KebsquasheshingGolfClubreceivesfunds fromtheChapleauTourismFund
The Chapleau Tourism Fund Committee
m
Kebsquasheshing Golf Club president, Eric Bazinet to present the golf club with a cheque for $21,000 00 The funds provided helped to upgrade the golf club's irrigation system. The Kebsquasheshing Golf Club has been revitalizing the course to attract more members and tourists to their course and the Chapleauarea.
The Chapleau Tourism Fund is a new fundthatFirstNations,municipalities,economic development corporations or other non-profit community organizations operating within the Chapleaugeographicareacanapplyfor.Eligible activities that could apply would focus on tourism growth and development within the Chapleau area The Chapleau Tourism Fund generates money for the Fund from the MunicipalAccommodation Tax. The Municipal AccommodationTax is a small tax added to the billofindividualsthatstayinChapleauatoneof the hotels and air B & B's.These funds are then collectedand50%goestothetownshipand50% added to the Chapleau TourismFund.
The
Tourism Fund can be found on the Township ofChapleauwebpageor by sending an email to cao@chapleau
WeatherSummaryforOntario
July2024:SwelteringintheFarNorthandSoakedintheSouth.
Temperatures
Mean monthly temperatures across Ontario were rather close to normal again for thissecondsummermonth.Warmerthannormal days dominated the first half of the month and coolerdays,thesecondhalf.
PortionsoftheFarNorthfollowedbythe north saw the strongest and most frequent anomalies in daily maximum temperature for warm as well as cool days. Weak anomalies dominated in the south, except in southeastern Ontario where early warm days were plentiful and quite intense. The month started briefly cooler than normal in the south and during the third week, a longer cool snap gripped most of the province Some of the highest daily maximum temperatures recorded include 34.3°C at Moosonee on the 28th and 33°C at Amherstburg on the 8th. Successive days of record heat were observed at Pickle Lake starting on the 26th (as high as 30 8°C) Elsewhere record heat was largely absent this month.
Precipitation
Precipitation for the month showed stronger departures from normal when compared to last month. In the north and Far Northmonthlyprecipitationwasbelowormuch below average (as low as 32% at Timmins Airport). Parts of the northwest were very dry until the final week brought some muchappreciatedrains.Forthesouth,mostareassaw slightly above normal amounts. Much higherthan-normal amounts occurred in a band from Sarnia east to the GTA and north to Georgian Bay Also, some areas in eastern Ontario, includingOttawasawmuchhigheramountsdue to intense localized thunderstorms. Toronto YYZ received 215 mm, 291% of its monthly norm,makingitthewettestJulyonrecord.
SignificantEvents
July15-16th:TorrentialDownpours
Intenseshowersoccurredovertwodays wreakinghavocfromnearLondontotheGolden Horseshoearea.First,onthe15th,around50-60 mmofrain(inonly2-4hours)causedbasement and road flooding and prompted the closure of highway 402 west of Strathroy Some vehicles became stranded. In Toronto, several subway stations were flooded on both days. The stairs leading out from Union Station in Toronto resembled a waterfall. EMS in Toronto had to rescue people in elevators and from stranded vehicles on the DVP. The 400 series highways reported flooding in Toronto on the 16th. A
widespread power outage crippled parts of Torontoincludingthedowntowncoreformany hours and even into the next morning. 167,000 Toronto Hydro and 120,000 Ontario Hydro customers were affected. Damage in Kitchener included a washout of train tracks. Pearson Airport recorded 96 mm in just over 3 hours. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, totaldamagescouldexceedonebilliondollars.
July 24: Gusty Thunderstorms with Intense Downpours.
Widespread thunderstorms were felt across much of southern Ontario. Gusty winds downed trees and hydro poles in Cornwall, Brantford and Near Hawkesbury with some falling onto and damaging homes. Hydro One also reported many outages. A tornado was reported south of Perth damaging trees, power lines,aTVtowerandconsequentlysomehomes (especiallynearBassLake).Torrentialshowers once again in Toronto caused flooding and closure on the DVP and Lakeshore as well as twosubwaysstationswhereabout25mmfellin only20minutes.
