Catégorie : Vision (Clarence-Rockland)

After taking their oath in front of a crowd of friends, family and municipal officials, the councillors offered their inaugural address, thanking residents for their votes and providing a brief outlook on the coming four years.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” said newcomer Simon-Olivier Péladeau-Houle, councillor for Ward 6. “After two long years of the pandemic, we have to continue building a strong and sustainable economy. It may be a long and difficult road but I think we have the best council to face the situation and work for the best interest of our community.”

Mayor Zanth addressed council for the first time as the elected mayor of Clarence-Rockland, setting the tone for his first full four-year mandate.

“I have never been so confident in the administration we have right now,” said Zanth. “Sometimes you get a good administration and a council that doesn’t listen, and sometimes you get a good council and an administration that doesn’t listen. But these next four years is a gold mine. This is where we have an outstanding administration and an outstanding council. We owe it to the municipality to make sure that we work together, and we do everything we can for the best interest of everyone.”

Stéphane Fournier, newly elected councillor for Ward 2, was not present for the inaugural meeting and will be sworn in at city hall on Friday.

Regular council meetings are scheduled to resume on Monday, November 21. Meetings are still being held virtual and are available live on the City of Clarence-Rockland Facebook page.

November 1 was the first board meeting for the new Board of Trustees at the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO). The board bid farewell to three trustees who didn’t seek re-election in the municipal election, and then discussed financial statements for last year as well as Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Trustees Ron Eamer, Paula Hart, and Board Chair Todd Lalonde left the board after not seeking re-election this fall. All three made a tremendous impact on schools across the CDSBEO, especially Eamer, who began his career in Catholic education 41 years ago. To celebrate his many years of service, he was presented with a framed letter of gratitude from the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association.

“Trustee Eamer, I want to thank you for the gift of generations, the oversight of governance which spanned over 40 years,” said Director of Education Laurie Corriga. “Trustee Hart, I want to thank you for the gift of timeliness at a time when your service was needed. Chair Lalonde, I want to thank you for your gift of leadership of the Board of Trustees during some of the most challenging times in recent memory. To all of the Trustees of the Board, I want to thank you for your good governance and unity in support of CDSBEO and Catholic education in the province of Ontario. I wish you all every blessing in the days ahead.”

The CDSBEO reviewed and approved the financial statements for the previous fiscal year, which spanned from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022. Total revenue was $207,200,000, and expenditures totaled $204,700,000. The surplus of $2,300,000 was attributed to transportation savings due to school closures, bell-time efficiencies, an increase in enrolment, and reduced travel and professional development under COVID. Speaking of which, COVID-related capital and operating expenditures totaled $5,500,000 which was funded by the Ministry of Education.

“As always, the Board strives to make the best use of its fiscal resources, to provide transparency and accountability with regard to the allocation of those resources, and to optimize resources in support of student achievement,” said Manager of Finance Traci Bloomfield. “As the GSNs are largely driven by enrolment, it is important to note that the Board has experienced a growth of approximately 144 FTE in 2021-2022 over the previous year’s enrolment.”

October is recognized as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the CDSBEO has partnered with ECNO (Educational Computing Network of Ontario) to teach students about safety, security, and privacy in an online setting. This year’s theme was “Be a Cyberhero!”, which focuses on protecting from phishers, scam artists, and other privacy threats.

“Along with the Cyber Awareness campaign, I was honoured to present information to our future leaders at the Student Senate on October 6, 2022,” said Chief Information Officer Steve Payne. “This presentation covered many relevant topics including how to recognize cyber threats, being aware of your digital footprint and how to curate it to establish a positive online presence.”

«Une communauté ne peut survivre sans ses bénévoles», a déclaré le maire Mario Zanth, l’un des orateurs invités lors de la réunion officielle du 50^e anniversaire du Club de Lions de Clarence Creek, le 12 novembre, dans la salle de la mezzanine de l’aréna de Clarence Creek.

«C’était génial, une très bonne participation», a déclaré M. Gaétan Pagé, l’un des membres fondateurs de la section de Clarence Creek du mouvement du Club de Lions International.

Le Club de Lions de Clarence Creek a reçu sa charte en 1970, son véritable anniversaire d’or a donc eu lieu en 2020. Mais c’était aussi l’année où la pandémie de COVID-19 battait son plein et où les grands rassemblements de personnes étaient déconseillés. Les Lions locaux ne voulaient pas se contenter d’un rassemblement d’anniversaire virtuel. Ils ont donc choisi d’attendre que les restrictions de sécurité sanitaire liées à la pandémie se relâchent, puis ils ont célébré cinq décennies de service public pour leur communauté.

La fierté de Clarence Creek

Roger Guindon, aujourd’hui décédé, a été la première personne à proposer la création d’une section locale du Club de Lions à Clarence Creek.

«Il pensait que nous avions besoin d’un club de bienfaisance dans la paroisse, a déclaré M. Pagé. Nous avons été le premier club (de service) formé».

