Wawa Council Holding 1st June Meeting

Wawa Municipal Council's holding a pair of meetings tonight.

First up is a Committee of the Whole meeting including presentations from Blue Sky Net about a speed test campaign for Wawa and expanding rural broadband, as well as from the Marina Committee about dredging of the marina, plus discussion about the Municipality's vehicle maintenance and replacement, student wages, and Council remuneration policies, as well as highlights of the provincial budget.

That'll be followed by a regular Council meeting.

The meetings will be held 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.

Wawa District Sees New Wildfire

The Wawa area's seen another forest fire.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources says "Wawa 2" was reported Monday, located about half a kilometre west of Highway 17 and about 7 kilometres northeast of Pokei Lake - it's not yet under control at six hectares in size, though two FireRanger crews have been assigned with two CL-415 waterbombers and a lead birddog aircraft performing aerial fire suppression Monday afternoon.

The fire hazard's primarily high across the Northeast.

Alamos Gold Island Gold Mine Rescue Team Competing in Provincial Championship

A local mine rescue team's in Timmins to show off their skills.

The Alamos Gold Island Gold Mine team of Captain Jessy DeChamplain, Vice Captain Daniel Webb, Thomas Brand, Veronique Humphries, Cody Lessard, Dave Ouellet, Jake Brousseau, and briefing officer Justin Krueger is competing in the provincial mine rescue competition in Timmins starting today, after winning the Algoma District Mine Rescue Competition last month.

Fellow Alamos Island Gold worker Kyle Ouellet's also competing, as he was the winning technician for the third year in a row.

Wawa Minor Hockey Association & Wawa Adult Learning Centre Holding AGMs

A couple Wawa organizations are preparing for major meetings.

Wawa Adult Learning Centre Digital Literacy Facilitator and Office Administrator Kaitlin Dube explains the centre's hosting its annual general meeting.

Dube notes a few items on the agenda.

The meeting begins at 6:30 pm tonight, at the Wawa Adult Learning Centre on Broadway Avenue.

The Wawa Minor Hockey Association's also holding its annual meeting tonight, at 6 pm, at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre.

Wawa Goose Seniors Centre Readying for Next Lunch & Learn

Wawa seniors are being offered a chance to have a bite to eat and learn about an important topic next week.

The Wawa Goose Seniors Centre is hosting its monthly Lunch and Learn next Thursday, June 5th, starting at 11:30 am, this time featuring Mary Anne Pearson of the Age-Friendly Committee as guest speaker, discussing "Finding Help".

It also offers pizza, coffee or tea, and dessert, sponsored by the Wawa Pharmacy.

Those interested must register at the centre by Monday, June 2nd.

Chapleau Council Affirming Relationship With Chapleau EDC

Chapleau Town Council's affirming details of the Township's relationship with the Chapleau Economic Development Corporation.

Mayor Ryan Bignucolo explains Council considered a joint participation agreement in their meeting this week.

Mayor Bignucolo also notes the Township's applying for an NOHFC grant for work at the airport, pointing out that would help with maintenance at the facility, as well as the upcoming drag races, which will be held at the airport.

École Saint-Joseph Hosting 9th Franco-Nord-Ouest Chess Tournament

Young chess masters are gathering in Wawa today.

Teacher/organizer René-Guy Nobert explains Wawa's École Saint-Joseph is hosting its ninth Franco-Nord-Ouest Chess Tournament.

Expecting participants from as far southeast as the Sudbury area and northwest as Hornepayne and Marathon, Nobert says the students are split up into four age categories.

Nobert thanks the Rotary Club of Wawa for its continuous support - going back to the start of the school's chess club back in 2009 - as well as his fellow staff members, the school, and the school board, Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon.

Doors will be open during the tournament, if members of the public want to see the event, which runs from 9 am to 3:30 pm at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre.

1 Charged in January Collision That Killed Wawa & Sault Ste. Marie Residents

A Sudbury driver's facing charges in a January collision that killed a Wawa resident and a Sault Ste. Marie resident west of North Bay.

Nipissing West Ontario Provincial Police say they've arrested a 36-year-old woman on two counts of dangerous operation causing death, two of dangerous operation causing bodily harm, and one each of operate unsafe vehicle, fail to notify change of address, fail to provide necessaries of life - child or spouse, improper muffler, fail to properly wear seatbelt, and driving motor vehicle with liquor readily available - she's set to appear in court in mid-June.

The initial charges relate to a January 23rd two-vehicle collision on Highway 17 - a 69-year-old from Wawa was pronounced dead at the scene while two other people with serious, life-threatening injuries were airlifted to a hospital, where a 74-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie later succumbed to their injuries.

Three other people were treated at the scene with minor injuries.

OPP have not revealed the names of the deceased or those injured.

Wawa Mayor Welcomes Plans for New Local OPP Detachment

Wawa's mayor is welcoming plans for a new local OPP detachment.

The Ontario government's announced plans for a new regional headquarters in Thunder Bay and twelve new local detachments, including one in Wawa, an announcement Mayor Melanie Pilon says is a long time coming.

Pilon confirms that the new detachment will be located on land provided by the Municipality, as decided by Council in November 2023.

As for the timeline, Mayor Pilon notes the provincial government's stated plans to put out a request for proposals early next year, which could put the construction timeline into 2027.

Wawa's École Saint-Joseph Prepares for Annual Chess Tournament

Preparations are ramping up as young chess masters will be gathering in Wawa tomorrow.

