Tim Davidson

A new restaurant is being built in the City of Dryden.

Dryden city council has given approval for a site plan to build a Boston Pizza across from a 70-unit hotel that is currently being built on Government Street.

Both buildings are being constructed by Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) Real Properties.

Previously, a site plan fee of $215,000 was paid to the City of Dryden, and that will also be used for the construction of the new restaurant.

A two week reprieve on the Keewatin Channel Bridge is almost over.

Since before Christmas, both lanes of the bridge were open to traffic.

But, starting on Monday, the westbound lane will be closed again.

This is to allow for bridge repairs to take place.

Throughout the winter months, corrosion is being removed, steel repairs are being carried out, along with re-coating of the bridge.

Load restrictions on the bridge remain in place while the repairs are being carried out.

It’s going to cost a bit more to flush your toilet, do your dishes and brush your teeth this year.

The City of Dryden is raising sewer and water rates by 6.2 percent in 2026.

That means, for an average household which uses 11.2 cubic meters of water can expect an increase of about $9.60 a month.

The city says the hike in sewer and water rates is to help cover the cost of things like maintenance, repairs, wages, material, and supplies, as well as debt servicing and reserve contributions.

Be prepared for higher sewer and water rates and increases at Kenora’s Waste Transfer Station in 2026.

Sewer and Water rates will be going up 8.8 this year.

For an average household that uses 11.5 cubic meters of water, they can expect an increase of $13.58 a month, depending on usage.

These are cost recovery rates, and include things like maintenance, materials, wages, debt servicing and reserve contributions.

There will also be a 2.5 percent increase in tipping fees at the Waste Transfer Station.

In addition, bag tags have gone up to $2.75 as of January 1st.

That’s a 15-cent increase from last year.

A mischief incident in the Township of Gorham last month is still under investigation.

The Thunder Bay OPP say there were called out on December 11th to reports of two ATV’s and a snowmachine being operated in a dangerous manner.

They damaged a local community sign along the North Branch Road near the East Gorham Fire Department.

It’s believed the incident took place between 1 am and 2 am.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Thunder Bay OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

(Sign damaged in the Township of Gorham)

A hit and run collision in Thunder Bay have resulted in drug charges against a 54-year-old man.

The accident took place on September 1st at the intersection of May Street North and Finlayson Street.

When Thunder Bay Police arrived, officers found two damaged vehicles but only one driver.

The other driver had fled the scene.

It was determined he had been pulled over for a traffic stop prior to the crash.

The missing driver was finally located and arrested on December 15th.

In addition to the hit and run charges, he faces several drug related charges:

• Operation while prohibited

• Flight from peace officer

• Dangerous operation causing bodily harm

• Fail to stop at scene of accident resulting in bodily harm

• Obstruct / resist peace officer

• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000

• Breach of probation

• Possession of a Schedule 1 substance (cocaine)

• Possession of a Schedule 1 substance (fentanyl)

• Breach of Release Order

During the Thunder Bay Police Service investigation $10,405.00 in cash was seized along with a 2.24g of fentanyl valued at roughly $560.

During the December 15 arrest, officers seized an additional $5,560.30 in cash along with 263 grams of suspected meth, 41 grams of suspected fentanyl and 11 grams of suspected cocaine leading to several additional charges being laid including:

• Operation while prohibited

• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000

• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl) for the Purpose of Trafficking

• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine) for the Purpose of Trafficking

• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Meth) for the Purpose of Trafficking

• Weapons Dangerous (Pepper Spray)

• Breach of Release Order

• Fail to Comply with Probation

The total street value of the drugs seized during the arrest is $48,170.

In all, he faces 18 charges and remains in custody with a future court date.

The mayor of Kenora admits he hasn’t made a decision of whether or not he’s going to run again.

Andrew Poirier says he’ll definitely make a decision before the May 1st start of the nomination period for municipal elections.

“I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I’m thinking about it now,” Poirier says in a year-end interview with Acadian Broadcasting.

“Whereas, three months ago I wasn’t because I was engaged in thinking about other things that we were confronting at the time.”

Poirier adds that he wants to consult with his family and others before making a final decision.

“If I’m going to, I will announce later in 2026 or when nominations open. I know I’ll have a decision made prior to that.”

This is Poirier’s first term as mayor, and many city councillors say they won’t be running again in 2026.

Municipal elections will take place in October.

An NDP MPP is renewing his calls for road safety improvements on highways in northern Ontario.

This after 7 people were killed in two separate collisions this month.

Guy Bourgouin these tragedies are part of a bigger pattern of neglect on Highways 11 and 17.

He adds that when these highways are unsafe or closed they cut off communities, and people are afraid to travel.

Bourgouin suggests a renewed letter writing campaign to push the government to take action.

He says this is a public safety crisis and northern lives deserve urgency, investment and action.

The Kenora Catholic District School Board says it’s pleased with the most recent province-wide test result.

The provincial government has release information from the Education Quality and Accountability Office.

Director of Education Jamey Robertson says overall, students did quite well.

“We saw increases in five of eight areas,” Robertson points out.

“We remain stable in a few areas as well. We continued to see some good strength in literacy and some notable gains in grade 6 in that regard.”

Robertson says math remains a focus for them and an area of improvement in the most recent EQAO test results.

Over at the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, they also saw some positive results.

Christy Radbourne is the Director of Education and says their work in math in particular is paying off.

“We have seen as much as an 11 percent increase in our grade 9 mathematics. We’ve seen up to a 17 percent increase over the last two years in grade 3 and another significant, 9 percent increase in our grade 6 scores.”

The EQAO results were released earlier this month, a delay of several months, as they are usually released earlier in the fall.