GE02/03_Eganville Leader_January

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

118th Year - No. 27

Postal Agreement # 40005333

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

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Eganville, Ontario

($1.90 plus 10 cents GST)

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Meeting the needs of the marginalized key for Pembroke The Grind will move to old fire hall

By Debbi Christinck

within a short period of time, but it wasn’t due to weather conditions.

Publisher Gerald Tracey was travelling westbound in his Ford pick-up truck after the Eganville Station of the Bonnechere Valley Fire Department was dispatched to a collision on Sand Road at 6:06 p.m. to provide fire suppression at the crash. Firefighters did not know the details of the collision.

It was later learned a full size U-Haul rental van had struck a deer.

Mr. Tracey was proceeding along Sand Road and had just crested a knoll when his vehicle lights dimmed automatically when meeting an oncoming vehicle. At the same time, he spotted the white van sitting in his lane in complete darkness about 20 to 30 feet away.

“I immediately hit the brakes, but the side of the road was still icy from the ice storm of two weeks ago and when I knew I wasn’t going to be able

to stop, I pulled into the eastbound lane to go around the van,” he said.

“Then I saw the lights of the vehicle I was meeting and looked at the space between the two vehicles and I knew I was in trouble.”

He then swung partially back into the westbound lane and tried to find an opening, but the front driver’s side of the truck struck the rear driver’s side of the van.

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Staff Writer Pembroke -- Following the decision by Pembroke City council to lease the old fire hall to The Grind for a soup kitchen, drop-in centre and service centre, Mayor Mike LeMay said it is important to remember the needs of the most vulnerable in the community.

“You can’t forget the fact we do have marginalized people in the city,” he said. “We are fortunate to have a group willing to help these people.

If that disappeared our community would suffer.”

Admitting this was a very contentious issue for residents in the city, many of whom were in favour of the move and others who vehemently opposed it, he said council had a difficult decision to make on December 17 when they voted on whether or not to allow the lease.

“It has been a challenging issue,” he said. “The important thing is every one on council does care about the community.”

However, the mayor stressed the issue really began quite abruptly nine months ago.

“The problem really started when the Salvation Army left in March,” he said. “That created a massive void which was really felt.”

The loss of a food bank and community soup kitchen hit the marginalized community hard and put pressure on other existing organizations including the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen.

“The way to solve this one problem was the community kitchen at The Grind,” he said. “Since then they have had 4,000 meals served there.”

The volume and scale of the need may not have been truly known by the community and even council, he admits.

“Maybe with all the work the Salvation Army was doing, people were not aware of what they were doing,” he said.

However, this was only a temporary soup kitchen, since The Grind did not have a suitable commercial kitchen to prepare the meals, he said.

“The space was too small, so beginning in July, I started contacting the Salvation Army,” the mayor said. “It did not make sense to me since the

of sinking funds into the rehabilitation of the current fire hall on Civic Street in the village.

Fire Chief Bob Gareau said he is delighted to see council moving forward with the decision to erect a new building.

“We’re always very glad to see that,” he remarked. “The other one wasn’t even meeting our current needs.

“We had to park two trucks up against each wall to even get them to fit in there, and things like that,” he added. “It’s had its life span, the garages were made for 1950 Chevs, not the modern trucks we have now.”

He noted the existing building re-

quired extensive work, adding one area of the hall had been condemned about three years ago, and could not be used.

“The windows leaked, they’re all rotting, the doors barely close, the roof all leaks, etc. etc. On the bottom of the block going into the ground, we had to put asphalt covers on it to plug it up because it was leaking so badly underneath.

“And the other corner, they just fenced it off because it was so far gone,” he added. “That’s the end they have already taken out of service.”

He said the one area of the garage was condemned about three years ago, so the process has been ongoing since then to decide what direction

to take, repair the existing building or build new.

He noted in October, he accompanied council and other staff members to view a relatively new fire hall in Perry Township (near Huntsville) which impressed them and will essentially serve as the model for their new building.

“We had seen the plans before, that’s why we went up there to look at it,” he explained. “We could take the building, virtually as is. It doesn’t meet our total requirements “We measured our fire trucks and we have to be 10 feet wider than the building at the back and the inside offices we need to re-configure,” he added. “There’s some minor adjust-

ments, but overall, it’s that layout.”

The new building will have five bays, two of which are double bays, with front and back doors.

“It’s all one-storey and we’re in the range of 6,500 to 7,000 square feet,” he said.

The new hall will replace only the current Killaloe station. He said it is his belief the tanker currently stationed at the works garage on Highway 60 will remain there.

“If we ever decided to bring it down, we’d have lots of room,” he said. “And the bays are big enough, that, in 40 years from now if the area grows and they need a ladder truck or something, there’s enough room to accommodate that.”

Three people escaped injury in a Christmas Day collision on the Sand Road west of Eganville. A pick-up truck driven by Leader Publisher Gerald Tracey attempted to avoid a collision with a van that had stopped in his lane after striking a deer. In an attempt to avoid a head-on with an oncoming car driven by Bonnechere Valley Township firefighter Matt Vaillancourt he struck the van, flipped and then slid into the car.

Three escape injury in Christmas crash

Leader publisher, firefighter and young woman walk away from three-vehicle collision

By Debbi Christinck

Staff Writer Eganville -- Three people, including the publisher of the Leader and a member of the Eganville Station of the Bonnechere Valley Township Fire department, walked away from a three-vehicle collision Christmas Day night on the Sand Road, west of Eganville.

The collision was the second one to occur on the same stretch of road

property was there and the way they left. But we were basically getting nowhere. They did not want to lease or get into a mortgage situation.”

With that door closed, there were little options, but the possibility of the old fire hall seemed like a workable solution. Following an agreement-inprinciple for the move, the petitions and letters came to council. It was an emotional issue and one which proved divisive.

“We had petitions on both sides of the issue,” he said.

As council deliberated and discussed the issue, there were some who were vocally opposed to the move, especially those in close proximity to the old fire hall. Many members of the seniors centre (50+ Active Living Centre), representatives from the Pembroke Public Library, as well as area homeowners were quite vocal in their opposition.

Mayor LeMay said council listened to their concerns; however, the underlying issue is there was still an unmet need in the community.

“These are people with mental difficulties and addiction issues in our community and we are fortunate to have organizations to help them.”

When the final decision came to council, Mayor LeMay was one of the five members voting in favour of the lease. He pointed out the lease will come with no cost to the taxpayers of Pembroke, since The Grind will pay for the necessary renovations.

Some of the concerns raised were about safety near the seniors centre and library, and the mayor said The Grind is taking steps to alleviate those fears.

“The Grind is well aware security is important and working with the 50+ Active Living Centre and others,” he said.

On the cusp of a new year, he feels this decision was a good one for Pembroke.

“I’m very positive this can work, even with the homeowners in the area,” he said. “The soup kitchen has been at the cathedral for several years and there did not seem to be the concerns.”

Meeting the needs of the marginalized in Pembroke is important for the entire community, he said.

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Chief Gareau said with the purchase of the 55-acre property, there will be lots of space for other development.

“So if council, down the road, wants to look at the possibilities of expansion, such as the roads crew wants to set up there with a garage or whatever, there’d be room for that. Or even a new municipal headquarters, for that matter.

“At least it gives the capability of doing that, not that there’s any plans leaning that way at this time,” he added.

Access to the property will be off of Round Lake Road.

Chief Gareau said he foresees the project being completed sometime in 2021.

KHR acquires land on by-pass for new fire station

By Terry Fleurie

Staff Writer Killaloe -- Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards (KHR) Township council took a significant step towards the development of a new fire station in the Killaloe-area on Tuesday, December 17 by acquiring the property where the building will be located.

Council passed a by-law authorizing the purchase of 55 acres of land from former Killaloe Freshmart owner Steve Dashnay at the northwest corner of the intersection of Round Lake Road and Highway 60 (the Killaloe by-pass). The cost of the land is $70,000.

With the purchase, council has committed to erect a new building instead

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

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Local Pilot deliver miracles to hurricane survivors

By R. Bruce McIntyre

Staff Writer Pembroke -- Larry Warden of Pembroke has built up quite an impressive resume over his lifetime.

He has been a high school teacher, a flight instructor at Algonquin College in Pembroke, a commercial air pilot and instructor for the former PemAir airline, and a contractor with the United States Coast Guard.

Today, Mr. Warden can add humanitarian to the list.

In early September, he and a group of retired pilots, some of whom reside in Fort Myers during the winter months, began organizing the collection of food, drinks, clothes, school supplies and other everyday items for survivors of one of last year’s most devastating disasters.

Hurricane Dorian was the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. It was also one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic Ocean in terms of oneminute sustained winds, with these winds peaking at 185 mph.

Not only are Mr. Walden and his friends collecting the items, but they are delivering them from Fort Myers to the Bahamas on their small engine airplanes. When they are not helping a population decimated by the hurricane, they are actively fundraising to help purchase supplies that may seem routine for most people, but for the survivors living with no roof over their homes, if they even have a home, the supplies are needed just to help them stay alive and live another day in order to rebuild their shattered homeland.

“Before September 1 of this year, our Sundowners Flying Club was contracted by the U.S. Coast Guard the last 10 years to fly along the Florida coast in coastal patrols looking for boaters in distress and that was my job for the last 10 years,” he said from inside the Pembroke Airport while home for the Christmas holidays. “But after September 1 when Dorion hit, our mandate changed and we started relief missions to fly to the Bahamas.”

When he moved to Florida for six months of the year in 2009, he was hoping to slow down and enjoy time with his wife who had just retired.

Soon after his arrival, he attended an

Pembroke native Larry Warden, who resides in Fort Myers, Florida during the winter months, was a former employee of Pem-Air and visited the Pembroke Airport during Christmas. He is now back on his way to Florida to resume his relief efforts by flying an airplane to the Bahamas delivering supplies to survivors of Hurricane Dorion. aviation show and saw a display for the Sundowners and being a pilot, he immediately bonded with many fellow retired pilots. They flew for the sheer joy of flying and to assist the U.S. Coast Guard as a way to develop a life in Florida.

He was not paid for the daily flights as they are considered volunteers. He had to qualify for an American pilot’s license and the regulations that govern all pilots.

“If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would be flying over a country that looks like the photos from World War II where nothing is left standing and all you see is destruction, I probably would have just shook my head,” he said. “Ask me today and I can tell you

there really are no words to describe it. They lost everything. Worst of all, you now have a generation of young children who one day were going to school, and today, if they are even lucky to have a school, much of their time is spent wondering if things will ever get better.”

Angels Deliver Supplies There are 75 members in the Sundowners Club and they each pay $500 which makes them co-owners of the five planes which are used in the relief flights. The Coast Guard partners with the club in order of support and resources and normally they fly their patrols with a three-person crew.

“Since we started the relief flights, we only have two pilots. That way

Mr. Warden, kneeling on the right, is one of a group of retired pilots delivering aid to school children in the Bahamas. Along with his co-pilot, Ted Elrich, they have flown several missions to bring supplies to school children. The school’s principal, Tonique Brutus, seen sitting on boxes in the back of the truck, said her main focus is to help educate her students while trying to make schooling a diversion from the chaos all around them.

there is more room for supplies. We can carry between 600 to 700 pounds each flight and every single inch of the plane is maximized to get as much to the people as we can.”

Having spent much of his career as a school teacher in the Ottawa Valley, he requested his relief efforts assist school children. He knew a teacher in an area of the Bahamas called Treasure Key and she sounded desperate when they communicated.

“I asked her what she needed and she said everything you can bring

for the children,” he said. “They need snacks, school bags, pencils, absolutely everything. The first flight I made to Treasure Key Airport, there was no infrastructure, but somehow the runway survived, but we could not use them.

“They were covered in water so we had to land in Nassau and the school teachers met us there in some trucks and they almost cried when we arrived. There is no way to describe the joy on their faces when we started unloading the supplies. Best of all, we

travelled to the school and met the children and their families and we handed it off right to them.”

The retired pilots have unexpectedly achieved some fame and the local media has documented their efforts.

Some outlets have referred to them as the angels who come down with supplies.

“This is not about us,” he said. “We are just one little group doing the right thing to help some fellow human beings. The Bahamian government was overwhelmed and slow off the mark so there are many groups, some much larger, that are helping them out.”

Unlike some relief efforts, there is no middleman to deal with and that suits Mr. Warden just fine. He said most organizations are there to help and are genuine, but he has also heard of the odd one taking advantage and making off with generators and other items.

He said when he goes to the tarmac and sees the five planes lined up along with one or two other independent planes, the pride he feels is overwhelming.

“That line-up of planes is the lifeline for these survivors and that is something I am proud to be part of,” he said. “It is only a two-hour flight from Ft. Myers to Treasure Key but that two hours could be the difference if the kids can try to live like kids.

