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With Chapleau's Gold Rush Nationals Drag Race set to return this weekend, organizers are looking for volunteers to help out.
Mayor Ryan Bignucolo explains some further help would be appreciated.
Mayor Bignucolo says preparations are coming together, however.
The drag races begin this Friday, August 15th, running through Sunday the 17th.
Chapleau has temporarily brought back an old fire chief to handle the role.
Mayor Ryan Bignucolo explains that former Fire Chief Graham Bertrand's stepping in for Chief John McEachren for the moment.
Mayor Bignucolo assures that McEachren is welcome to come back to the role - with the job only accepting applications if he decides not to - and thanks Bertrand for filling in at this time.
Wawa Municipal Council's approved the early purchase of a new loader.
In their meeting last night, Council was told that the current loader has already undergone two major overhauls and needs a third, though staff believes it would be better to put that money toward purchasing a new loader rather than wasting it on repairs - the purchase had already been planned for 2026, with the Municipality putting aside money in recent years.
Plans are to purchase a 2025 John Deere 624P loader from Brandt Tractors in Lively for $379,000 - without going to tender - using the funds already put away and reserves to cover the rest, replacing that with the money that would've been put away next year.
Wawa Municipal Council's in favour of extending the ice season - at the end.
In their Committee of the Whole meeting last night, Council received a report addressing a July request from the Wawa Minor Hockey Association, other ice users, and supporters to make a minimum two-year commitment for the ice season to at least run from the start of September or Labour Day to the end of April, if not longer.
Community Services and Tourism Director Alex Patterson broke down the request into two parts, first addressing the request for earlier ice, which he warned "puts a significantly higher strain on all municipal resources", with two years of early ice for hockey schools showing the arena's design can't handle the warmer temperatures - even causing a three-week shutdown for $80,000 in mould remediation - while the staff responsible for making ice are the same as those responsible for parks and other tourism resources, which are open until the Thanksgiving weekend, with August their peak use.
As for later ice, Patterson found it viable to extend the season by a few weeks, noting it has happened at times in the past and it "creates significantly less of a strain on municipal resources", as the "typically cooler weather does not carry the same humidity and temperature issues, and the costs are lower than September for operating the ice plant" while staff aren't otherwise occupied with parklands, as those don't open until the Victoria Day weekend.
Patterson also noted that the curling ice policy had no dates for the start and end of season - even if it typically starts the first Monday of November and ends the first week of April - but since the arena and curling ice share a plant, it would make sense to combine the policies.
In the end, he offered Council three options: doing nothing and leaving the policy as is; extending the start and end of ice season; or giving staff the option to extend the end of the season up to two weeks based on certain criteria with an update ice policy also covering curling ice, but not moving the start of the season any earlier - the latter being his recommendation, which councillors voiced their approval for, though Mayor Melanie Pilon also questioned whether they would move forward with a referenced engineering report on the arena to look at concerns about its design, with Patterson explaining that would be put into 2026 Capital Budget deliberations, given the expected costs of such a study.
Wawa Municipal Council's holding a trio of meetings tonight.
That includes a Committee of Adjustment meeting to consider an application for a minor variance for a Nyman Avenue property, followed by a Committee of the Whole meeting including a monthly reports from department heads, memos on the asset management policy and the Mission Playground Revitalization Project, a staff report on the purchase of a new loader, an update about a recent delegation about the ADSAB apportionment model, and a staff report reviewing the MMCC ice policy.
Finally, there'll be a regular Council meeting, which includes a resolution to purchase a new loader and a by-law to adopt a new Fleet Management Policy.
The meetings will be held back-to-back-to-back, starting at 6:30 pm tonight in the main level boardroom of Town Hall - they'll also be livestreamed through the Municipality's YouTube channel.
Numerous charges have been laid after a single vehicle collision north of Sault Ste. Marie.
Ontario Provincial Police say they were responding to a stolen vehicle occurrence at the Searchmont Community Centre and Fire Hall early the morning of July 17th when police were notified the vehicle had been found in a ditch on Highway 532 - officers attended the scene and determined the driver was impaired, taking them back to the Sault detachment for further testing.
Investigation revealed the driver was the same person involved in a police pursuit the day before - after multiple people called in complaints of a vehicle driving erratically, speeding, and failing to stop in construction zones on Highway 17 between Huron Shores and Goulais River - and that the driver had provided officers with someone else's driver's licence, as the driver was actually prohibited from driving.
