CJRO News January 10 to January 16, 2022
Hello, bonjour, and welcome to CJRO News on CJRO Radio. I’m Candice Vetter, reporting from Embrun.
The first news we heard over the holidays is that the Taggart corporations which partnered on the proposed mega-landfill in Carlsbad Springs near Boundary Road have turned their interest in the property over to Miller Waste. Miller Waste is a division of The Miller Group of Companies based in Markham, near Toronto. The proponents have asked for a ten-year extension to their approval, which was scheduled to expire this year.
That is the same time period during which the proposed Tewin subdivision, on nearby lands owned by the Algonquins of Ontario and the Taggart Group, is expected to be started.
The first information night regarding the proposed Tewin subdivision will be held online next Monday, January 17th, at 7 p.m. To participate, which everyone who lives in southeast Ottawa or Russell Township may be interested in doing, you must register online, in advance. Whether there will be an actual face-to-face townhall-style meeting at some point is impossible to determine right now.
According to the City of Ottawa’s website, the meeting was requested by Councillors Catherine Kitts and George Darouze, but community members have also been calling for consultation. Whether it will be meaningful consultation or will be similar to the landfill consultation process last decade is yet to be seen.
Links to register and to send advance questions (which will be prioritized) are up on our website at CJROradio.com. The event will also be covered live by CJRO Radio on 107.7 FM and online at CJROradio.com from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Meanwhile Eco East has announced the Eco East Green Award and is asking for nominations to recognize and promote businesses in Prescott-Russell which are adopting sustainable practices. Submit nominations before January 25th to ecoeastont@gmail.com. Or see their Facebook page.
Eco East is the evolved form of the original Dump the Dump Now which started the protest against allowing Taggart-Miller to create a 450,000-tonne per year landfill in the community.
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario has joined other Ontario pediatric hospitals urging pregnant women to get vaccinated. Vaccination during pregnancy provides some protection to newborns as well as their mothers.
CHEO, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, McMaster Children’s Hospital and Kingston Health Sciences Centre put out a statement saying, “With the rise of Omicron, hospitals are starting to see a disturbing potential new trend — admissions of infants with COVID-19.”
Infants are especially at risk due to immature immune systems, whereas vaccinated pregnant women mount very good immune responses and pass that on to newborns.
Further regarding Covid and children MPP Stephen Blais has written the Premier, asking him to use the two week shutdown of in-person learning to make improvements to safety in schools. Since last summer, he has advocated for additional safety measures in schools which he says should have been implemented prior to the start of the school year in September. He says these safety measures should include: reducing class sizes, providing free high-quality masks, universal vaccines for students, vaccine mandate for education workers, installing HEPA filtration in every classroom, and rapid testing programs in schools. For more about this listen to my interview with Blais on Local First.
After all the negative news we do have something to cheer you on these dark winter nights.
Russell Kin Club’s Catch the Ace is back. Draws are every Sunday at 3:15 p.m. until the jackpot is won. The current jackpot is estimated at $6,000. Last year’s final jackpot ballooned to over $700,000 before being won. There is also a weekly prize. Ticket prices have increased from $5 to $10. This cuts the costs of printing and credit card fees; reduces volunteers’ workload; and increases the amount to give back to the charities.
Another change is the increase in vendors selling tickets. Stores in Brinston, Casselman, Crysler, Embrun, Finch, Greely, Hallville, Hawkesbury, Limoges, Plantagenet, St. Albert, Winchester, Vankleek Hill, and Vars are now selling tickets, and they’re available online at kinclubofrussell.ca/catch-the-ace-2022/. For a complete list visit our website or kinclubofrussell.ca.
Something children have missed is the fire station tours that were available in Orleans and Vars. Both those fire stations have now produced virtual tour videos showing off their trucks and equipment and explaining how and why they are used. For the Youtube links google “fire station tours Orleans” or “fire station tours Vars”, or see the links on our website in the text portion of the News. Public information officer Nicholas DeFazio said “A big part of our relationship with the community is our station tours…but we have been unable to have anyone from the community inside our fire stations for almost two years. Whether it was a birthday party, a school class or just a young kid who loves fire trucks stopping by with their parents, we truly enjoyed touring them around our fire stations.”
Fire Station 53 in Orléans is a composite station with both full-time and volunteer firefighters while Fire Station 73 in Vars is staffed by volunteer firefighters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx6dyMNVkLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3hqBTnW29k
Finally, a quick warning, many local municipalities, including Russell, are warning residents to stay off stormwater ponds. Ice thickness changes as it mixes with road salt and water levels can also change suddenly, making the ice unstable. Please avoid crossing, skating or sledding in winter, and do not drink, swim, or boat on them at any time of year.
Remember, we want to hear what News matters to you. Do you have questions about something going on near you? Let us know and we’ll try to find answers. Email us at newsCJRO@gmail.com. For in-depth discussions of local issues, listen to Local First on-air, online, through the Tune In and Radio Player Canada apps, or follow us on Facebook. I’m Candice Vetter for CJRO News. CJRO – Last on the dial, first for local news.