There may a light at the end of the tunnel for ski hills in Thunder Bay, Dryden, and Kenora.
Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford says Minister of Sport and Tourism Lisa MacLeod has a reopening plan in place.
“It’s our intention to get those open as quickly as possible and provide them with the kind of supports they need to make sure that, as early in February as possible, people can get back out on the hills,” Rickford explains.
Rickford says the government will continue to work closely with operators to ensure a safe and timely restart.
On Air Now
Dryden, ON, Canada / CKDR
Jan 31, 2021 8:00 AM
There may a light at the end of the tunnel for ski hills in Dryden, Kenora and Thunder Bay.
Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford says Minister of Sport and Tourism Lisa MacLeod has an amazing reopening plan in place.
“It’s our intention to get those open as quickly as possible and provide them with the kind of supports they need to make sure that as early in February as possible people can get back out on the hills.”
Rickford says the government will continue to work closely with operators to ensure a safe and timely restart.
The province has come through with additional funding for Princess Court in Dryden.
The long-term care home is receiving an additional $115,300 to deal with COVID-19.
The government has provided $410,100 of relief since the start of the pandemic.
The money can be used for:
-An immediate 24/7 health checkpoint to confirm staff and essential caregivers entering the building are properly screened for COVID-19 symptoms and potential exposure, and to continue screening residents on an ongoing basis to support early detection and containment of any new infections;
-Additional prevention and containment activities, such as hiring new staff to carry-out the added workload for essential services and/or to replace workers who are sick or in isolation;
Photo courtesy Greg Rickford/Facebook
Expanded highways, more rest stops and the return of passenger rail service, all part of a new transportation strategy for northern Ontario.
The draft plan identifies sixty different actions.
It includes identifying how to expand Ontario Northland’s bus service into smaller and Indigenous communities and bringing passenger rail to the north.
Transportation Minister Carolyn Mulroney says the plan also commits to continued four-laning of sections of the Trans Canada, particularly between Thunder Bay and Nipigon and between Kenora and the Manitoba border.
“Our plan includes more than 60 actions that will get people moving, improve travel options for people in remote and First Nations communities while supporting economic growth in the n,” says Mulroney.