705 - 864 - 2785
CHAPLEAUEXPRESS Forestfirehazardhighinnortheast, withonefirespanning350hectares
ByLyndsayAelick
Asthewarmweatherarrives,theforestfire hazard is already high across the northeast region, with seven active wildland firesburningasofMondayevening.
Three of those are considered out of control.
Two new fires were confirmed Monday evening, including Sudbury 5, located on the southeast shore of Kenabigoons Lake, and Sudbury 6, located on an island on the North Channel of French River, about one kilometre northeastofWhippoorwillRoad.
FireinformationofficerAlisonLakewith theMinistryofNaturalResourcessaidaportion of the region is showing extreme fire hazard, running near Chapleau, extending southward to ElliotLakeandwestwardtowardMontrealRiver Harbour.
LakesaidTimmins9wasconfirmedlate Sunday afternoon and is not under control. It spans 350 hectares and is located about 1.4 kilometres east of Bell Lake and 8.8 kilometres westofHighway144.
“There are seven crews assigned to this fire,”shesaid.
“It also received theinitialattackthrough aircraft. We had three CL415s attend, two Twin Otter waterbombers with the lead bird dog, actioning the fire late yesterday
afternoon and into the early evening. There’s been no impact from this fire on Highway 144 as of this morning, June1.”
Another large wildlandfireisSudbury 2, which is about 47 hectares.
“It’s approximately three kilometres north of Highway 17 and one kilometre east of Agnew Lake,” Lake said.
“This fire is beingheld.Sudbury3is2.8hectaresinsizeandis locatedwestofSecordRoad,whichisabouttwo kilometres west of Highway 69.This fire is also nowundercontrol.”
Two new fires were also reported late Sunday–butbotharenowconsideredout.
Lakesaidthecauseofeachofthefiresis part of a formal investigation “to look at the general cause, the source of ignition (and the) responsible parties, if that can be determined. This includes the completion of a fire investigationreport.”
Sheencouragedresidentstokeepaclose eyeonthequicklyevolvingfiresituation.
“It’s still technically spring here, and I know a lot of people are outside cleaning up yards,cleaningupcampsafterwinter,”Lakesaid.
“We would really encourage people to think about composting yard waste rather than burningit.Compostingisalotsaferwithrespect tothefirehazard.Andbevery,verycarefulifyou do have a fire. Take note of the fire regulations thatwehaveandalsostayinformed.”
Asthewarmweatherarrives,theforestfirehazardisalreadyhigh acrossthenortheastregion,withsevenactivewildlandfiresburning asofMondayevening.(OntarioForestFiresphoto)
WeatherSummaryforOntario May 2026: Chilly First Half and Fairly Dry
Temperatures
May was slightly cooler than normal across the province, with temperature anomalies generally rangingfrom-1to-2oC.Formuchof northern Ontario, this is the third consecutivebelow-normalmonth.
Cooler-than-normal days dominated the first half of May; however, May 4-5 offered a brief warm break provincewide. On May 18, a warm spell spread across the province and many record daily maximumtemperatureswereset,such as32.4oCinCollingwoodand31.0oC in Strathroy. Temperatures were variable for the remainder of the month with an intense warm period bringing summer-like heat to the northwest in the final days. Daily maximum temperatures climbed above 30oC, includingatRedLake,whichreached32.5oCon May29.
Precipitation
weekearlierthannormal.Thisiceseasonfinished
downedinHamilton.Widespreadpoweroutages
withatotalaccumulatedcoverageof15.3%,the highestsincethe2018-19seasonandalsoabove themedianaccumulatedcoverageof11.4%.
SignificantEvents
Precipitation across the province was generally below or near normal, except for the Niagara Peninsula, which recorded slightly above-normalamounts.Thelargestprecipitation deficits were observed near Lake of the Woods, from eastern Lake Superior northeastward to Cochrane, and southeast of Lake Huron. In fact, parts of the northwest saw only around 25% of theirmonthlynormalamounts.
On finer timescales, the first week was generally the driest, and the third week was the wettestprovincewide.Majorsystemscrossedthe province on May 12, 17 and 23. Some record daily amounts include 61.0 mm in Grimsby and 55.6mminTorontoCity,bothonMay23.
