Catégorie : Tribune-Express (Hawkesbury)

Residents of Hawkesbury, East Hawkesbury, and Champlain Township are invited to bring items to the collection point at the Hawkesbury Sewage Treatment Plant, located at 815 Main Street East in Hawkesbury.  

Proof of residence will be required, and all public health regulations must be followed. Everyone must wear a mask and follow social distancing rules, and waste items are to be placed in the trunk or truck bed for easier offloading. 

Accepted products include pesticides and garden products, air fresheners, dry cell batteries, disposable butane lighters and cylinders, gas cylinders, fluorescent light tubes, energy-efficient light bulbs, photographic chemicals, lighter fluids, propane canisters, swimming pool chemicals, pharmaceutical products, and personal care products such as nail polish remover. Automotive and garage products, paints, solvents and glue products and household cleaning products, including ammonia-based products, chlorine bleach, disinfectants and drain decloggers are also accepted. 

They will not be accepting PCBS, commercial, industrial, radioactive, explosive or medical waste, unknown waste, or tires of any kind. 

For more information, call the municipal office. 

L’élection surprise très controversée ayant eu lieu et le statu quo n’ayant pas changé, les gens se demandent que faire maintenant. Le gouvernement fédéral n’a pas changé de mains, restant une minorité libérale, et la pandémie est toujours aussi forte. Les maires de huit municipalités de l’est de l’Ontario se sont exprimés sur les enjeux locaux les plus importants. 

L’infrastructure a été le principal sujet de discussion des maires. La mairesse Paula Assaly de Hawkesbury, le maire Robert Kirby de Hawkesbury Est, le maire Pierre Leroux de la municipalité de Russell, le maire Normand Riopel du canton de Champlain et le maire Daniel Lafleur de Casselman ont tous cité l’infrastructure comme leur principale préoccupation. Les routes et les ponts doivent être réparés et l’argent n’est tout simplement pas là sans l’aide du gouvernement fédéral. Les prix sont élevés en ce moment en raison de la pandémie, et rien n’est fait pour les faire baisser. Ajoutez à cela l’énorme projet de centre de distribution qui nécessitera l’extension de l’eau et de l’électricité au sud de la 417, et l’infrastructure est facilement la plus grande préoccupation immédiate. 

Mais l’infrastructure physique n’est pas tout. Mme Assaly, le maire de Clarence-Rockland, Mario Zanth, et le maire d’Alfred-Plantagenet, Stéphane Sarrazin, ont tous mentionné que l’Internet haute vitesse était une de leurs préoccupations, d’autant plus que ce projet est en cours de réalisation depuis un certain temps déjà. En plus d’être une amélioration considérable de la qualité de vie, l’Internet haute vitesse permettrait à un plus grand nombre de personnes de travailler à partir de leur domicile, ce qui réduirait le stress et stimulerait l’économie. Même à Hawkesbury, qui dispose déjà de Bell Fibe, le service est coûteux et n’est pas aussi répandu qu’il pourrait l’être. 

Mme Assaly, M. Zanth, M. Sarrazin et le maire de La Nation, François St. Amour, ont également mentionné qu’ils aimeraient voir davantage de logements abordables dans la région. Il est important de relancer l’économie, et les emplois sont là, mais il n’y a tout simplement pas assez de gens pour les occuper tous. Un plus grand nombre de logements abordables attirerait les gens dans la région et leur permettrait d’occuper les postes vacants. 

M. Kirby a été le seul à évoquer la fin de la pandémie. «Je sais que tout le monde essaie d’aider, mais il semble que nous fassions un pas en avant, puis un autre en arrière, a-t-il déclaré. Je ne veux pas être complètement négatif, mais les progrès sont lents, et nous avons besoin que les gens coopèrent si nous voulons qu’ils s’accélèrent. Ce n’est pas seulement le gouvernement, ce n’est pas seulement les soins de santé, mais tout le monde doit travailler en équipe.» 

The issue came up during council’s June 28 session and administration was directed to review the situation. A report presented during the September 13 council session stated that the municipality at present has adequate legal means to deal with abandoned or derelict properties that have been vacant for a long period of time. 

