Wawa Council Holding 2 Meetings After Special Meeting for In-Camera Items

Wawa Municipal Council's holding a pair of meetings tonight.

First up is a Committee of the Whole meeting including delegations on behalf of the Great Canadian Dollar Store about a sale of consumer fireworks request and from Randy Klockars regarding Sandy Beach rock cut washout concerns, plus discussion about Bethune Cemetery improvement, Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre flooring, Marina fish cleaning, tractor and attachments, and an election-related discussion about a petition to remove fluoride from the water.

That'll be followed by a regular meeting of Council, which includes resolutions proclaiming tomorrow "National Hope Air Day", next week "Nursing Week", and approving the RFPs or RFT for MMCC flooring, the Marina Fish Cleaning Building, and a tractor with attachments, as well as three by-laws relating to transit service, as the Municipality's taking full control.

Council did hold a special meeting late Monday morning for two "in-camera" items, a legal issue relating to "a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board" and a personnel issue regarding "labour relations or employee negotiations".

Tonight's meetings will be held back-to-back, starting at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers - the main level boardroom of Town Hall - they'll also be livestreamed through the Municipality's YouTube channel.

Chapleau Council Holding Final April Meeting 1 Day Later

Chapleau Town Council's set to meet tonight - a day later than initially scheduled.

While the final meeting of the month was supposed to be held yesterday, the meeting was rescheduled to tonight, with the agenda including delegations from the Chapleau Rotary Club about the installation of two outdoor benches and from the Kebsquasheshing Golf Club about funding for water pump and control panel for irrigation, as well as discussion about the purchase of columbarium units and benches and the purchase of additional sandbags for flood preparedness, resolutions relating to the upcoming municipal election, and 2 "in-camera" items: one regarding human resources, the other involving legal advice.

The meeting will still be held at 6:30 pm in Civic Centre Council Chambers.

Wawa Municipal Staff to Look at Improving Snow Clearing

Wawa Municipal staff will look into ways to improve snow clearing for next season.

In Wawa Municipal Council's Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday night, Councillor Cathy Cannon noted she'd been hearing complaints about the season-ending "scraping" of roads leaving large amounts of difficult to move snow, ice, and debris at the end of driveways, asking whether there was a policy on whether the Municipality would assist with removing that, to which she was told there's no policy but operating practice is that the Municipality does not help with that, leaving it up to the property owner, and while Cannon referenced times where municipal staff had provided assistance, she was told there is no record of those times, but it could have happened when staff had some extra time, which has not been the case this season.

Cannon pushed for a look into whether it was feasible - citing concerns for seniors especially - with Mayor Melanie Pilon questioning whether that was something that should be investigated - concerned it would be competing with local businesses - before suggesting the scope of the review be expanded to generally cover how snow clearing could be improved, including that measure - citing other complaints about snow removal this year and in the past - with agreement the report should be delivered well ahead of the snowier weather at the end of the year.

Flooding Concerns Rising Across Northern Ontario

Flooding concerns continue to rise in many Northern Ontario communities.

Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre has declared a state of emergency for the city due to the ongoing risk of flooding - saying he's been warned it could see "levels that we have never seen before" - while Manitoulin Island still has several communities under states of emergency due to flooding, Manitoulin Health Centre's Mindemoya hospital site remains closed, and several roads on the island, near the north shore of Lake Huron, and other parts of the northeast - including the Goulais River area - have been closed, mainly due to flooding.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has issued flood warnings and/or watches for much of the northeast, with the Chapleau Wawa District under a "flood watch" - which means "potential for flooding exists within specific watercourses and municipalities" - warning residents to "keep a close watch on local conditions and exercise caution around lakes, rivers, creeks and streams" as "spring melt is underway and local waterways are rising rapidly", so "low lying areas may be prone to flooding".

The Township of Chapleau says it is "in regular contact with the MNR and Emergency Management Ontario to monitor conditions and coordinate response efforts as needed", with Township staff monitoring and recording the river water level daily - as of 1 o'clock Monday afternoon, it was still over 3.5 feet below "Stage 1" for the Township's Emergency Committee, with the Township emphasizing "no immediate threat...at this time" nor is Chapleau "facing an imminent flood situation at this time".

It does assure that the Township has over 15,000 sandbags in stock and over 160 cubic metres of screened sand available and ready to deploy if required.

