Thursday, June 28, 2007

Sasha Gagnon gets award

Five year old Sasha Gagnon of Timmins was today presented with the Ontario Fire Safety award for knowing to dial 911 when a fire broke out at her grandmother's home last year. The Timmins youngster learned about 911 at Coronation public school. Sasha was presented the award by Ontario Fire Marshal Pat Burke, left, and Minister of the Community Safety and Correctional Services Monte Kwinter. On the right is Timmins Fire Chief Mike Pintar.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

We're hiring!

Looking for a new reporter / photographer to join our Timmins news team. If you, or someone you know, has journalism experience and wants to join a great bi-weekly paper, let us know. Contact editor Len Gillis at lgillis@timminstimes.com.
Please pass this info on to anyone you think is interested. Cheers, Len.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Declaring war on trash

The call to clean up part of Timmins appeared to be a success today as dozens of residents gave up their Sunday morning to don safety vests and work gloves. The event was the part of the Timmins Get Clean campaign launched a couple of weeks ago by Timmins businessman Rick Cecconi. At the Gillies Lake Conservation Area this morning, Cecconi, outlined his clean up plan from the back of a pickup truck. Cecconi said litter was getting out of hand in Timmins “but today we declare war on trash!” Cecconi and his fellow citizens gathered up hundreds of bags of trash and filled a 30-foot dumpster.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Fire call

Traffic was slowed on the edge of downtown Timmins today when a transformer caught fire on a utility pole on Spruce Street in front of the old Nativity church. It happen just before 4 p.m. Witnesses told police they heard a loud bang and then saw the transformer case on fire. Because electricity was still alive on the pole, firefighters were not able to extinguish the fire until Hydro One crews arrived on the scene.

Timmins is hot!

As of one oclock this afternoon, Timmins was rated by Environment Canada as the hottest city in Ontario as the temperature hit 32 Celcius. It looks as if it's warm enough to go for a quick swim in Gillies Lake, which was the hottest cooling off spot for several residents. It's expected the temperature may top out at 35 degrees today. Hot indeed.

Airport Road Mishap

Traffic was blocked on Airport Road in Timmins for about an hour after a traffic accident at about 9:15 this morning. Police, fire and emergency medical teams responded to the call which involved a truck rollover. The truck was loaded with industrial grass seeding and fertilizer products, but police say there did not appear to be any immediate hazard. Police say there were no life threatening injuries involved. The matter is under investigation.
For more community news about Timmins and area be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.

Monday, June 11, 2007

River conditions improving

Water levels on the Mattagami River have begun to drop in response to the warmer, dryer weather over the weekend, according to the City of Timmins and the Upper Mattagami Water Management Committee. Even as water levels recede, local residents are advised against boating on the river since there is a significant amount of floating debris.

Friday, June 8, 2007

High Water Continues

The Mattagami River continues to rise in Timmins because of the recent rainfalls on Wednesday and Thursday. All the tiny streams and creeks between Gogama and Timmins are feeding into the river which is now at a dangerously high level. This is how the water was shooting through the floodgates the Ontario Power Generation dam at Wawaitin, just south of Timmins, at noon today.
The Upper Mattagami Water Management Committee continues to monitor the river and is advising boaters to stay off the water since high currents and floating debris make it more dangerous than normal.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

High Water Alert

The steady rain over the past few days is causing some concern for the city officials and the Upper Mattagami River Water Management Committee.
It has issued a high water alert for the Mattagami River as water elevations are expected to rise by as much as two feet (60 centimetres) overnight.
Mattagami Region Conservation Authority manager Kees Pols says the rain has caused a sharp increase in the level of all the tiny creeks and streams that pour into the Mattagami River.
Ontario Power Generation is adjusting the water levels behind several dams to hold back as much of the river as possible.
Residents living along the river are being cautioned to move unsecured property such a boats, gazebos, docks and outdoor furniture to higher ground.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Thunderstorm causes Landslide & Flooding

A large thunderstorm hit Timmins early Sunday evening, causing plenty of inconvenience for city residents. The most obvious was the temporary closing of Algonquin Boulevard at the Spruce Street underpass.

Storm sewers backed up there resulting in a flood more than two metres deep.
There was also a lightning strike on Toke Street that destroyed a clothes line. Firefighters said damage was minimal.
The other big problem was a landslide near Southern Avenue and Reliable Street that snapped a hydro pole and exposed an underground natural gas line. (that's the 4-inch yellow pipe in the photo below) The landslide washed away about 40 metres of ground and created a new waterfall in Timmins. (click the photo above, waterfall is on the right) The waterfall only lasted a few hours. Utility crews are still working on the hydro pole and exposed gas line.