Tuesday, December 4, 2007

TWO SNOW MACHINES STOLEN

(Echo Bay, Ont.) A business owner in Echo Bay arrived at work on Monday morning only to find that thieves were also at work when he was gone.

Sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning thieves drove onto his property and took two snow machines. The machines are an Artic Cat “Jag” and a Ski Doo Elan. The owner advised police that the machines would be more suitable for use as parts as apposed to actually riding the machines.

NEW STOP SIGNS ON ST. JOSEPH ISLAND

(St. Joseph Island, Ontario) New stop signs have been erected in two locations on St. Joseph Island turning the intersections from 3 way stops to 4 way stops. The new signs were erected on Monday November 26, 2007 by the MTO (Ministry of Transportation).

The East Algoma Thessalon OPP has received several complaints regarding drivers not stopping.

The new stop signs have been erected on Highway 548 at the Junctions of:

1. D-Line and 10th Side Road near Richard Landing and
2. Hilton Road and Base Line near Hilton Beach

To warn drivers of the new stop signs, the MTO have also erected signs stating “Stop Ahead” with the words “New” on top. They have also added “Amber Flashing Lights” on top to give drivers fair warning.

Please use extra caution in these areas. Take that extra time to look both ways to make sure that the other motor vehicle is going to stop before you pull out.

OPP RIDE FESTIVE SEASON RIDE PROGRAM UNDERWAY

East Algoma OPP (Elliot Lake, Blind River and Thessalon Detachments) – The Ontario Provincial Police Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) festive season program begins at midnight and runs through January 2, 2008.

Impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of death in Canada. OPP officers will be out in full force across the province in an effort to remove the threat of the impaired drivers and reduce the death toll on Ontario roads.

“The OPP conducts RIDE checks throughout the year,” Commissioner Julian Fantino said, “but we increase the number of officers on duty and the number of locations we monitor at this time of year. So far this year, 74 people have died in crashes where alcohol was a factor.

“That’s an increase of 25 per cent over the same period last year,” Fantino added. “Motorists have to understand that it’s not acceptable to drink and drive. The OPP will be out there on highways we patrol every day and we will have a zero tolerance policy toward anyone we stop who has been drinking.”

Last year, during the five-week OPP Festive RIDE Initiative, officers stopped 814,536 vehicles at roadside checkpoints, 339 persons were charged with Criminal Code alcohol-related offences and a total of 802 12-hour license suspensions were issued. Officers also issued 365 90-day Administrative driver’s license suspensions.

“Ontario roads are among the safest in North America,” Chief Superintendent Bill Grodzinski, Commander of the OPP’s Highway Safety Division said, “but we are working hard every day to make them even safer. The RIDE program has proved to be an effective deterrent and important tool to educate the driving public about the dangers of impaired driving.”

Officers will also be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, those speeding and for people not using seatbelts.

The East Algoma OPP want you to enjoy the holidays with family and friends but remember if you are drinking, don’t drive and if you are driving, don’t drink.