Their school and homes had windows blown out, roofs ripped off and there is debris everywhere. Despite everything these kids have been through, they still manage to laugh and smile when we show up.”

Although Mr. Warden cannot spend more than an hour or two at the school with the kids, those brief visits make an incredible impact on all the pilots who come into contact with them.

“To see those children walk to school and sit down eager to learn and try to forget about all the chaos around them is something that really is special,” he said. “Some people who hear about us say we are heroes.

It is the children and their families that keep going day after day who are the heroes. We are just doing our part to help them get through another day.”

Although Mr. Warden can only spend about an hour at the schools he delivers valuable supplies to, he leaves with lasting memories of the smiles of young children grateful for receiving basic supplies like juice, snacks and school bags.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

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Opening of Mennonite buggy trail off Wilkins Road may require EA

By Debbi Christinck

Staff Writer Eganville -- North Algona Wilberforce Township may be developing a parcel of land for use primarily by the Mennonite community as a buggy trail to bypass some of the busy traffic on nearby Highway 60.

“To build a winter trail for horse and sleigh would be very possible immediately with very little expense,” CAO Andrew Sprunt told council on December 17.

“Horse and sleigh traffic without any work at this time can get through the township-purchased land, across the beaver meadow and only be stopped by the overgrown road allowance.”

However, the cost of the trail could be significantly more because of the presence of the “beaver meadow” at the far end which could make it impassable outside the winter months.

Councillor Melvin Berndt cautioned there could be a major expense with an Environmental Assessment (EA) to open a trail there because of the beaver meadow.

“What would the environmental assessment cost on that beaver dam?” he asked.

Mr. Sprunt said it could cost around $12,000 and then result in $150,000 worth of work, but it is unknown. He added there could be some cost savings as well.

“There are some possibilities if we are allowed to fill in part of the beaver meadow,” he said. “The rest is not too bad. It is all clear cut.”

The parcel of land is at the end of Wilkins Road and was purchased by a previous council in hopes of building a road to join Wilkins and Gurlitz Road, he explained. At the time it was thought it would be a short cut and avoid a plowing obstacle in winter maintenance, he said. There has been $80,000 invested to date in this unbuilt road.

Recently, the municipality was approached by a member of the Mennonite community, Stephen Martin, asking about the possibility of revisiting this project or allowing others to build a road through the townshipowned property. A meeting was held with Mr. Sprunt, Mayor James Brose and some from the local Mennonite community.

“The mayor and the CAO met with David Hoover and had a pleasant tour through a winding path wide enough for buggy traffic,” Mr. Sprunt said.

“The road was constructed with minimal disturbance to the natural environment and minimal imported material.

It is just a primitive path wide enough for a buggy to travel on.”

He continued describing the Mennonites as a “community-minded society that depend heavily on the ability to travel to each others’ homes and business.

There are several community businesses that serve the residents including a blacksmith and dry goods supplier.”

Mr. Sprunt said children frequently use the roads

of the township travelling back and forth to school.

“Having short cuts such as a trail from Wilkins to Gurlitz would be a benefit to the whole community providing a safe, efficient corridor of travel,” he said.

Travel on Highway 60 is a major safety concern with the road being very dangerous for horse and buggy traffic, he said. While the straight stretches allow for the buggies to move over, in the corners this is not possible.

“This traps the buggy between the guardrail and the passing motor vehicle traffic often with only a couple of inches to spare,” he said, adding in some cases it is less than that.

Since the Mennonites only use horse and buggy transportation, having this bush road would have a huge positive impact on the community, he said.

Prior to the meeting, township staff along with the mayor and several members of the Mennonite community walked the road allowance and township owned lands between Wilkins and Gurlitz roads, he said.

“There is evidence of a very old, narrow roadbed on a portion of it,” the CAO reported. “There are also stone fences through a section of the road allowance that appears to roughly follow the outer edges of the right of way.”

Beaver Meadow The issue for any trail is the end of the section, he noted. The end portion of the road allowance has been slightly encroached by a land clearing operation on the abutting property as well as some disturbance of a stream flowing across and out of the road allowance.

At the end of the road allowance and on the portion that was purchased by the township there is a beaver meadow that appears to have water to a depth of about 60 centimetres.

“The meadow is approximately 100 metres across,” he said. “The rest of the property is relatively easy to traverse with no obstacles.”

Basically, the path or trail is well established through the land that the township purchased right to the edge of the beaver meadow, he told council.

“The beaver meadow is an obstacle that without building infrastructure would make the trail impassable in any season other than winter when the water is frozen,” he said. “The road allowance area would require extensive brushing and one area of fill to traverse.”

There would definitely be a cost involved in crossing the beaver meadow, he said.

The Mennonites would be the primary users at present, but there are others who would benefit, he added.

“Active transportation is something the province and federal government along with groups in the community are promoting,” he said.

“There is a sporting club beside the property that, although uses their property for a shooting range, may welcome an outdoor wilderness themed active

Four charged in robbery investigation

Renfrew -- Four individuals are facing numerous charges and further pending charges following a robbery investigation by members of the Renfrew detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police.

At approximately 11:30 p.m. on December 16, officers responded to an unwanted person call on Campbell Drive.

Their investigation revealed that a robbery had occurred earlier at a residence on Russett Drive in the township.

As a result of the investigation, Kyle Dos Santos, 24, of Casselman, Nikolas Sperotto, 24, of Russell, Michael Waldstein, 28, of McNab/Braeside, and Dylan Zoobkoff, 27, of Arnprior, were charged with two counts of assault with a weapon; two counts of assault causing bodily harm; one count robbery with a weapon; one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm; one count forcible confinement; one count careless use of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition; one count knowledge of unauthorized possession of firearm; one count occupant of motor vehicle knowing there was firearm and one count possession of a schedule one substance for the purpose of trafficking.

The accused parties were held for a bail hearing on December 17 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Pembroke.

The investigation is continuing and further charges are pending.

transportation corridor that could see hikers and bird watchers enjoying nature,” he said. “There would be no danger from stray bullets from the shooting range as it is approved and inspected through a stringent

regulation regime. Also, a business close by may be interested in a trail that could accommodate hikers, cyclists and equestrian traffic.”

Mr. Sprunt suggested an Ad Hoc committee being

formed to look at the viability, cost, available funding and community interest. He said it would be comprised of members of staff, council, the Mennonite community, the sportsman’s club, and the community at large,

as well as someone from neighbouring Bonnechere Valley.

He pointed out during the budget process, council asked staff to report on costing of a hard surface on Grist Mill Road.

“Completing Grist Mill would provide a direct route from Eganville to the trail,” he said. “The residents of Grist Mill have already commented on how much cycle traffic the road receives.”

Single vehicle crash on Hwy. 41 A university student returning home to Pembroke from Kingston for the Christmas holidays on Saturday, December 20 escaped injury when her Ford Focus left Highway 41 near White Cedars Road, about 16 kms. south of Eganville, and rolled over in the ditch. Firefighters from the Eganville Station of Bonnechere Valley Township were called to the scene as well as Renfrew County paramedics. Constable Jason MacDougall of the Killaloe detachment of the Ontario Provincial police investigated the noon hour crash.

He added the Township of Bonnechere Valley would benefit from a trail as it would create a “loop” from Eganville to Fourth Chute and back again for cyclists.

Councillor Maria Robinson pointed out if there is a new trail in use, there may be people parking there to use it, so it could require a parking requirement.

“With trails there would be parking,” Mr. Sprunt agreed. “I’m sure at the Wilkins end there are relationships we can arrange.”

She also questioned if this would be a trail for non-motorized vehicles, so things like ATVs would be prohibited.

“I’d like to start with that,” Mr. Sprunt said. “Building something for bikes and buggies would not take as much.”

Councillor Doug Buckwald said he was in favour of the committee being formed to examine the feasibility.

“It gives us an opportunity to provide a service to our community,” he said.

“It helps a segment of our community with their safety and transportation issues.

It is a win/win. We need to investigate this.”

Council agreed to proceed with the ad hoc committee and look into the possibility of opening the trail.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

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Upper Ottawa Valley OPP RIDE check leads to charges Pembroke -- A 39-year-old Laurentian Valley resident is facing charges following her arrest after trying to avoid a RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) check in the City of Pembroke on December 19.

At approximately 10 p.m., police from the Upper Ottawa Valley (UOV) detachment were conducting a RIDE check on Nelson Street when they observed a vehicle turning the wrong way on a one-way street in an attempt to avoid the check. Police stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver. A Roadside Screening Device was utilized and the driver was transported to the detachment for further testing. As a result of the investigation, Christina Iadinardi, 39, of Laurentian Valley Township, has been charged with two Criminal Code offences -- operation while impaired , operation while impaired - blood alcohol over 80 mg, and two Highway Traffic Act offences -- driving the wrong way - one-way traffic and driving motor vehicle - no currently validated permit.

In relation to the Criminal Code

charges, the accused had her licence suspended for 90 days and the vehicle was towed and impounded for seven days.

On December 23, police conducted a RIDE check on Forced Road in Pembroke at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Yvonne Delarge, 44, of Pembroke, was found with open liquor in the vehicle and was charged under the Liquor Licence Act with drive motor vehicle with open container of liquor.

The RIDE program commenced on November 23 and continues to January 2. From November 23 to December 27, a total of 110 RIDE checks were conducted with the above incident resulting in the only impaired charges. During Week 3 of the campaign, one three-day licence suspension was issued.

During the Festive RIDE period, UOV officers laid other impaired charges not specifically related to the

RIDE checks.

On November 23, just before 12:30 a.m., police conducted a traffic stop on Petawawa Boulevard in Petawawa. As a result of the investigation, Brody White, 21, of Whitewater Region, was charged with operation while impaired and operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration over 80 mg.

At 9:30 p.m., officers responded to a motor vehicle collision on Moffat

Street in Pembroke where a vehicle had struck an unattended parked car. As a result of the investigation, Matthew Lair, 32, of Pembroke was charged with operation while impaired, operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration over 80 mgs, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and driving while under suspension.

On December 1, police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a

Three walk away from Christmas crash From front “When I knew I was going to collide I turned away slightly from the van and after striking the van the truck flipped on to the driver’s side, deploying all four air bags, and it slid about 15 or 20 feet in the eastbound lane, striking the car, which by that point had stopped.”

The car was driven by Matt Vaillancourt of Eganville, a member of the Eganville Station. Both he

and Mr. Tracey had arrived at the accident scene at almost the same time. Mr. Vaillancourt had been attending a family gathering at Lake Clear when the department was dispatched and he was the first firefighter on scene. Luckily, he was still in his car when his vehicle was struck, and not checking on the occupant of the van. The driver of the rental van was not in the vehicle, but searching the ditches for the deer.

As firefighters were enroute to the scene, Mr. Vaillancourt reported the second collision at 6:20 o’clock.

When the collision with the deer occurred, the young female driver reported to police steam or smoke rising from the front of the vehicle and was told to exit it for safety reasons.

It is believed the van was enroute to Toronto from Pembroke and was following GPS directions.

Paramedics from the Eganville ambulance base responded and checked out one of the three drivers for neck and shoulder injuries.

All three vehicles were towed from the scene.

Officers from the Killaloe detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police investigated.

Neither alcohol or speed were factors in the collisions.

No charges were laid in the accident.

parking lot of the 600 Block on Cecelia Street in Pembroke. As a result of the investigation, Aidan Young, 19, of Pembroke, was charged with operation while impaired and operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration over 80 mgs.

During the early morning hours of December 7, police conducted a traffic stop on Petawawa Boulevard in Petawawa and as a result of the investigation, Darrin Pickard, 45, of Ottawa, was charged with operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration over 80 mgs.

On the evening of December 21, police conducted a traffic stop on Petawawa Boulevard in Petawawa after receiving complaints about a driver there. Improperly stored firearms and ammunition were located in the vehicle and seized by police.

As a result of the investigation, Richard St. Jean, 66, of Petawawa, has been charged with operation while impaired; operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration over 80 mgs; transport firearm in a careless manner - four times; and, transport ammunition in a careless manner.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

St. James School concert

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The Grade 1-2 class at St. James Catholic School in Eganville performed Jingle Bells Rock. Some of the students were, from left to right, Lucas Schroeder, Chloe Schoenfeldt and Adelaide Davidson.

Grayson Vance and Leah Savarino were among the junior and senior kindergarten students singing When Love Is Born.

Grade 4 students Theresa Commanda, Olivia Lahay and Ebony O’Connor sang Footprints In the Snow.

The Grade7/8 class took on the role of toys in the Christmas concert and Robot Man, Mark Baillie, centre, tried in vain to turn on the Ipad, Jacob Ranger, requiring some help from Action Hero, John Baillie, left.

