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Latham First Person In Dryden City Council Election

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Friday at 2:00 is the deadline to file.

The first person to file for Dryden City Council is Bill Latham.

He submitted his nomination papers this morning.

That includes anyone interested in running for the Kenora District Services Board in the unincorporated area.

So far the current chair of the KDSB, Barry Baltesson is the only person to file in Lake of the Woods North and Dennis Wallace is running in Lake of the Woods South.

So far there’s only one race and that’s in the Lac Seul electoral area.

Mark Sobchuck is being challenged by Roderick Bergman.

In Oxdrift, only one person has submitted nomination papers, with Ed Murray running.

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Domtar Gives Back To Community With Mask Donations

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The Domtar Dryden Mill is supporting the community with several donations of masks, as concerns of the second wave of COVID-19 increase across Ontario.

The mill has provided 4-thousand disposable face masks to all Dryden schools.

Domtar’s Bonny Skene says with students back in the classroom, it’s important to support the community.

“Now that a number of other things are opening up in the community, including schools, we had the ability to make this donation and wanted to do that to support health and safety of those in our community.”

The Kenora District Services Board is also welcoming a donation of face masks from the Dryden mill.

The local mill donated 12-thousand masks to the Northwestern Health Unit and KDSB to help keep their staff and the people they serve safe.

The KDSB will distribute the masks to their Early Years programs, Northwest Emergency Medical Services, and area emergency shelters.

Skene says the donation of masks during this time goes hand and hand with Domtar’s community involvement.

“As our mill manager says, we’re a tight nit community and we need to be helping where we can, so we saw this as an opportunity to do that and we’re glad to do it.”

KDSB Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says the gift embodies the spirit of Northern Ontario of working together and supporting each other.

Eagle Lake First Nation and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation also recently received a total of 2-thousand masks.

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KDSB Taking Over Childcare In Ear Falls

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The Kenora District Services Board has agreed to take over childcare programming in Ear Falls.

The Township has been without the service since May when Council decided to get out of the business due to financial constraints.

KDSB Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says programming is expected to resume in November.

Wall says they have reached an agreement with the community to operate out of the government building.

He notes they are creating a “community hub” with other child and family programs and services coming into that space.

“Our plan. We’re going to have double the amount of spaces that were there before. This is both with respect to childcare but also with respect to before and after school programs. We are really taking what we’ve heard from families in terms of what the need is and looking at a different financial model.”

The original centre had roughly 12 spaces.

Wall admits the opening of the childcare centre is a bit later then what they had hoped for.

“But just with the pandemic and trying to get everything ready with respect to working with the Ministry of Education from a licensing standpoint. With recruiting and so forth. It has delayed things some what, however, we are confident come November the programs will become operational.”

Wall stresses this is an exciting opportunity.

He notes “Come October 1. We’re going to be opening up the in-take process to start accepting applications from families for children in the program. So things are happening. They didn’t happen as fast as we had hoped but at the same time, I think we can be all be very proud of what will open.”

To hear more from Henry Wall, visit the Audio link below.

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Food Hampers Being Organized In Dryden For Fire Evacuees

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The Kenora District Services Board is now accepting food hamper applications for Red Lake fire evacuees.

Staff are at the Dryden Memorial Arena to provide information and assistance to displaced residents.

If needed, registered evacuees can come to the arena to fill out a food hamper application by 11:00am Friday, August 14.

If you can’t attend, you can call 1-800-461-5766.

Food hampers will be organized today, and available for pick-up at 4:30pm for those who have applied at the rear entrance of Arena #1.

The KDSB is working in partnership with the City of Dryden, Municipality of Red Lake, Lions Club, Rotary, Freemasons, Dryden Native Friendship Centre, and the Red Lake Indian Friendship Centre.

KDSB still be on-site at the arena through the weekend from 9:00am-4:00pm for those who need help.

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KDSB Concerned With Spike In Regional Overdoses

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The Chief Administrative Officer for the Kenora District Services Board says he’s very concerned with the spike in drug overdoses across the region in recent days.

Henry Wall says we have seen a significant spike in the number of overdoses in our communities in the last week and he says COVID-19 has had an impact on drug distribution and the types of drugs that are entering our community including new drugs.

Police say the drug believed to have caused most of the overdoses is known as “yellow down”” or “purple down”.

The drug contains fentanyl, which is an extremely potent opioid and is 100 times stronger than morphine and 40 times stronger than heroin.

Wall says drug use is only one part of the crisis, noting high levels of poverty, homelessness and mental health issues continue to plague area communities.

He also says the pandemic has really highlighted how much work needs to be done.

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KDSB Working To Stregthen Relationship With Indigenous Communities

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The Kenora District Services Board has taken another important step forward in strengthening their relationship with area Metis and First Nation organizations and communities.

Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says Louie Napish has been hired as the first Indigenous Relations and Special Projects Liaison.

Wall says the former Treaty 3 Police Chief will be tasked with providing an Indigenous-focused view on current and future programming provided by the KDSB.

He also says they need meaningful partnerships to work together in order to tackle issues such as addictions, mental health and poverty.

Wall says they want to identify how they can share resources, knowledge and wisdom with First Nations communities.

He goes on to say they want to ensure their services operate within a culturally safe and appropriate lens.

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Reaction To Kenora Anti-Loitering Bylaw Defeat

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The head of the Kenora District Services Board stresses the focus now should be finding solutions to the homelessness problem in our area.

