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Chapleau's Wishing Rock could soon be emerging from the brush.
Mayor Michael Levesque says the rock was discussed in this week's Council meeting.
Mayor Levesque says clearing around the rock is expected to be done by Hydro One next week, with Council to then consider the question of whether to repaint it, with permission from First Nations.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit is investigating a Wawa incident connected to a theft of gas in White River.
The SIU says Ontario Provincial Police were informed about the theft early Monday afternoon, with an officer locating a vehicle of interest - a U-Haul - about half an hour later, travelling south or east on Highway 17, though an attempt to stop the vehicle failed and the officer lost sight of the vehicle, which was later located abandoned in a snowbank in Wawa.
Superior East OPP say they later heard reports of the suspects operating a snowmobile on Broadway Avenue, and the SIU says officers later located that snowmobile, as it had been involved in a collision on Mission Road - one of the riders, a 29-year-old man was still with the snowmobile and was taken to hospital for treatment of a serious injury, though the other rider had fled the scene.
OPP say they're continuing to search for that suspect - but assure there are no concerns for public safety - while the SIU has invoked its mandate, which includes investigating interactions with police that result in a death or serious injury.
The SIU urges anyone with information to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529, and - if you have video evidence - upload it through the SIU website.
Chapleau Town Council is seeking some provincial funding to modernize.
Council's approved plans to submit an expression of interest under the provincial government's "Municipal Modernization Program", which is intended to help Ontario municipalities conduct studies to improve efficiency.
Mayor Michael Levesque explains that - since the Township conducted a similar efficiency study a few years ago - Council is instead planning to focus on energy efficiency for this study.
Levesque says any potential major changes that the study recommends would need to be approved by Council.
Local police are assuring there's no concerns for public safety as they search for a suspect in a theft of gas in White River.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they were informed about the theft around 12:38 Monday afternoon, with the suspect vehicle located about half an hour later on Highway 17 - near Highway 519, the Dubreuilville turnoff - though the vehicle fled from police after an attempted traffic stop.
The vehicle was later found abandoned in Wawa, though the two suspects were observed operating a snowmobile on Broadway Avenue - the snowmachine ended up being involved in a collision on Mission Road, leading police to arrest one of the two suspects, though the other remains outstanding at this time.
OPP also note the province's Special Investigations Unit has invoked its mandate, but doesn't explain why.
The SIU's mandate is to investigate interactions with police that result in a death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault.
Chapleau's starting preparations for the annual winter carnival.
Mayor Michael Levesque says Chapleau Town Council considered recommendations from the new Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Rejean Raymond, during this week's Council meeting.
Levesque notes some of the plans include a magician for the kids, dog sled rides, face painting, snow sculpturing, and men's and women's hockey tournaments.
The mayor also notes that Council has approved another of Raymond's recommendations, to offer lower ice rental rates from December 27th to 30th, so families and other interested people can enjoy the ice.
The search for a place to store Canada's used nuclear fuel has narrowed - cutting out a couple nearby communities.
A statement from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization says it has decided to continue studying the communities of Ignace in northwestern Ontario, and the Township of Huron-Kinloss and the Municipality of South Bruce, near the Bruce nuclear reactor, though one of the southern communities will be cut once NWMO locates an area for a potential repository site through an ongoing process with local landowners.
NWMO confirms this means the area around the nearby communities of Hornepayne and Manitouwadge will no longer be considered.
The agency's site selection process has been underway since 2010 - at the beginning including 22 communities across Canada, including Wawa, White River, and several other northern communities.
Chapleau Town Council's marking the last Monday of the month with a meeting.
Included on the agenda is a presentation from Northeast Midstream about the possibility of liquefied natural gas - it's the same company involved in proposals to bring LNG to several communities in the northwest, including Wawa.
Council will also consider recommendations from the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services about the Winter Carnival and off-peak ice rental rates, will consider approving 2019 tax write-offs proposed by the Treasurer, and will consider applying for funding under the provincial government's Municipal Modernization Program.
Also on the agenda are updates on Civic Centre accessibility upgrades and the Wishing Rock, a debrief on Friday's planned power outage, and a CAO report on zoning for temporary accommodations.
There are also three "in-camera" items: one relating to labour relations or employee negotiations; another about negotiations related to Rayonier Advanced Materials; and the last about advice subject to solicitor-client privilege, relating to the CRDC's Gold Rush Nationals Drag Race.
Aside from the "in-camera" portion, tonight's meeting is open to the public, starting at 6:30 pm in Civic Centre Council Chambers.
