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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fire broke out in the Attic nightclub in downtown Timmins over the noon hour today. Firefighters from Timmins, Schumacher and Mountjoy responded quickly and were able to control the fire. The Attic is located in the old Victory Theatre building on Cedar Street.
For more community news about Timmins and area be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.
The City of Timmins pled guilty to 11 of 22 Ministry of Environment charges today, according to Mayor Tom Laughren.
The remaining 11 charges were dropped and the city was charged $84,000 for the guilty plea.
Laughren said the infractions occurred between 2003 and October 2006, with eight of the 11 charges being at the McDonald Lake and Shaw Wells sites, which are now closed.
Laughren also noted that the charges revolve around equipment malfunction and technical requirements.
“There’s nothing wrong with the quality of water in Timmins,” said Laughren.
The cost of the infractions will come out of the water account. Laughren does not know if or how the charges could affect the water rates.
For more community news about Timmins and area be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.
The fire knowns at Timmins No. 3 is still being fought and is up to 58 hectares in size. The status of this fire is not as urgent as first considered Wednesday, but it is still a serious fire. It resulted in the closure of Highway 67 for several hours.
The other big fire near Timmins is called Sudbury No. 46, south of the city. It too continues to burn but not as seriously as on Wednesday. It is approaching 1,000 hectares in size. Highway 144 was closed for a time between Timmins and Sudbury, but that highway is now open.
Highway 67 is closed and scores of cottages and campers in the area of Barbers Bay and Kettle Lakes Provincial Park have been evacuated as the result of a forest fire in the east end of Timmins. The initial call went out shortly after 2 p.m. today with response from municipal firefighters and Ministry of Natural Resources water bombers. It is expected the fire will be under control within the next 24 hours.
A Timmins man is facing drug possession and drug trafficking charges after Ontario Provincial Police pulled a vehicle over for an alleged traffic violation on Highway 101, in the city early Tuesday morning.
Police say they searched the vehicle and found a stash of 8 pounds of marijuana and more than $15 thousand in cash.
Police say 23 year-old David Serge Daigle is charged with trafficking in a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Daigle was initially held in custody for a bail hearing and then released. He is due to appear in court again on May 29 to face the charges.
Traffic was diverted for awhile on Algonquin Boulevard this weekend at work crews filled some old mining stopes below the roadway. It seems the sand backfill in the old mine workings is subsiding. Over the weekend, a fleet of concrete trucks poured "several thousand tons" of a sand & water backfill mixture into the stopes to ensure there are no unnecessary cave-ins. PJV spokesman David Bucar says the backfill is part of an ongoing program to ensure the safety and stability of old underground workings below the streets of Timmins.For more community news about Timmins and area be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.
Emergency services in Timmins joined forces today to work on a search-and-rescue exercise in the city over the next few days. The exact location of the similated event is a secret for now, but it didn't stop Canadian Forces personnel from training. Several SAR Tech rescue jumpers parachuted over the airport from a Lockheed C130 aircraft. The 424 (Tiger) Squadron has set up shop at the Timmins airport and will be coordinating their rescue efforts from there.For more community news about Timmins and area be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.
The newest OPP cruiser is in town already. On Friday, the Ontario Provincial Police will be unveiling it's newest cruiser with the new / old black and white paint scheme that was so familiar to Ontario motorists 25 years ago. We snapped this photo of the cruiser when it stopped at the lights by Highway 655 and Algonquin Boulevard in Timmins this afternoon.
For more community news about Timmins and area be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.
There was some significant good news for The Venture Centre in Timmins today. The federal government announced more than $1.5 million in funding over the next 3 years. The funding, made possible by Industry Canada/FedNor, will support several different aspects of The Venture Centre’s work in the district which includes Timmins, Gogama, Foleyet, Mattagami First Nation, Shining Tree and Biscotasing. Some of the money will be used for coordinating an Export Development Program for the whole of Northeastern Ontario.
For more complete details, be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times.
Northern College Student Firefighter Kayla Amodeo, centre, gets a hand with her new hat and coat courtesy of Xstrata Copper's Kidd Creek Minesite fire department. Kidd Minesite fire chief Dave Dewar, right, holds the helmet. Wayne Shippam, coordinator of the college's Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program, helps with the new coat. Xstrata donated nine full sets of fire fighter bunker gear to assist the students in their training.
Emergency workers tend to a child who suffered injuries in a mid-afternoon accident outside Ecole publique Lionel Gauthier school in Timmins today. A police officer gathers measurements beside the child's bicycle. The matter is still under investigation by Timmins Police. Emergency workers indicated the injuries were not considered life-threatening. For more complete details, be sure to check your latest copy of the Timmins Times .
