The Capitol Centre is expanding its musical offerings aboard the Chief Commanda II.

Tickets are now on sale for the Summer Cruise Series.

On top of the Blues Cruise, which sells out annually, a Classic Rock Cruise and a Country Cruise are also setting sail on Lake Nipissing this summer.

“We are so excited to offer a different option to our local music lovers this summer,” says Dan Misturada, Director of Programming and Events and Interim Executive Director at the Capitol Centre. “With the cancellation of our annual Bluesfest, we knew that the Blues Cruise needed to live on as it has always been a fan favorite that sells out year after year. Not only will we bring back the annual Blues Cruise, but have expanded to include a Classic Rock Cruise and a Country Cruise.”

Each cruise will feature local bands:
– Classic Rock Cruise with Blue Screw- Friday, July 26
– Country Cruise with The County- Friday, August 9
– Blues Cruise with The Jesse Thomas Band- Friday, August 30

Tickets are available for each individual cruise or there’s a 3-cruise package available.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit:
Classic Rock Cruise:
https://capitolcentre.org/all-events/theatre-events/summer-cruise-series-classic-rock-2024
Country Cruise:
https://capitolcentre.org/all-events/theatre-events/summer-cruise-series-country-2024
Blues Cruise:
https://capitolcentre.org/all-events/theatre-events/summer-cruise-series-blues-2024

Or contact the box office in person or by phone (705) 474-4747 – Mon-Fri (noon – 4 pm).

The Green Side Up program is giving out tree seedlings on Mother’s Day.  

Officials will be at the Canadian Ecology Centre’s (CEC) labyrinth in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park from 11 am to 2 pm on Sunday. 

Mattawa’s Wayne Reid has given out tree seedlings and saplings through the program since 1984.  

An assortment of species and sizes are available for free this year. 

“Each year I manage to get close to 20,000 rescues for free and hand them out to people, schools and landowners,” Reid says.  

People can also plant a tree around the perimeter of the ecology centre’s labyrinth as part of a landscaping program. 

“White spruce and red pine, native species will be planted,” says Bill Steer, CEC General Manager and founder. “Once the trees mature the labyrinth will have a grotto feel to it.”  

Those taking part are asked to bring a small shovel for planting and containers for their trees.  

Officials say the provincial park will be open for the season and a day-use permit will not be required.  

A recommendation to award a development services contract with the new community and recreation centre project is coming to council.

Staff say seven proposals were evaluated after the bid process closed at the end of March.

Mississauga’s EllisDon Corporation received the highest score.

Council will vote Tuesday night on the $2.6 million contract.

The project’s target budget has been set at $59.5 million.

“As the project progresses, council will be briefed at key milestones (i.e. 30% and 60% design) to ensure that project’s target budget, schedule, and functional program meet the objectives set out by council,” states a staff report. “In addition, the council will be updated for approval for the city to execute a change order for commencement of final design and construction work.”

The twin-ice pad project must also meet the Zero Carbon Building Design requirements to receive federal funding.

Ontario Provincial Police are giving a snapshot of intimate partner violence in the northeast

The OPP says over 420 occurrences were investigated in April, with 121 resulting in criminal charges.  

25 calls involved the North Bay, Mattawa and Powassan area.  

Nipissing West OPP had 54 calls, including detachments in Cache Bay, Noelville and Sudbury.  

Almaguin Highlands OPP in Burk’s Falls fielded 18 calls.  

Police say victims in abusive relationships are not alone.  

They add if you are in an abusive relationship or know someone who is, 211 is a helpline that easily connects people to the social services, programs and community supports they need.  

The OPP says toll-free calls can also be made to the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 1-866-863-0511 where your information will remain anonymous and confidential.  

