Chapleau Hub located in St. John's Anglican Church introducing wide variety of projects with goal of preserving historical building

Victoria Rioux photo

The Chapleau Hub, located in the upstairs of historic St. John's Anglican Church, is in the process of becoming home for a wide variety of activities and projects, but the Anglican community also holds its services there.

Victoria Rioux provided an update on some of the activities pointing out that "Our main goal remains preserving this historical building and provide an affordable option for the Anglican congregation to remain in the building. The beautiful space upstairs is currently under-utilized. The building needs to be humming to keep the lights on".

As a matter of historical interest St. John's was established in Chapleau in 1885 with the first church building located on the site of the old tennis court beside the rectory. The first service in the present St, John's was held on March 29, 1908 when it was dedicated by Bishop George Holmes. For a time Bishop Holmes lived in Chapleau and St. John's was the Pro-Cathedral of the Diocese of Moosonee.

Bev Hamilton photo

Stonewalls restaurant is located downstairs which is now "humming along" according to Victoria.

Victoria advised that the Chapleau that the Chapleau Hub was started with support from "MSDSB (Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board) in the form of two summer students. After Canada Day, we trialed a few community activities just to see what appetite Chapleau has. One summer student Hannah Barlow has returned on her coop term so we have been able to maintain some consistency. She is absolutely integral to our mission."

Victoria Rioux photo

Her team is running weekly movie nights, and  hosted a Community Yard Sale in September which raised $400 for the Anglican church on the day, as well as stocking the second hand store with unsold items which they can sell in the store.

Right now the major event being planned is a Children's Halloween Event scheduled for October 27 and 28. It will include pumpkin decorating, candy toss, scavenger hunt and more. Sounds like fun. The Hub is planning a major activity each month.

There are other tenants including Yoga by Kathleen Bouchard and Boot Camp by Margo Beaudoin, while the EarlyON program was scheduled to join the Hub as I was working on this column. 

Victoria noted that the "BIGGEST" news is that they are installing the first wood heating system in Chapleau. It may now be completed.

She explained  this will make the building Carbon Free!: It is a wood pellet boiler that is high efficiency and fully automatic. It is completely hands off, no handling of pellets by hand, just like an oil or propane furnace. 

Victoria Rioux photp

She added: "Why? Reason #1: Unlike propane and oil, wood pellets are environmentally friendly because it's not a fossil fuel, it's carbon neutral (bc you regrow the trees).  Reason #2: Wood pellets are half the price of oil and propane, and 1/4 the price of heating with electricity.  Reason #3:  It supports Northern Ontario's economy.  Wood pellets are made in Northern Ontario, and all the money stays in Northern Ontario with the pellet facility owners and the forestry industry that supplies the wood.  Our wood pellets will initially be coming from the Thunder Bay and Atikokan region, delivered by a special delivery truck.

"Also, Jason(Rioux) believes there's a "sustainable future" here, one that is best for the environment and saving our plant from climate change, one that creates new economic growth and jobs for Northern Ontario, and one that is more affordable to homes and businesses. 

"Nordic countries have been doing this for over 30 years. But going first has proven to be tough, we need to install a large pellet storage bin at our site before the wood pellet delivery truck can come from Thunder Bay to fill us up.  Once we have the system fully installed, we will be inviting the community to come take a look and learn about the future.  Parts of Europe decided decades ago that wood pellet heating was the long term sustainable way to go, and Europe purchases almost all of the pellets we make in Canada!  It has proven to be economically viable for them to import all our pellets, it surely makes sense for us to be using them for our own heating needs."

My thanks to Victoria for providing an update on progress at the Chapleau Hub. Other projects and activities are in the works. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

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Chapleau Senior Citizens Club honours Dr G. E. Young for contribution to Chapleau at ceremony in 2010

The Chapleau Senior Citizens Club honoured Dr. G..E Young for his contribution to Chapleau at a social held in the Bignucolo Residence in February, 2010.

Making the presentation to Dr. Young, who was born and raised in Chapleau, and practised medicine in the community for almost 50 years, were Margaret Fife and Velma Morin, while the Township of Chapleau was represented by Andre Byham.

He was presented with a plaque "acknowledging his tremendous commitment to the health and well being of the citizens of our community during his years of medical practice."

The exact wording on the plaque which Dr. Young hung above the photo of his graduating class in medicine at Queen's University in 1942 read: "In acknowledgment of your tremendous commitment to the health and well being of the citizens of our community during your many years of medical practise in Chapleau. You will always be remembered and loved by all for your dedication. Presented by the Chapleau Senior Citizens Club, February 11, 2010".