« The abandoned house problem is not unique to Hawkesbury, » the report stated. « It only takes a quick search to realize that most municipalities in Ontario, and even (elsewhere in) Canada are faced with this dilemma. » 

The town keeps track of some vacant or derelict properties in cases where there may be concerns about building code issues, poor maintenance of the property, or unpaid property taxes. At present there are four properties in Hawkesbury identified in municipal files as « abandoned or boarded up ». Two are listed for unpaid taxes, but one has a notice in its file that a private sale may soon occur, while the other one has one year of taxes in arrears. The other two are both up to date on property tax payments. 

The town has the authority to deal with abandoned houses where public health and safety is at risk or where poor property maintenance is involved. Both situations involve inspections as part of the review process for either a demolition order or a demand for the property owner to deal with any problems or face legal penalties. The town can also act if a suspect abandoned house has unpaid property taxes and the owner shows no sign of planning to deal with the taxes in arrears. 

The report noted that the Toronto has a vacant home tax policy and that Ottawa is also considering such a policy, but smaller municipalities like Hawkesbury may not resources, both staff and financial, to pursue that kind of policy. 

Council accepted the report’s conclusion that the municipality should continue to use existing policies and be vigilant to deal with any abandoned house issues. 

« Once the legal process starts, » said Councillor Antonios Tsourounakis, « we can sometimes get results. It is still worthwhile to chase down these abandoned buildings (owners). This does reflect upon our community. » 

Plus de 5 500$ ont été recueillis lorsque 97 conducteurs de véhicules hors route se sont réunis à Plantagenet, le 11 septembre. Paul Taylor, qui a coordonné la randonnée avec son épouse Nicole, a déclaré que tous les fonds recueillis seront versés à Autism Ontario East Region. 

Les participants se sont rassemblés à la Place 1967, un restaurant et un hôtel de Plantagenet, et ont emprunté les sentiers entretenus par l’Ontario Federation of All-Terrain Vehicle Clubs (OFATV), à l’est de l’autoroute 417, à 10 h. L’événement était une chasse au trésor, et les participants ont cherché le long des sentiers des points de repère et des éléments bonus cachés. On pouvait gagner des points en prenant des photos des objectifs et en les publiant sur la page Facebook du groupe, en formant et en nommant un groupe de coureurs et en créant un panneau ou un drapeau à exhiber. 

L’événement a permis de récolter un total de 5 615$. 

« We’re here to have a nice get-together, » said Doris Desbiens, who rode in from Alexandria and helped with coordiating the first official rally meet-and-greet between the Ottawa chapter of LITAS and three of the Eastern Quebec chapters of the international fellowship of women motorcycle enthusiasts. 

« The LITAS are focused on building local communities of women who share the love of two wheels, » states the group’s mission statement at www.thelitas.com. « We welcome women from all walks of life, we are inclusive and celebrate our differences as come together over our shared passion for motorcycles. We are here for the freethinkers, the adventurers, and the women who unapologetically themselves. » 

The Saturday morning gathering at the Tim Horton’s in Vankleek Hill over the September 25 weekend saw more than five dozen women meet and mingle, share smiles, and hugs as they met in person, many for the first time, with one thing in common. They all love motorcycles, whether the standard two-wheel machine or the more modern and futuristic models like the three-wheeled Spyder or Ryker. 

« It’s all a matter of choice, » said Isabelle Jacques, spokeswoman for the Laurentides chapter of LITAS. « Me, I like a Harley, » she added, with a smile. 

After about half an hour of waiting for everyone to arrive, and a group photo shoot, the LITAS all mounted up and rode out of the parking lot for the start of rally run through Prescott-Russell, finishing their gathering in Hawkesbury where everyone shared last farewells before heading home. 

« This is a success, » Desbiens said about the event, before she left on the rally run. « This should become an event that we’ll be doing every year. » 

Next year the gathering may be in Quebec. But wherever they meet, the LITAS will be true to the goal of their fellowship. 

