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West Hammond Contact Property man Falcon Gold

Falcon Gold starts initial exploration on newly acquired property near Atikokan

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The search for gold is ramping up around Atikokan.

B.C.-based Falcon Gold Corp. has started some initial field exploration south of the Hammond Reef gold deposit.

The company says its work at the West Hammond Contact property will focus on prospecting and evaluating areas for follow-up exploration.

Falcon Gold acquired the property earlier this year.

Chief Executive Officer Karim Rayani states that it positions the company in an emerging gold district.

“Our strategy is to acquire prospective ground in established gold-bearing districts, evaluate historical occurrences and structural targets, and systematically advance opportunities that may have been overlooked,” states Rayani in a release.

“West Hammond is an important part of that strategy, and we are pleased to begin evaluating the property on the ground.”

The results of its work are to be revealed at a later date.

fort frances court house

Atikokan man charged with second-degree still behind bars

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Lawyers for an Atikokan man charged with second-degree murder are discussing with the Crown whether a preliminary hearing is necessary in the case.

Landon Andrew Louise Oskineegish remains in a Fort Frances jail after being charged in March.

Provincial Police discovered a body in Atikokan’s Don Park area after responding to reports of gunshots.

Another person, who was also wanted in connection with the death, was also later found dead in another area of town.

Oskineegish made a court appearance on Tuesday.

Court was told that a decision on a preliminary hearing or to proceed directly to a trial will be made by October 6th.

Liz Shine - supplied

Veteran councillor running for mayor of Atikokan in upcoming municipal election

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The election for mayor in Atikokan is a two-way race between incumbent Rob Ferguson and Councillor Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Shine.

Shine enters the race after serving the last 12 years as councillor.

She says her decision to seek the position is based on her plans to retire at the end of November.

“I feel this is a commitment that needs to be full time, and now I’ll be available to commit to it full time every day of the week,” says Shine.

Shine has worked at Atikokan General Hospital for 43 years as a lab technician and more recently as an emergency ward clerk.

She is also the president of the Atikokan Native Friendship Centre, a member of the Lions Club, and a volunteer at the local legion.

She says her involvement at the Centre has provided her with some experience at the leadership level.

“I think it’s given me a whole new perspective on what you would have to do as the mayor and working with the council and working with the staff as well,” says Shine.

Shine is interested in helping several projects come to a conclusion, including a proposed bike park and spray park.

She also wants to support efforts that attract new people to the community.

“There’s lots of mining exploration going on within the region,” says Shine.

“We don’t want them to just say, I’m going to move my family to Thunder Bay. Atikokan is a beautiful place to raise a family. So if we have things that we can offer to the young community members, as well as keeping in mind what our seniors still need because they’re the ones who built this home.”

If elected, one of Shine’s first duties will be to sit down with other elected members to discuss the strengths and qualities they bring to council.

Shine says it is important to have a team approach.

“I have a strong belief in what this community is looking for,” says Shine.

“I believe in working hard. I believe in commitment. I have learned not to bring your personal perspective of what you want to accomplish. You need to think about what your community wants. I shouldn’t be going on council or mayor if I’m going in there for my own purposes. That’s not what a council should be doing.”

Voters in Atikokan will cast their ballots on October 26th.

boil water

Boil water advisory in effect for Atikokan

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Atikokan is under a boil water advisory.

The advisory went into effect on Tuesday following an unexpected shutdown of the town’s water system.

Mayor Rob Ferguson says the problem was pinpointed to the pumps used to feed water to the community.

“One pump, a motor went on it. Then we went to the secondary pump, and there was an electrical problem with the controls on it. So that went down. So we were on our emergency pump,” says Ferguson in an interview with Acadia News.

Ferguson says the town has plenty of water and town crews are working to get the main pumps going again.

He says if the emergency pump fails, they have a plan to get water to residents.

“If something did fail with the emergency pump, we do have a contingency to supply water to the town. We would not be without water for any length of time other than a few minutes, assures Ferguson.

Because of the pumping going down, a boil water advisory was issued as a precaution.

Ferguson expects it will remain in place until sometime next week.

an alarm clock sitting on top of a wooden table

Clocks in Atikokan to remain unchanged

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There appears to be little appetite in Atikokan to pursue a time change.

Councillor George Martin proposed earlier this year that Atikokan follow the same time as Thunder Bay year-round, instead of bouncing between the Eastern and Central time zones by the community not changing its clocks each spring and fall.

Administration looked into the steps necessary, which include public consultation and advocacy with the province.

It recommended council drop the matter because of the other issues impacting the town that were more pressing.

Mayor Rob Ferguson agrees.

He says it could have created confusion for residents who live just outside Atikokan’s boundaries.

“Are we going to be a different time than Sapawe half the year?, asks Ferguson.

“Are we going to be a different time than Perch Lake? There’s more to it. We’re Atikokan, and we don’t dictate what happens outside our municipalities. It’s a nice thing to throw out there, and it’s nice to get some publicity and talk about things. Let’s just move on to some more pressing.”

Atikokan council decided in 1954 to follow the same time as then-Port Arthur and Fort William to avoid confusion of mine and train operations in the shipping of ore.

