Stay up to date with what’s happening in your community.
COVID-19 cases continue to raise in the region.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting 21 since Friday - nineteen in Greater Sudbury one in the western Sudbury District, another in the Manitoulin Distrisct - pushing known "active" cases up to 62 - the most since mid-May - the health unit only updates hospitalization figures on Wednesdays, but last showed sixteen in hospital.
A new Grand Chief's been elected for the Mushkegowuk Council.
According to a release from the Mushkegowuk Council, Leo Friday was elected to the role on Friday, receiving 365 votes compared to the 359 for Alison Linklater - who's been grand chief since March 2022 - and 275 for former grand chief Ernest "Toby" Beck.
Chief of Kashechewan First Nation for fourteen years, Friday also spent nine years as deputy grand chief of the Mushkegowuk Council.
Meanwhile, Amos Wesley was elected Deputy Grand Chief North, representing the Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Moose Cree, and Attawapiskat First Nations.
Natasha Martin was acclaimed earlier this month as Deputy Grand Chief South, representing the Taykwa Tagamou Nation and the Chapleau Cree and Missinabie Cree First Nations.
They're all set to serve four year terms.
An Indigenous woman marching from Saskatoon to Ottawa passed by Wawa this weekend.
Richelle Dubois explains that her "March On Ottawa" is just the latest effort to seek justice in her 14-year-old son's death.
Dubois says the March itself started on the eight year memorial for her son in May, with a walk from Regina to Saskatoon.
Dubois believes her son's death was murder, noting there was evidence of a struggle and that the coroner refused to document injuries to his face and elbows.
In addition to seeking justice in this case, Dubois is seeking to bring awareness about issues in the health care system - hoping for more accountability under the philosophy that "intentional neglect is murder" - and advocating for missing, murdered, and neglected Indigenous men, boys, and two-spirited people, in addition to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Though she's not seeking financial donations, Dubois encourages people to "donate kilometres" so she can get to Ottawa faster, aiming to be there when Parliament opens next month - the campaign's on Facebook as "March on Ottawa: A Family's March for Justice".
The Municipality of Wawa's looking for public input on a proposed plan to address housing needs in the community.
Economic Development Assistant Jessie Labonte explains the draft Wawa Housing Action Plan presented to Council last Tuesday was written to tackle the issue, which was identified as a priority in Wawa's Strategic Plan.
Labonte says the plan includes five specific goals and strategies to achieve them, including updating the Housing Needs and Demands Study for more up-to-date data.
Labonte notes the plan also recommends developing a plan to service residential property - including Municipality-owned property on Tamarack Road and Algoma Street - and a "brownfield incentives program".
The draft plan's available on the municipal website or at Town Hall, where comments can be dropped off for Labonte - they can also be emailed - by 4 pm Friday, September 8th.
More COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the region.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting thirteen in Greater Sudbury since Wednesday, pushing known "active" cases up to 54.
The health unit only updates hospitalization figures Wednesday afternoon, but last showed sixteen in hospital.
It's the final chance for prospective trustees for the local English public school board.
Following the sudden passing of Russell Reid in June, the Algoma District School Board's trustees are seeking applicants to appoint as the trustee representing the board's "Northern Area", which is comprised of Michipicoten - or Wawa - plus Chapleau and Hornepayne - the chosen applicant would serve out the remainder of the term, which ends in November 2026.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens at least 18 years of age, a resident of the region, a public school elector, not legally prohibited from voting, and not disqualified by any legislation from holding school board office.
Applications must be sent by 4 pm today.
A local health unit's launching the search to fill its top job.
The Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury and Districts - whose coverage area includes Chapleau - has established a subcommittee dedicated to the recruitment and selection of a new Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer, to succeed Dr. Penny Sutcliffe in the dual role.
Sutcliffe's been with the health unit for more than 23 years, but is set to take a long-planned sabbatical and is nearing retirement.
Ballots are being cast today to choose the Mushkegowuk Council's Grand Chief.
The Mushkegowuk Council - which represents eight First Nations communities in Northeastern Ontario, including the Chapleau and Missinabie Cree First Nations - is holding its election, with three candidates in the running for Grand Chief: incumbent grand chief Alison Linklater of Taykwa Tagamou Nation; former grand chief Ernest "Toby" Beck of Moose Cree First Nation; and former deputy grand chief Walter Leo Friday of Kashechewan First Nation.
There are also four candidates for "Deputy Grand Chief North" - incumbent Rebecca Friday, Charlotte Nakoochee, Slyvina Rickard, and Amos Wesley - while Natasha Martin was acclaimed as "Deputy Grand Chief South" earlier this month.
In-person voting's being held at the Chapleau Cree First Nation band office, the Island View Camp in Missinabie, and in other communities from 9 am to 9 pm today.