Wawa Council Holding Back-to-Back Meetings

Wawa Municipal Council's holding a pair of meetings tonight.

First up is a Committee of the Whole meeting, including monthly reports from department heads, the Economic Development Officer's quarterly report, a delegation from Gordon Draper on Community Living Awareness Month, and discussion about a "use of corporate resources" policy.

That'll be followed by a regular meeting of Council, which includes resolutions declaring May "Community Living Algoma Awareness Month", receiving and endorsing the Wawa Wastewater Performance Annual Report, and approving the mayor's travel to the Algoma District Municipal Association Meeting in Sault Ste. Marie, as well as by-laws delegating certain authorities during the restricted acts - "lame duck" - period amid the upcoming municipal election and confirming use of corporate resources in that election.

There are also two "in-camera" items, both legal issues relating to "labour relations or employee negotiations".

The meetings will be held back-to-back, starting at 6:30 pm tonight in Council Chambers -the main level boardroom of Town Hall - they'll also be livestreamed through the Municipality's YouTube channel.

White River Curling Club Facility Off-Limits After Structural Failure

Recent weather's damaged White River's curling rink.

The Township of White River says the White River Curling Club facility's "been deemed off-limits until further notice due to a structural failure", after "the weight of ice and snow, that may have been augmented by rain, exceeded the capacity of the roof's secondary structural members", resulting in the roof purlins "deflecting until they buckled allowing the roof to sag", pulling the exterior walls inward, though the Township says the "interior wall looks unaffected".

While it assures engineers inspected the arena, fitness centre, and front entrance and they've been deemed "safe for use", the curling club facility's now off-limits, with the Township saying it has reached out to "upper levels of government to seek emergency funding support" and is "committed to moving forward with repairs...working toward securing a contractor as soon as possible", reassuring "the safety of our residents remains our top priority as we plan next steps".

It acknowledges "the past season marked a very positive and successful return for the curling club" and "the loss of this space is deeply felt across the communities" of White River and Pic Mobert, but reminds residents "this is not a site for viewing", asking everyone "respect all barriers and signage in place and stay clear of the site" as "approaching the area poses serious safety risks".

Voting Ending for Kruger Big Assist Contest, Could Garner Chapleau Minor Hockey $75k

Time is running out to help boost Chapleau Minor Hockey.

Voting in Kruger's Big Assist Contest closes at noon today, and while Chapleau Minor Hockey's already won $25,000 by winning in the Ontario region, it could win a further $75,000 by beating out the other four regional winners for the contest's grand prize.

Mayor Ryan Bignucolo encourages everyone in the region to vote for Chapleau.

A link to the site to vote can be found through the Chapleau Minor Hockey Association and JJAM FM Wawa/Chapleau Facebook pages.

Voting closes at noon today, with the grand prize winner to be announced later this month.

Northern Ontario Flooding Concerns Amid Spring Melt & Rains

Flooding concerns in many Northern Ontario communities.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has issued flood warnings and/or watches from the Sault Ste. Marie area east through Greater Sudbury and down into southern Ontario, with watershed conditions statements in effect for other areas, including the Timmins Kirkland Lake District.

Manitoulin Island in particular has been hard hit by rain, melting snow, and high water, with several communities declaring states of emergency, Manitoulin Health Centre's closed its Mindemoya hospital site, and several roads on the island and near the north shore of Lake Huron have been closed, mainly due to flooding.

Chapleau Mayor Ryan Bignucolo says the Township's spoken with the local MNR about the situation for the community.

Mayor Bignucolo encourages residents to watch the municipal website at chapleau.ca for information or warnings.

Wawa Curling Season Wraps Up

Wawa's curling season has wrapped up.

The 76th annual Wawa Men's Curling Bonspiel capped the season last weekend, with Sault Ste. Marie's Team Glibota winning the "A" Event - after coming second last year - followed by Wawa's Team Leschishin.

The "B" Event went to Wawa teams: Team Spencer Terris came first for the second year in a row, followed by Team Fahrer.

Sault Ste. Marie's Team Porco topped the "C" Event, followed by the Sault's Team Lavoie.

The Sault & Kirkland Lake Team Culhane won the "D" Event, followed by Wawa's Team Desrochers.

