Chantelle Walkey |
Bruce Stubbs |
Walter Ceolin |
Members in the Ministry of Natural Resources recall their colleagues, Bruce Stubbs, Walter Ceolin, Chantelle Walkey and manager Michael Maguire. The four were killed in a helicopter crash Jan. 21 while counting moose north of Sault Ste. Marie.
Bob Knudsen, resource technician:I worked with Bruce and Chantelle for the past three years in the Sault Office. Bruce helped me for two days this past spring on my wood turtle project. I have a photo of Bruce after he found his first wood turtle.
I worked with Chantelle in the Sault office and this past spring, she also helped me for one day on the wood turtle project. I have a photo of her after she found her first wood turtle. We had searched all day, and Chantelle kept saying throughout the day, "Here turtle, > turtle, turtle turtle". I had found three, but
she could not find any. Then I walked by one without seeing it, and she found it and screamed she had "a turtle, turtle turtle turtle".
Kevin Maloney, propagation technician, Ontario Forest Research Institute (OFRI):
I first worked with Bruce Stubbs at the Kirkwood Area Office in Thessalon in approximately 1990. Bruce always came to work with a warm smile and a positive attitude. When he asked how you were doing, he looked you in the eye, showing you he was sincerely interested.
After that, I had periodic contact with Bruce until he started working as an area tech at the Sault District. On several occasions last summer, Bruce was my willing and energetic field guide. His goal was to help locate specific old growth white pine stands in the Galloway Lake area west of Ranger Lake. It was apparent
from his enthusiastic, positive attitude that Bruce truly enjoyed his job and helping his coworkers.
I was planning to contact Bruce on Tuesday to gain more insights on the duties of a resource technician since a position in Sault Ste. Marie had recently been advertised. I am sure he would have been very accommodating to provide all required information. That was the kind of guy he was.
During the recent OPSEU strike, Bruce was a picket captain and took a leadership role. He kept me and his other fellow union members well informed and was key to maintaning a positive attitude throughout the 8-week strike. Good job, Bruce!
In summary, I will miss you. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to work with you more in the future.
Your loss will be felt greatly by your district coworkers. I will attempt to comfort and console them. We will all remember you. When I look down the street in front of OFRI, I will picture you proudly holding high up to the snow-filled sky an OPSEU picket sign reading" Ontario Public Servants - Proud and Strong" as you
march back and forth.
The others will be missed as well. What I remember most about Wally is he'd say, "Let me tell you a story! Back in '72, I was out in the bush, and ...." He could keep you entertained on the picket line for quite a while. He was always willing to help out his neighbours out in Echo Bay. One time a mutual friend had a
plumbing problem. I diagnosed it but Wally was the one who went to fix it. He was a great guy.
I remember Chantelle literally bouncing up and down with enthusiasm on the picket line. And whenever I dealt with her at the district office, when I needed topo maps and aerial photos, she was always extremely helpful and very professional.
Maria Dagenais, Administrative Assistant, Forest Research and Development Section, OFRI:
I first met Walter on the picket line during the first strike. Heather McLeod (now with BioForest Technologies) and I were among the few people from OFRI on the district line. I hardly knew anybody and really felt out of place. (The weather was also very cold!) Walter started talking to us, listening to our whining,
complaints, etc. He was a very good listener, always smiling and joking. He really helped ease the stress, which made a very difficult time for me that much more bearable. I'll never forget that experience.
I met Bruce when he first started working at OFRI in the early 1990s. Being an admin support staff member, I never worked closely with him, but every time I saw him, he always greeted me with a big smile on his face. I'll always remember that.
I only met Chantelle a few times during the last strike, but during that time I always found her full of energy and making the best of an otherwise difficult period we were all experiencing.
Abby Obenchain, communications specialist, Forest Research and Development Section, OFRI:
My heart goes out to the family and friends of the Bruce, Chantelle, Mike, and Walter. I cannot imagine the pain they must be feeling.
