Catégorie : Vision (Clarence-Rockland)

The government has announced that as part of the Community, Culture and Recreation Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, almost $40,000,000 will be given to renewal projects across the province of Ontario. Among these projects is a grant that will be given to Tucker House in Clarence-Rockland. 

The federal government will provide $85,990 to the landmark, and the provincial government will provide $71,651. This together with $57,334 to be provided through Clarence-Rockland’s budget will fund safety and accessibility improvements to the Tucker House Renewal Centre, including preventative fire measures, durable driving surfaces, accessibility ramps and renovated washrooms. 

There is no word yet on when the improvements will commence. 

Lors de sa réunion ordinaire du 7 mars, le conseil municipal de Clarence-Rockland a voté pour approuver la création du Fonds du maire afin d’offrir des possibilités de financement aux organismes de services locaux. 

Le tournoi de golf du maire a permis de recueillir des fonds pour des bourses d’études pour les jeunes dans les sports de compétition, les arts et les activités culturelles, ou pour offrir une entrée gratuite aux activités familiales organisées par la Cité de Clarence-Rockland.

Désormais, davantage d’activités de collecte de fonds seront organisées, l’argent collecté par le Fonds du maire étant distribué en fonction des demandes, plutôt que le système actuel où le tournoi de golf du maire choisit lui-même les bénéficiaires. 

Last year the Village of Alfred celebrated its 150th anniversary. This year will be the 25th anniversary for the Township of Alfred-Plantagenet. 

The township was created during the amalgamation process that the Harris Progressive Conservative government set up for many municipalities throughout Ontario. The townships of Alfred and North Plantagenet and the villages of Alfred and Plantagenet were amalgamated on January 1 1997 as the new Township of Alfred-Plantagent. 

Township council reviewed and approved a report from Parks and Recreation Director Ken St-Denis during its April 20 committee of the whole session. St-Denis outlined the plans for celebrating the township’s silver anniversary. 

A budget of $15,000 is provided for the programme. A list of a dozen activities was included in the report, most of them taking place as part of the municipality’s Canada Day celebration over the July 1 long weekend. 

Artists wanted 

The township’s art, culture and heritage committee is organizing a contest to create a display of local artworks by residents of Alfred-Plantagenet. Some of the pieces would become part of an exhibition display in the conference room at the municipal office in Plantagenet. Other pieces may become part of the decor for various other 25th anniversary celebration events. 

Details for submission of pieces to the committee will be posted on the municipal website. The committee will also make provisions for local artists to offer their display pieces for sale. 

Anniversary logo 

Township staff are working on a special anniversary logo for display throughout the municipality during the year. The Silver Anniversary logo will be temporary for this year and not become a replacement for the township’s usual municipal logo. The final version of the anniversary logo will be unveiled later this month. 

The township will also have a variety of anniversary banners and posters on display this year. These posters and banners will not include the anniversary logo so that they can be reused as part of the township’s seasonal displays in later years. 

Silver anniversary events 

Township staff will work with the Lefaivre Lions Club, which is the annual host for the municipality’s Canada Day celebration. This year’s long weekend activities will include a few activities oriented towards the silver anniversary. 

One highlight for this year will be the return of the annual Canoe and Kayak Race along the Ottawa River from Treadwell downstream to Lefaivre. The township fire department is organizing the event for July 1. 

The Wendover Optimist Club will host a community ball tournament in August at Denis St-Pierre Park. The club hopes to have men’s and women’s teams entered from each of the villages in the township. 

The municipal parks and recreation department and the economic development and tourism department are co-organizing a 25th Anniversary Golf Tournament at The Nation Golf Club in Curran on September 8. The preliminary plan is to have a pre-game breakfast session for participants, with tee time scheduled for later in the morning and the tournament finishing at 3 p.m. 

Awards for excellence 

The economic development and tourism department will organize an evening celebration of excellence for local entrepreneurs October 13. Details of time and location will be announced at a later date along with information on how to nominate a local business for recognition. 