In response, Dr. Young said he was "pleasantly surprised" and deeply appreciative of the gesture, according to a story in the Chapleau Express. 

On the same occasion the Senior Citizens Club made a presentation to the Chapleau General Hospital Foundation.

After graduating in medicine from Queen's University in 1942, he interned at Columbia University in New York with no intention of returning home. He did to replace a doctor who wanted a vacation, and the rest is history.

Not only did he practise medicine, but became involved in many aspects of community life which included building the town beach using his own funds, establishing a television system, serving as a township councillor for six years. He was also the second president of the Chapleau Rotary Club. 

He always seemed to have a new project underway.

Related to his medical practise he served as served as coroner, medical officer of health and chief of staff at the hospital. There were occasions when he was the only medical doctor in Chapleau, who also "hopped freights" to look after patients along the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Over the years Dr. Young and I became good friends, and I was delighted to stay at his place when I was home for the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Chapleau in 2001. In 2004, on his cross country trip he visited with me in Cranbrook. Dr. Young and my father Jim Morris were born only weeks apart in the Lady Minto Hospital soon after it opened in 1914.

In 1997, shortly after he retired, Dr. Young was honoured at a reception hosted by the township.

During my 2001 visit home I learned from Jean Hong that when she and other Chapleau girls were in training to be nurses, they would visit with Dr. Young when home and he would provide assistance and support. Over the years they would make it a point to have a visit with him.

Jean died recently and I extend my most sincere sympathy to Yen and all the Hong family.

My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Chapleau's second reeve Thomas Godfrey 'pioneer builder of the north' dies as Highway 129 opened in 1949

Although best known for his role in the construction of the Chapleau end of Highway 129, and his untimely death from a heart attack just as it was completed in January 1949, Thomas J. Godfrey served as the second reeve and was otherwise greatly involved in community life in its early years.

Writing in Chapleau Trails, edited and published by the late Dr. W.R. "Bill" Pellow, Betty (Good) Godfrey, the wife of Thomas Godfrey Jr, his son,  wrote the following about her father-in-law and the completion of Highway 129.

"Tom Sr. lived to see his beloved Chapleau highway completed in 1949 and he was a member of the party that drove the first automobile across those last one hundred yards to join Chapleau to the outside world by uniting two primitive bush roads. It was winter. 

"The snow was heavy and deep. It was a bitter cold day. The drive had been long and arduous, excitement was high, anticipation of this moment was trying on the healthiest and bravest, however it proved too much for Tom Godfrey and on that day when he was experiencing fulfillment, ultimate pleasure and satisfaction, he had a heart attack and died."

The Chapleau Post reported that Mr. Godfrey had commented that it was the "happiest moment of my life" just before he died.

Mr. Godfrey had succeeded G.B. Nicholson who had served as reeve from 1901 when Chapleau was incorporated until he chose to retire. Mr. Godfrey was reeve from 1914 to 1916.

Born in Godfrey, Ontario, he arrived in Chapleau in 1898 to work for the Canadian Pacific Railway. 

Like so many of Chapleau's early pioneers he quickly became involved in community life playing hockey, baseball, curling, golf as well as becoming a member of the Chapleau Town Band. He became a big asset as he was already a violin player but switched to cornet and euphonium.

In 1916, Mr. Godfrey played baseball on the 'Young Elephants' coached by Father Romeo Gascon of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. My grandfather Harry Morris also played on it.

In fact, when I was a a child walking past his house at the intersection of Birch and Lansdowne streets where the Louis Hemon Cultural Centre is now, I still recall him practising on his front porch.

Earle Sootheran, Mr Godfrey, Oliver Korpela

Mr. Godfrey became Indian Agent in 1916, a position he held for many years, but he also became an entreprenur owning a pool room established circa 1910, and for a time the "old old rink" on Lorne Street.

But his first love was to complete the "big gap in the middle" which would result in Highway 129 with Thessalon. Until it was opened, Chapleau was really only accessible by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The highway was also under construction from the Thessalon end.

The newspaper referred to him as " a pioneer builder of the north" well known as Indian Agent and road superintendent from 1923 into the 1930s and the Great Depression.

On that January day in 1949 when he died, the Chapleau Post reoprted that the Chapleau contingent was "battling snowdrifts and biting winds over a rugged trail where no cars had ever passed he had driven completely over the Chapleau end of the road."

As Mr. Godfrey celebrated the "happiest moment" of his life, he had a heart attack and died on Highway 129. He was 74. My email is mj.morris@live.ca