Playing the roles of Shepherds in the annual St. James Catholic School Christmas concert on Tuesday, December 17 were Isabell MacDonald, Jayme Recoskie and Zoe Skinner.

Grade 4 student Reuben Lavoie was in fine form as he joined other classmates in the singing of a Christmas Carol at the annual St. James School concert.

Kaleb Sarazin played the role of the Angel on top of the tree and in this scene he explains the importance of angels in the Christmas Story. Ayden Flegal, left, was one of the Christmas presents.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

Admaston/Bromley Township Mayor Michael Donohue, right, once again had the honour to present outstanding community volunteer certificates to township residents during the last council meeting of 2019 held in mid-December. Among those honoured were Blaine Marchand and James Robertson, members of the Bromley Historical Society.

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Peter and Cecie Whalen have a well deserved reputation as true community volunteers that originate from their farm, the Whalen Family Farm, including a memorable themed float in the annual Renfrew Santa Claus Parade.

Admaston/Bromley council recognizes community volunteers

By R. Bruce McIntyre

Staff Writer Renfrew -- Just like Jolly St. Nick’s smile lights up the northern stars every Christmas, Admaston/Bromley Mayor Michael Donohue’s smile has been genuine and contagious over the last five years since he has had the honour of presenting year-end awards at the last council meeting of the calendar year.

“This is something I look forward to every year since I became mayor,” he said to a standing room only crowd in A/B council chambers Thursday night, December 19. “It has become a tradition to honour those in our community who give selflessly in order to make Admaston/Bromley a great place to live.

“Every year we recognize some of those in our community who do much and it is extremely satisfying for all of us here to honour them and as the spokesperson for council, I am pleased to recognize those that make such an enormous contribution.”

The recipients were nominated by fellow Admaston/Bromley residents familiar with their volunteer efforts.

Mary Catherine Brisco Mrs. Brisco (nee Rice) arrived at St. Michael’s School in January 2016 as principal of the very school she graduated from. From the first day of her tenure she quickly recognized the importance of community and made great strides to get involved and support local groups and the community at large. She was instrumental in completing a playground renewal with the vision that not only would the school children enjoy it, but so too would friends and neighbours, during after school hours and on weekends. The addition of new swing sets and a kindergarten play area arrived with the focus being to encourage outdoor learning. Her vision and ability to effect change garnered financial assistance from Admaston/Bromley Township, the Sisters of St. Joseph and a host of other generous parties to provide labour to make it all happen. She participated in parades, donating much of her time and equipment to do so, and many other local events to keep things co-operative and fun.

Karen Coulas Dairy farmers for 26 years and cash croppers for 32, Karen and Rene Coulas farm in Osceola along the Snake River. Before dairy, they raised beef cows and later shipped cream. Ever mindful of the natural environment so necessary for sustainable agriculture, they recognized that the Muskrat Watershed Council needed representation from the agriculture sector. As a result, they began to volunteer their time and soon Karen found herself Chair of the Muskrat Watershed Council. Karen and Rene have been instrumental in

fostering vital community relationships and promoting the importance of a healthy watershed.

Will Egan Will, 16, is the son of Ed and Janice Egan of Osceola and the grandson of Brian and Jackie Hollingworth of Renfrew and the late Michael Egan and his grandmother, Pat Egan, who now resides in Cobden. He was fortunate to have his three remaining grandparents in attendance as he made his way up to accept his award because as he looked out to the gallery, he most certainly saw the three of them smiling with pride.

A graduate of St. Michael’s School in Douglas, he is now a Grade 11 student at Opeongo High School where he has achieved high academic standing and has excelled at athletics. He has participated in volleyball, basketball, cross country, track and field; qualifying for Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (EOSSA) and Ontario Federation of Ssecondary School Association (OFSAA) competitions several times. He is widely known for his positive attitude, acceptance of coaching and sportsmanship.

This past summer, he was invited to play for the Provincial Beach Volleyball team. He competed in a national tournament in Toronto, winning a bronze medal with his partner, and is currently playing with the Fusion volleyball club out of Kanata.

His work around the farm shows his responsible nature -- completing tasks with care for the animals and his safety consciousness of both himself and others is always evident. He took his first off-farm job at Faught Steel last summer, with praise from employer and co-workers alike.

This young man has a great future ahead of him.

Isaac Enright Unfortunately, Isaac and his family were unable to attend as they were making their way back from the Niagara Region. However, Mayor Donohue shared the rationale for the inclusion in this year’s group of recipients.

“Isaac Enright is the son of Mark and Agnes Enright and hails from the Barr Line and comes from a family of eight siblings,” he read. “The kids have all been exposed to music and sports and Agnes says sport of any kind builds good character, and Isaac has put in the necessary work to excel at hockey.

Starting in the Cobden Muskrat, he joined the Ottawa Valley Titans beginning in Peewee and he was on the Pembroke Lumber Kings Under-18 team and was selected to Team Ontario for the Canada Winter Games.

“He was the first round draft pick of the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara Ice Dogs and also represented Canada this year at the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge.”

Local dairy farmer Karen Coulas was recognized for her advocacy on behalf of the agricultural community in relation to the ongoing poor water quality as a member of the Muskrat Watershed Council.

You know it is a special occasion if Keith Gourley is not wearing one of his trademark hats. The Gourley family have operated the popular Highway 132 gas bar and outdoor store for more than 20 years. Since Keith took over ownership from his parents, Gary and Madeline Gourley, he has organized several BBQs and raised money through the popular Big Buck contest, and has raised more than $40,000 for Hospice Renfrew and the Renfrew Victoria Hospital.

Although she recently retired as the secretary at St. Michael’s School in Douglas, Ellen Milosek has not slowed down one bit and continues to Although Will Egan is only 16, this Opeongo High School student has quietly and discretely help several local families and residents behind represented the school in several provincial sporting competitions and helped bring home the Bronze medal in provincial beach volleyball. the scenes, including helping one resident gain employment.

Blaine Marchand and James Robertson Two of the area’s most respected local historians will no doubt have their names chronicled in the history of the township for all the time and effort they have devoted to preserving the rich history and heritage of the area.

The men are never anxious to be in the spotlight so they were surprised to hear they were nominated by Patricia Van Gelder, a past president of the Bromley Historical Society.

In many ways, Blaine Marchand and Jamie Robertson have been the backbone of the Bromley Historical Society. Like the backbone, much of their work has been behind the scenes. Over the years they have organized speakers, created posters and written news releases. They have made sure the hall was ready for events and set out tubs of flowers in the summer.

Ms. Van Gelder said it has been a pleasure to work with them and an honour to be asked to share with the township the contributions these two men make and she said every organization and every community needs members like them.

Keith Gourley When Gary and Madeline Gourley purchased what is now Gourley’s Variety & Gas on Highway 132 near Renfrew in 1999 as a small convenience store and gas station, they hoped one day their son Keith would take over, and perhaps put his own “stamp“ on the site and make it stand out. When Keith purchased the store in 2008, he expanded into the flourishing hunting and fishing outfitting Gourley’s Outdoors, inviting everyone to Step Outside and experience the incredible natural environment of the Ottawa Valley.

Since then, Gourley’s is well known not just in Admaston/Bromley, but throughout the Valley during the month of November.

Since 2010, an annual BBQ & Bake Sale is held at the store with all proceeds going to the Renfrew Victoria Hospital Foundation. They are best known for the annual Big Buck & Doe contest started the same year as the BBQ. Over that time, the contest has raised more than $40,000, with all proceeds going to Hospice Renfrew.

Aside from their own fundraising events, the Gourley family donates money and prizes to several tournaments and other fundraising events yearly. Gourley’s Outdoors makes an outstanding contribution to the fabric of the community year after year.

Peter and Cecie Whalen Peter and Cecie Whalen have welcomed many people of all ages in the community to their farm. They have provided informative and fun activities for all. They go above and

beyond with school children, teaching them about the maple syrup cycle and providing sleigh rides, hot chocolate, taffy and hands-on fun.

They give so freely of their time and generosity. An annual highlight of Renfrew’s Santa Claus parade, Peter and Cecie also give selflessly of their time to the Miss Teen Canada pageant and many other local volunteer organizations. The Whalen family go above and beyond with all ages and people instilling such a vibrant sense of community.

Ellen Milosek Perhaps it was just fate that Mrs. Milosek, who retired this year after giving out countless hugs as the secretary at St. Michael’s Catholic School in Douglas, was nominated by Mary Catherine Brisco. Ironically, not only did Mrs. Brisco also retire this year as principal at the same school, but she also nominated Mrs. Milosek.

In her nomination, she spoke of the genuine caring attitude Mrs. Milosek shares with all she meets.

Mrs. Milosek is a Eucharist Minister at St. Michael’s Church as well as being a member of Parish Council.

She oversees the Christmas family donations through St. Michael’s School and she always makes sure families in need get help.

However, it is what she does behind the scenes that truly make a difference. She has helped parents find employment, and is not afraid to call local business owners and ask them if they would hire a parent of the school. In one case, she was successful.

She often picks up the phone and calls parents or anyone who is going through sickness or hard time and asks what needs to be done. Mrs. Brisco noted there was an occasion when Mrs. Milosek convinced some local contractors to donate their time and supplies to renovate a bathroom for a woman very sick with cancer.

Once that was done, she went in and painted the bathroom herself.

She is known as someone who takes in bags of clothes and passes them on to community members in need and on one occasion, she learned of a local family who could not afford to fix their lawnmower and the dad was working away. So she made some calls to get a community member to mow their lawn and when that was done, she went about making and delivering food to those in need in the community or she always makes it a point to drive her grandchildren and their friends to sporting events and other activities.

She is always there for her kids and grandkids and is always positive and does her best to encourage others to remain positive with her kind, encouraging words and crazy words and gestures.

When Mary Catherine Brisco retired as principal at St. Michael’s School last June, she left behind a legacy of projects, including her fundraising efforts for the new school ground equipment. She still helps out in projects that benefit the children who attend the Douglas Elementary School.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

Cruze O’Brien, Mila Vodenicar, Emily Amlin and Chase Timm were part of the Grade 2 presentation of “Feliz Navidad” that was done entirely in Spanish.

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The Grade 2/3 class celebrated the Christmas season with their performance of “Merry Hula”. Front, from left, Cameron Stamplicoski and Olivia Vanderwal. Back row, Emily Amlin, Morgan Stehle, Constantine Rose, Alivia Carle and Eli Vereyken.

The Eganville District Public School Christmas concert was emceed by Megan Johnston, Bella Fleurie and Jorja Roesner.

The Grade 1 class had lots of fun doing their song, “Winter Mittens”. From the left are Carter Contant, Easton Roesler, Hudson Tiegs, and Kio Hirano.

The junior and senior kindergarten classes performed “Shake It Up”. From left, Kendra Vanderwal (JK), Elijah Kirbyson (SK) and Belle Green (SK).

Eganville District Public School concert

The Grade 1 students had this colourful illustration in their routine called “Canadian Jingle Bells”. From left to right are Danica Clark, Nolan Rathwell, Luke Harrington and Maddox MacDougall.

Grade 2/3 students Olivia Vanderwal and Cameron Stamplicoski looked festive in their roles in the musical number, “Merry Hula”.

These Grade 3 students were part of the Christmas Counting performance with the kindergarten class. From the left are Charlotte Frew, Aaliyah Johnson and Hope Fleurie.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

Founded in 1902 Published by The Eganville Leader Publishing Ltd. at 150 John Street, Eganville, Ontario Gerald Tracey, Publisher

The Eganville Leader

Green Energy hypocrisy I

t was good news in Renfrew prior to Christmas when it was announced an American food company, Kerry, purchased Ensyn Technologies and will use their process of creating liquid fuel from local sawdust and wood chips to manufacture liquid smoke flavouring found in many BBQ ingredients.

Unlike most buy-outs, there are no massive job cuts, and there is a chance for expansion, so good news for the local business community. We wish Kerry well and thank them for their investment in our local economy.

What is lost in this good news story is the blatant hypocrisy of all levels of government when it comes to investing in home-grown Canadian green energy technology.

When former Ontario premiers McGuinty and Wynne rushed through their ideologically driven Green Energy Plan, they were far too busy handing out absurd taxpayer-funded subsidies to foreign companies to build wind turbines and solar panel farms that are reliant on perfect weather conditions. They ignored the biomass sector, with Ensyn as the industry leader.

Premier Doug Ford campaigned on the populist agenda of scrapping these flawed green policies and was fueled by voter backlash when it became apparent there was no major job creation and the only ones benefitting were foreign companies like Samsung.