The following month will see local volunteers receive recognition for their efforts on behalf of the community. The Recreation Advisory Committee is working on details for a Volunteer Recognition Evening event November 6. The municipal social committee is also working on a Recognition and Appreciation Event November 10 at the Lucien Delorme Community Centre in Wendover for employees of the township and for former mayors and council members who have served the township since its creation. Invitations for both these events will go out in June. 

« I am very aware that, geographically, 80 per cent of the riding is agricultural, » said Riden, during an interview at The Grand Barn, his family farm in East Hawkesbury Township. « I want to be able to speak to and for the farmers. » 

Riden, 40, has lived in the Prescott County area almost all of his life. His family moved to the area when he was six and he attended high school at Vankleek Collegiate Institute. After graduation he went to Ottawa to attend Carleton University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in law and a bachelor’s degree in integrated science, with a focus on genetics. 

His main interest is in agriculture but he thinks have at least a paralegal-equivalent expertise in law is a benefit. He works at the Harmony Gardens market garden in Dalkeith and is in the process of transforming the family farm into a large-scale community garden site open to any community groups, school classes, or individuals who want to set up a community garden project. 

« It was never a dream of mine to get into politics, » he said, regarding his decision to become the Green Party candidate for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell in the June 2 provincial election. 

His community garden project at The Grand Barn became the first step towards his Green Party candidacy. He began that project two years ago soon after the pandemic began. Riden began following reports about how the pandemic was interfering with supply chains for some products and he thought that turning some of his unused farmland over to other groups to start community gardens would be a good way to help some local families deal with their food needs. 

The local food bank was one of the first to take Riden up on his offer of community garden space. There are now six garden plots tended by food bank volunteers to grow fresh produce for later distribution at harvest time to food bank clients. Several other groups and individuals have adopted garden plots at The Grand Barn, for a total of 20 small community gardens. 

After getting the community garden project started, Riden became involved with EcoEast, the regional non-profit group dedicated to fostering awareness of climate change and lobbying local municipalities and regional governments to create and enforce their own action plans to address potential climate change issues in Eastern Ontario. 

During one meeting of EcoEast there was discussion about the upcoming provincial election and the lack of a local candidate for the Green Party. During his own research Riden noted that the Green Party’s campaign platform covered other issues beside the environment and applied to become the party’s GPR candidate. 

« I want to go door to door now, » Riden said, adding that he wants to explain to local voters how the Green Party would address issues like health care services support, making mental health services eligible for coverage under the provincial health insurance program, and promoting support for more public transit and affordable housing. 

More information on Riden and the Green Party is at:

https://gpo.ca/candidate/thaila-riden/. 

Amanda Simard, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell (GPR), announced her re-election campaign with a bang at the opening of her new campaign office in Embrun. A crowd of voters attended the event to show their support for Simard, as well as MP Francis Drouin, former Liberal MP Don Boudria, and Jean-Marc Lalonde, a retired GPR politician with many years of provincial political experience. 

“It’s with courage that she has represented the people of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell at Queen’s Park ever since [being elected],” said Boudria. “So today we are here of course for the official opening of the campaign headquarters, but we are more here for the official opening of the re-election of Amanda, because she will be re-elected, and she will continue to stand up for the people of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.” 

“It’s been a pleasure to be here today. I love a campaign,” said Lalonde. “You have to make sure that everybody understands your program. I always said, we don’t only criticize what they have done, we have to promote our program. That is very, very important.” 

“We just need help. It’s simple, a campaign is very simple,” said Drouin. “It’s about knocking on doors, talking to people, identifying your vote, and getting that vote out, and it matters if it comes close.” 

Amanda Simard herself was the last to speak, thanking the veteran politicians for being there. “I have some absolutely outstanding predecessors, and they are known throughout the province. Everyone knows our riding because of our distinguished MPs,” she said. « You guys have been such great mentors in the last few years, I knew I could always count on you guys at all times.” 

She said that the representatives are so well-known because they are connected to their constituents, not merely representing them. Simard grew up knowing Jean-Marc Lalonde, as he was friends with her uncle, and knowing that Francis Drouin grew up in Hawkesbury. The constituents and the MPs are connected, and she exemplified this with an anecdote that shocked her when she denounced the cancellation of the French language university project and the abolition of the position of French Language Services Commissioner. 

