Mayor predicts another boom year BY JACK EVANS
Belleville – “Fasten your seatbelts,” was Belleville Mayor Taso Christopher’s slogan to the Kiwanis Club of Belleville as he reviewed prospects for 2017. He was attending the club’s longstanding traditional “civic” meeting to discuss city council accomplishments. The meeting, the first of 2017 for the Kiwanis Club, was held Jan. 3 at The Banquet Centre. Infrastructure remains council’s key goal, he stressed, noting that this year it will “focus on the waterfront.” He said Hamilton is Ontario’s poster child when it comes to accessible, open public space per capita. Belleville is already a near rival and council has set its sights on overtaking and surpassing that status starting this year. First, Christopher reviewed 2016 as “monumental” in terms of activity, infrastructure and major project advances and major achievements, including the city’s hosting of the Women’s Mayor Taso Christopher reviewed 2016 and U-19 World Floorball Championships, gave projections for an equally busy and sucwhich drew several hundred players from cessful 2017 at the annual Kiwanis Club of Bel16 countries and set records for attendance leville Civic meeting on Jan. 3. Jack Evans/Metroland thanks to local fans. Then there was the deal to land the Belleville Senators, the Ottawa Senators American Hockey League farm team. The deal makes Belleville one of only three cities in Ontario to have a professional hockey team. Additional expenditures on the Yule lighting display at Jane Forrester Park also drew much favourable attention this past season he said, to a burst of applause from his audience. When he cited the new police station expected to move ahead this year, there was a wave of doubtful chuckles. Other projections for 2017 include the opening of the new Shorelines Casino Belleville, which already has hired more than 200 employees, a major expansion with more jobs at the Procter and Gamble plant, improvements to the northeast industrial park, finishing the new Dundas Street/ Bay Bridge project and more. Christopher stated that Belleville’s unemployment rate is now down to 4.9 per cent and that is much better than neighbouring cities. Finally, he proclaimed this year as the 200th anniversary of the founding of Belleville as a small village. Special activities are planned for later this year to recognize this fact, not counting special events for Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations. One club member, retired city employee Marj Buck, chided the mayor and council for refusing the club’s application for a $395 grant to help promote its annual Fishing Derby, which provides many dollars into community causes. She said the club made sure its application was in early as it was refused the previous year for being late, then lost out to a for-profit fishing event whose application was itself proposed late. The mayor expressed his regret and stressed that his own interpretation of such grants is that they should be only for not-for-profit events by not-forprofit organizations. He agreed that perhaps the committee’s role should be reviewed. He also gave a nod to volunteers and organizations like Kiwanis. “Without volunteers and organizations like yours, we’d be dead,” he Municipality of Centre said.
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Hastings - 2017 Dog Tags Please be advised that the Madoc Lions Club will commence selling the 2017 dog tags throughout the Municipality on January 12, 2017. Lions Club members will be identified with Municipal/Lions Club name tags. The 2017 dog tag fee of $20.00 is payable only by cash or cheque. This fee will increase to $25.00 on May 1, 2017.
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Municipality of Trent Hills
66 Front Street., P.O. 1030, Campbellford, Ontario KDL 1L0 phone 705-653-1900 • Fax 705-653-5203 Email: info@trenthills.ca • Website: www.trenthills.ca
NOTICE OF PUBLIC BUDGET MEETING 2017 DRAFT WATER & SEWER BUDGET Notice is given that the Council of the Municipality of Trent Hills will be holding a Public Meeting to present the 2017 Draft Water and Sewer Budget. The public will be given the opportunity to provide their comments and ask questions. The Public Meeting will be held on Tuesday January 17, 2017 at the Clock Tower Cultural Centre, 36 Front St. S, Campbellford, ON at 9:00am
2017 DOG TAGS NOTICE BY-LAW 2013-50
Every person who owns or shelters a dog within the Municipality of Trent Hills shall register the dog(s) with the Municipality and purchase a dog tag annually. A $10.00 late fee is added if tags are not purchased prior to **March 1st ** of that year. A kennel license is required if more than three dogs are kept on one property. Dog tags and kennel licenses are available at the Municipal Office. 2017 Annual Dog tags may also be purchased at the following locations: Trent River General Store Warkworth Library Hastings Library Campbellford Library B & C Variety – Campbellford Lifetime dog tags will be issued ONLY at the Municipal Office as they require adequate documentation. The set fine for owning or keeping a dog without a license is $105.00. Spayed/Neutered
+ No Microchip
= Reg Tag @$15.00
Not Spayed / Neutered + Microchip
= Reg Tag @$25.00
Not Spayed/Neutered
+ No Microchip
= Reg Tag @$30.00
Spayed/Neutered
+ Microchip
= Qualifies for Lifetime @$35.00
Late Registration fee (+$10.00) after **March 1, 2017** Metroland Media - Thursday, January 12, 2017 5