IceConditionsontheGreatLakes
The 2025-26 ice season came to a close ontheGreatLakesthismonth.Atthebeginning of May, most of the lakes were already ice free, except for the three northern bays in Lake Superior,Thunder Bay, Black Bay, and Nipigon Bay, where rotten, thick and very thick lake ice persisted.Thisicecontinuedtobreakupandmelt quicklyearlyinthemonthandbyMay13th,was completely melted. Overall, ice on the Great Lakesbeganformingatthesametimeasnormal atthebeginningoftheseason;however,itheldon one week longer than normal before melting at the end of the season.The peak ice coverage on the Great Lakes occurred mid-February and one
May18th:GustyThunderstormsintheSouth Evening thunderstorms produced strong windgustsastheymovedfromLakeHurontothe upperOttawaValleyonMay18.Treesandhydro poles were downed. Near Mattawa, debris from downed trees closed Highway 533 for several hours, and a campground was evacuated; paramedics transported one camper to the hospital.Somecamperswereunabletoevacuate duetodamagedtrailersorvehicles.InHuntsville, a 19-year-old was killed by a falling tree, and police urged residents to avoid non-essential travel the following day because of multiple blockedroadways.
May 19th: Severe Thunderstorms in the Southwest
The next day, gusty thunderstorms developed west of London over to Niagara. Winds knocked down trees and powerlines onto roads and homes, causing significant damage in London. A tornado was confirmed southeast of London.The City of London stated that it could takeweekstorespondtoalltheclean-uprequests.
Asemi-truck was flipped onto its side southeast of London at Veterans Memorial Parkway and Highway 401. In St. Thomas, windows were blownoutofparkedvehicles.InThorold,winds knocked down two hydro poles—one of which landedonacarandtrappedsomeoneinsideuntil hydro crews arrived. Numerous trees were also
werereportedfromsoutheastofLondontosouth ofBrantford,andnearLongPoint.
May 23: Late Spring Storm Brings Rain and WindtotheGTHA
Gusty winds on saturated ground led to scattereddownedtreesandpoweroutagesacross theGreaterTorontoandHamiltonArea(GTHA) on Saturday. More than 5,000 customers in Toronto were without power Saturday evening. HydroOnealsoreportedoutagesinabandacross the northern GTA, with approximately 3,000 customers still without power Sunday morning. In Hamilton, a falling tree damaged several cars and the front of a home, while in Toronto, multiple trees struck vehicles and at least one home. The Bruno Mars Concert at Toronto's Rogers Centre was cancelled due to safety concerns. Isolated flooding closed lanes on Highway 410 in Brampton and Highway 401 in Scarborough. Billy Bishop Airport reported winds gusting up to 72 km/h and rainfall totals included 59 mm near the University ofToronto, 53mmatTorontoIsland,and40mmatHamilton Mountain.
OutlookforJune2026
Canadian model guidance indicates a very high likelihood of warmer-than-normal conditions across the province over the next month. In contrast, the precipitation outlook is less certain. Below-normal precipitation is forecast for most of the province, with the greatestlikelihoodfromJamesBaysouthwestto LakeSuperiorandeastofGeorgianBay.
Moments
From the archives of Chapleau
Michael J. Morris
TheMechanicsInstituteinChapleauwas built in 1890 on land provided by the Canadian Pacific Railway across from the present BridgeviewHotelonBirchStreet.
According to Wikipedia, mechanics' institutes, thefirstoneestablishedinEdinburgh, Scotland containedinspirationalandvocational reading matter, for a small rental fee. Later popularnon-fictionandfictionbookswereadded to these collections in the library section. Other serviceswerealsoprovided.
TheMechanicsInstituteinChapleauwas a described as an "elaborate structure", for the timesandincludedthelibrary,areadingroom,a hallandspaceforoganizationstomeetinatwostorey building. By the end of 1890, the library
MechanicsInstitutean'elaboratestructure'built in1890servedaspubliclibraryandtownhall
had 178 members and 894volumes.
Imagine,it cost $621.02 to build. Perhaps someone can examine the photos and give us an estimated cost to build a similar buildingin2015.
By 1895, ladies had become active members, and in 1899 when J.B. Dexter was presidentoftheinstitute 200 new books were purchased bringing the totalnumberofvolumes to 1408 of which 1201 weretakenoutoverthe previousyear.