When the mines closed, the community opted against having clocks changed in the spring and fall, leading to Atikokan being on Eastern time during the winter and Central time in the summer.

The Ontario Legislature supported legislation to do away with time changes a few years ago, but it was contingent upon Quebec and New York doing the same.

Atikokan is one of several communities in Canada that follows Daylight Saving Time year-round.

British Columbia recently enacted legislation to do the same.

Saskatchewan has not changed its clocks since 1966, when the province passed legislation to eliminate a patchwork of time zones caused by decisions that were previously left to the municipalities.

Time zone switch raised by Atikokan councillor

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An Atikokan councillor suggests it is time the community start following Daylight Saving Time.

The community is one of the few in Canada that does not change the clocks in the spring or fall.

As a result, Atikokan follows the Eastern time zone during the winter and the Central time zone during the summer.

Councillor George Martin admits it has created a lot of confusion for residents.

“All of our electronic devices. . . phones, tablets, watches, even our vehicles are constantly switching from one time to another time zone as we’re traveling and we’re constantly trying to figure out what time it is, where we’re going, are we going to be late for our meetings, are we going to be early for our meetings,” says Martin.

Martin says people have been missing medical and other meetings or showing up an hour early.

He suggests that Atikokan remain on the same time as Thunder Bay, a destination for most residents for appointments, leisure and shopping.

“Let’s face it, we’re connected greatly to the Eastern time zone, and practically everything we do is east of us,” says Martin.

Some others on council feel the idea has merit but wonder about the legalities of being able to do so.

Administration is gathering further information for council to consider at a later date.

This is not the first time the issue has been raised.

Many past councils have either rejected the notion of changing clocks or left it to a public vote, which has also voted it down.

The Ford government passed legislation in 2020 to make daylight saving time permanent, pending Quebec and New York State doing the same.

The province has yet to enact it.

Atikokan town council Feb 2 2026

Atikokan proposed budget hits mayor’s objectives

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The town of Atikokan intends to spend more than $29 million this year.

The proposed budget reflects Mayor Rob Ferguson’s directive last fall for a budget that included a tax increase of no more than 2%.

He says the use of new legislation achieved the goals he wanted.

“Using my strong Mayor’s powers was, one, to have the budget out earlier, which we’ve been talking about for years,” says Ferguson.

“By getting the budget out earlier, that gives the department heads a clear vision of what they’re going to do and how they’re going to spend their money.”

Ferguson says it also allows the town to get projects moving more quickly and seek out contractors sooner in hopes of getting a better price.

Capital spending is listed at $15.9 million.

The biggest expense will be replacing the bridge on McKenzie Avenue, estimated at $5.5 million, with grants covering about 40% of the construction costs.

The town expects to have more money to work from, with revenue projections to top $20 million.

This includes more than $5.7 million coming from the provincial government and $855 thousand from the federal government.

User fees will account for another $3.7 million.

“This ended up way better than I anticipated,” says Treasurer Brandy Coulson.

“I thought it would be more money from reserves, but because of all the extra revenue we’ve had this year and last, we’re going to be taking less, way less from reserves than I expected.”

The town budgets for more than $5.7 million in funding from the provincial government and another $855,000 from the federal government.

User fees will account for another $3.7 million.

Atikokan will pay about $42,000 more to the District of Rainy River Services Board, $6,500 more to the Northwestern Health Unit and $81,000 more on its policing contract with the Ontario Provincial Police.

Formal approval of the budget is expected to come within the next month.

OPP logo on side of car

Atikokan man arrested for breaking into residence

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A 47-year-old man from Atikokan has been arrested by members of the local Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment.

On Sunday afternoon at around 2:45 p.m., the accused man allegedly attempted to break into a home on Maple Crescent in Atikokan.

The accused fled when police arrived, but was later tracked down.

After being arrested, the OPP connected the accused individual with another crime from earlier that day – an assault.

The man is facing charges of forcible entry, breaking and entering, and assault with a weapon.

He is currently in police custody and is set to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Fort Frances on Wednesday.

Falcon Gold(1)

Falcon Gold to resume exploration north of Atikokan

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Falcon Gold is renewing interest in its exploration project near Atikokan.

The company is seeking a new permit to conduct drilling at its Central Canada Gold project.

It last worked in the area three years ago.

Falcon Gold states that the permit will enable it to drill up to 20 holes, focusing on expanding known gold zones and testing new areas identified during its 2021 exploration work.

“The submission of our Exploration Permit represents the next step in unlocking the scale potential of the Central Canada Gold Project,” states Karim Rayani, President and Chief Executive Officer of Falcon Gold, in a release.

“Our prior drilling confirmed multiple high-grade intercepts and continuity along a 1.6-kilometre corridor within a proven gold-bearing structure. We believe we’re only beginning to understand the size of this system, and with our Phase III program, we aim to connect the historic mine zones with newly defined gold mineralization along strike.”

The Central Canada Project is located 20 kilometres southeast of the gold-rich Hammond Reef deposit, which Agnico Eagle Mines recently announced it was again reviewing.

Falcon Gold has retained Bjorkman Prospecting of Atikokan to lead the permitting process and drilling operations.

The company is also ending its interest in a Chile project, saying it will redirect the resources towards its Canadian assets.

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