OutlookforAugust
Onceagain,theguidanceshowswarmer than normal temperatures provincewide, especially in the western portions of the Far North.Theoutlookforprecipitationismixedbut shows higher amounts in the southwest near LakeErie.
Chapleau Moments
by MichaelJ. Morris
As Chapleau High School prepares to celebrateits90thanniversaryin2012,aroundthe same time that it was established, so was the schoolcarthatbrought educationtochildrenalongtheCanadianPacific Railway between Cartier and White River for about40years.
J.B. McDougall, a school inspector in North Bay, had the idea for the school in 1926 after a survey revealed that "children in the backwoods didn't get any education", according toanarticleinBetterLivingmagazinein1946.
The Ontario Department of Education agreedtotheplanandtheCPR,CNRandONR (asitisnowcalled)allagreedto participate.
Chapleau was selected as the central place for the school cars on the CPR and one, attachedtoafreighttrain,travelledwesttoserve the children as far west as White River, and the other,easttoCartier Adentalcarwasintroduced in1931.
The school car was not available to children in places such as Nicholson, Amyot, Franz,Localsh,Missanabie,Biscotasing,Sultan where a school was already established but was for children of miners, trappers, section men, woodsmenandotherswhomaytravelfromtheir isolated homes by snowshoe or dog sled to the siding or spur where the school car would be dropped off for five days before moving to its next location The children would be given enoughhomeworktolastuntilitreturned.
Onestoryrelatedisthatonestudentbuilt aleantoagainsttheschoolcarandlivediniteach weekthatheattendedclasses.
When the school at Nicholson closed in 1936, the school car stopped there until 1956. It stoppedoperatingin1967.
Better Living described it as "the little red schoolhouse being magically turned into a railwaycoach."
Thecarwascompletewithstudentdesks, blackboards and a heater and also had living quarters for the teacher All textbooks, pens, pencils and scribblers were provided by the departmentofeducation.
Often the teacher was called upon to provide assistance to parents as translator,
Littleredschoolhousemagicallyturnedintorailwaycoachwhiledentalcaralsotravelled CPR lineandChapleau'sreeveGeorgeFifemeetstheKingduring1939RoyalTour
adviser, letter writer and host at social gatherings held in the evenings on the car. Adult night classeswereoftenheld.
All teachers were qualified under department of education regulations,andaccordingtoa1951 reports: "Teachers are chosen because of their understanding of and adaptability to pioneering life. In addition to teaching in the classroom, they do much to enrich the life of students and parents, manyofwhomarenotfamiliarwith Canadianhabitsandcustoms."
As I was researching this piece, I was intrigued by some of the words I came across such as "backwoods" and "pioneer life".
Growing up in Chapleau in the 1940s, it never struck me that we lived in the backwoods, or close to it, or were experiencing pioneer life.
In fact, we had a camp at Healey,builtbymygrandparents,Lil(Mulligan) and Harry Morris, and my mother Muriel E (Hunt) Morris, 17 CPR miles west of Chapleau onLakeWindermere.
I guess I really was in the backwoods of pioneer life during the wonderful summers I spentthere.Hadwelivedthereyear-roundImay haveattendedtheschoolcarbutsomehowwould havehadtomakemywaytoMuskorPardeeas therewasnosidingorspurlineatHealey Interestingly,inaguidebookpreparedfor King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for their RoyalTourofCanadain1939,referenceismade toNorthernOntario. Itnotedthatthetrainwould pass "though a land of great rock hills and tall pines, the railway wanders on the main transcontinentalline."
Althoughtheguidedoesnotmentionthe school cars, it does say that Cartier was the eastern terminal for dental cars The cars, "donated and hauled by the railways, contain a dental clinic and living quarters for a dentist in charge."EquippedbytheRosedalechapterofthe Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, they had been maintained and operated by the department of health of the provincial governmentsince1931.
The program provided for free dental treatment to children in Northern Ontario who might otherwise not have received any care. I recallthedentalcarebeingmadeavailabletous after the death of Dr William Young, "the dentist", the brother of Dr G.E. Young, "the doctor."Chapleauwaswithoutaresidentdentist
formanyyears.
