Catégorie : Tribune-Express (Hawkesbury)

  • New CV19 limits on all private parties in Ontario

    New CV19 limits on all private parties in Ontario

    The provincial government set new lower limits September 18 on the number of people who can attend private parties or organized public events as part of an effort to curb the recent rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. Those limits were just for the Ottawa, Toronto, and Peel health regions, which have seen serious increases in their case numbers, but as of the September 19 weekend the limits will apply to all of Ontario.

  • Montebello Packaging and USW strike new deal

    Montebello Packaging and USW strike new deal

    The United Steelworkers Canada Local 6565 (USW) voted to ratify a new four-year agreement with Montebello Packaging in Hawkesbury. The USW issued a news release September 14 announcing the deal.

    The new agreement reverses the two-tier wage system the company had for employees at the plant and provides for pay increases for many of the workers that will range from $3 to $7 more per hour by the end of the four-year term of the contract. All workers will also get a two-per-cent annual wage increase over the term of the deal.

    “This contract provides well-deserved improvements,” stated Marty Warren, USW Ontario director, “recognizing the fact that the employees are, first and foremost, the people who contribute the most to the company’s success.”

    The USW and the company both agreed to negotiate a new contract “well in advance” of the January 2021 expiry date for the current contract. The new contract takes effect from February 1, 2021, to January 31, 2025.

    Reversal of the two-tier wage system was one of the main issues during discussions between the two sides. Under the system, the newer hires were on a lower pay scale compared to other workers. The company indicated it will be hiring new workers in the near future.

    Other features of the new agreement include benefits like introduction of a prescription drug care with “a significant increase in coverage” for employees and their dependents, and dental plan enhancements.

    Montebello Packaging makes aluminum, laminate, and plastic packaging for pharmaceuticals, personal care, cosmetics, household industrial, and food products.

  • Montebello Packaging and USW strike new deal

    Montebello Packaging and USW strike new deal

    The United Steelworkers Canada Local 6565 (USW) voted to ratify a new four-year agreement with Montebello Packaging in Hawkesbury. The USW issued a news release September 14 announcing the deal.

  • UCDSB presents revised return to school guide

    UCDSB presents revised return to school guide

    Trustees for the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) received the revised Return to School Guide from administration during a September 2 special teleconference session of the board. The guide was updated to cover new education ministry directives received during the previous two weeks and also advice from the chief medical offers from each of the Eastern Ontario regional health units where UCDSB schools are located.

  • Digital business help program launched

    Digital business help program launched

    The United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) launched the Prescott and Russell E-Business Grant Program (PREB) to assist small-and medium-sized businesses (SME) in the region. The new grant program is created through a partnership between the UCPR and the municipalities of The Nation and Casselman, the townships of Alfred-Plantagenet and Russell, the City of Clarence-Rockland, the Town of Hawkesbury, the Prescott-Russell Employment Services Centre (CSEPR), the Hawkesbury Industrial Investment Association, Caisse Desjardins Ontario, the Eastern Ontario Training Board, and the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation. Credit also goes to the Rural Oxford Economic Development Corporation for advice on setting up the program.

  • Talk to Doctor Paul

    Talk to Doctor Paul

    “Due to popular demand,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, with a smile during a recent teleconference with local media.

  • L’Orignal Beach closed to public

    L’Orignal Beach closed to public

    The closure took effect August 27. Champlain Township posted a notice on its municipal website stating that the closure is for reasons of public health safety.

  • Regional economic recovery plan launched

    Regional economic recovery plan launched

    Carole Lavigne, economic development and tourism director for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR), announced the Prescott-Russell COVID-19 Response and Economic Recovery Plan (RERP). The 14-page document outlines the strategy that the UCPR and its eight member municipalities can use to help local and regional economies recover from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • MP surprised but supports proroguing of Parliament

    MP surprised but supports proroguing of Parliament

    “If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t hit,” said Drouin during a Thursday (August 20) phone interview, “I would have said it was a bad move.”

  • Wardens caucus lobbies for economic priorities

    Wardens caucus lobbies for economic priorities

    This year’s Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) conference August 17 to 19 was in virtual form as delegates met via electronic teleconference with provincial ministers and other government officials, including members of the NDP caucus which leads the Official Opposition.