Latest news with #NorthwesternOntario
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ingredients in play for northwestern Ontario severe storms on Tuesday
![Northwestern Ontario storm risk map Tuesday]( With Ontario getting a break from the heat to start the week, but will return soon, northwestern sections of the province will be getting into the severe weather risk on Tuesday. In fact, multiple days of thunderstorms are expected in northern Ontario as a boundary stalls over the region. Tuesday could bring multiple rounds of thunderstorms into the region, with a severe chance for some areas. Folks can expect strong winds, heavy downpours and hail with any severe storm that forms. DON'T MISS: Make sure you keep an eye on the radar––especially if you have outdoor plans––and stay aware of any severe weather watches or warnings issued in your area. Tuesday and Wednesday: Multiple storm opportunities An active weather boundary will move into northern Ontario on Tuesday, and stall over the coming days--bringing several opportunities for severe weather. SEE ALSO: From Tuesday morning to the lunch hour, forecasters will be watching a complex of storms stateside that could clip the Ontario-U.S. border. Strong winds and heavy downpours are the main threats with those storms. As the day progresses, later in the afternoon on Tuesday, storms could pop up from Dryden to Fort Hope, possibly becoming marginally severe with two-centimetre hail possible. If you are in the region, please stay on top of severe weather alerts and know what to do and where to go in the event severe weather approaches. On Wednesday, forecasters will then turn their attention to the potential for another cluster of storms to develop along the Lake Superior shores. Stretching from Marathon to Sault Ste. Marie, the risk will fall from the morning to early afternoon, then moving east of Sault Ste. Marie by the afternoon and evening time. There is some uncertainty on how much thunderstorm energy will develop and the severe potential at this time. But heavy rainfall and frequent lightning will be the main threats. There is still much uncertainty in the forecast Tuesday due to capping in the atmosphere and wildfire smoke, which could reduce the severe risk There is model uncertainty and trouble handling the location and movement of the thunderstorms stateside. Beyond, much cooler weather is expected late next week and well into the first week of August, especially in eastern areas. WATCH: In a tornado warning? Here's what you should do Stay with The Weather Network for more information and updates on your weather across northwestern Ontario.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Aid groups rally to help First Nations facing mass food spoilage after northwestern Ontario outages
Aid organizations are ramping up efforts to replenish supplies after power outages across half a dozen First Nations in northwestern Ontario led to mass food spoilage. Last weekend, hydro poles along the Wataynikaneyap Power line were damaged by wildfires, leading to a shutdown of vital utilities across Pikangikum, North Spirit Lake, Keewaywin, Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and Poplar Hill First Nations. Only Sandy Lake and Deer Lake had access to backup diesel fuel. After four days of outages, the First Nations are still recuperating from the substantial food spoilage, overheating in homes, and shortages of food, fuel and other essential supplies. Wataynikaneyap Power said restoration was completed as of 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Pikangikum First Nation Chief Paddy Peters related to CBC News the magnitude of the outages' impact on the remote Ojibway community. "Beneath the smoke and silence was a quieter emergency," Peters said. "As we all know, food is already expensive — painfully so. "But the true cost becomes unimaginable when you have no power, no water, no way to preserve or prepare food." Surrounding wildfires still pose a threat to several communities. Pikangikum has evacuated its most vulnerable members to Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout due to Red Lake 62, a blaze just seven kilometres away. Meanwhile, North Spirit Lake sent at-risk members to Toronto because of Red Lake 40, which is more than 8,700 hectares large and remains not under control. 