“In 2018, between November 15 and the day I blew the whistle, which was November 23, I remember I was in the lobby of the legislature and my Conservative colleagues were constantly trying to console me and say it’s going to be okay,” she said. “They told me ‘[the constituents] will forget about it, they won’t even remember in four years.’ And I remember I was in shock. How can a representative talk about his constituents like that? It really touched me because for me, constituents are my friends, my family, my friends’ families. They’re real people. So that’s what motivates me to continue.” 

Simard went on to outline the most important issues that the riding faces, things she and Lalonde had hoped to see outlined in the Liberal budget. “We were talking about concrete measures to reduce the cost of living and to help with the price of houses, affordable housing, which is very important in the region,” she said. “We were talking about the health system, the education system, the long-term care centers. It’s very important to have the priorities there, but we didn’t see any of that in the zero-mention budget. So, I think there is a lot of work to be done with the Liberal team, which we have done in the last few weeks and months.” 

She finished the event by thanking her team and expressing her hope for the campaign. 

The Sunshine List has been annual event since 1996. It lists all employees in the public sector with annual salaries of $100,000 or more during the past year. That includes civil service workers for the province and for municipal governments, along with school district employees, hospital workers, and all those employed with non-government agencies in the public sector. The list does not include details of the number of years a person has had their position or the years of regular and additional training they may have received for their career choice. 

The 2021 Sunshine List entries for the two English school districts that include Prescott-Russell as part of their jurisdictions has 1812 names of employees with salaries of $100,000 or more. The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) has 1192 entries while the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) has 620 entries. 

The top 10 entries for the UCDSB include: UCDSB Ron Ferguson, director of education, 228,340.79; Corey Tinkness, secondary teacher, 170,253.89; Deanna Perry, superintendent of schools, 162,468.02; Susan Rutters, superintendent of schools, 162,468.02; Marsha McNair, superintendent of schools, 162,468.02; Donald Lewis, principal of safe schools, 161,091.14; Marek Doroshenko, secondary special education teacher, 154,885.86; Chad Brownlee, superintendent of human resources, 151,442.63; Deborah Banks, principal of special education, 145,173.18; David Armstrong, chief psychologist, 139,074.08. 

The top 10 entries for the CDSBEO include: John Cameron, director of education, 216,000.00; Bonnie G. Norton, associate director, 197,999.89; Barbara Dobrowski, Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association president, 162,591.12; Natalie Cameron, superintendent of school effectiveness, 161,333.37; Heather Gerber, superintendent of school effectiveness, 156,726.14; Brent Bovaird, superintendent of school effectiveness, 155,358.10; Norma McDonald, superintendent of school effectiveness, 155,358.10; Ashley Hutchinson, manager of finance, 132,806.84; Nicole Proulx, manager of human resources, 132,806.84; James Proulx, chief information officer, 132,806.84. 

The complete Sunshine List information for 2021 is at the webpage at:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/public-sector-salary-disclosure. 

Une bénévole en particulier a été particulièrement remarquée lors de la soirée d’appréciation des bénévoles qui s’est tenue le 29 avril à l’auditorium du Club des Chevaliers de Colomb, dans le Powers Hall de Rockland. Marjolaine Marcil a été distinguée pour près d’un quart de siècle de services rendus à la communauté de diverses manières et dans le cadre de divers programmes. 

«Une grande dame a quitté le Centre d’aide de Rockland, a déclaré Nicole Gaul, vice-présidente du Centre d’aide. Marjolaine, c’est de toi que nous parlons. Nous sommes tous réunis pour célébrer tes années de bénévolat.»

L’héritage de Marcil en matière de bénévolat couvre 23 ans et comprend un large éventail de projets. 

«Imaginez, 23 ans de dévouement à la communauté de Rockland, a déclaré Mme Gaul. Pendant toutes ces années, je suis sûr que Marjolaine peut nous parler des innombrables changements qu’elle a vécus et de la façon dont la demande dans la communauté n’a fait qu’augmenter.»

