By Tanya Ladouceur, Temiscaming Quebec, on lake Témiscaming.
For the 15th plus year, the North Bay Algonquin high school students have had their after-graduation party on Lake Temiscaming amongst homeowner and summer residents and on private property.
Hundreds of kids have been coming here for years.
They are disrespectful, loud music, leave garbage, feces and toilet paper all over the area. Fires are left unattended.
Last year the roads were blocked with all the parked vehicles, and if emergency services were required to get through they couldn’t. Someone was burned at the huge fires left unattended.
One year an individual went missing, a distressed individual came to find me for help. Another year a cottage was broken into. Keepsakes at a private home were taken for the heck of it. Another year a camper's trailer was broken into and destroyed.
Friday night, even though I am 10 acres or so away, I had multiple knocks on my door at 1:30 a.m. Do you answer the door in the middle of the night alone? No, emergency or not it wasn’t my problem.
Do parents or responsible adults understand where you are dropping your kids off????? There is no cellular or texting service for almost 20 kilometres.
During Party 2018, parents dropping off loads of wood and their kids. Even a North Bay firefighter dropping off his kid, when the largest forest fires in history were in full rigour last year. Did he ensure there wouldn’t be a fire? No.
Someone a few doors down, a Témiscaming fireman and my husband were up all night, worried it was going to start a forest fire. So they kept an eye on things.
North Bay parents had the nerve to call government services and ask why there was no cellular service where this party took place??????
Lake Temiscaming is in all essence, the Ottawa River. Where at least a hundred have drowned in different situations in past years. The water is fast moving and the water is very cold. This year water levels are the second highest in history. I have fast moving rapids in my bay, where at one time, my 12-month-old daughter learned to swim, not today.
The area that this party takes place at, is our community boat launch. None of these kids or parents clean up properly. A few Témiscaming taxpayers try to clean up, elderly individuals that should not have to do this. They even use a metal detector to pick up all the nails, but people will still get flat tires, walk in feces and broken glass for the next season.
How did this start you ask????
In years past many graduates at different North Bay high schools were Témiscaming residents, some owned a cottage somewhere in the region and parties would take place at family cottages, family homes or at the White Oaks hotel in Temiscaming because the legal age of drinking is 18.
When I graduated the party was at my family home. There was 50 plus of us, my mother made us dinner, and made breakfast the next day when my daughter graduated from high school and college. My home was open, I did the same thing my mother did.
I’m sorry, dumping your kids in the middle of nowhere on private property, keeping people on edge is not acceptable. I guarantee that someone will overdose and die one of these years. The drugs of 2019 are not the same as in 1989.
Why do you think parents don’t want their kids partying in their own back yards or their cottages? Something bad will happen. The town of Temiscaming will be responsible and sued because it’s their property. Témiscaming taxpayers will have to pay for this.
And to the Temiscaming council and the Surete du Quebec, shame on you.
You have had complaints for years and have done nothing. Congrats on maintaining a beautiful feces and broken glass filled waterfront for @Opemican National Park @Parc National Opemican.
And those of you that say kids will be kids……next year I will give them your address and their party will be next to your house.
@ https://www.sepaq.com/pq/ope/