Meanwhile, 15 years ago, well before the economic nightmare that was the Green Energy Act, Ensyn invested in Renfrew and started creating liquid fuel. They used local forestry materials from Heidemans, Ben Hokum and Sons and other area mills to send their product to Brazil, Chile, Singapore and the United States.

The company secured a contract to supply fuel for several U.S. hospitals at half the cost of what Ontario hospitals spend annually on traditional heating oil -- oil that is largely imported from the U.S. and the Middle East.

Ensyn is one hour from Ottawa and not once did anyone from our “green” federal government show up.

Former Environment Minister Catherine McKenna was too busy travelling the world on a jet plane lecturing everyone about how Canada was a world leader in green energy, but never once looked in her own backyard. Our local MP did absolutely nothing to promote Ensyn. At least our local MPP John Yakabuski, while in Opposition, convinced former Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli to tour the Ensyn plant. The minister smiled for the camera, but quickly forgot Ensyn and moved on to the next photo-op.

Nobody at the municipal, county, provincial or federal level ever said, “hey, here’s a great Canadian product that reduces GHGs, is 100% sustainable, uses 100% locally sourced raw material, supports the forest industry, hires an all local workforce, and is cost competitive.”

None of them got the big hint when the Leader reported last year that Ensyn decided not to invest in its Renfrew plant and instead built a facility elsewhere. While several American states and other countries recognized the enormous cost savings of liquid fuel, because it is based on a consistent and sustainable wood product and is not held ransom by speculators who control oil prices, Ontario refused to use their affordable fuel in any public institution.

Canada remains far, far behind both the U.S. and Europe in green energy. We are strictly talkers here. We foolishly jump headfirst into ineffective and expensive green energy (solar and wind) that enrich foreign companies and ignore cheap, abundant, sustainable renewable energy made right here at home.

Finally, Ensyn said enough is enough and has given up on Renfrew and Canada all together and is expanding its production in friendlier countries. Thankfully, Kerry recognized the benefits of Ensyn’s world leading technology and purchased the Renfrew site.

It seems in Canada BBQ sauce is more important than green energy.

Letter

Ten Commandments for environmentalists Dear Editor: The cult of the environment has all the hallmarks of a religion, so out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to write out their 10 commandments.

Since every religion needs a set of core beliefs, I thought I would spell out what they are in this case as well. No, don’t thank me, knowing I provided this essential service is reward enough.

The church of the environmentalist ten commandments.

1.) The planet is warming and it is our fault.

2.) No other belief is allowed.

3.) Thou shalt not use plastics of any kind.

4.) Thou shalt not criticize the hypocrisy of church leadership.

5.) Thou shall protest capitalism, even when it provides for you the means of that protest.

6.) Denyers are to be shunned, avoided and ridiculed without mercy.

7. Advances in technology except in the field of green energy are to be stopped.

8.) Politicians can only be supported and voted for, based on their good standing in the church.

9.) Any scientist who questions these beliefs must be silenced by any means.

10.) Conservatives are evil by their nature and are never allowed to hold office of any kind.

Nick Vandergragt, Killaloe

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Happy New Year D

espite humanity’s best attempts over the aeons to botch everything, the sun continues to rise and set. It is difficult to believe that we are already 20 years into the twenty-first century! It seems that only yesterday we were inundated with fearful stories of what would happen when the calendar clicked over into the year 2000 and the world’s computer systems all crashed simultaneously. That of course didn’t happen, but more real predicaments are at hand.

Number one is the warming of the planet which is precariously close to becoming irreversible. It won’t end life on our planet but it will change it and we have no idea of how those changes will affect every aspect of the lives of future generations.

Number two is the increasingly gigantic gaps between the richest and poorest people on the planet. Millions live in abject poverty while a few dozen super wealthy people control vast amounts of money.

On the bright side, we have seen amazing leaps toward curing diseases, ending world hunger, exploring outer space and bridging the communication and language gaps between nations.

The beginning of a new year inevitably inspires resolutions toward improvement in our individual lives.

Like many, I’ve made many a January resolution which lasted only a week or two. Quit smoking, quit eating sugar, go for long walks, get off Facebook, clean my car, learn Spanish.

Eventually if one lives long enough and tries often enough, some of it will stick. Rewarding oneself for positive change is also a powerful incentive. I quit smoking back in the eighties by putting my daily cigarette money into a jar with a picture of the Eiffel tower taped to it. Sure enough, the promise of my first trip to Europe kept me going as the ones and twos (they were

paper money back then) piled up.

The promise of continued good health and the ability to keep writing, working, walking and travelling is now incentive enough to keep a lid on most bad habits. It’s what we talk about now when friends gather.

Somebody has quit drinking, another laments they quit using marijuana just as it became legal, someone else has taken up yoga or meditation or stopped eating sugar, salt, meat, nightshades, gluten, dairy, GMO’s, yeast or all of the above.

With none of our former self-indulgences, New Year’s Eve has all the excitement of rendering lard (which is currently on the good list of healthy fats on the keto diet).

I recall fondly the evenings in the loud, dark smoky dives of Ottawa’s Bank Street with ear-splitting rock music, a whirling disco ball and fourinch heels, followed by a cab ride over to Hull, a long walk home (there are no taxis to be had in Hull at 3 a.m. on New Year’s morning) and a greasy breakfast at a smoke-filled coffee shop. Glad I did it back then, glad I don’t have to do it again. Most vices are only fun when you are young!

I’m quite sure I’ll be asleep before the clock ushers in 2020 so I will wish you all a Happy New Year. May your bad habits make you happy and when they no longer make you happy, may you be successful in giving them up!

Opposition leaders need to face facts There is no sense in beating around the bush, even for an old bushwhacker

like me. I hope to express exactly what is on my mind.

I really think Mr. Scheer that you should go back to your insurance business. If things in Canada are as terrible as the picture you tried to paint on December 5th, why are you not sitting in the PM’s chair? You don’t seem to realize it was your negativity that cost you the election. If you have such a wonderful plan, let us in on that deep dark secret, and tell us exactly where you intend to find all that clean money to finance your wonderful plan.

I worked in the bush for 25 years and can tell you without a word of a lie that money does not grow on trees. While you are revising your plan, perhaps this old fellow could give of a word of advice. Whatever else you do, post a sign in block letters on your office door – Absolutely No Lobbyists Allowed.

Jody Wilson-Raybould is now a lonely one-woman caucus because she let the drug barons pull the wool over her eyes when she was Justice Minister.

We know it was Mr. Harper, when he knew the jig was up for him as PM, who promised to legalize pot, but he must have been puffing on a joint when he made that promise, leaving Jody and Justin both crying in their beer. Their cheap drug has done nothing but create more addicts. Justin got more votes than you did by promising to plant billion of trees, probably money trees. But you can beat him at his own game. Dig up those thousands of hectares of weeds and plant trees.

I will let you in on another little secret. Change the name from Carbon

Tax to Money in Your Pocket and you will have it made. People, especially voters, hate taxes and love money.

We have all heard the expression that things are never quite as bad as when they are twice as bad, and they have damn nearly reached that level in the field of politics even in our peaceful North America.

But the good news is that I am writing this article on December 6 and the Spirit of Christmas is already alive south of the border. I heard Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, announcing at a Town Hall meeting she is actually praying for their Republican President, that he will come to his senses before it is too late. It was really interesting to learn that America was the first democracy in the world. Sadly, Mr. Trump is trying to make it a dictatorship like China, Russia and North Korea.

The political news on our side of the

border is that our PM lost quite a few thousand votes because of his rigid pro-choices stand. After legalizing the drug business he figured there would be thousands of addicted ladies visiting abortion clinics but that never happened. But, faithful readers, we must be fair. Those with a conscience still remember it was Mr. Harper who awarded Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada. That was when we lost our sense of sacred values, human life being one of the most sacred.

Again, let us place blame where it belongs. Harper and his communist treasurer thought they would garner the Asian vote by creating about 30 more federal ridings when we already had 150 too many. All that happened, remodeling of the Parliament Buildings – what Rick Mercer has christened the China Wing – is costing billions of dollars and a complete waste of taxpayer’s money. If our Liberal government intends to do the will of the people, they will halt construction and use those billions to triple the Baby Bonus right across Canada, solving two problems at once. They will make it possible for mothers to stay home where they are needed, opening the work place for a few million unemployed.

Work instead of welfare seems like a much better option, certainly something to think about, especially if you happen to live in Quebec, Saskatchewan or Alberta. And all the new babies won’t have to be imported from another continent. They will all be home-made Canadians!

And to Gerald, Wanda, their friendly, competent staff and all you dear faithful readers, may 2020 be filled with many pleasant surprises.

Editorial Page Letters

Time will tell Dear Editor: Re: Lake Clear Property Owners’ Association (LCPOA) Septic System Permit Proposal.

In Dr. Earle’s RV by-law presentation to Bonnechere Valley Township council, he stated he would be back with a septic system proposal. That statement appears to have caused some concern. I believe I can shed some light on what it will contain.

Back in January, 2019 time frame, LCPOA President Judy Bates and John Taker presented Councillor Jack Roesner with a package of information to be given to new councillors.

I was told by Judy that its contents are an official LCPOA document. It is my understanding the contents of this package, contained in a three-ring binder, was not shown to all members of our executive. In it is: Appendix A - A Septic System Re-inspection Program. The following information was taken from it.

Apparently, we, the members of the LCPOA, have suggested to council that they implement a septic system inspection based on a permit system.

Some key points are as follows: * every owner of a septic system must purchase a renewable permit at a nominal fee. (An example of how much is not given); * such a system would allow an ongoing revenue stream (to BV); * permits will be valid for three to five years (determined by usage); * property owner will be responsible for hiring and paying a licensed septic inspector (no approximate cost given) who will give proof to BV it passed; * by having owners pay, BV is freed from collection responsibilities; * owner will have to pay inspection fees even if system does not need to be pumped.

In this appendix, two reasons why we should we have this type of permit are given as: * “Dog owners are required to purchase a license..”, (not sure why this is relevant). * “Homeowners on public sewage system pay for water and sewage routinely........”

So, because Eganville residents pay for sewage disposal, we who have septic systems in BV Township should pay for inspections and permits.

I assume Dr. Earle’s forthcoming septic system re-inspection proposal will contain the above content. I wonder how many of our LCPOA members were aware of this proposal, or that it was already indirectly given to council, without any ratification by them.

Will Dr. Earle ask the LCPOA members to ratify his next proposal before directly presenting it to council?

Time will tell.

Herb Weckwerth, Lake Clear

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

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100 Years Ago - December 26, 1919 District News The property known as the “old Tanner Smith home” on Raglan Street opposite the Dominion House, Renfrew, has been purchased by Mr. Clifton O. Thacker, who wants it for garage purposes. The property he has purchased is oldest and best known in Renfrew, the residence having, it is said, been erected here the first half of 19th century, had run its course ****** The uncertainty of human life was exemplified strikingly in the death in Renfrew on Saturday last of William H. Airth, younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Airth, Lochiel Street, Renfrew. He was a robust youth, big and strong for his years, and active beyond the ordinary. About 10 days previous to his death, a ball appeared on one of his fingers and was succeeded by two others on other parts, all of which came to a head. A forth started on his upper lip and not coming to a head the system was poisoned.

The death of this promising youth profoundly stirred all who knew him and deepest sympathy was felt for the bereaved parents and brother. ****** A Near Accident The menace of the level crossing danger was brought home startlingly on Sunday to a party of young people who left here to visit friends in Petawawa. Nearing Moffat’s Crossing they heard the shrill whistle of a train approaching from the west, and not having time to cross the tracks the driver decided to pull up alongside the crossing. On the ice, however,

the car skidded, but was fortunately turned sideways before the train approached. The engine passed them, and then the car slid backwards on the ice, and one of the projecting irons of an empty passenger coach struck the rear, tearing off one wheel and the tire carrier and spare tire. The passengers -- seven in all -- were terror stricken.

But fortunately the car was not upturned and no one was injured. Three in the car assert that the whistle was not blown until the train was very near the crossing, otherwise they would have had a chance to stop at a safe distance from the track. Those in the car were Misses M. and A. Wentland, of Eganville, Misses T. and M. Okum of Killaloe, and Messrs. F. Rowan and W. Tabbert, Alice, and R. Scheunemann, Pembroke. All are thankful that they are alive and their experience is another strong argument, if anything further were needed, to emphasize the necessity for grade separation or some other effective form of prevention at this crossing. Certainly unless something is done, a fatality will occur there sooner or later. - Pembroke Observer ****** The Observer learns that the U.F.O. intend entering candidates for the county council, and a number of rural reeves who did not support the farmer candidates in this county in the recent provincial election are to be opposed.