«Ce n’est pas peu dire quand on parle de 23 ans de bénévolat. Cela représente 23 ans de réalisation de l’Arbre des anges. Combien d’enfants ont reçu de beaux cadeaux grâce à vous et à ces petits anges de l’Arbre des anges de l’épicerie indépendante. Ce succès chaque année vient de la générosité de la communauté, diront certains.»

«Mais pour ceux qui ont vu ces merveilleux cadeaux, vous savez que c’est le travail d’une année entière. Tous les animaux en peluche que Marjolaine a collectés, lavés, stockés tout au long de l’année pour offrir ces cadeaux magiques aux enfants. Sans compter tous les puzzles, les livres et les fameuses friandises. Nous te disons merci, Marjolaine, non seulement tu as dû gérer un petit budget pour les cadeaux de Noël, mais tu as pu faire des petits miracles chaque année pour égayer les enfants en difficulté de notre commune.»

«On parle aussi de 20 ans de collecte de nourriture à Noël. Vous pouvez imaginer la quantité de nourriture qui arrivait au Centre et c’est Marjolaine avec son équipe qui devait coordonner et stocker toutes ces denrées. Une chose est sûre, chaque année, elle s’est toujours acquittée de la tâche avec brio.»

Au cours des années où elle a servi le Centre d’aide, Marcil a également contribué au déménagement de l’organisme sans but lucratif de ses bureaux de la rue Laurier à son emplacement actuel de la rue Chamberland. Elle a siégé au conseil d’administration du centre pendant 15 ans, y compris ses années en tant que secrétaire du groupe. 

La Sunshine List est un événement annuel depuis 1996. Elle énumère tous les employés du secteur public dont le salaire annuel était de 100 000$ ou plus au cours de la dernière année. Cela comprend les employés de la fonction publique provinciale et municipale, les employés des conseils scolaires, les employés des hôpitaux et tous ceux qui travaillent pour des organismes non gouvernementaux du secteur public. La liste ne contient pas de détails sur le nombre d’années pendant lesquelles une personne a occupé son poste ou sur les années de formation régulière et complémentaire qu’elle a pu recevoir pour son choix de carrière.  

La liste des entrées de la Sunshine List de 2021 pour les deux conseils scolaires francophones qui incluent Prescott-Russell dans leurs juridictions compte 1083 noms d’employés dont le salaire est de 100 000$ ou plus. Le conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario compte 545 entrées, tandis que le conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien compte 538 entrées.  

Les 10 premières personnes sur la Sunshine du conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario sont : Edith Dumont, direction détachement Université Ontario Français, 280 086,64$; Sylvie Tremblay, direction éducation, 228 460,01$; Stéphane Vachon, surintendance éducation, 202 226,83$; Amine Hakim Aidouni, surintendance éducation, 189 083,27$; Claude Deschamps, direction détachement Centre Franco Ontarien Ressources Pédagogiques, 184 586,78$; Christian-Charle Bouchard, surintendance éducation, 180 579,80$; Martine Bertrand, enseignement détachement Centre Jules Léger, 175 513,47$; Nicholas Cardinal, direction exécutive, 159 412,09$; Danielle Ryan, direction de service, 158 828,71$; Steve Brabant, direction de service, 154 313,24$. 

Pour le conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien les 10 personnes les mieux rémunérées sont les suivantes : François Turpin, directeur de l’éducation et secrétaire, 242 132,94$ ; Martin Lavigne, surintendant des affaires et trésorier, 218 215,80$ ; Annie Dugas, surintendante des affaires associée, 187 252,15$ ; Chantal-Christine Gratton, surintendante de l’éducation, 181 075,70$ ; Lynn M. Charbonneau, surintendante de l’éducation, 179 817,08$ ; Maryse Legault, surintendante de l’éducation, 174 153,29$ ; Odette Beaulieu-Ranger, coordonnatrice de la rémunération, 172 849,37$ ; Lyne Racine, surintendante de l’éducation, 169 830,23$ ; France St-Denis, enseignante, 146 430,25$ ; Sophie Deault, direction service des finances, 142 810,38$. 