There are 12 detachment groups within the North East region with the following calls break down:
– Almaguin Highlands (Burk’s Falls) – 18
– East Algoma (Elliot Lake, Thessalon, Blind River) – 52
– James Bay (Kapuskasing, Hearst, Cochrane, Moosonee) – 88
– Kirkland Lake – 39
– Manitoulin (Little Current, Gore Bay, Espanola) – 33
– Nipissing West (Sudbury, Noelville, Cache Bay) – 54
– North Bay (North Bay, Mattawa, Powassan) – 25
– South Porcupine (South Porcupine, Iroquois Falls) – 15
– Sault Ste Marie – 21
– Superior East (Wawa, Chapleau, Hornepayne, White River, Foleyet) – 25
– Temiskaming (New Liskeard, Englehart, Temagami) – 35
– West Parry Sound – 19

The Near North District School Board has filled a vacancy on the board of trustees.  

Caren Gagne, who was the runner-up in the 2022 election for Zone 2 will be officially sworn in next week.  

She replaces Erika Lougheed, who resigned from the board last month.  

The board says Gagne served a partial term as the Zone 2 trustee when she was appointed in September 2021 to replace a former trustee that moved out of area. 

“I am honoured to be back on the NNDSB,” says Gagne. “I have a readiness to work hard for good, solid, educational policies with a focus on collaboration and equity for the diverse needs and abilities of all our students.” 

Zone 2 includes an area from Callander to Papineau-Cameron and along Highway 63. 

The North Bay OPP is investigating an early morning crash on Sunday in Powassan and is asking for the public’s help.  

Ontario Provincial Police say the crash happened in the northbound lanes of Highway 11 between Main Street and Golf Course Road.  

Anyone with information or people who may have seen any vehicle debris on the highway, should contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122. 

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at www.tipsubmit.com. 

Unlocking the north’s potential is the focus for the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities this week.  

That’s the theme as the group holds its annual conference in Sudbury, May 6-8. 

Over 250 delegates will be there along with provincial ministers and associate ministers of Mining, Transportation, Natural Resources, Long Term Care, and more.  

Ontario’s NDP leader Marit Stiles and Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie are also scheduled to speak.  

Other sessions include an update from Ontario Northland, Sudbury’s approach to homelessness and hydro opportunities.  

FONOM represents and advocates on behalf of 110 cities, towns and municipalities across the northeast region. 

North Bay is hosting next year’s conference.  

A spirited Highway 17 rivalry is taking on a different look.  

Last month, North Bay defeated Sudbury in the OHL playoffs.  

Now the mayors of each city are going head-to-head with a fundraising campaign involving the locally developed travel board game Tripped.  

Game officials say there’s only room for one ‘near north’ city in the game, with residents given the chance to decide with $1 online votes.  

North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico will also be playing the game against Sudbury’s Paul Lefebvre at the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities conference next week.  

The winner gets a 20-vote head start in the competition.  

100% of the proceeds will go to local charities selected by the mayors.  

For more information on the game or to cast your vote for North Bay visit https://igottripped.com/ 

It’s called the Kindness Project and the initiative is being launched locally during the 73rd annual Mental Health Week.  

The Canadian Mental Health Association North Bay and District says the idea is to encourage people to offer up acts of kindness towards one another.  

“Giving, receiving, or observing acts of kindness is proven to support and maintain our mental health, which is part of our overall health and well-being,” says Mary Davis, CEO of CMHA North Bay and District. “Let’s celebrate the kind things people are out there doing every day for others, the community and themselves.” 

She adds research shows compassion can: 
– Increase feelings of happiness
– Be soothing and calming
– Increase trust and connection
– Improve emotional resilience
– Ease depression

“In times like these, when Canadians face worrying levels of stress and anxiety – heightened by issues such as social inequality, affordability, political divisiveness, and the climate crisis – kindness is more relevant than ever,” says Davis. 

Several events are lined up for CMHA Mental Health Week (May 6-12) including a flag raising on Monday, Zumba event on Tuesday, and an education day for health and human services professionals on Wednesday.  