A southern Ontario man is facing multiple charges over accusations of child luring involving youth in the Chapleau area.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say the investigation dates back to May 30th, when officers in Chapleau received a report that sexually explicit images were being received by youth through social media, with subsequent investigation revealing victims ranged from 13 to 17 years of age, resulting in the arrest of a 24-year-old in Haldimand County last Tuesday.
He's been charged with: eight counts of luring a person under 16 years of age by means of telecommunication; three counts of luring a person under 18 years of age by means of telecommunication; two counts each of indecent exposure to a person under 16 years of age and making sexually explicit material available to a person under 16 years of age; and one count each of transmitting sexually explicit material to a person under 18 years of age and communicating with anyone under 18 years of age for the purpose of obtaining sexual services.
The accused has been released from custody, but is scheduled to appear in Chapleau's Ontario Court of Justice in February.
OPP are reminding parents to educate their children about online safety, monitor their online activities as much as possible, and ensure your children are comfortable coming to you or someont they trust with incidents of this nature so they can be dealt with by investigators.
Wawa again came out to "Feed the Need" by helping fill the food bank this weekend.
Wawa Food Bank Co-ordinator Cindy Szekely thanks the community for its support, noting "Feed the Need" is one of the food bank's biggest fundraisers - and provides important support at a key time of year.
While support was down - just 803 items were received, with $1905 in monetary donations - Szekely thanks everyone who supported this year's event or the food bank, particularly the entertainers and the various sponsors who offered food or door prizes as a thank you for supporting the event.
The Wawa, Dubreuilville, and White River communities are being encourage to provide a gift for local children this Christmas season, as Wawa's Bargain Shop has launched its annual toy drive.
Manager Nick Veldt says it's easy to participate, emphasizing it will support local organizations.
The local toy drive culminates with a "Fill the Sleigh Day" event featuring local emergency services at the Bargain Shop on December 7th.
Chapleau residents are being reminded of a few tips amid a community-wide planned power outage.
Power's expected to be out from 9 am to 3 pm today, as Hydro One does emergency maintenance on its transmission line, and the Township of Chapleau's warning residents to keep their fridge and freezer closed during the outage - unless necessary - with any other devices that may generate heat unplugged until power's back and the temperature and humidity return to normal, using only proper candle holders - never leaving candles unattended - and following manufacturer guidelines for generators.
The Township's also taking the opportunity to urge residents to prepare for emergencies, creating a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit with a windup or battery-powered flashlight and radio, batteries, at least two litres of water for each person per day, canned or dried food that won't spoil - with can opener - a first aid kit, blankets, and candles with matches.
Chapleau Health Services is hosting a warming centre during the outage.
Chapleau's celebrating Christmas a little early.
Chapleau Fireman's Association Vice President David O'Hearn explains the Olde Fashioned Christmas arrives tonight.
O'Hearn highlights another major feature of the event: the parade.
O'Hearn notes more participants are welcome to join the parade, which starts at 6 o'clock, travelling from Our Lady of Fatima school to the downtown, passing Cedargrove, so the seniors can see it.
Santa Claus will arrive downtown at 7 pm, with various communities organizations selling food or serving free hot chocolate.
An officer with local ties is the new commander for the Ontario Provincial Police's Sault Ste. Marie detachment.
The Ontario Provincial Police say Manuela Byrnes has been named Detachment Commander in the Sault - Byrnes has been acting Detachment Commander since May, and was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant.
Originally from Goulais River - and a former member of the local Superior East OPP detachment - Byrnes is the first woman to lead the Sault detachment.
Ontario Provincial Police are getting into the holiday spirit, launching their Festive RIDE campaign.
Superior East OPP Constable Trevor Tremblay says the campaign involves all police services across the province, intended to tackle alcohol or drug impaired driving with an increased police presence on local roads.
Noting the law now allows officers to take a breath sample whether or not they suspect a driver of drinking, Constable Tremblay warns such mandatory tests will be more frequent this year.
OPP say 56 people were killed in alcohol or drug-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads last year, and emphasize that - every day - an average of four Canadians are killed and 175 injured in impairment-related crashes.
The Festive RIDE campaign starts tomorrow, running until January 2nd.
Dozens of charges have been laid against a Windsor resident after a theft call at a business north of Wawa.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they were called to the business on Highway 17 north of Wawa around 2 o'clock last Saturday, November 16th - shortly after officers arrived, a suspicious person was observed trying to break into a vehicle on the property, leading the individual's arrest.
That's led to a total of 25 charges for the 27-year-old from Windsor, including: eight counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5000, another for over $5000; four counts each of mischief and fail to comply with recognizance; one each of possessing methamphetamine, other drugs, prohibited device or ammunition, and break-in instruments; and trespassing at night.
The accused has been remanded into custody pending a bail hearing.
Wawa residents are being urged to help fill the Wawa Food Bank this weekend.
