the Kenora District are getting funding including $7,500 for Triple Play in Kenora, $2,500 for the youth drop-in center in Ear Falls, and $12,750 for the Red Lake Indian Friendship Center for its recreation access program.

Here is the full list of recipients:

Five people have been charged with second degree murder after an assault last week on the Eabmetoong (Fort Hope) First Nation.

On Tuesday, one of two men assaulted passed away from his injuries.

He was 33 years old.

The OPP say a 47-year-old man, two youth under the age of 18, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old have all been charged in his death.

The assault took place at a residence on Albany River Crescent on Sunday, March 29th.

The 47-year-old has a court appearance today while the other four remain in custody pending an April 14th court appearance in Thunder Bay.

Four electricity distributors across northwestern Ontario are taking part in an energy conservation promotion.

Utilitities in Sioux Lookout, Atikokan, Fort Frances and Synergy North are encouraging local customers to take part in Save on Energy.

Lesley Racco from Synergy North says they have a couple of programs available for residential customers.

“The Peaks Perk program, where customers can receive a $75 reward for signing up for a smart thermostat, that’s a program that most customers will qualify for,” explains Racco.

“The Home Renovation Energy Savings Program and the Energy Affordability Program, those programs are going to receive approval at the intake level.”

Racco adds they also have a number of programs available for local businesses:

􀁸 Retrofit Program: Financial support for upgrading to more efficient equipment.
􀁸 Small Business Program: Incentives for energy-efficient lighting and other products.
􀁸 Instant Discounts: Upfront savings when purchasing eligible efficiency products through participating distributors.
􀁸 Expanded Energy Management Program: Funding to develop internal energy management strategies.
􀁸 Energy Performance Programs: Rewards for measurable energy savings over time.
􀁸 XLerate Program: Eligible customers can receive support for large capital energy-saving projects that deliver significant, measurable results.

“We’re encouraging customers, if they are curious about programs, or they think they might qualify, just to reach out to start the conversation. Sit down with us, or we can talk over the phone, and just help you understand where you can make improvements.”

Save On Energy is a partnership between the local utilities and the Independent Electricity System Operator.

For more information about the Save on Energy programs you can click here

There might still be lots of snow on the ground, but the fire season has officially begun.

Fire information officer Chris Marchand says it doesn’t take long for the situation to change.

“Despite the snow on the ground at this moment, conditions will change quite quickly over the next few weeks,” says Marchand.

“Outdoor burning regulations, which determine the time of day you can burn debris, are now in effect for the fire season.”

Marchand adds that the amount of snow on the ground depends on where you live.

“In terms of snow coverage across the northwest region, it is quite variable from location to location, which means that some areas are going to become snow-free before others and start to show a fire hazard. We do see lower amounts of snowpack along the southern sectors, along the Ontario/Minnesota border.”

The province says it has added an additional 68 permanent staff and increased compensation for critical staff including wildland firefighters, pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers

The month of March came in like a lion and it looks like it will go out like a lion too.

On March 1st, the lowest temperature was registered at -29.6 Celcius.

While March 31st isn’t that cold, more snow is in the forecast.

Environment Canada says anywhere between 2 and 4 centimeters could fall.

Geoff Coulson is with Environment Canada and says more snow can be expected this week.

“There’s yet another Colorado Low that could be influencing the weather Thursday,” states Coulson.

“This one taking a similar track as the current one and also potentially spreading snow into northwestern Ontario as well.”

Coulson adds that the current Colorado Low is actually south of us, but is generating snow for the region.

“Lots of moisture. I mean, some of the biggest impacts will likely be more in northeastern Ontario, where they could be looking at a messy mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain in areas like Sault Ste. Marie, towards Lake Nipissing and north.”

The Easter long weekend doesn’t look any better with more flurries throughout the weekend and snow in the forecast for Saturday.

Due to the forecast for inclement snowly weather, the open house for the Woodland Terrace seniors complex in Red Lake is being postponed.

It was supposed to take place on Tuesday.

The Kenora District Services Board says it will reschedule the event.

However, applications to be a tenant of the new complex will still be available tomorrow.

A link to the application can be found here