Podcasts about chatham kent

Chatham-Kent is under an extended heat warning. The future of a controversial high-rise planned to go up in Chatham will be debated by CK Council on Monday. A 41-year-old man has been arrested after police say he was caught on camera breaking into a Dresden home. A 56-year-old Lakeshore man is charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving after a crash in Comber Thursday night. New data shows Canadians are still travelling at the same rate, but to places other than the U.S. A think tank in Montreal says the federal government should cut the public service by 64,000 people.

After more than a week, the strike at Dajcor Aluminum in Chatham has ended. Chatham-Kent council will vote next week on whether or not to move ahead with a golf cart pilot program in Erieau. The Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing is back this weekend. Residents of some rural areas will notice some changes in mail delivery. Premier Doug Ford announced yesterday that he plans to create a 19.5-metre-wide, three-level tunnel under Highway 401. An NHL player and mascot had a close call with a brown bear in Alaska while shooting a promo video.

The local health unit says West Nile is back in Chatham-Kent, but only in mosquitoes. There's another peaceful protest coming up in Dresden this weekend, opposing a proposed landfill expansion just outside of town. Some brand new Canadian theatre productions will be showcased in Chatham this week. Provincial divisions were on display ahead of the premiers' meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney today. A provincial pilot project that used paramedics to support seniors living in their homes is being made permanent. Canada's Privacy Commissioner is investigating a cyberattack at WestJet. Major League Baseball is calling up its first-ever female umpire this Saturday.

A 37-year-old Chatham-Kent man is facing a handful of charges after he allegedly threatened a police officer, Currie Road in Dutton is open again but the cleanup continues after a large fire at an auto dealership, and Prime Minister Mark Carney says he's open to dropping existing tariffs if it would help Canadian industries.

Welcome all to The Big Year Podcast.  I'm Robert Baumander and you're, well, you.  It's the end of July, 2025, and you know what that means?  Certainly an all new episode of the Big Year podcast, naturally, but mostly, we're smack-dab in the heat of the summer and the lack-of-birds blues.  In July and August, it's more about the butterflies and bees than the birds in the trees.   It's hot, humid, and clammy.  You get soaked with sweat and barely see or hear any birds.  Nothing makes you look forward to fall migration more than the heat of July and the dog days of August.  However, butterflies, bees, fireflies, and dragonflies abound.  So slow down, look down, and you'll see there are many tiny creatures all around. And before you can learn what all of them are, it will be time for the shorebirds and warblers to return, fall migration will be in full swing and you can't forget all about those sting-y, bite-y bother-y bugs. Now, that is not to say I didn't seen any new birds in July.  The first week or so was pretty good, as I finally got to see that Brown Pelican.  Last month I was grousing about the fact that I had missed it in Niagara-on-the Lake.  But, wouldn't you know it, a week later it showed up on the shores of Lake Erie.  I raced down there the next morning, and within an hour, I finally got to see, photograph and enjoy my first Brown Pelican in Canada. A rarity indeed. That same day in Chatham Kent, I got to see a Lark Bunting.  Not unheard of in Ontario, but still pretty rare in any given year.  A few days later, I went to see a Short-billed Dowitcher and a Stilt Sandpiper in London, Ontario.  But since July 11th, no new birds have shown up and I can now just sit, wait and hope for those fall migrants, including that dastardly, fancy yellow warbler with the black cap called the Wilson's Warbler.  Maybe it should be called the Black-capped Warbler, or the How-the-heck-did-I-not-see-that-Warbler in the Spring Warbler. Anyway. Enough griping. This month's episode has been a long time coming and it is dedicated to my birding pal, Andrew Keaveny.  Oh, Andrew, Andrew, Andrew.  Why the lament?  Because according to my iMessage history, Andrew and I actually recorded this episode back in late February, or early March of 2023.  Sometime afterward, as I was going through podcast recordings to edit, I couldn't find that specific recording.  So I went on to other projects, recorded new ones,(didn't lose any of those), and occasionally searched my hard drives, iPads, iPhones, and sound recorder apps, looking for the original recording. After a while, I just forgot all about it, as you do.  Sorry, Andrew.  Then, late last year, someone asked me about Andrew's episode that was already over a year overdue, and I went back to searching, thinking that it had to be somewhere, right?  Once again, I was searching old iPhones, hard drives, my sock drawer, and under the bed where I found only fluff and dust, which, I'm told, my brain is mostly filled with. Again, no original recordings.  Again, sorry, Andrew.  Oh, and who is this Andrew Keaveny, you ask?  Most Ontario birders will have heard of him, but you haven't had the pleasure, Andrew is a long time Ontario birder, world traveler and guide, one of the most knowledgeable birders I know, an all-round swell guy, and a good birding friend of mine, whom I met way back in 2012. I was doing my ABA Big Year, and Andrew was doing his Ontario big year.  The first time we met, I learned that he knew Sue from when he was just knee high to a Canada Goose, birding with his parents at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Toronto.  Well, maybe he wasn't that young.  Since then, we have run into each other often while out birding or at rare bird sightings all over Ontario.  As well as at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Toronto, where we always try to show up for new park species to add to our coveted Sam Smith Park list.  Not that anyone's counting, but Andrew sits second all time with 256 species for the park and I am just behind him in forth place with 242.  Okay, yes, we're all counting. So back to the long and winding road to this episode.  In February of this year, I messaged Andrew, tail firmly between my legs, microphone in hand, to ask him to please, please rerecord the episode.  Unfortunately, he was under the weather at the time, and I never did get back to him about my podcast Mulligan.  Again, fluff and dust for brains.  I'd be right at home at a teddy bear's picnic, if you get my meaning. But, I digress.  Fast forward to July of 2025.  Well, actually May, when out of the blue, he, Andrew himself, messaged me asking for a donation to his Bird-a-Thon.  I said I was happy to do it, but in exchange, we had to finally complete what we had started over two years earlier.  Andrew was game, and this episode is the result.  It's certainly more timely and up to date than if I had just found and presented the nearly two and a half year old recording to y'all.  Anyway, I think the episode turned out much better than the original, as parts of it were going stale.  Not that the original was a stinker, by any means, but I certainly enjoyed catching up with Andrew and reliving some fun memories from the past and talking about birding in the present.  So as they say in the south, y'all just kick back, grab yourself a Long Island iced tea, sit a spell, take your shoes off, and enjoy The Big Year Podcast with me and Andrew Keaveny.    