Il a noté que d’autres clubs de service, comme les Optimistes, ont suivi les traces des Lions de Clarence Creek en s’établissant dans la paroisse de St-Félicité. Le Club de Lions original de Clarence Creek comptait 17 membres. M. Pagé est le dernier membre survivant du groupe initial de membres fondateurs.

Au fil des ans, les Lions de Clarence Creek ont concentré leurs efforts sur plusieurs projets majeurs au profit de leur communauté. Le premier projet a été le financement de la construction du centre médical de Clarence Creek, qui a ouvert ses portes en août 1973. Le centre médical, situé à l’intersection des rues Arena et Labonté, possédait un sous-sol aménagé qui abritait une petite pharmacie ainsi que des appareils à rayons X que les médecins pouvaient utiliser dans le cadre de leur travail de diagnostic.

En 1981, le Club de Lions a vendu son droit de propriété sur le bâtiment du centre médical aux médecins locaux et a investi cet argent dans son prochain projet majeur. Le club a acheté 50 acres de terrain et a construit un complexe d’un seul étage de 14 appartements pour personnes âgées sur Beauchamps Street. L’immeuble d’appartements, qui a ouvert ses portes aux locataires au milieu des années 1980, offre un lieu de vie aux personnes âgées à revenu fixe ou faible.

«Nous exploitons toujours l’installation», a déclaré M. Pagé, ajoutant que l’immeuble d’appartements est toujours plein et que le club a souvent une liste d’attente de 18 à 20 nouveaux locataires potentiels qui aimeraient emménager lorsqu’une unité se libère.

Au fil des ans, le Club de Lions de Clarence Creek a également organisé des événements récréatifs communautaires, comme le carnaval d’hiver de Clarence Creek, qui a débuté en 1971, et le derby de démolition annuel, qui a été un événement estival populaire pendant plusieurs années, jusqu’à ce que la pandémie le mette en veilleuse en 2020. Le club espère relancer le derby maintenant que les restrictions liées à la pandémie se sont atténuées.

L’un des projets de longue date du club est son tournoi de golf annuel, qui existe depuis 43 ans et qui se poursuit toujours. Ces dernières années, les recettes du tournoi ont servi à financer la construction du nouveau centre d’accueil Roger Séguin, un établissement de soins de longue durée pour personnes âgées. Le Club de Lions s’est engagé à fournir 50 000 $ pour ce projet et a jusqu’à présent versé environ 32 000 $ grâce aux recettes de son tournoi de golf.

Honneurs

La célébration d’un 50^e anniversaire implique des honneurs particuliers. Pour M. Pagé, le dernier membre du groupe fondateur initial, qui a occupé tous les postes de direction du club de Lions local au cours des cinq dernières décennies, la réunion d’anniversaire du 12 novembre lui a permis de recevoir la récompense Lions du demi-siècle pour ses plus de 50 années de service au sein du club local.

«C’était génial, a déclaré M. Pagé à propos de cette récompense. Ce n’est pas tout le monde qui reçoit une médaille de 50 ans» .

La soirée a également vu quatre Lions locaux recevoir la récompense Melvin Jones, du nom du fondateur du premier club de Lions, la plus haute distinction que le Club de Lions International puisse offrir à ses membres pour leur dévouement et leurs services à la communauté. M. Pagé, lui-même ancien lauréat, souhaite la bienvenue à ses collègues Lions, Jacques Duquette, Robert Pagé, Donald Lalonde et Donald Ouellette, dans les rangs des lauréats de la distinction Melvin Jones.

«C’est un privilège de recevoir cette récompense, a-t-il déclaré. Cela nous rappelle que le travail que chaque Lion accomplit est fait sans penser à une quelconque récompense».

Pour l’avenir, le club de Lions de Clarence Creek est toujours prêt à accueillir de nouveaux membres potentiels. Toute personne intéressée par le travail du club peut obtenir des détails à l’adresse www.clublionsclarencecreek.com.

Le Volant de Gatineau-Hull et les Rangers de South Grenville se disputent actuellement la première place au classement de la ligue, après 12 parties jouées, chaque équipe ayant remporté 10 victoires. Les Aigles de Saint-Isidore et les Rockets de North Dundas se disputent la troisième place au classement. Saint-Isidore et North Dundas ont chacun joué 13 parties et en ont remporté 10.  

Les Castors sont actuellement positionnés au milieu du classement.Leur dernier match, un dimanche soir à domicile contre les Rangers, s’est terminé par un score de 5-1 pour l’équipe visiteuse. Jacob Servant a marqué le seul but de Clarence Creek, avec l’aide de Xavier Brunet et Justin Nolan. Shane Morris et Carson Turner ont partagé les buts.  

Le prochain match au programme pour les Castors est le 20 novembre à Saint-Isidore contre Les Aigles.

The midweek game saw the Nats open up the scoring in the first period with Patrick Lanthier’s fifth goal of the season. However, the Nats wouldn’t hold on to the lead long after the Junior Senators capitalized on a powerplay off a bench penalty for too many men on the ice. Ottawa followed up with another powerplay goal four minutes later and an even-sided goal two minutes after that to make the score 3-1 Ottawa at the end of the second.