Wawa's École Saint-Joseph is set to host its ninth annual Franco-Nord-Ouest Chess Tournament, expected to bring together over 300 Francophone students from nearly 20 French language Catholic and public schools, including in Wawa, Dubreuilville, and Chapleau, but also Hornepayne and Marathon to the northwest and Azilda, Chelmsford, and Hanmer to the southeast.

Players are divided into four categories: Grades 3 and 4; 5 and 6; 7 and 8; and 9 through 12, with prizes awarded to the top students in each category, as well as winning teams.

Wawa Council Holding Special Meeting on Levels of Service

Wawa Municipal Council's meeting tonight - for the second time this week.

A special meeting's being held with a sole item on the agenda: the Asset Management Plan and a review of levels of service - the meeting had been requested by Councillor Cathy Cannon.

Open to the public, the meeting starts at 6 tonight in the main level boardroom at the Town Hall, but also broadcast on the Municipality of Wawa's YouTube channel.

1 Dead After Victoria Day Collision in Goulais River

One person is dead after a single vehicle collision in Goulais River on Victoria Day.

Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to the serious collision on Four Seasons Drive around 6:39 Monday night, finding a 31-year-old person deceased at the scene, as a result of the collision.

No further details have been given, though police say the North East Region Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement (TIME) team are assisting with the investigation.

Hornepayne Hires Wawa Treasurer as New CAO

Hornepayne's picked a Wawa official to become its top administrator.

The Township of Hornepayne's announced Manuela Batovanja has been appointed to the role, effective June 9th.

Batovanja is currently Treasurer and Deputy Clerk for the Municipality of Wawa - the former Clerk Treasurer for the Township of Pickle Lake was initially hired as Wawa's Assistant Director of Finance and Deputy Treasurer in 2016, but was promoted to Treasurer in December 2021.

This comes less than a month after Hornepayne brought in Wawa Mayor Melanie Pilon - through her consulting firm, Melanie Pilon Strategies - to provide interim CAO services part-time for up to three months as it sought to fill the longtime vacancy.

Batovanja's last day with the Municipality of Wawa will be June 6th.

How her position will be filled after that date has yet to be determined, though CAO/Clerk Maury O'Neill was appointed Deputy Treasurer when Batovanja was made Treasurer.

Alamos Island Gold Wins Algoma Mine Rescue Competition

A local mine rescue team's heading to Timmins next month to show off their skills.

The Alamos Gold Island Gold Mine team of Captain Jessy DeChamplain, Vice Captain Daniel Webb, Thomas Brand, Veronique Humphries, Cody Lessard, Dave Ouellet, Jake Brousseau, and briefing officer Justin Krueger won the Algoma District Mine Rescue Competition held at Wawa's Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre last week, earning them a spot in the provincial competition in Timmins June 3rd to 5th.

Fellow Alamos Island Gold worker Kyle Ouellet was the winning technician, the third year in a row.

Preparations Underway for Chapleau Drag Races, Canada Day

Preparations are continuing for a couple major summer events in Chapleau.

Mayor Ryan Bignucolo says an update was given about Canada Day celebrations in this week's Council meeting.

Mayor Bignucolo is also optimistic about the upcoming Gold Rush Nationals Drag Race to be held in August.

While the drag race debuted in 2019, it hasn't been held since - an attempt in 2023 was cancelled a month before it was to be held - due to a busy forest fire season - and it was not held last year.

Chapleau Council Rejects Leniency Request Amid Crackdown on Back Taxes

Chapleau Town Council's rejected a request for leniency on property taxes.

Mayor Ryan Bignucolo explains Council considered a request in their meeting this week.

Bignucolo says "it wouldn't be fair", given the number of other tax arrears.

This comes amid a crackdown by the Township on back taxes owed, with plans to move forward on tax sales, if they remain unpaid.

Wildfire Reported Near Gogama, Chapleau District Blaze Continues

A few more forest fires have been confirmed in Northeastern Ontario - including one in the region.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources says "Timmins 1" is a 15-hectare blaze confirmed Tuesday, 3.5 kilometres north of Gogama - it is not yet under control, but three crews have responded with air attack operations underway.

Two other fires were confirmed in the Sudbury district, leaving six active wildland fires in the Northeast, including "Chapleau 2", which is under control at 4.3 hectares in size - it was reported Monday, near the northern edge of Woman River Forest Provincial Park, about 12 kilometres west of Wakami Lake.

The fire hazard is high to extreme across the Northeast, with areas of moderate hazard south of Espanola.

Superior East OPP Watching Drivers Over Canada Road Safety Week

Ontario Provincial Police are warning they're watching roads, trails, and waterways ahead of and during the upcoming long weekend.

Superior East OPP Constable Rob Sanchioni explains the annual Canada Road Safety Week initiative, which is now underway.

The national enforcement campaign runs through Victoria Day Monday, though Sanchioni also reminds Canada Safe Boating Week kicks off Friday, encouraging everyone to stay safe on the water, including over the upcoming long weekend.

Registration Open for Wawa's Youth Soccer & Baseball

Registration's opened for a couple youth sports in Wawa.

Youth ages 4 to 14 can now sign up for soccer or baseball - or both - with plans for the six week programs to begin later this month.

The Municipality had also been looking for coaching staff before opening registration.

For more information, go to the Wawa Recreation Facebook page, email recstaff@wawa.cc, or go to the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre.

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