Pet therapy services are the focus on Thursday with a ribbon-cutting and BBQ lunch on Friday at CMHA’s new Peer Connections and Support Services location at 194 Main St. West.  

CLICK HERE for all the details on the week’s events.  

For the 11th year, TP North Bay is collecting toilet paper donations. 

They’ll be going to 17 food banks in North Bay, to help those in need.  

Chair Ellen Faulkner says they’re looking to collect 20,000 rolls this year. 

“We’d like to see well above 25,000 but we set our goal at 20 [thousand] because of the cost of toilet paper going up so much,” she says.  

TP North Bay will be on location collecting donations at different stores on Saturdays through the end of the month.  

“All these stores have blue boxes with our tag on them and they can put [donations] in there,” Faulkner says. “They can email us to pick them up and we have drop-off locations at the Davedi Club, TD Bank on Main and Allison the Bookman.” 

Overall, she says every donation helps. 

“We don’t need large packages to keep our goal going. They’re nice, but if you can only afford a four-pack, we’ll take a four-pack,” Faulkner says.  

They also accept e-transfers to [email protected].  

During Mental Health Month this May, Chat4Chad’s asking you to make a difference.

The organization’s launched their new campaign which will be raising funds for mental health programs and projects in our community.

Officials say it aims to raise funds to support mental health programs and projects in our community.

“We work closely with the North Bay Regional Health Centre Foundation,” says Wade Ringler with the organization. “We’re working on a couple of big projects that we’re going to be funding at the hospital. We’re working on refurbishing some patient lounges, making them great spaces, so people who have to be there don’t feel like they’re in a hospital, but a more home-like environment and they can feel more comfortable when they’re going through a tough time.”

In the past, Chat4Chad has focused on youth mental health. Ringler says despite continuing to do just that, they are also looking to do more.

“[We will] still support projects and programs for the youth, but moving forward we want to expand our reach and be able to reach more people not just based on age, but mental health in general. There are so many different avenues and ways we can do that. […] Whether you’re a young child or an adult, we’re going to do our best to reach as many people as possible.”

The organization will be asking for support at check-out counters of Parker’s Your Independent Grocers and Jeff and Tanis’s No Frills until May 25. That’s when the Chat4Chad gala will take place, and when they’ll announce the final amount of funds raised during the campaign.

Last year’s gala raised nearly $160,000.

Chat4Chad says talking about mental health must be acceptable, safe, and done without judgment.

To find out more, click here.

The city has relocated its sandbag filling operations from Sunset and Champlain parks to the Public Works facility on Franklin Street. 

The move is due to decreased demand. 

Sandbags remain accessible for residents on a self-serve basis, with no charge. 

The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, meantime, says a flood warning continues for the Lake Nipissing shoreline in North Bay and Callander, along with the Parks Creek watershed.  

A flood outlook has been issued for the La Vase River downstream of Lakeshore Drive in North Bay.  

Local Special Olympics athletes are benefiting from a run/walk event this weekend.  

The second annual Hometown Run for Youth Special Olympics features 1 km, 5 km and 10 km events. 

It’s taking place on Sunday at the North Bay Museum, with the opening ceremony beginning at 8:30 am.  

Officials say last year’s inaugural event was a success both financially and with raising awareness about Youth Special Olympics programming locally.   

Funds raised go towards sponsoring local Special Olympics Athletes so their fees and registration costs can be covered throughout the upcoming competition season.  

To register for the run visit: https://raceroster.com/events/2024/78238/hometown-run-for-youth-special-olympics   

You may notice a lot of military planes, vehicles and soldiers in the Mattawa and North Bay areas over the next few days.  

From May 3-5, the Canadian Armed Forces is conducting an emergency response exercise.

All three branches of the military, including the army, air force and navy, are taking part in Exercise TRILLIUM VENTURE.  

Officials say approximately 200 soldiers from the Canadian Army’s 33 Canadian Brigade Group will deploy to the area for a simulated major flooding emergency response scenario. 