ThetrainpassedthroughGeneva,Benny, Pogosaming,Metagamaandotherplaces,andthe next comments were made about Biscotasing. The guide noted that Biscotasing, meaning " narrow filled with waterlilies, connecting two lakes" had been a Hudson's Bay Company tradingpostpriortothearrivaloftheCPR Biscotasing was the "jumping off place forthecanoeroutetoFlyingPost,JamesBayand HudsonBay--arouteusedsinceearliesttimesby the Indians on primitive expeditions, then on journeys to scene of Canadian Pacific construction -- where they made their first contact with civilization outside the trading posts."
Again, an interesting use of language by theguidewritersin1939whotoldtheRoyalsthat the canoe routes had been used by aboriginal peoples since "earliest times" on "primitive expeditions". I can only surmise that the writers were sent out from England in advance of the Royal tour to write an interesting story for their Majesties who were paying their first visit to Canada.
However, by my calculation, the King and Queen were likely asleep as their train travelled from Sudbury to Chapleau. The Royal Train arrived in Chapleau at two a.m. and there werenoplansforapublicappearance.However, Reeve George Fife of Chapleau had sent a message advising that he wanted to meet them whenthetrainwasinChapleau.Theygotupand metMr.Fife.
from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa
by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
In recent weeks, the Federal Conservative leader, much like his last several predecessors, has threatened to defund the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation This is not a new policy direction for their party, but the ramping up of attacks on our public broadcaster have been seemingly more consistent. While some criticism of the CBC is completely valid, such as bonuses given to senior officials while cutting jobs for local and regional broadcasting,thereisnocorporatemediaequivalent forwhattheCBCprovidestoCanadian:sustained, accessible broadcasting that reaches Canadians in everycornerofthecountry
Thepushtodefundthe CBC iscompletely divorced from reality, and frankly, more than a bit weird AspartofitsmandateundertheBroadcasting Act, CBC andRadio-Canada(it'sFrench-language equivalent) are the country's only media organizationdesignedtoserveallCanadiansinbothofficial languages CBC is the one media organization across Canada that is required to be carried on any Canadiancableandsatelliteproviderfortelevision, andineveryareaofthecountryonradio,regardless ifyouareinElliotLake,Peggy'sCove,Toronto,or Yellowknife For many people, the CBC is their best, often only source of local, provincial and national news. They bring special events into each ofourhomes,suchasthecoverageoftheOlympic Games over the last few weeks, giving every Canadian the opportunity to cheer on their nations top athletes without needing to subscribe to a specialtychanneltoaccessit Theyprovideaservice thatisessentialtoahugeswathofthecountry
ThebenefitofCBCisthatweallpayforit, throughtaxes,andthatitisaccessibletoeveryone Local journalism and broadcasting have been hit particularlyhardthelastfewyearsassomecompanies struggle financially. Bell, just this year, cut 4,800peoplefromitsbroadcastingarm,andwithit, stripping away local broadcasting like most noonhour news programs at CTV. That has a real, tangibleimpactoncommunities,andtheirabilityto accesslocalnews.CBChelpsfillthesegapswhere localnewsmaynotbepresentorhavetheabilityto respondtolocalevents Iamcertainmostpeoplein Northern Ontario can identify that they live in a localnewsdesert.Thereareanumberofstronglocal papers, radio stations, and broadcasters who continue to do that good work of informing and entertainingnortherners,butwe'veseentoomuchof our local media bought by conglomerate corporations that cut jobs the second they no longer have
ThreatstoDefundthe CBC don'tMeshwithRealityforManyCanadians
local competition CBC works outside of this paradigm, and while it's not the salve for the challenges faced by the independent journalism industry,it'salsonotbeholdentothewhimsofcorporate media, either Having both small, independent mediaandpublicmediaisvital.
