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Vol. 9
No. 1
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER - LANARK, NORTH LEEDS & GRENVILLE
JANUARY 2022
Community honours memory of Chantale Lebrun
Chaplain Pat Forbes and his wife Sue Forbes offered prayers during a Jan. 1 candlelight vigil for Chantale Lebrun of Smiths Falls, who died Dec. 26. Photo credit: Emilie Must.
Smiths Falls - Chris Must editorial@pd gmedia.ca Over 200 Smiths Falls residents gathered on the first day of 2021 to honour the memory of Chantale Lebrun, who died Dec. 26 at the age of 36, a victim of domestic violence. A candlelight vigil was held the evening of Jan. 1 at Victoria Park for Lebrun, who leaves behind four daughters. Friends have started a Go Fund Me campaign, which had collected more than
$62,000 of its $80,000 goal by Jan. 1. The campaign’s original goal of $10,000 was met within hours. The crowd at the vigil was welcomed by Lebrun’s long-time friend Danielle Pilon, who said, “Tonight is just to remember Chantale and the amazing person she was.” She acknowledged that “Chantale would hate this,” but added, “this is what we had to do for her.” Pilon thanked the community for giving generously to the Go
A candlelight vigil Jan. 1 in memory of Chantale Lebrun of Smiths Falls, who died tragically Dec. 26, attracted a large crowd. The location beside the yellow aircraft at Victoria Park was chosen to reflect Lebrun’s love of airplanes. Photo credit: Emilie Must.
Fund Me campaign. “That money is going to go a really long way in helping her family.” Friends said the location for the vigil, Victoria Park beside the iconic yellow Harvard Trainer aircraft, was fitting because Lebrun had a love for airplanes.
Also speaking at the vigil, offering prayers, were St. John Catholic High School Chaplain Patrick Forbes and his wife Sue Forbes, principal at St. James Catholic School. Lebrun operated a home-based photography business, Chantale
Irene Photography. Friends have told the media she had recently decided to leave a relationship described as “toxic.” Kevin Ramage, 39, has been charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled for a court appearance Jan. 6.
The challenge of crossing the river in Carleton Place
Bridge Street, Carleton Place. Photo credit: Submitted.
Carleton Place - Brian Turner editorial@pd gmedia.ca On January 10th, the central bridge across the Mississippi River in Carleton Place will be closed to all traffic (vehicle and pedestrian)
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until late fall. Later in the spring a main street rehabilitation project will get underway involving Bridge Street from the river south to Lake Ave. This project has been planned over several years and delayed by
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one year thanks to the effects of our current COVID-19 pandemic on the municipal construction industry. Heading it up is the town’s former public works director, Dave Young, who was convinced to take this project on after retiring from a long and successful career. South-bound vehicle traffic will have a choice between McNeely Ave and Hwy 7 while the northbound flow will have the addition of the bridges on McArthur Island: a narrower one-way route with several sharp turns. Pedestrians are being directed to use the Ottawa Valley Rail Trail (OVRT) rail-bridge route, a choice made easier by a new exit ramp from the trail down onto Mill St. Signage has now been posted at all vehicle entrances to the
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town, and a large banner has been hanging over Bridge St for several months announcing the closure. What this means for residents and visitors is the need for an extreme amount of patience and a little planning. McNeely and Hwy 7 will see increased traffic counts and delays with bumper to bumper line-ups: something seldom seen in Carleton Place, save for the occasional parade. Downtown businesses will remain open during the construction and a lot of planning has gone into maintaining safe, easy-to-use customer access. It would be wise to review our normal travel patterns across the river and make some accommodations by combining trips, and leaving enough time during heavy traffic periods. Town Hall
has done an admirable job of communication on this file, but they can only reach those who are listening. They offer a daily email bulletin to provide local information primarily, but it’s also a handy source for relevant provincial and national items. Simply go to the town’s website at carletonplace.ca to sign up. They are also active on traditional social-media sites. Print and radio news media organizations will, of course, do their utmost to provide important info as it becomes available, but these options sometimes bring delays without internet access. We should consider those in our social and family circles who might not regularly use the internet and contact them when needed to keep them up to date.
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