Catégorie : Tribune-Express (Hawkesbury)

Cougars travelled to Metcalfe Friday night to play last-place Jets. Cougars were losing 4-2 and came back to win 5-4 in overtime. Two goals came from team captain Mikael Bissonette and two more came from assistant captain Joshua Desjardins. A fifth goal came from the other assistant captain Eric Skyba.

“We were a little shaky but we have to give them credit,” said head coach Franky Dopelhammer. “For a last-place team, they played well and didn’t give us many openings. They capitalized on their chances. In the end, our guys pulled through and we won.”

On Sunday, a depleted Cougars team of 13 players, including one call-up, travelled to Cardinal Arena to face the South Grenville Rangers, currently standing at the top of the league on points.

Cougars took it to the Rangers, leading 5-2 after the second period. Rangers made a comeback in the third period, scoring four consecutive goals to win the game 6-5.

 Cougars currently have to deal with a few injuries. Some players also could not attend because they have high school exams, and one player, Brenden Easterbrook, was thrown out of the game because of a hitting from behind penalty. The Cougars finished the game with 12 players.

“In the third period, it was clearly fatigue that killed us,” said Dopelhammer. “We could see the guys were tired in the third. Our call-up, Edward Ranger, played super well. I was surprised to see how well he did.”

Treasurer Philippe Timbers and his staff go back to their desks and their calculators to work on a second draft of the 2023 municipal budget. Council has asked for three possible tax rate scenarios to help determine spending priorities for this year’s budget

« I am very confident that we will not be cutting services, » said Mayor Robert Lefebvre, following the end of the Thursday morning session of a two-day budget review.

« It’s the most challenging (budget planning) ever for municipalities in a long time, » Mayor Lefebvre said. « We’re all in the same position. We’re all having to deal with inflation. »

Timbers also noted that inflation presents the biggest challenge in working out the operations side of this year’s budget. Inflation is pushing up costs for all supplies and services, from asphalt to electricity, that municipalities need for their operations.

The first draft of the budget that council reviewed includes a total operations budget of about $24 million and a proposed capital works budget of about $13 million.

If the preliminary budget was approved, that would mean a 5.1-per-cent tax increase. For the average homeowner, with a house and land valued at $162,000, that would mean a $95 property tax increase.

Council directed Timbers and his staff to review all their information and develop three different scenarios for consideration during the next budget review session. The three scenarios are for a 2.95-per-cent, a 3.5-per-cent, and a 3.95-per-cent tax increase.

Council will review the second budget draft, with the three tax rate scenarios, February 13.

Hawkesbury council accepted a recommendation from administration to approve the new police services contract proposal during its January 12 session. The new cost for police services will now become part of the 2023 municipal budget discussions this month though Mayor Robert Lefebvre noted during a phone interview that it is not possible yet to say how the new police services contract will affect this year’s budget or any possible property tax increase.

“What we will have is our first ‘snapshot’ of the budget process,” he said, adding that council meets January 18 and 19 with administration and department directors to review operations and capital projects cost estimates included in the preliminary budget draft report.

The current two-year contract between the town and the OPP ended after December 31 2022. The OPP has continued to provide police services under the terms of the old contract until the new one was approved with the municipality.

Provincial guidelines for OPP service contracts now require a minimum three-year service period as part of the details of any new contract. Service terms for a contract can range from three years to six years, depending on the preference of the municipality.

Hawkesbury council accepted administration’s recommendation for a three-year term for the new contract between the municipality and the OPP. The cost of police services for the 2023 portion of the new contract will be $2,942,797.

Council approved Bylaw 5-2023, authorizing a new three-year contract with the OPP.

“I want to make Hawkesbury proud,” he said during a phone interview Monday. “I want Ontario proud. I want Canada to be proud.”