L’information complète sur la Sunshine List pour 2021 se trouve sur la page Web à l’adresse:

 https://www.ontario.ca/page/public-sector-salary-disclosure. 

When the village of Limoges was patched into the Clarence-Rockland (CR) watermain in an agreement between La Nation and CR, a new line was laid through the village of Cheney. The length of Indian Creek Road was dug up and fitted with a new water line to serve the village with municipal water, and then the road was put back. The agreement was that the road would be left better than the construction company found it, but residents of Indian Creek Road say that didn’t happen. 

Instead of putting down a new road base and gravel and regrading the road properly, the construction company simply pushed all the dug-up earth and stone back onto the road and tamped it down with a layer of gravel on top. Old potholes reopen in days from vehicles driving overtop, and whenever it rains, the road turns to mud and slop.  

“You can’t even drive ten kilometres an hour down our road,” said one resident, Suzanne Lacasse. “The kid down the road, he ended up breaking a ball joint the other day coming home.” 

School services have been adversely impacted. DeLuc Bus Service confirmed that school buses can’t make it down the road without risking serious damage to their vehicles. Children must walk to and from the intersection at Russell Road to make it to school, and residents are afraid that they or their children could be seriously hurt by a single misstep. 

Mail service is in danger of being disrupted as well. Resident Ann Lagou said the neighbourhood’s regular mail carrier was considering not coming down the road anymore, and that delivery services such as Amazon have to drive incredibly slowly to avoid damaging their vehicles and the packages inside. 

Emergency services are facing difficulties serving the neighbourhood as well. Lacasse said she had to call an ambulance for her elderly mother last week, and what is usually a two-minute drive straight down Indian Creek Road from the intersection to Lacasse’s residence took ten minutes, at least. 

“The paramedics said they were disgusted with the state of the road when they got here,” said Lacasse.” They said they almost didn’t come at all. If this had been a heart attack or other life or death situation, my mother would have been in serious trouble.” 

The worst part, said Lacasse, is that none of the residents saw a single quality of life increase from the construction. Indian Creek Road is served by wells instead of municipal water, and residents have dealt with sulphur water, salt water, or dried up wells for years. Every single resident was interested in hooking up to the water line now running down the road and was willing to pay for it, according to Lacasse, but the city refused to allow it as it would mean laying a second pipe for them. 

“Why?” asked Lacasse, “You’re coming down here anyway. You know we have issues with water down here, but you allowed fourteen residents on the main road to hook up to it. That doesn’t make a whole lotta sense.” 

Residents say they feel ignored and brushed aside by the city. They pay as much tax as anybody in Rockland, and yet their calls have gone unanswered and the city has allowed them to languish with a derelict, unusable road. One resident, Jean-Claude Lavigne, has taken to attending every city council meeting in person to request the road be fixed, but nothing has been done. 

 

«C’est une grande perte pour le monde du hockey, a déclaré Yvan Joly, lors d’une interview vendredi matin 22 avril. Il était le roi du hockey».  

Yvan Joly, de Hawkesbury, était un jeune ailier droit prometteur qui jouait pour les 67 d’Ottawa dans la Ligue de hockey de l’Ontario lorsqu’il est devenu un choix de repêchage pour les Canadiens de Montréal en 1979. Cet automne-là, il était au Forum de Montréal pour le camp d’essai du Canadien, juste avant le début de la saison 1979-80.  

«Le premier gars qui est venu me rencontrer ce jour-là était Guy Lafleur, a déclaré Joly. J’ai été très impressionné. C’était un gars tellement gentil».  

L’expérience de Joly au camp d’essai s’est soldée par un contrat avec les Nova Scotia Voyagers, l’équipe-école des Canadiens. Mais il n’a jamais oublié le conseil que Lafleur lui a donné le premier jour au Forum.  

Il lui a dit : «Sois toi-même. Sois Yvan Joly. Fais ce que tu fais de mieux».  

Guy Lafleur à Rockland  

«Nous perdons un grand, grand ambassadeur du sport, a déclaré Jean-Marc Lalonde, lors d’une entrevue téléphonique le vendredi matin 22 avril. Il n’a jamais oublié ce qu’il a fait pour Rockland et ce que Rockland a fait pour lui».  

