Threats Charge in Chapleau

A threats charge has been laid in Chapleau.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say officers responded to a threats occurrence on Martel Road shortly before 11 pm Tuesday night, with subsequent investigation leading to the arrest of a 24-year-old man from Brunswick House First Nation on a charge of uttering threats to cause bodily harm.

He's been released from custody, with a May court date in Chapleau.

Wawa Council Holds Special Meeting for Early Budget Discussions

Wawa Municipal Council's continuing early budget discussions.

Three months after passing this year's budget, a special meeting will be held tonight, with a single item on the agenda: a budget presentation, relating to asset management.

The public is able to attend the meeting, which will be held in Council Chambers at 6:30 pm, and broadcast on the Municipality's YouTube channel.

Assault Charges Over Wawa Domestic Dispute

Assault charges have been laid over a Wawa domestic dispute.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to a disturbance on Mission Road shortly after 4 am on March 29th, with investigation leading to the arrest of a Sudbury 28-year-old on a charge of spousal assault and another of assault.

The accused - who will not be identified due to the domestic nature of the incident, to protect the victim - was released from custody, with a May court date in Wawa.

Mischief, Threats & Other Charges After Dubreuilville Traffic Complaint

Several charges have been laid after a Dubreuilville traffic complaint.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say a possible impaired driver was reported on Rue Des Pins shortly after 1 pm March 30th, with officers locating and stopping the vehicle, speaking with the driver, determining they were not impaired but finding they'd breached court-ordered release conditions by attending an ex-partner's residence and threatening them, then began to drive in a dangerous manner near the ex-partner's property.

The 44-year-old from Pickle Lake - who will not be identified due to the domestic nature of the incident, to protect the victim - was charged with domestic mischief, mischief over $5000, uttering threats to damage property, dangerous operation, drive motor vehicle and perform stunt, and three counts of failure to comply with undertaking - they were held for a bail hearing, then released.

Local Charges In Connection to Stolen Property Investigation

Charges have been laid in connection to a stolen property investigation.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say members of the Community Street Crime Unit and other officers executed a search warrant at a Churchill Avenue residence shortly before 2 pm last Wednesday, finding two items that had been reported stolen by their owner.

Police arrested a 48-year-old from Wawa on charges of possession of property obtained by crime over and under $5000, then released him with a May court date in Wawa.

Wawa Finishes Installation of New MMCC Sportsfield Track

Wawa's sportsfield has a new running track.

The Municipality of Wawa's announced installation of the track has now been finalized, shy of a year after it announced the Ontario Trillium Fund would provide a $130,000 grant, covering all of the project costs.

At that time, Community Services and Tourism Director Alex Patterson assured plans were for a track similar to the degraded old one.

J. Provost Contracting installed the four-lane, 400-metre track, which is made of crushed rock over a base of gravel.

1st Wawa & Sault Ste. Marie District Wildland Fires of 2024 Season

This region's seen its first forest fires of the season.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says "Wawa 1" and "Wawa 2" were both located east of Highway 614 and north of Eric Lake - each measuring a tenth of a hectare in size - while "Sault Ste. Marie 1" - also a tenth of a hectare in size - was located north of Red Rock Road in the community of Red Rock.

All three have since been called out.

Wildland fire season officially began April 1st.

Stolen Vehicle Recovered After Wawa Area Traffic Stop

Local police have recovered a stolen vehicle after a traffic stop near Wawa.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say officers were conducting general patrol on Highway 17 shortly before 9 am March 29th, when their Automated Licence Plate Recognition system alerted them to a plate that had been reported stolen - officers stopped the vehicle, with investigation confirming the plates were stolen and did not belong to the stopped vehicle, which had also been reported stolen.

The driver was also found to be driving with a suspended licence.

The Mississauga 36-year-old's been charged with: possession of property obtained by crime, both over and under $5000; fail to comply with probation order; Class G1 licence holder unaccompanied by qualified driver; and two counts of driving while under suspension.

They've been released with a May court date in Wawa.

Drug & Firearm Charges Laid After Last Week's Fatal Collision South of Wawa

Numerous charges have been laid after last week's fatal collision south of Wawa.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to the "serious" two-vehicle collision on Highway 17 about 30 kilometres south of town shortly before 10 o'clock last Thursday morning, with a 19-year-old from North York confirmed deceased as a result of the collision.

Police say their investigation found one of the other people in the same vehicle as the deceased was in possession of a loaded handgun, with a subsequent search of the vehicle uncovering a large amount of suspected fentanyl (valued over $28,000), prompting a total of 41 criminal charges for the five occupants of the vehicle - a 17-year-old from Etobicoke, an 18-year-old from Scarborough, a 21-year-old from Toronto, and two 21-year-olds from North York - with the charges ranging from possession of loaded prohibited firearm to possession of a Schedule I opioid for the purpose of trafficking to failing to comply with probation orders.

The Toronto resident was released from custody with a May court date, while the other four were remanded into custody for bail hearings, remaining in custody at this time.

Gogama's Côté Gold Mine Marks 1st Gold Pour

A mine in the region is celebrating a major milestone.

IAMGOLD's reporting its Côté Gold Mine near Gogama achieved its first gold pour on Easter Sunday, with IAMGOLD now shifting to ramp up production by the third quarter, hoping to reach a 90% throughput rate by the end of this year.

It's currently forecasting gold production ranging from 220,000 to 290,000 ounces, so long as it meets remaining milestones.

Employment's expected to grow to more than 500 people on site, in addition to support staff and contractors.