The owner and founder of the Artiste in Residence distillery (AiR) in Gatineau is happy to see the steel girders going up now on the Tupper Street site of the Hawkesbury addition to his craft distillery operation. The project is two years behind schedule because of the pandemic and some delays with provincial government permit approvals, but now Mantha is confident about seeing his new Hawkesbury operation ready to begin production of his signature gin, vodka, and whiskey by September this year.

“For me it’s good news,” he said, “because now we something going on, now we’re moving and things are going.”

Project schedule

The plan now is to see the main distillery building finished in July and the custom-made distillery equipment installed and ready to begin production by the end of August or the beginning of September. The equipment will be the same as is used at the Gatineau distillery. Mantha expects all of the equipment, made in Germany and China, should arrive on the project site in June.

Mantha emphasized that his Hawkesbury distillery is a multi-phase project that will take about 10 years to complete. First phase is setting up the main distillery facility and getting it operating. The following phases will see erection of additional buildings for storage and production and also for an on-site bistro-style restaurant with a greenhouse addition to provide fresh produce year-round for the menu, and a shop that will offer on-site sales of all the AiR products.

Mantha’s goal for his Hawkesbury operation is future production of the full line of spirits and liqueurs now available from his Gatineau operation. That includes gin, vodka, whiskey, and a variety of liqueurs. He plans to set up both a bottling and a canning operation at his Hawkesbury site. The canning operation will allow AiR to offer its own brand of soda and tonic for use in mixing drinks and also enter the growing market for blended liqueurs and spirits.

Destination business

During previous interviews, Mantha has stated that he wants his Hawkesbury distillery operation to be part of the community’s own destination tourism industry. The on-site restaurant and a planned distillery tour program are part of his plan for Hawkesbury AiR to become a local attraction for visitors.

His goal is for AiR to become known as Canada’s finest craft distillery. His future plans, once the Hawkesbury operation is in full operation, is to look at setting up another distillery in Vancouver, B.C. Later on he will look at expanding AiR’s production ability into the United States, starting in Pennsylvania, and in the future operations in Colombia and Mexico for rum and tequila.

Employment and investment

When all eight phases of the Hawkesbury distillery project are complete, Mantha estimated that the facility should employ between 60 and 75 people. A made-in-Hawkesbury AiR brand whiskey will be an important factor to the future success of the facility.

“I think whiskey is the future,” said Mantha, regarding his craft distillery plans.

He noted that the U.S., Scotland, and other countries have signature whiskeys famous throughout the world. Canada, he observed, does not have a signature whiskey of its own and he wants AiR to be the craft distillery that puts Canada on the list of premium whiskeys “at a reasonable price that people can enjoy.”

But a quality whiskey takes between three and five years to age before it is ready to market. So gin and vodka will be the first and main sale products during the first year or two of the Hawkesbury distillery’s operation. Whiskey production will begin this year but the resulting bottled product will go into storage for at least three years before going on the market.

The cost for the entire project is projected at between $20 million and $25 million. For now Mantha and his company are responsible for all of the investment costs but once the Hawkesbury distillery is in full production, Mantha will be open to outside investment in both the Hawkesbury facility and other future projects.

“Every three years I want to start a new distillery,” he said. “I like to build. I love what I do.”

Vankleek Hill Cougars win 6-0 against Metcalfe Jets and 5-2 against Gatineau Hull Volant, taking their win streak to three.

Cougars won 6-0 at home against the last-place Jets on Saturday, with team captain Mikael Bissonnette scoring a hat trick. Other goals came from Rowan McPherson, Eric Skyba and Alexandre Saul.

Cougars then travelled to Gatineau on Sunday afternoon to face off against the Gatineau-Hull Volant. Vankleek Hill conceded a goal in the first period, before scoring three in the second period to take the lead, and two more in the third to finish the game 5-2. Joshua Desjardins and Alexandre Saul both scored two goals, with Eric Skyba scoring one.

“The guys played really well and we’re very disciplined,” said head coach Franky Dopelhamer. “We need to keep up the winning streak. We aim to be more consistent.”