The 21-year-old from London's been charged with theft over $5000 of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime under and over $5000, identity theft, personation with intent to avoid arrest, obstruct justice, public mischief, operation while impaired by alcohol and drugs, flight from peace officer, operation while prohibited under the criminal code, fail to comply with probation order, two counts of failure to comply with release order, and three of dangerous operation.
Ontario Provincial Police are continuing to investigate a fatal collision in Goulais River.
Sault Ste. Marie OPP say the two-vehicle collision happened on Highway 17 - near Old Highway 17 Road - on July 20th, with a 72-year-old driver from the Sault taken to hospital with serious injuries, later dying from those injuries.
The OPP's North East Region Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement (T.I.M.E.) team are assisting with the investigation.
In the second Strongman Talk of the season, JJAM FM’s Rick Labbe speaks with Martin Bergeron about the 12 events of Dubreuilville Sans Pitié/No Mercy’s main competition…
Strongman Talk can be heard at 8:40 am every Wednesday in the lead-up to Dubreuilville Sans Pitié/No Mercy, which is set to be held September 5th to 7th.
Edit: Dubreuilville Sans Pitié/No Mercy has been rescheduled to September 19th to 21st.
A pre-teen's died after being ejected from an off-road vehicle over the weekend.
Greater Sudbury Police say they responded to the single vehicle collision north of Capreol around 12:20 pm Monday afternoon, finding that two individuals were riding in a side-by-side when the driver lost control, and the 11-year-old passenger was ejected.
While the youth was airlifted to hospital, they were pronounced deceased - the youth's name and other information will not be released, out of respect for the family's wishes.
The Greater Sudbury Police Integrated Traffic Safety Unit's continuing to investigate.
A swimmer struck by a boat in Sudbury last Friday has died.
Greater Sudbury Police say the 52-year-old woman - who had been in hospital since the incident late Friday morning - succumbed to her injuries and died in hospital on Saturday.
Police are still investigating the incident, which saw the woman struck by a passing vessel in open water on Lake Nepahwin around 11 o'clock Friday morning.
A Wawa resident's facing firearm and drug trafficking charges after an incident last week.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to an assault on Ontario Street in Wawa after 9:30 pm the night of July 27th, with witnesses reporting two individuals engaged in a verbal argument that turned physical, leading to one individual pointing a firearm at the other.
Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of a Wawa 30-year-old on charges of assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm, possession of weapon for dangerous purpose, possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking - one count for methamphetamine, one for cocaine - and four counts of fail to comply with probation order.
The accused was held for a bail hearing and remanded into custody.
Wawa - and neighbouring communities - are calling for the Ontario government to meet with them about highway closures.
A release from the Northeast Superior Mayors Group - which represents Wawa, Chapleau, Dubreuilville, White River, Hornepayne, and Manitouwadge - says they've formally written Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, requesting a meeting to address protocols for highway closures, discuss upgrading and maintaining alternate routes to avoid isolation of communities during extreme weather, warning extended highway closures after heavy rains and flooding impact healthcare access, business, delivery of essential goods, and emergency services, placing residents at risk.
Wawa Mayor Melanie Pilon explains the group wants the province to "expedite the reopening of highways after weather events and to implement a fulsome preventative maintenance strategy to keep our highways open year-round", emphasizing "road closures in the North are no longer just a winter issue, and the safety and the well-being of our communities depend on a more proactive approach".
This comes after Wawa saw two multi-day closures of Highway 17 due to washouts in the Gargantua area in the last two weeks.
For the first Strongman Talk of the season, JJAM FM’s Rick Labbe speaks with Martin Bergeron about the upcoming Dubreuilville Sans Pitié/No Mercy…
Strongman Talk can be heard at 8:40 am every Wednesday in the lead-up to Dubreuilville Sans Pitié/No Mercy, which is set to be held September 5th to 7th.
Edit: Dubreuilville Sans Pitié/No Mercy has been rescheduled to September 19th to 21st.
Organizers are thanking the community for supporting a local golf tournament.
The 17th annual William G. Rose Memorial Golf Tournament was held in Wawa last Friday, and organizer Danette Mathias says it was "a huge success", thanking those who supported the tournament.
A record 171 golfers participated in the tournament, with four teams going home winners: for the Men's Division, Eden Leadbetter, Max Simon, and Anders Morden with a score of 30; for the Ladies, Linda Paddock, Brenda Pelletier, and Amanda Huff with a score of 38; for the Mixed Division, Jeff Amos, Donna Korytko, and Christian Crosset with a score of 31; and for the Seniors, Ray Baronette, Betty McGie, and John Scott with a score of 33.