The ladies Team Tremblay picked up the Brookfield Sportsman Trophy, while Team Barrette won the Early Bird, Team Desrochers claimed the Door Prize, and Team Wilderness was named "LastButNotLeast".

Organizers thank all participants, Pat Harron and her crew for "a great meal", the ladies who barbecued steaks, MHS students and other volunteers, and the staff of the MMCC for making the weekend of curling and socializing so great.

In Wawa's Ladies Curling...

The season's wrapped up with Denise Bussineau's team atop the standings with fifteen wins, followed by Wendy Bonitzke's team with fourteen, then Diane Spencer's with thirteen, Danette Mathias' with twelve, Barb Leschishin and Cheryl Tremblay's teams with eleven each, Tracy Amos and Rochelle Parsons' teams with ten each, Debbie Tavella's with nine, Annik Szekely's with eight, Glynis Smith-Morin's with seven, Anya Switzer's with six, Lorna Chiupka's with five, and Melanie Coe and Sabrina Michalcewicz's teams with one each.

In Wawa men's curling...

The season's wrapped up with regular season champions Team Tom Terris coming out on top as the playoff champions, as well, followed by Team Mark Leschishin - who was both the regular season and playoff runner-up - while Team Aaron Bumstead came in third in the playoffs.

In Wawa Mixed Curling...

The season's over, and while Chris Buckell's team came first in the first section - followed by Team Tom Terris, then Tom Fahrer's team - it was Team Terris that came first in the second section, followed by Team Fahrer, then Team Buckell.

CSC Nouvelon Announces Principal & VP Appointments

An interim principal's being made permanent for a local school while a new vice-principal's been appointed for another.

Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon says Stéphanie McGregor's been appointed principal for Dubreuilville's Ecole Saint-Joseph, a role she started on an interim basis at the beginning of February - she has nearly a quarter century of experience in education, including as a teacher at Wawa's École Saint-Joseph, where she was vice-principal from 2021 until she was moved to the Dubreuilville school.

Stepping in as vice-principal at Wawa's École Saint-Joseph is Line Bergeron, who was previously principal at Dubreuilville's Ecole Saint-Joseph.

MTO Changes Plans for Wawa-Area Rest Stop Amid Concerns

Plans have changed for a new truck rest stop north of Wawa.

Correspondence officially accepted by Wawa Municipal Council this week from Egis - the company overseeing the project for Ontario's Ministry of Transportation - acknowledged concerns raised by Council in a resolution passed in February, after Council heard concerns about the plan from the Michipicoten Rod and Gun Club, as the rest stop's proposed location is next to where the club's range has been for decades.

The letter says the MTO's committed to shift the rest centre's layout and the "pet area" as far north or west as possible - away from the gun range - while removing a future inspection station and weigh scale from the plan, adding signage throughout the site to advice users of the adjacent shooting range, adding a 4-metre tall berm along the south/east side of the rest centre, and ensuring design drawings specify the treed buffer between the rest centre and the club's property remain untouched - moves club president Rocky Alajoki confirmed to JJAM FM News seem to cover its concerns.

In addition to those changes to plans, the MTO's also agreed to consider putting an electronic billboard west of the rest centre location, to advise travellers of road conditions and closures, a move Council had pushed for in their resolution.

Wawa Council Approves Emergency Glycol Purchase After Leak

Wawa Municipal Council's approved the emergency purchase of material after a major leak at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre.

Community Services and Tourism Director Alex Patterson explains the glycol leak in the curling rink.

While the system was shut down relatively quickly, Patterson says a substantial amount of glycol leaked in that time, requiring emergency efforts to replace it.

Patterson says that was costly.

Patterson also outlined measures intended to prevent the problem from recurring, including a "float" that could automatically shut the pumps down if levels get too low and a change in the flooring to ensure staff can more easily access the entire "header" to inspect the lines.

Plans to cover the cost of the glycol - taking half from the MMCC's operating budget, the other half from reserves meant for the facility - did face a hiccup, as Councillor Cathy Cannon raised concerns about using reserves, calling for a recorded vote on the resolution, which passed 3-1, Mayor Melanie Pilon and Councillors Mitch Hatfield and Jim Hoffmann in favour and Cannon against.