The Canadian Encyclopediasaysthat theinstitutesbeganasvoluntaryassociationsof workingmenseekingselfimprovementthrough education.
However, the Canadian Encyclopedia adds that "Despite the name, the central figureswhodeveloped the Mechanics' Institutes in Canada were rarely manual workers. Rather, the institutes were controlled by shopkeepers, doctors, ministers and small manufacturers who sought activities for themselves, and more importantly, the growing number of urbanwage-earners."
They did reflect
importantfeaturesof19th-centuryCanada:"the constant anxiety of local leaders about social orderandstability;thewidespreadhopeofselfimprovement through education; and the increasing popular thirst for reading material", accordingtotheCanadianEncyclopedia.
In 1895, Beresford Greatheed, aka Greathead,visitedChapleauonhiswalkingtour across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax and visited the institute, according to the Sudbury Journal.
Although Chapleau had about 500 residents when Greatheed visited, he called it a city, and commented that it had "fine churches, CPR shops, three hotels, three or four good storesandnumerousfinedwellinghouses."
He paid particular attention to the Mechanics Institute, "a fine building erected in 1890 and has a hall where 300 persons could easily be seated - membership is 250 and each member paying $2 per annum. Upstairs is occupied by various fraternal societies such as the Freemasons, Oddfellows. Knights of Pythians,Forester,etc.
Cont’donP.4
PlantoTravelwithinCanada
PublicLibrary(MechanicsInsititutebuilding)
GentlemenofthetimegatheredinfrontofMechanicsInstitute
TORONTO, ONTARIO – Representatives of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) spent today at Queen's Park meeting with Ministers, Premier Ford's staff, Opposition Leaders, and Critics to advance the priorities identified by municipal leadersduringFONOM's2026AnnualGeneral MeetingandConference.
Representing 110 municipalities across Northeastern Ontario, FONOM conducted 14 meetings focused on issues that directly impact Northern communities, residents, and local economies.
FONOM BringsMunicipalPrioritiestoQueen'sPark SHOP LOCALLY
Key discussions included highway safety and modernization on Highways 11 and 17, the establishment of a Northern Ontario PolicingGrant,strengtheningmentalhealthand addictions crisis response, housing and infrastructurefunding,workforcedevelopment, economic growth opportunities, energy policy, and reforms to Extended Producer Responsibilityprograms.
"Municipal leaders from across
Northeastern Ontario have been clear about the priorities facing our communities," said Dave Plourde, President of FONOM. "Today's meetings provided an important opportunity to ensure those concerns and opportunities are heard directly by provincial decision-makers. We appreciate the willingness of Ministers, government staff, and opposition representatives to engage in constructive discussions about the future of Northern Ontario."
Among the issues advanced were FONOM resolutions calling for accelerated safety improvements on Highways 11 and 17, provincial action to address rising policing costs, targeted reforms to support compassionate intervention and mental health crisis response, and measures to improve recycling and landfill diversion through expandedproducerresponsibility.
"Strong municipalities are essential to a strong Northern Ontario," said Maggie Horsfield, FONOM 1st Vice President. "Our
members are working every day to support economicgrowth,deliverservices,andimprove quality of life. These discussions help ensure that provincial policies recognize the unique realities,challenges,andopportunitiesthatexist acrosstheNorth."
FONOM's advocacy efforts reflect its mission to improve the economic and social quality of life for all Northerners and to help ensure a strong future for Northern Ontario's youthandcommunities.
FONOMlooksforwardtocontinuingits collaboration with all provincial parties and ministries as work continues on the issues that mattermosttoNorthernOntariomunicipalities.
Staysafeoutdoors—remembertodoatickcheck!
With summer upon us and people enjoyingtheoutdoors,PublicHealthSudbury& Districts reminds you to protect yourself and yourfamilyagainsttickbites.
Blackleggedticks,commonlycalleddeer ticks,arepresentintheSudburyandManitoulin
ChapleauMoments
Cont’dfromP.3
"Afinelibraryexistshereandmostofthe principaljournals,magazinesarereadyforuseof membershipupuntil10p.m.."hesaid.