LaSalle police have arrested a Tilbury man following an investigation into claims of historical sex crimes against a child. A Chatham man is facing charges, including assault with a weapon and uttering threats, after police say he threatened a woman with a crossbow. Two Chatham men have been convicted of animal cruelty. Provincial police want everyone to make safety a priority during the long weekend. Reach Out Chatham-Kent will be able to build and strengthen its Peer2Peer programming thanks to a sizable grant from the province. The end of slavery in the British Empire will be commemorated in Chatham-Kent on Saturday at the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is urging people to stay indoors because of the air quality. Unionized workers from a local aluminum parts producer are now on strike. CK's Children's Treatment Centre has received the highest level of accreditation from a national program. An investigation is underway after a nearby car dealership burned down Wednesday night. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs face a crucial test before the Court of Appeals on Thursday, with a negotiation deadline with Canada fast approaching. The Blue Jays and Tigers are making moves ahead of the trade deadline.

No injuries have been reported following a fire at a Dutton-Dunwich car dealership. Unionized workers from a local aluminum parts producer are now on strike. A Walpole Island man is facing multiple assault charges after an alleged attack on Wednesday. The Children's Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent has been recognized for its high level of service. U.S. President Donald Trump says Canada's decision to back Palestinian statehood could hurt trade talks. The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers have announced a change in management. The Blue Jays and Tigers have brought in new pitching arms ahead of the trade deadline.

The source of some recent gas leaks in downtown Wheatley could be capped soon, a week-long event that encourages residents to identify and record their local plants and animals is underway, and a local teen is bringing a silver medal back to Chatham-Kent from the U18 Women's Tackle National Championship.

Chatham-Kent councillor Rhonda Jubenville has won her pay suspension appeal against the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. A 50-year-old Chatham man is facing charges following a collision involving an SUV and a mobility scooter. A pair of fires kept local firefighters busy over the last day. Tim Hortons restaurants in Chatham-Kent brought in $74K during Camp Day. The Ford government has agreed to pay a fee to cancel its contract with Starlink.

Anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers are paying off and paying out through the first half of the year in Chatham-Kent, a Leamington-area First Nation is investing in the new Chatham-to-Lakeshore Transmission Line, and the Bank of Canada has a rate announcement tomorrow morning.

CK police have received more than 140 calls in two weeks about the newest encampment in Chatham. Anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers are paying off, and paying out, through the first half of the year in Chatham-Kent. A Leamington-area First Nation is investing in the new Chatham-to-Lakeshore Transmission Line.  In the sixth round of skills development funding, the province has released 260-million dollars of funding to train workers. Manufacturing and supply chain issues have caused a painkiller shortage in Canada.

