Class 2 - 3rd place - Eganville Leader, February edition

Gunnar Sterne wins back-to-back Bonnechere Cup races

By Terry Fleurie Staff Writer

Laurentian

Valley Township

A

–

family of four from Laurentian Valley (LV) Township was displaced over the weekend as fire ravaged their home just before midnight on Friday.

Fire Chief Tim Sutcliffe said the department was dispatched to a structure fire at 88 Elm Street at 11:57 p.m. and responded with 14 personnel, a pumper, two tankers and an emergency vehicle.

When firefighters arrived on scene, the carport at the one end of the two-storey frame home was totally engulfed in flames.

“There was a carport on the end of it and it was gone already,” he said.

“That’s how the owner realized her house was on fire.

“She looked out the window and saw the glow from the carport,” he added. “She just happened to be up, heard a couple of bangs, looked out the window, and saw the glow.”

She immediately helped evacuate her husband and two children.

“They got out in the nick of time,” Chief Sutcliffe said.

He said the carport and two vehicles inside were destroyed, and the fire had spread into the attic of the home.

“It just went across the top of the house like crazy. We couldn’t get ahead of it,” he explained.

“We tried to go inside when we first got there to cut it off, and the

floors were already soft.”

He said there were no neighbouring structures threatened.

It was a bitterly cold night, with the temperature hovering around minus 17 at the time of the fire, and the wind chill making it more like minus 28.

“It was not a good night, that’s for sure. We didn’t have any major problems with freezing, but we had to be very careful with what we did.

“We had to keep everything going all the time to stop from freezing,” he added. “By morning, it was very cold when there were no flames left, and we were just hitting hot spots.”

Some members of the department had to sit in vehicles at times to get

warm, while others had to return to the fire hall for a change of gear as they were covered in ice, which made it very difficult to just move around.

The area around the fire also got very icy, he said. Water from the hydrant at Home Depot was hauled to the address. The cause of the fire is unknown, but is not considered suspicious. The parents of the displaced family live across the street, so occupants of the home had a place to go. Chief Sutcliffe said the owners were insured, adding he heard a fundraiser for the family that was already underway was proving to be quite successful.

Bernice Billings death remains unsolved 20 years later

Death of well-known Barry’s Bay woman struck down walking home from church remains a mystery

By Debbi Christinck

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Barry’s Bay

– It has been 20 years since Bernice Billings was struck down by a hit-and-run driver and killed when she was walking home from church and her family are still waiting for answers, and hoping someone will come forward with information about what happened.

“February 5 is a tough day for us,” said Joanne Olsen, one of Mrs. Billings’s five children. “It is not an ordinary day. For us it is different and it will always be different.”

On Saturday night, February 5, 2005, the 78-year-old Mrs. Billings was walking home after evening mass at St. Lawrence O’Toole.

It was a mild evening with a full moon. Despite offers of a ride, she opted to walk and enjoy the mild weather. She was walking along Inglis Street when she was struck by a vehicle sometime between 7:45 and 8:15. She was found about 300 yards from her home by Mike Kulas, a paramedic returning home from work. While she was still alive, her injuries were severe and she died shortly after.

Ontario Province Police out of the Killaloe Detachment, joined by other officers, began a long and exhaustive investigation. Her boot, lying on the road, showed the impact of the accident. While there were leads, no arrests were made. There was a great deal of publicity about the case, a hit-and-run in a small Valley town, but it just seemed no one came forward as a witness or to confess.

The family had regular updates at first and there was a very active investigation, but as months turned into years, there were fewer leads and there have been no updates to the family from the OPP in a long time. Despite this, in the ensuing years, the family has remained hopeful

someone will speak up about what happened that night 20 years ago. Meanwhile, oldest child, Basil, has passed, never knowing who was responsible for his mother’s death.

For Mrs. Olsen and her siblings, as the 20th anniversary approached, there was a desire to again see if someone would come forward with information. This is not so much about trying to bring the story of their mother’s death to the forefront as about a desire to see this, and other cold cases, brought to the public attention.

“We are not looking for sympathy but rather bringing to the public’s attention that there is an unsolved crime out there,” she said.

Having returned to Barry’s Bay following her mother’s death and still living and working in the community, she is also keenly aware in a small village like this, someone knows what happened that night. She is hoping they will come forward but is cognizant 20 years is a long time.

“This will not bring my mom back,” she said. “We have been told by the police they believe there are people out there who know who is responsible.”

People in the community also bring up the unsolved case to the family, she said. They remember the case and are keenly aware no one was ever charged.

Having the case of her mother brought to the forefront again is not easy for the family, but Mrs. Olsen is hoping it will encourage someone to say something which might bring some closure to the case.

“I am disappointed the perpetrator did not come forward,” she said. “I am disappointed if there are people out there who know, that they did not come forward.”

Widespread Publicity Following the fatal hit-and-run there was a lot of publicity about the case. Barry’s Bay is a small

town and Mrs. Billings was well known in the community she called home her entire life. An O’Grady by birth, she was the last of the BIllings family to run the historic Balmoral Hotel in the village. Not one to seek the limelight, having her picture in the newspaper was the last thing she would have wanted, her daughter said.

“My poor mom hated celebrity status and her picture was in all the papers,” Mrs. Olsen said. “Now what remains is there is a crime that was not solved.”

There was very little information at the accident scene but a paint chip showed the vehicle which

struck her might have been red.

The side street where the accident occurred is well known as a back route for people coming off Kamaniskeg Lake from ice fishing. It had been a balmy February Saturday and a lot of people were on the lake.

The Billings family is very close and the siblings will be texting and remembering, especially today. They never forget February 5 and they still hope the police will find the culprit of the hit-and-run. However, at this point it has become very discouraging for them.

“We haven’t heard anything for 10 years,” Mrs. Olsen said. “The

lead detective has retired. The people (officers) who showed the most interest have passed on.”

It still troubles her deeply that in the small community her mom called home for all her life, and where she served the community at the Balmoral Hotel, no one has stepped forward with any information in 20 years.

“I’ve always said I know that the person responsible did not leave their home that day with the intent of hitting my mom,” she stressed.

“It was an accident.”

At the same time, it is an accident which could not have gone totally unnoticed in such a small area.

There is someone in the community who knows, and this bothers her, she stressed.

“It is the community piece,” she said. “I could be sitting next to that person and not know.”

When the accident occurred, Mrs. Olsen was living in the Greater Toronto Area. She noted there are many accidents which occur in the city and people don’t know what happened, but in a small town it is hard to understand, when everyone knows each other.

“We like to claim that small towns are not like that, but in my mind, I wonder how many people know something,” she said.

*

Police Continue Investigation Inspector Stephan Neufeld, Detachment Commander at the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP Detachment, and also the Killaloe Detachment, said police never close a case until it is solved.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Bernice Billings as they mark this sombre anniversary,” he said.

“The OPP will never close a case such as this until it is resolved. Many officers have been assigned to this investigation over the years and have reviewed any previous tips or new information that has been provided by members of the public. A Detective Inspector with the OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch is currently the Case Manager for the investigation.” Insp. Neufeld said the OPP continues to believe that someone has a crucial piece of information that could lead to the identity of the person responsible for Mrs. Billings death.

“We encourage the driver of the vehicle which struck Bernice, or anyone who can help resolve this case, to contact the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP at 1-888-310-1122. If you have information, but wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.”

EDPS staff endure polar plunge to advance literacy

By Alex Lambert Staff Writer

Eganville – Cozying up to read has never felt so cold!

Students and staff at Eganville and District Public School (EDPS) recently had the chance to break from their regularly scheduled afternoon classes for some especially chilly shenanigans.

Last Wednesday, EDPS Principal Shelley Gagne and Vice Principal Kaley McMillan took to freezing ice water to fulfill a project they organized in hopes of encouraging the school-wide community to put down their screens, pick up a book, and have some fun while they’re at it. The dynamic duo had planned the Freezing for Reading challenge in recognition of Family Literacy Day on the 27th and posted a large paper thermometer in the hallway to track the hours each student contributed. They promised students if they collectively logged a total of 1,500 hours, they would get to see Mrs. Gagne and Ms. McMillan take on a daring feat: a polar plunge.

“That really sparked some interest among the kids, to see us do silly, fun, ridiculous communitybuilding things,” Ms. McMillan told the Leader . “They were sending in notes saying, ‘I read for 30 minutes,’ or ‘I read for an hour over the weekend.’ I can speak for most of the staff (when I say),

we’ll do all the fun things in the world to get kids to love reading and books.”

She had hoped the project would encourage kids to not only find the time to start reading, but to even pick it up as a hobby and begin enjoying the act of reading regularly. The students also had a few ways of getting their hours in.

The challenge allowed students to log hours from reading independently, with friends, in-class and even bedtime stories. Despite some concerns they might not reach their goal in the allotted time, they ended up exceeding it by over 200 hours for 1,700 total. Ms. Gagne said the initiative has also opened up some doors to relationships between younger and older students participating in the Reading Buddies program.

The Experience It was a new and exciting adventure for Mrs. Gagne, who would experience it for the first time with an avid cold enjoyer. As for who had the idea to step into a giant bucket of ice water, Ms. McMillan was a little more in her element as a regular participant in cold water immersion. They charged into the courtyard wearing varied levels of protection.

Mrs. Gagne, beneath a mountain of coats, made a grand entrance to hundreds of cheering students and staff crowding around a tub of

freezing cold ice water. Her illustrious trainer, Ms. McMillan, trailed closely behind in shirt and shorts. After a round of high-fives, the pair

got down to business and Ms. McMillan started to assist Mrs. Gagne in peeling off her layers.

“A lot of staff added their personal

reading hours in at the last minute just to make sure we were over our goal, because I think they enjoyed seeing us,” Ms. McMillan said.

When asked how she was doing after the plunge, Ms. Gagne said she felt “invigorated,” and that it wasn’t as bad as she expected.

Four facing charges after warrants executed in Arnprior

Renfrew – Four residents of Arnprior are facing drug trafficking and other charges after two search warrants were executed on Burwash Street in the town recently.

On January 24, police arrested and charged four without incident as part of an ongoing investigation by the OPP’s East Region Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU), the Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU), the Emergency Response Team (ERT), and members of the Renfrew Detachment.

A subsequent search of the residence and vehicle revealed nearly 28 grams of suspected cocaine, almost 20 pills of suspected trazadone, over four grams of crack cocaine, and more than 210 grams

of an unknown white powder (suspected cutting agent). Officers also seized a conducted energy weapon (taser), seven cell phones, debt lists, about $280 in cash, and other items typically associated with drug trafficking.

Brandon McCallum, 42, was charged with two counts of possession of a schedule I substance for the

purpose of trafficking; possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000; possession of weapon for dangerous purpose; unauthorized possession of weapon, and three counts of failure to comply with a release order.

He was held for a bail hearing.

Archie Jolicoeur, 51, was charged with possession of a schedule I sub-

stance for the purpose of trafficking; possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000; possession of weapon for dangerous purpose; unauthorized possession of weapon; and two counts of failure to comply with a release order.

The accused was held for bail.

Tim Bourque, 41, and Courtney Clouthier, 31, were charged with

possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking; possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000; possession of weapon for dangerous purpose, and unauthorized possession of weapon. Both were released and are scheduled to attend court in Pembroke on March 5.

King’s Commemorative Medals given to four residents

Distinctive honours bestowed on Gillan Rutz, Bob Sweet, Del O’Brien and Gerald Tracey by MPP Yakabuski

By Terry Fleurie Staff Writer

Pembroke – Four highly respected residents of Renfrew County known for their various contributions to their communities, the county, and its citizens, were recognized with King Charles III Coronation Medals last Tuesday, January 28.

In one of his last official acts as the MPP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, John Yakabuski, conferred medals on Gillan Rutz and Robert (Bob) Sweet of Petawawa, Delbert (Del) O’Brien of Westmeath, and Gerald Tracey of Eganville.

“It’s a tremendous honour for me to have been given the privilege as a Member of Provincial Parliament, to be able to nominate a small number of very special individuals for this, I would say, very special honour.” Mr. Yakabuski told the recipients, their families and friends.

“This is the first ever Coronation Medal, and I can understand that, because back in 1953, people probably didn’t consider these types of honours.”

He said when Queen Elizabeth had her coronation many people in the room were not even born. With her passing and King Charles’ ascension to the throne, he said the Government of Canada declared there would be 30,000 Coronation Medals bestowed on special individuals. While honoured to have been given the privilege to bestow the medals, it was no easy task to select four individuals to nominate from the approximately 100,000-plus citizens in the riding, he said. He admitted he was confident that whoever he nominated would be successful in being approved for the honour.

“I’m very pleased to be with you here today and I want to thank you for accepting my call. And I would suggest as proud as I am to pin these medals on you, you are as proud to receive them.”

In addition to the medal, each recipient also received a certificate that reads: “By command of the King, the Coronation Medal is hereby conferred upon you in commemoration of His Majesty’s coronation as King of Canada and in recognition of your valuable contribution to your country”.

Modern Day Mac Beattie

Mr. Rutz, an entertainer who prides himself in telling stories of the Valley through his music, was the first recipient Mr. Yakabuski recognized, saying he got to know him more over his term of office.

“When you want somebody who has a love for the Valley, its history, and the people, and is willing to put the pen to paper and write a story, to take that story and make it a song, even a book.”

He did not know Mr. Rutz when he was first elected, but knew the legendary Mac Beattie, who expressed his love for the Valley in story and song.

“And I’ve often said Gillan Rutz is our modern-day Mac Beattie,” he noted.

Mr. Rutz said the people of his generation gathered were honoured to know three great politicians from the Madawaska Valley.

“The one was his dad (the late Paul Yakabuski), another was Sean Conway, and we were blessed to have John here for the last 22 years,” he noted. “We have been lucky in the Ottawa Valley, especially in this zone up here, to have such great representation.”

He said when Mr. Yakabuski stood up in the legislature, people listened.

“Thank you, John, and thank you for today.”

Mr. Rutz said people don’t look

for accolades in anything they do.

“We’re just humble people from the Ottawa Valley, and we tell things, and we do it for the love and the give-back to our home.”

He said the lyrics of the legendary songs that Mr. Yakabuski spoke of were of real-life experiences, and the history and geography of the area.

“Later on, I would come to realize that I was gifted not only to play music, but of memory to recall our shanty songs and stories, the characters of our vast land, and rich storied folklore.”

He has always been fascinated with history and how our forebearers battled adversity to tame the wilderness we enjoy today, and while he does not live in the past, he believes in its teachings and enjoys sharing its stories with audiences of all demographics in various venues.

“Today, I thank John for this recognition, and my wife, Ann Marie, who has run with me chasing my rainbow since our teenage years, to our children who carry our values, principles and traditions into their lives of learnings and teaching now to their children,” he concluded.

Former Mayor/Warden Honoured Mr. Yakabuski said the second recipient, former Petawawa mayor and warden of Renfrew County, was someone he knew before being elected to office through his contributions to his community. He also knew of Mr. Sweet through their passion for golf and being opponents in tournaments.

“They’re still trying to find video evidence of Bob Sweet missing a fairway,” he quipped. He noted one of the criteria for the medal is for someone having held or holding political office, so Mr. Sweet obviously filled that bill. He said when he was first considering running for office, Mr. Sweet was one of the first people he called, despite knowing their general political persuasions were different then.

“And that might lead you to believe that in my time as an elected member of the Progressive Conservative party, first in opposition, then in government, Bob and I would often be at loggerheads or maybe on opposite sides of an argument or an issue. But it was quite to the contrary because I found out very soon, very early and repetitively that Bob Sweet represented the people of Petawawa, and the people of Renfrew County.”

Mr. Yakabuski stressed Mr. Sweet never showed any partisanship, adding whenever he went to Queen’s Park as warden, he was representing the people, regardless of their political affiliations.

