There are a handful of victims still left to be re-housed after the Empire Complex fire, five weeks ago Saturday. And the generous community of Timmins is helping take care of them.

While the fire was still burning, Norm Dwyer, Tammy Williams and their partners in the Timmins Online Auction started soliciting donations. They’ve had things like bedding contributed; and enough cash to buy $4,600 in $50 gift cards.

“We went with food because everyone needs food,” Dwyer explains. He says when DSSAB finds homes for the remaining victims, they’ll be connected with the cards.  And any of the others who are still in need can still reach out.

“I have two or three names that have already reached out. They can continue to do so and we’ll send their names off to Tammy or whoever in DSSAB that can hand them out to them.”

DSSAB is supplying beds, and the Warriors Motorcycle Club some bedding.

The post Help for Empire Complex fire victims appeared first on My Timmins Now.

If you see a collision, road closure, have an update, or anything else, please call or text Country 93.1 at 705-264-9310

Closures

• • Algonquin Boulevard East from 162m East of Spruce Street South to Pine Street North has an emergency road closure due to the fire at the Empire Complex over the weekend
  • Spruce Street South at 3Rd Avenue, to Spruce Street North at 5Th Avenue has an emergency road closure due to the fire at the Empire Complex over the weekend
  • Haileybury Crescent from Carlos Avenue to Dixon Street is closed for road maintenance
  • Cedar Street South from 3Rd Avenue to 2Nd Avenue is closed for construction
  • Pine Street South from 1St Avenue to 2Nd Avenue is closed for road maintenance
  • The sidewalk on Balsam Street South from 54m South of Algonquin Boulevard East to 3Rd Avenue along with the laneway from Cedar to Balsam is closed due to a private property wall collapse and compromised sidewalk integrity 
  • Bristol Road from Sutherland Street to Highway 101 East is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Couture Avenue from Jean Street to Denise Street is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Cecil Avenue from Moore Street to Legion Drive is closed for sewer/storm repair

If you see a collision, road closure, have an update, or anything else, please call or text Country 93.1 at 705-264-9310

The post April 26th 2024 Road Report appeared first on My Timmins Now.

On Earth Day this past Monday, a Northern Ontario group was at Queen’s Park, presenting petitions with tens of thousands of signatures calling on the province to ban herbicide spraying in our forests.

Stop the Spray Ontario was founded by float plane pilot Joel Theriault of Foleyet.

“Stop the Spray Ontario has one simple goal,” he says, “and that goal is to end the use of non-essential chemical herbicides within Ontario’s forestry industry and do this organically like Québec has done since 2001.”

Theriault says the chemicals cause cancer in animals and humans. And a U.S. company has been found liable for producing the chemicals.

He says there are several problems with the provincial reasons for not banning them.

“The big ones that the government continuously goes into is to say it’s approved by the federal government, it’s safe, and the response is well, then, why is Monsanto paying out $11-billion in cancer settlements?”

The province has until May 15th to respond to the petitions.

There’s a lot more detail in the audio of our interview.

[audio wav="https://www.mykaphearstnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Intvw-Theriault-pesticide-April-25-2024.wav"][/audio]

The post Group battles chemical herbicides in Northern forests, claiming cancer risk appeared first on My Timmins Now.

An icon in the NHL and behind a pulpit has been restored to a place of honour.

A statue of Father Les Costello that was damaged beyond repair at the Timmins Sports Heritage Hall of Fame has been replaced by an exact replica, done by the same sculptor.

“Father Les” left the NHL for the Catholic seminary in 1950. He went on to a life of service and charity with organizations like the Flying Fathers and the St. Martin de Porres Society.

Fellow Maple Leafs alumnus Paul Harrison says people have always asked about him.

“Dick Duff comes to mind,” he recalls. “Every single time I would see Dick Duff at any alumni event, the first thing he would say is ‘How’s the padre doing?’ and was genuinely interested in Les and what he was up to.”

Costello was never comfortable in the spotlight; and Harrison says it doesn’t matter who damaged the original statue -- things happen for a reason.

“This whole event and everything that’s transpired has brought us here today to re-celebrate and to honour his legacy, as it should be,” Harrison remarks. “He should be front and centre with people for so many different reasons.”

Father Les’s final parish was St. Alphonsus in Schumacher, a block over from the McIntyre Arena.  His funeral in 2002 had to be held at the Mac, because his church was too small for the 2,200 mourners.

Incidentally, the statues are the work of another Leafs alumnus, Gary Aldcorn.

The post Father Les restored to place of honour appeared first on My Timmins Now.

Michelle Boileau will be the first mayor of Timmins to give birth while in office.

She and husband Andrew Morrish are expecting their second child this fall. The mayor has a historic perspective on being the first mayor to give birth.

“Of course, it’s significant because it is a first,” she remarks, “but really, women have been having babies for a long time (laugh). So really, I see this as just a woman doing what women do, having a baby while also holding down a job.”

Thirty-five-year-old Boileau’s daughter will be four next month. She was born while her mother was a sitting councillor, holding down another full-time job.

Councillors Cory Robin and Andrew Marks will fulfill the mayor’s duties during her leave.

. As a full-time mayor, she says it’s like any other workplace, she’s entitled to that time.

“Of course, the Municipal Act does limit the length of time that one can miss council meetings for” Boileau observes, “ but I know that I have a supportive council that should we require more time, if there are any health complications, that they’d be understanding of them.”

You can hear the full news conference announcing the mayor’s pregnancy in the audio link below.

