Woman stranded in northern Ontario wilderness after 'friend' leaves in canoe

First in an occasional series of stories on unusual Ontario Provincial Police news releases over the last few weeks:

There's nothing like a multiday wilderness canoe trip to forge stronger bonds between friends.

Fresh air, fish cooked over an open fire, a cold beverage or two.

This is not quite how things turned out when two female friends embarked on a five-day canoe trip in mid-June on the Spanish River, starting from Duke Lake in the Gogama area, 110 kilometres south of Timmins.

Toward the end of the trip, a heated argument ensued between the two which resulted in one woman leaving in the canoe and the other being stranded on shore with the tent and limited supplies," OPP said in a news release.

Due to not having any cell service at that location, the woman inflated her sleeping pad and used it to continue down the river but before leaving, she wrote SOS' in the sand. Once she reached an area with somewhat of a cell signal, she contacted her spouse for help and was able to provide the location co-ordinates."

OPP Aviation Services, the OPP emergency response team and rangers from Ontario Parks responded and rescued the woman, 35, from the remote area.

Other than suffering with insect bites, she was in good health," OPP said.

The women had been arguing over small stuff" throughout the trip, police said. It is unclear exactly what was said before the woman left in the canoe.

As of Tuesday, police were waiting to hear from the victim on whether she wants to proceed with charges.

Smarter than your average bear

Yogi Bear would be proud.

In Haliburton, a bear, perhaps looking for picnic baskets, opened the unlocked doors of more than 10 vehicles in the span of a few nights.

Many of the vehicles entered by the bear were significantly damaged," the OPP said. Police are requesting residents keep car doors locked and make certain there is nothing inside their vehicles that could be food for a hungry bear."

But the OPP couldn't help giving some credit to the bear, saying it has an interesting talent."

Spitting mad

An argument about seagulls turned violent.

On June 22 at 8:11 p.m. Grey Bruce Ontario Provincial Police were dispatched to a residence at Frank Street in Wiarton for a dispute between two neighbours over feeding seagulls," police said. After a verbal argument, the accused spit in the victim's face and stepped on their foot."

A Wiarton man, 58, was charged with assault.

Maybe next time leave a note

The owners of a house in Simcoe found a garbage bag on their front porch on June 19. Inside was their dead cat. Police did not know how it died and launched an investigation.

On Wednesday, June 24, at approximately 7:37 a.m., the OPP received a call from a resident indicating that they had struck the cat after a dog had chased the animal into the street," police said. The driver stopped and spoke to neighbours who subsequently left the animal on the front porch of the residence. The investigation is closed."

Gordon Paul is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on crime for the Record. Reach him via email: gpaul@therecord.com