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Wawa residents are being challenged to join in Participaction's "Community Better Challenge" over the next couple weeks.
Lady Dunn Health Centre dietician Jenelle McAuley explains it's a physical activity challenge, similar to Wawa's Wellness Challenge.
McAuley says anyone can participate by using the Participaction app or its website, and suggests anyone with difficulty using the website contact her.
The challenge runs Friday, May 31st, to Sunday, June 16th.
A Sault Ste. Marie man's the big winner of the Algoma Family Services Foundation Great Escape Dream Draw.
Reg Francis has the choice between a prizepack of 2019 Ford F150 Super Crew XLT 4x4 Truck and a 2019 Jayco Jayflight 29RKS Travel Trailer or to simply go with $85,000.
There were also five winners of $1000 each (Kenneth Miller, Pat Lucente, Joe Pettenuzzo, Ada Della Penta, and Norm Cloutier), and ten winners of $500 each (Jack Ingram, Graham Bertrand, Beth Coombs, David Newman, Jeff Rogers, Larry Barber, Lois Pine, Mark Vendramin, Mike Brooks, and Brenda Strachan).
Two weeks after passing their annual budget, Chapleau Town Council's set to consider several items tonight.
Included on the agenda for tonight's regular meeting are by-laws to "grant assistance to elderly residents" and to enter into an agreement for "9-1-1 Primary Public Safety Answering Point Services", as well as resolutions relating to: a proposal for a feasibility study on dechlorination options for the wastewater treatment lagoon; drawings for the Civic Centre accessibility project; an RFP for the Recreation Centre Header project; a request to extend hours of the handi-transit bus service; and a request from the CRDC's Chapleau Drag Races Committee.
There's also a proposed zoning by-law amendment to permit a medical office as a "Home Based Business" in the basement of an existing single detached dwelling, and Council will go "in-camera" to discuss two items that are "personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees", as well as one item about "a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the Municipality".
Aside from the "in-camera" portion, tonight's meeting is open to the public, starting at 6:30 pm in Civic Centre Council Chambers.
Local police are continuing to investigate a collision that killed a pedestrian just south of White River early Saturday morning.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to the collision on Highway 17 around 2:30 am Saturday morning - few other details have been given, though police say the incident involved a commercial motor vehicle and a pedestrian, who is dead as a result of the collision.
OPP are also seeking more information, urging anyone who was travelling Highway 17 south of White River between 1 am and 3 am Saturday to call the OPP.
The highway was closed between White River and Wawa until nearly 2 pm Saturday afternoon, as a Technical Collision Investigator and a Reconstructionist processed the scene.
A sign of the coming summer season is approaching: Wawa's annual Legion Golf Tournament.
Organizer Larry Harvey of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 429 outlines the basic details of the event.
Harvey notes there is also a hole in one prize of a trip for two to Las Vegas.
Anyone wanting to register is asked to contact Harvey by June 13th, so arrangements can be made for the tournament on June 15th.
Ontario Provincial Police are warning of possible delays between Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie.
Superior East OPP say they responded to a single vehicle collision involving a transport truck last night: the tractor portion came to rest in the southbound lane of Highway 17 near Agawa Bay - and has since been removed - but the trailer remains off the roadway on a steep enbankment.
Crews are continuing to unload the contents of the trailer so it can be removed, but police warn that means the highway may be shut down intermittently until the trailer's removed.
Ontario Provincial Police are looking for some good people - holding recruitment events across the province this weekend.
Superior East OPP Constable Trevor Tremblay says an event will be held in Wawa.
Constable Tremblay says the OPP's generally looking for recruits - particularly for uniformed officers - and it would be "great" to have some locals apply and possibly stay here long-term.
Tremblay notes he's from Chapleau and doesn't plan on leaving "anytime soon".
While the event is focused on those who may apply, the Superior East OPP Recruitment Day meet-and-greet is open for most people to attend, between 10 am and 2 pm Saturday, at the downtown Wawa detachment on Broadway Avenue.
Wawa residents are being encouraged to strap on their shoes this Sunday and get walking to help provide dog guides for those who need them.
Nancy Donald explains Wawa's Lions Club is holding its annual Walk For Dog Guides this weekend, a fundraiser to support the Lion's Foundation of Canada Dog Guides - and she notes there are several different dog guide programs.
Donald encourages people to collect pledges or simply show up for the event - with your dogs, if you want - and she notes there will be some prizes and gift bags.
The Walk for Dog Guides will be based at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre - rain or shine - registration starts at 9 o'clock Sunday morning, with the walk beginning at 10 am.
Volunteers are wanted to help clean up Chapleau's Peace Park.
A "park clean up day" is planned for this weekend, and Mayor Michael Levesque encourages everyone to volunteer, noting the strong response last year.
The Peace Park Clean Up is planned to run from 9 am to 1 pm tomorrow, though - if there's inclement weather - the rain date is this Sunday, also from 9 am to 1 pm.
More spring cleaning's planned for Chapleau, with "Pitch-In Days" Tuesday through Friday of next week - a map for the pitch-in is on the Township's website.
