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Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Coldest Night of the Year raises $41K, more donations welcome By Ron Giofu Amherstburg’s Coldest Night of the Year hasn’t hit its target yet but organizers are happy with where they’re at thus far. The event, which saw 2K and 5K portions, saw 125 walkers and 31 volunteers this year with the total monetary amount raised as of Monday afternoon being $41,129. That represents 82 per cent of The House Youth Centre’s goal, as The House was the local organizer and beneficiary of the local Coldest Night of the Year event. Program director Morghan Shearon said homelessness and hunger is an issue in this area, with the Coldest Night of the Year events geared towards organizations that can make a difference on that front. Shearon said she attended The House as a student as far back as 2010 and told the crowd the House has made a positive difference for her. “It was a place to be myself,” she said.
“I could be a messed up teenager. I got the support I needed.” After graduating from university with a Bachelors of Social Work, Shearon began work at a housing and homelessness organization where she learned that those issues are prevalent in Windsor-Essex County as is mental health. Shearon added the House has existed for over 50 years and has helped teens and adolescents sort through issues and get the support they need to navigate their youth years. “We’ve been doing this for 50 years and we want to do it for another 50 years,” she said. Shearon noted she is the only full-time staff with The House and most people who operate it are volunteers. She said they were thrilled to see the level of support at the Coldest Night of the Year.
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Walkers in the Coldest Night of the Year event leave the Amherstburg Community Hub Saturday evening. The event raised money for The House Youth Centre.
Town’s 2023 budget sees three per cent tax increase By Ron Giofu
Town council has deliberated its 2023 budget after several marathon sessions around the council table. Elected officials debated the operating budget last Tuesday night and all-day last Wednesday while capital budget deliberations were this past Monday night and resumed Tuesday. At the conclusion of the operating budget deliberations last Wednesday, the proposed tax rate increase had been
trimmed to roughly three per cent, down from the starting point of 4.23 per cent. That figure did not change after a four-hour debate Monday night during the first session on the capital budget, nor did it change when budget deliberations wrapped up Tuesday. The budget is scheduled to be formally passed March 13. Mayor Michael Prue said “we have done the right thing by this budget” and reduced the budget. He said they added and subtracted from the
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budget, and thanked administration for their “Herculean efforts” during the process. The three per cent increase translates into a $78 increase on a home valued at $250,000. Several big ticket items were approved as part of the capital deliberations, with the bulk of those approvals to come from one of the town’s reserve funds and grants. The bridge maintenance program will be funded to the tune of $200,000 while $290,000 will go towards a
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surface treatment program for three rural roads. A bridge on Concession 8 North will be replaced at a budgeted amount of $1.65 million while $3.9 million was earmarked for the rehabilitation of Concession 2 North, including bike lanes. Councillor Diane Pouget asked about timelines, given the fact residents in that area were inconvenienced for two years due to the bridge over the Long Marsh Drain taking a long time to repair.
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