Highway 6 closed for several hours due to serious collision
Highway 6 between near Goat Island Road in the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) was closed for about six hours after a serious collision on Monday, July 21.
On Monday, July 21 at approximately 6:15 pm, officers with the Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment responded to a two-vehicle collision involving a passenger vehicle and a transport truck.
After the accident, the OPP reported one driver had been transported to hospital by ambulance, having sustained serious life-threatening injuries as a result. However, The Expositor learned from the OPP on Friday that the injuries sustained by the driver are now reported as non-life threatening.
Highway 6 was reopened at around 12:54 am on July 22. It had been closed in both directions between the Little Current Swing Bridge and Sunshine Valley Road near Birch Island.
The investigation remains ongoing and no charges have been laid thus far.
There was no detour in place for vehicular traffic to access.
Death investigation in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township
The Manitoulin detachment of the OPP is investigating a death following a call for service in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township.
On Sunday, July 20, at approximately 1 pm, officers with the Manitoulin OPP, with assistance from the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, responded to a report of a deceased person found in the Spanish River. The investigation is ongoing with the assistance of the Manitoulin OPP Crime Unit, the OPP Forensic Identification Services and the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed.
There is no concern for public safety. Further information will be released as it becomes available.
Manitoulin OPP makes 96th impaired arrest for 2025
One person is facing impaired and drug-related charges after a reduce impaired driving everywhere (RIDE) check.
On Saturday, July 19 at approximately 11 pm, officers with the Manitoulin detachment of the OPP were conducting a RIDE check at the intersection of Highway 6 and Old Webbwood Road in Espanola. A vehicle came through the RIDE, and an investigation was initiated. As a result of the investigation, the driver was arrested.
Additionally, police seized an amount of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of $150, and an amount of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $500.
The driver, Manfred Bremer, 58 years old from Brantford, was charged with operation while impaired, operation while prohibited under the criminal code, possession of a schedule one substance, methamphetamine, possession of a schedule one substance, cocaine and driving motor vehicle with open container of liquid.
The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Espanola on September 22.
This incident marks the 96th impaired driving arrest by the Manitoulin OPP in 2025, so far. The OPP wants to remind the public that no amount of alcohol or drugs in your system is safe while driving. If you suspect an impaired driver on our roads, waterways or trails, don’t hesitate to make the call and dial 911. Your phone call could save someone’s life.
Driver arrested for impaired operation after erratic driving around horseback driver
One person has been arrested, following a traffic complaint involving a vehicle and a horseback rider.
On Tuesday, July 8, at approximately 10 pm, officers from the Manitoulin detachment of the OPP responded to a report of a vehicle being driven dangerously around a horseback rider in the area of Sugar Lake Road in Walford.
The complainant reported that the driver was also yelling and honking the horn at the horseback rider. The same driver then directed the dangerous driving behaviour toward another vehicle that was attempting to assist. Police arrived shortly after and located the driver. Following an investigation, the driver was arrested.
As a result, Marillyn Rule, 59-years-old from the Sables-Spanish Rivers Township, was charged with operation while impaired.
The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Espanola on September 22.
Overfishing walleye leads to charges for two Sudbury men
Two Sudbury area men have pleaded guilty to overfishing of walleye in the North Channel of Lake Huron.
Andy Taylor of Lively and Robert Krueger of Sudbury both pleaded guilty to catching and retaining more than their daily quota of fish and catching and retaining fish of a prohibited size. The two men were both fined a total of $1,660 each long with their fishing rods and reel, and the walleye they caught, forfeited to the Crown.
The court heard that on November 12, 2024, a conservation officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) contacted both men in the Town of Spanish, after returning from fishing the North Channel of Lake Huron. A subsequent investigation revealed that both Mr. Taylor and Mr. Krueger had caught and retained eight walleye total, five of which were of prohibited size. The sport fishing license daily catch limit for walleye on the North Channel of Lake Huron is two with none between 41-56 centimetres.
Justice of the Peace Jill Morris heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Elliot Lake, on February 19, 2025.
To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unresolved cases, please visit ontario.ca/mnrtips.