The Conservative leader has stated that he wants to save money by defunding the CBC, but wouldnottouchRadioCanada.It'sanoddposition to take, especially given that, if his stated answer (which is likely different from his actual reason) is tosavemoney.Bysomeestimates,about40percent ofCBCsrevenueflowstoRadioCanada,sosavings wouldlikelybeminimalfromthatperspective But further to this, the Broadcasting Act requires programing to be produced in both English and French,soinordertomakethischange,he'dneedto completely overhaul the act. Part of the act also encompasses the fact that CBC/Radio Canada has
“creative and programming independence” The fact that the CBC has that independence is what makesitvital,alongwiththefactthattheybroadcast in both official languages, and eight Indigenous languages. But the bizarre suggestion that you would cut one part while leaving the other intact doesn'tsoundlikeathought-outplan,itsoundslike pandering
That's not to say that there are not issues withCBC It'shardtofathomwhatCEOCatherine Tait was thinking when she allowed executive bonuses to be handed out while pink slips were being signed earlier this year. But there's a stark difference between scrutinizing poor spending decisions and obliterating Canadian public broadcasting Defunding media that rural communities, Indigenous communities and potentially francophone communities rely on for news and Canadianprogramingshouldn'tbeaconsideration
Lesmenacesderetirerlefinancementà CBC/Radio-Canada necadrentpasaveclaréalitépourdenombreuxCanadiens
Aucoursdesdernièressemaines,lechef du parti conservateur fédéral, comme ses nombreux prédécesseurs, a menacé de retirer le financement à CBC/Radio-Canada Cette orientation politique n'est pas nouvelle pour le parti, mais les attaques contre notre radiodiffuseur public semblent s'intensifier de façon constante Certaines critiques à l'égard de CBC/Radio-Canada, comme le versement de primeauxhautsdirigeantsaumêmemomentoù des emplois liés à la radiodiffusion locale et régionalesontéliminés,sonttoutàfaitjustifiées. Cependant, aucun média n'offre ce que CBC/Radio-Canada offre aux Canadiens : une radiodiffusion durable et accessible qui rejoint lesCanadiensdanstouslescoinsdupays.
La pression exercée pour retirer le financementàCBC/Radio-Canadaestcomplètementàcôtédelaréalité,etentoutehonnêteté,très étrange.Danslecadredesonmandatenvertude laLoisurlaradiodiffusion, CBC/Radio-Canada forme le seul média du pays conçu pour servir touslesCanadiensdanslesdeuxlanguesofficielles.CBC/Radio-Canadaestlaseuleorganisation médiatique au Canada qui doit être offerte par touslesfournisseurscanadiensdecâblodistribution et de satellite pour la télévision, et dans toutes les régions du pays à la radio, que l'on se trouve à Elliot Lake, Peggy's Cove, Toronto ou Yellowknife. Pour de nombreuses personnes, CBC/Radio-Canadaestlameilleureet,souvent, laseulesourcedenouvelleslocales,provinciales etnationales.Lasociétéprésentedesévénements spéciaux dans chacun de nos foyers, comme la couverture des Jeux olympiques au cours des dernières semaines, ce qui donne à chaque Canadien l'occasion d'encourager les meilleurs
athlètes du pays sans devoir s'abonner à une chaîne spécialisée pour les voir performer. Elle fournit un service indispensable à une grande partiedupays.
