Election results!

As predicted by yours truly, the following individuals have won the 2014 Chapleau municipal election:

Mayor - Michael Levesque

Council - Gisele Noël
              -Kevin Lindquist
              -Guillaume Tremblay
              -Gerard Bernier

Congrats to all the winners!  I am anxious to see this dynamic new team working together for the good of Chapleau.

All-candidates meeting

Last night was the all-candidates meeting in Chapleau.  It was a full house and residents and taxpayers got to hear what the candidates for mayor and council had to say on a variety of issues.  It was interesting to see the performance of some of the candidates.  All said, it was a great experience to get to see the candidates and associate a face (and a platform) with each of those colourful election signs.

Were any of you at the meeting?  What did you think of the candidates performance?  Sound off in the comments section.  And don't forget to vote on the poll.

Better late than never?

Isn't it curious that all of a sudden, a lot of town sidewalks are getting repaired?  There is little more than a month left of the current Mayor and Council's mandate.  Why is this work being completed now, all of a sudden?  These same sidewalks were falling apart back in 2010 as well.  If anyone has any info on this, it would be interesting to hear.

Candidates list (as of Sept 11)

So far, we have the following candidates in the 2014 municipal election.

Mayor: Tom Prue
              Ryan Bignucolo
             Michael Levesque

Council: Dave McDonald
               Guillaume Tremblay
               Gerard Bernier
               Kevin Lindquist
               Gisele Noel
               Lisi Crichton-Bernier

I'll update the list as needed.  Any thought on the candidates so far?  There are now six candidates for Council.  That's better.

As of September 12th (the deadline), the last group of candidates has finally surfaced.  To the list, we now see: Larry Lacroix, Doug Greig and Dan Williams.

So it appears the current batch of coucillors are all trying to get re-elected.  Will they succeed?  Only you can decide.

Another Election...

Well Folks, another municipal election is upon us.  Some of you have wondered if there will be any coverage on this site.  When I first created this site, it was to cover the 2010 election campaign.  I did not give any thought to the next election.  Here are some things to consider:

1) Nobody (to my knowledge anyhow) follows this site anymore.  What good is a website without an audience?

2) The Municipal Election is on October 27, 2014.  So far, I have absolutely no idea who any of the candidates are.  I have seen 2 election signs (1 for Mayor, 1 for Council) so far.  There has been no coverage in the Chapleau Express so far.  How am I supposed to maintain a site about an election when I know nothing about the candidates?

3) I'm pretty busy, so I'm not sure if a site like this is worth it anymore.

If anyone feels strongly enough that they would want this site (or something very similar) to cover the 2014 election, write in the comments section and let me know.  There's still lots of time before the campaign is over.  Not sure if it will be as interesting as last time, but you never know until you see who the candidates are.

Thank you for reading!

Fishing fiasco

I would like to thank Mrs. Charron for her letter in the latest Chapleau Express.  For a town that worked so hard to become Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town winner in 2011, it sure doesn't show in 2012.  Apart from some signs and t-shirts at the Village Shops this summer and beforehand, a visitor would not have the slightest clue that our town won the contest a little over a year ago.  How come the zeal and effort by people like Charley Plourde did not continue into promoting our town as an ideal fishing destination?  I daresay that maybe we did not deserve to beat out Port Colborne if we can't seem to at least erect some decent signage to highlight the event in stead of...nothing.  More importantly, where is the $25,000 prize money?  Hopefully, it is still there waiting to be spent on a worthy fishing-related cause.  Maybe there should be an expiry date by which the money can be used.  Sometimes, doing nothing can be as bad as making a mistake.  Maybe worse.

Virtually speaking

I find it interesting that Mr. Hugh Kuttner thinks we should abandon our physical museum and have a virtual one in its place.  While this would simplify things a bit in terms of finances, there is a problem with this kind of thinking.  One of the reasons to have a vibrant and interesting museum in a town is to attract tourists.  How can a web-based virtual museum attract the same kind of attention?  Unless Hugh is thinking about virtual tourists.  Do the merchants in Chapleau accept virtual money?

Volunteerism works!