Adriano Lombardo-Tullo put another on the board, and his 10^th on the season, for the Nats before Charles Locas scored late in the game to bring it into a scoreless overtime, followed by a shootout. With none of the first nine shooters scoring, Ottawa’s Michael Hebert put away the final opportunity to give the home team the win.

On Remembrance Day, the Nats hosted the Carleton Place Canadians, to whom they lost 6-4 two weeks prior. Penalties were the theme of the game, more so than goals with the Nats serving 12 minutes and the Canadians 10 minutes total for the game. The Canadians were on the board first in the first period, but both teams took advantage of their opponent’s time in the penalty box, each scoring on powerplays in the second to make the score 2-1 Ottawa going into the third period. The final period did not see any goals until the final minute as the Canadians slid one into an empty net, securing the 3-1 victory.

The Nats now find themselves in fourth place with an 8-6-1-2 record (19 points) and with a game in hand over the third-place Hawkesbury Hawks. Rockland takes on the fifth-place Cornwall Colts on Thursday, followed by the second-place Navan Grads on Friday. The Nats defeated Cornwall 8-1 the last time the team met, but lost 6-1 to Navan during their last encounter.

The two Upper Canada District School Board schools collected donations for the food bank over the last two weeks of October. At the end of the month, they piled up the thousands of cans and boxes to build a bridge between the two schools, joining at their shared fence line.

« Giving back is an important part of life and incorporating that into learning opportunities for students is crucial for what it means to be part of a community and what it means to be a caring citizen, » stated RPS Principal Nichola Bond. « Throughout the project, students learned about teamwork and how they can make a difference directly within their community. It also demonstrated to students that giving back to a community doesn’t necessarily mean giving money, it can come in the form of food donations and volunteerism. »

Students of RPS really took to the community involvement and felt the warm glow of supporting and giving back to those in need.

“You never know what others are going through in their lives and it’s important for us to help them out and be kind,” saod Avni Arunkumar, a grade 6 student at RPS. “Because you don’t know what they’re going through and you don’t judge people if you’ve never been in their shoes before.”

At RDHS, students from the Link Crew, a leadership class for Grades 11 and 12 to assist younger students transition to life in high school, organized the food drive.

“We’re in a small town, so every donation and initiative helps our food bank and in turn those in our community,” stated Holly White, a Grade 12 student and Link Crew member at RDHS. “To raise awareness among our school community, we put up signs, made a post for our school’s Instagram, and promoted it on our morning announcements.”

« It’s really important in a small community to band together because when we can get a large social institution, like a school, to work together towards something it can be really impactful,” stated Grade 12 student and Link Crew member Dimitrie Menzies.

According to the announcement, Rogers’ clients in Wendover, Maxville, Greenville and Glen Robertson now have access to 5G mobile service, the latest and fastest cellular internet service currently available on the market.

EORN, a non-profit created to improve connectivity in rural Eastern Ontario, alongside members of the EORN Board of Directors, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MP Francis Drouin, Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MP Nolan Quinn, and Senior Vice-President and General Manger for Rogers Wireless Bart Nickerson made the announcement at the Maxville Fair Grounds.

“This is a project that started at the beginning of my parliamentary career,” said Drouin, who attended on behalf of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities Dominic Leblanc. “So, I’m here to actually say thank you to EORN, to the province, to the First Nations communities, and to Rogers for making this thing a reality.”

Multi-million-dollar investment

Improved connectivity comes as part the Cell Gap Project, a $300 million public-private partnership formed in 2021 between EORN, Rogers, and the Governments of Canada and Ontario to bring reliable wireless service to Eastern Ontario residents. The deal will see Rogers build 300 new towers (including co-locations) and upgrade more than 300 existing towers across 13 upper-tier municipalities from Coburg, Ontario to the Québec border, and from Renfrew County to Kingston. In total, the project is expected to improve access for 1.1 million people.

The provincial and federal governments each invested $71 million in the project. The Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC), which represents all the municipal and county governments in Eastern Ontario, invested $10 million and the remaining costs are to be covered by Rogers, who were selected through a competitive bidding process.

“This is the realization of a plan that began some eight years ago,” said J. Murray Jones, chair of EORN’s Board of Directors and Warden of Peterborough County. “It was all designed to improve connectivity for all of us, not just some of us, the whole Eastern Ontario region. Solutions starting to deliver improved cell coverage and quality for our residents, our businesses and our visitors as well.”

Services throughout the project area are set to improve progressively, with the goal of connecting 99 per cent of the rural population with voice calling services, 95 per cent with standard definition streaming capabilities and 85 per cent with high-definition capabilities by 2025. According to the EOWC, 40 per cent of residents in rural Eastern Ontario do not have high-definition capabilities, 20 per cent cannot access standard streaming services and a further 10 per cent don not even have voice calling services.