Catégorie : Tribune-Express (Hawkesbury)

More than five dozen students of Vankleek Collegiate Institute leave behind their alma mater and head out into the world.

« You are now on your way to new adventures and the choice is yours, » said Trustee Corina Parisien, representing the Upper Canada District School Board, during the June 27 graduation ceremony for Vankleek Collegiate Institute’s (VCI) Class of 2023.

VCI Principal Christie Walker observed that this year’s graduates over the past four years have had to deal with and adjust to several « new normal » versions their school life, before, during, and after the pandemic. She noted that, while scrolling through the school’s Facebook page, the one thing that impressed her the most was how this year’s graduating class learned and worked at « staying connected » with each other and the community during the lockdown and continued to stay connected after the public health restrictions were lifted and in-person classes and get-togethers outside of class were allowed again.

« The power of human connection is important for physical, social, and mental health, » she said, adding that « the key to connecting to others is connecting to yourself first » and also « deciding how you are going to show up in the world. »

« Stay connected, » Principal Walker said. « To your family, your friends, the community, and to yourself. »

Words of advice

Following the presentation of diplomas, certificates, and various scholarships and bursaries, graduates received a few final words of wisdom.

« This is a moment of reflection and celebration, » said Valedictorian Olivia St-Denis, adding that the years of the pandemic taught her and other students the power of perseverance in all things.

« We were challenged, physically, mentally, and emotionally, » she said, « but we came back stronger every time. »

In addition to being valedictorian for the Class of 2023, St-Denis is also VCI’s winner of the Governor General’s Academic Medal. Fellow graduate Jordan Anderson received the Ontario Principals Council Award, the Principal’s Trophy, and the Centennial Bursary.

Wall of Fame

Every year staff and students at VCI try to add a new name and face to the Wall of Fame display of past VCI alumni. This year’s addition is Dr. Ghislain Marleau, who offered a few observations to the Class of 2023.

« Being bilingual opens up so many doors, » said Dr. Marleau, noting that he is originally from the Village of St-Bernardin in what is now The Nation Municipality, and worked hard at his ability to work in both official languages. He credited his teachers at VCI with helping him work towards his goals and dreams.

« In the end, » he said, « being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind. »

“It was a wonderful day,” said Samme Putzel, of Excellent Events, the special event coordinating group for Champlain Township.

“There were lots of vendors and lots of things to see and do,” she said. “Everyone was very positive. People were so happy to be able to get out on the street again.”

Several dozen kiosks and booths lined up along Main Street from the High Street and County Road 10 intersection. During the morning and afternoon residents and visitors to the village enjoyed live entertainment courtesy of several local bands and dance groups.

“My grandmother always told me that ever since she was a girl, she’s always liked trees,” said the nine-year-old treeplanter.

“He came up with the idea of planting trees all over Vankleek Hill,” said Susie Fairbrother, Charlie Kazak’s grandmother, with a smile. “I’m a big advocate of planting trees, myself.”

Three years ago, Charlie first proposed his idea in a competition sponsored by the Review newspaper on how to make Vankleek Hill better. Then he set out, with the help of his grandmother, to make his idea a reality.

Now three years later, tree number 25, a lilac, was planted adjacent to Dr. Joanne Robert’s clinic located next to Mill Street Park. The treeplanting was part of the ceremonial end of the Charlie’s Tree Parade celebration during the May Day Festival in Vankleek Hill.

During the past three years, Charlie, with the help of his grandmother and others, has overseen the planting of more than two dozen trees, either conifer or deciduous, around the village. The trees include white pine, sugar maple, spruce, and weeping willow.

Potential sites are scouted out and either the municipality or the landowner contacted for permission to plant a tree. It is a rare thing when Charlie is refused, and the common reason is that the site owner does not think the location is quite suitable.

With tree 25 planted, Charlie is already thinking ahead to the next location for one of his trees.

 “I want to eventually plant 200 trees, or more,” he said, adding that his own personal career goals include: becoming a professional treeplanter, becoming a writer, and working as a detective.

“Our goal is to help the Main Street area become more green,” said Susie Fairbrother. “It all helps make Vankleek Hill greener, one tree at a time.”

Pre-trial hearings for the Québec doctor who worked at the HGH wrapped up las Friday, May 12, following two weeks of the court reviewing evidence and testimony from Crown counsel. The court ruled that enough evidence was presented to warrant Nadler going to trial on four counts of murder.

Dr. Brian Nadler was first charged with the first-degree murder of Albert Poidinger, 89, in March 2021. Nadler was later charged with the deaths of Claire Brière, 80, Lorraine Lalande, 79, and Judith Lungulescu, 93, who are all said to have died around the same time.