[audio wav="https://www.mytimminsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Intvw-Boileau-pregancy-April-24-2024.wav"][/audio]

The post Mayor Michelle Boileau plans pregnancy leave appeared first on My Timmins Now.

If you see a collision, road closure, have an update, or anything else, please call or text Country 93.1 at 705-264-9310

Closures

• • Algonquin Boulevard East from 162m East of Spruce Street South to Pine Street North has an emergency road closure due to the fire at the Empire Complex over the weekend
  • Spruce Street South at 3Rd Avenue, to Spruce Street North at 5Th Avenue has an emergency road closure due to the fire at the Empire Complex over the weekend
  • Haileybury Crescent from Carlos Avenue to Dixon Street is closed for road maintenance
  • Cedar Street South from 3Rd Avenue to 2Nd Avenue is closed for construction
  • Pine Street South from 1St Avenue to 2Nd Avenue is closed for road maintenance
  • Westmount Boulevard from Airport Road to Emilie Street is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • The sidewalk on Balsam Street South from 54m South of Algonquin Boulevard East to 3Rd Avenue along with the laneway from Cedar to Balsam is closed due to a private property wall collapse and compromised sidewalk integrity 
  • 6Th Avenue from Mountjoy Street North to Elm Street North is closed for water system repair
  • 6Th Avenue from Elm Street North to Mountjoy Street North is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Bonaventure Drive from Shirley Street to Meadow Lane is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Bristol Road from Sutherland Street to Highway 101 East is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Couture Avenue from Jean Street to Denise Street is closed for sewer/storm repair

If you see a collision, road closure, have an update, or anything else, please call or text Country 93.1 at 705-264-9310

The post April 24th 2024 Road Report appeared first on My Timmins Now.

There it is -- gone!  The railway overpass on Algonquin Blvd. at Spruce St. is now history.

Workers have completed demolishing it.  Now, as part of connecting link reconstruction, the road surface will be levelled off, to end frequent flooding.

The overpass – underpass or subway, if you prefer -- has been there in one form or another for over 110 years.

The post Overpass crashes into history appeared first on My Timmins Now.

It’s hard to imagine the Carlo Cattarello Arena without Brenda Torresan  being there for up to a hundred hours a week during hockey season.  But the minor hockey volunteer for the past 40 years is retiring from her volunteer job as convener of the initiation program.

The 70-year-old says she jumped on board, when Hockey Canada brought it in.

“Having a figure skating background, I could certainly help the kids learn how to skate before they could do anything else,” she recalls. “And that’s still the case, except that for five years now, I have not had my skates on.”

She says she’ll still help, if PMHA will have her.

“I’ll do the hockey swaps. I’ll help to mentor the programming, etc. and when they need me, they can just call on me.”

Torresan says she’ll continue to be the billet coordinator for the Timmins Rock, work with different groups with which she’s involved, and just “have time for Brenda”.

Here’s our interview:

[audio mp3="https://www.mytimminsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Intvw-Torresan-retirement-April-23-2024.mp3"][/audio]

The post After 40 years of volunteering, Brenda Torresan retires from PHMA, sort of appeared first on My Timmins Now.

If you see a collision, road closure, have an update, or anything else, please call or text Country 93.1 at 705-264-9310

Closures

• • Algonquin Boulevard East from 162m East of Spruce Street South to Pine Street North has an emergency road closure due to the fire at the Empire Complex over the weekend
  • Spruce Street South at 3Rd Avenue, to Spruce Street North at 5Th Avenue has an emergency road closure due to the fire at the Empire Complex over the weekend
  • Haileybury Crescent from Carlos Avenue to Dixon Street is closed for road maintenance
  • Cedar Street South from 3Rd Avenue to 2Nd Avenue is closed for construction
  • Pine Street South from 1St Avenue to 2Nd Avenue is closed for road maintenance
  • Westmount Boulevard from Airport Road to Emilie Street is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • The sidewalk on Balsam Street South from 54m South of Algonquin Boulevard East to 3Rd Avenue along with the laneway from Cedar to Balsam is closed due to a private property wall collapse and compromised sidewalk integrity 
  • 6Th Avenue from Mountjoy Street North to Elm Street North is closed for water system repair
  • 6Th Avenue from Elm Street North to Mountjoy Street North is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Bonaventure Drive from Shirley Street to Meadow Lane is closed for sewer/storm repair
  • Bristol Road from Sutherland Street to Highway 101 East is closed for sewer/storm repair

If you see a collision, road closure, have an update, or anything else, please call or text Country 93.1 at 705-264-9310

The post April 23rd 2024 Road Report appeared first on My Timmins Now.

Among all the other plans for spring clean-up in Timmins this year is a new initiative called “Adopt-a-Block”.

City community programs manager Meagan Baranyk says you, businesses and schools are encouraged to clean up a neighbourhood, park or playground.

“This is taking place on Friday, May 24th and Saturday, May 25th,” she explains. “So public works has organized some time for their staff to be able to pick up the garbages that are left at corners at five o’clock on the Friday and at five o’clock on Saturday.”

Registering at www,timmins.ca for your effort enables the city to provide to help. Baranyk says that includes vests, if you’re going to be on a roadway, and other stuff.

“We have garbage bags and gloves for those that require that equipment.”

Also next month -- on May14th – it’s the Day of Action Against Litter.  Details on all the events are on the city’s website.

Here is audio of our interview:

[audio mp3="https://www.mytimminsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Intvw-Baranyk-clean-up-April-23-2024.mp3"][/audio]

The post Adopt-a-block program joins annual spring clean-up staged by the City of Timmins appeared first on My Timmins Now.