The Rainy River District OPP, along with their provincial colleagues, were kept busy over the holiday season with multiple arrests and suspensions, as well as unfortunate accidents.
In press releases sent out over the course of the holiday season, the OPP revealed that, across the province, more than 700 drivers were charged with impaired driving as a result of the Festive RIDE campaign, which ran from November 20, 2025 through to January 1, 2026. The OPP said that officers worked a total of 20,000 hours conducting more than 11,000 RIDE checks in the province, which included the aforementioned impaired charges along with 150 immediate roadside suspensions to drivers it said were in the Warn Range, or who were part of the Zero Tolerance driver classes, which include young, novice and commercial drivers who must have zero alcohol or drugs in their system.
Closer to home, the OPP are investigating a snowmobile accident in Atikokan that left one person dead. On Thursday, January 1, 2026, at approximately 11:00 a.m., OPP officers, along with Atikokan Fire and Rescue Service and Rainy River District Emergency Medical Services responded to a report of a single vehicle snowmobile collision on the Saturn Avenue extension. According to the OPP, the 22-year-old rider was transported to hospital where they were pronounced dead.
“The OPP Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement (TIME) team is assisting in the ongoing investigation,” the release said.
“Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.”
The OPP were also kept busy in the Kenora region over the holidays. A significant seizure of drugs occured in Kenora as a result of a drug trafficking investigation. According to the OPP, the OPP’s Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) began an investigation in Kenora in December 2025, which revealed that controlled substances were being trafficked into the area from Winnipeg, Man. On Wednesday, December 10, 2025, officers conducted a traffic stop on Highway 17 near Kenora, whereupon the driver briefly pulled over, then continued on and failed to stop for police. Officers subsequently located and arrested the driver at a residence in Keewatin.
Upon a search of the residence, OPP officers seized 640 g suspected cocaine, 70 g suspected crack cocaine, 610 g psilocybin, a cell phone, digital scales and packaging materials and one vehicle as offence-related property. The value of the drugs is estimated to be $90,000.
In connection with the seizures, a 50-year-old male of Selkirk, Manitoba was arrested and charged with:
· Flight from peace officer, s. 320.17 CC
· Dangerous operation, s. 320,13(1) CC
· Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, s. 354(1)(a) CC
· Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(2) CDSA
· Possession for the purpose of trafficking – psilocybin, s. 5(2) CDSA
The accused was remanded into custody and appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora on Monday, December 22, 2025.
The OPP also responded to and arrested one driver in Kenora following reports of a collision on December 31, 2025. Once officers arrived at the scene of the collision on Homestake Road, the officers had reason to believe the driver was impaired, and a demand was made for the driver to provide a sample into an approved screening device. After the driver refused several time to comply with the demand, officers arrested him.
A 21-year-old male of Toronto, Ontario, has been charged under the criminal code with Failure or Refusal to Comply with Demand. The driver’s license was suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded for seven days, and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora on January 22, 2026.
“The OPP remains committed to taking alcohol/drug-impaired drivers off our roads through enforcement and public education,” the OPP said.
“If you suspect that someone is driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, it is important to call 9-1-1 to report it.”