Mr. Mich. Heenan will again oppose Mr. Geo. D. Biggs, Reeve of Alice, and others who will likely meet with opposition are Reeve Buttle, Stafford; Davidson, Westmeath; Stuart,

Wilberforce, and Breen of Bromley. ****** Winter Sports in Algonquin Park The Grand Trunk Railway System has decided to give to those who love the great outdoors an opportunity to spend a winter holiday in the Algonquin Park of Ontario.

It has decided to keep the Highland Inn, the largest of the Park hotels, open through the year and here will be found all the comforts associated with the first-class hotel service -- warm, cheery, public and private rooms, excellent cuisine and the companionship of guests who have a common aim -- to enjoy the healthful sport that this great unspoiled wilderness offers.

This region provides a holiday ground that is in accord with the ideas of medical science. Two thousand feet above the level of the sea, it has invigorating climate conditions. The recreations include skating, tobogganing, skiing and snowshoeing. ****** Local News The little children of the Indian school at Golden Lake enjoyed to the utmost a Christmas Tree arranged and provided by their efficient and devoted teacher, Miss Josie Carrier of Eganville. The happy event was held on Monday afternoon and the record showed a full attendance. A nice programme of music and song was rendered, and Rev. Father Ryan, who was present, made an appropriate address. The children, on their part, showed their gratitude to Miss Carrier by presenting her with several gifts.

Palmer Rapids School To Have Auditorium The Renfrew County Board of Education has awarded a $300,000 contract to M. Sullivan and Sons of Arnprior to build a six-classroom addition to the Palmer Rapids Public School. D. C. Griffin of Pembroke is the architect. ****** Golden Lake Student Wins Scholarship A list of scholastic awards made by the Indian Affairs Branch in 1969 reached the Golden Lake Indian Reserve in time to make this Christmas a special one for 18-year-old Richard Sarazin.

Studying architectural drafting at Algonquin College , Ottawa, he was awarded a $200 scholarship for general efficiency.

It was the first Indian Affairs Branch scholarship won by a member of the Golden Lake Indian Band. Richard is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sarazin. ****** Limit Horsepower On Snowmobiles, Jury Recommends Snowmobile engines should be limited to 18 horsepower. This was the opinion expressed by a coroner’s jury in Renfrew recently, after the death of Thomas Thompson, 41, of R.R. 3, Dacre.

The incident occurred December 7 when a snowmobile and truck collided on a township road. Driver of the truck was Nelson Thompson.

The overpowered vehicle had an

engine of approximately 33 to 35 horsepower, police said later.

The jury recommended the wearing of helmets be made mandatory and that operators be required to have a driver’s license when travelling across a highway. ****** Renfrew White House Hotel Expansion The initial expansion plans for the White House Motor Hotel were submitted for approval to the Liquor Control Board and to the Ontario Department of Justice (Fire Marshal’s Office) Toronto on November 6th, 1969.

Initial phase of expansion includes addition of four bedrooms within the present hotel; installation of automatic fire alarm system; new stairway to third floor; removal of some partitions and new rug installations.

The construction will commence the first week of January, 1970. Further hotel expansion is scheduled for the spring of 1970. ****** 92 Tons of Cheese Produced At Union Star Cheese Factory Over 92 tons of cheese were produced at the Union Star Cheese Factory to November 3, secretary treasurer Ray Forrest said in his report to shareholders at the Northcote Community Centre on December 10.

Speakers at the meeting were Mr. Irvin Cutt, fieldman and inspector for this district, and Mr. Ellard Powers, member of the Federal Dairy Commission and member of the Ontario

Milk Marketing Board.

While their praise was high for the Union Star Cheese Factory, they warned that many small cheese factories closed their doors each year and there would be more unless they could increase their volume or increase efficiency enough to meet competition from larger plants.

The factory purchased about $15,000 worth of new equipment in 1969. ****** ARDA Forestry Project In Renfrew County The ARDA Forestry Project initiated last winter in the Township of Brudenell as a pilot project is being carried on in the township again this winter. Due to the success of the program last year and the enthusiastic spirit in which it was received by the people of the area, a somewhat similar project has been started in Sebastopol Township this winter. The objective of the Joint Federal Provincial ARDA programs are to provide winter employment to local rural citizens experienced in bushwork, thereby improving their annual income and secondly, to improve the hardwood stands of timber in certain areas by removal of mature and defective trees, and undesirable species.

The project has the overall effect of providing winter employment to rural people of the area who might otherwise be unemployed and the immediate economic benefit of providing approximately $1,500 in wages per man for their winter work.

50 Years Ago - January 1, 1970

75 Years Ago - December 29, 1944 Douglas Midnight Mass, the 1944th anniversary of the birth of the Infant King, was celebrated Christmas night at St. Michael’s Church by Rev. J.K. O’Brien, who also preached a productive sermon on the lessons taught by the birth of Christ. He was assisted during the Christmas ceremonies by Rev. Leo Zipfel, S.J., of Montreal. * * * *** It is a Long Way to Tipperary and Donegal Advanced R.C.A.F. Airfield in Holland, Dec. 22 --From the dust of Normandy to the wading pools of Holland, in barns, in the backs of three-ton trucks, in tents and wooden huts, the local chapter of the R.C.A.F.’s unofficial “Directorate of Jive” was improved steadily.

Representatives of various R.C.A.F. trades, most of these off-duty musicians had played in some sort of band before the war, although nobody was in “the neon light league” as drummer and Spitfire rigger, L.A.C. Lloyd McLaren of Ontario explained it.

They have yet to play a Holland engagement, but Sqdn. Ldr. Rev. T.P. Coyne of Eganville, Roman Catholic Padre and self-styled non-playing “captain” of the unit, has plans which

may see and hear the band in appropriate action soon. ****** Happy New Year!

The Eganville Fire Brigade responded to two calls during the past week. On Saturday morning a chimney blaze occurred at the home of Mr. Alex Letters. The fire was quickly subdued, but it broke out again in the afternoon and caused considerable damage to the building before it was brought under control. At an early hour on Sunday morning, fire of unknown origin destroyed the outbuildings at the home of Mr. E. J. Killeen. Good work on the part of the firemen kept the fires from spreading and causing heavy loss. ****** Returned Soldier Honoured At the residence of Councillor William J. Sadler in Wilberforce on Christmas night, Leading Seaman A.H. Hein, who is enjoying a leave from service, found himself among a party of friends who seized the festive occasion to do him particular honour and to present gifts. The following address was read by Mr. Wilson: Dear Albert: We are gathered here

tonight for the purpose of giving you an opportunity to meet most of your neighbours who have missed your presence among us for at least the last three years. We welcome you home, but regret your leaving so soon again.

However, we hope the time may not be too long until you return.

The gift was presented by Miss Katie Sadler.

A gift was also presented by Mrs. Wesley McDonald and Mrs. Robert Grant on behalf of the Mink Lake and Pine Valley Red Cross, and another gift by Mr. and Mrs. A. Ziebarth.

Mr. Hein expressed his thanks and appreciation to his good and kind friends. ****** Shopper at 90 Arnprior, Dec. 21--Mrs. Catherine Barnett, despite the snow and surging crowds, has been making her way among the throng of Christmas shoppers here, giving little evidence that she is nearing her 91st birthday.

In fact, she seemed to enjoy the rush, bustle and constant crush of it all. Her memory and sight appear to be unimpaired as they ever were and she can still thread a needle without glasses and do it as quickly as her youngest grandchild.

25 Years Ago - January 4, 1995 Contract To Complete New Building Could Be Given To One Contractor Council discusses Eganville Municipal Services building Completion of Eganville’s new Municipal Services Building (fire station) could take a change of direction in the next month after council members meet with the firm that drew up the plans for the 7,500-square foot complex.

The $600,000 project, which was approved under the Canada/Ontario Infrastructure Works program, was started last October by Eganville’s old council.

The council of the day decided to hire its own project manager, Bill Sluiman, and to tender out all of the work to local contractors. It was also intended to purchase as much of the building material locally, since the main thrust of the Canada/Ontario Infrastructure Works program is to create local jobs, with an emphasis on doing the work in the winter months when unemployment is higher in the area.

However, at Tuesday night’s meeting of council, it was learned that at a December 13, 1994 meeting between council and the engineering consultants for the project, Janota Patrick, of Pembroke, that council is now seriously looking at the option of going to tender for the balance of the work for the building.

****** Three Drown In Remote Lake As of late Tuesday, the bodies of three snowmobilers suspected of drowning in Barker Lake, west of Denbigh, are still missing.

Kaladar OPP, an Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, and an OPP helicopter have been searching the lake since the morning of Tuesday, January 3.

The accident occurred sometime after midnight, early January 2, when three snowmobiles carrying four people went through the ice on Barker Lake, about 65 kilometers northwest of Kaladar.

One of the snowmobilers was able to get out of the water and get help.

Police were notified at 9:56 a.m. on Monday, January 2. The site is accessible only by air or snowmobile. ****** Bill 163 Could Restrict Rural Severances Hagarty and Richards Township Reeve Janice Bush told council Tuesday night that new Planning Legislation contained in Bill 163 could restrict severances in rural municipalities.

“The Township of Hagarty and Richards is a rural township and this legislation could stop any further development from occurring here,” she said. “The ratepayers of this township may not be allowed to sever a lot or

lots for their children or grandchildren or a lot to supplement their income if needed.”

She said council has attempted as strongly as possible to let the province know how the new Bill, if passed, would be detrimental to the township and its residents but added the objections so far have not been heard by the government. ****** BMA Looking At Sites For New Housing The Bonnechere Metis Association (BMA) are looking at sites in Killaloe and Cobden to build a proposed housing complex.

BMA director Richard Zohr told the Leader Tuesday that “nothing has been confirmed yet” but a decision will be made within a month.

The BMA had planned to build their approximately $1 million housing project for the people of Aboriginal background in Eganville until problems arose over zoning and opposition from some members of the public.

Former Eganville Reeve Dermy Calver resigned over the issue in August, citing what he saw as prejudice and racism by some ratepayers.

The project became one of the main issues in last November’s municipal elections. The new members elected to council said they were not in favour of the BMA’s proposed site.

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A Country Christmas draws large audience to Grace

By Terry Fleurie

The Weeks family from Renfrew delighted the audience with their beautiful harmonies on No X In Christmas.

From left, dad Morgan, twins Morgan and Abby, and mom Colleen.

Staff Writer Eganville -- Grace Lutheran Church was filled to capacity on Sunday, December 22 when several local musicians presented the 2019 edition of the always popular From Our House To Yours, A Country Music Christmas show.

It was the fifth edition of the show, and once again organizer Diane Moore did a masterful job of arranging a talent-laden cast of both new and veteran performers who delighted the audience with their instrumental and vocal skills of the many Christmas favourites.

Mrs. Moore noted this was the first show since 2016, as she invited the audience to imagine they were in their living room during the Christmas season, enjoying the music and stories the performers shared that night.

She acknowledged the support the program received from the host Grace pastor and church board and thanked previous performers, Guy Jamieson and her father, Elmer Bochert, for their roles in the past.

The returning performers included Megan Lavigueur and her son, Noah; Brian Weckwerth and his daughter,

Amy Bernard; Earl Bochert and Steve Agnew. New were Julie Larocque and her two sons, John and Mark Baillie and the Weeks’ family from Renfrew -- dad, Morgan, mom Colleen and twin daughters, Morgan and Abby.

Throughout the evening, Mrs. Moore shared several stories with the audience, mostly humorous, but the odd one with a more serious theme.

She encouraged those present to read a copy of the Mary Cook story, The Christmas Doll, that was published in the Eganville Leader’s Christmas edition to better understand the hard time some families experience during the holiday season.

That story was magnified by the powerful testimony Morgan Weeks shared regarding an experience his family had, before he was born. He shared how his father, who later became a pastor, was working in a factory for very meager wages and was relying on his Christmas bonus to both feed and buy presents for his family at Christmas. Sadly, the bonus he received was not a monetary one, but rather a bottle of whiskey, which he promptly dumped down the drain, much to the chagrin of a co-worker.

When he went home that night, he

shared the unfortunate news with his wife, knowing their three daughters at the time would be without gifts this year.

He shared how his father then went out to cut a tree for Christmas and found only a Charlie Brown style one for their home. He told of how a neighbour woman agreed to trade the too large tree she had because it would not fit in her home, for the smaller tree his father had harvested. After going to church on Christmas Eve, they arrived home to find their porch filled with food and presents that made their Christmas special for them that year.

While the music was nothing short of wonderful, the story seemed to remind everyone not all are fortunate at Christmas and perhaps there is someone close by who can be assisted at what can be a very lonely and tough time for some people.

Mr. Weeks lightened the mood later with his rendition of Jingle Bells by Donnie Duck.