In a 6-1 vote Tuesday, Kenora city council defeated a proposed public anti-loitering bylaw that would have allowed police to hand out $100 fines.

The change of heart came after councillors were flooded with phone calls and emails from community members as well as strong opposition from First Nation leaders.

However, Councillor Andrew Poirier stresses they still have an issue downtown and now is the time for everybody to step up and try and solve the problem.

KDSB Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall agrees.

“It’s not about the loitering bylaw. What is happening in the community is a magnification of some of the challenges that have always been there. Now we add the pandemic to it and it has just exasperated the challenge.”

Wall states it takes a group effort to solve the crisis, stressing Kenora isn’t the only community suffering right now.

“How do we ensure that a loitering bylaw is not needed. That we are supporting people who are on the streets and not ending up on the streets in the first place. So I think that is what we need to be paying close attention to. Saying what supports do Mayor and Council need. What supports do our residents and our business community need.”

Wall adds “How do we ensure that we can protect our vulnerable population who are on the street at alarming rates right now. You know we’ve talked about having a housing-homelessness crisis in the past but it certainly has been exasperated by the pandemic just by the sheer number of individuals who are now on the streets.”

Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says “Municipalities like Kenora and Sioux Lookout require support from higher levels of government to work on not only the issue of the emergency of people without homes but the deeper systemic change needed to help the vulnerable members of our communities. Implementing municipal anti-loitering by-laws is racism and will not solve the homelessness crisis in the North.”

Mamakwa adds “Real collaboration is needed to address the issues of colonialism and racism in our communities, as well as increased housing and social supports. Northwestern Ontario needs all of its leaders to deal proactively with these emergencies, especially those that adversely affect our disproportionately marginalized community members.”

Earlier in the week Thunder Bay council defeated a similar anti-loitering bylaw.

Earlier this month the Ontario government announced an additional $150-million for municipalities and urban Indigenous community partners to help protect vulnerable people from COVID-19 by improving renovating shelters, purchase new facilities and creating opportunities for longer-term housing.

The money can also be used to provide those in need with food, shelter and supplies.

 

The provincial investment more than doubles the funding currently flowing to local municipal service managers and Indigenous program administrators through the Social Services Relief Fund.

To date the government has invested $350-million for the fund.

 

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KDSB Child Care Centres Not Ready To Open Yet

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Child Care Centres in Ontario are allowed to reopen Friday, but the Kenora District Services Board says more preparation time is required before they can resume operations.

Staff are now ensuring the proper equipment and protocols are in place to ensure safety.

Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says the current emergency child care centres will have an smoother transition.

“Staffing protocols. Cleaning protocols. Having access to PPE and support. All those pieces are already in place so we fully expect, in working with those operators, it’s going to be a much easier re-start.”

Wall stresses when programs do resume, they will not be at the same capacity they were at before the COVID-19 closures.

KDSB Press Release – Region… by Rayson Martyn on Scribd

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Push On For Homeless Shelter In Dryden

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The Kenora District Services Board says homelessness is a complex problem in Dryden as substance abuse, addictions and mental health illnesses have played a pivotal role in increased numbers of people without a home.

Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall believes a coordinated community effort is now needed to begin work on building a homeless shelter.

“We are working closely with the hospital. It’s going to require addiction treatment programs that the hospital is involved with or probably we will need to expand it to ensure that the referral pathways function as one system.”

Wall stresses they need a system that ends homelessness and not just simply managing it.

“It can’t just be a shelter alone. We need to make sure that all the other supports are being developed in tandem with it. Because otherwise we will be the shelter by default that will become the addiction treatment centre and everything in it and that’s not what shelters do or should do.”

Wall notes “It’s easy to just acquire a building and set-up shop and say ‘this is a shelter’. If you don’t have the other supports that go with it, it could be quite disastrous.”

Wall says a study conducted two years ago identified some 67 individuals who were considered homeless in the City.

He notes many of those without a home in Dryden are young adults who are couch surfing.

Wall calls the numbers “alarming”, noting he only sees the problem getting worse.

 

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KDSB Calls For Resignation Of Lynn Beyak

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The Kenora District Services Board is calling for the resignation of Dryden Senator Lynn Beyak.

The Board of Directors passed a resolution Thursday to elevate awareness regarding the “harm, devastation” and continued impacts that the legacy of the Indian Residential School system is having on communities and Indigenous peoples.

It was also brought forward in response to the challenging public discussions taking place as a result of recent words and actions of Beyak.

In a statement, KDSB Chair Barry Baltessen stated “We acknowledge that this is a unique situation and unprecedented for the District Services Board to provide such a resolution. We believe it is important for our community leaders, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Grand Council Treaty #3 (GCT#3) Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh to know that we stand with them in their fight against racism and bigotry.”

He adds “There is a reason our region has such high rates of homelessness, poverty and poor health. There is a reason that our youth experience such high rates of addictions and suicides. These rates will continue if our governments and community leaders do not address the impacts of Colonialism.”

The resolution from the Board of Directors asks Senator Beyak to “act honorably and in the interest of the people and step down from her role as Senator.”

Beyak was suspended a second time after she didn’t follow through with cultural sensitivity training and has since apologized for her actions.

The KDSB move is seen as an important one as it works with others to form an All Nations Health Team as well as other partnerships with area First Nations to develop community based homelessness, poverty and childcare strategies.

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