“I think Bob actually served to change how the role of warden was viewed at Queen’s Park, and that’s saying something,” he stated. “There was no connection to it being a ceremonial-type role and I would say that change began with Len Quilty, who was the former MPP before my dad, and became warden.

“They started to understand just how important that role was, but in my time, Bob took it to another level,” he added. “And I think you could see today where Renfrew County has led and where Renfrew County has benefitted and prospered because of its relationship with the provincial government, and the intrinsic partnership that exists there.”

He described Mr. Sweet as an architect of that changing rela -

tionship, noting he felt it was only fitting for him to nominate him for the honour.

“I’m proud to say that I’m given the privilege of bestowing this medal on what I consider a genuine representative of the people here in Renfrew County who I have known.”

Mr. Sweet thanked Mr. Yakabuski for his nomination, and congratulated the other recipients on being similarly honoured.

He said it was a pleasure to work with Mr. Yakabuski while in office, noting he has been a great ambassador for the community. He thanked Mr. Yakabuski for his kind words, adding what made the occasion more special was the fact his entire family was able to be part of the ceremony, including his grandson, Matthew, via Skype, from London, England.

“When you start out in this business, you don’t start out to get awards or accolades, and John I appreciate the comments you made about just working for the people, because I think if we all had that attitude, we’d all live in a much better place as you have demonstrated for the last 22 years. Your heart and soul is in the Valley, there’s no question about that, and that’s what we do and that’s what we should be doing, looking after the communities we serve.

“I think if we all got back to that, instead of arguing and all this sort of stuff, and simply look at what the communities want, I think it would make a much better place,” he continued.

Pem-Air/Airport Founder Honoured

The third recipient was Delbert (Del) O’Brien.

“Del’s history in this Valley transcends business, politics, agriculture, legal, and that’s just the beginning. There is not enough time for me to talk about how much he has meant to this community, the valley,

and our country,” the MPP said.

He noted Mr. O’Brien was a candidate for federal office on two occasions at times when his party was unlikely to be unsuccessful.

“But this is the kind of man Del O’Brien is,” he remarked.

He established the Pembroke and Area Airport and airline (Pem-Air) when no one thought it could be done and against all odds and opposition.

“But he forged on and I’m never going to say to an O’Brien ‘you can’t do that’, it just ticks them off. Or if you really want to get it done, tell them it can’t be done.”

Mr. Yakabuski said Mr. O’Brien is also involved in his son Jason’s WhiteWater O’Brien Winery, adding it too was against the odds to have a winery in Renfrew County due to the logistics and location.

Mr. O’Brien also served as a provincial drainage tribunal judge and was a legal leader in the county.

“And I haven’t even touched on what he has meant to me personally as a mentor, in my political life.”

Sometimes people are around to guide someone politically because they want to be “part of the show”, so to speak, he stated

“Del has never once told me what to do, but on many occasions, he has offered his friendly guidance and experience. And folks, there is a massive barrel of experience in this political life from Del O’Brien, because he has seen it from all sides.

“He’s seen it from the organizational, he’s seen it from the candidacy, and he’s seen it from party leadership,” he added. “He was a leader in the YPC’s (Young Progressive Conservatives) when I was being born.”

He recalled first meeting Mr. O’Brien in 1968 as a nine-year-old when Mr. O’Brien was campaigning in Barry’s Bay for the PCs, in what he knew was traditionally a Liberal stronghold.

“To this day, Del has been an

inspiration, and someone who is more of a father figure, and I also consider him to be a friend,” he remarked. “He has always treated me as such and I’m honoured to be able to stand here today and pin that Coronation Medal on you, Mr. Delbert O’Brien.”

High Praise For MPP

Mr. O’Brien said it was a privilege to be present with everyone, adding he is now 90 years of age.

“And I hope to spend more time in this riding, and with you people.”

He reiterated how he had met Mr. Yakabuski when he was quite young, saying he has always been a stalwart supporter.

“Above all, I regard him as a model politician, a model representative of a rural riding. I worked on his first campaign and it was not easy, we won, however.

“Then, I’ve had the privilege of working on most of his campaigns since, and each time the success of his attitude and service to everyone in the riding – it didn’t matter whether they were NDP, Liberal or Conservative – he served you all.

And he had the respect of everyone.”

He said as his political career comes to an end, he is hopeful Mr. Yakabuski will go on to serve the community in other ways.

Mr. O’Brien said he appreciates the support his son’s winery has been given by the community and Mr. Yakabuski, stressing it is solely his son’s venture and he only provided some training and support. He closed by saying Renfrew County was definitely the best place to call home in the province. Leader Publisher Honoured

The final recipient was Leader publisher Gerald Tracey, whose friendship with Mr. Yakabuski was forged through the friendship of their late fathers, Paul Yakabuski and Ambrose Tracey.

Mr. Yakabuski said it was impossible not to identify Mr. Tracey with the Eganville Leader, which he said was such a tremendous and big part of both his and his family’s life.

“But also such a tremendous part of this county’s, and this Valley’s life, particularly the catchment areas of the Eganville Leader.”

He said the two have been friends a long time, as were their fathers, who sometimes met to discuss political issues.

“And by the end of the evening, they thought they had most of those issues solved because they were accompanied by their good friend, John Dewar,” he mused. “Now, for those who don’t know Scotch, you might not catch on with that.”

His friendship with Mr. Tracey began when he returned to Barry’s Bay to run the family hardware store, noting by that time Mr. Tracey already had many years under his belt at the Leader. He recalled how back in 2002, he was honoured to be asked by Mr. Tracey and his brother, Ron, co-publisher at the time, to be co-master of ceremonies at the Leader’s 100th anniversary dinner at the Eganville Arena.

“And it was jammed, the place was full. And that was one wonderful and amazing evening and the history of the paper was highlighted in a big way by many speakers who had the opportunity to speak that evening.” He noted the other emcee was Mike Quilty, the son of the former Liberal MPP, who preceded his father as the riding representative. He said while the Leader is so much a part of his friend’s life, it also allowed him to serve his com-

munity in many other ways.

“More than once tragedy has struck that community and it was Gerald Tracey who ran to the front of the line to make sure that community could recover from that tragedy, so the people would know that fire destroying their house of worship was a setback, but not defeat.” He cited Mr. Tracey’s role in the building of Centennial Park to honour the village’s centennial, noting there were many other things that were turned from challenges into opportunities due to his leadership, including the Ukraine fundraiser he co-ordinated that raised in excess of $100,000 to assist Ukrainian refugees forced from their country.

“I know I’m only touching on a little bit of your life and your leadership, and it’s all because of your commitment to people, your fellow man. You have come forward every time the call went out, and I ask you to come forward one more time”

A Simple Motto Mr. Tracey congratulated his corecipients, describing Mr. Rutz as a modern-day mix of Bernie Bedore and Mac Beattie for his promotion of the history and traditions of the Valley in song and stories. Like Mr. Yakabuksi, he said Mr. Sweet had elevated the position of warden to a new height, and he enjoyed working with him on various committees.

“And God bless you Del, I hope I look as good at 90 as you do, and I hope I have the energy and the interest in life to be involved the way you are.” He stressed no one present does things for the accolades, saying he really didn’t know how his community involvement got started when he undertook his first community fundraising venture at age 22. He acknowledged the tremendous support he has received from his wife, Wanda in all his ventures, be it Fairfield’s assisted living, his bike rides with Mr. Yakabuski for Hospice Renfrew, and many other community endeavours. He lost his father when he was 14 and his mother was left with the newspaper and the early years were tough bringing it into the modern era from the old hot metal days but he and his brother, Ron, did just that.

“But that paper and its staff deserve as much or more credit than I do because I had the vehicle to undertake fundraisers and the support of a wonderful staff.” He closed by noting his motto is, If I cannot leave my community better off when I die than what it was when I was born, then what was the purpose of me being here.

“I think it’s incumbent on everyone to do some kind of volunteering or something good for the community.”

Accolades For Assistant

Before the presentations, Mr. Yakabuski acknowledged his longtime assistant, Laura Lapinskie, who generally did not accompany him to events.

“I was so happy when she accepted this,” he remarked, adding everyone in the room knows how indispensable she has been to him in his 22 years in office. “We are the ones that get all the accolades, but none of the successes that I, or any other elected person enjoy would be possible without those very special people that support them so diligently along the way.

“I’m grateful for all your service and so proud to have you with me here today.”

Buchanan running as NDP

Pembroke – Marshall Buchanan, a farmer in the Scotch Bush section of Bonnechere Valley Township, is running for the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the February 28 provincial election. A lifelong advocate for community-driven solutions, he said he is eager to bring new energy to the riding and deliver real results for the people of the Ottawa Valley.

“I’m honoured to run as the NDP candidate,” he said.

“Before entering politics, I have been a small business owner and community builder -- leading new opportunities in local food, agri-tourism, education, youth sports, forest management and economic development.

“I am a leader that listens and delivers,” he continued.

“The Conservatives have their priorities mixed-up. They’ve increased access to beer, but let us down on health care, wasteful spending and ethics. It’s time for a new approach. I am committed to finding practical solutions that fit Renfrew County. We need to restore hope and integrity to public office.”

A release from the local NDP Riding Association said the Conservative government has held this riding for over 20 years, delivering broken promises and failing to prioritize the needs of rural Ontarians.

“From healthcare and education to investments in local infrastructure, the Ottawa Valley deserves a government and a premier who truly give a damn about rural communities,” the release stated.

Mr. Buchanan said he was excited to join the Ontario NDP team led by Marit Stiles, who has demonstrated her commitment to rural Ontario. She has visited Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke and other rural ridings across the province, taking the time to learn about its unique challenges and strengths.

“From understanding the importance of our nuclear energy sector and Garrison Petawawa to meeting with local municipal leaders, farmers, and small business owners, she has proven her dedication to fighting for our communities,” the release said.

Association President Dez Bair-Patel said Mr. Buchanan represents the change this riding so desperately needs.

“For far too long, the Conservatives have taken our communities for granted, delivering empty promises while ignoring the real needs of rural Ontarians,” he

said. “The Ontario NDP, under Marit Stiles’ leadership, has shown they are serious about fighting for rural areas like ours. Marshall will be a champion for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, and I’m proud to stand behind him.”

He said the constituents of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke deserve leadership that prioritizes their voices and delivers results.

“The Ontario NDP is committed to a government that invests in healthcare, education and infrastructure, while supporting workers, farmers and small businesses,” he said.

Suspects sought in home invasion

Pembroke -- The Upper Ottawa Valley (UOV) Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating a home invasion on January 21 which left one person with serious injuries. The incident took place at about 8 a.m. on Pembroke Street West. Three men broke into the home and the victim was assaulted with blunt objects. The victim was transported to hospital and later transferred to an Ottawa trauma centre with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. It is believed this was a targeted incident\. Police are seeking assistance from the public to help identity three persons of interest. One individual was wearing light blue pants, a plaid hooded jacket, and carrying a black and yellow tool bag. A second individual was wearing a black hoodie and a tan vest. The third person was wearing black pants, a black hoodie and carrying a black and grey

Champion brand backpack. All three individuals were wearing ski masks.

The investigation is continuing with the assistance of OPP’s Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) and Renfrew County Crime Unit. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP at 613-732-3332 or Pembroke/Renfrew County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or at www. valleytips.ca.

Pembroke thanks retiring MPP Yakabuski for his service

By Terry Fleurie Staff Writer

Pembroke – John Yakabuski

thought he was attending Pembroke City Hall last Tuesday afternoon to make an announcement about funding for protective equipment for the Pembroke Fire Department.

But little did he know city officials had also planned a special presentation to honour him for his 22 years of service on what would be his last day in office as the provincial Member of Parliament due to the dissolution of the legislature and the election call.

After the formalities of the funding announcement where Mr. Yakabuski said that would likely be his final official photograph, Mayor Ron Gervais surprised him with a special presentation from the city.

The mayor referred to Mr. Yakabuski as John, noting at times he wasn’t sure if that was appropriate because others called him “Yak”.

“We have another motive today and it’s just an honour and a privilege to have you here in city hall chambers for one of your final acts. But when you say it’s the last photo, it’s not the last photo.” Mayor Gervais shared a story saying it spoke of Mr. Yakabuski’s character that occurred back in 2014.

“It was the Christmas parade and the City of Pembroke was changing mayors at the time. There was just an election, so I was asked as the deputy-mayor could I do the Santa Claus parade.”

He questioned what his role consisted of and was told it was easy, just follow the lead of MPP John Yakabuski.

“I don’t know if you recall, but we show up there and are waiting on the trucks and they never arrived. So, we’re looking at each other and I asked John, who was the experienced one, what we do.

“I still remember to this day, he looked at me and said we had two options,” he added. “We either do nothing and don’t participate, or we walk it. We walked it from one end to the other and it just spoke volumes to me at that time, and it spoke to your character of just get it done.”

Mayor Gervais recalled being close to the end of the walk and calling his Uncle John for a ride for both of them back to their vehicles at the Ontario Works building.

“That just speaks to the character that is John Yakabuski,” he re-

iterated. He recounted attending the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference last fall where he had a number of delegations.

“And this man took time out of his schedule to go and it’s like, we’re going to go see this minister and that minister, and he’s there. I remember Minister Lumsden and he (Mr. Yakabuski) saying ‘you have to remember it’s the hub of the area, but it’s got limited population, a limited land mass, and yet we’re doing all the services. You’ve got to understand this is who the City of Pembroke is and the problems and challenges that they are facing’.”

He said Mr. Yakabuski accompanied him to every delegation.

“This is the man that is John Yakabuski,” he stated.

Mayor Gervais noted former mayor Mike LeMay stressed how important it was to work with the MPP because he loved Pembroke as much as we do.

He recalled he went to see Mr. Yakabuski when the city received its original OPP costing projections for 2025 that included a huge increase.

“And we resolved that, and that is the character that is John Yakabuski.

If there was a ratepayer that called

your office and said what the challenge was, heaven and earth would move and you would get something done.”

He noted the constituency staff were equally helpful when answers were needed.

Mayor Gervais took pleasure in attending any event Mr. Yakabuski was at as he considered it an opportunity to see what might be new coming down the pike.

“It’s just simply an honour here to have you at City Hall as one of the final acts,” he remarked.

He then presented a scroll to Mr. Yakabuski that read, “The Corporation of the City of Pembroke takes pride in presenting this scroll to John Yakabuski MPP. Congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for your many years of dedication to the residents of the City of Pembroke and the Renfrew-NipissingPembroke riding.”

A Great City

Mr. Yakabuski said Pembroke was not part of his late father’s riding, Renfrew South when he was in office, but part of Renfrew North under MPP Maurice Hamilton and later MPP Sean Conway.

“So, I didn’t grow up with any particular affinity for Pembroke

because it was not part of dad’s riding, even though it was part of our travels if we were shopping or something, or going to the Pembroke Mall,” he said. “So, I really didn’t get to know Pembroke or the people of Pembroke.

“And I will tell you this. They are wonderful people and this is a great city,” he added. “And I grew to have more and more affection for Pembroke, the more I understood what Pembroke was all about, and the reality of the challenges that Pembroke does face.”

He noted one of the biggest challenges is that the city is essentially landlocked and has no real possibility of growing its assessment, in a time when the demand on services continues to increase.

“So, I have great respect for the people who lead in this city and the people who work to assist in making the city the best it can be.”

He recalled when he first ran for office, he felt like a virtual unknown when walking down main street in the city.

“Now, I feel like I’m one of you when I walk down the streets of Pembroke today.”

Roundup

Sponsored By:

Frewfest 2025: A Family Day Weekend Winter Carnival

Get ready for a weekend packed with fun and adventure at Frewfest, Renfrew’s annual Family Day Winter Carnival!