L'avantage de CBC/Radio-Canada, c'est qu'elleestfinancéeparnosimpôtsetaccessibleà tous. La radiodiffusion et le journalisme locaux ont été particulièrement touchés ces dernières années à cause des difficultés financières qu'éprouvent certaines entreprises. Cette année seulement,Bellasupprimélesemploisde4800 personnes de son service de radiodiffusion, éliminant par le fait même la radiodiffusion localecommelaplupartdesémissionsdenouvellesdemidiàCTV Celaauneincidenceréellesur les communautés et leur capacité à accéder aux informationslocales.CBC/Radio-Canadaaideà combler ces lacunes là où les nouvelles locales n'existentpeut-êtrepasounesontpasenmesure deréagirauxévénementslocaux.Jesuiscertain que la plupart des gens du nord de l'Ontario peuvent reconnaître qu'ils vivent dans un désert d'information locale. On trouve un certain nombre de journaux, de stations de radio et de radiodiffuseurslocauxquicontinuentdefairece bon travail d'information et de divertissement pourleshabitantsduNord.Nousavonstoutefois vutropdenosmédiaslocauxêtreachetéspardes sociétés de conglomérat qui suppriment des emplois dès qu'ils n'ont plus de concurrence locale. CBC/Radio-Canada ne suit pas ce paradigme, et même si elle ne représente pas la solution aux problèmes auxquels est confrontée l'industriedujournalismeindépendant,ellen'est pasnonplussoumiseauxcapricesdesmédias.Il est crucial d'avoir à la fois de petits médias indépendantsetdesmédiaspublics.SuiteP.7
PerseidMeteorShower
ByGaryBoyle
The best meteor shower of summer belongs to the Perseids. The entire shower lasts fromJuly14toSeptember1withthepeakperiod beingthenightofAugust12intothemorningof the13.Butthenightbeforeandaftershouldstill result in a spectacular cosmic show The first quarter moon will set on the 12th around 11:30 pmlocaltimeandmidnightonthe13th.
Withthelunarglowgone,conditionswill beidealtoseetheestimated90meteorsperhour including a few bright fireballs. Away from the glow of city lights will reveal the band of our Milky Way Galaxy. The planet Saturn will rise after 9 pm with the pair of Mars and brighter Jupiterafter1am.Anyastronomycellphoneapp will show their position Both are closest (conjunction) on the morning of the 14th with a separation less than the width of the full moon. Enjoythesesand-sizedparticlesofCometSwift-
Tuttleastheysafelyvaporizeintheatmosphereat about72kilometrespersecond. What a great way to spend vacation at your favouritecampsiteorcottage.
Known as “The BackyardAstronomer”, Gary Boyle is an astronomy educator, guest speaker and former columnist for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as well as a
STEM educator He has been interviewed on more than 60 Canadian radio stations as well as television across Canada and the U.S. In recognition of his public outreach in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has honoured him with the naming of Asteroid (22406)Garyboyle.FollowhimonFacebookand hiswebsite:www.wondersofastronomy.com
GovernmentofCanadainvestsinheatpumptrainingfor skilledworkersinacleanereconomyacrossthecountry
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are switching to heat pumps as a way to cut their energy bills and contribute to the fight against climate change. The increased demand in heat pumps, backed by a range of government programming, is supporting good jobs in a cleanereconomy.Installingandmaintainingthis technology requires new skills from heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians.
Today, Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced over $500,000 in federal funding to support the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) to help address the skills gap for heat pump proficiency. She was joined by Tony Van Bynen, Member of
Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora, Ontario, and Nancy McKeraghan, Principal of Canco ClimateCareandappointedChairofHRAI
ThecurrentresidentialHVACworkforce employs thousands of technicians whose skills need to be updated as the heating and cooling industry evolves. This investment by the GovernmentofCanadawillhelpHRAIto:
-enabletheindustrytotakeonmoreworkinthe growingcleaneconomy;
-create a benchmark of skills and knowledge needed to safely and competently install and serviceelectricheatpumps;
-identifytheskillsgapintheexistingworkforce; -work collaboratively with colleges to develop training that can be delivered in an accelerated and -flexible format to address the identified gaps;and
-pilotthistrainingwithasmallgroupofgasand
licensedtechniciansinOntario.
By supporting initiatives like these, we are ensuring that the HVAC workforce remains relevant, stays employed, and has the skills to safelyinstallandmaintainheatpumptechnology asCanadamovestowardalowcarboneconomy.
Lastweekssolutions
MOMENTS IN TIME
On Aug. 31, 1989, England's Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, publicly announced her separation from her husband, Mark Phillips,butthecouplestatedtheywerenot intendingtodivorce.