Nadler’s lawyer, famed criminal defence counsel Brian Greenspan, maintains his client’s innocence, stating that all of his patients died from COVID-19. Nadler scheduled to appear at the L’Orignal court again on May 26. A trial date has yet to be set.

During a special session May 2, GSLR council voted to reaffirm its opposition to Canada Carbon’s proposal for its Miller Graphite Project and to lobby the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (CPTAQ) to reject the company’s application for approval of a non-agricultural use for the property.

In its May 2 resolution, GSLR council restated its concern that the project « will have a negative effect on the existing (sugar) maple resources and those under development both on the territority of the local municipality and in the region » and also that council worries about the impact the proposed graphite mine operation could have on local water sources and other environmental and community concerns.

Council’s resolution included approval to appoint Trivium Avocats Notaires as the municipality’s legal representative when the application matter comes before the CPTAQ « and to recommend any additional steps necessary for the debates potentially to come before the CPTAQ. »

Canada Carbon wants to develop its Miller property in the GSLR area to supply graphite for use in the nuclear power industry. The company’s application for permission to use the property for non-agricultural purposes dates back to 2016. The municipality’s objection to the proposal began in December 2017 with a resolution objecting to the company’s original application, arguing that it « did not comply » with the legal requirements that applied then.

Canada Carbon issued a news release May 4, stating that it is « disappointed » with the municipality’s resolution asking the CPTAQ to reject the company’s application for a non-agricultural use permit. The company also stated that council « failed in fulfilling its only required obligation » under current provincial policies dealing with land use applications to the CPTAQ. Canada Carbon stated that the municipality’s sole obligation is to state whether or not the Miller Graphite Project conforms to municipal zoning regulations.

More than two dozen volunteers gathered at the Côte de l’abattoir in Hawkesbury to take part in a mutual cleanup of the shoreline on both sides of the river. The Ottawa Riverkeeper environmental group organized the event in partnership with the three member regions of the Pacte d’Amitié.

More than 1000 pounds of trash was collected, preventing it from entering the Ottawa River. The event also celebrated the three-year partnership between Ottawa Riverkeeper and Argenteuil, Papineau, and the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR), the members of the Pacte d’Amitié.

 “It is with great gratitude that I thank all the participants who made these cleanups a real success on both sides of the River,” said UCPR Warden Normand Riopel of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell.

Saturday’s activity was the end result of several years of collaboration between all the partners. Over the past three years, cleanups have been organized in all three regions, mobilizing and motivating local involvement. The mutual goal is to both engage in local conservation and environmental protection of the Ottawa River shoreline areas and serve as a united lobby to the Ontario and Québec provincial governments for greater emphasis on policies to protect local waterways.

“It is a pivotal time for environmental and water protection,” said Laura Reinsborough, Ottawa Riverkeeper chief executive officer. “Although the Ottawa River may act as a natural border separating Quebec and Ontario, it unites the people that live along it. We must come together to protect what we love, and we can’t let boundaries divide us. The regions of the Pacte are blazing a trail for others to follow by demonstrating how working together despite belonging to different communities is beneficial for all.”

Ottawa Riverkeeper promotes a view of water protection that takes in the entire Ottawa River watershed and the communities within that region. In a connected river system, what happens in one area of the watershed can affect the communities downstream. The conservation group credits the Pacte d’Amitié for serving as an example of what can be achieved to protect the environment by reaching across municipal and provincial boundaries.

Though well below the historic flood levels of 2017 and 2019, some property owners along the river from Ottawa to Hawkesbury were still forced to take action and protect their homes from the swelling river. Streets like Voisine Road and Wilson Road in Clarence-Rockland bore the brunt of the river’s expansion.

In Champlain Township, Montpetit Road in L’Orignal has a couple of very large and deep temporary ponds in the middle of the road where the subsurface groundwater bubbled up because of rising river.

With the wettest weather behind us, the river is expected to begin receding, but officials warn that levels could remain well above normal levels for some time.

« Levels and flows have peaked in all locations between Mattawa and Hawkesbury/Grenville and are slowly declining, » the Ottawa River Regulation Board said in a statement Monday, May 8. “For the Ottawa-Gatineau to Grenville-Hawkesbury river reach, levels are expected to decline between 30 and 40 cm over the next four days.”

With expected temperature highs in the low to mid-twenties for the coming week and little to no chance of precipitation, risk of further flooding is certainly diminished, though residents are asked to continue being vigilant.