Brought to you by Gourley’s Outdoors, this exciting event takes place on Sunday, February 16, and Monday, February 17, offering an array of free activities for all ages to enjoy.

Sunday, February 16th

Kick off the weekend with a variety of outdoor activities and warm treats: FREE hotdog lunch (while supplies last)

Snowman Building Competition with LIP

Public Skate – lace up your skates and hit the ice!

Sliding – grab your sled and enjoy some winter thrills

Scavenger Hunt with EarlyON – fun for the whole family

Trivia with Renfrew Public Library – Family Friendly trivia recommended for ages 8+ Entry is $2 donation/person towards the library

Rump Roasters Food Truck on-site for all your snacking needs!

Monday, February 17th

The fun continues on Family Day with even more exciting activities: FREE pancake and sausage breakfast with the Renfrew District South Women’s Institute (while supplies last)

Sledge Hockey with Community Living – experience the excitement of adaptive hockey

Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides – take a scenic ride through the winter wonderland

Inflatables inside the gymnasium – a great way for kids to burn off energy

Meet the Keepers – get up close with medium and large animals from around the world, hear rescue stories, and learn about wildlife conservation

Public Skate – another chance to enjoy the ice with family and friends

Learn How to Play Broomball – try out this fun and fast-paced winter sport

Snowshoeing with OVCATA – explore the snowy trails in a new way

Jr A Wolves Game – enjoy a game at discounted prices and cheer on the home team

Skate with the Wolves – meet the players and skate alongside them

Sliding – more snowy fun for everyone!

Scavenger Hunt with EarlyON – another chance to join in on the adventure

Rump Roasters Food Truck on-site for all your snacking needs!

Frewfest is the perfect way to celebrate Family Day with loved ones while embracing the best of winter fun. Bundle up, bring your family, and create unforgettable memories in Renfrew

For more details, visit www renfrew ca or contact Janyne Fraser at jfraser@renfrew ca

Buskerfest funding sparks debate at Pembroke council

By Alex Lambert Staff Writer

Pembroke – No decision was made

following a City of Pembroke council motion to secure a funding commitment for one of the newest additions to its summer events lineup.

Following over 45 minutes of contentious debate, members of city council have hit pause on a request to provide the Pembroke Business Improvement Area (PBIA) Planning Committee with additional funding for this year’s Buskerfest.

At the city’s Finance and Administration Committee meeting on January 27, Councillor Troy Purcell introduced a motion to reallocate $5,000 towards the event in the 2025 budget and to waive the $2,250 fee for the concrete barricades which span the downtown area. Coun. Purcell made his case by sharing his firsthand experience, saying he attended the festival and witnessed its benefits for himself.

“It really was a great event for our downtown businesses,” he told his colleagues. “The feedback I received was that it was one of the best events held in the city. Promotion of Pembroke in terms of the downtown and having the Buskerfest is very important to continue. The organizers are asking for a commitment from this council.”

Coun. Purcell then read a statement from the event’s head organizer, PBIA Planning Committee Board Chair Joanna Els, who had urged council to address her concerns regarding information exchanged at its December 16 meeting. According to Ms. Els in her email, council alleged the planning committee donated taxpayer money to the funding pool.

“They did not make such a donation,” Coun. Purcell said on Ms. Els’ behalf. “In fact, they gave the opportunity for the volunteer group to fundraise independently during the event with no impact on budget. They felt accusations in terms of financial mismanagement were both baseless and harmful to their reputation.”

Her letter also mentioned comments made by council at the same meeting which suggested internal “double dipping,” and that the event’s success negates its need for future funding. In her address to council, Ms. Els said these comments failed to recognize the Buskerfest’s evident economic and cultural benefits.

Coun. Purcell explained that last year’s event was primarily backed by contributions from the community, including three council members.

“As a free event for everybody, the revenue is actually minimal,” he explained. “The City of Pembroke contributed $1,000 towards the barricades and $5,000 from parks and rec. They figured that this is minimal to the city funding of similar events such as Canada Day (estimate $36,700) and Multicultural Festival (estimate $10,000).”

Coun. Purcell then moved a motion for council members to retract the publicly made false statements, acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the event’s volunteers, and that adequate funding be provided. Mayor Ron Gervais spoke to the motion first by discussing the importance of tourism to the city.

“When you look at the Multicultural Festival, it draws in a significant number of individuals, and let’s never underestimate the power of tourism to the Pembroke economy.

“This might sound strange, but you can normally tell when an individual is from Pembroke and when they’re not from Pembroke, if you live here long enough,” Mayor Gervais said with a chuckle. “Certainly a number of individuals I did not recognize were here and participating.”

Despite the mayor’s support, it wasn’t long before Councillor Ian Kuehl began scrutinizing. He first highlighted the lack of communication between the two organizations providing most of the event’s financial backing, the PBIA and the city.

“I find this motion to be bizarre on a number of fronts,” he remarked. “We still haven’t received an actual request for any amount from the Buskerfest. They’ve indicated that they want additional funds, but they haven’t told us why.”

According to Deputy Mayor Brian Abdallah, the PBIA has saved about $12,000 in reserves which will be carried forward to the following event.

“So, last year they raised more money than they needed, they’re starting this year with a $12,000 surplus. They haven’t yet told us what they need money for or how much they want, but we’re going to give them $5,000 sitting around this table right now,” he stressed. “That is absurd.”

Coun. Kuehl was adamant the notion of an organization seeking funding with no real aim other than securing a commitment from coun-

cil was “outrageous.”

“It just goes to show you that in this town, it’s all about who you know,” he continued. “There’s no other group that would send us a letter saying, ‘We want some money, we don’t know how much, we’re not telling you what it’s for, but we’d like some councillors around the table to put up their hand and vote for it’.”

He proposed an amendment that council deny the motion for the time being, but without judgment to any future funding applications.

“I don’t want our motion today to accidentally kill the possibility that they receive money, but they should have to bring to us some sort of budget, they should have to tell us what we’re getting for it,” Coun. Kuehl explained. He emphasized a few other nonprofit city-run events over the past year that council hadn’t helped with funding, like Music for a Cause and Ribfest which attracted thousands of visitors to the Waterfront Marina last year.

“I would hope that this year their fundraiser efforts will be even more powerful than last year,” he said. “I would like to think that the people and the businesses of Pembroke recognize how great an event it was.

“Before I vote to give people money, I want to know what it’s for, how much it is and the overall budget.”

City Treasurer Angela Lochtie then provided a point of clarification highlighting the PBIA’s correspondence. She told council it received a letter from the organizers on December 9 which said the event had attracted over 6,000 visitors. It also contained a request for $15,000 in funding, a fee waiver for the road closure barriers, additional garbage cans and staff and street sweeping one to two days prior to the event.

Ms. Lochtie said the letter also included how they would be more than happy to work together with council members to explore their request in more detail.

Coun. Kuehl’s motion to amend Coun. Purcell’s motion was very nearly overturned before Councillor Patricia Lafreniere, who had participated via Zoom, seconded the motion and gave a comment.

She briefly touched on the “undeniable” benefits of the Buskerfest event before accepting responsibility for using the term “doubledipping” at the Dec. 16 council meeting, clarifying she didn’t mean it under any negative connotations.

“No offence should be taken because technically when you’re taking two portions of money from two lines in a budget, it is kind of double dipping,” she said.

Coun. Lafreniere also mentioned a project that’s been up in the air, establishing a dedicated grant application process for funds being put towards tourism objectives. She said doing so would give council the chance to review the numbers and vet the operation’s spending.

“I’m not slighting the committee or the event at all. I was there; I thought it was fantastic. I do think they have to follow this process though.”

She suggested council source the proposed $5,000 from the newly introduced Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) throughout the year before they can look forward to adopting a new system that would allow the streamlining of grant funding to tourism events.

“I don’t want to send this hardworking group of individuals off thinking we don’t appreciate them because that’s totally incorrect,” she said.

Mayor Gervais then led off with two key points: Firstly, he doesn’t support the motion.

“It seems to me that on a number of occasions council is already trying to tap the MAT tax when we don’t even know how much it’s going to generate or particulars about it,” he said. “I do take issue, respectfully, with the comment about ‘who

you know,’ I can publicly say that I only met this Ms. Els once when she came to Operations (Committee) to talk about operational issues well before it happened.”

Secondly, Mayor Gervais said the only other time he’s interacted with Ms. Els of the PBIA Planning Committee was when she thanked him in person at the Buskerfest event.

“So, it’s not about who you know. In terms of Ms. Els, other than those two situations, I don’t know her,” he said. “I just see that it’s a worthy situation to fund it.”

He wrapped up his comments referring back to the annual Multicultural Festival.

“I never recall Ms. Rajamani (Pembroke Public Library CEO Karthi Rajamani) saying, ‘Here’s a breakdown of how I’m going to spend the monies on the Multicultural Festival’,” Mayor Gervais said.

“I don’t recall nickel and diming, trying to figure out how she’s going to run it. She runs a tight ship. So,

I’ll leave it at that.”

Councillor Ed Jacyno recalled council’s initial resistance to providing Ms. Els and the PBIA Planning Committee with city funds. He said the decision to let the members of council fund the event from their own pockets puts a spotlight on their affluence while reflecting poorly on other councillors who may not have that ability.

“I do agree with the fact that there should be some sort of a financial statement that we can take a look at, and just because it says City of Pembroke, shouldn’t automatically give you a stamp that says, ‘they’re going to give us money,’” Coun.

Jacyno said.

Coun. Kuehl then asked the city’s Director of Recreation, Jordan Durocher, about the estimated figure and timeline for the community improvement budget. He said he’s anticipating bringing the $15,000 policy forward in March and having it fully launched by April. Mr. Durocher said by the time the new funding is in place, the Buskerfest event would easily qualify.

City CAO David Unrau suggested council table the motion and the Buskerfest planning committee put off its request for funding until Mr. Durocher has had time to develop an application process and launch the new grant program in the spring. Coun. Purcell argued the contrary, saying, “Talking about a process that hasn’t even been instituted as of yet, I wholeheartedly agree with that process, but it’s not instituted.”

“I don’t know how many people have actually planned big events like this in terms of capturing the talent that you want to have here but it’s very competitive for the performers,” he continued. “So, if we don’t put dollars out right now to secure those individuals that are coming, it may impact the talent that we receive.”

On the other hand, he told council how Buskerfest is unique in the way it supports businesses across the whole downtown area as opposed to putting the spotlight on individual locations. He cautioned the event’s future could be at risk if it takes a half-measure.

“I understand they were successful in getting initial funds raised for the inaugural event, but it came on the backs of many individuals within our community because of associations or friends of friends. That’s how those dollars were raised. It’s not sustainable,” he said.

“If we want to celebrate Pembroke, we want to celebrate the downtown, we want to perform these types of activities. I think $5,000 plus some waiving of fees is not a huge ask.”

Dpty. Mayor Abdallah said he’s been in touch with PBIA Director Bethea Summers and Ms. Els. He said independent of the city’s sponsorship, Buskerfest’s organizing committee raised over $40,000 on their own which was fully put towards the event.

“When I was downtown that day, I was talking to a bunch of the retailers. We had a store downtown for 60 years, and people came up to me and said, ‘When was the last time you saw the downtown this busy?’ And I can tell you when. It was probably when the sesquicentennial (the city’s 150th anniversary) was on in ‘78. My friends and I participated in a bed race downtown. It was really busy back then and everyone thought it was great. I think it has the potential to turn into a signature event, a destination event.”

Dpty. Mayor Abdallah then put forward a motion to table the decision, which was seconded and put it to a vote after more than 45 minutes of discussion. Those in favour of tabling the motion were Councillors Plummer and Kuehl as well as Councillors Jacyno and Lafreniere who attended virtually. Those in opposition were Coun. Purcell, Dpty. Mayor Abdallah and Mayor

The Cobden Civitan Club presented $20,000 in donations to four organizations at the conclusion of its 15th annual fish derby Saturday. Each organization was presented with $5,000. Additionally, $5,000 will be distributed in the Cobden community for various projects. From the left are Civitan John Felix Cull, Civitan Lynn Agnew, fish derby co-chair; Abby Doner, Central Clinical Manager, The Phoenix Centre; Marjorie Joly, Executive Director, Hospice Renfrew; Mary Afelskie, accepting for CPAN, Tom Agnew, derby co-chair, and Joanne Chaisson, Program Administrator and Development Coordinator for Teen Challenge.

Civitan fish derby sets a record

More than 1,400 tickets sold - $25,000 given away

By Gerald Tracey News Editor

Cobden – After two years of poor ice conditions the annual Cobden Civitan Fish Derby returned to Muskrat Lake on Saturday with an estimated 450 to 500 dedicated fishermen braving the cold arctic temperatures to enjoy their favourite winter sport.

The derby has been held for the past 15 years without interruption – even when ice conditions were poor – with tickets sold on an amazing number of prizes including the grand prize of a fishing boat and motor.

This year’s derby set a record with 1,719 tickets sold, an increase of about 250 from its best year. The main prize – a 14’ Princecraft boat with an 8 hp motor – was won by Myles MacMillan of Haley. A total of 28 prizes, ranging from the boat and motor to gift certificates, were awarded to people from all over Renfrew County and beyond.

The 50-50 draw, worth just over $8,000, was won by Erika McFarlane of Pembroke, formerly of Eganville.

Four Renfrew County facilities were the big winners at the end of the day when derby co-chairs Tom and Lynn Agnew presented

Correction

$5,000 cheques to Hospice Renfrew, accepted by executive director, Marjorie Joly; Renfrew County Community Poverty Action Network, accepted by Mary Afelski; The Phoenix Centre, represented by Abbey Doner, and Teen Challenge, accepted by Joanne Chaisson.

An additional $5,000 will be given to local groups such as the Cobden Food Bank, local school projects and other community endeavours.

“It was a fantastic weekend,” Mrs. Agnew said. “:The wind was a tad chilly (-22 with wind chill factor) and while we didn’t have the same kind of atmosphere as a couple of years ago where everyone was out talking to their neighbours, people mostly kept in their fish huts.”

The Agnews were extremely pleased and happy with the way things went, noting it is just a great event and one that is affordable for families to participate in and enjoy.

She said all of the prizes, with the exception of the boat package, were donated which allowed the Civitan Club to give more to the beneficiaries. She was also amazed at the resilience and dedication of Jaime Sebastian (Fishing with Jaime) of Orleans who measured every fish that was caught through the derby.

“He just comes up to help us and has been here 13 of the 15 years there has been fishing,” she said. “I can’t believe how he measured all of those fish in his bare hands. He never wears gloves.”

This year also saw the largest number, over 100, registered in the junior category (12 and under). Mrs. Agnew said the derby was well run and there were no glitches or problems of any kind. Junior derby winners were: Girls: Brinley Zelney, 23 ½; Irene Dillabough, 23 ¼ and Ryan Cadieux, 10 ¼; Boys: Gabriel Brisco, 28 ¾; Jamison Finley, 27 1/8 and Ricky Laporte, 25 ½. The winners were presented by prizes sponsored by Royal LePage Broker Gayles Jacques. Adult Winners Longest Pike: Brendan Cybulski, 31”; Jason McCanna, 30 1/8; Tasha Gutoski, 30. Longest Trout: Adrian Vereyken 26 3/8” Sam Myatt, 25 5/8 and Layla Franklin, 23. Longest Perch: Susan Parker 12 ½; Kyle Laporte 11 ¾ and Jerome Afelskie 115/8. First place winners received $500 cash while second and third were presented with $250 and $100, respectively.

An incorrect line appeared in a story from our Jan. 22 edition regarding a Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) delegation to Renfrew County council. The acronym used in the CEO/President Jack Craig’s presentation, LWR, referred to as “livestock water management,” actually stands for “light water reactors.” CNL is not involved in the business of manure or livestock management. The Leader apologizes for this error.