An extended heat warning is still in effect for Chatham-Kent.  Chatham-Kent police say there's no threat to public safety after a bomb threat was made in Wallaceburg on Monday morning. Three new resident doctors have joined Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. Swimmers are being warned away from the Willow Beach area on Walpole Island because of high E. coli counts. A new episode of the 519 Podcast shines the light on the disappearance of Derek Ritz. U.S. politics threaten to complicate the co-hosting of 2026 World Cup.

Chatham-Kent council will be holding a special meeting on Monday to talk about encampments, another gas leak in Wheatley, and an Ontario judge is set to deliver her ruling today in the sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is throwing its support behind Chatham-Kent in the fight against the Dresden landfill, road work on some unused railways in the Dresden area will lead to some road closures, and a 55-year-old Richmond Hill man is facing charges after border guards at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor found two suitcases and five garbage bags filled with bricks of cocaine.

Some mixed results for Chatham-Kent's crime numbers in the latest report from Statistics Canada, you could still run into a detour if you're driving in the Dresden area today, and the sentencing hearing for Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is underway.

Crews were at work in downtown Wheatley today to repair a broken gas main. Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff is calling a special council meeting next week to talk about a large encampment in Chatham. The latest crime stats for Chatham-Kent show some mixed results. A Hamilton woman wanted by CK police turned herself in on Monday. A Wallaceburg man is facing a long list of offences, including multiple assault and weapons charges. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is effectively barring transgender women from competing in women's sports. Four individuals and one team are headed into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame this fall.

A Leamington man is in the hospital after a motorcycle crash in Chatham-Kent and the LaSalle Vipers want to sell alcohol at their home games. These stories and more are in your noon news on the go.

A Chatham-Kent teen is one of two people who were charged after a robbery in Leamington, a popular cycling event is coming back to Wallaceburg, and Ontario has signed some new free trade agreements with BC and the three territories.

The trial dates are set for a Chatham-Kent doctor who is facing multiple sex-related charges involving a minor, another rabies notice in the Chatham-Kent area, and Chatham-Kent police are putting out a call for tips after a serious motorcycle crash just east of Chatham over the weekend.

A Chatham-Kent doctor facing sex charges involving a minor will have his days in court next year. A motorcyclist from Leamington was airlifted to hospital over the weekend following a single-vehicle crash. Two potential rabid animals were recently found on Walpole Island. Two out of three small businesses say they may permanently drop Canada Post as a service provider if a strike resumes. Ontario is banning the public from virtual court proceedings because of "zoom bombing." The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers' Spencer Marcus has been named IBL player of the week.

Most of the beaches in Chatham-Kent are getting the all-clear from local public health officials, Ontario could be changing its funding for colleges and universities in the spring, and VIA rail workers have a new contract in place now.

Welcome back to RealAg Radio for the Farmer Rapid Fire presented by Pioneer Seeds Canada! Today’s host, Lyndsey Smith, is joined by: Billy Beaudry of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.; Mark Huston of Chatham-Kent, Ont.; Jim Hale of Lancer, Sask.; Rob Sommerville of Special Areas, Alta.; and, Pioneer Agronomist Derwyn Hammond, based at Man., to talk about assessing... Read More

Welcome back to RealAg Radio for the Farmer Rapid Fire presented by Pioneer Seeds Canada! Today’s host, Lyndsey Smith, is joined by: Billy Beaudry of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.; Mark Huston of Chatham-Kent, Ont.; Jim Hale of Lancer, Sask.; Rob Sommerville of Special Areas, Alta.; and, Pioneer Agronomist Derwyn Hammond, based at Man., to talk about assessing... Read More

A familiar face in Chatham-Kent is joining the team at the local hospital's Emergency Department, Blenheim's 42nd annual Cherry-fest is underway, and you won't have to pay to get into Ontario Parks tomorrow.

CK police say concerns about a new encampment in Chatham should not automatically be considered an emergency, Chatham-Kent police have charged two women after an argument at a local home took a violent turn, and a section of Kent Bridge Road will be closed off for several days.

Police are looking to speak to witnesses after a boat crash on the water near Walpole Island over the weekend, Chatham-Kent police are about to get more eyes on the streets and the parks in the municipality, and a special air quality statement is still in effect for Chatham-Kent.

The Orville Wright pool in Chatham should open again this afternoon, the province's controversial Bill 5 is facing a lawsuit, and Chatham-Kent is cashing out more from the OLG this year than it did at the same time last year.

There's a new home for the encampment that was set up in downtown Chatham, the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission has a lot of work to do to address long-term water and wastewater shortfalls and challenges, and OPP are investigating a two-vehicle crash just outside of Chatham-Kent that sent one person to the hospital.