The fact the audience received his message well was reflected in the freewill offering that resulted in $1,600 being collected to share between Hospice Renfrew and the Eganville and District Food Bank.

This trio of male singers performed the popular, Mary’s Boy Child. From left, Earl Bochert, Steve Agnew and Brian Weckwerth.

Julie Larocque was one of the new performers at From Our House To Yours, a Country Music Christmas Show. She performed I Saw Three Ships A Sailin’ as well as the duet, Christmas in Killarney with Earl Bochert. Her sons John and Mark Baillie performed Little Drummer Boy. Megan Lavigueur was accompanied by her son, Noah, for their rendition of Bells Are Ringing.

Diane Moore of Eganville has been the organizer of the Country Christmas show since its inception. She said this was the fifth show they have done but the first since 2016. She noted $800 was raised in donations for both Hospice Renfrew and the Eganville District Food Bank.

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The congregation at Eganville Baptist Church hosted its second annual Eganville District Public School Christmas dinner on December 20 serving full course meals to 400 students and 50 staff. Volunteering at the event were, from the left, Mira Davis, Joan Welk, Sandi Parks, Pastor Bruce Richard, Irene Richard, June Hartwig, Zander Barnwell, Melissa Vanderwal, Donna Bimm and Shelley McIntyre. At rear are Dereck Hartwig, Nicole MacDougall, Donna Lee Hartwig, Don Hartwig, Sheri Crausen, Tom Crausen and Ashley Hartwig. Missing from photo: David Welk.

Eganville Baptist Church provides annual dinner for EDPS

By Terry Fleurie

Staff Writer Eganville -- The halls and classrooms of Eganville District Public School (EDPS) were filled with the wonderful aroma of Christmas dinner with all the fixings on Friday, December 20 as members of the Eganville Baptist Church hosted their second annual Christmas Dinner for students and staff.

The gymnasium was transformed into a banquet hall, complete with decorations, tablecloths, and chair covers, and a serving line and dessert/ beverage table to serve everyone.

Pastor Bruce Richard took a few minutes before the first sitting of students arrived at 12:15 to chat with the Leader.

“This is our second annual Christmas dinner,” he said. “There’s close to 400 students and 50 staff.”

Like last year, he said the dinner included a full Christmas dinner with turkey, potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, gravy and cranberries.

“And we have homemade pumpkin pie, ice cream and cookies for dessert,” he added. “And there’s milk and water for the children.”

Last year church members served 12

thirty pound turkeys and had lots left over, so this year they reduced that number to 10. Like last year, they had Schmidt’s catering in Pembroke cook the turkeys and prepare the gravy.

“And then we provided all the food, which we purchased locally,” he said.

“We cooked it in the kitchen right here at the school.”

Pastor Richard said congregation members have specific duties for the dinner, from working in the kitchen, to serving the meals, to decorating the gym, etc. He added they included a new element this year to further dress things up, chair covers “That’s something new this year which we paid for,” he noted.

He noted the snowmen decorations on each table were hand-made by clients of the Bonnechere Manor Adult Day Program.

The tables and chairs were set up by students from the senior grades after school the day before and the church decorating team arrived that night to add the finishing touches.

He said the students and staff have a hard time believing the small church would and could pull off such a major undertaking like the dinner.

“They can’t believe what we’re do-

ing. This year, they’re just amazed again at how much work goes into setting this up for them.”

Following last year’s inaugural event, church members unanimously agreed they wanted to do it again.

“We actually started in September once school starts,” he said. “The volunteers just said they wanted to do it again.

“It helps them have purpose and they’re doing something for the community,” he added of their involvement. “It just brings everybody at the church together with a purpose.”

Last year, the different grades made “Thank You” cards which were very touching and heartfelt. He said it’s great to see the older students paired with the younger students to assist them with their meals.

“For some of these kids, it might be the only Christmas dinner they’ll have. It makes us feel really good we’re doing this in the community.

“We’re sharing God’s blessing with the community,” he added. “We want to be a community-minded church.”

Principal Grateful EDPS principal Michelle Belsher was again very grateful to see the church interested in providing the

The senior students assisted the junior students with their plates at the dinner. Here, Grade 7 student Caden Moir assists his brother, kindergarten student Colton.

dinner.

“They approached us to see if they could provide an opportunity for our school family to sit together for a

Kindergarten student Jayden Lamarche gets some help from Grade 7 student Tagwanii Sarazin.

Christmas dinner again, and we were over the moon excited about the opportunity. It was just so well received last year, and the comments from the kids, the staff, it was just incredible.”

She said the dinner provides a great opportunity for the students to sit down with their teachers and the older students.

“The mentoring that goes on . .. It’s an opportunity we would not be able to provide on our own. Unfortunately, the dinner might be the only Christmas dinner some students would experience, she said.

“All of our families have different opportunities for Christmas dinner, and what they see as a holiday dinner or the experiences they have, may be very different than what they have here.”

She said Pastor Richard had promised to provide something different each year and the chair covers provided a very classy touch to this year’s dinner.

“It looks very formal,” she said.

“The kids were walking in, and again, they may not have been to something

as formal as this, so the opportunity they provide is something very special and unique.”

Ms. Belsher said the mentoring between the senior and younger students is wonderful to see at all times of the year, but especially at Christmas.

“It really exemplifies those wonderful things we do here, all those character traits, all those core values and beliefs that the (school) board stands for. It really gives those kids a chance to demonstrate those to the younger kids.”

All the tables elaborately decorated for the Christmas dinner.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

The Grind will move From front “The Salvation Army disappeared, but we did not lose the vulnerable people they were serving.”

He pointed out many community

Pembroke Mayor Mike LeMay

groups have worked hard to care for the marginalized in the last nine months.

“I have always said Pembroke is very caring. A lot of volunteers and seniors work at the food bank and soup kitchen.”

Because of the void left by the Salvation Army, the Kiwanis Club did a similar kettle type fundraiser for Christmas in the community.

For the mayor, this type of initiative, combined with others groups like the Rotary Club show how the community is trying to meet needs.

“And the dinner on Christmas Day was the largest one they have had recently,” he said.

There is a vulnerable population and need is increasing, he believes.

Mayor LeMay said hopefully the work on the hill by the seniors centre and old fire hall would be completed shortly so The Grind can begin looking at making the necessary renovations, planning and finalizing the lease.

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Carolling in Barry’s Bay This group of Barry’s Bay residents filled the main street of the village with their beautiful voices as they walked through the business area singing Christmas Carols. The group also entertained residents at nearby Water Tower Lodge.

The Grind’s ED is pleased with approval for move to old fire hall

By Debbi Christinck

Staff Writer Pembroke -- Supporters of The Grind received an early Christmas present via Pembroke City Council when council agreed to lease the old fire hall for a community soup kitchen, coffee house and drop-in centre and client services program.

“It was very, very good news,” Jerry Novack, the executive director of The Grind, said. “We still have to work out the wording of the agreement, but council voted in favour.”

The vote was a split one at council, with a margin of 5-2 in favour of leasing the old fire hall to the community group. Councillors Brian Abdallah and Andrew Plummer voted against the motion. The motion was made by Mayor Mike LeMay and Deputy Mayor Ron Gervais.

The issue had been hotly contested in the community following council giving an “agreement in principle” for The Grind and the soup kitchen to move to the facility earlier this fall. When the decision was made public at that point there was an outpouring of opposition from neighbours, including representatives from the 50+ Active Living Centre (seniors centre), which is located next door to the fire hall, as well as representatives from the Pembroke Public Library, also a few doors away. At a heated public meeting there were strong opinions expressed about the location, with some voicing concerns about loitering, foul language and an unsafe/unpleasant environment. Those advocating for The Grind and the soup kitchen, pointed out the societal problems exist in the community and the organization is trying to do something to help.

Following the decision by council on December 17, Mr. Novack said The Grind did hear the concerns of the community and will be installing extra lights on their building to aid in security.

“We are committed to putting up cameras and extra lighting on our rental,” he said. “We will put extra staff on too. That is what we can do.”

The services of The Grind are also not open in the evening, he noted.

“We are open from 10 to 2 p.m. as far as the soup kitchen and coffee house and it is not all hours of the night,” he said. “Our community mental health services are here till four o’clock.”

Usually after the coffee house is closed the clients are not around the building, he added.

While people are concerned about negative behaviour which exists in the downtown core, Mr. Novack said The Grind works to change those behaviours as well.

“We will continue to run a safe space,” he said.

The new move will see The Grind using the old administration building of the fire hall and one bay. He said he understands the city is looking at taking down two of the bays. This area could possibly be used as much needed parking for the library and the seniors centre, as well as The Grind.

While an exact date for the move into the new location has not been set, Mr. Novack anticipates it will be late spring, maybe in May or June. Before the move can take place upgrades will be done, including a commercial kitchen for the soup kitchen.

“We had told city council we will be putting in the commercial kitchen,” he said. “This is at no cost to the city.”

One objection to the move was about the cost of upgrading the building, with some members of the public saying it would be prohibitively expensive for The Grind to install the kitchen and do the upgrades. Mr. Novack said some of the figures raised about the cost were not what the organization felt it would cost and that it could be done for less money. As well, the upgrade cost and refurbishment costs will be paid by The Grind and not the city, he said.

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“We do have funds raised,” he said.

The Grind is a community-based organization with funds raised locally to support the programming. The organization does not run with municipal, provincial or federal dollars, he said.

“We don’t receive any government funding,” he said. “We do receive United Way funding.”

The new lease will actually make things more financially affordable for the organization, he believes. Being Grind Executive Director off the main street will Jerry Novack mean a reduction in the rent costs.

One major advantage for The Grind is all the work of the agency will be under one building with the signature Coffee House, the new Soup Kitchen and the client services all in one location.

Mr. Novack said this is an exciting time for The Grind to see this new location as well as the completion of a transition house within the next month. The transition house is a home which was donated to The Grind and has undergone extensive renovation. It will open in January as a three-bedroom home with one crisis bed. The transition house is to help people get back on their feet, he explained.

The approval of the new location came after a challenging year for The Grind.

“It has been a bad six or seven months since the Salvation Army left,” he said. “We have been looking to find a suitable space for the soup kitchen.”

The Grind began operating the soup kitchen out of the current downtown Pembroke location following the abrupt departure of the Salvation Army. However, since the current location did not have a commercial kitchen, it meant food had to be brought in which was quite challenging. A search for a suitable location hit many roadblocks, with the old fire hall seen as an optimal location for a variety of reasons.

Mr. Novack said the final approval by council for the lease is great news for all involved with The Grind.

“We are very excited,” he said.

According to the agreement, the approval is “contingent on staff drafting a lease agreement with The Grind, which would result in no cost to the municipality regarding redevelopment or ongoing operating costs associated with the proposed use.”

The next steps are for city officials and The Grind to negotiate the details of the lease. As well, the contractor working on Victoria Street is still occupying the old fire hall, so The Grind will have to wait until they leave to begin planning, renovating and moving.

Obituaries

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Will Egan of the Opeongo High School senior Wildcats brings the ball up court against a Jeanne Lajoie defender.

OHS senior Wildcats see lead vanish in loss to Jeanne Lajoie

Going for the basket Opeongo’s Cody Crozier lays the ball up in this scoring attempt against Jeanne Lajoie in the Wildcats 66-45 loss on December 19.

Douglas -- The Opeongo High School senior boys basketball team let a possible win get away from them recently as they looked for their first win of the season against the visiting Jeanne Lajoie team from Pembroke.

The host Wildcats held a healthy 17-6 lead through the first quarter of play, only to see Jeanne Lajoie rally

through the remaining three quarters to post a 66-45 win. Opeongo led 29-25 at the half and 40-38 after three quarters, but the visitors turned it on in the final eight minutes, outscoring their hosts 28-5 to steal the win.

The visitors employed a full-court press that made even in-bounding the ball difficult at times for the Wildcats

and resulted in numerous turn-overs.

Will Egan and Brett Ready scored in double digits for the Wildcats with 17 and 15 points respectively. All of Ready’s points were scored on three-point shots. Will Pigeon led the visitor’s offence with 21 points, while team-mate Connor Chevalier chipped in 16, including four, three-pointers.

Ottawa -- A Cobden native who has been putting up impressive numbers in his second full-season with the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League was recently named to the roster for the 2020 National Hockey League (NHL) prospects game to be played in Hamilton on January 16.

Jack Quinn, who earlier in December saw his NHL draft rankings rise from the B prospect to the A-list, was named to the 40-man roster for the Kubota Canadian Hockey League

(CHL/NHL) top prospect game along with team-mate Marco Rossi on December 16.

Quinn is drawing lots of attention this year, surpassing his last year’s totals of 12 goals and 20 assists in 61 regular season games with 21 goals and 15 assists in just 32 games so far this season.