It’s time to change the spark plugs in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke. I have been a small business owner and community builder - leading new opportunities in local food, agri-tourism, education, youth sports, forest management and economic development. I am a leader that listens and delivers. The Conservatives have their priorities mixed-up. They’ve let us down on health care, wasteful spending and ethics. It’s time for a new approach. I am committed to finding practical solutions that fit our area. We need to restore hope and integrity to public office. It’s time for change.

Connect every Ontarian to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Reverse cuts to Education.

Increase not-for-profit housing.

A real plan to stand up to Donald Trump’s tariffs and protect local jobs.

Standing up for Rural Ontario!

$6.3 million grant to battle addiction and mental illness

By R. Bruce McIntyre Local Journalism Initiative Journalism Reporter

Pembroke – The County of Renfrew, in collaboration with Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) and Carefor, can begin to offer advanced medical, psychiatric and social assistance to residents suffering from substance abuse, mental health and homelessness after the province announced $6.3 million in annual funding towards a new HART hub.

The funding includes $1.3 million specifically allocated for mental health and addictions supportive housing from 2025-26 to 2027-28.

The announcement, made January 28 at the county administration building in Pembroke, identified the Carefor MacKay Centre in Pembroke as the location for the new Mesa HART hub. The hub will offer a range of services, including primary care, mental health services, addiction care and support, a concurrent disorder specialist, intensive stabilization and onsite care for clients with complex mental health and addictions needs. It will also offer peer supports, Indigenous client care coordination, life skills training and vocational and employment counselling.

County Warden Peter Emon said the new hub will concentrate on providing services from the time an individual is identified in need of basic services until they are ready to lead a life of independence.

“We are honoured that the province has entrusted the collaborative network of partners in Renfrew County with establishing a HART Hub, complete with the all-important wrap-around services,” he said. “This initiative will significantly bolster the efforts of all of the agencies engaged on the Mesa initiative to provide essential services to our most vulnerable populations, fostering a safer and more supportive community environment. The Mesa HART Hub is not a shiny toy adding to services in our community, it is a necessary driver of compassionate and planned care for our residents.”

Detox Centre To Be Established

Warden Emon said one of the first priorities is to get the hub up and running. That will require striking a steering committee to provide direction for the services.

“What I envision, and others may have their own concept, but I see the function of the committee is similar to how the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) developed the situational table that brings together all the partners and together we identify what is needed to get the program up and running,” he said. “I imagine the County of Renfrew, Carefor and the Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) taking the lead as PRH will be staffing the new hub and offering most of the clinical services.”

One major component of the program is to establish a county detox to allow local clients to remain close to home during their treatment. Currently there are no medically or non-medically supervised withdrawal beds available in the county. Residents requiring bedbased, supervised withdrawal are referred to facilities outside the county, which can be several hours away from their home, community, and essential supports such as childcare.

The Mesa Hub will have a combined bed count of 45 including withdrawal management, supportive/relapse prevention and supportive bridge housing beds. Additionally, it will have the opportunity to provide up to 15 Emergency/Overnight beds year-round. It will also provide access to integrated care services including basic needs, primary care, mental health and substance use treatments, case management, cultural support, and peer support, addressing clients’ immediate stabilization needs.

“Unfortunately, Renfrew County has the numbers in terms of people needing a detox centre as their first ma-

Four candidates in local riding

Pembroke -- Four candidates have registered in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke for the February 27 provincial election.

The Liberals will again be represented by Oliver Jacob, who finished third in the last election in 2022. In his mid-20s, he was only 20 and still a university student when he was elected to council in McNab-Braeside in 2018. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor there in 2022, finishing second.

Mr. Jacob was born and raised in Renfrew County, is the current chair of the Arnprior Regional Health Board of Directors, a board director with the United Way East Ontario and the Arnprior and District Food Bank. A graduate of Acadia University with a double major in History and Politics, he worked with both the Town of Arnprior and Labour Market Group of Renfrew and Lanark.

The Greens are also represented by a familiar candidate with Anna Dolan who ran in 2022, finishing in fifth place. An architect by training, she lives in the riding and according to her bio in 2022 is passionate about preserving the natural habitat, improving health care and creating a better world for future generations. It appears the Ontario New Blue Party also has a candidate in the riding, according to the party website, although no name has been announced. In 2022, the party had Thomas O’Connor as a candidate, who polled fourth.

Billy Denault, a 25-year-old Arnprior town councillor, is running for the Conservative party and Marshall Buchanan of Bonnechere Valley Township is representing the New Democratic Party.

Firearms stolen from hunt camp

Palmer Rapids -- The Upper Ottawa Valley (UOV)

Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is currently investigating an incident where three firearms were stolen during a break and enter at a hunt camp on Wingle Road in Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan (BLR) Township.

The incident occurred between January 24 and 26. The suspect(s) gained entry to the premises and stole an Antonio Zoli brand shotgun along with two .22 calibre rifles. An assortment of fishing and hunting gear was also taken.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP at 613757-2600 or Pembroke/Renfrew County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or at www.valleytips.ca

MPP John Yakabuski (centre) was at the County of Renfrew Administration Building January 28 to announce Renfrew County’s successful HART Hub

County

Commander

Mesa

jor step towards battling their substance abuse issues,” Warden Emon told the Leader. “PRH will be leading that process and that means the hiring of 36 staff.”

He said the introduction of the Mesa program has been a success and has made inroads with people who find themselves addicted, or suffering from mental illness, leaving many homeless.

In 2024 the drug poisoning death rate in Renfrew County was 28.7 deaths per 100,000, he said, significantly higher than the provincial average, and the number of deaths in 2023 was 41. He said 2024 final

statistics are not in but one piece of good news he can announce is the number of deaths decreased last year.

He attributes much of that success to the Mesa project and its personnel.

“Mesa has reached approximately 3,200 individuals in six months, demonstrating that the approach works, and is ready to be scaled,” he said. “The health unit will have a full report in the spring, but we do know that 19.1 per cent of county residents struggle with either substance abuse or mental health issues.

“That represents about 20,000 residents who may

at one point reach out for help but often wait up to six weeks for out-of-county detox, stabilization, and residential care, further delaying access to critical supports.”

Warden Emon added the community owes a great deal of gratitude to retired MPP John Yakabuski for his support for this application as he recognized the need and was relentless in his advocacy.

“I am pleased our government recognizes the need to establish HART Hubs in rural Ontario, especially in Renfrew County,” Mr. Yakabuski said at the announcement last week. “Having access to these services will have a positive impact on the lives of many in our community,” Pembroke Mayor Welcomes News Pembroke Mayor Ron Gervais called the announcement great news.

“I am most pleased the application to the province has been successful to provide funding for the HART Hub to build upon what has already been started with the Mesa program, he said. “This will be a hub and spoke model working with pre-existing community-based entities and programs so that there is no duplication.” Additionally, the province announced $215,000 in funding to assist with short- and long-term housing to address alternatives to encampments.

The new hub coming to Pembroke is one of 18 funded through the Ministry of Health by investing $529 million. There will now be 27 hubs in Ontario.

Renfrew County’s successful proposal was a collaborative effort involving key partners such as the Pembroke Regional Hospital, Carefor, the City of Pembroke, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, MacKay Manor, Addictions Treatment Service, Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre (OATC) -- Pembroke, Pathways Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services, Renfrew County Youth Wellness Hub, The Grind Pembroke, Renfrew County and District Health Unit, Upper Ottawa Valley detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, local municipalities, first responders, and various community organizations.

The tariff war

The uncertainty over tariffs and a possible trade war with Canada’s closest ally, the United States, lingers on, despite the last-minute one-month reprieve on the imposition of punitive 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports.

The enigma that is Donald Trump was at his most mercurial on the weekend, announcing tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian and Mexican exports citing border security and the illegal importation of both fentanyl and migrants across the border. Never mind studies have shown only one per cent of the fentanyl is coming in through Canadian borders and the influx of illegal migrants from Canada is also minimal, the tariffs were to be implemented. This threat did not come as a total surprise. Trump has been talking tariffs since he was elected and he has been bringing in new executive orders at a mad pace since assuming office a little over two weeks ago.

On Monday, last ditch efforts by both Mexico and Canada resulted in a one-month reprieve. Both countries are beefing up border security and Trump spoke in positive terms about his talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, although there seemed to be a lot more enthusiasm directed toward the Mexican president. It just seems Trump doesn’t like Trudeau very much and for an unpredictable man like him who puts a lot of emphasis on his personal relationships, this doesn’t bode well for Canada.

For this is only a reprieve and the fast pace at which tariffs were introduced has convinced Canadians tariffs could be reintroduced at any time and for no justifiable reason. As far as the free trade agreement, it seems to mean nothing and Donald Trump has been able to circumvent it using the caveat of a threat to national security. It also leaves Canadians keenly aware this could happen again under any guise from a man who claims Canadians really want to be part of the 51st state of the United States. We are here to tell him, we don’t.

As Canadians process their feelings of anger and betrayal at the deep injustice, callousness and narcissism of Donald Trump’s moves against a long-time ally and friend, there is an unease directed towards the United States which was not there a week ago. It is hard to be feeling very confident when you realize your “bestie” could uninvite you to the gala party at any minute.

The Canadian economy is very closely aligned with trade with the United States and this is why the threat of tariffs is so damaging and frightening. The trade relationship between the two nations is long-standing and something most Canadians took for granted. Now realizing how quickly it could be shattered is forcing us to think about new patterns, new markets and new ways of approaching trade and redirecting our focus to not be so dependent on the United States.

This is the time for putting Canada first. Buy Canadian. Buy local. Spend wisely. Our political leaders need to work to eliminate barriers within Canada. Why do we have so many protectionist barriers between provinces? We are one country and we need to work together. If we become a more self-reliant nation, threats of tariff wars would have less impact. Canada has resources the world covets, but we have so many barriers in place to developing them. We need to utilize what we have, develop our resource-based industries and manufacturing industries.

The threat of tariffs is not over. Donald Trump feels he has won a victory and this will likely make him even bolder in future “negotiations” or unilateral actions. He has unprecedented power right now and he doesn’t seem to really value the relationship with Canada.

Canadian politicians are in a tough spot and this is a time of deep uncertainty. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was at his most ministerial on Saturday night addressing the tariffs and did a great job for Canadians, is basically a lame duck awaiting the new Liberal leader. A new prime minister will soon have the responsibility of developing a positive relationship with Trump. The balancing act is a tricky one. Meanwhile, there is an uneasiness in Canada. The relationship between close neighbours Canada and the United States has been dealt a blow. The trust has been shattered. The feeling of betrayal will not soon be forgotten.

We all know that sunshine, warmth, blue skies and flowers are more heartening than slush, snow and the creative patterns that road salt leaves on your suede boots. Thus, Southern Spain in February is a natural mecca for northern Europeans escaping the gloom of Rotterdam or Oslo or Gdansk and every new low-cost Ryanair route brings new waves of enthusiastic holiday makers to locations like Nerja along southern Spain’s Costa del sol. There are young couples who’ve come to party although, Nerja is not a youthful party town despite the array of late-night bars in Tutti Frutti Square where disco went to die. Grey hair is the norm here as thousands of retirement age have found homes in the sun. Tiled sidewalks with their gentle inclines are easily navigable and there are two shops in town renting ‘mobility aids’ such as scooters, walkers and wheelchairs. But it’s not only the elderly who retire or visit here. Throngs of fit mid-life Scandinavians in North Face fleeces, neon backpacks and Nordic walking poles have discovered Nerja.

In nearby Torrox, baked Germans lie on their beach towels in the midday sun as if they’ve never heard of melanoma. The Irish and the British, who have at home taken up ‘wild swimming’ in the Irish and the North Sea, are paddling around in the comparatively warm

Mediterranean waters. The grocery stores sell Swedish crisp breads, Dutch herring, British biscuits, Irish tea, Polish sauerkraut, German bratwurst, Danish oatmeal and Russian vodka. Five o’clock on the popular tapas trail -- the circuit of bars where every drink is accompanied by free Spanish snacks -- is a veritable cacophony of languages. Spain is a noisy country, partly because tile and plaster amplify music and voices. Bars, restaurants and cafés all feature a large screen television tuned to the ‘ fútbol’ , to seventies and eighties music videos or to rapid-fire newscasts. Customers shout over the racket in variations of Spanglish. “Por favor,

where is banos/servicios/bathroom/ toilette/W.C.?” There are church bells, motorcycles, cement mixers, jackhammers, cleaning crews with wheeled carts, the pressure washers and street sweepers as winter is the time to replace and repair beleaguered infrastructure.

Tourism has dragged these small quiet Spanish villages into the 21st century whether the residents like it or not. In out of the way plazas and little squares in the quiet local parts of town, Spanish elders and young mothers with strollers gather on shaded benches in their kerchiefs and winter coats. It is second nature to avoid the sunshine, even when it brings needed winter warmth.

Thirty years ago, shepherds still herded goats through these streets toward the mountains behind town and fishermen unloaded their catch from wooden boats on the beach. Now there are fake-tanned brides, destination weddings, Chinese stores selling knock off merchandise, and burgers and fries on every menu. Spain is the second most popular tourism destination in Europe ranking just below France. The sunny coasts are holiday and retirement meccas, barely able to keep up with the demand for rental housing. Visitors are still welcome here as tourist income provides a livelihood even while it disrupts the normal flow of living -- just as it does in August in Barry’s Bay or Wilno!

All will be right with the world.

Dear Readers, that is a topic that you never expected to read in my columns. However, I promised myself that all my articles from now on would be light-hearted. We can start off with everyday miracles.

Our kind creator gave that power to every human, every animal, every bird, every fish and even every snake. We have been created with eyes, eyes that can see stars at night and each one of those stars our stargazers tell us are other planets. The larger planets that are four or five times larger than earth are understandably the larger stars, which we can see. These are the miracles that our creator has given to us.

Dear Editor:

I know that it must be difficult for you lying in a hospital hallway, exposed to the world and unable to find a button to push to get help even if there was enough help available. I know that when your well goes dry you can’t understand how building a tunnel under the 401 will help you.

I know that it must surprise you to find not a single charge has been dealt with in our long-term care homes despite members of our military getting sick to their stomachs at the conditions of the elderly they found there.

I know that you can’t grasp the importance of building multi-million dollar homes when so many can’t afford a two-bedroom apartment. I know that you might scratch your head asking, how can it be a democracy if one person has the power to dictate what will happen?

death on two different occasions and he will be forever grateful. This was a different Donald Trump than we had expected. Hopefully he will be able to listen to reason and treat every citizen in the United States the same way he wants to be treated.

I believe the Americans are the same as Canadians. The only people from the beginning of time here were the Native people who have souls and hearts like any whiteskinned people. Some immigrants have come to North America from parts of the World where they were no longer being treated as human beings. It is our God-given opportunity to treat everyone the way they should be treated, in a fair, honest and respectful way with dignity.

Dear Editor: Here we are, officially half way through winter, with Groundhog’s Day and Imbolc carefully observed and eyes on spring arriving when she’s ready, and no sooner. I do not comprehend the sanity in our lame duck Prime Minister’s choice in choosing economic turmoil for the people in Canada and North America instead of collaboratively working with our neighbours to the south to help them stop two major challenges to their health and well-being.

We all know the tactic of “divide and conquer” is very effective in breaking down opposition. To whose benefit is this trade war?

Fentanyl is now the number one killer of Americans ages 18 to 45 years of age. I don’t know what position it holds in Canada’s statistics, yet we know it has been deadly in Renfrew County as well. While the main ingredients of this drug are produced in China, Canada is not stopping the flow of these ingredients into Canada, nor effectively stopping the manufacture of the end product in Canada, which then is flowing into the US.