A major power outage is planned for Chapleau this weekend.
Chapleau Hydro and Hydro One - which took over Chapleau Hydro's "day-to-day operations" in June - are planning an outage for all Chapleau Hydro customers this Sunday, from 7 am to 7 pm.
As summer nears its end, Wawa's library is winding down its "summer reading fun".
Wawa Public Library CEO and Head Librarian Suzie Jarrell reminds the deadline for the Bingo Reading Summer Challenge is 4 o'clock this afternoon.
Jarrell notes the TD Summer Reading Club officially ends with a pair of parties - one English, one French - coming next week.
Jarrell reminds the STEAM and game clubs are also meeting today, with Dungeons and Dragons on Wednesday, but also emphasizes there are other things happening at the library, such as the "New Horizons Knitting Connection" for seniors Thursdays.
Time's running out to express interest in serving as local trustee for the local English public school board.
Following the sudden passing of Russell Reid in June, the Algoma District School Board's trustees have opted to appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy for the trustee representing the "Northern Area" of Michipicoten - or Wawa - and Chapleau and Hornepayne, serving out the remainder of the term, which ends in November 2026.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens at least 18 years of age, a resident of the region, a public school elector, not legally prohibited from voting, and not disqualified by any legislation from holding school board office.
Applications must be sent by 4 pm next Monday, August 28th.
A child is dead after an ATV crash along the north shore of Lake Huron.
East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police say emergency services responded to the collision around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon, finding an ATV slid down an embankment and rolled on top of one of the occupants, a 10-year-old from Barrie, who was pronounced dead in hospital.
OPP Technical Collision Investigators are investigating, with a post-mortem examination expected at a later date.
COVID-19 cases are surging in the region.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting twenty since Monday - one in the eastern Sudbury District, the rest in Grreater Sudbury - though known "active" cases are down slightly, to 46, with cases in hospital dropping to sixteen in hospital.
The neighbouring Porcupine Health Unit's reporting ten cases over the last week - up from the previous week's one - it no longer breaks that down by region nor reports "active" case counts, but shows six in hospital.
Chapleau's warning residents to follow guidelines for bear bins.
A notice on the Township's website reminds the bear proof refuse containers are only for the use of Chapleau taxpayers, with household waste permitted in "normal size refuse bags" - but grass clippings, building products, wood, metal, paint, automotive batteries, tires, fireplace ashes, broken glass, and hazardous material are strictly prohibited, and refuse cannot be left outside the container under any circumstances.
An overnight power outage is expected in Wawa tonight.
Algoma Power says a service interruption's planned for 11 pm tonight until 5 am tomorrow for all customers in Wawa, Michipicoten First Nations, and Highway 17 North to the Marion Lake tower site.
It attributes the outage to substation maintenance.
Chapleau Hydro and Hydro One are planning an outage for all Chapleau Hydro customers this Sunday, from 7 am to 7 pm.
Elderly Chapleau residents are being reminded about special support for property tax.
The Township notes it provides a grant of $150 in property tax assistance for residents at least 65 years old if they meet certain other conditions, including: occupying the property; assessed as owner of the property for at least five years; total taxes levied for the current year exceed $600; and in receipt of a monthly guaranteed income supplement under Part Two of the Old Age Security Act.
The grant's by application only - applications will be accepted until the end of the year.
Chapleau Town Council's looking into options for washroom facilities for the Splash Pad.
While users of the facility are currently able to use the washrooms at the Municipal Office, that's limited to the hours of the office and library, and Mayor Ryan Bignucolo says that prompted a request for something else.
Mayor Bignucolo says the options will be reviewed by the CAO, in an effort to make it easier for families that utilize the splash pad.
More COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the region.
Algoma Public Health's reporting an increase of sixteen over the last week: fifteen in Central and East Algoma and two in the Sault Ste. Marie area, while the count for the Elliot Lake area was reduced by one.
That's pushed known "high risk active" cases up slightly, to 27, though there are no longer any showing in hospital.
Chapleau's updating a report on the local airport.
Mayor Ryan Bignucolo says Chapleau Town Council's approved a nearly $52,000 agreement for an update to the Aviation Facilities Assessment for the Chapleau Municipal Airport.
Mayor Bignucolo says - once that assessment's updated - the Township will apply for funding "with the appropriate things that the airport needs".
Planned work for Chapleau's train museum is being put off.
Mayor Ryan Bignucolo explains the decision stems from a loss of funding.
Mayor Bignucolo says he believes the withdrawn funding was around $150,000 - an amount the Township cannot cover - but assures the project's not dead, with plans to revisit and reapply for possible funding with "a better plan on how we can take care of that situation".