It was one of three recorded votes in the meeting, with another on a resolution to approve the purchase of a replacement sidewalk blower - Cannon again questioned the use of reserves to cover part of the cost, and was told that the purchase of a new mower was being deferred to help offset that, but staff was not recommending further cuts to avoid using reserves - that resolution similarly passed 3-1 with Cannon the sole vote against, while a resolution to waive the Municipality's procurement policy to approve a proposal for a feasibility study on work for the fire hall and town hall buildings passed 3-1 with Mayor Pilon the vote against, having argued that waiving the policy was bad fiscal management and they could wait to go through the request for proposal process, though the other councillors agreed with the staff reasoning that the proposed companies involved - Mike Moore Construction, Tulloch Engineering, and Nor Mech Engineering - have unique knowledge of the buildings, and a good history and reputation justifying their selection.

Wawa Council Holding 3 Meetings After Easter Weekend

Right off the Easter long weekend, Wawa Municipal Council is holding three meetings tonight.

That includes a Committee of Adjustment meeting, where they'll consider an application for a "minor variance" for a Churchill Avenue property, followed by a Committee of the Whole meeting, which will include discussion following up on the Upper Mission Park supply and Wawa Transit service levels, as well as new reports on: the "lame duck" period ahead of this year's municipal election, which will be held October 26th; the election accessibility plan; replacement of the sidewalk blower; a glycol leak in the curling rink; and a proposal for a "feasibility review" of renovations proposed for the Municipal Building and the Fire Hall.

Last will be a regular Council meeting, which includes resolutions approving the purchase of a replacement sidewalk blower, additional glycol, and accessible playground equipment for Upper Mission Park, as well as a resolution approving the building feasibility study.

The meetings will be held back-to-back-to-back, starting at 6:30 tonight in Council Chambers - the main level boardroom of Town Hall - they'll also be livestreamed through the Municipality's YouTube channel.

Wawa Seniors Goose Club Hosting April Lunch & Learn

Wawa seniors are being offered a chance to have a bite to eat and learn about an important topic this week.

The Wawa Goose Seniors Centre is hosting its monthly Lunch and Learn Thursday, April 2nd, starting at 11:30 a-m, this time featuring Ellen McKenzie as guest speaker, Michipicoten First Nation artifacts and preservation - it also offers pizza, coffee or tea, and dessert, sponsored by the Wawa Pharmacy.

Must register at the centre by Monday, March 30th.

A reminder that the centre has moved to 179 Mission Road, between Subway and Pet-Valu.

Local Mayors Press MTO on Highway Maintenance in Region

Local mayors are pushing for improvements to highway maintenance in the region.

Chapleau Mayor Ryan Bignucolo says he's been talking with Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (the MTO) about concerns with local highways.

Mayor Bignucolo encourages the public to raise issues they notice.

This comes as mayors are preparing to attend the annual Ontario Good Roads Conference, which will be held this Sunday through Wednesday, April 1st, in Toronto.

Alamos Gold State of District Meetings Postponed

A pair of information sessions about a local mine are indefinitely postponed.

Citing unforeseen circumstances, Alamos Gold is postponing the "State of the District" meetings regarding its Island Gold District operations near Dubreuilville, which were to be held in Dubreuilville tonight and Wawa on Thursday night - no new dates have been set at this time.

The "Q1 2026 public mine update" was set to include MECP ERO permit corrections and exploration permit to take water presentation, background information about airstrip consideration, and follow-up on the production expansion announcement.

North Algoma Job Fair Returns to Wawa

A trio of Wawa organizations are looking to connect employers and jobseekers today, with the North Algoma Job Fair.

Regional Employment Help Centre Executive Director Cindy Szekely explains the purpose of the event.

Szekely notes the job fair's open to a wide variety of attendees.

The North Algoma Job Fair runs from 10 am to 2 pm at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre.

Alamos Gold Holding State of District Meetings on Island Gold District

UPDATE: MEETINGS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, NEW DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED.

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A local mine's reaching out to the public over the next few days.

Alamos Gold is holding a pair of "State of the District" meetings regarding its Island Gold District operations near Dubreuilville, with the "Q1 2026 public mine update" including MECP ERO permit corrections and exploration permit to take water presentation, background information about airstrip consideration, and follow-up on the production expansion announcement.

The first will be held at the Dubreuilville Town Hall - downstairs - from 6 pm to 8 pm tonight, with another at the Wawa Legion Hall from 6 pm to 8 pm Thursday night.

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