The American people supported the new president’s promise in his campaign to stop the flow of Fentanyl and illegal immigration across the borders.

Why can’t Trudeau choose to actively collaborate with the Americans to stop the Fentanyl and the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders? And thus avoid the economic turmoil of a trade war?

I do not pretend to be a miracle worker, far from it. I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast. However, our creator covered every little detail. With our ears we can hear sounds from miles away, from thunder in the sky and airplanes flying high.

On January 20, 2025, all over Canada and the United States, we watched Donald John Trump conducting his inauguration ceremonies. Surprisingly he showed himself to be humble, he told us that God had saved him from a tragic

I hope Mr. Trump will fulfill his promise of a new America. A dozen times I’ve met friends who were of different political stripes but have become lasting friends and I hope this can happen again. It is needed more now than any time I can remember in my long life.

Trudeau has already shown he prefers coercion rather than dialogue and actively working with Canadians in his handling of the Freedom Convoy. We’re still wondering who is controlling him, to what end?

Thankfully, there is a legal federal court case coming up later in February challenging Trudeau’s lengthy proroguing of Parliament and keeping all decisions being made behind closed doors in the PM’s Office. Again, who benefits from a trade war? You? Me? No.

100 Years Ago - January 30, 1925

Power Shortage At Renfrew

Renfrew, Jan. 25 – Renfrew was in the week just closed waiting for a number of days not only for the solar eclipse, which clouds held from view here, but for water. The water, like the eclipse, finally arrived and once more the wheels at the electric powerhouse are turning.

When water in the Bonnechere River had begun to run low, word was sent to the man in charge of the storage dam at Golden Lake, a dam built and owned by the HydroElectric Power Commission of Ontario, to turn on more water. He was away for a few days.

An official from here went up and opened the sluices, but the water occupied four days in traversing the winding channel of the stream to Renfrew. During the interval, electric force was obtained from a powerhouse on the Madawaska at Calabogie. All the while there remained enough water in the Bonnechere to provide Renfrew with the water for its waterworks system, but the pumps on the Bonnechere and the machinery of different factories were operated from a power station on the Madawaska.

Between municipal ownership and private ownership arrangements are such that one river can help the other.

* * * * * * Westmeath Reeve Elected Warden Pembroke, Jan. 27 – At the opening meeting of the January session of Renfrew County council Reeve Albert Munroe of Westmeath Township was elected warden. Mr. Munroe, who has for six years represented his township on county council, has been an active member of every important committee of that body during that time. The Township of Westmeath is the largest and wealthiest in the County of Renfrew. The county council adjourned until tomorrow noon to allow the members to attend in a body the funeral of the late Mrs. R.J. Roney, wife of the County Clerk.

* * * * * * Renfrew County’s Road Bill

Nearly Quarter Million Pembroke, Jan. 28 – At today’s meeting of the county council of Renfrew the following report of the Goods Road Committee was presented, and showed the total cost of road construction had been $223,426.01, divided as follows: Good roads - $128,730.07; Provincial county roads - $94,695.94; general account expenditures totalled $9,691.04; grant to Ren -

frew amounted to $9,266; bridge construction cost - $7,208.83; and maintenance - $38,185.59.

Local News

The “oldest inhabitant” cannot recall a period of such extreme cold as the Ottawa Valley has experienced this week.

Exposed thermometers in Eganville have registered 43 below – which is Arctic weather and which is the foundation of our boast that we are the “men of the northern zone”. But the fuel piles are lowered, and there follows also suffering in homes which are not prepared for the excessive frost. The news from the West says that we are over the peak and the signs indicate an early spring.

* * * * * *

District News

Mr. Charles Gillian, U.F.O. live-

stock shipper for McNab and Pakenham townships, recently shipped 10 steers and heifers for Mr. John D. Scott, of White Lake, which topped the Montreal market for that week. They averaged 970 pounds and sold for seven cents per pound. This is one more instance of good results being obtained by the U.F.O. co-operative selling of livestock. Regular shipments of livestock are now going forward. – Mercury

75 Years Ago - February 2, 1950

Gala Opening of Eganville Community Rink It is estimated by rink officials that a crowd of 2,000 people were present on Friday evening last for the official opening of the Eganville Community Rink, heralded by a city reporter as “the newest and one of the finest natural ice surfaces in the Ottawa Valley”. The gaily decorated rink, the R.C.A.F. Band and the moderate weather, all contributed to add to the comfort and enjoyment of the huge throng, which came to witness the well-planned programme of the official opening ceremony. Following several selections by the band and the rendering of God Save The King, Reeve I.R. Hoffman extended a civic welcome to the “Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen”. He spoke of the great honour he considered it and the pleasure he enjoyed in welcoming all to the opening of the rink. He felt that a great job had been accomplished and a great start made towards a Community Centre – the ultimate goal. Among the distinguished guests present were: Mr. R.M. Warren, M.P., and Mr. S.J. Hunt, M.L.A., for North Renfrew. South Renfrew’s representatives, Hon. Dr. J.J. McCann, Minister of Revenue, and Mr. James S. Dempsey, M.L.A., were unable to be present but sent congratulatory messages. Mr. Hoffman also spoke words of thanks and appreciation to the Ottawa RCAF Flyers and the Pembroke Lumber Kings, who played the exhibition hockey game.

Messrs. Frank Ryan and Tom Foley of CFRA, Ottawa, were also present and introduced. These gentlemen, who made possible the first live broadcast from Eganville, also donated their services and paid for the telephone lines from Renfrew to Ottawa. The Davis Telephone System of Eganville provided the telephone lines to Renfrew in the same generous spirit.

Chas. R. Lett, Chairman of the Rink Committee, said there was no need to thank anyone for what they had done, as the rink belonged to all: every man, woman, and child in the community was a shareholder in it.

Fort the actual building of the rink, there was one man he did not want to forget – Mr. Albert Cochrane of Douglas -- who had been construction foreman. He described him as “not only a carpenter and a workman, but as a builder”.

* * * * * * Farmers’ Meeting At Cobden

A square deal for agriculture, neither more or less, is all that is being asked by the farmers of Canada today – no special privileges, no charity or hand-outs, nothing more than an even break with those in other walks of life. This was reiterated again and again by Charles McGinnes, of Iroquois, President of the Hog Producers’ Association of Ontario, speaking before a capacity audience of farm people in Cobden Memorial Hall on Thursday evening of last week.

Called by Renfrew County Federation of Agriculture, for the purpose of discussing the recent alarming break in the prices of farm products, the meeting was one of the largest ever held by that organization with the hall crowded to the doors and some late-comers able to find standing room only.

In addressing the audience, Mr. McGinness stated at the outset he was proud to belong to a country where meetings of this kind were possible – where a group of people who felt they had a just grievance were at liberty to meet together openly and fearlessly to discuss the

whole question, and present their views to the government of the land, confident they would get a hearing.

* * * * *

*

Philip Bolger Was Widely Known and Respected Renfrew, Jan. 28 – The body of Philip H. Bolger, who died at Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, Thursday, was brought to Renfrew for burial and rested at the Quinn Funeral Home until Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. when the Libera services were sung in St. Francis Xavier Church. Requiem Mass was offered Monday morning.

Mr. Bolger had the position of town assessor in Renfrew for over 20 years, retiring only a year ago. He was born in Shamrock 84 years ago, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Bolger. Previous to coming to Renfrew about 1925, he owned a farm in Admaston. Mr. Bolger took an active interest in political affairs and for some years was one of the stalwarts of the C.C.F. party in South Renfrew.

* * * * * *

Ceremony Held at Pembroke General Hospital

Replacing the tradition which originated in the early part of the 19th century of having a capping ceremony at the completion of a nurse’s pre-clinical course, the Lorrain School of Nursing had a formal acceptance ceremony Friday evening in the nurses’ residence at the General Hospital.

Before the ceremony, the nine students received the school cap and class pin from Reverend Sister St. Elizabeth, director of the school.

After a chorus presented by the student glee club, the class of 1952 marched into the hall with yellow lighted tapers in blue folders. They formed in line facing the audience and took the Nightingale Pledge.

Members of the class are: Miss Margaret McGrath and Miss Elizabeth Bradley of Eganville; Miss Rita Gagnon and Miss Joan Redmond, Pembroke; Miss Alyce Drynan and Miss Maureen Harrington, Cobden; Miss Joan Bromley, Westmeath; Miss Leona Fitzpatrick, Demers Centre; and Miss Catherine Phelan, Chapeau.

50 Years Ago - February 5, 1975

Charlotte Whitton Dies

Charlotte Whitton, a native of Renfrew who became the best known woman in Canada while at the peak of her public career, died in hospital in Ottawa on Saturday after suffering a heart attack a few weeks earlier. She was 78.

Miss Whitton was the mayor of Ottawa for three terms in the early 1950s following a distinguished career as a social worker. She was the first executive director of the Canadian Welfare Council. She was a 1918 graduate of Queen’s University with a master’s degree and medals in English, history and pedagogy.

* * * * * * *

Receives Fractured Skull In Woods Accident

Kenneth Drefke of Foymount received a fractured skull last Wednesday while working in the bush in the Quadeville area. A branch from a falling tree struck him on the head.

Mr. Drefke was rushed to St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay where he was treated and later transferred to an Ottawa hospital for observation. He was released on Saturday. * *

Foresters Air Views On Master Plan

Foresters from North Bay to Pembroke and the Pontiac section of Quebec met in Pembroke last Thursday to air their views on the recently announced Algonquin Park Master Plan.

The foresters at the meeting felt cheated as the plan hardly contained any information relating to forest management (five pages out of 100) and felt they would be allowed to cut only the low grade wood in the Park for which there would be little or no market.

* * * * * * Douglas FD Buys Second Truck

The Douglas Fire Department, owned by the townships of Admaston, Bromley, Grattan and Wilberforce, will have a second fire truck.

The department has purchased a 1968 GMC truck from H.E. Brumm of Pembroke and an 18,000 gallon tank has been mounted on it. Cost of the truck was $5,000 plus an additional $600 for the tank. The department also has a 1965 GMC truck.

The department recently sold its old 1938 Fargo truck which was inoperative and obsolete for $285 and is now somewhere in the Killaloe area.

ing 15,000 pounds of butter skidded across the highway east of Renfrew Thursday morning, snapped off a gas pump at the Renfrew Glen Restaurant and spilled cartons of butter over a wide area.

Creamery manager Denton Hoffman said 3,000 pounds of butter were lost, some through contamination and some by pilfering. A small fire started at the pump and was extinguished by the Horton Fire Department. The truck, valued at $15,000 was a write-off. Driver Carl Lemke of Eganville escaped with bruises.

Crowned Sno-Fest Queen Debbie Freitag was crowned Eganville’s first Sno-Fest Queen. A Grade 10 student at Opeongo High School, she was one of 10 girls competing for the honour. Runners-up were Gay Ainsworth and Joan Moore.

Judges were Helen Good, Ann Hoffman, Irene Miller, Rev. Alan Gallichan, and Tom McCann. Roy Knuth was master of ceremonies. Liz Wilcox and Diane Moore aided the girls and presented each one with a long-stemmed sweetheart rose.

25 Years Ago - Febuary 2, 2000

Village Resident Wins Cat Sled In Poker Run

Although Christmas came and went over a month ago, village resident Farley MacPherson received a pretty nice gift this past weekend. He was the lucky winner of the brand new Arctic Cat 370Z in the annual Eganville Sno-Drifters Poker Run. His flush hand of an ace, Queen, ten, eight and two of diamonds ranked first in the approximately 200 hands sold.

* * * * * *

OPP Soloist will Sing O Canada In Killaloe

The elementary school broomball tournament in Killaloe will have a very special guest at its silver anniversary Friday.

In honour of the 25th anniversary of the event, organizers have invited Const. Lyndon Slewidge of the OPP East Region headquarters to perform O Canada before the championship games gets underway at 12 noon.

Const. Slewidge, who is well known for performing the national anthem at all Ottawa Senators home games will be accompanied on the

bagpipes by Const. Eric Booth.

* * * * * *

County Votes For Mayor’s Title

The title of reeve may be a thing of the past after a tight vote at Renfrew County council.

The assembled mayors and reeves voted to recommend that the mandatory title for the head of council be mayor instead of the more commonly known reeve in existence in Renfrew County. The final vote, based on the weighted voting system, was 88 for and 63 against.

Of the 30 municipalities polled in a survey, 12 were in favour of changing the title of reeve to mayor, nine were not in favour and nine gave no response. Of the 30 municipalities, eight were in favour of changing the title of warden to county chair, 13 were not in favour and nine gave no response.

* * * * * *

Fire Destroys Trailer Home

A fire early Friday evening at R.R. 5, Eganville, completely destroyed the trailer home and contents owned by Harold Zadow.

The fire, which is believed to have been electrical in nature, was

Letter to the Editor

reported by Mr. Zadow’s niece, Wendy Zadow who lives across the road from her uncle. He was not home at the time as he usually went to Cormac Friday night to play cards. Aside from his personal belongings, Mr. Zadow lost five guns, including a favourite 20 gauge shotgun he had purchased in centennial year, 1967.

* * * * * *

CIBC Branch Has New Manager There is a new manager at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Killaloe but the person filling the position is as familiar to bank clientele as anyone else working in the branch.

Edith Yarascavitch, a 22-year employee of the branch, was appointed manager in December. It’s not only the first time a staff member from within the branch has been appointed to the position but Mrs. Yarascavitch becomes the first female manager in the branch’s history. She takes over from Dave Tierney who transferred to Arnprior.

RVH staff and team congratulated

Dear Edior: The article in last week’s Leader regarding the initiatives at the Renfrew Victoria Hospital (RVH) were very encouraging. Congratulations to the staff and management team of RVH for demonstrating that common sense multiplied by good management plus a large dose of heroes can make a difference in health care.

With all the parties at RVH working together they have reduced the wait time for a CT scan from 400 days to just two weeks. That is amazing and as an added bonus they are taking pressure off the entire region’s CT scan wait list.

The real heroes in this story are the technologists who volunteered to work the added shift from 1 to 9 p.m. That is the key to this success story. I just want to congratulate all of you at RVH for showing what can be accomplished when intelligent people with good hearts work together for the benefit of the public. Let’s hope that the good work RVH had done is contagious and we start to see similar results from others.

Terry Hoffman, Pembroke

Computer consultant asks for review of $84,500 contract

By R. Bruce McIntyre

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Renfrew – Ian MacFarlane drew on his 35 years experience as a computer network designer specializing in Cybersecurity and threat analysis when he appeared before Renfrew council last week and requested the town re-evaluate the scoring criteria for an RFP (Request for Proposal) for network upgrades because the process was flawed. He alleged the final ranking was inaccurate, and those inaccuracies benefited the winning tender.

Mr. MacFarlane claimed the winning company came out on top of a flawed ranking system and more importantly, the winning company awarded the $84,500 contract had a potential advantage. He said the same firm produced a report of the town’s entire computer network, a report that was not contained in the RFP information package sent out to 10 companies, even when requests were rejected while the bids were being prepared.

He challenged the legitimacy of the entire RFP process.

He said the RFP contract was awarded to OnServe, the same company that completed an analysis of the current state of the town’s entire network in 2023. That computer-network report was the basis of an RFP issued in late 2024 and awarded to OnServe

He shared his opinion in regard to protocol and RFP submissions when he told council OnServe should not have submitted a bid on the RFP due to its competitive advantage. He said that only added to the flawed scoring formula because the ranking system does not accurately reflect the experience and capabilities of the submissions.

Town staff prepared an RFP for IT Services and it was released on October 25, 2024 and closed November 15. Ten bidders registered and six bids were submitted. The evaluation team consisted of the Treasurer/Director of Finance and Corporate Services, Deputy Treasurer/Manager of Finance and the IT Support representative from Nestor IT Services.