« We inspire and empower women by showing them they can do whatever they set their mind to, » states the LITAS mandate, « whether that’s riding a motorcycle, or building an empire. We aren’t afraid to go against the grain and shatter stereotypes in the process » 

Le 23 septembre, de 15 h à 17 h, les CUPR organiseront un nettoyage des berges à l’extrémité nord du chemin Presqu’ile, à Lefaivre. Le nettoyage est organisé en partenariat avec la MRC d’Argenteuil, la MRC de Papineau et Sentinelle Outaouais, qui ont pris un engagement appelé Accord d’amitié, visant à protéger la rivière des Outaouais et ses affluents de la pollution. Cet événement s’inscrit dans la continuité de cet accord. 

«Il s’agit d’une occasion fantastique pour tous les résidents de la région de poser des gestes concrets pour préserver notre magnifique rivière, a déclaré Stéphane Sarrazin, président des Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell. Grâce à l’application mobile iCollect, il est également possible de nettoyer soi-même une rive à tout autre moment et de suivre la quantité de déchets ramassés directement depuis un smartphone.» 

Al Harrington and Jessica-Lee Dinovitzer, along with Al’s 13-year-old son, Nation, are walking from Kanehsatake to Sault Ste. Marie. They’re making a pilgrimage to the former site of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School, which was closed in 1970 and turned into the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre. They passed through Vankleek Hill September 10 on their way to Rockland and Orléans. 

Harrington was born in 1976 and was part of the 60s Scoop, a period when Canadian legal policy allowed child welfare authorities to take Indigenous children away from their families for adoption by white families. The Scoop began in the 1950s and continued into the 1980s. 

“It’s to honour the children that ran away and made it back, and to honour those that never did,” Harrington said, during a phone interview. “My son’s great-grandfather and uncle, they were boys who ran away and made it back. If they hadn’t, he might not exist today. Every little step that we take towards Sault Ste. Marie, that’s what my mind is on, and I’m sharing that with my boy while he’s taking this journey with me.” 

The group has walked more than 150 kilometres from Kanehsatake to Ottawa. Their goal of Sault Ste. Marie is still almost 800 kilometres away, and the trip has been hard on them. Aches and pains plague their feet, and their progress has been slow. 

“My son is 13 years old, he’s still a teenager, and 20 kilometres is about how far he can go before he starts to get tired,” Harrington said. “We really want to continue, but we don’t want to have these injuries for the rest of our lives. Once we touch Parliament with our wagons, we reach one of our halfway goals, and then we can decide after that. It all depends on tomorrow night.” 

Even if they must stop, the experience so far has been encouraging for them all. 

“We’ve had people stop on the highway and offer food and water, see If we’re okay,” Harrington said. “In the communities, people have run out to see what we’re doing and what’s been happening. Less than a handful of idiots, and everyone else has been learning. One of our major stops was in Alfred at the reform school, and a lot of the residents there didn’t even know about the history of the place. It’s all been about getting the history out.” 

The group is collecting donations along the way, in person and online, to help pay expenses for the trip and to construct a monument called ‘Every Child Matters’ once they reach Sault Ste. Marie. Any leftover funds will be donated to groups in support of residential school survivors, chosen by Harrington and his son Nation after the trip is completed. Donations can be made through Harrington’s Facebook, GoFundMe, or email transfer to harringtonma@hotmail.com. 

The Vankleek Hill Business and Merchant Association (VKHBMA) has received a grant from Digital Main Street’s Ontario Grants Program. The grant, totalling $9,775, will be used to hire a Digital Service Squad (DSS) that will aid small businesses in digitally transforming their sales, marketing, and office operations. 

“Having someone on our team to visit businesses and to help them apply for funds to move ahead with digital initiatives is a tremendous boost for the small enterprises in our town,” said Louise Sproule, VKHBMA president. “Small business owners are always busy and having help to move ahead in digital directions is meeting a demand on everyone’s wish list.” 

The Digital Service Squads consist of trained specialists who, at no cost to local businesses, meet with them and assess their online presence. They help business owners build a website if they don’t already have one, set up a Google MyBusiness Profile, and look at any social media the business may already have. They then construct a Digital Transformation Plan (DTP) to summarize work that needs to be done that may be outside their scope of work, and introduce business owners to online training modules to help make it happen. They also assist business owners in applying to a one-time grant of $2500. 

In places where COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, the DSS can provide support online and over the phone as well. The squad’s work began in August and will continue through to the end of October.