Each year, the top prospects in the CHL for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft are selected to two teams to play in the Top Prospects game with

many NHL scouts in attendance.

This year’s contest is Thursday, January 16, in Hamilton and the NHL draft is in Montreal on June 26 and 27.

“It’s really exciting to be selected for that game,” Quinn told the Leader.” It’s a big stage and I’m excited to play with a bunch of other great players.

“I don’t know a whole lot of what to expect but I’m just going to try and enjoy the experience,” he added.

By Terry Fleurie

game-winning tally, 1:47 into the second period.

That score held up until the 3:47 mark of the third when Alex McGiven foiled Danny McGrath’s shut-out bid to make the score 3-1. Braden Yakabuskie of the Brewers narrowed the gap to 3-2 with 1:35 to play but McGrath rejected all further Brewers’ shots to give the Loggers a muchneeded win. The Loggers received five of the nine penalties assessed in the contest.

In the other match-up, the Bulls took advantage of the fact the T-Birds had only six skaters dressed for the game, scoring all seven of their goals in the final two periods. The T-Birds opened the scoring 7:12 into the first as Dave Beck found the twine behind Bulls’ goalie Randy Chafer. That lead held up until the 7:29 mark of the second when Jordan Laronde scored his first

of three goals for the Bulls to even the score. Twenty seconds later, Laronde netted his second goal to give the Bulls a lead they never relinquished.

After Bailey Hein made it 3-1 for the Bulls with 6:28 to play in the period, Jason Bailey narrowed the gap to 3-2 with his marker with 1:14 to go in the middle frame.

The Bulls sealed the win with four more goals in the third with Laronde completing his hat-trick and Hein scoring his second of the night. Joey Pecarskie and Brandon English had the other goals. The Bulls received the only two penalties in the game.

There were no games scheduled on December 27 and action resumes this Friday night with the Bulls meeting the Brewers at 7, Calver and the T-Birds renew their rivalry at 8, and Enright’s and the Loggers meet in the nightcap at 9.

Cobden’s Jack Quinn is named to the roster for NHL prospects game

M.W. Miller Loggers, Bay Bulls enter Christmas break with wins

Opeongo Girls Wins Hockey Tournament

The Opeongo High School girls varsity hockey team won a tournament hosted by Valour High in Petawawa on December 18, posting a perfect 3-0 record. The team defeated Valour, Madawaska Valley District High from Barry’s Bay, and Ecole Secondaire Algonquin from North Bay, amassing 23 goals in total. Team members are, front from left, Julia Swant, Shaye Close, Emma McGrath, Sam Hyatt, Emily George, Kylie Rieger, and Emma Misener. Standing: Brynne Delaurier, Ava Zadow, Eryka Lariviere, Hilary Dick, Eve Schroeder, Maria Howard and Keysha Two-Axe McMullin.

Staff Writer Eganville -- The M.W. Miller Loggers and Barry’s Bay Bulls got early Christmas presents on December 20 in the form of wins in the final games of the Eganville Hockey League (EHL) prior to the Christmas break.

The Loggers edged the Whitewater Brewers 3-2 while the Bulls took advantage of a depleted Golden Lake T-Birds team in a big 7-2 win. A third game between Calver Lumber and Enright Tree Services was cancelled.

The Loggers moved one point back of the fourth and final play-off spot by virtue of their 3-2 win over the Brewers. Reid Broadhurst staked the Loggers to a 1-0 lead 5:29 into the first period and team-mate Quinton Rook stretched the lead to two 54 seconds later. Matt Kennedy added the team’s third goal, the eventual

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Looking back over the year 2019 Bonnechere Valley Township council made a decision on the oft-discussed ward system, choosing to have councillors elected at-large in the next municipal election in 2022. A referendum included in the October 2018 election showed the majority of respondents wanted the opportunity to elect the councillors at large. ****** Three-time Canadian womens champion, world champion, and Olympic curler Rachel Homan visited the Eganville Curling Club on December 28 to formally throw out the four new stones she purchased in memory of her late grandfather, Gerry Homan, a longtime member and former president of the club. ****** Steve Boland, longtime director of Public Works and Engineering for the County of Renfrew, retired after 19 years on the job. ****** A nine-day inquest into the death of Cas Geddes of Wilno, who died in hospital two days after attempting suicide while at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre, resulted in a 48page report calling for changes to the prison system. ****** Joey Perrin, 19, of Napanee, was airlifted to Ottawa with serious injuries after his vehicle collided with a southbound vehicle on Highway 41 driven by Dorothy Martell of Burlington while exiting Grattan Road on January 2. ****** A January 4 fire at the Lavern Heideman and Sons Lumber Yard in Pembroke destroyed three buildings and some inventory at the property.

The blaze, which started around 8:30 p.m., knocked out hydro to the entire city of Pembroke until about 6:30 a,m, the following morning. . ****** Sarah Kargus was appointed branch manager at the Eganville location of Northern Credit Union replacing Sam Koski who transferred to the Pembroke branch. ****** Steve McCann sold his Eganville insurance business to Barry’s Bay broker, Greg Kelly. Mr. McCann was the third generation owner of the firm founded by his grandfather in 1913 and taken over by his father, Tom, in 1951. ******

January Pembroke was celebrating the news that a new craft distillery would be opening in the city, using locally sourced products to manufacture its vodka, whiskey and gin. O’Kenny Craft Spirits, currently based in Concorde, purchased the former information centre on International Drive. ****** North Algona Wilberforce resident Kevin Clarke had his request for a judicial recount of the October 22 municipal election denied by Justice Martin James. He won a seat in the original vote over incumbent Melvin Berndt by 15 votes, but a recount requested by Mr. Berndt returned him to office with a majority of 14 votes. ****** The trial of four young adults charged in a rash of break and enters across the Ottawa Valley in 2017, began in the Ontario Court of Justice in Pembroke. Siblings Brandon, Jacob and Alicia Thomson and friend Andrew MacDonald all pled not guilty to a combined 56 charges. ****** The Madawaska Valley Family Health Team launched its new service in the greater Barry’s Bay community on January 11. The administrative team and two nurse practitioners are

Former Village of Killaloe and KHR Fire Chief Jim Whelan passed away in January. He served 29 years with the fire services.

already on staff with a social worker, dietician and physiotherapist expected to join in the near future. ****** Former Village of Killaloe and Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township Fire Chief Jim Whelan passed away January 10. A 29-year veteran of the fire service, he was also a longtime member at G. Kranz Insurance and Real Estate, owned by his wife, Wanda, and father-in-law Garnet Kranz. ****** A bench warrant for the arrest of former North Algona Wilberforce Clerk Treasurer Kathleen Thur was issued on January 22 after she failed to show up for a second straight day for her sentencing at the Ontario Supreme Court of Justice in Pembroke. She was originally found guilty of theft of $42,000 from the Rankin Culture and Recreation Centre during her capacity as volunteer treasurer and was to be sentenced on a subsequent fraud charge she was found guilty of. ****** Burlington native Emma Holman became the first full-time female firefighter at the Pembroke Fire Department after her hiring on January 4. ****** North Algona Wilberforce Township council appointed longtime firefighter Stephen Doering as the new Community Emergency Management Co-ordinator taking over from Doug Buckwald, who was elected to council in the October 2018 vote. . ****** Karen Davies, Dean of Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus in Pembroke surprised her colleagues when she announced her retirement. ****** Staff at the Pikwakanagan Health Services were continuing to serve their clients from a temporary location at the commercial strip mall on the First Nation after a mechanical issue on December 12 forced the evacuation of their regular facility on the First Nation. ****** North Algona Wilberforce council voted 3-2 to not proceed with another recount of the October 22, 2018 election ballots. ******* A benefit for the victim’s of the November 2018 John Street fire in Eganville that destroyed two homes and temporarily displaced six other families raised in excess of $28,000.

The McEachen family of Douglas won $574,252.50 in the Catch the Ace lottery sponsored by the Deep River and District Hospital Foundation. Mark and Channa McEachen are shown with their four children: Ryan, Morgan, Kate, Sophie and their family dog, Lucy.

Much of Pembroke was without power on January 4 after a large fire at the Lavern Heideman and Sons Lumber Yard destroyed three buildings and damaged the main hydro lines leaving thousands of residents in the dark, many of them into the following day.

Former Rankin Culture and Recreation Centre secretary treasurer Kathleen Thur was taken into police custody after a bench warrant was issued for her arrest for failing to show up on two separate occasions for her Sentencing Hearing in Pembroke on obstruction of justice and fraud charges. ****** The County of Renfrew approved funding of $1.4 million to construct a new paramedic base in Pembroke near the current county building. ****** Stone Fence Theatre announced it would be honouring Chapeau legend Fred Meilleur in its new 2019 show.

He and his famous hotel, Fred’s, was known far and wide for its hospitality, entertainment, and steak dinners. ****** Laurentian Valley Township Reeve Debbie Robinson announced her intentions to seek the wardenship of the County of Renfrew in 2020. ****** Whiteout conditions that forced the closure of local highways resulted in over 35 crashes being reported to area OPP detachments. During the height of the storm, several crashes were reported on Highway 41 along Lake Dore, the most serious a sevenvehicle collision. ****** Representatives of the Golden Lake and Round Lake Property Owners’ Associations expressed concerns to Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township about the possibility of extreme flooding occurring again this spring based on the heavy snowfall the area had received. ****** Bonnechere Valley Township council advised the Eganville and Area Community Development Group it could not proceed with the proposed boardwalk behind the former Eganville creamery building until it could present engineered drawings to council. ******

February Douglas resident Veronica Dick won the Womens Championship at the World Cup of Cards poker tournament in Montreal. ****** Sundridge native Colt Dellandrea led all 15 laps of the Champ 440 final to capture the coveted Bonnechere Cup at the 45th annual snowmobile races in Eganville. Mike Hakey finished second and Felipe-Roy Lalonde, the 2018champion, was third. ****** The Town of Renfrew announced its intentions to submit a bid to host the 2021 International Plowing Match with support from neighbouring Admaston/Bromley Township and the County of Renfrew. ****** The biggest snowfall of the 2018/19 season dumped between 20 and 30 centimeters of snow across the region forcing the closure of all Englishspeaking schools in Renfrew County for the day. ****** Some 150 transports passed through Renfrew County on their way to Parliament Hill as part of the United We Roll convoy that started in Alberta.

The truckers were headed to Ottawa to protest the Liberal government’s delay in the oil pipeline project. ****** Eganville’s oldest resident, Helen Agnew, passed away on February 18 at the age of 103. A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, she and her late husband, Harold, raised a family of eight children. ****** Aliah Nizaha, 11-year-old daughter of Zaha Iberahim and Sarah MacPhee, and in Grade 6 at Eganville District Public School, qualified to compete in the Elite Music Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York City in March with her second-place performance at the auditions in Toronto. ******

Mark McEachen and his family of Douglas celebrated their $574,252.50 win in the Deep River Hospital Foundation’s popular Catch the Ace lottery. ****** Admaston/Bromley Township council voted to support Renfrew’s bid to host the 2021 International Plowing Match at Ma-te-way Park. ****** North Algona Wilberforce resident Kevin Clarke was back in Superior Court in Pembroke seeking a third recount from the October 22, 2018 election. ****** Former Rankin Culture and Recreation Centre (RCRC) secretary/treasurer Kathleen Thur was sentenced to 20 months for producing forged documents in her previous trial after she was found guilty of stealing $42,000 from the RCRC beginning in 2014. ****** Former Canadian and World Men’s Figure Skating champion Kurt Browning was in Renfrew to conduct a clinic for young figure skaters. He was accompanied by two-time U.S. women’s champ, Alyssa Czinsy. ****** The Eganville and Area Community Development Group met with Bonnechere Valley Township council in hopes of getting more co-operation on the Egan’s Boardwalk project behind the former creamery building.

The committee voiced its concerns over the unauthorized removal of the stone from the river that was installed to facilitate the installation of the boardwalk. They promised to provide engineer’s drawing before proceeding as requested by council. ****** Longtime Pembroke barrister and former chair of the Renfrew County District School Board, Roy Reiche, was remembered for his community involvement, passion for the outdoors, and his love of family after his passing on February 23 at the age of 68.

Severe whiteout conditions during a February blizzard resulted in 35 crashes across the Ottawa Valley, including Highway 41 near Lake Dore where visibility was near-zero where this seven-vehicle collision occurred.