Né à Thurso, en septembre 1951, Lafleur a commencé à jouer au hockey avec la ligue de hockey mineur locale. Il était membre de l’équipe de Thurso à l’âge de 10 ans lorsqu’il a fait sa première apparition à Rockland lors d’un tournoi international de la division «moustique». Ses performances sur la glace ont attiré l’attention de M. Lalonde, qui entraînait à l’époque l’équipe de hockey mineur de Rockland, les Boomers.  

«En cinq parties, il a marqué 45 buts», a déclaré M. Lalonde, qui a ensuite demandé aux parents de Lafleur de laisser leur fils se joindre à l’alignement des Boomers pour le reste de la saison de hockey mineur 1962.  

«Il devait traverser la rivière (des Outaouais) tous les deux jours pour s’entraîner», a dit M. Lalonde, ajoutant que pendant la saison hivernale, cela signifiait qu’il devait utiliser une «route de glace» pour traverser la rivière gelée.  

Lafleur a aidé à mener les Boomers au triomphe cette saison-là lors d’un tournoi au Québec, marquant 18 buts et 13 passes en cinq parties. Lorsqu’il a quitté le hockey mineur pour rejoindre la LNH en tant qu’ailier pour les Canadiens de Montréal, M. Lalonde a noté que M. Lafleur avait toujours de bons souvenirs de ses journées à Rockland.  

«Il n’a jamais oublié ce qu’il a fait pour Rockland ou ce que Rockland a fait pour lui», a déclaré M. Lalonde, ajoutant qu’après avoir pris sa retraite de la LNH, Lafleur s’est fait un devoir de revenir plusieurs fois à Rockland au cours des dernières années de sa vie pour rendre visite à son ancien entraîneur et pour faire des visites dans les écoles afin de parler aux enfants de ses jours dans la LNH et leur donner des conseils sur la poursuite de leurs rêves.  

La légende de Guy Lafleur  

Lafleur a été l’un des meilleurs joueurs du Canadien pendant ses 14 années avec Montréal, menant l’équipe à cinq victoires de la Coupe Stanley et se méritant deux prix de joueur le plus utile de la LNH et un prix de joueur le plus utile des séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley. Surnommé «The Flower» en anglais, traduction de son nom de famille, et connu comme «le Démon blond» par ses fans francophones, Lafleur a marqué plus de points pour le Canadien durant toute sa carrière que d’anciennes vedettes montréalaises comme son idole, Jean Béliveau ou Maurice «The Rocket» Richard.  

En 1985, Lafleur, alors âgé de 33 ans, a annoncé sa retraite du hockey. Trois ans plus tard, il est intronisé au Temple de la renommée du hockey. Lafleur est sorti de sa retraite pendant une courte période pour jouer pour les Rangers de New York et plus tard pour les Nordiques de Québec avant de raccrocher enfin ses patins.  

Conseils aux jeunes  

Lafleur visitait souvent Rockland pour rencontrer son ancien entraîneur et certains de ses coéquipiers de l’époque où il jouait pour les Boomers. Souvent, lors de ses visites, il rencontrait des joueurs locaux de la ligue de hockey mineur de Rockland ou se rendait dans une école pour parler aux élèves de ses propres jours de jeu à Rockland et plus tard avec les Habs.  

Il avait toujours le même conseil à donner aux enfants de tout âge, que ce soit pour jouer au hockey ou pour se préparer à l’avenir en tant qu’adultes.  

«Le seul conseil que je pourrais donner, a déclaré M. Lafleur lors d’une de ses visites, c’est qu’ils (les jeunes joueurs de hockey) doivent être passionnés par le jeu. Ils doivent être prêts à faire des sacrifices pour réussir. Mais s’ils jouent au hockey, il faut que ce soit un jeu amusant. Ils doivent en profiter».  

Il a également insisté auprès de ses jeunes fans sur la nécessité d’adopter la «bonne attitude», que ce soit pour jouer au hockey ou pour atteindre tout autre objectif dans la vie.