The building also housed the first Chapleau Town Hall from 1901 when the municipality was incorporated with G.B. Nicholson as the first reeve. However, disaster struck in 1910 when it burned down and all the library holdings as well as municipal records weredestroyed.
A new Town Hall was officially opened on December 30, 1913, which appears to have beendonewhileMr.Nicholsonwasstillinoffice asreeve.Hewasretiringafterservingsince1901, always returned to office by acclamation. Chapleau'ssecondreevewasT.J.Godfrey.
Thepubliclibrarywashousedinvarious locations from 1910 until 1978 when the ChapleauCivicCentrewasopened37yearsago.
Information sources: Wikipedia, CanadianEncyclopedia,SudburyJournal,Vince Crichton (Pioneering in Northern Ontario), GeorgeEvans,DougGreig,MichaelMcMullen.
districts. Infected blacklegged ticks can spread Lymediseaseandothertick-bornediseases.
“People enjoying the outdoors need to check for ticks immediately after activities like gardening or hiking.This is one of the simplest ways you can protect yourself from Lyme disease,” said Ashley DeRocchis, an environmentalsupportofficerwithPublicHealth Sudbury&Districts.
Inadditiontocheckingforticks,takethesesteps topreventtickbites:
• Wear light-coloured clothing, so it’s easiertospotticks.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants ideally tucked into your socks, closed-toed shoes, or any special clothing designed to repel ticks.
• Useinsectrepellentsthatareapprovedby Health Canada and follow the application recommendationsonthepackage.
• Takea showerafteroutdooractivitiesto help wash off ticks that have not yet attached themselvestotheskin.
• After spending time outdoors, put your clothes on high heat in a dryer for at least 10 minutesbeforewashingthem.
Ifyoufindatickonahuman,followthesesteps toremoveitassoonaspossible:
• Usefine-tippedtweezerstograbthetick closetotheskinandgentlypullstraightup.
• Wash the area with soap and water and thendisinfectyourskinandhandswithrubbing alcoholoraniodineswab.
• Putthetickinadrycontainerandbringit to a Public Health office to be sent for identification.Youcanalsosubmitaphotoofthe ticktoetick.caforidentification.
Symptoms of Lyme disease can include fever, headache, chills, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and an expanding circular rash that resembles a bullseye. If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause serious complications to the heart,joints,andnervoussystem.Ifyoudevelop any of these symptoms, follow up with your health care provider to determine if you need treatment.
For more information on Lyme disease andticks,callPublicHealthSudbury&Districts at 705.522.9200, ext. 464 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200)orvisitwww.phsd.ca.
Here'sthepreferredrouteforamassivenewtransmissionline
ByMaijaHoggett,TimminsToday
Whether you're looking to learn more information about the new Wawa-Timmins transmission line, or provide information on the route, there are opportunities across the region comingup.
HydroOnehaschosenitspreferredroute forthemassivenewtransmissionlinethatwillrun from the transformer station in Timmins to the Wawastation.
Starting in Timmins, the preferred route for the 500-kilovolt transmission goes from the transformerstationinGoldCentreandfollowsan existingtransmissionlinesouth.
A new segment then heads west and northwest, cutting across Pine Street South and Wawaitan Road before coming out at Highway 101 near the entrance to the Lake Shore Gold's TimminsWestminesite,beforetheHighway144 turnoff. The line roughly follows Highway 101 until Horwood Lake, where there's a more rural path until it's west of Chapleau. It then cuts west and roughly follows Highway 101 again until connectingwithWawa.
Tochoosethepreferredroute,theproject wasbrokendownintothreesegments—Timmins toHorwood,HorwoodtoChapleau,andChapleau toWawa.
ThatallowedHydroOnetoapplyitsfour main considerations — the natural environment, socio-economic environment, Indigenous communities,andtechnicaldetailsandcost—to smallersections.Eachofthechosensegmentshad thefewestoverallimpacts.
Because there are so many factors to consider, Craig Prewett, Hydro One strategic project delivery director, said choosing the route
wascomplicated.
"Thechallengeofitistryingtogetallthe information around the different categories that wehavesothatwecananalyzeeachoneofthose," hesaid.
Having the preferred route now allows Hydro One to talk more to impacted landowners anddomorein-depthcostingfortheproject.
