CJRO News March 1 to March 7, 2021

Hello, bonjour, and welcome to CJRO News on Carlsbad-Vars Radio. I’m Candice Vetter, reporting a few kilometres from Carlsbad Springs.

Sunday Masses at Saint-Laurent Church will begin again on March 7th, now that Ottawa is in the orange zone.

Wearing a mask in the church is mandatory, hand sanitizer is available at both doors and physical distancing is mandatory.

Parishioners are concerned about the church’s future, as the numbers at Mass have declined significantly since COVID-19.

Beginning May 3 Piperville Road will be closed in both directions between Farmers Way and Russell Road while the bridge over the Bearbrook Creek is being replaced. There will be a long detour in place via Anderson Road, Leitrim Road and Russell Road. Piperville Road is to be closed for six to eight months, so essentially from May to the end of the year. The bridge was supposed to be replaced last June but the precast girders needed could not be obtained due to the pandemic.

There are already signs of construction and drivers can expect some single-lane closures. Signs will be placed two weeks in advance of the detour.

The Vars Optimist Club’s virtual snowman contest is underway. Residents have until March 12th to build their creative snowman and send a photo to Varsoptimiste@gmail.com. Photos will be shared on Facebook. There is a chance to win a gift certificate to a local business. Winners will be announced March 14th.

The next CJRO Radio Bingo is Thursday, March 11th, at 7 p.m. Listen live on-air at 107.7 or 107.9 FM or on CJROradio.com, vars.ca or carlsbadsprings.ca. The February 25th game was a victim of technical difficulties, due to a major Windows update which affected our playback system and audio configuration. The orange bingo cards that were bought for the February 25th radio bingo will be good and eligible for the March 11th bingo.

Profits will be split between the Vars Optimiste Club and the Carlsbad Springs Optimiste Club. Cards are available at Rene’s Corners, Vars Gas Bar and Carlsbad Variety.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has given parents until March 14th to decide whether their children will attend in person or online next September. If parents don't return the form, the board will assume the students will be attending in-person.

A letter sent to parents last weekend said the “decision will be for the entire school year, and it will be difficult to transition students later, unless it is a critical situation." However, it was also reported that there will be mechanisms in place for students who need to switch during the year. So that is a bit confusing. The board said the decision needs to be made now so staffing and scheduling decisions can happen in accordance with collective agreements.

You can hear my interview on this topic with Trustee Keith Penny on Local First.

South Nation Conservation is telling anglers to remove ice fishing huts ahead of the provincial deadline of March 15th. SNC says the ice on the South Nation River is thinner than usual at this time of year. Staff recorded ice as thin as 15 centimetres near some huts along the river in Casselman. The average thickness is only about 19 centimetres.

SNC recommends ice should be at least 15 centimetres thick for walking, and over 30 centimetres thick for other activities.

The Top Generation Club has two methods to keep members “in the loop” during COVID-19. The club has tweaked their existing Communication Chain. Eleven club members are leaders who are responsible for contacting six to ten other club members via email, text or phone regularly. With the loneliness caused by little to no person-to-person contact many seniors are experiencing additional health issues. These can include high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, or cognitive decline.

Club President Laurie Barnes is also creating a weekly newsletter, the Isolation Bulletin, which she emails to all members on Tuesdays. Designated family or friends print and share it those without email. To join the club write to topgenerationclub@gmail.com.

Internet options for Carlsbad Springs residents will soon be improving. Rogers has applied for funding from the Universal Broadband Fund to offer high speed Internet service to parts of Carlsbad Springs via fiber optic. The new Rogers service would be for residents that only have access to Xplornet. If Rogers obtains the funding it will install fiber optic cables this summer.

In Edwards Pipernet Communications, a local company, has also applied for UBF funding to install a new 30-metre tower near Mitch Owens Road to offer high speed Internet south of Edwards and along Mitch Owens Road. Pipernet currently offers service to Mitch Owens Rd residents via a 25-metre tower attached to an Ivandale Farm silo near Edwards.

Area residents can also sign up with Starlink to buy a satellite receiving kit to access the new service offered via low orbit satellites in space. This service is impressive with low latency and high speed downloads that range between 50 and 150 megabytes. However, it’s more expensive than other options.

Students looking for summer jobs with the City of Ottawa should apply now. Applications are being received and assessments are starting this month. Successful applicants will be instructed to accept their offer online and to complete mandatory hiring documentation. Hire dates for Summer Students may begin as early as May 1.

Go to Ottawa.ca and follow the links for summer employment recruitment.

The Kin Club of Russell’s Catch the Ace lottery jackpot has still not been won. The next draw is March 7th, and the jackpot is estimated to be over $212,000. The weekly prize is estimated at $12,500. There are 14 envelopes remaining. To buy tickets see kinclubofrussell.ca .

A Covid-19 variant of concern has hit the eastern Ontario health unit, and struck, of all the places, the St. Albert Cheese Cooperative’s factory in St. Albert. Contact tracing is underway and the factory was closed for a few days for deep cleaning. Products from the factory are safe for consumption.

A 29-year-old from Kemptville is facing charges after robberies in south Ottawa. On January 7th the suspect is alleged to have entered a business off Rideau Valley Drive in Manotick, with his face covered, and demanded money. He then fled on foot. On January 12th he did the same on Osgoode Main Street. On February 22nd he tried again on Victoria Street in Metcalfe. But on February 26th Ottawa Police arrested the man and laid nine charges.

This week’s scam. Reliant Communications is calling businesses, saying they are calling on behalf of Bell or Rogers or other telecom provider, and offering the business 30 per cent off for one year for being good customers. This is not a legitimate offer and has nothing to do with Bell or whatever company they claim. At first a person sounding quite reasonable sells the idea, then passes the customer on to “Alex”. He then asks for a birthdate, or a birth year, and asks that the customer answer a clear “yes” to questions. Hang up before then. It is an attempt to saddle you with a fake contract or several fake contracts.

Do you have news that matters to our area? If yes, contact me by emailing newsCJRO@gmail.com. I’m Candice Vetter. CJRO – Last on the dial, first for local news. Keep well.