Latest news with #Kapuskasing
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
'We don't know what the next step is': northern Ontario town facing financial crisis to meet with the province
Social Sharing A northern Ontario town that faces a shutdown of municipal services next month is meeting with representatives from Ontario's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on Wednesday to help find a solution to its financial problems. "We don't know what the next step is," said Shannon Pawlikowski, the Township of Fauquier-Stickland's director of municipal services, during a special council meeting Monday night. "We don't know if they're going to amalgamate us with another municipality or provide us with loans. Because the cost of operating this municipality exceeds what the tax base can afford." Last week, Fauquier-Strickland Mayor Madeleine Tremblay said the municipality of just under 500 people, located on Highway 11 east of Kapuskasing, has a $2.5 million deficit and would need to cease all municipal services by Aug. 1 without intervention from the province. Tremblay clarified at Monday's meeting that households would still continue to be connected to the municipal water supply after Aug. 1, even if the province doesn't intervene. But other services, such as garbage collection, would no longer be offered. Pawlikowski said residents would have to bring their waste to a landfill in a neighbouring community because it would be a liability to keep Fauquier-Strickland's landfill open without staff there to run it. "It's going to be a big problem if we can't use the dump," said Coun. Pierre Lamontagne. Lamontagne noted, to some laughter in the crowd, that if every household paid $9,000 it would eliminate the municipality's deficit. "I've done the count, and that's what it is," he said. During the meeting some citizens voiced their frustration at the township's poor financial standing. Dan Michaud, who ran for mayor against Tremblay in 2018, said Fauquier's financial problems go back at least that far. "We had this problem eight years ago and it's still not resolved," he said. Other residents asked why the municipality "went on a spending spree." Tremblay told CBC News earlier that upgrades to the water filtration system during the COVID-19 pandemic went over budget, leaving the small community with a bill for $1 million. On Monday, Pawlikowski noted that construction of a new municipal building and health centre came in at $2 million. Stagnant tax base She said that even if the province paid off the township's $2.5-million operating deficit "we would still be operating barebones." Pawlikowski said that while Fauquier-Strickland's population has increased somewhat since the pandemic, the tax base hasn't grown since many of the new residents are families with young children. In the end, council voted in favour of a motion saying it is willing and ready to work with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs to help solve this financial crisis.
CTV News
02-07-2025
- CTV News
Northern OPP detachment lays 11 impaired driving charges in 2 months
A blurred image of an Ontario Provincial Police vehicle to simulate impairment released on social media by the James Bay detachment. (Ontario Provincial Police/Facebook) Officers from the James Bay detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police in Hearst, Kapuskasing, and Cochrane have charged 11 individuals with impaired driving offences in separate incidents throughout May and June. Multiple incidents reported over two months Seven drivers were charged for drug impairment, while four faced alcohol-related charges, according to a news release. Additional offences included driving while suspended, drug possession, operating uninsured vehicles, dangerous operation, and failing to stop after an accident. Drug-related impaired driving cases Generic Impaired Driving - Drugs Public safety experts and advocates disagree about what conclusions can be drawn from data on the presence of alcohol or other drugs in the bodies of people involved in deadly crashes. A man holding pills and a steering wheel in a vehicle is shown. (File photo/juefraphoto/Getty Images) The first incident occurred on May 4, when OPP stopped a vehicle on Front Street in Hearst and charged a 39-year-old Constance Lake woman with drug-impaired driving and driving while under suspension. The following day, May 5, a 46-year-old Kapuskasing man refused a drug recognition evaluation during a traffic stop on Brunelle Road North, leading to additional charges. On May 17, a 43-year-old Port Colborne woman was charged after a stop on Government Road West in Kapuskasing, where she was also found driving without insurance. A near head-on collision was reported on May 22 after an off-duty officer spotted a suspected impaired driver on Highway 11 near Opasatika. A 48-year-old Quebec man was charged with drug impairment, possessing unmarked cigarettes, and violating probation. Later that month, on May 25, a 56-year-old Kapuskasing man was charged following a stop on Brunelle Road North, where he was found driving while suspended and without insurance. On May 31, two separate drug-impaired driving incidents occurred. A 58-year-old Kapuskasing man was arrested after speeding on McPherson Avenue and found in possession of cocaine and another controlled substance. That same afternoon, a 39-year-old Moonbeam man was charged during a RIDE check on Lefebvre Peninsula. Alcohol-related impaired driving cases OPP image illustrating impaired operation charges An Ontario Provincial Police image illustrating impaired operation charges. (File photo/Ontario Provincial Police/Facebook) On June 12, police found a 33-year-old Fort Albany man passed out in a vehicle blocking Genier Road in Cochrane. He was charged with alcohol impairment and driving without a licence or insurance. A 19-year-old Kapuskasing man was arrested on June 16 after a 911 call reported an impaired ATV driver on Frontenac Crescent. An 18-year-old Belle Vallee man was charged on June 21 after being found unconscious in a Cochrane drive-thru. Police later located him in a nearby parking lot. The most severe incident occurred on June 27, when a 62-year-old Kapuskasing man allegedly struck a porch deliberately with his truck on Balsam Avenue. He faces multiple charges, including assault with a weapon, dangerous operation, and failing to stop after an accident. In addition to the charges Under provincial legislation, all 11 motorists received 90-day licence suspensions, their vehicles were impounded for seven days at the owner's expense and the accused are scheduled for court appearances between July and August 2025. All accused were released from police custody following the incidents. Police warns against impaired driving In a related social media post, OPP emphasized the dangers of impaired driving. 'Whether you are impaired by alcohol or drugs, impaired is impaired and driving under the influence of either is a criminal offence,' wrote OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer. 'Make the call' OPP also urged the public to report suspected impaired drivers in its post. Report impaired drivers Ontario Provincial Police are urging the public to report suspected impaired drivers. (File photo/Supplied/Ontario Provincial Police) 'If you suspect that someone is driving while impaired, call 911,' added Brouwer. 'Drive sober.'
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Kap Kraze Country Derby in Kapuskasing
Great Places to See in Northern Ontario: Kap Kraze Country Derby in Kapuskasing is July 25 and 26, 2025.
CTV News
19-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
First responders host community BBQ for Kashechewan evacuees in Kapuskasing
Evacuated members of Kashechewan First Nation and first responders came together for a day of connection and support at a special BBQ event in Kapuskasing, Ont., on May 13, 2025. (Supplied/Ontario Provincial Police)