Another hot and hazy afternoon in Chatham-Kent, the Chatham-Kent community has lost a long-time member of the local media who dedicated his life's work to uncovering truth and spreading awareness of agricultural affairs, and no issues were reported as Chatham's largest homeless encampment was cleared out of the city's downtown area yesterday.

Chatham-Kent has a heat warning and a special air quality statement now, residents may notice a police presence near the homeless encampment at the Third Street Bridge in Chatham today, and Chatham-Kent's council meets tonight where they'll discuss awarding a contract to officially bring back dust control services.

We're in for another sweltering couple of days in southwestern Ontario, time is up for residents living in the homeless encampment in downtown Chatham, and Chatham-Kent council will get an update tonight on local trash stats.

The mayor and council of Chatham-Kent have committed to 13 recreational and cultural projects across the municipality so far this year, an unexpected boost for Canada's labour market last month, and it sounds like U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat may not be as bad as it sounded at first.

A shoreline protection project along the Thames River in downtown Chatham is set to start soon, Chatham-Kent's rich history is on display through a new mural in downtown Chatham, and Donald Trump says the U-S is set to introduce a sweeping 35 per cent tariff on Canadian goods next month.

If you're looking to buy a home in Chatham-Kent right now, there is no shortage of options, dozens of First Nations in Ontario are calling for the province's environment minister to resign, and stargazers are in for a treat tonight -- as long as the weather holds up.

Home sales in the municipality have slowed despite a record number of homes on the market. Chatham-Kent police are looking to add more CCTV cameras to some communities as the system has helped solve numerous investigations and improved public safety. A 51-year-old man is facing charges after he allegedly tried to rob someone outside the bus station in Chatham. A number of First Nations in Ontario are calling for the province's environment minister to resign. A weekly routine has turned into a $250K prize for a Blenheim retiree.

Residents in Wheatley will see plenty of activity downtown, near the library, in the coming days. Chatham-Kent police are asking for help finding a missing man. A man who was vacationing in the Leamington area is lucky to be alive after he fell off a Sea-Doo in Lake Erie. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and tractors will be on display in Ridgetown this weekend. A non-alcoholic beverage sold across the country is being recalled over concerns of mould. 

A 12-year-old boy from Dresden is being remembered as an irreplaceable brother and teammate, a 51-year-old Chatham-Kent man has been charged after allegedly threatening a bank teller, and more than 100 people have died after some flash floods hit central Texas.

Gas was reported to be venting near the Wheatley library Friday morning, but it has since stopped. There's a heat warning in effect for Chatham-Kent this weekend. A 29-year-old Ridgetown woman has died following a crash on Longwoods Road. A Chatham-Kent police officer is in trouble with the law after an off-duty incident. A CK police officer was injured when trying to make an arrest in Wallaceburg. The measles outbreak appears to be slowing down in Ontario.

A 29-year-old Ridgetown woman has died following a crash on Longwoods Road. A Chatham-Kent police officer is in trouble with the law after an off-duty incident. The measles outbreak appears to be slowing down in Ontario. An evacuation is underway in Manitoba, as a nearby wildfire threatens a northern community. The Calgary Stampede kicks off tomorrow, and Shania Twain will open things up.

A Windsor resident is charged following a cocaine investigation, a Chatham-Kent police officer is arrested in Leamington, and Tecumseh rolls out new electric buses. All the noon headlines, and the weekend forecast, on the go.

Two local teens are facing assault charges after a fight in the parking lot of a retail area in Chatham, the investigation continues into some recurring gas emissions that were detected behind the public library branch in Wheatley, and a local farm known for its Christmas trees is once again teaming up with the Alzheimer's Society of Chatham-Kent for a flowery fundraiser.

There is a severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect for Chatham-Kent. Plans are in the works for what could be the largest single-site residential development in Chatham-Kent's history. A child has died following a train collision in Chatham. A 71-year-old Blenheim woman is facing a handful of charges after a police chase just outside of Ridgetown that ended in a cemetery. A 40-year-old Chatham-Kent woman is facing charges after allegedly causing a scene after she was refused service because of insufficient funds. The water at Ipperwash Beach has claimed another life.

Plans are in the works for what could be the largest single-site residential development in Chatham-Kent's history, a 71-year-old Blenheim woman is facing a handful of charges after a police chase just outside of Ridgetown that ended in a cemetery, and a 40-year-old Chatham-Kent woman is facing charges after she allegedly spat on someone and threatened them after she was refused service because of insufficient funds.

Another gas detection call in downtown Wheatley, a Chatham-Kent man is facing firearms charges after he allegedly flashed a gun while he was robbing a convenience store in Sarnia, and the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers had a day to forget as their five-game win streak came to an end.

