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Page 6 Nipigon-Red Rock Gazette Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 Black Sturgeon River Participate CATEGORY B PROJECT EVALUATION Black Sturgeon River Research Facility - Building Demolition, Hazardous Waste Removal & Site Rehabilitation - Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park, Nipigon District The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) invites public comment on its proposal to undertake maintenance work on the Black Sturgeon River Research Station, located approximately 60 km up the Black Surgeon Road west of Nipigon. This work is being undertaken in accordance with the approved management guidelines for the park. Phase I of the project will require MNR to demolish the buildings on site and remove any asbestos-containing material to an approved landfill using the required transport methods. The work is proposed to occur during the spring of 2008. Phase 2 of the project will include the proper removal of in-ground fuel tanks, cleanup of any contaminated soils, and site restoration. This phase of the project is proposed to occur in the summer/fall of 2008. No negative environmental effects are anticipated. Comments must be received within the 30-day comment period, which expires on April 5, 2008. The proposal is being evaluated as a Category B project under the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves. A Notice of Completion will be sent to those who submit comments or request further notice when the project evaluation is finished. MNR may proceed to implement the project without issuing a further general notice. For more information on the project, to submit comments or to request further notice, please contact: Dan Desramaux P.O. Box 970 Nipigon, ON POT 2J0 Tel.: 807-887-5030 Fax: 807-887-2993 E-mail: Daniel.desramaux@ontario.ca Comments and personal information regarding this project are collected under the authority of the Environmental Assessment Act and the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 to assist in making decisions. Comments and opinions which do not constitute personal information as defined by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, will be shared among MNR and others as appropriate, and may be included in study documentation that is made available for public review. Personal information will remain confidential unless prior consent to disclose is obtained. This information may be used by the Ministry of Natural Resources to seek public input on other resource management surveys and projects. For more information about this project, please contact Dan Desramaux using the information provided above. Ontario Do you have your Subscription to the Nipigon-Red Rock G? Get yours today and stay informed of what is happening in your Community. 887-3583 Nipigon/Schreiber 0PP Weekend Report During the weekend of February 22nd to the 24th, Nipigon/Schreiber Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) received 25 calls for service and issued 63 Provincial Offence Notices. Police investigated one motor vehicle collision and conducted three R.I.D.E. checks. On February 20th, 2008, the Nipigon O.P.P. became involved in an incident where a male party left inappropriate messages on the answering machine at the Nipigon detachment. Subsequent investigation led to the execution of a warrant at the male’s residence. Seven firearms and a quantity of controlled drugs and substances, namely marihuana and hashish, were seized. The 62-year-old male from Nipigon was subsequently charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance x2 and Producing a Controlled Substance x2 under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He is to appear in Nipigon court March 11th, 2008. A 50-year-old female from Nipigon was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance x2. She too is to appear in Nipigon court March 11th, 2008. On February 23rd, 2008, officers were conducting stationary radar enforcement on Highway #11, Lake Helen when they Continued on Page 7 “They would never find another place close to home...” Continued from Page 4 moment, there was nothing to be alarmed about, the mill had fires before and the Fire Department always managed to put them out. Little did we realize that the fire on that one day was about to change our lives forever. I made it through the rest of the interviews with the Tourist Operators and then drove back to Nipigon and went to the office. It was 1:00 p.m., I could not wait any longer to phone my husband to see what was going on. The phone rang several times, I could hear my heart beat pounding, come on, I was saying, pick up the phone. Finally, on the sixth ring he picked up the phone and said hello. Sound asleep, he did not know anything about the fire and hadn’t received a phone call to disconnect the service or machinery. He told me he might go down later to check it out. The rest of the afternoon seemed to drag and hours seemed like days as I waited impatiently for 3:30 p.m. There wasn’t a radio in our office so we hadn’t heard any updates on the fire. One of my co-workers was informed that they had to call in other area fire trucks because the town’s reservoir went dry. Panic stricken me, the thought filled my mind it must be really bad if they had to call in other fire trucks. Finally, I was able to leave work a little early. My heart started to ache when I saw the smoke all the way from the highway. When I got closer to the town, big black clouds billowed out and filled the sky. Right then I had the gut feeling it was all over with. As I drove into the town of Nipigon, I met a few employees driving their vehicles and headed in another direction. They looked shocked and devastated as if someone drained the life right out of them. As I parked among the cars along the crowded street and frantically searched for my husband, I stumbled into my husband’s niece and both of us froze in our tracks as we saw the big red flames shooting into the sky. In that moment I had become paralyzed from my head to my toes and wanted someone to come over and pinch me to see if I was alive. Maybe it’s a bad nightmare and I am going to wake up real soon. This can’t be happening! Next thing I came to unbelievable truth and started mumbling it’s gone! It’s gone! Our eyes met and tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. All I could think about was all the workers who were employed there. What are they going to do? The women and men who had worked there most of their lives, some only having grade nine or ten education, some still needing ten to twelve years of work before they can retire, and the young families who bought homes where they hoped to bring up their children. And my dear husband who dedicated 30 years of hard earned sweat and labour in the wee hours of the night building, designing and installing new machinery or computers to keep the mill running. As my husband’s niece and I embraced each other, I asked her where my husband was and she told me he was closer to the fire with her husband. Soon after my husband found me through the thick crowd of spectators; we hugged each other for awhile as we watched his whole life disappear in front of us. The flames shot higher in the sky etching a hole in our hearts. In one day, gone was the sense of brotherhood they shared throughout the years, gone was the place where they had gained a sense of worth and belonging, gone was the bond created after working side by side for all those years, the connection and the shared feelings of pride that came from making a product they called Multiply. They would never find another place close to home. Leona Sutton FROM DORION'5 SCRAPBOOK The first car in Dorion was owned by Anton Bohler. The car was purchased in 1921 and was shipped by rail because there was no road into Dorion. His car was a 1910 model Hudson. Photo Submitted Submitted by Betty Chambers Dorion Public Library