I met Bruce more than 10 years ago when he was working with my husband, who also works at OFRI. True to his generous nature, Bruce volunteered to help us move into our new house, even though he didn't know us very well. Later, I came to work at OFRI as well and got to know Bruce a little better. It was impossible not to
like him. His positivity and optimism were unflagging. He was very much of a people person. He always seemed happy to see you and always asked about your family. He was clearly devoted to his own family - his wife, Sharalyn, and his two daughters, Wendy and Amanda.
One of my most vivid memories of Bruce is him happily playing the drums at the OFRI staff Christmas parties. He was really in his element then.
I did not know Chantelle or Walter well, but had met them on the picket line last spring. I remember being impressed by both of them because they were so energetic and enthusiastic. For many of us, keeping our spirits up on the picket line was a real challenge, but those two always seemed to have energy to spare. I
remember wondering if there was some way to bottle Chantelle's sparkle so other people could benefit from it. I also remember Walter always laughing and joking. I never met Mike, but since the accident have heard many wonderful things said about him. Evidently he was a top-notch pilot and a terrific manager as well.
It's a terrible, unfair loss to the families and to MNR as a whole. The outpouring of grief, love, and respect since the accident occurred is a testament to the four who died and to the generous spirit of the MNR family.
Wayne Reid:
As the volumes of expressions of sympathy continue to be sent to the families of the terrible accident, I too feel compelled to reach out to the families.
As I look at the photos of the four people, memories begin to trickle by of how they are familiar to me. I've flown forest fires with Mike over the years, cruised timber, moose surveys and have known him to be an extremely detailed and articulate man, totally trustworthy,
very welcoming, and a heck of a pilot.
Chantelle - I had come in contact with her at various MNR workshops, along with Bruce and Walter, through the 23yrs I've spent with the MNR.
I spoke through email yesterday with a lady from MBS, and she was telling me how shocked the people in her office were to hear about the tragedy, and she wished me well and hoped that we as a Ministry could collectively pick up afterwards and keep doing the terrific work we
do. I was particularly proud to hear that because I do feel the pride that we all feel here as employees of the MNR.
I have always been proud to do the work we do. I have always been proud to wake up in the morning and don my workboots to head out to the bush and manage the Crown's land.
I have always been proud to be a Civil Servant and do my part to make sure that this wonderful province's Fish and Wildlife, along with the vast Timber resources, were managed in a way that future generations would be in awe of our dedication.
I sat with my wife last night and talked about the projects we are involved in and their importance to the sustainability of the resource and how we, as a group, dedicate ourselves to doing the best possible job we can do sometimes under the least desirable circumstances. I
reluctantly shared with her the times we have come close to disaster working with machinery and other times working with wildlife.
Every time we go out there we assume the risk and we do it to do a good job!!.
The reality is that this accident could've happened to anyone of us at anytime in our careers and the fact that it has happened to Mike, Chantelle, Bruce and Walter at this time causes us all to reflect on our work and our dedication to good work.
Today my heart goes out to the families and if I could say anything at all, please know that in the psyche of all MNR employees your lost loved ones will forever be heroes and will always exemplify the true meaning of dedication to good work.
Today, I am even more proud to be an employee of the MNR, and I stand at attention in the memory of my four friends and colleagues.
Peace be with you all.
If you would like to send cards of sympathy to the families of Chantelle Walkey, Bruce Stubbs, Walter Ceolin or Mike Maguire - send to -
Chantelle - Mr. & Mrs. James A. Walkey (parents)
37 Filion Cres.
Kanata, ON K2M 1V7
Bruce - Sharalyn Stubbs (Bruce's wife)
15 Shoreview Court
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 5Y6
Walter - Matthew Ceolin (Walter's son)
1314 Hall Ave.
Windsor, ON N8X 4R3
Mike - Barbara Walsh (fiancé)
472 Doncaster Road
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6C 6G2
A Trust Fund has been set up for Bruce Stubbs' children at the Toronto Dominion Bank in Sault Ste. Marie. The trust fund is in the name of Sharalyn Stubbs.
Persons wishing to donate can do so at either the Station Tower location or any other TD branch across the province. If you are not donating at the Station Tower TD in Sault Ste. Marie, please indicate Transit number 3644 when making your donation.
If you have any questions regarding the trust, please call Rhonda Bateman, at work (705-541-2198).