Mr. MacFarlane also challenged the legitimacy of some of the financial quotes stating some were completely unrealistic and the services offered would not be met because of the inaccurate bids submitted by some of the companies. He suggested that RFP submission criteria could be considered to have been written in a way that would score favourably on a couple of companies, including OnServe.

He said his bid of $36,000 was the lowest of the six and the closest in line with the original budget of $21,600. Despite that, one of the bidders submitted a quote in excess of $100,000, yet the same bidder received the same score in the same category regarding financials.

During preliminary budget deliberations, council approved a staff recommendation to allocate $21,600 in the 2025 budget to be used for a three-year contract. After the RFP was awarded, the budget had suddenly skyrocketed and landed four times higher at $84,500. The $84,500 contract was awarded to OnSuite

Mr. MacFarlane requested the new CAO, Gloria Raybone, and other community members with IT network experience, meet and re-evaluate the RFP scoring process. If they find examples of inaccurate scoring and agree that the awarding of the contract should be held back, the town has the option of sending it back out for tender.

He told the Leader that if Ms. Raybone informs him the scoring and ranking system is accurate, then he will drop the matter and move on. Unfair Advantage

He said because the 2023 report could not be accessed for reference, there was concern that omission may appear to give one firm an advantage. He told the Leader if OnServe had not submitted a bid because they had completed the report, there would not be an issue.

Mr. McFarlane’s bid (Tenetech) finished last with a score of 48 compared to OnServe’s winning score of 91. The final rankings had IC360 finishing in second place at 85, which was higher than Toronto firm Pathway at 75. Valley Bytes of Renfrew finished fourth with a score of 58 and NOVA came in fifth at 56. “I don’t mind losing, as long as it’s a fair deal…and this wasn’t a fair deal,” he said. “OnServe was brought in to do an assessment, and that’s a good thing. But if you do an assessment, you can’t bid on the job. You should not be able to bid on the job.”

He told council the contract should not have been awarded to OnServe because when the time came to complete the application, not only was OnServe allowed to bid despite completing the 2023 report, but that same report was not included in the RFP package. He claimed when requests were made for the report, they were denied.

When Councillor Andrew Dick asked Mr. MacFarlane to expand on his allegation, he did not pull any punches.

“The IT assessment that was done in 2023 was done by OnServe and it was to determine the town’s needs,” he said.

“It is done so that when you go to an RFP, you get that document so you can make a bid on it. So why was it done in the first place, because when I go to bid on a job, I have no idea of the age of the server, so I don’t have any information.

“They (OnServe) have privileged information. They had information on every piece of data on the entire town. So, on the RFP, portal questions were submitted and some were answered but they said no (request for report) and it wasn’t just me, nobody got it.”

He informed council as an IT consultant he upgraded and maintained the town’s IT network for 14 years. He also redesigned and installed the library’s IT network.

“What bothers me is the scoring in the area of knowledge of personnel, in my submission I scored the lowest, so I guess I don’t know what I am doing,” he said.

“Yet I did roadmap and design for the Town of Arnprior,

Deep River and the County of Renfrew. I employ seven people, I pay taxes in this town and it was a real slap in the face to be totally honest with you.”

He claimed that Valley Bytes and his company, Tenetech, are the only Renfrew companies that can provide immediate on-site service as the RFP stipulated, yet they scored the lowest in that category. He said Toronto firm Pathway scored higher yet they would not be able to offer the same fast service like the two Renfrew companies.

He worked with both OnServe and IC360, and told council both are excellent IT companies. He said both are highly

respected in the industry, and when he was contracted by a third party to provide an analysis of 30 IT companies, he rated OnServe as the top firm out of the 30 he reviewed. He was so impressed with the company, he went to work for them and said he had no complaints about their professionalism or knowledge.

He said the town needs a managed service, which calls for the contracted IT firm to be on site on a regular basis to manage the upgraded network. The top two bidders do not provide that service, he noted.

“I can tell you they don’t go onsite because I worked for them,” he said. “The RFP calls for them to be

Mayor Tom

When Mr. MacFarlane

on to the

thanked him and

At the end of the

Coun. Dick asked for a Notice of Motion to have the awarding of the IT tender reviewed by council and for council to repost the RFP. “I want to bring forward a motion for two weeks from now…to be discussed, the IT bidding and how it was operated and how it was done,” he said. “I

Gunnar Sterne win second straight Bonnechere Cup

By Terry Fleurie Staff Writer

Eganville – When the checkered flag dropped after the 12-lap final of the 49th annual Castle Building Centre Bonnechere Cup presented by Honest Herbs, there was a familiar face on the winning sled.

Gunnar Sterne powered his Champ 440 machine to his second straight Bonnechere Cup victory Sunday afternoon.

Rival Blaine Stephenson, the 2023 champion, took the lead in the final, but the race was halted for a crash in corners 1 and 2 on the first lap. At the re-start, Sterne jumped out to the lead, and held it for most of the race, with Stephenson finishing second and newcomer Reed Klinger placing third.

The race capped off an exciting weekend of competition that saw one of the largest fields of racers in the last 15 years, according to Bonnechere Cup Inc. race director

Scott Clark, who interviewed the top three drivers after the final.

Sterne said he always enjoys coming to Eganville.

“I like coming here,” he said after the final. “This is probably one of the roughest tracks I’ve raced on in a long while.

“We made some adjustments we were trying to get away from, but we went back to them,” he added. “We did really good around the bumps. I appreciate all my guys and the small group that came out here. They’re all taking off work and helping me out.” Stephenson, despite his secondplace finish, echoed his enjoyment of racing here.

“I love coming here,” he remarked. “I really did need the restart (in the final). I derailed two or three times after that.”

Klinger, of Athens, Wisconsin, who was making his debut here was obviously thrilled with the results.

“It’s awesome; the track is super fun,” he said. “I finally got the hang of the turns and that made the biggest difference.

“I finally figured the track out a little bit,” he added. “It takes a lot of people (to compete) and it sure is fun, that’s for sure.

Clark noted Klinger had been having mechanical issues for some of the races but when it counted his team had his sled flying for the final.

He said he had the opportunity to meet Klinger, his father, and team earlier in the weekend saying they were “super nice people”.

“It was very nice in his first time here to see him get third place,” he said.

Pleased With Weekend

Clark said Monday he felt it was a great weekend overall.

“The weather didn’t co-operate and it didn’t maybe bring out as many fans as we’d have liked because it was very cold. Other than that, the drivers were all happy with the purse we had put up. They love being in Eganville, and no one got really badly hurt in any accidents.”

He said the track held up reasonably well, admitting it got rough by the end of the two days of heavy usage.

“I think we probably made money again and thanks to all our volunteers, sponsors, race directors, racers, and fans for making it another successful year.”

While exact numbers will not be known for some time, attendance was very good on Saturday despite the cold weather.

“Sunday, from what I heard, we were down, but a lot of that could be because of weekend passes bought,” he explained. “But we did great as far as entries and we definitely didn’t lose money.”

There were 137 entries as of midafternoon Friday, which may not be an overall record but definitely the highest number in the last 15 years.

Cold Weather Hard On Track

He said the cold weather provided a challenge not only for fans but the track also as it took quite the beating over the two days of racing and hot laps on Friday.

“We have the highest amount of races in any schedule because we have so many classes,” he said.

“I’ve never wanted to be the person to say we’re going to cut out this or that class because it’s not good enough.

“Each one of those drivers, whether it’s junior, vintage or pros, everybody is just as important and they all bring friends, family and a crew,” he added.

Clark noted Ralph Selle likes to

make the track when it’s around minus 5 so it doesn’t freeze as hard and hence get rough because it chips easier.

“But we had no choice the last five weeks when it was minus 20 every day. It freezes harder which chips easier and makes more bumps and more grooves. We didn’t have the option to flood and make the track in warmer weather.

“It did get rougher than it has been for a lot of years,” he added.

As a former racee, he felt bad for Stephenson to finish second in the final after dominating all weekend.

“It’s misfortune for one and success for another. No one likes to be the first-place runner up and I know how competitive Blaine is.

“You’re disappointed being second,” he added. “I know I’d come home mad if I was second. It’s in a racer’s blood to want to win all the time.”

Fan favourite Sabrina Blanchet had run one race Sunday morning after competing Saturday, but the team was having engine problems recently that continued into this weekend. In addition, she was apparently experiencing some discomfort in her back which kept her out

of the field most of the day Sunday.

Clark said Matt Goede was in a bad crash Saturday and did not compete the rest of the weekend, and Tyler Obie left Saturday for some reason, reducing the Champ field to 11 from its original 15.

“But it was still a great field and everything I heard from the drivers

and teams was they love our professionalism and how we run things.”

The drivers also commented on the purse available, noting other events that are more heavily sponsored do not pay out what the Bonnechere Cup races do.

He said many people commented on the way the track looked this

year with the old boards being removed. A chain link fence and hundreds of bales of hay around the track protects fans.

“Everybody loved the way it was. I loved it too. It makes it easier to see.”

However, Clark added he has some safety concerns with the boards gone which he hopes to address this summer.

Sights Now Set on 2026

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Bonnechere Cup and Clark indicated during the postrace comments he hopes to make the 2026 version the largest oval racing purse ever.

“I’m not trying to compete with any other races or be better than them in any other way, but they don’t give the drivers and the teams the money they deserve. I want to make it worth their while. They have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested.

“We’re a non-profit organization and I’m not about selling the bank,” he added. “We’ll keep enough money to carry on the next year to start but other than that, I want to put every other cent into it and make it the biggest purse ever.”

He said representatives from Castle headquarters are on-board for next year and he is confident Honest Herbs will be returning.

“Being the 50th, hopefully we can get a lot more sponsors and it will definitely help fulfill my dream of making the biggest purse in the history of oval racing.”

He said flagman Rico Borrero and announcer Tim Baltz are guaranteed to return, adding the two love the sport and are great at what they do.

In his address Sunday, he acknowledged the tremendous effort Bonnechere Cup Inc. secretary Paige Zadow had put forth the past three years while she battled cancer, noting she is now cancer free and a real inspiration to all members of the organization.

“She never stopped, even at the worst of times. She’s the hardest worker out of our Bonnechere Cup directors. She’s a sweetheart and we love her.

“She won the biggest battle of all, the battle of life,” he added Clark said local racers like Marcus Buelow, Cole Fitzgerald, Brandon Gourlay of Beachburg, Ava Aubry, Colin Ranger, Cody Zadow, Maveric and Mica PalubiskiYonin and others did well over the weekend.

The 49th annual Bonnechere Cup Races

Eganville – Calver Lumber’s run for an undefeated season in the Eganville Hockey League (EHL) ended Friday night as the defending champions were blanked 5-0 by Calabogie for their first defeat of the regular schedule. The Pembroke-based team went into the contest with a 13-0-1 record, but Calabogie took advantage of the team being severely short-handed, with only six skaters, to get the win. In other action, The M.W. Miller Loggers moved into sole possession of the fourth and final play-off spot with a 1-0 win over McGrim-

mon Holdings. Their win, coupled with the Barry’s Bay Bulls’ 7-4 loss to the Killaloe Kings, moved the Loggers into fourth spot with 13 points, while the Bulls dropped to fifth with 11 points. Calabogie got two goals from Jacob Collins enroute to their win over Calver. Collins opened the scoring at the 2:10 mark of the opening period and then added three goals in the second, with Quentin Rook increasing the lead to 2-0 just 2:29 into the frame. John Ferguson made it 3-0 at the 4:12 mark and Curtis Leclaire stretched the lead to 4-0.

Collins collected his second goal midway through the third period

when he found the twine behind Malcolm Wren in the Calver net.

Dan Charbonneau posted the shutout in the Calabogie cage. Calabogie had the lone penalty in the contest.

The Loggers versus McGrimmon contest was highlighted by solid goaltending at both ends of the rink, with Danny McGrath registering the shut-out for the Loggers , and Richard Barr allowing only one goal in the McGrimmon net. Barr, who had just played the earlier game for the Bulls , was back in the net for McGrimmon as regular goalie

Ryan Donohue was absent. The teams traded chances

Bonnechere Cup Results

(names are in order of first, second and third-place finishes)

Super Stock 340 – Cody Zadow; Marcel Barbin; Jean-Marc Barbin.

Super Mod 250 – Kyle Reynolds; Matt Oberparleiter; Evan Archer. Junior 120 – Joshua HendersonTodd; Payton Pilon; Wesley Smith. Junior 200 – Lincoln MacInnes; Micah Palubiski-Yonin; Madison Darraugh.

Junior Mod 206/120 – Genevieve MacCormack; Kinsley Tanton; Ariyah Tanton.

Super Mod Sno Pro Open – Ben Aubry; Luc Lacasse.

Formula Fan 500 – Brandon Gourlay; Joel Charron; Cole Fitzgerald.

Junior Semi-Pro F-350 – Jayden Keeler; Curtis Gosselin; Jack Stasko.

Junior Pro F-340 – James Cook; Maverick Palubiski-Yonin.

Super Stock Fan 340 – Kyle Reynolds; Michael Bennett; Mike Stock.

Super Mod 300 – Aaron Ryczko; Russ Buchanan; Jean-Marc Barbin.

Pro Formula 500 – Mike Van Dolder; Hunter Twyman; Marcus Buelow.

Super Stock Fan 440 – Kyle Reynolds; Jason Clark; Joel Zelinsky.

Junior II F-500 – Tristan Scott; Maverick Palubiski-Yonin.

Mod Stock 340 – Cody Tiedemann; Kyle Reynolds; Aaron Ryczko.

Formula Sports F-500 – Kyle Hofland.

Super Mod 440 – Sabrina Blanchet; Lucas Nast; Luc Lacasse.

Formula Semi-Pro F-500 – Mike Van Dolder; Jamie Bound; Hunter Twyman.

Mod Stock 440 – Cody Zadow; Evan Archer; Curtis Clark.

Formula III – Blaine Stephenson; Tanner Foss; Gunnar Sterne.

Stock Single Fan – Matt Oberparleiter; Alex Oberparleiter; Kyle Leach.

Super Mod 340 – Luc Lacasse; Sabrina Blanchet; Dave Nisbett.

Super Stock FA/Liq 440 – Ryan Matthews; Cody Zadow; JeanMarc Barbin.

Master F500 – Scott Copeland; Joel Charron; Dave Nisbett. Outlaw 600 – Chris Plasky; Tim Hibbard; Adam Carrothers.

Champ 440 – Blaine Stephenson; Gunnar Sterne; Tanner Foss.

Sunday

Super Stock 340 – Marcel Barbin; Jaen-March Barbin; Travis Terry.

Super Mod 250 – Kyle Reynolds; Matt Oberparleiter; Evan Archer.

Junior 120 – Wesley Smith; Joshua Henderson-Todd; Payton Pilon.

Junior 200 – Lincoln MacInnes; Micah Palubiski-Yonin; Christopehr Henderson-Todd.

Junior Mod 206/120 – Genevieve MacCormack; Kinsley Tanton; Ariyah Tanton.

Super Mod Sno Pro Open – Ben Aubry; Luc Lacasse. Formula Fan 500 – Brandon Gourlay; Cole Fitzgerald; Josh Rickard.

Junior Semi-Pro F-340 – Micah Palubiski-Yonin; Curtis Gosselin; Jack Stasko. Junior Pro F-340 – Connor McRobert; James Cook; Maverick Palubiski-Yonin.

Super Stock Fan 340 – Michael Bennett; Mike Stock; Dave Smith. Super Mod 300 – Russ Buchanan; Aaron Ryczko Pro Formula 500 – Jamie Bound; Marcus Buelow; Hunter Twyman. Super Stock Fan 440 – Joel Zelinsky; Stephen Turcotte; Jason Clark.