There is ample proof that volunteers are making a difference in our community.  A while back, a bunch of committees were set up to spearhead local initiatives.  One such example is the recreation committee.  Proof that this committee has done well and made a difference is easy to find.  One only has to take the outdoor skating rink (times two) as a shining example of the fine work that this group has done.  While we may not have had the perfect winter for outdoor enthusiasts, the ice surface was around for quite some time.  It was always well maintained by a small army of dedicated volunteers.  Even some of the users of the ice surface would take up the job of shovelling the ice after a dumping of snow.  The place was often very busy with some families even driving in from outside of town to make use of the ice.  Whether just skating or actual games of hockey, I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed this great outdoor activity.  None of it would have been possible without the hard work of the recreation committee and the support of the Mayor and council.  This is the kind of success that this town can accomplish and needs to build on to see other future endeavours realized.  I am not entirely familiar with all of the volunteer committees hard at work in Chapleau.  I do know that there is also a museum committee that has been formed.  We all know that our local museum desperately needs some TLC.  Let's hope that our Mayor and council can also get behind this important group and their monumental task.  They need all the help they can get.

Stick in the mud

Kudos to our Mayor, André Byham, for giving us an update of what council has been up to for the past year.  What is truly revealing is the amount of projects that have been planned and then scrapped or delayed due to the uncooperative nature of one or more council members.  It has been clear for some time, that certain elected officials in our town are not acting with the best interests of taxpayers in mind.  Our mayor has reinforced this sentiment with his latest article.  Not only are these people ignoring the will of the people who elected them, they are holding our town back.  We must all work together if we want to see our town prosper and grow.  What is on the minds of many townspeople, after having read the newspaper this week-end, is the identity of the council member (or members) in question.  I have my suspicions, as do many of you.  Our mayor was wise not to ruffle too many feathers by outing them publicly.  If anyone wants to discuss the matter further, including the behaviour of some of our elected officials, look no further.  I look forward to any comments you may have, or pointed fingers, for that matter.

Room with a view

It would seem that, without any fanfare, the webcams on top of the Redwood have been removed.  What was touted as being a major tourist attraction for Chapleau has run its course.  What are we to do without this vital boost to our economy?  What will all the railway aficionados do now that they can no longer gaze at the trains going through Chapleau?  Or the many people who love to admire our downtown from the web?  We will be hard pressed to find something else that is as equally stimulating to do in Chapleau.

Does the good Dr. have any other ideas up his sleeve?

Ice, Ice Baby...

In nearly all of Northern Ontario, school buses have been cancelled for the day due to freezing rain.  This includes Sudbury, Manitoulin, MOST of Algoma, Timmins, Kapuskasing, Hearst and MOST of the areas in between.  Strangely, although the same conditions exist throughout the entire region, school buses are still running in Chapleau and Wawa.  Ask yourselves, what do these two towns have in common, besides the aforementioned weather?  I'll leave you to figure out the answer.

Needless to say, this is an issue of safety and security and of great concern to local parents.  This is not the first time that such a thing has happened.  It will probabbly not be the last.  Hopefully, common sense will prevail BEFORE a needless tragedy happens in our community.

Be careful out there.  It's pretty slippery with all that ice.  Don't go out, unless you have to.  But I shouldn't have to tell you.  It's only common sense.  Did I mention that highway 129 is closed?

Welcome back, fishing derby.

It is with great joy that I greeted the news that Chapleau's former annual northern pike fishing derby is returning.  This event is a great boost for our local economy during the long winter months.  The logistical problems that caused last year's cancellation were not discussed in any detail.  At least the event is back...how can we expect anything less from Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town?

Property owners beware!

Especially those in the downtown core.  Dog walkers are a common sight in some parts of Chapleau.  The first thing I look for when I see dog walkers (or anyone walking their dog, for that matter) is a plastic bag in hand for picking up the dog's excrement.  Not only is this the polite and neighbourly thing to do, it's also the law.  I regularly see dog walkers all over Chapleau.  To my shock, I saw a woman letting her dog take a big dump on the lawn of Trinity United Church!  As if this was not bad enough, she continued on her way as if nothing had happened.  No bag, no picking up.  Next time, I'll make sure to bring my camera with me on my walk.  You never know what you'll see!

Tim Hudak pulls a John Tory!

Allow me, if you will, to divert your attention to the provincial election campaign, already in progress.  Premier Dalton McGuinty has offered an incentive to employers to hire newly arrived skilled canadian workers.  Tim Hudak, in a rush to disagree with a Liberal policy announcement, has referred to these new arrivals as "foreign workers".  The backlash continues.  Nevermind the reactions to the original policy announcement, Hudak is getting tons of attention for his turn of phrase...bad attention.

Will this be the wedge issue, like religion in schools that dogged John Tory during the 2007 campaign, for Tim Hudak?  Only time will tell.

Public works

Glad to see some much needed paving work has been undertaken this summer.  At this rate, almost all of our streets are actually paved with asphalt.  Can't wait until they pave Ash, Minto (half) and Elgin.  Maybe next summer?  Some of our sidewalks still could use some tlc.  A random patch in front of the United Church was fixed recently.  Why this particular location?  There are far worse patches on nearby Pine Street.  Interesting...