SuitedelaP.4
Le chef conservateur a déclaré qu'il voulaitéconomiserenretirantlefinancementde CBC,maisqu'ilnetoucheraitpasRadio-Canada. C'estunepositionétrangeàprendre,surtoutsisa réponse (qui est probablement différente de sa véritable raison) est d'économiser de l'argent. Selon certaines estimations, environ 40 % des recettesdeCBCsontverséesàRadio-Canada,ce quisignifiequeleséconomiesseraientprobablement minimes dans cette perspective. Par ailleurs,étantdonnéquelaLoisurlaradiodiffusion exige que la programmation soit produite en français et en anglais, le chef conservateur devraitmodifierlaloienprofondeurpourapporter ce changement. Une partie de la loi englobe également le fait que CBC/Radio-Canada jouit d'une«indépendance[…]enmatièredecréation etdeprogrammation».C'estcetteindépendance dont jouit CBC/Radio-Canada qui la rend essentielle,enplusdufaitqu'ellediffusedansles deux langues officielles et dans huit langues autochtones.Cependant,l'idéeétrangedecouper une partie tout en laissant l'autre intacte ne ressemblepasàunplanréfléchi,maisplutôtàde laflatterie.
Cela ne veut pas dire qu'il n'y a aucun problème avec CBC/Radio-Canada Il est difficile de comprendre ce que pensait la présidente-directrice générale Catherine Tait lorsqu'elle a autorisé le versement de primes aux cadres quand des avis de renvoi étaient signés plus tôt cette année. Il y a cependant une nette
différenceentrel'examenminutieuxdesmauvaises décisions en matière de dépenses et l'anéantissement de la radiodiffusion publique canadienne.Onnedevraitpassongerderetirerle financementauxmédiassurlesquelslescommunautés rurales, les communautés autochtones et possiblement les communautés francophones comptent pour obtenir des nouvelles et une programmationcanadiennes.
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CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE. Offers shelter, emotionalsupport,andinformationforwomenandtheirchildrenwhoarein crisissituations WehaveaTollFreeCrisisLinewhichisstaffed24hoursa day WecanarrangeforfreetransportationtotheCentreforwomenwho liveintheAlgoma/Chapleauarea Wealsooffersupporttowomenwholive in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and HornepaynethroughourOutreachProgram OurOutreachWorkertravels tothosecommunitiestomeetwithwomenwhoneedemotionalsupportas wellasinformationabouttheirrightsandoptions Ifyouneedtospeakwith the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up an appointment You do not need to be a residentoftheCentreinordertouseourservices Ifyouneedsomeoneto talktoorifyoujustneedsomeonetolisten,callourTollFreeCrisislineat1800-461-2242oryoucandropinattheCentre Wearehereforyou
Forestfireshavecometobeannualoccurrencesinthesummerand Ontarioasaprovincewasthehardesthitbyfireinthesummerof1967
From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie PublicLibrary
By early June in 1967, eight forest fires wereburningwithinthefive-million-acredistrict ofAlgoma.Atwo-weekdroughthadelevatedthe firerisktoextreme.BetweenWawa,ElliotLake and Chapleau there were over 200 firefighters, four aircraft and more than 50,000 feet of hose being used in an attempt to stop the progression ofthefires.
The threat closest to the Sault was burninginSearchmontandhadlevelled240acres.
The town of Chapleau had a particularly badfirethatJuneandresidentshadtobeevacuatedduetothethreatofanencroachingblaze.
Fire had threatened the community of Chapleauinthepastbutuntil1967anevacuation of the town had never been necessary. In the summers of 1922 and 1947, fires edged closer, and the CPR trains stood by ready, but winds shifted and the change in weather eased the emergency.
ThefireriskinChapleauin1967wasthe worst it had been in the 12 years prior. Temperatures in the 80s along with dry air, lack ofrainand25mphwindgusts,createdtheideal conditions for the fire to catch and thrive, a “timber box.” By the first Friday of June, heavy smokecloudsandaredglowintheskycouldbe seen from up to 50 miles away in the area surroundingChapleau.
Thefiretravelledmilesfromtheoutskirts towards town, burning approximately 5,000 acres of land along the way. The blaze was describedasa“crownfire”andwasabletorace through treetops covering vast distances very quickly Atonepointthefirewasabletomakethe ½-milejumpacrossasmalllakeinthearea.
Every resident able to help was given a task.