A variety of military planes and helicopters will be flying in the area, including a CC-130 Hercules and CH-147 Chinook helicopters, with navy reserve vessels on the water.  

The military says other government departments and first responders including police and fire services, Emergency Management Ontario and others are all taking part.  

The Town of Mattawa is also hosting a Meet-a-Soldier event on Saturday, May 4 (1-4 pm) in the Mattawa Museum parking lot on First Street.  

Military, police, fire and other first responders will be there with vehicles and displays for all ages.  

City police report a 28-year-old Southern Ontario man wanted for multiple firearms offences in the Brantford area has been arrested in North Bay.  

The North Bay Police Service says officers stopped a vehicle on Lakeshore Drive, near Fodor Street, around 2:45 am Tuesday.  

They say during the investigation it was learned a passenger was wanted by Brantford Police for several firearms offences, including a shooting in December 2023. 

The accused has been taken back to Brantford, where he was held in custody for a bail hearing.  

Could Artificial Intelligence (AI) be coming to the city’s website?  

The idea was brought up during Tuesday’s special council committee meeting on KPMG’s organizational review of the city.  

One of the top 10 opportunities involves customer service.  

Councillor Sara Inch asked KPMG partner Bruce Peever if there is a role for AI to play in easing the burden on staff.  

“It’s going to change how services are delivered,” says Peever, pointing to the use of so-called ‘bots’. 

“When you go on the city’s website you would be greeted with a bot and you would ask your question,” he says. “AI is now powerful enough that if you have the database there, it would be able to provide the answer.”  

Peever says some examples could include garbage pick-up times or even complex issues related to taxes.  

He says that would free up staff to answer more difficult questions.  

Council kept the organizational review on the committee file with the CAO to report back with an implementation plan.  

The Near North District School Board (NNDSB) says it supports initiatives that enhance student achievement and well-being. 

This after the province announced new controls on cell phone usage in schools earlier this week. 

Starting in September, children in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, unless given permission by a staff member. 

For students in grades 7 to 12, cell phones will have to be put on silent and put away during class time. 

“The board will be reviewing the information received and working with administrators and educators to create consistent expectations and processes in line with the Ministry’s direction and expectations,” reads a statement from NNDSB.  

The new rules will also see vaping banned in all schools. 

**With files from Andrew Mendler and Norman Jack 

An organizational review done for the city remains on council’s committee file.   

KPMG provided ten opportunities for the city to consider with the CAO to come back with an implementation plan.   

Council went through each of the opportunities at Tuesday night’s meeting. There was a lot of discussion on the recommendation to clarify the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. 

“It does involve elected officials at the municipal level whether they are mandated or not to deliver social services. The question is how do you do it,” says Bruce Peever, KPMG partner. “It is a community, so the city has a role but it has to be mindful of the defined legislated mandate of your provider, which is [the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board].”  

KPMG senior manager Sana Malik also says one area of concern related to the plan is the downtown parking garage and security challenges around homelessness.     

“We understand the city is taking steps to address the security piece,” says Malik. “However, the department can consider if divesting the parking garage is a viable option. The city should perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine the long-term plan for this parking garage as well.”   

Here is the full list of the top 10 opportunities:
1. Adopt a Corporate Performance Management Framework
2. Develop Departmental Master Plans and Business Plans
3. Clarify the Community Safety and Well-being Plan
4. Implement a Corporate-wide Customer Service Strategy
5. Develop a Workforce Plan
6. Centralize Back-office Roles
7. Clarify Service Agreements with ABCs/Service Partners
8. Conduct Comprehensive User Fee Studies
9. Prepare a Climate Change Impact Assessment
10. Collaborate with Local Post-secondary Institutions

The Executive Report of the KPMG study is available on the city’s website.  

A communications review was also discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting.  

Developing a corporate communications plan and strengthening the city’s brand and social media presence are a few opportunities.