CJRO Radio News - July 21st, 2026

Hello! This is Manuela Dascal and you are listening to the CJRO Radio local news.

CJRO Radio has applied to the CRTC to offer the community of Rockland a new bilingual community radio service that will be known as The Beat - CIRC Radio on 96.3 FM.  The core of the programming will be in the same format as The Beat - CJRO Radio that is currently offered in east rural Ottawa (Carlsbad Springs, Vars, Sarsfield and in Embrun on 107.7 FM,  and Casselman on 96.3 FM). Local news and community information will be offered on CIRC Radio for residents of the town of Rockland. There will also be volunteer opportunities for residents interested in producing their own radio shows or podcasts. CIRC Radio will also be available online via an audio stream on CJRORadio.com .

Photo by the Township of Russell

The Township of Russell has announced that Embrun Co-Up will invest in a new landmark: a multi-use building that will bring under one roof cultural, commercial and professional spaces. This multi-use building will also house the Russell Public Library and serve as a community destination for residents, organizations, and businesses. Construction is set to start in August 2026.

In a joint statement Michael Bois, Chair of the Board of Directors of Embrun Co-op, Mike Tarnowski, Mayor of the Township of Russell and Laurie Clement, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Township of Russell Public Library have emphasized that this project is a result of a strong collaboration, years of planning, discussions and collective effort. “This achievement reflects our shared commitment to the community and our common goal of creating a lasting legacy that residents will benefit from for generations to come.”

Highway 417 Regional Road 33 (Rockdale Road) underpass in Vars, Ontario is set to be part of a rehabilitation project. Stantec Consulting Ltd. (Stantec) has been retained by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to complete the Detail Design study. 

The project will include rehabilitation of the bridge deck, expansion joint replacement, barrier replacements, and repairs to the superstructure and substructure. A new left-turn lane will be constructed at the north ramp terminal to meet level of service requirements for southbound traffic entering onto Highway 417 westbound. 

Residents are encouraged to voice their comments or concerns they may have with this project by August 14th, 2026. Everyone interested to send their input or to request further information

should contact the Project Team: the Stantec Consultant Project Manager, Brad Hewton at 613-668-4744 Brad.Hewton@stantec.com or the Ministry of Transportation Project Engineer, Anandkumar Chelliah at 613-298-7091 Anandkumar.Chelliah@ontario.ca .

In the aftermath of an accident in Edwards that sent a local farmer to the hospital and destroyed his farming equipment, Councillor Isabelle Skalski has announced that she is preparing a motion to identify and implement practical measures to improve safety on agricultural corridors. She talked to the family involved in the accident and to community organizers and these are the priorities that she identified so far: 

• More targeted and highly visible enforcement on rural routes, particularly during planting and harvest seasons.

• Better signage and a public education campaign on safely sharing the road with farm machinery and horses.

• Examine whether designated agricultural safety corridors and stronger penalties for dangerous driving around farm equipment are possible.

• Looking into the possibility of  a “tractor-cam” enforcement pilot to help address distracted and aggressive driving.

• Engaging commercial carriers and trucking companies whose drivers regularly travel our rural roads, while also identifying locations where pull-off areas, shoulders or other road improvements could make a difference.

Coucillour Skalski is inviting Ward 20 residents, farmers, commercial drivers, agricultural organizations and road-safety experts, to voice their ideas in case there is anything else that could help improve safety on rural roads. You can contact her Ward20@ottawa.ca . 

“Farmers First means making the safety of the people who feed our community a priority - not an afterthought. Let’s slow down, pay attention and make sure everyone gets home safely.” said Councillor Skalski in her message. 

This week the City of Ottawa is organizing Recovery information sessions for residents that were impacted by the extreme weather event on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026. 

City staff and its partners, including the Canadian Red Cross, will be present to support the community by answering questions on various topics and providing support related to the extreme weather event and recovery, including:

• Community health and resource centres

• Information on counselling and wellness supports

• Health and safety when cleaning flooded homes

• Insurance and case management experts

• Residential Protective Plumbing program and Compassionate Grant program

• Building code and permitting process

• Financial assistance and grant programs

• Waste disposal

This week upcoming information sessions are as follows:

Tuesday, July 21st at Maki House, 19 Leeming Drive, from 2 to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, July 22nd at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, from 4 to 8 p.m.; Thursday, July 23rd at Ben Franklin Place, from 2 to 6 p.m.; Friday, July 24th at Ben Franklin Place, from 2 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, July 25th at Ben Franklin Place, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Township of Russell is currently running  four surveys for its residents to share feedback on important projects, services, and future planning initiatives. Consequently,  residents would have the opportunity to help shape aquatic programming at the new Recreation Complex, improve facility rental services, explore future public transit options, or provide input on the 2027 Budget. Their feedback will help guide the Township decisions. The deadline to answer these surveys are as follows: July 24th for the Aquatics Programming Survey; July 29th for the Township Facility Rentals Survey; August 9th for the Transit Feasibility Study Survey and September 4th for the 2027 Budget Survey. The surveys are available on russell.ca 

The Ottawa City has announced that open air fires are allowed with a burn permit only. A fire ban is declared by the Fire Chief or his designate and is based largely on environmental conditions. It is a period of time where no one may set or maintain any open air fire anywhere within the city limits. This is to ensure public safety and protection of property.

On July 17th the Russell Legion Branch 372 marked an incredible milestone, 100 years by hosting a special 100-question Trivia Night, bringing together members, friends, and the community for an evening filled with laughter, friendly competition, and great memories.

The Russell Legion is thankful to everyone who attended the party and who helped make the evening a great success. 

A very special thank you goes to Connie and Travis for all the hard work they put into creating the 100 trivia questions, organizing the music, and keeping the evening running so smoothly. Congratulations to all of the winners, and gratitude to everyone who joined in celebrating this historic milestone.

The Vars Community Association has rescheduled the Canada Day fireworks. The show will start at 9 p.m. on August 1st at the Alcide Trudeau Park.  

That wraps up our local news. If you have any questions, stories or news to share, contact us at the following email address localnewscjro@gmail.com . I also invite you to visit our website at cjroradio.com  for the latest news.