Awakening 'enormous sleeping potential' of Chapleau to 'make awesome things happen'

NOTE: When Jason Rioux contacted me about the possibility of an article on Chapleau's "enormous sleeping potential" I immediately agreed to be part of the supporting cast along with Bishop Tom Corston, Tanya Keech, and others. As Jason notes, "This is our Chapleau, let’s make awesome things happen together." I hope you will share your ideas with Jason. His email is jason.rioux@gmail.com. Mine is mj.morris@live.ca

By Jason Rioux
The town of Chapleau has strong roots in entrepreneurship and pioneering….enabled and inspired by a special mix of ingredients: the long standing First Nations communities and the wisdom of their Elders, the Hudson’s Bay Trading Post that opened trade and export potential, the Canadian Pacific Railway with its army of railroaders and nation-building transport, the forestry industry with the strengths of its loggers and biomass exports, and the broad mix of small businesses that started, flourished, and retired over the last 100+ years.

 Chapleau's first entrepreneurs were likely T.A. Austin who opened the first general store in December 1885 and Richard Brownlee who established a barbershop in a tent in February 1886.  This mix was the essence of economic growth that established Chapleau for what it is today.

1886 T. A. Austin store and Richard Brownlee barbershop

We all have memories of special times, places, and experiences that were enabled by our early settlers, current and past business men and women, and community leaders, big and small, that took the initiative to start or do something new, that people wanted or needed, for the betterment of everyone in Chapleau, and for those that were lucky enough to visit.

Young Street Chapleau early 1900s from Birch. 

Chapleau has enormous sleeping potential for new small businesses to start and grow.  Everyone has something they are gifted with…something they love to do…something from which people could enjoy and benefit.  Perhaps even something that we can export.  There has never been a time so needed, so encouraged, and so enabled for  you to give something a shot.  That something is for you to determine.


If you are reading this and thinking, “surely, this is targeted at other people”, then think again.  Whether you make the best sugar pie in town, have a passion to teach arts, or can play the fiddle like a wannabe Ashley MacIsaac, there is now a place for you to share and benefit from this talent, and here’s how!

“The Rustic Bear Den”, in the transformed lower level of St. John’s church, is now set up as a community hub, with a café and artisan marketplace.  This is a flexible rustic space that accommodates dozens of small entrepreneurs to co-exist and show off their talents.  Think of it as Chapleau’s new Trading Post!  The commercial kitchen is available for preparing and baking your special foods (like your sugar pies), for sale both outside and inside the café.

The flexible space can be used to display and sell your homemade artisan products, or even better, use it as your workshop to make your products on site and add to the buzz.  Dream up your special event and host it there too, nothing is too wild, you’d be surprised.  Pitch your ideas to Tanya (Longpre) Keech for anything in this space, she is your go-to person.  tanya.keech@gmail.com


The upstairs of the church is also open to new ideas.  Certainly the priority is ensuring that any new ideas are fully compatible with the Anglican Church proceedings that take place on Sunday mornings.  For those that have not seen the upstairs of St. John’s, it is a very special space that is completely original and full of wonderful character.  It can accommodate over 250 people, kept warm year-round, and most importantly it has “acoustics” that are second to none.

Whether you are budding local musicians looking for jam space or a recording studio, vocalists looking to host acapella competitions, or the organizer of special events of any kind, this special space is available to be experienced and enjoyed by the whole community.  


And last, but not least, the parking lot behind the church and the vacant 2 acres of waterfront land where the old public school once was, are also open to entrepreneurship potential.  Farmers markets, large annual festivals, community gardens, and other tourism and waterfront related services could all be pursued while longer term development plans are being worked on for the land.  If you have a passion for anything that could flourish outdoors, you can lead the charge and make something happen.


Pitch your ideas for the upstairs and outside spaces to Jason Rioux directly at jason.rioux@gmail.com.


