Archive for category: News

by Alicia McCutcheon ONTARIO—In the latest move under Ontario’s Narcotic Strategy, the government announced last week that the narcotic OxyContin, manufactured by Purdue Pharma, would be pulled from pharmacy shelves across Canada by the end of this month in an attempt to curb abuse of the highly addictive painkiller. OxyContin [...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the current installment of a series that will focus on Manitoulin’s iconic swing bridge which, in 2013, will celebrate a century of service as Manitoulin Island’s physical, year-round link with the mainland. This series, which will lead to festivities planned around next year’s centennial event, seeks [...]

by Stacey Lavallie NORTHERN ONTARIO—Just days after the release of the anticipated 2012 Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, a.k.a. the Drummond Report, opposition MPPs and health, education and services providers are weighing in. Vic Fedeli, the former mayor of North Bay and one of the only Progressive [...]

by Stacey Lavallie QUEEN’S PARK—The news contained in the 2012 Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services report is as grim as the commission’s chair, Don Drummond, warned: Cut spending or go bankrupt. Ontario currently sits at a debt of $16 billion, but if the province were to freeze [...]

by Michael Erskine OTTAWA—The first batch of details from the 2011 national census have been examined by the seers at Statistics Canada and the prognosis for the North is not encouraging, but despite the renewed decline in population across Northeastern Ontario, most of Manitoulin’s communities managed to post either an [...]

by Robin Burridge MANITOBA—Winnipeg musician John K. Samson, known for his role as frontman of the Canadian band The Weakerthans, launched a new album last month titled ‘Provincial,’ featuring a song about the community of Riverton, Manitoba and its petition to have their hometown hero, and current Manitoulin resident, Reggie [...]

by Stacey Lavallie MANITOULIN—On February 20, 2010, M’Chigeeng’s Shane Beboning was stabbed to death around 2 am. His death was the result of a drug- and alcohol-fueled altercation between three cousins who stormed their M’Chigeeng home to confront Mr. Beboning’s older brother. Two of the three cousins involved in the [...]

by Stacey Lavallie M’CHIGEENG—The Lancer’s Kelsey Lekun just couldn’t stop the determined Mustang power brought against her and her team. The do-or-die game between the Manitoulin Secondary (MSS) and Lasalle Secondary schools’ girls’ hockey teams started off aggressive with a Mustang goal, delivered by Diedre Debassige, within the first 35 [...]

LITTLE CURRENT–The Little Current detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are warning the public to not take drugs that have not been prescribed to them, following a theft on Monday. Just before noon on February 5, a home on Highway 540 just west of Little Current was broken into, [...]

by Robin Burridge LITTLE CURRENT—Construction of the new hotel in Little Current being built by a consortium of area First Nations represented by the Great Spirit Circle Trail (GSCT) is gaining hype and height, as its third floor is constructed. “Construction is moving along well,” said GSCT manager Kevin Eshkawkogan. [...]