THE
Vol. 118 – No. 1
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TEMISKAMING
SPEAKER WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023
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NET PRESENCE
Kaydon Paige, 11, worked on his skating and shooting skills on a visit to the Dymond outdoor rink on February 26. He and little brother Ryan, 8, were the only ones there Sunday and, after clearing a bit of snow that fell Saturday night, had the run of the popular rink all to themselves – at least for a little while. (Staff photo by Steven Larocque)
Apartments proposed for NL school property
Diane Johnston Speaker Reporter
TEMISKAMING SHORES – A two-building apartment complex has been proposed for a former school property in New Liskeard. Temiskaming Shores council heard last week of plans for a four-storey building with up to 53 units on what was the playground of the former École
catholique Paradis-des-Petits. The existing school would be torn down and replaced by a two-storey building with up to six rental units. “We want to develop a great project in your community and we’re looking forward to the next steps to try and make this happen,” said John Knifton, managing partner of JK Development GP2 Ltd. of To-
ronto. Knifton, a developer and real estate consultant, appeared remotely to make a presentation February 21 on behalf of his client, Mohammadan Developers, a property investment company based in Pickering. The school property was purchased by Abdul Khaliq Properties in 2018.
Knifton said developers had originally hoped to redevelop the existing school building by adding another two or three stories. “What we found was that the building was not in very good condition at all,” he said. Developers revised their plans and decided to utilize the other piece of property on the other side of the Dymond
Crescent road allowance. Knifton said the development would incorporate green energy, such as geothermal heating and cooling systems and solar panels. It would be designed by L360 Architecture, which has offices in London and Timmins and has worked on two projects in Temiskaming Shores. Continued on 3a
FONOM focusing on “catch-and-release” reforms Diane Johnston Speaker Reporter
TEMISKAMING SHORES – Bail reform remains a priority for an association of Northeastern Ontario municipalities. The first meeting of what the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is calling the catch and release task force was held in Sault Ste. Marie last month with representatives of three municipal police services on hand. “Citizens of Northern Ontario are angry,” said Danny Whalen, FONOM president and a Temiskaming Shores councillor, in a news release following that February 15 meeting. “People that break into our homes and traumatize law-abiding citizens are arrested by police, then released the same day, some of them, committing another crime later that day,” he continued. He said the lack of movement to review Bill C-75, which amended various pieces of legislation in several areas including bail, is “unacceptable.” In an interview last week, Whalen said front-line police officers appreciated
FONOM bringing everyone together, allowing community impact statements at bail and bail hearings, “because they’ve all been workand ensuring that bail-related ing on it, but it’s not something firearm charges go to Superior you can do alone.” Court for a bail hearing. He said the issue of bail reWhalen singled out a recomform has been in the spotlight mendation that would put the since the fatal shooting at the onus on the defence to explain end of December of an OPP DANNY why someone charged with a constable near Hagersville. One WHALEN firearm offence should qualify of the two people charged in connection with his death was out on for bail. The onus is typically on the Crown to argue why bail should be debail at the time. But FONOM began expressing con- nied. At this time, police officers are “spincerns prior to that tragedy, he said, and more from the view of property crime. ning their wheels” and getting noHe said the federation is now look- where, he said. “From a municipal point of view, ing at the range of criminal activity, from incidents involving violence to we’re paying for that.” property crime, for which people are OPTIONS He said FONOM is not advocating accused and then released. that all people who are currently being RECOMMENDATIONS After the recent meeting, FONOM released should instead be kept in cushighlighted recommendations for tody. “Chronic criminals” he said, should amendments to the federal legislation that were presented by Chief Hugh remain in jail, or the surety process – Stevenson of the Sault Ste. Marie Police in which someone agrees to supervise an individual released on bail – should Service. They include creating the designa- ensure that “somebody’s going to lose tion of a chronic persistent offender, some money” if the accused individual
doesn’t comply with release conditions. But if the issue is driven by a drug addiction, “put them in a treatment centre,” he said. “We do not want the jails used as a rehabilitation centre.” People should similarly be provided with social services or mental health care if that’s what they need, he said. “If it’s an individual with a problem, let’s deal with the problem,” he said. “Right now, we’re spinning our wheels. We’re spending lots of money, and the individual is not getting any help whatsoever.” The first meeting of the task force was attended by representatives of the Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins police services, the North Bay Police Services Association, and municipalities. The task force’s next meeting will be in Timmins in April. A panel discussion will also be held during the annual FONOM conference in Parry Sound in May. FONOM said it’s working to involve more Northern police services and associations as well as government officials in the task force.
Highways 11 and 17 most dangerous, says trucking lobbyist Darlene Wroe
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
STITTSVILLE - Highway 11 and Highway 17 are the most dangerous highways in Canada, says Pete Turner, who is a lobbyist and advocate for the trucking industry. The Stittsville, Ontario, resident is a former truck driver who has been active on the front lines of the industry across Canada for many years. His concern is focused on
about five to ten per cent of the trucking companies who are running trucks across the province and the country. “The problem we’re having is that we have carriers who are operating without concern or safety or following regulations,” he said in a telephone interview. For over 20 years he has been using his company, The Trucker’s Voice, to directly reach out to those in government
positions who can respond to issues. He says he has between 10,000 to 15,000 commercial drivers from across Canada who are members. Over the years “we’ve lobbied and got a lot of laws changed to make the carriers more accountable.” With ties to Temiskaming (his father farmed in the Belle Vallee area and he still has family members living in New Liskeard), Turner says he is familiar with the area and he
worries for his family members when they are driving on Highway 11. Unsafe trucking could be better controlled by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) through the enforcement of laws and better regulating of the training schools and monitoring of the truck traffic, he said. He is advocating that when drivers are found to be driving unsafely, their carriers,
shippers and receivers should also be fined along with the drivers because they are also responsible for ensuring that the trucks that are sent out are safe, and will ensure the public safety, he pointed out. UNQUALIFIED Turner wants to see the truck weigh station scales kept open 24/7 for at least six weeks. He wants all trucks to have license and insurance checks “because Continued on 3a