The annual "Feed the Need" fundraiser offers a hot dog, nachos, a hot or cold beverage, and a cookie, all in exchange for a non-perishable food item donation.
Food Bank Coordinator Cindy Szekely says that greatly supports the local food bank, explaining the support that organization provides to the community, on a mostly weekly basis.
Szekely emphasizes that the food bank sees people of all ages, including kids.
"Feed the Need" is considered the food bank's largest fundraiser, but also a fun event for those who come out, with live entertainment, several door prizes, and JJAM FM broadcasting live on location.
Wawa Feed The Need will be held at the Community Centre from 11 am to 3 pm Sunday.
Wawa Municipal Council’s considered a report on arena ice installation.
Community Services and Tourism Director Alex Patterson explained the report was partly intended to explain the fourteen-day process for making ice - saying that timeline does include "buffer days" to accommodate problems - and he noted humidity issues continue to pose a problem during ice making due to outside temperatures and weather in September - Patterson recommended a study to determine the best way to address the issue.
Councillor Pat Tait stated he believes the "root cause" to be the arena's dehumidifiers, though Patterson likened them to a bilge pump which could address the symptom but suggested there may be a better way to address the issue, which could include redoing the arena's insulation.
Tait also suggested the 14-day timeline for ice making could be cut down by using shifts, and suggested Patterson's recommendation for a study be folded into the Community Centre modernization project proposed in a funding application made to the provincial and federal governments earlier this month, with Mayor Ron Rody agreeing staff should be directed to include that, as Patterson agreed the proposal was broad enough that it could do so.
During the discussion, Councillor Mitch Hatfield emphasized that she didn't want anyone to forget why we have the arena, pointing to kids and the community.
Wawa Municipal Council's a step closer to updating the municipality's procedural by-law.
Clerk Cathy Cyr discussed a revised by-law during last night's Corporate Planning Committee meeting, noting the current by-law is "outdated" as it was last reviewed in 2011 and it does not include changes made to Ontario's Municipal Act in 2017.
The proposed revision would bring in those changes - including setting Council's "inaugural meeting" as the first Monday after November 15th, rather than early December - but would maintain the current meeting schedule of the first and third Tuesday of the month, except for certain months.
It also requires at least 24 hours notice for a special meeting, which must be called for specific business - and no revisions could be made to that agenda after notice is given.
Under the updated by-law, Council members would be allowed to participate in meetings "electronically", though each member would be limited to four times per calendar year, and councillors attending electronically wouldn't count toward the required "quorum" for a meeting, so three members would still need to be there physically, with those wanting to attend electronically given approval on a "first come, first served" basis.
Councillors attending electronically would not be able to participate in a closed meeting.
The revised by-law also calls for Council to review it annually, though it includes a process for early review, too.
Plans are for the draft procedural by-law to be brought to Council for a vote during the next regular meeting, on December 10th.
Wawa's arena was a major focus during last night's Corporate Planning Committee meeting, with Wawa Municipal Council considering proposals to change the dates for ice availability and increase user fees.
While the original proposal was to maintain the current policy of making the Tuesday after Thanksgiving the official start to the ice season - adding a one-week "shoulder period" - CAO/Treasurer Maury O'Neill says that "shoulder period" has been dropped in favour of an earlier date, following response from user groups.
Though this does seem to address concerns about the start of the season, concerns were raised about the timing of the end of the season, which is earlier than the normal date of the Old Timers Hockey Tournament, which is usually held the last weekend of March, alongside the Ladies' Curling Bonspiel.
Along with the new official ice season, O'Neill's recommending the municipality increase ice user fees from the current $50 an hour for youth and $110 an hour for adults, noting the fees were compared with other communities.
O'Neill suggested the increase may be considered high, but is needed to cover costs, with Mayor Ron Rody saying the Municipality's "playing catch up" for not having annual increases, noting other municipalities are turning more toward user fees to cover such costs.
There is time for public input on the proposals, which will go to Council for approval December 10th, though they wouldn't apply until the next ice season, a move intended to give users time to plan and adapt.
Wawa Municipal Council will have more time to consider water meter-based billing.
During last night's Corporate Planning Committee meeting, CAO/Treasurer Maury O'Neill told Council she's now recommending against switching at the start of next year.
O'Neill says that delay will be a boon.
O'Neill says an information session will be held at the Community Centre December 12th - from 3 to 7 pm - and notes municipal staff can help homeowners or businesses get an idea of what their bill would look like, based on last year or even this year's water usage.
While O'Neill has recommended a delay in implementing water meter-based billing - suggesting that'll come back before Council in February - she is still recommending Council approve a change to three bills a year, rather than the current two.
That proposal will go to Council for a vote December 10th.