Local police were kept busy on the roads over the last week.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say 64 speeding charges were laid over the recent "Canada Road Safety Week" from May 14th to 20th, with four seatbelt charges, two careless driving charges, and a fail to yield charge.
Officers conducted 22 RIDE checkpoints over the week, which included the Victoria Day long weekend.
With the increased traffic of the summer driving season, Superior East OPP also remind drivers to practice safe driving habits: reducing speed; ensuring you're well rested prior to travelling; and buckling up.
A financial controller from Espanola is expected to carry the local Liberal banner this fall.
The Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing Liberal Association's preparing to hold a nomination meeting in Spanish on June 1st, with the expectation that 2015 candidate Heather Wilson will be acclaimed as the Liberal nominee.
An email from Riding Chair Tom Farquhar to JJAM FM News confirms the plans, touting Wilson's "continued dedication and efforts...since the last election", as well as her "personal values and commitments to our great riding", adding that her "continued commitments to represent the people of this riding has shown what a great representative she will make".
This comes just over a week after the local Conservative association acclaimed their candidate, Dave Williamson, the CAO for the Township of Northeastern Manitoulin and Islands for the last fourteen years.
Incumbent New Democrat Carol Hughes is also seeking re-election for what would be her fourth term in the House of Commons.
Wawa's rules for temporary vendors could be changing.
Municipal Council was informed during Tuesday's Policy Committee meeting that staff are working on an updated "temporary vendor, transient, traders, hawkers, and peddlers licenses by-law" which would replace two decades-old by-laws, which CAO/Treasurer Maury O'Neill suggested hadn't been properly enforced in recent years - and she noted there had been some issues relating to such vendors.
Under the new by-law, such vendors would be required to have a business licence with the option of different lengths - suggested options included one day, 48 hours, one month, and the current option of one year, with different prices for each.
The vendors would need permission to sell on private property - and would need to be able to show proof of that permission - and would be banned from selling on municipal boulevards or sidewalks.
A few exemptions might also be included in the by-law, for events such as the By Hand Festival, Fall Fair, Winter Carnival, Drag Races, and Fishing Derbies.
O'Neill emphasized that it would be helpful to have the by-law passed early next month, so that it's in place before it is needed for the summer - especially with the Goose Nest Summer Market to debut Canada Day weekend - and the by-law is expected to come to the June 4th Corporate Planning Committee meeting, possibly going to a vote at the next regular meeting, which would be held immediately after the Corporate Planning meeting.
Wawa Municipal Council's approved a few steps toward bringing liquefied natural gas to the community.
Council last night declared eight plots in "Phase 3" of the Wawa Industrial Park to be "surplus land" - a move required to sell the land - before approving a resolution confirming intent to sell or lease two of those plots to the Marathon Economic Development Corporation, for an LNG depot.
Municipal CAO/Treasurer Maury O'Neill emphasized to Council that the resolution only confirmed intent to sell or lease the land - and that an actual sale or lease would need to be confirmed in a future by-law - and that the Marathon EDC's only being used as a "placeholder" for a regional distribution corporation or local distribution entity that needs to be formed at some point in the future.
Similarly, Council authorized a "Model Franchise Agreement" to "distribute, store, and transmit natural gas in the Municipality of Wawa", using Marathon EDC as a placeholder for "an entity to be formed or corporation to be incorporated" - such an agreement was noted to be another important step in moving the project forward with provincial regulators, and to help Council get important information on the project.
O'Neill also noted that reports on the feasibility of local LNG and the potential depot site are expected later this year.
Charges have been dropped against Wawa's former chief administrative officer.
Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General has confirmed to JJAM FM News that a charge of sexual assault and another of criminal harassment laid against Chris Wray last July were withdrawn on May 8th, with Wray entering into a "peace bond" for 12 months - peace bonds usually include conditions such as keeping the peace.
The charges had related to allegations of an assault in Greater Sudbury in November 2016 involving parties that were known to each other - the complaint was initially made to Superior East Ontario Provincial Police nearly a year ago, and they forwarded the investigation to Greater Sudbury Police, who ended up laying the charges that have now been withdrawn.
Wray was Wawa's CAO/Clerk-Treasurer since 1999 - aside from a period where he was CAO of Muskoka Lakes from December 2012 to May 2014 - though the Municipality of Wawa announced in late January 2019 that Wray and the Municipality had "ended their employment relationship" with no further details given.
Wawa Economic Development Corporation CEO Maury O'Neill was hired as the new Municipal CAO/Treasurer in February 2019, while Deputy Clerk Cathy Cyr was promoted to Clerk.
Wawa's Northern Nationals Drag Race is getting a provincial boost - to buy some equipment.
Energy, Northern Development and Mines Minister Greg Rickford's announced over $1.3-million for "tourism infrastructure projects" in the Algoma region and Manitoulin Island, including $25,000 for the Municipality of Wawa to "build new infrastructure for the Wawa Drag Races, allowing the event to be held in one central location".