Junior II F-500 – Tristan Scott; Maverick Palubiski-Yonin; James Cook. Mod Stock 340 – Cody Tiedemann; Ryan Matthews; Kyle Reynolds. Formula Sports F-500 – Jarrett Van Dolder; Joey Lacroix. Super Mod 440 – Spencer Landry; Luc Lacasse; Carl Blight. Formula Semi-Pro F-500

throughout the entire first and most of the second period without scoring. Then, with 1:59 left in the second period, Jack Howard scored what would be the game-winner and only goal of the contest on a breakaway. Howard fired a shot to Barr’s glove side that the big goalie got a piece of, but the puck trickled out of his mitt and across the line before he could corral it. McGrimmon had two of the three penalties called. The other contest saw Jack Shulist and Curtis Fabian score twice in the Kings 7-4 win over the Bulls

Barry’s Bay jumped out to an early 1-0 lead 38 seconds into the game as Sam Schutt beat Tyler Kauffeldt

with a long wrist shot from just inside the blue line, but Cal Gienow tied the score midway through the frame as he sped in and beat Richard Barr with a shot. Shulist notched his first of the game 2:45 later to give Killaloe their first lead. Gabe Schutt

Local teenage athlete hosting sledge hockey workshops

By Alex Lambert Staff Writer

Eganville – A 17-year-old Barry’s Bay native who’s played sledge hockey for most of his life has re-

cently started spreading the joy of the game across Renfrew County. On January 24, Eganville District Public School (EDPS) students were the first to have the opportunity to

head out to the rink and try out a new sport with a seasoned pro. Unlike most school workshops, their head coach was not only a special guest but a local teenager who began playing long before many of those students were even born.

Chadd Stoppa has played sledge hockey since he could hold the pair of sticks used to get around the ice, which for him, happened to be in kindergarten. His folks bought him his first sledge back then to go skating with the rest of his friends in gym class. He loved it so much that they started commuting to Ottawa to participate in the nearest sledge hockey program.

Starting at the age of 4, several years went by before the family shifted gears with a change that would pay off greatly in the long run. They made the trip to Ottawa for practices and games every week before having the idea to launch a team in their hometown about 10 years ago. Chadd got some of his friends on board while his dad, Adam, made a grant application for some equipment. It proved successful and they purchased 27 sleds that are still used to this day.

They went on to form the Barry’s Bay Blades and join the Ontario Sledge Hockey Association (OSHA). The team, including Chadd, one other disabled athlete and a group of 10 able-bodied players proceeded to dominate the league that represented hundreds of players across dozens of clubs.

Mr. Stoppa said prior to playoffs and the global pandemic stopped the league entirely, they had topped their division with countless sweeping victories and had a record of 49 goals scored with just one against.

“We had a phenomenal team,” he remarked.

Although he hasn’t even graduated high school, Chadd has already had what many would consider a successful sports career.

“A week before my 14th birthday, I was gone to Alberta to try out for Team Canada,” he said. “Knowing who they are and their game. Get-

ting to know those guys at a young age and learning stuff from them just to get better has been awesome.”

In February of 2023, a then 15-year-old Chadd was a member of the Niagara Thunderblades and competed in the Renfrew County Winter Games. He was the only player from the county and went on to secure a bronze medal regardless of competing against grown men. Nowadays, Chadd is a member of Sledge Team Ontario, a group comprised of the top players from the OSHA league with Mr. Stoppa as coach. In the next few months, he and the team will participate in seven training camps, two competitions and a championship in Nova Scotia.

Continuing to sharpen his skills as he grew up, he began getting into coaching. As a student at Madawaska Valley District High School (MVDHS) in ninth grade, he started hosting workshops for gym classes at the local rink. Now, as a senior, he and his dad have officially kicked off their workshop program and have planned to work with several schools in the area.

“I give them examples at the start and then they try it,” Chadd explained. “It takes a lot of practice on the sled.”

Program Coordinator Melissa Penner, a teacher at MVDHS, said Chadd has hopes of going into a

sports administration-type program, so this type of event management is right up his alley. Not long ago she wrote a proposal to the Renfrew County District School Board to get the project off the ground and some funding to pay for ice time and transportation. Her request was approved and the program now works with five local schools to provide free sledge hockey lessons.

“This is going to allow students to have an accessible and inclusive phys-ed program. It was kind of a no-brainer,” Ms. Penner said.

“Since Chadd came into the building we’ve really tried to focus on inclusive programing in the physical and health education department, especially since we knew that he had such an avid interest in it. It really makes you stop and revisit what is inclusive and your practices,” Ms. Penner continued. “We’re very excited to have this happening.”

The workshops were driven in part by it being Chadd’s last year of high school, and future lessons will include more student volunteers from MVDHS to give others a chance at the leadership opportunity. She also gave kudos to Educational Assistant Anita Burns for helping her, Chadd and Mr. Stoppa facilitate the program and give on-ice instructions.

Now 17 with 13 years of experience, he gave a few demonstrations

throughout the workshop where he showed off his skills. While most people have trouble with hockey stops or lifting a puck playing on standing skates, Chadd makes it look easy even while seated on a sled. Chadd’s lessons are often funfilled crash courses where students have the chance to look and learn before trying it themselves. They start out with the basics of falling and getting up on the sled before going into getting around and learning to pass and shoot the puck on it. Afterwards, students are given pinnies and pitted against each other in a scrimmage match.

The sledge hockey workshops have just made it out to Eganville so far, but they’ve organized sessions across the county, including at MVDHS from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 21, which will host secondary and elementary students. MVDHS will also host a student versus staff sledge hockey match from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 before a Killaloe Public School session from 11 to 2 p.m. They’ll also be coming to Palmer Rapids on March 7 from noon to 2 p.m. Mr. Stoppa said Sledge Team Ontario will be looking forward to taking to Barry’s Bay for training camps over the Easter weekend before the Canadian Championships on the May long weekend in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.

A big year for former NFL quarterback Frank Cosentino

By Terry Fleurie Staff Writer

Eganville – The year 2024 is one Frank Cosentino will long remember as it was filled with not one or two, but three incredibly memorable events.

The former Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback with two Grey Cup victories to his credit, and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Mr. Cosentino was inducted into the Hamilton Hall of Fame, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Western University in London, and learned he was an inductee into the Football Ontario Hall of Fame.

A native of Hamilton who has called Eganville home for 35 years, he said the honors came as a complete surprise when he was notified about them.

“I had no idea they were coming,” he said. “I believe somebody put some things together at Western because I had played and coached there.

“You just get an announcement,” he added. “They phone you up, tell you this has happened, and they’re going to have a dinner or things like that.”

Mr. Cosentino has no idea who submitted the three applications, or his Canadian Football Hall of Fame application in 2018, but is grateful they considered him worthy of the recognition.

“They don’t tell you who has nominated you,” he said. He said the Western award surprised him somewhat, “because it’s kind of a life influence on what I was doing.”

“To be accepted as being recognized for what you’re doing, you stand back and you look and it’s nice.

“I’m not going to dwell on it, but it’s terrific,” he added. “I don’t start out trying to get these things, but somebody noticed it.”

He said he has never been one to toot his own horn, but the events of 2024 are facts that did occur.

“And I’m pleased with it,” he commented. “You hope that it will rub off on some kids, that they’re going to take part.

“When you trip and stumble, it’s not a bad thing,” he added. “It’s either a stepping stone or you find out what you did, and work on it.”

The Western University ceremony was held in September, the Hamilton ceremony was in October, and the Football Ontario Hall of Fame

Local resident was recipient of three special honours in 2024

has not taken place yet but he was notified last summer he will be an inductee.

The ceremonies included a dinner, with the other inductees and their families, and it sometimes provides an opportunity to meet old teammates and friends. One of the other inductees in Hamilton was current Ottawa Senators general manager, Steve Staios, a retired NHL player who was also the president of the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

His wife, Sheila, son, Peter, and his wife, Amy, sister, Lena, brother Angelo, and his wife, Maureen, were with him in Hamilton. Mrs. Cosentino, their daughter, Teresa and her husband, David, and Peter and Amy attended the ceremony at Western.

His Career

His story begins in the Steel City where he began playing pick-up football in his pre-teens in a league sponsored by the city police department.

“The police department and the Old Boys Football Association had leagues where kids would be able to play football, baseball and things like that. Then I went to Cathedral High School and started to take growth spurts.”

He tried out for the football team his first two years but did not make it. By year three, one of the linemen was injured and the coach asked him if he would come out with the team, playing the tackle position.

Prior to the start of his fourth season, the coach of the senior team, who was leaving to coach at McGill University, learned he was a baseball pitcher and invited him to a try out as quarterback and landed the role for the 1954 season.

“And we won the high school championship,” he recalled.

He played again the following year saying the team should have won again but didn’t because several key players were injured. His success caught the eye of scouts from both Queen’s University in Kingston and Western in London, and both tried to recruit hm.

“I decided to go with Western because I was going out with my wife to be, Sheila, and the closer I could get to the team, the better.”

He played four years at Western, winning the Yates Cup awarded to the provincial university champions

in both 1957 and 1959. He was drafted by his hometown Hamilton Tiger Cats of the CFL in the first round in 1960 and went on to play for the team for seven years, which included five straight Grey Cup appearances that culminated in wins in 1963 and 1965. He then spent two years with the then Edmonton Eskimos (Edmonton Elks) and one year with the Toronto Argonauts before retiring in 1970.

Mr. Cosentino is proud he was one of a very few Canadian quarterbacks who played in the CFL and especially as a starter.

“There weren’t too many Canadian quarterbacks. I started out in relief and Bernie Faloney was our main quarterback and he was traded before the 1995 season. And Joe Zuger and I split the time in 1966.

“And then when I went to Edmonton, I was the starting quarterback for two years,” he added. “Then when I went to Toronto, I was kind

of in relief again.”

He recalled playing in Edmonton in 1962 and Faloney was injured with about eight minutes remaining. He went in and rallied the Ti-Cats from a deficit to win the game. He earned the start in the next game against British Columbia and won that game too.

“I recall the Vancouver newspaper saying, ‘ Who is this guy, Cosentino?’ after our win,” he said.

Mr. Cosentino said his largest contract was for $19,000 a year, noting his first contract was $3,500, with a $1,000 signing bonus.

Along with his sporting career,

Mr. Cosentino found time to get married and continue his academics, which included an honours business administration degree from Western. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in physical and health education from McMaster University in 1967, followed by a master’s degree from the University of Alberta in 1969.

After his retirement, he returned to Western to both teach and coach the school’s football team. He is credited with turning the program around that eventually led to winning the national championship, Vanier Cup in 1971 and 1974. He was a recipient of the Frank Tindall Trophy for University Coach of the Year in 1970.

“We had good seasons and good players,” he remarked.

He believes when he arrived at Western, part of the resurgence in interest in the team was the fact he was a CFL quarterback who came from Hamilton.

“The first year I was there in 1970, I think we had 20 rookies trying out. And my goal was to have a winning season.”

In 1976, he transferred to York University in Toronto, as a professor and chairman of the physical education and athletics department, a position he held until 1981.

“I didn’t intend to coach there,” he explained. “But the football team hadn’t won in two years and some of the faculty said the football team was pulling their academic reputation down.

“So I decided I would coach in addition to what I was doing, no payment or anything,” he added. He coached three years, helping the team to its first ever Ontario University Athletic Association play-off berth. He was named OUAA Coach of the Year in 1976.

A Family Approach

When asked what he enjoyed more, playing or coaching, Mr. Cosentino said he certainly enjoyed both aspects of the sport.

“But I got more satisfaction from coaching,” he stated. “It was almost like having a family of kids.

“I enjoyed sport completely, but football coaching I really enjoy,” he added. “It’s like a family; you’re trying to create something that you’re proud to be part of.”

During the Western ceremony, the presentation included some comments by the late Western coach Darwin Semotiuks, who succeeded Mr. Cosentino at Western.

“Frank showed great respect for the game, his coaches, his players, and his opponents. That respect was always returned to him.

“His mild-mannered, soft-spoken approach contributed to a culture of class and excellence,” it continued. “The bond and chemistry of Cosentino-coached teams remains and endures to this present day.”

He described Mr. Cosentino as a consummate leader who treated everyone with respect, who listens to alternative thinking, gives credit where credit is due, and never takes the spotlight from others.

“He builds trust and camaraderie by caring deeply about those around him,” he said. “Frank is resultsdriven, not forcefully, but calmly, and unruffled with honesty.

“He builds foundations based on integrity and his commitment to people around him,” it continued.

“People’s lives have been impacted by Frank’s gentle guidance and life lessons such as, ‘Enjoy the moment but do so in moderation’ and ‘Think of family first, school second, and football third’.” In 2018, the Cosentino teams of 1959 when he played, and 1971 and 1974, when he coached, were inducted into the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame.

BVFD introduces junior firefighters to OPP

By Alex Lambert Staff Writer

Eganville – Local police and firefighters have collaborated to better prepare the next generation of Bonnechere Valley Fire Department (BVFD) first responders.

Community Safety and Media Relations Officer for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Renfrew detachment, Constable Brianna Babin, teamed up with her brother Brendan Rousselle, a firefighter with the BVFD, to give the cadets a better idea of their police counterparts and how they’ll go on to collaborate in the front lines.

Fire Chief Darryl Wagner launched the BVFD junior firefighters’ program in March of 2024 with department members Mr. Rousselle, Emma Normoyle and Alex Goldsmith as training instructors. It was launched as a student-friendly way to start working towards being a member of the fire department. The program gives youth ages 15 to 18 the chance to participate in weekly lessons covering the basics of firefighting.

It shows cadets the fundamentals

and skills required to become a future firefighter while providing them with one-on-one mentorship for their schooling and job applications. Since the cadet’s training has mostly focussed on the bread and butter of being a department member, a great deal of it is related to the understanding and safe use of equipment. They’ll typically study specifics like the names of different parts of a ladder or door-breaching tools like a Halligan, although they also enjoy practical exercises like learning to actually use these tools.

A cadet can only become a member of the department after no less than 10 months of junior firefighter experience. Department members also have to be over the age of 18 and in good standing before they’re approved for service by Chief Wagner.

Some of the cadets have already been accepted into co-op programs from local departments across the county.

In her presentation, Const. Babin explored the elements of a career in policing, like the importance of community engagement in law enforcement and some advanced teams available for officers to join based on their interests and experiences.

“Just knowing what police officers do and understanding the different areas and specialties that we have helps. It’s good to know who’s who in the zoo,” she said. She highlighted a few tactical response units available to the OPP which are scarcer to municipal police departments like the Ottawa Police Service. She mentioned officer programs like the K9 and Snowmobile, All-Terrain Vehicle and Vessel Enforcement (SAVE) Unit since the cadets may come across them in their future careers.

“Their job is to ride snowmobiles, drive boats and ATVs. That’s how they patrol,” Const. Babin explained. “What a sweet gig, right?”

Const. Babin said the most important takeaway from her presentation

was the fact that their choices in life will follow them around indefinitely. She told the cadets she was a dental hygienist for over a decade before uprooting her life and beginning a career in policing, emphasizing the importance of having a crystal clean record before pursuing a career as a first responder.

“You want to be a firefighter, police officer or paramedic? Holy liftin’. You better make sure you’ve got a really great driving record. Having multiple convictions or charges like speeding tickets, careless or dangerous driving, those things stay on your record.”

Additionally, she said applying for these types of positions merits a background investigation so intense one has to submit their banking documents for the last three years.

“They want to see if you’re responsible for your money. If you don’t have any, that’s fine, but are you buying drugs or gambling? What are you doing with it? Are you able to pay your bills?”

Another quality she underscored was being articulate and a steadfast self advocate. She told the cadets OPP officers are required to take notes more often than not and document their every move in case they have to testify in court.