'For many, it was the only food they had' Watching his community members bring their spoiled food to the dump was a painful experience, Peters said. "For four days, families watched their fridges and freezers thawing the moose meat. The fish, the berries — all gone," he said. "Food gathered through hunting and fishing, passed down through generations, lost. "For many, it was the only food they had." LISTEN | Pikangikum receives support from Thunder Bay's RFDA Volker Kromm is executive director of Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA), which provides food to 37 partner organizations and 47 First Nations across northwestern Ontario. After his organization received a phone call from a colleague, Kromm said, it quickly readied its emergency response. "[What] we're always willing to do is respond in the case of an emergency," Kromm told CBC News. "Things like water, non-perishable foods and dry goods were needed … they weren't sure if people were coming out or people were staying." With such a dynamic situation, Kromm's organization persisted in ensuring emergency supplies were at the ready. "The situation was really rather fluid [but] we made a commitment that we would help. We went out and purchased water and things," he said. Through collaboration with partners, the RFDA was able to use a passenger plane to transport non-perishable items to Pikangikum. Peters said his community has received one shipment of food from the RFDA so far. Increase in wildfire-related emergencies GlobalMedic provides disaster relief internationally, but in recent years, the organization has had to respond to more emergencies across Canada related to wildfires — including in northwestern Ontario. The founder of GlobalMedic, Rahul Singh, said that with the increase in emergencies across First Nations, secondary issues like food insecurity have become pervasive. "It's at multiple sites and it's multiple areas," Singh said. "There's a lot of resources that have been put in. People have needs and we're trying to meet those needs." But delivering food to fly-in communities in crisis poses a transportation challenge. With the lack of roads, supplies have to be distributed in smaller batches, he explained. "There's no road," Singh said. "Everything has to get dropped down into smaller sizes onto small aircraft." As a result of these emergency situations, Peters said, food insecurity is becoming a greater challenge in his community. "It's very extreme what is happening here," he said. "I've never seen this before in my whole lifetime."
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Aid groups rally to help First Nations facing mass food spoilage after northwestern Ontario outages
Aid organizations are ramping up efforts to replenish supplies after power outages across half a dozen First Nations in northwestern Ontario led to mass food spoilage. Last weekend, hydro poles along the Wataynikaneyap Power line were damaged by wildfires, leading to a shutdown of vital utilities across Pikangikum, North Spirit Lake, Keewaywin, Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and Poplar Hill First Nations. Only Sandy Lake and Deer Lake had access to backup diesel fuel. After four days of outages, the First Nations are still recuperating from the substantial food spoilage, overheating in homes, and shortages of food, fuel and other essential supplies. Wataynikaneyap Power said restoration was completed as of 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Pikangikum First Nation Chief Paddy Peters related to CBC News the magnitude of the outages' impact on the remote Ojibway community. "Beneath the smoke and silence was a quieter emergency," Peters said. "As we all know, food is already expensive — painfully so. "But the true cost becomes unimaginable when you have no power, no water, no way to preserve or prepare food." Surrounding wildfires still pose a threat to several communities. Pikangikum has evacuated its most vulnerable members to Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout due to Red Lake 62, a blaze just seven kilometres away. Meanwhile, North Spirit Lake sent at-risk members to Toronto because of Red Lake 40, which is more than 8,700 hectares large and remains not under control. 'For many, it was the only food they had' Watching his community members bring their spoiled food to the dump was a painful experience, Peters said. "For four days, families watched their fridges and freezers thawing the moose meat. The fish, the berries — all gone," he said. "Food gathered through hunting and fishing, passed down through generations, lost. "For many, it was the only food they had." Volker Kromm is executive director of Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA), which provides food to 37 partner organizations and 47 First Nations across northwestern Ontario. After his organization received a phone call from a colleague, Kromm said, it quickly readied its emergency response. "[What] we're always willing to do is respond in the case of an emergency," Kromm told CBC News. "Things like water, non-perishable foods and dry goods were needed … they weren't sure if people were coming out or people were staying." With such a dynamic situation, Kromm's organization persisted in ensuring emergency supplies were at the ready. "The situation was really rather fluid [but] we made a commitment that we would help. We went out and purchased water and things," he said. Through collaboration with partners, the RFDA was able to use a passenger plane to transport non-perishable items to Pikangikum. Peters said his community has received one shipment of food from the RFDA so far. Increase in wildfire-related emergencies GlobalMedic