There are closures across Chatham-Kent to celebrate Canada Day on Tuesday. A 62-year-old man from Leamington has died following a single-vehicle collision in Wheatley. Canada is rescinding the digital services tax and resuming trade talks with the U.S.

Fire Officials say the most recent gas threat in Wheatley has ended. A Chatham-Kent councillor has been elected as Ontario's vice-chair for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Canada's economy shrank in April by 0.1%. A new national survey has found that most people feel proud to be Canadian. Ryan Reynolds is set to be invested as an officer of the Order of Canada.

A Chatham-Kent OPP officer charged in the shooting death of a 24-year-old man nearly four years ago is walking free, a Chatham teen who has been battling cancer for two years will soon get to sleep in his own bed again, and three Chatham-Kent residents are headed to Thailand for the 2025 Jiu-Jitsu World Championships.

CKHA has started using Artificial Intelligence to help diagnose and treat patients with stroke-like symptoms. As the weather warms up this summer, Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency officials also want you to raise your awareness about safety around area waterways. Tick activity is on the rise in Ontario, including here in Chatham-Kent. Canada has agreed to spend 5% of its GDP on defence by 2035. On the next national census, you'll be asked what your sexual orientation is.

Well, thank you once again for joining me on the Big Year podcast.  As May turns to June, spring migration is coming to a close. I've been busy all the merry month of May, birding in Long Point Provincial Park, where we got to see a Summer Tanager, Rondeau Provincial Parks for a Mourning Warbler, and Point Pelee National Park for Prothonotary Warblers and a Yellow-breasted Chat and Hillman Marsh for a Neotropic Cormorant and American Avocets.  I've taken trips to Toronto where I just saw a Western Kingbird at Humber Bay East and a Western Grebe at Colonel Samuel Smith Park, which was, for the longest time, my birding patch.   Now my birding patch is here in Branford, at a lovely spot called Gilkison Flats, along The Grand River.  I do enjoy birding there, but it's not quite the same as Colonel Sam. That was always my favourite spot to be during spring migration, and of course, that's where the Whimbrels have passed through on the way to their nesting grounds in the far north.  Alas, this year weather and other circumstances made it a disappointing Whimbrel Watch in Toronto, with much lower numbers than usual.     It might have been that they took a more westerly route this year.  I got to see Whimbrels in Chatham-Kent not far from Rondeau Provincial Park, in the same field I had not long before seeing a Yellow-head Blackbird, back in April.  And that was the same day I saw the Crested Caracara, which was probably the highlight of the season and Canada lifer for me.  That adventure started on a Monday, spending most of the day cruising around Essex County and going home disappointed, driving through blinding snow that prevented me from seeing the Yellow-headed Blackbird too.  On Wednesday the weather was much improved and I returned to Chatham for the Yellow-headed Blackbird, only to discover the caracara had been re-found only minutes from where I was.  I ended up seeing both birds that day.     It's now June 1, 2025 and the weather is perhaps, finally, hopefully, going to feel more spring like and I am going to enjoy birding without all the layers.  Sue and I spent a chilly final day of May, layered up from the wind, at the Huron Fringe Birding Festival, and we got to see Brewers Blackbirds and Upland Sandpipers, two of their specialty birds.  If you decide to go, you'll discover why the Kincardine Sewage Lagoons,(yes sewage lagoons-really), are known as Pelee North. The difference is that in Point Pelee, the birds are migrating through, but at the Huron Fringe Birding Festival, you are liable to find lots of nesting birds and birds that you may have missed because you weren't in the right place the right time during spring migration.   In fact, for me, I'm embarrassed to say this, but somehow I have not seen a Wilson's Warbler this year, and that's a little bit frustrating.  I was hoping to find one on Saturday, but no such luck.   But now it's time to get back to the podcast. And today we have Alberta's own, Gavin McKinnon. He was the birder, who in 2022, gave me a few tips and tricks to get some specialty songbirds in southern Alberta, like the Lark Sparrow and Thick-billed Longspur. I noticed late in 2024 that he had passed 400 species for Canada for the year and I wanted to know a little bit more about him, not just because he helped me, but because he is such an expert about birding in Alberta.  I will say we did chat before the end of 2024, after he had already passed 400 species, but I will follow up with him at a later date to find out how the year ended, and share it during an episode of "The Big Year Podcast: On the Road", in August.  In fact, as of June 1, he's once again the top birder in Canada with 324 species. Now, please enjoy all the stories you are about to hear equally and please don't show a preference for any one story, or birds will be removed from your Life List.