Named in honour of former Michipicoten Police Chief William G. Rose, the tournament raises funds for two bursaries for local students going into the law enforcement or emergency services field.
APANO is inviting Chapleau to come out for a "Family Fun Day" this afternoon.
Community Wellness Worker Nicki Katsenos invites everyone to the event.
Katsenos explains the event is meant for the community.
Katsenos highlights some support.
The Family Fun Day runs from 12 noon to 4:30 pm, at Chapleau's waterfront pavilion.
A couple Wawa organizations are inviting people to come out for a barbecue.
Iris Place Clubhouse/Peer Support Worker Michelle Richardson explains today's event.
The barbecue begins at 11:30 am this morning, at 96 Broadway Avenue in Wawa.
A group of Northeastern Ontario municipal leaders are proposing an upgrade to key sections of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities is spearheading a proposal to upgrade Highways 11 and 17 to the "2+1 model", which is prominent on European highways, featuring alternating passing lanes with a crash-rated median barrier, which FONOM argues is "a cost-effective and safer alternative to full highway twinning...particularly suited to long-distance routes with moderate traffic volumes, such as those in Northern Ontario".
FONOM - which represents about 110 cities, towns, and municipalities across the Northeast - is proposing a two-phase approach, starting by rolling out the 2+1 expansion on Highway 11 from North Bay to Cochrane and Highway 17 from Renfrew to Sudbury, with the second phase including Highway 11 from Cochrane to Nipigon, Highway 11/17 from Thunder Bay to Kenora, and Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury - it does not outline plans for the "2+1 model" to be used on Highway 17 north of west of the Sault, such as to Wawa, White River, or beyond.
Noting this comes as the federal government's looking for "nation-building" projects of national interest, FONOM President Danny Whalen calls it "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in infrastructure that promotes enhanced trade between the east and west within Canada", arguing it'd reduce head-on collisions and improve traffic flow, support Canada's busiest trucking corridors and reduce operational costs, strengthen Canada's internal trade routes and national resilience, and echo the original nation-building spirit of the Trans-Canada Highway, which was first funded during the Great Depression.
This also comes amid an alternate bid for the future of the Trans-Canada Highway in Northeastern Ontario, as Chapleau Town Council recently backed a rerouting of the highway from Sudbury to Chapleau to White River, which Mayor Ryan Bignucolo called "important".
Mayor Bignucolo says he believes the rerouting is "much needed", citing current use of the Sultan Industrial Road.
Wawa Municipal Council passed a resolution in April 2024 rejecting the rerouting, arguing it'd take "considerable" time and resources "with little to no financial benefit" for the province, while harming communities that would be bypassed by the rerouting.
Wawa's hospital is continuing a tradition started ahead of the pandemic, to honour those who've passed.
Registered Nurse Troy Dereski explains the upcoming Lady Dunn Health Centre Palliative Care Program Memorial Butterfly Release.
In addition to releasing the butterflies, Dereski notes it will be an afternoon of celebration, music, refreshments, and kids activities.
Butterflies can be reserved for $20 each in the hospital lobby between 1 pm and 3 pm tomorrow or Tuesday, or at the event, though there are limited tickets so purchasing ahead of time is strongly encouraged.
The Memorial Butterfly Release will be held next Wednesday, July 30th, from 1 pm to 3 pm in the hospital's Long-Term Care Garden.
A local health unit's reporting its first measles infection in more than a decade.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts says an infant too young to have been vaccinated was infected - the first case in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts since 2014 - with the health unit directly notifying individuals who are known to have been exposed to measles.
It emphasizes that the disease is spreading across North American "at levels not seen in three decades", urging "everyone protect themselves by ensuring they have had 2 doses of vaccine", as "measles can spread very quickly among people who are not fully immunized, and it can cause severe illness in some people".
Measles symptoms include fever, runny nose and cough, red and water eyes, and a red rash starting on the face and spreading down the body, but could lead to serious complications such as lung infections, swelling of the brain, seizures, middle ear infections, and in rare cases, death, while those who are Pregnant may also experience premature labour, stillbirth, or miscarriage.
The neighbouring Algoma Public Health has reported over 150 cases since early May, though hasn't reported new cases in recent weeks.