New ideas can be pitched at anytime.  This is an open door opportunity for the whole community.  No idea is too silly or crazy.  We are looking for people with “fire in the belly” and the initiative to try something new.


This is our Chapleau, let’s make awesome things happen together.

The Rustic Bear Den Café and Market officially opens in St John's in Chapleau

The Rustic Bear Den Café and  Market, located in the basement of St. John's Anglican Church on Pine Street,  will hold its official opening on Saturday February 25.

From noon to four p.m., enjoy snacks and the craft market, while there will be live music in the evening.

In 2016, Chapleau residents were asked to reimagine a building with which they were very familiar, yet in some cases had not been inside of it for years. St John’s Church on Pine Street is a well-known and well-loved fixture of the community, but was ready to enter a new chapter. As a pillar of the community, the most important task in imagining that new chapter was to prioritize an open, vibrant community use of the space. But what could that use be? The best way to find out, of course, was to ask the community for input.

The original St. John's was located on the site of the old tennis court and was officially opened on July 1, 1886. The first service in the present St. John's was held on March 29, 1908, and the final cost of building it was $18,000.

An  August 4th Open House resulted in many ideas about how the basement of the church could be transformed to fill gaps or address needs within the community. What about a bakery, a gathering space, a craft market, or a small business incubator? What about movie nights? A patio by the waterfront? The wish list that was collected was imaginative, inclusive, and inspiring.

Well, that wish list has now become reality.

The Rustic Bear Den Café and Market will officially open on February 25, in the basement of the St John’s church. The new manager, local businesswoman and artisan Tanya Keech, has organized a vibrant collective of local craftspeople to showcase their handiwork, and is operating a café with snacks and drinks to bring some warmth to walks along the winter waterfront. Tanya is organizing markets every other weekend and is working to bring in a regular dining feature on Fridays and Saturdays. 

“It’s a very unique building, and we’ve kept many of the unique features like the posts and wood beams,” says Tanya. “The central location near the waterfront is also great.”

 Jason Rioux, who bought the church in 2016,  partnered with Toronto-based community consultants small to help organize the community Open House in the summer. Small is affiliated with ERA Architects, a heritage architecture firm, who joined the project to help with the design of the renovated basement. Anglican services are still held upstairs.

Heather Campbell photo

ERA’s Max Yuristy was at the August open house and is thrilled to have been part of the design process. “We were able to take the ideas the community had and bring them to life, which is extremely rewarding from a design perspective,” said Max. “It will be great to be back in Chapleau on the 25th to see people enjoying the café and exploring the market.” 

"Preserving the historical character and meeting new building codes proved to be a huge effort,” says Jason. “A big thank you goes out to all the local tradesmen and suppliers who did a
great job in transforming the space into something we can all be proud of.  I look forward to the many entrepreneurs that will be able to flourish in this space going forward.

“If we don't try, nothing will happen.”

It has been open for a short time, and I visited the Facebook page. The reviews, so far are most encouraging for the new venture.

Here are some:

"Love the atmosphere. Going to enjoy coming back often".

"Cozy atmosphere and a warm open feel. Honestly I had the best pumpkin latte of my life. Staff is extremely friendly and fun.

"Had a wonderful time."

They pointed out that while the basement space is now open, that doesn’t mean the work is finished. There are still some improvements to come, such as a wood stove for chilly winter afternoons, and, a back patio is still on the wish list. Of course, community support is also required for these new wishes to also turn into reality. If you’d like to give your input attend the Open House on February 25th.

Here are some details: The Rustic Bear Den Café and  Market is located at
4 Pine Street West, Chapleau, in the basement of St. John's Anglican Church. Ph: 705-870-4587. It has a Facebook page that is updated regularly.

I extend my thanks to Jason Rioux, Heather Campbell and Tanya Keech for their assistance. On a personal note, I extend my sincere congratulations to them on this venture. My family, both Hunt and Morris, has a connection to St. John's going back more than 100 years, and my great fear was that the church may be demolished. My email is mj.morris@live.ca