Catégorie : Vision (Clarence-Rockland)

These confidence-fraud scams accounted for the highest reported losses in seniors in 2020, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC). 

In these kinds of scams, criminals pose as family members or attorneys representing them and contact their marks by telephone to request bail money. A family member has been arrested, the criminals say, and needs help to get out of jail. Once the bail money has been promised, criminals arrange for a courier or rideshare driver to pick it up in person at the victim’s residence, and it is never seen again. 

The OPP urges people to be cautious, as it is almost impossible to track the money down once it has left the victim’s hands. Be careful when posting online, as information from social media can be used to convince potential victims that the caller knows them. Caller ID is not always reliable as there are tools that can disguise one number as another in a contact list. Be wary of calls that require immediate action without talking to the family member in question first. Never give information or money to someone known just from online contact or by phone. Always meet them in person to verify their identity. 

Anyone with information regarding any criminal activity should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477. Visit www.CrimeStoppers.ca for more information. Anyone who has been the target of a scam, should contact police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. 

September 8 saw the local candidates from Glengarry-Prescott-Russell take the stage to debate the election issues. Susan McArthur for the Conservatives, NDP Konstantine Malakos, Green Party’s Daniel Lapierre, and incumbent Liberal MP Francis Drouin each made opening statements, and then the questions began. 

McArthur focused on the Conservative plan to balance the budget and lower national debt without cuts to other areas. She said that supercharging the economy is the main goal, with a three-per-cent annual increase in productivity over 10 years, and that Canada will begin leveraging its natural resources to do so. Exporting natural gas, leveraging innovations in architecture and carbon capture, and investing in the domestic and immigrant populations are just some of the ways the Tories propose to increase productivity and the GDP per capita. 

Part of this plan also involves getting people back to work by getting them vaccinated, which starts at removing systemic barriers like mobility issues and disinformation, and by ensuring affordable childcare is available to everyone through a tax credit so parents can tailor childcare plans to their schedules. Another part is setting goals that the country can reach, such as lower carbon emission reductions targets. 

“[Canadians] are sick of having these pie in the sky targets that we can’t quite achieve and haven’t been able to achieve under a Liberal government,” she said. 

Malakos focused on improving Canada by paying attention to how the poorest person in the country is doing instead of the richest. He said Canada should work to lift people out of poverty by lowering the cost of living and increasing benefits, paid for by taxing the private companies who derived profit from the pandemic. Essential infrastructure should not rely on private companies, he said, Crown corporations should handle things like infrastructure, long-term care, and vaccine production. Private companies don’t have Canadians’ best interests at heart, they just want to make more money, which is why long-term care homes are underpaid and understaffed.à 

Malakos also said lowering childcare costs and building more infrastructure will ensure parents can get back to the workforce and raising wages will ensure they can afford a good living. Transferring money for healthcare and expanding healthcare services will take even more stress off families, which means more focus on environmental impact. 

Lapierre sees the pandemic and climate change as warnings from the planet that must be heeded proactively instead of reactionary. He noted the past six years have seen greenhouse gas emissions increase instead of decrease, but added there is no easy quick-fix to the problem. He said the country must stop continuing to invest in oil and gas and pivot to green energy, and build the infrastructure necessary to prepare when that pivot comes. He said Canada must also invest in more childcare infrastructure. 

Drouin spent most of the debate questioning the claims and refuting the attacks of the other candidates, including those concerning the public health safety and necessity of the election. He noted that several provincial elections have been conducted safely during the pandemic, and the federal election is necessary because the other parties refused to cooperate, “dragging their feet” on numerous occasions in Parliament. 

Drouin blamed the NDP for the lack of affordable childcare and he questioned the Conservatives’ costed platform, stating that economists agree that three-per-cent annual growth over 10 years is unrealistic. He also stated that the Liberal government has been investing in public infrastructure in places like Maxville and supporting the provinces for healthcare services, paying for 80 per cent of the bill during the pandemic, and the Liberals plan to invest more to support mental health and equalize healthcare on both sides of the Ontario-Quebec border. 

He disagreed that the Liberals are moving too slow on climate change and green energy, saying they want to put a $170/tonne tax on carbon emissions and electrify the infrastructure to ban gas cars, and he disagreed that long-term care isn’t a federal issue, especially when the Red Cross and the army are called in to help deal with it. 

The full debate can be found on RogersTV’s YouTube page. 

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.» 

Clarence-Rockland council approved a new policy on vaccination and COVID-19 safety during its September 8 regular session. The policy was originally scheduled for discussion and recommendation during the later committee of the whole session but council members all agreed to move the policy forward to the regular session for review and approval. 

The new policy follows the provincial public health safety guidelines for licenses daycare facilities set up during the pandemic. The  municpal policy requires that staff at the city’s daycare setups have either full vaccination against COVID-19 or else undergo regular « rapid antigen testing » on at least a weekly basis to determine whether or not they have contracted COVID-19. 

Council gave unanimous support to an amendment to the policy that will have the city cover the cost of the antigen testing for those daycare employees who, for various reasons, are not able to get vaccinated. 

Those who have a medical reason for not being vaccinated must provide a document signed by a doctor or a registered nurse stating the reason for not being vaccinated. Individuals who, because of their religious beliefs or other philosophical or ethical creed, must also provide a documented proof for their exemption from vaccination to the city’s human resources department. 

The department should also receive notices when individuals have to go for antigen testing, whether it is during regular work hours or after hours. The policy states that no one who has to undergo antigen testing will be able to do so whenever the appointment time is available and without loss of pay. 

All daycare staff will follow masking and personal hygiene demands while on duty, whether or not they are vaccinated. Staff will also tell their supervisor if they are experiencing any symptoms that may indicated COVID-19.