Acting Community Services and Tourism Director Brian Lachine's clarified that the funds are a grant that will require the Municipality to put up half of the funding for a project - either through municipal coffers or other outside funding.
Lachine adds that the Drag Race Committee has a list of items it would like to purchase to help with the event, though he emphasizes the most important is a stage, as one is currently rented every year - something that is not cost effective - and a new, mobile stage could potentially be used for other events, as well.
Wawa Municipal Council's also approved a slight change for a small subclass of taxpayers.
Council was informed last week that the newly created "Industrial Small-Scale On-Farm Business Subclass" was eligible for a 75 percent tax rate deduction, with staff confirming that "approximately one" business would fall under that specific category.
Staff warned Council that applying that rate deduction would shift the tax burden slightly to other categories - to compensate for the loss of that revenue - though it was estimated last night that it would amount to about $600 this year.
Mayor Ron Rody stated he didn't mind the idea - suggesting it would need to be re-thought if it would've been a much larger shift - with Council agreeing, passing a resolution to apply the tax rate deduction starting this year, though Rody did suggest it could be revisited, if that subclass begins to include more businesses.
Wawa Municipal Council's adopted its first capital budget of the new term - with some provisional items.
Less than a week after the draft capital budget was presented, Council voted to approve the document, which includes over $4.6-million in already committed and otherwise recommended projects, though only $427-thousand of that would come from taxation, with $1.2-million from municipal reserves, and the more than $3-million left expected to come from outside funding.
Already committed projects make up $3.27-million of that total - with the municipal contribution expected to be a little over $1-million - with projects including the ongoing reconstruction of Toronto Avenue, the Waterfront Project, work on Pinewood Drive, lower Government Road, and Scenic High Falls Park, the landfill expansion, now-completed repairs at the Community Centre, the THM study, and the liquefied natural gas study.
Rounding out the $4.6-million total is nearly $1.4-million in "staff-recommended projects" - about $625-thousand of it to come from the municipality - including two projects currently "under review": a new tanker for the Fire Department, whose current tanker is considered obsolete with difficulty finding parts; and a new fuel system for Public Works.
That latter project was discussed again last night, with Infrastructure Services Director Cory Stainthorpe noting he's nearly finished a report requested by Councillor Pat Tait comparing costs for switching to a card-lock system at a private business rather than fixing the current underground system used by the entire municipal fleet or replacing it with a new above-ground system.
The capital budget also recommends four projects totalling roughly $9.5-million - about $1-million from municipal coffers - that would be subject to outside funding: the proposed reconstruction of the "Connecting Link" section of Mission Road and Main Street; the reconstruction of "School Zone" roads; as-yet unspecified upgrades to the Community Centre; and replacement of playground equipment at a park in the Mission.
With the capital budget now approved, Council's expected to see the draft operating budget in early June, so it can be approved before the end of the month.
Wawa residents are being encouraged to learn about - and discuss - the Wawa Goose Nest Summer Market in an event this evening.
Brian Lachine - the Acting Director of Community Services and Tourism - explains the information session is meant to get out some important information about the project.
Lachine recommends coming out for the entire event - from 6 to 7 tonight at the Community Centre banquet room - as it will include a formal presentation before a question-and-answer period.
21 charges have been laid against a Southern Ontario man after a traffic stop near Wawa.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say an officer conducting traffic enforcement on Highway 17 in Dambrossio Township around 9:50 am Sunday morning stopped an SUV after observing it travelling at a high rate of speed.
According to police, further investigation revealed the driver was breaching numerous conditions, leading to the 29-year-old Kitchener man's arrest on eleven counts of fail to comply with recognizance, eight counts of possession of firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order, and two of unauthorized possession of weapon.
He was remanded into custody for a bail hearing in Sault Ste. Marie today.
Wawa Municipal Council's set to consider the budget in back-to-back meetings tonight.
Council will start the night with a Policy Committee meeting, set to discuss: a staff report on the Wawa liquefied natural gas project; a Dubreuilville zoning order; a by-law for temporary vendor, transient, traders, hawkers, and peddlers licenses; and a staff report on a tax matter involving the small scale on-farm business sub-class.
The main item on the agenda is the draft capital budget, which was presented last week: it totals over $4.6-million in already committed and otherwise recommended projects, though only $427-thousand of that would come from taxation, another $1.2-million from municipal reserves, and the rest from outside funding.
Already-committed projects make up over $3.25-million - though the municipal contribution's only expected to be a little over $1-million - with projects including the ongoing reconstruction of Toronto Avenue and the Waterfront project, as well as the landfill expansion, and work on Pinewood Drive, lower Government Road, and Scenic High Falls Park.
After the Policy meeting will be a regular meeting, including resolutions to approve the capital budget and declare surplus land in the Wawa Industrial Park and confirm intent to sell it for the liquefied natural gas depot project.
Council will also go "in-camera" for a legal issue relating to a sale of land.
Aside from the "in-camera" portion, tonight's meeting is open to the public, starting at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers.