The mine's currently expected to have a life of 18 years, with projections annual production could reach about 370,000 ounces over that time, which would make it one of the largest operating gold mines in Canada.

Superior East OPP to Watch for Seatbelt Use Over Easter Weekend

Local police will be watching for proper seatbelt use over the Easter weekend.

While she says proper seatbelt use is a priority at all times of the year, Superior East Ontario Provincial Police Constable Ashley Nickle explains the local detachment's joining in a province-wide seatbelt safety campaign.

Nickle reminds seatbelts must be worn by all vehicle occupants.

Constable Nickle emphasizes seatbelts should be worn at all times, noting no matter how careful you are, you never know when you might encounter a distracted, impaired, or aggressive driver on the road.

Nickle also warns lack of - or improper - seatbelt use is one of the leading causes of traffic deaths in Ontario.

The Easter Long Weekend Seatbelt Campaign runs from Good Friday through Easter Monday.

Alamos Gold Announces Friendly Buyout of Argonaut Gold

A major deal in the mining industry with substantial ripples locally.

Alamos Gold and Argonaut Gold have announced a definitive agreement for Alamos to acquire all of Argonaut's issued and outstanding shares, which will see Alamos acquire Argonaut's Magino Mine near Dubreuilville, adjacent to Alamos' Island Gold Mine (which Alamos acquired when it bought Richmont in 2017).

Integration of the two operations is expected to create one of the largest and lowest cost gold mines in Canada, a move Alamos expects "to unlock significant value with immediate and long-term synergies expected to total approximately $515-million US", increasing Alamos' combined gold production to over 600,000 ounces per year, with longer-term production potential over 900,000 ounces a year.

Island Gold's been in production since October 2007 - producing over 1-million ounces of gold since - while Magino only began producing gold last June and achieved commercial production at the start of November.

Toronto-based Alamos won't be acquiring Argonaut's operations in the US and Mexico, however, instead spinning those out to Argonaut's existing shareholders as a new junior gold producer dubbed "SpinCo".

The deal still requires court, regulatory, and shareholder approvals, though both boards have given their approval and Argonaut's is recommending shareholders vote in favour.

Memorial Mass & Celebration of Life for Chris Simon

Family, friends, and others are saying goodbye to local NHL hockey pro Chris Simon, who died at the age of 52 last week.

A memorial mass will be held at Wawa's St. Monica's Catholic Church at 11 o'clock this morning, though attendance is limited to invite only, with additional seating instead available at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre, where the mass will be live-streamed - it will also be streamed online, available to view for the next four months.

Following this morning's mass, a celebration of Simon's life will be held at the MMCC, which is located on Chris Simon Drive, named for the hockey star.

An obituary notes Simon - who was originally enrolled with Wiikwemikong Unceded Territory before joining Michipicoten First Nation - was proud to be Ojibwe and a proud member of the Anishinabek Nation, but also "equally proud to be from Wawa", where he was born and raised, and called "home".

Simon was drafted by the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers in 1990, playing for a number of NHL clubs from 1992 until 2008, when he joined Russia's KHL, ending his professional career in 2013 - his greatest career moment was winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, bringing the famed trophy back to Wawa.

Pickup Date Set for Wawa's FoodCycler Pilot Program

Participants in a Wawa pilot program to address food waste will be able to pick up their ordered devices ahead of the Easter weekend.

The Municipality of Wawa will distribute Food Cycle Science's FoodCycler countertop composter systems on Thursday, March 28th, though Infrastructure Services Assistant Director Rebecca Weatherall reminds those who get one of the devices are asked to keep track of its use, so Food Cycle Science can analyze its impact.

Those who ordered the devices will be able to pick them up at the Town Hall's downstairs boardroom between 8:30 am and 7 pm Thursday.

Sexual Assault & Other Charges After Chapleau Domestic Disturbance

Several charges have been laid over a Chapleau domestic disturbance.

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to the disturbance on Pine Park Road shortly after 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon, with a subsequent sexual assault investigation leading to the arrest of a Chapleau 52-year-old on charges of sexual assault, spousal assault with a weapon, spousal assault, and uttering threats to cause death - spousal.

The accused - who will not be identified due to the domestic nature of the incident, to protect the victim - was held for a bail hearing and remanded from custody.

Police emphasize victims of sexual assault are not alone and there are local resources to help, such as Wawa and Area Victim Services, which supports "all communities in Superior East".

Chapleau Ice Season Set to End

Chapleau's "ice season" is going out before the Easter Bunny arrives.

The Township of Chapleau's announced the 2023-24 season will end Saturday, March 30th, with the AW Moore Arena closed as of Sunday, March 31st.

Wawa's Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre is keeping its ice season going a few more days: a resolution passed last month extended the arena ice season to Thursday, April 4th, to give hockey players opportunity to prepare for the Northern Ontario Hockey Association's "Tournament of Champions", which will be held the first weekend of April - curling ice season continues through that weekend, which is when the Men's Bonspiel will be held, then it will also wrap up.

Wawa's FoodCycler Pilot Extended

A Wawa pilot program to address food waste has been extended.

While the Municipality of Wawa's pilot with Food Cycle Science - offering 100 of its FoodCycler countertop composter systems at a discounted rate - was set to end last week, it's been extended a little longer, as a few more devices are available for purchase.

Infrastructure Services Assistant Director Rebecca Weatherall explains the devices are a convenient way to compost.

Weatherall says those who purchase one of the devices are asked to keep track of its use, so Food Cycle Science can analyze its impact.

The devices are offered on a first-come first-served basis, until supplies run out - more information's available on the municipal website or at the Municipal Office.