According to Const. Babin, if an officer’s report and/or notes don’t reflect the situation at hand, then it didn’t happen. She wrapped up her presentation by stressing the independence and responsibility of the job, since it’s more than just that for a lot of people.

“If we arrive on scene and something’s not working in an emergency situation, which nine out of 10 it is for us, then the onus is on you,” she said. “When you’re hired they’re going to assume you’re mature enough to handle this type of job. So, it’s making sure you’re accountable for your actions, your equipment and your notes.”

Pembroke receives $8,200 through Fire Protection grant

By Terry Fleurie Staff Writer

Pembroke – Municipal fire departments across Ontario are all benefactors of a new Fire Protection Grant and last week the Pembroke Fire Department (PFD) celebrated the announcement of its funding grant.

MPP John Yakabuski, in his last official duty before his retirement from public office, made the announcement at City Hall to PFD Chief Scott Selle, members of the department, and city officials and staff.

“It’s great to be in the council chambers for what is going to be absolutely my last official act as your Member of Provincial Parliament. And I couldn’t think of a better place, or among better people, that our last event puts me standing here with our first responders, members of the Pembroke City Fire Department.

“And it’s a great opportunity for me not only to make this announcement, but to thank Chief Selle and the members for their service to this community, and its citizens, and all of Canada’s citizens by extension through the work that you do.”

Mr. Yakabuski explained the fire protection grant is essentially about cancer prevention for fire personnel.

“What is more important than standing and providing things that we can do to assist with cancer prevention in our first responders and firefighters,” he said. “We all know that no group of people is more susceptible to contracting cancers than our firefighters.”

The current government and other previous governments have made it a priority to defend and protect the firefighters, he said.

“Because they defend and protect us every day,” he stated. “While we’re running out, they’re running in.” Mr. Yakabuski said progress has been made and will continue to be made in the presumptive declaring of cancers with respect to firefighters.

“So that our first responders know that if they contract a growing number of different number of cancers, that we will have their back and pro-

tect and support them 100 per cent.”

In this day and age, the new buildings are far more complex, with a “chemical soup” within the buildings, with the construction materials, he said.

“They’re not simple wood structures anymore, which they in themselves are a challenge. But the buildings that we send our firefighters into today are far more complex and can create and present them with much more of a challenge with regard to their own health.”

He thanked the firefighters for what they do, closing with “God Bless You, and thanks and continued safety”.

Chief Selle said while the relationship with previous governments was good, the relationship the fire service in Ontario has really developed with the current government is phenomenal.

“I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my career,” he remarked.

“The support that we have received from the provincial government in the last few years, whether it be through presumptive legislation, whether it be through the grants so we can purchase the cancer prevention equipment that we so badly need, is unbelievable.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m really excited about where this is going to go in the future,” he added.

“And my job and the city’s job has been made a lot easier thanks to you and your fellow MPPs, because we need to send these guys home at the end of the day and make sure that they’re not contracting cancer. So, this is a huge step forward for us and I cannot overemphasize how thankful we are.”

Chief Selle later told the Leader the government had allocated $30 million for fire services across the province to be used on initiatives for cancer prevention or technological updates. He said the province made the grant equally accessible by looking at the number of fire stations and applying for each station.

In the general allotment, they were entitled to ‘x’ amount of dollars.

“That was done to make it fair for all departments across the province, which was good.”

He said the $8,200 for the PFD

was significant, but not huge, so it focused on what they could do in terms of on-scene decontamination, when firefighters exit the fire to remove contaminants as soon as possible. In addition, they looked at improving the personal protective equipment, and looked at areas where they could really prevent the absorption of carcinogens.

He said there area few areas that are particularly susceptible, one being the neck area, so they ordered 34 new high-quality flash hoods. They also ordered a decontamination kit that comes with a pump and sprayer so firefighters can be cleaned on scene as they exit a building.

He echoed what Mr. Yakabuski had said about the construction in new homes, saying there are so many synthetic materials being used in both construction materials and furniture that produce these dangers.

“That’s a huge issue right now that we’re trying to get in front of. The cost to the municipalities is just astronomical.”

He noted a non-fatal claim for a firefighter in the province generally runs around $35,000 where a fatal claim is upward of $537,000.

“Being pro-active and preventa-

Impaired charge laid in collision

tive on this stuff is the key,” he said.

Chief Selle said it was exciting the announcement was Mr. Yakabuski’s final function, noting the MPP was the lead in the Test Your Smoke Alarm Day that became law on Sept.

2024. “It was another indication of how he supported the fire service,” the chief noted. “And I know from my involvement with the Fire Asso

ciation, he really had an open door

Attempt to get past legacy of Ma-te-Way exposes rift among council

By R. Bruce McIntyre

Local Journalism Initiatives Reporter

Renfrew – Councillor Kyle Cybulski’s extension of an olive branch

to Reeve Peter Emon by asking his fellow councillors to remove harsh sanctions placed on him quickly turned that branch into a prickly thorn when some argued the restrictions must remain until 2026.

Some councillors were not in the mood to mend fences and move on because they promised to send a message to taxpayers and assure them anyone deemed responsible for the financial disaster of the Ma-te-Way expansion project and the $20-million debt will be held accountable.

When Coun. Cybulski introduced his Notice of Motion at the end of the January 28 council meeting, he requested council reconsider and reverse a resolution that contained punitive measures against the reeve. That resolution passed with a recorded vote of 5-1 during the March 24, 2024 meeting.

It was the first of two resolutions introduced removing Reeve Emon from all committees, working groups, and external boards. The second resolution imposed the same penalties against Mayor Tom Sidney.

Coun. Cybulski was encouraged and he hoped to finally put the Mate-Way fiasco behind them. He said the last few council meetings were positive and productive with no talk of Ma-te-Way and he was excited to be working in a cooperative environment. He felt the time was right to formally end two years of disruption, which at times included councillors introducing retaliatory measures against each other.

However, his motion had the opposite effect as three of the councillors strongly objected to any lessening of the imposed punishment.

Once his motion was tabled and the mayor asked for comments, the tone was civil, but once again there were inferred allegations and subtle hints of a blame game, a trend that has not been present at the council table since the latter part of 2024 after nearly two years of a split council.

Report Reveals Animosity

Five of the seven council members are rookies after the October 2022 municipal election and high among their promises was to hold any councillor or staff accountable if they were identified as principal players in the overruns with the Mate-Way expansion.

The project was started in 2021 with a budget that ballooned from $18.9 million to $37 million and left taxpayers on the hook for the $20 million overage.

When an external firm was hired to perform an audit and released some preliminary findings in December 2023 and a final report in March 2024, the rookie councillors twice demanded Mayor Tom Sidney’s immediate resignation but both times he refused.

The report identified several areas of improper conduct and failure to follow standard policies in areas such as procurement, issuing RFPs, contract negotiation and reporting mechanisms to name a few. The report concluded the previous council (2018-2022) failed to practice due diligence as the governing body overseeing the project and must share some responsibility for the overruns.

The report stated the previous council (including then-councilor Tom Sidney and Reeve Emon among the seven) collectively failed to protect the ratepayers but never singled out or specifically identified any member by name. Nonetheless, the five councillors introduced and passed resolutions that stripped both the mayor ]and reeve of all internal and external appointments leaving them with title only. One of the common refrains among the new councillors for the drastic measures was “the residents demand that we hold those in leadership and decision-making roles accountable.”

A month later Reeve Emon introduced the first of two motions against two of the councillors (John MacDonald and Clint McWhirter) demanding the same sanctions be applied for their alleged improper behaviour as councillors.

Both motions failed and for the next 10 months, council continued to work on common issues with only a few instances of animosity related to Ma-te-Way bubbling to the surface.

Turning The Page?

The January 14, 2025 council meeting included a presentation from the town’s Integrity Commissioner (IC) when he announced the findings of two separate investigations he completed after two nonrelated complaints were lodged against Reeve Emon and Councillor Andrew Dick.

He ruled both members violated the Code of Conduct and recommended to council they apologize and he also that council formally order the apologies to be made in a public forum.

Surprisingly, council members rejected the IC’s recommendations and accepted the report as an information item stating they would not order an individual to make an apology.

When Mayor Sidney called on

Coun. Cybulski to speak to his motion he said the time had come to get past the stigma of Ma-te-Way and start healing. He said he got the idea after the previous meeting when council rejected his recommendation that the two members be ordered to apologize.

“Our last meeting got me thinking…it was time to move on and get past this,” he began. “He has been the Warden of Renfrew County for seven years and he proves to us week in and week out he brings information and knowledge to the table that is undeniable.”

He added now was the time to lift the sanctions because the position of reeve ends in 2026 (five councillors passed a motion in 2024 to remove the position) and it would be good to see him end that role with all former responsibilities.

“So he can finish his role as reeve and move forward and heal.”

Still Opposed

Coun. McWhirter, who introduced the motion to remove the role of reeve last year, was opposed to the lifting of sanctions because he has said since 2023 the reeve was preoccupied with his responsibilities as warden and as a member of the previous council and a member of the Ma-te-Way Ad Hoc Committee, he lost sight of his duty to Renfrew.

“I have to disagree with Coun. Cybulski…what really let me down was he sat on that committee and didn’t see the warning signs from Ma-te-Way,” he said. “We were told by the residents of Renfrew to hold those responsible to be held accountable. Reeve Emon, and Mayor Sidney were given three years suspension, and I think it is pretty reasonable considering the ratepayers of Renfrew are going to be paying for the mistakes of the previous council for the next 30 years.”

Coun. MacDonald has been the most vocal among the five. He introduced motions against both the mayor and the reeve. Reading from a written statement, he repeated allegations he made a year ago against Reeve Emon, including what he called the reeve’s failure as chair of the town’s Human Resources committee for eight years.

“Reeve Emon had been the chair of the human resources committee since 2014…and under his leadership we experienced numerous human resource and financial failures,” he said. “It was very clear in the Ma-te-Way third party review that a human resource nightmare was allowed to flourish.”

Councillor Jason Legris echoed Coun. MacDonald’s opposition against the motion and said Reeve Emon failed to do his due diligence

when he let down the residents who voted him in and placed their trust in him. He quoted sections of the Municipal Act when he failed to ensure proper policies were in place for good governance and he failed to ensure the financial status of the town was protected from abuse.

“I believe Reeve Emon let the taxpayers of Renfrew down and did not perform his role as outlined in Section 224 (Municipal Act),” he said.

“I am a manager in a multi-billion dollar corporation and if I neglected my duties and responsibilities like Reeve Emon and others, I would be fired.”

Let’s Move Forward

Coun. Dick, who came to the defence of Reeve Emon the previous meeting when the IC recommended council pass a motion ordering the reeve to publicly apologize, refused the recommendation because he would not force someone to say they were sorry. He also said he should share the blame for Ma-teway because he promised to have the Ma-te-Way project wrapped up long ago.

“Looking back, we can see that Mayor Sidney and Reeve Emon had a role in it, but let’s be honest, there were about 15 to 20 people who were guilty in what happened and I am man enough to include my name on that list because I am guilty,” he said. “We’ve been here over two years and it’s still not done. It’s too

bad we can’t turn the page on this.”

Reeve Emon has rarely mentioned the project in public as there is an active police investigation taking place to determine if criminal charges are forthcoming. He has stated he did not want to interfere and jeopardize any potential criminal or civil action being taken.

“When Coun. Cybulski approached me and asked me if it was okay to bring this forward, and I said ‘sure’,” as he smiled and looked at Coun. Cybulski. “I will continue to keep quiet until we see what is happening in terms of criminal charges.”

There was no hiding Reeve Emon’s displeasure towards Coun. MacDonald when he finished his prepared statement against the reeve. The two were engaged in what the IC called a “ tit-for-tat’ when both introduced motions against each other for the other’s removal from all assignments.

“There seems to be an inference that we are waiting on criminal charges, and it seemed to be tied to my name so I hope that was an accident and I trust it was an accident,” he said, looking across the table in Coun. MacDonald’s direction.

Coun. MacDonald immediately asked the chair to comment at which time he assured the reeve he was not making any allegations or innuendo towards him.

Mayor Sidney had the final word

and did his best to persuade all of council to move forward, not for themselves, but for the residents who put their trust in them when they voted them in.

“We have a year and a half to go and I will be honest when I tell you it has not been a great experience for me as mayor … and I thought this might be the opportunity to move ahead after the last council meeting,” he said. “My concern is where does it end … do we pick everybody apart and rip everyone apart because they may have done something based on information given to them and we are going to hold them accountable for life.

“Where does this end?” he asked.

“We have been here two and a half years and at what point do we say we are a team and we are going to work together, or are we going to spend the rest of the time picking each other apart. I just hope we can move forward working together.”

A recorded vote was requested and voting against re-installing Reeve Emon were Councillors MacDonald, Legris and McWhirter. Voting in favour were Councillors Cybulski and Dick along with Mayor Sidney and Reeve Emon resulting in a 4-3 vote.

Although the vote was 4-3 in favour, the motion was for a reconsideration of the original motion and it requires two-thirds majority (five votes in favour) and it did not pass.

Wrong use of taxpayers’ money

Dear Editor:

I must reply to the items in your paper regarding the enthusiastic promotion of the Bonnechere Cup Races at the Snowdrifters Activity Centre. Thank you to the volunteers and race committee members for removing the boards on the fence. They were indeed an eyesore as Mr. Clark suggested. The reeds and bullrushes that were cut down also greatly improved the appearance of the property.

I want to point out the taxpayers of North Algona Wilberforce (NAW) Township should also be thanked for the ongoing maintenance of this property and building. Residents of NAW Township learned in 2023, by reading the Eganville Leader , that our council members had purchased this property. At the October 17, 2023

council meeting, the Public Works superintendent gave a verbal report about the Snodrifters property. His concerns were about the propane lines, the electrical system, the septic system, roofing, etc. The public was not to be allowed in the building until after an inspection had been done.

The 2023 budget for NAW included $78,500 towards Snowdrifters. The 2024 budget for NAW included $101,764 towards Snodrifters. The August 27, 2024, NAW council minutes, items 9.3 and 9.4, describe a purchase of an “Emergency Back-up Liquid Propane Generator for $53,977.00 plus HST”, and “a high-capacity Anaerobic water (septic) Treatment System at a cost of $41,450 plus HST”, both to come from the 2024 capital budget.

The November 19, 2024, NAW council minutes, Item 7.16, states

that four toilets and five sinks have been replaced. The facility has a total of 11 toilets and 10 sinks.

My conclusion is the residents of North Algona Wilberforce Township need a huge thank you for their substantial contribution to the Snowdrifters facility. The council members of NAW are to be making informed decisions that benefit the residents of the townshp. It is difficult to determine how the council’s agreement for the Snodrifters property benefits the residents of this township.

It is my opinion that my property tax dollars should not be used to buy real estate. How many other endeavours in this township would like to be bailed out by the council and ratepayers of North Algona Wilberforce Township?

Margaret McLeod, Eganville

Four new SALCs announced for county

Pembroke -- Four new Senior Active Living Centres (SALC) were announced for Renfrew County last week by retiring MPP John Yakabuski. New SALC programs will be starting in Laurentian Valley and Greater Madawaska townships and at Pikwakanagan and Deep River. These are among the 100 new programs opening across the province this year to help improve seniors’ quality of life and build community engagement.

“The new Senior Active Living Centre will be a great addition for our seniors,” Mr. Yakabuski. Said. “It will offer seniors from the entire community the opportunity to stay fit, active, healthy and socially connected through various activities.”

SALC programs offer seniors and older adults learning opportunities such as financial management and elder abuse prevention and a variety of recreational and social activities including fitness, healthy

lifestyle and wellness classes that are important supports in communities.

The government remains

committed to better supporting Ontario’s aging population and the people who care for them by