The impacted landowners have already been directly notified, said Prewett. Now the company can have more detailed conversations withthem.
“We like to call them kitchen table conversations because we really want to get to peopleandtalktothemone-on-oneandestablish thatcloserelationshipwiththemwheretheyhave a person that really is focused on talking to them and understanding any needs that they have,” he said.
The conversations with landowners can mean an easement or selling a part of their property.
“Those conversations, honestly, it’s very interesting,"hesaid.
"You never quite know where people are atanyonepointintheirlifeandwhattheywantto do and how they’re using their property. Easements are one option ... we’ve acquired corners of people’s properties if that’s how they want to do that. It’s really up to the property owner, and we’re open to finding a solution that worksforeverybody,”hesaid.
There's no price tag for the transmission line yet. Now that the route is defined, Prewett saiditcanbeanalyzedinmoredetailtodefinethe cost.
Hydro One's goal is to submit their environmental report, which includes a public commentingperiod,totheprovincebytheendof thisyear.Thetargetforconstructiontostartisthe summerof2028,withthelinebeinginservicein 2030.
Prewettdescribesthisweek'sopenhouses as relaxed events, with food, that are two-way streetsforinformation.
Hydro One will have experts available to answeranyquestions.
They are also still looking to receive informationthroughouttheprocess.
“If anyone’s got any information they’d liketoprovidetousaboutareasofinterestalong the preferred route, it’s a great opportunity to bring that forward at the open houses.We’ve got bigmapsonthetable,we’llmarkthatinformation uponthespotinfrontofthem,recorditdigitally, incorporateitintotheproject,”hesaid.
Theopenhouseseachrunfrom4-7p.m.
On Tuesday, June 2, it's at the Royal CanadianLegionBranch287inSouthPorcupine.
OnWednesday,June3,theopenhouseis inChapleauattheRoyalCanadianLegionBranch 5. The last session is on Thursday, June 4, at the RoyalCanadianLegionBranch429inWawa. Learn more about the project, including viewinganinteractivemap,athydroone.com.
Lastweekssolutions
MOMENTS IN TIME
On June 16, 1943, Oona O'Neill, the 18-year-old daughter of playwrightEugeneO'Neill,married54-year-oldHollywoodlegend Charlie Chaplin. It was his fourth marriage (and his third to a teenagegirl).Oona'sfather,whowasChaplin'sage,disapproved of the union so strongly that he disinherited his daughter, but the marriage,whichproducedeightchildren,wassuccessfulandonly endedwithChaplin'sdeathmorethanthreedecadeslater.
Commentgardervotrecerveauenbonnesantéàtoutâge
(EN) Certains problèmes de santé sont faciles à repérer. Si vous saignez, toussez ou avez de la difficulté à rester debout, vous savez qu’il faut consulter un professionnel de la santé. Mais que fairelorsqueleproblèmetouchejustementlapartie de votre corps responsable de reconnaître ces signesetdeprendreunedécision?
Être attentif aux changements cognitifs, quelquesoitvotreâge,estessentielpourpréserver votresantécérébraleàlongterme.Parexemple,de légerstroublesdelamémoire,commeoublierdes conversations récentes, égarer fréquemment des objets ou avoir du mal à accomplir des tâches quotidiennes, peuvent être des signes précurseurs delamaladied’Alzheimer.
En vieillissant, l’adoption de saines habitudes de vie peut contribuer à réduire les risquesetàpréserverlasantéducerveau.Selonla Société Alzheimer de l’Ontario, voici quelques habitudesàadopter?:
- Pratiquer régulièrement une activité physique, comme la marche, le vélo ou le yoga léger. Cela aide à réduire des facteurs de risque comme la dépression,l’hypertensionartérielleouuntauxde cholestérolélevé.
-Mainteniruneviesocialeactive.Passerdutemps avecdesamis,fairedubénévolatoumêmediscuter
avecuncommisdemagasinpeutaideràréduirele stressetàéviterl’isolement.
-Adopterunealimentationéquilibréepeutaiderà préservervotresantéphysiqueetmentale.
- Garder votre cerveau actif en apprenant de nouvelles compétences ou en vous adonnant à de nouveauxloisirs,enjouantàdesjeuxouenfaisant descasse-têtespeutaideràstimulervotrecerveau etàpréservervosfonctionscognitives.