provides disaster relief internationally, but in recent years, the organization has had to respond to more emergencies across Canada related to wildfires — including in northwestern Ontario. The founder of GlobalMedic, Rahul Singh, said that with the increase in emergencies across First Nations, secondary issues like food insecurity have become pervasive. "It's at multiple sites and it's multiple areas," Singh said. "There's a lot of resources that have been put in. People have needs and we're trying to meet those needs." But delivering food to fly-in communities in crisis poses a transportation challenge. With the lack of roads, supplies have to be distributed in smaller batches, he explained. "There's no road," Singh said. "Everything has to get dropped down into smaller sizes onto small aircraft." As a result of these emergency situations, Peters said, food insecurity is becoming a greater challenge in his community.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- CTV News
Police lay second-degree murder charge in northwestern Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service (T3PS), have charged a suspect with second-degree murder following a homicide in a remote Indigenous northwestern Ontario community. The charges were made in connection to a death in Wabaseemoong First Nation on Thursday afternoon. At about 3:30 on May 2, police and emergency medical personnel responded to an incident at a local residence. 'One individual was pronounced deceased,' the OPP said in a news release Friday. As a result of the investigation, a 34-year-old resident of the First Nation has been charged with second-degree murder. T3PS and the OPP said their investigation into the death is continuing with assistance from the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. 'The public can expect to see a large number of police in the area as a result of the investigation,' said police. 'There is no threat to public safety at this time.' The accused has been remanded into custody and will appear in court at a later date. None of the accusations has been proven in court.
CBC
16-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Power restored to 6 northwestern Ontario First Nations after 4-day outages due to wildfires
New Hydro poles were damaged along Wataynikaneyap Power line Power has been restored to half a dozen First Nations in northwestern Ontario after a series of hydro poles along the Wataynikaneyap Power line were damaged by wildfires on Saturday. Wataynikaneyap Power said the restoration was completed as of 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday. "Pikangikum, North Spirit Lake and Keewaywin First Nations are reconnected to grid power," Tuesday night's update said. "Deer Lake, Sandy Lake, and Poplar Hill First Nations have their assets energized to allow a reconnection to the grid from their diesel generator back-ups. Transfer to grid power will be co-ordinated with Hydro One Remote Communities Inc." The outages created a number of challenges in the communities, resulting in food spoilage, overheating in people's homes, and shortages of food, fuel and other essential supplies, as Pikangikum First Nation's chief told CBC News. WATCH | Pikangikum First Nation's chief on power outage Media Video | Pikangikum's chief speaks out on Day 4 of community-wide power outage. Caption: Pikangikum First Nation has been without power for four days after wildfires damaged six hydro poles in northwestern Ontario, causing outages in as many First Nations. Here's the latest from Chief Paddy Peters about what the remote Ojibway community is going through. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. However, surrounding wildfires still pose threats to a number of communities in the region. Pikangikum is continuing to evacuate its most vulnerable members to Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout due to Red Lake 62, a 31,000-hectare, out-of-control blaze just seven kilometres away. Meanwhile, North Spirit Lake sent its at-risk members to Toronto because of Red Lake 40, which is more than 8,700 hectares large and remains not under control. A spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) provided an emailed statement to CBC News on Tuesday evening. "Indigenous Services Canada continues to work in close collaboration with all partners to support evacuation operations and respond to emergency needs as the situation evolves," said Anispiragas Piragasanathar. "Through the Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP), ISC reimburses all eligible costs related to wildfire response and recovery, including evacuation support and culturally-sensitive services such as mental health care, traditional foods, language interpretation, and child care." Elsewhere, a 32,000-hectare fire known as Red Lake 67 prompted self-evacuations in McDowell Lake First Nation. East of Poplar Hill, the Red Lake 72 fire has grown to 4,900 hectares. The region's largest wildfire, Red Lake 12, continues to be observed at 195,000 hectares.