Teens acted as Marshalls, those with medicalexperienceor training served as nurses, andmenleftofficeandstorefrontjobstoworkon the fire lines alongside professionals. The smell of burning was everywhere, in and around Chapleau. Townsfolk did their best to aid in the protection of their community and property by tryingtoestablishfirebreaks,strippingbushand bulldozing land between critical points, where firewaslikelytoadvance.
“The situation in the town is tense. They’reworriedaboutwhatthewindisgoingto do. Their ace in the hole is a trench 200 yards widewhichhasbeenbulldozedoutinthedarkin dangerousconditions”(SaultStar,June5,1967). AtthetimetheChapleaufirewasdeemedoneof the worst burning in Ontario. It had made it to
within two miles of the town. By Saturday, June 4th most families had packed belongings and been evacuated, being forcedtochoosefromtheir most valuable possessions while worrying about friends and neighbours. A change in weather could have made the fire worse, andtheunpredictabilityleft the town with no guarantees of reaction time, residents had to leave their homes.Thefirst CPR train held 135 passengers in its boxcars and was loaded at 9:30onJune3rd.Asecondtrainwasloadedearly thenextmorning.
ning…whatweneedisafewmoredaysofrains” (SaultStar,June6,1967).
The unfavourable winds had driven the fire closer and the absence of rain left residents withnootherchoice.Only1,000oftheestimated 3762-member community remained. Although Highway17betweenSudburyandtheSaultwas blockedbyfire,theTimminsroadremainedopen for emergencies. Timmins and Sudbury were asked to anticipate the arrival of evacuees, and city phone lines erupted with calls offering assistance,foodandaccommodation.
Chapleau became a ghost town under a hazeofsmoke.Thestreetswerequietandeerie. Only the crackling of the fire, a red glow in the air,ahandfulofresidentsandthesmellofsmoke remained. The OPP deputized some remaining citizens and asked them to patrol the empty streets.Thesedeputiesalsohadadutytoensure thathomeownershadtheirgardenhoseshooked up, offering potential aid should the flames continuewiththeirmomentumtowardhouses.
Professional help to fight the fire came fromcuttingevenmorefirebreaks,andattempts tocreatedistancebetweenChapleauandthefire, “Theflamesareofficially‘contained’butthereis noletupforthegrimy,bone-tiredmeninthebush astheystruggletocutalargeenoughspacetohalt the flames” (Sault Star, June 6, 1967). In an attempt to help, the Department of Lands and Forestsbeganrecruitingvolunteers,menrightoff ofthestreetsoftheSault.
As well aircraft, including two helicopters and two turbo-Beavers, were flown in to assist. Despite help dropping water from above, what the firefighters needed was days of wet weather, rain without lightning and low winds. “Fires smoulder for a few days after light-
TherainChapleauhadwaitedtwoweeks for began falling late afternoon on Monday and brought some relief to the 380 firefighters working the blaze. With ¾” of rain falling, and temperatures dropping to low 70s the forest fire becamemoremanageable.However,therainwater was a double-edged sword, and led to washouts on the highway between Thessalon and Chapleau,withtheworstbeinga40-milestretch on Highway 129. Rain continued Monday into Tuesday and eased the area’s fire risk from extremetolow.
Despite the washouts, the rain also brought the return of townspeople And by Wednesday Chapleau schools and its hospital were reopened. Chapleau had lost 5,869 acres, but the community remained hopeful, “a 10-to12-day old fawn was the first creature to be broughtoutalivefromthespruce,poplarandjack pine…ravaged by the fire” (Sault Star, June 7, 1967).
RainhelpedfirefightersgettheChapleau fire and another of Algoma’s biggest fires that summer in check and helped to extinguish two more. But, at the time, 14 fires remained ablaze throughout the province All 14 of the fires burning were determined to be caused by the samething–man.Theweather,temperatureand lightning only made the situation worse. Departments of Lands and Forests said that hot shavings from train brake shoes was the main cause behind Chapleau’s fire Shavings are known to fly from rails into dry timber and undergrowth, then spark causing a fire. Locomotives have since adopted a new kind of brakeshoe,inhopesofeliminatingchippingand sparks.