- Même si un mode de vie sain peut contribuer à réduire le risque de développer la maladie d’Alzheimer, certains facteurs de risque sont inévitables; il est donc possible de développer la maladie même en faisant «?tout ce qu’il faut?». Cependant, de nouveaux traitements permettent
d’améliorerlaviedespersonnesatteintes. Il existe des traitements qui peuvent ralentirle déclincognitif
Une catégorie de traitements, appelée «?traitements modificateurs de la maladie?» (TMM), est conçue pour cibler la cause sousjacente de la maladie d’Alzheimer et potentiellement ralentir sa progression. En retardant le déclin, les TMM peuvent offrir aux patients et à leurs familles plus de temps pour partager des moments précieux, maintenir leurs activités quotidiennes et continuer à s’adonner à leurs routines qui leur apportent réconfort et lien social. Les TMM actuellement homologués au Canada, comme le lécanémab, sont plus efficaces aux stades précoces de la maladie, d’où l’importancecrucialed’undiagnosticprécoce.
Enrestantattentifauxchangementsdansla santé cérébrale, chez vous ou chez vos proches, vous serez mieux préparé à réagir rapidement. Vous pouvez consulter votre médecin ou un professionnel de la santé qualifié pour en savoir plus sur les signes précurseurs de la maladie d’Alzheimer, l’importance d’un diagnostic précoce et la manière dont de saines habitudes de viepeuventfavoriserlasantécérébrale.
Howtospotheatexhaustionandheatstroke
(NC) The warm seasons are a wonderful time for manyCanadians,butit’simportanttohavefunsafely.
The heat carries the risk of illnesses like heat exhaustionandheatstroke.Heatillnessescanaffect youquicklyandaremainlycausedbyoverexposure toheatoroverexertionintheheat.
Heat stroke can even lead to death, so learning how to spot the signs of heat illnesses can helpsavealife.
Who’satriskduringextremeheat?
Extreme heat can affect everyone’s health, andsomepeopleareatanespeciallyhighriskofheat exhaustionandheatstroke.
Healthrisksaregreatestfor:
!olderadults
!infantsandyoungchildren
!people with chronic illnesses (like breathing problems,mentalillnessandheartproblems)
!peoplewhoareunabletokeeptheirlivingspacecool
!peoplewhoworkintheheat(indoorsoroutdoors)
!people who exercise in the heat (indoors or outdoors)
!peopleexperiencinghomelessness
!peoplewithlowincomes
!Whatarethesignsofheatillnesses?
Watch for symptoms of heat exhaustion, which include:
Vehicle Decals
!headache
!nauseaorvomiting
!dizzinessorfainting
!rapidbreathingandheartbeat
!extremethirst(drymouthorstickysaliva)
!decreased urination with unusually dark yellow urine
!changesofbehaviourinchildren(likesleepinessor tempertantrums)
If you have any of these symptoms during extremeheat,movetoacoolplaceanddrinkliquids rightaway.Waterisbest.
Watch out for the signs and symptoms of heatstroke—it'samedicalemergency:
!highbodytemperature
!confusionandlackofcoordination
!dizzinessorfainting
!veryhotorredskin
If you or anyone in your care experiences any of these signs and symptoms, call 911 immediately.Whilewaitingforhelp,cooltheperson
rightawayby:
!fanningthepersonasmuchaspossible
!movingthemtoacoolplace,ifyoucan
!applying cold water to large areas of their skin or clothing
How can you prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke?
Stay cool and hydrated. Drink plenty of water before you feel thirsty. Thirst isn’t a good indicatorofdehydration.Bythetimeyoufeelthirsty, you’realreadydehydrated.
Takeabreakfromtheheatbyspendingtime in a cool place. It could be a tree-shaded area, swimming pool or an air-conditioned spot such as a shopping mall, grocery store, place of worship or publiclibrary.
Youcanbecometoohotoutdoorsorindoors. If you have an air conditioner, be sure to turn it on beforeitgetshot.
By staying alert and aware for the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, you can help keep yourfamilysafer.Learnmoreatcanada.ca/heat.
TRAVELONTARIO