On another note, does anyone know what happened to Kimmo's site?

The Phantom Menace

I did notice Dr. Pellow in the newspaper yet again.  I wonder if he secretly has some master plan up his sleeve? 

On another note, somebody threw out my collection of "gently used" hockey equipment donated by "you know who".  It's too bad.  All I was missing was a helmet and some pads and I was ready to open the Dr. W.R. Pellow hockey museum.  Think of the tourist potential for Chapleau!  I know it's not a railway webcam, but I think it could work.  Maybe someday...

As for Dr. Pellow replacing Dr. Shearer (as some have suggested)...as scary a thought as that is, Dr. P is WELL beyond retirement age.  I doubt that will happen anytime soon.  Then again, maybe that's his ticket to getting back to Chapleau from London or wherever.  Keep your eyes peeled, residents of Chapleau.  No doubt, he is lurking somewhere in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment.

For the pride of Chapleau

It is so exciting that with barely a week left, Chapleau is leading the race to be Canada's ultimate fishing town.  Our massive margin has shrunk a little, but we seem to be holding steady.  It would be such a fantastic accomplishment if Chapleau won.  Not only would the money help, but the bragging rights and huge boost to our town's morale would be great also.  I don't know about you folks, but when I think of a great fishing town, Chapleau tends to leap to mind a lot more than a city in the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario.  It's a natural fit and I sure hope that we win.

At the same time, I have noticed a disturbing trend in town.  There seem to be a few naysayers that are convinced that winning this contest would be a bad thing for Chapleau.  They seem to think that a first place finish would result in an inundation of tourists that would empty all of our local lakes of their fish stocks.  These few individuals have managed to convince their entire families and others to boycott the contest entirely.  This is probably the biggest piece of nonsense I have ever heard.  Most of us sane people realize that this fear is completely unfounded.  The future economic benefits of the tourists that do make it here are sure to be significant.  Let's not let a bunch of traitors spoil this great opportunity for our town.  It's backwards thinking like that that keeps Chapleau from soaring to its greatest potential.

Go Chapleau!

Rose strikes again!

There was much commotion lately when councillor Bertrand has attempted to dictate what committee a local volunteer could sit on.  She also tried to tell the committee how they should conduct their meetings and that their current method of organization was not acceptable.  These comments were met with opposition by Michael Levesque, the chair of the Recreation Committee.  He has shown that he is doing an excellent job, as are all the other members of this vibrant, valuable and badly needed group.  They extraordinary efforts must be commended.  Let's not let one bad apple spoil all the hard work that has been done so far.  Keep up the good work!  Chapleau needs you! 

Perhaps councillor Bertrand should look to her own behaviour before being too concerned about hard-working community members who have taken the time to contribute by attempting to join a committee.  She has still not yet publicly explained her actions as of late.  As a result, her credibility has been seriously damaged and everything said by her will be examined more closely than ever.  Even though, through legal technicalities, there is nothing much that the taxpayers of Chapleau can do about her misconduct, we will certainly not forget.

The gravy train ends in 2014! (Of course, sooner would be better).

The right to decide

While the current federal election campaign may be on some peoples minds lately, it illustrates a very important fact about our democratic system.  Many of us take our democracy and our right to vote for granted.  This happens at every level of government in Canada.  Voter apathy is a growing problem.  While the rate of participation in our last municipal election was an improvement, we can still do much better.  Many people in Canada have questioned the necessity of the latest federal election.  While that may be a valid argument, there is something even more important at stake: the future.  If you don't want things to be exactly as they were before the election call, get out and VOTE!  Maybe then, something will change and this will not all seem like an exercise in futility.  Let's not forget the millions of people around the world who would love to have a say in how THEIR country is governed (Lybia, China and many others).  If they ever do get the right to vote, I doubt they would ever choose not to exercise their right.  It makes me sick when I hear that people are deciding not to vote.  Every Canadian citizen has a responsibility to be informed and do their civic duty to elect a government that represents them.  Apathy leads to lots of minority governments and scandalous behaviour by a man who likes to wear sweaters and his party who think they can do whatever they want and get away with it.  The only way to change this is to get out and vote and show the man in charge that we will not be ignored and taken for granted anymore.

More tweaking...

Unfortunately, my attempt to reduce the clutter on my site has failed.  Live and learn.

Anonymous postings are once again enabled.  Traffic has remained strong, but there have been no comments since the change was made.  Hopefully, this will rectify the situation.

After all, what's a site like this without the input from all of you, the readers.

Thanks again for all those who take the time to read and support this site.

Keep the comments coming, they are always welcome.