Catégorie : Vision (Clarence-Rockland)

Counties council gave unanimous consent during its May 8 committee of the whole session to have administration prepare a resolution for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) to join the growing protest against plans for Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to develop a nuclear waste disposal operation at its Chalk River facility in Deep River in Renfrew County, about 180 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.

The previous Harper Conservative government restructured Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. in 2015, creating the CNL subsidiary managed by a multinational consortium, which includes SNC Lavelin among its members. The CNL contract calls on the consortium to find “the fastest, most cost-effective means” for disposal of the nuclear waste at the Chalk River facility. The CNL plan would also handle waste disposal from other federal nuclear sites.

CNL wants to build a “near-surface disposal site” that includes a containment mound covering an area 27 acres in size with an elevation of 65 to 80 feet. The mound would contain about a million cubic metres of low-level nuclear waste that could also include some mid- and high-level waste, depending on whether CNL was successful at separating the materials.

The proposed site for the containment mound is over an active earthquake fault where the sub-surface rock is fractured and could allow any leachate to leak below ground into Perch Lake, which drains into the Ottawa River. CNL’s containment plan calls for putting the waste in a geomembrane and then covering that with layers of sand, stone, gravel, and top soil.

The City of Clarence-Rockland and the townships of Champlain, Alfred-Plantagenet and East Hawkesbury have already passed resolutions opposing CNL’s proposal.

The provincial government eliminated $17.5 million in tourism promotion assistance as part of its restraint plan to reduce this year’s provincial budget deficit. The decision will have an indirect impact on Tourisme Prescott-Russell Tourism (TPRT), the regional agency that works with and assists local tourism operators and festival organizers with promoting their events and attractions, but agency officials are not worried at present.

“We’re ready for summer,” said Mariève Desmarais, TPRT co-executive director, during a May 13 interview. “It (provincial cut) doesn’t affect us this year, as we planned ahead.”

Desmarais noted that the provincial funding cut to tourism promotion may have an indirect impact through the partnership arrangement that TPRT had with Ottawa Tourism for promotion of special events outside of the Greater Ottawa Area. Ottawa Tourism lost $3.4 million in provincial support fund, which represents 15 per cent of its original budget plan for 2019.

Ottawa Tourism officials reported to regional media that they may need to refocus the agency’s tourism promotion strategy and give priority to tourist attractions and events within the city which receive municipal government funding support. Events and attractions outside of Ottawa may receive limited or no tourism promotion aid.

Desmarais noted that TPRT’s tourism promotion strategy is secure for this year up to and including the end of the summer season in August. TPRT staff are reviewing the agency’s action plan now to determine how to adjust its strategy for next year if the provincial cut continues on tourism promotion support.

This is the slogan for the Conseil des arts Prescott-Russell arts council’s (CAPRAC) new online gallery. “Our vision is that the platform helps both establish emerging artists in the region and beyond and foster new opportunities to be showcased in physical venues in and outside our region,” said Shanna Steals, CAPRAC Executive Director.

The online gallery allows artists to submit their work to be showcased and sold directly through the website. A multitude of works of art will be included in the online gallery, such as visual art, fine craft, literature and music. This can range anywhere from paintings, to photography, to poetry, to jewelry and even to tickets for concerts and plays.

 The online gallery, which can be found at www.capracgallery.ca, was officially launched on Wednesday May 29 at the L’Orignal Old Jail. This project was made possible with a grant received from the Prescott Russell Community Development Corporation, in addition to the usual funding given to CAPRAC by the United Counties.