Page 10 UCPR DENIES ALTO LAND ACCESS
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VOLUME 40 • NO. 47 • 4 PAGES • EMBRUN, ON • JUNE 3 2026
N EWS LOCAL YOUTH RECOGNIZED WITH POSITIVE TICKETS FOR COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS
GABRIELLE VINETTE gabrielle.vinette@eap.on.ca
Tickets in recognition of their thoughtful actions. Raphael Perron was honoured for stepping up as a crossing guard for his school bus and for helping new students feel welcome on their first day of school.Organizers described his actions as a kind and responsible gesture that made a meaningful difference for other students. Sisters Audrey and Maelle Servais were also recognized after taking the initiative to clean garbage from local streets in an effort to help keep the community clean.Officials thanked the pair for their efforts and noted that their actions were appreciated by residents. The Positive Ticket initiative continues to promote acts of kindness, civic pride, and positive engagement among local youth. reporting a gunshot. When they arrived, they were all shot at and wounded by the suspect in the house. Ambulance units arrived on the scene soon after and that, Insp. Lamontagne noted, is when the four paramedics demonstrated extraordinary courage, facing circumstances that put their own safety at risk. “These individuals arrived with one purpose: to save lives,” said Insp. Lamon- tagne, adding that they were walking into “extreme danger”, unaware until they arrived on the scene that the standoff between the OPP and the gunman inside the house was not yet resolved. “At that moment, they had every reason to retreat,” said Insp. Lamontagne. “They had every justification to place their own safety first. But they did not.” The four paramedics applied emergency treatment to the wounded officers in prepa- ration to remove them from the site to the
Several local youths from Russell were recognized for their positive actions and community involvement with a Positive Ticket initiative led by Public Safety and Enforcement Officers. The program celebrates young people who demonstrate kindness, helpful behaviour, and community spirit by rewarding them with Positive Tickets accompanied by gift cards to local businesses. The initiative aims to highlight positive role models within the community and encou- rage youth to continue making meaningful contributions. Last April, three local youth received Positive
Sisters Audrey and Maelle Servais (left and middle) was given a Positive Tickets and a gift card to a local business of choice by Public Safety and Enforcement Officer Jonathan Guindon (right). (Russell Township)
Raphael Perron (left) was given a Positive Tickets and a gift card to a local business of choice by Public Safety and Enforcement Officer Jonathan Guindon (right). (Russell Township)
FOUR PARAMEDICS HONOURED FOR BRAVERY
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN news@eap.on.ca
waiting ambulances. Other OPP arriving on the scene dealt with the armed suspect inside the residence. “This is not simply professionalism,” said Insp. Lamontagne, regarding the actions of Larochelle, Bellefeuille, Fillion, and Huppé. “This is not simply duty. This is heroism.” UCPR Warden Mario Zanth added praise from himself and the other seven mayors representing the communities of Prescott-Russell concerning the risks that paramedics, police, firefighters and other emergency personnel sometimes face in serving residents. “It takes courage to do your jobs every day,” said Zanth. “We really appreciate it.” The incident Early in the morning of May 11, 2023, three OPP officers—Sgt. Eric Mueller, Const. Marc Lauzon, and Const. François Gamache- Asselin—responded to a rural home on Laval Street in Bourget after a neighbour reported
hearing a gunshot. As the officers entered the residence to perform a wellness check, the occupant, Alain Bellefeuille, opened fire. He discharged 19 rounds from a semi-auto- matic SKS rifle that he had illegally modified with a high-capacity magazine to hold over 20 rounds. In the aftermath, Sgt. Mueller died from the gunshot wounds, while Const. Lauzon was critically wounded, surviving after undergoing seven subsequent surgeries. Const. Gamache-Asselin was also struck and injured. Bellefeuille was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. His high-profile trial took place in the spring of 2025. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for the first-degree murder of Sgt. Mueller, along- side concurrent 20-year sentences for the attempted murders.
They risked their lives to help others and now four members of Prescott and Russell’s ambulance service are being recognized and honoured for their selfless courage. “Courage that was not planned, not rehearsed, but revealed in a moment of chaos,” said Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Inspector Normand Lamontagne, as he presented provincial Awards of Bravery to four local paramedics during the May 27 session of United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR). On May 11, 2023, paramedics Christian Larochelle, Yan Bellefeuille, Jean-François Fillion, and Stéphane Huppé jointed other emergency services personnel in responding to an incident at a residence in the Village of Bourget. Police officers answered a call
JOURNÉE DE CUEILLETTE DE DÉCHETS DOMESTIQUES DANGEREUX RÉSIDENTIEL SEULEMENT
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY RESIDENTIAL ONLY
Les BPC, l’huile à moteur, pneus, déchets commerciaux, institutionnels, industriels, radioactifs et explosifs ne seront pas acceptés.
No PCBs, motor oil, tires, commercial, institutional, industrial, radioactive or explosive waste will be accepted.
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www.casselman.ca Complexe J.R. Brisson, 758 rue Brébeuf J.R. Brisson Complex 758 Brébeuf St.
For the residents of the Municipality of CASSELMAN Proof of residence required.
Pour les résidents de la Municipalité CASSELMAN. Preuve de résidence requise.
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