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The top stories January to April

Pembroke native Tye Felhaber, son of Joey and Michele Felhaber of Pembroke, who was in his final year of junior hockey eligibility with the Ottawa 67s, signed a three-year entry level contract with the Dallas Stars of the NHL. ****** Bonnechere Union Pubic Library CEO/head librarian Dawn Silver announced she was resigning from her position after accepting job as the Director of Regional Services in Newfoundland/Labrador, that will see her oversee all 94 libraries there. ****** Damage in a fire that razed a home on Maloney Mountain Road in Greater Madawaska (GM) Township could reach $7 million. The residence was the summer home of owners Norman and Maureen Dobiesz of Florida. ****** Pembroke Regional Hospital announced two additions to its staff -- Dr. Kayode Fadre, the hospital’s third gynaecologsit/obstetrician -and Dr. Malcolm Chang, the fourth orthopaedic surgeon. ****** Mario Rodrigues, the Toronto area man who triggered an Amber Alert in April 2016 after he abducted his then four-year-old daughter from her mother’s home in Aurora and later led police on a pursuit that ended with him crashing the vehicle at the Pemco Steel plant on Paul Martin Drive in Pembroke, was found guilty of abduction. ****** Kevin Clarke, a candidate in the October 2018 municipal elections in North Algona Wilberforce, was denied a recount for the third time by council. Originally declared elected, Mr. Clarke later lost his seat in a recount requested by incumbent Melvin Berndt. ****** The Tree Top Restaurant in Chalk River, known for being a popular stopping place for travellers on busy Highway 17, was forced to close after a portion of its roof collapsed from the heavy snow load. ****** Despite slightly declining numbers, the annual Douglas St. Patrick’s Day parade was considered a success by the organizing committee. Tom Gallagher of Eganville was St. Patrick and Cairinne Bruce was chosen Honourary Parade Marshall. ****** Longtime municipal politician Jim Sheedy was remembered for his 40 years plus of community service after he passed away March 10. He served the public in both the former Stafford and Laurentian Valley townships and was known for his dedication to community, love of family and zest for life. ****** Beverly Hudder of Wilno was celebrating her win of $100,000 on an OLG Instant Crossword Scratch ticket. ****** Dr. Jack Kitts, a Barry’s Bay na-

March

tive and CEO and president of the Ottawa Hospital, received the Order of Canada from Her Excellency, Governor General Julie Payette at an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall on March 14. ****** Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, an obstretrician/gynaecologist at Pembroke Regional Hospital, received a sixmonth suspension from the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons as a result of a charge of professional misconduct stemming from actions which resulted in a court sentence on March 18. The charges were stemmed to a relationship he had had with a former employee.

implement dealer, real estate agent, and municipal councillor, passed away at age 78. He served several terms on Whitewater Region council and was deputy-mayor for one term. * * * * ** After a bizarre string of events, the Eganville Hockey League championship series between the Killaloe Kings and Calver Lumber came to an abrupt end following game three of the best-of-five series when the Kings announced they were forfeiting to the defending champs The Kings were leading the series 2-1 at the time. ****** Gavan’s Hotel in Quyon, Quebec was packed for the annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities after owner Nick Matechuk announced it would be his last St. Patrick’s celebration at the

Dr. Wilbert Keon, world renowned heart surgeon who founded the Ottawa Heart Institute in 1976, passed away in April at the age of 83. Seen here with Stone Fence Theatre producer Ish Theilheimer portraying a heart surgeon from one of the troupe’s many plays, Dr. Keon was born in Sheenboro, Quebec and was proud of his Ottawa Valley roots.

Colt Dellandrea of Waterloo took home the 45th edition of the Bonnechere Cup as Pro Champ.

Anna Mary Gallagher was thrilled when her husband Tom was named the 2019 Honourary St. Patrick. ****** Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, John Yakabuski, implemented a Ministerial Order that called for the immediate lowering of Round Lake at a rate of between four and six centimetres per week, to possibly try and avert flooding problems around the lake and have room for the upcoming freshet waters. ****** Izett McBride, a former farmer, farm

well-known pub. ****** Scott Hubert was sentenced to three years in prison on his conviction of impaired driving causing death, in the November 2016 crash that claimed the life of his brother, Jamie Hubert of Eganville. Scott was driving the truck when it crashed into a ditch on Dore Bay Road in North Algona Wilberforce township. ****** George Grieve of 595 Westmeath Road was left homeless after fire destroyed his residence. He managed to escape the inferno uninjured. ****** Former Eganville resident, James Veley, 44, died when the truck he was driving collided head-on with a tandem crane truck on Highway 26 in Springwater Township. ****** Jolie Brisco, 17, of Renfrew, was crowned Canadian champion in the 57-kilogram weight class at the Canadian Junior Wrestling Championship in Saskatoon. ****** Fraser and Candice Agnew and their infant daughter, Layla, escaped danger when flames consumed their residence on Forester’s Falls Road in Whitewater Region Township. They were alerted to the danger by their smoke alarms.

Ann Senack, 62, a server at the Shooters Bar & Grill in Calabogie the night in 2017 when two Renfrew teens were killed and two more were injured, was facing two charges of causing death by criminal negligence and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm for allegedly serving alcohol to the underage teens, who were all members of the Renfrew Junior B Timberwolves hockey team. ****** Dr. Wilbert Keon, world-renowned surgeon and founder of the Ottawa Heart Institute, passed away at age 83. The Sheenboro, Quebec native established the Heart Institute in 1976 and performed over 10,000 open heart surgeries. ****** The Eganville Leader won first place in the Best Editorial category and four second-place awards at the annual Better Newspapers Competition hosted by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association. The Leader earned second-place awards in General Excellence, Best Spot News Photo, Best Front Page and Best Special Edition. ****** North Algona Wilberforce Mayor James Brose “called out” former mayor Deborah Farr at a council meeting for allegedly spreading lies and attacking his personal character after sending out an email to council members accusing him of having secret meetings with Bonnechere Valley Mayor Jennifer Murphy to discuss a possible amalgamation of townships. ****** Bonnechere Valley Township council voted unanimously to support a project by the Eganville and Area Community Development Group that would see a boardwalk and fishing dock built along the Bonnechere River. The vote came after months of

April sometimes tumultuous discussions between the two parties, leaving many feeling council was not supportive of the project. ****** Three members of the Pembroke Lumber Kings U18 team were selected in the Ontario Hockey League draft. Mason McTavish of Carp, son of Lumber Kings’s owner and Eganville native, Dale McTavish was selected fifth overall by the Peterborough Petes, Isaac Enright of Douglas was selected 17th overall by the Niagara Ice Dogs, and Joshua Reid of Petawawa was picked 61st overall by the Mississauga Steelheads. ****** Internationally-know entertainer and Rankin native, April Verch released her newest recording entitled “Once A Day” which included two tracks with her father, Ralph. The recording features tracks from other artists who provided an early influence on her career. ****** Renfrew County officials expressed concern after learning the province was considering restructuring its land ambulance service providers from 52 to 10. ****** Mississauga native Nikolina Likarevic was introduced as the new interim CEO/ Head Librarian at the Bonnechere Union Public Library, temporarily filling the position made vacant by the resignation of former CEO/Head Librarian, Dawn Silver. ****** Property owners across Renfrew County were starting to deal with severe flooding issues, similar to those of 2017. While the situations

on Golden Lake and Round Lake were not as bad as 2017, properties along the Bonnechere and Ottawa Rivers that had escaped relatively unscathed before were experiencing heavy flooding. ****** Flooding in the City of Pembroke reached 2017 levels in the areas of Doran, McGee, D’Arcy and Murray street areas where water levels came up to car windows as the Indian River overflowed its banks. ****** Admaston/Bromley Township was one of the hardest hit municipalities by the flooding as water washed out an entire section of Culhane Road, leaving a gaping hole in the ground. ****** Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township Mayor Janice Visneskie Moore returned to work after a twomonth hiatus caused by a broken leg suffered in a fall at her Golden Lake area home on February 6. Although unable to attend meetings in person, council allowed her to participate via a phone link. ****** Staff at rural libraries were expressing their dismay at a provincial cutback that saw the elimination of inter-library loans between libraries. ****** Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan road superitendent Alvin Kauffeldt was looking forward to his retirement after 46 years on the job. ****** The Irish Shamrocks won both the Heritage Cup trophy as champs of the Open division and the Heritage Bowl as champions of the Gentlemens’ Division at the annual Heritage Cup Tournament in Barry’s Bay. The Algonquin Thunderbirds captured the Heritage Trophy, emblematic of supremacy in the women’s division.

Robbie and Christina Anderman celebrated the 50th anniversary of Morninglory farm near Killaloe. Founded For the second time in three years, many parts of the Ottawa Valley, suffered widespread damage from in 1969 it is an intentional community of residents co-operating in 12 separate family households on 100 extensive flooding that took place in April and May. Volunteers filled sand bags at Eganville District Public School. Similar scenes occurred throughout the Valley despite the chily weather, as on this day. hilly acres of woods, fields, gardens and orchards.

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Looking back over the year 2019 Several municipalities in Renfrew County declared States of Emergency in the wake of increased flooding situations, primarily along the Ottawa, Petawawa, Bonnechere and Madawaska rivers and on Golden, Muskrat and Round lakes. ****** Hundreds of soldiers from Garrison Petawawa were deployed across Renfrew County to assist property owners deal with the severe flood conditions.

Soldiers assisted with sandbagging efforts, checked on residents, and helped in whatever way they could. ****** Over 60 people of all ages showed up in less than ideal weather, battling both rain and snow, to assist with the filling of over 2,800 sandbags at the Eganville Public School. It was one of many volunteer community efforts across the county co-ordinated to assist with the flood relief. ****** A washout on Highway 17 north of Deep River that resulted in all east and westbound traffic being detoured for a week led to triple the normal volume of traffic on Highway 60, especially over the Easter weekend. ****** The management and staff at Ben Hokum and Son sawmill celebrated the official opening of their $22 million expansion project begun in 2018 and scheduled for completion in 2022. The existing 18,000 square foot mill was increased by 10,000 square feet and the scanning saw-line equipment was changed from 2-D to 3-D. The expansion turned the operation into the largest pine-producing mill in Ontario. ****** People from across Renfrew County attended the county ccouncil building in Pembroke to voice their concerns over provincial funding cuts to the Southern Ontario Library Service that will heavily impact local municipal libraries. ****** A fire at a residence on Mountainview Road on May 5 claimed the life of former St. Mary’s church caretaker, Ambrose Ostroskie whose body was found outside the residence where he lived alone following the passing of his sister, Bernadette in 2018. ****** OPP at Petawawa were continuing their search for a missing teenage girl who fell into the raging waters of the Petawawa River on May 5.

The search for the believed 17-yearold was assisted by members of the OPP’s Underwater Search and Rescue Unit, and a helicopter from the OPP’s Aviation Service Unit. ****** Owners of permanent residences affected by flooding in the county received some good news as the provincial government announced it

May was activating the Disaster Recovery Assistance Program for Ontarians to help cover costs associated to damages to their principal residences. ****** Stone Fence Theatre producer Ish Theilheimer was the recipient of the Marilyn Alexander Tourism Champion Award presented by the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association.

The award recognizes an individual who is a tourism champion of the Ottawa Valley. ****** Quail Creek residents, Eileen Brydges and Joe Quilty celebrated their respective 101st and 102nd birthdays with a toast on May 8 at the retirement home in Renfrew. ****** The defence attorneys representing four Renfrew-area felons who faced over 170 criminal charges related to break-ins, thefts and property damage from a crime spree in 2017 were seeking a mistrial, alleging the trial was not completed within the mandatory period. ****** The Bonnechere Public Union Library’s “Goldrush Days” fundraiser raised a total of $3,600 for the local library. ****** The annual Hike for Hospice fundraiser for Hospice Renfrew raised a whopping $120,000. ****** The Champlain Local Health Inte-

grated Network (LHIN) announced it was providing base funding of almost $300,000 annually for primary care services in Eganville that would see a nurse practitioner work in the community three days a week. ****** The provincial government announced it was providing $71 million in funding to the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) to improve mobile broadband and eliminate cellular dead zones in Eastern Ontario. ****** Galen and Patricia Horst, parents in a Mennonite family from the Hardwood Lake area, were forced to move to Toronto with their seven children to be close to the appropriate medical care their 14-year-old daughter, Amanda, required for her serious heart condition. ****** After a nearly two-year hiatus, Eganville’s Olympic hero, Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, set a new Personal Best in the women’s 1500 metres at a meet in Windsor with a time of 4:09.36 ****** Jack Roesner, manager at the Eganville Power Generation station in Eganville, told Bonnechere Valley Township council the plant will lose an estimated $170,00 to $200,000 in revenue due to the turbines being damaged. An additional $250,000 could be required to repair the damage he alleged had been caused by actions of the Eganville and Area Community Development Group at their boardwalk project upstream from the plant.

Loretta Robillard, a cottage owner in Horton Township, gave a big thumbs up after soldiers from Garrison Petawawa arrived and helped reinforce a sandbag wall built by residents. Severe flooding along the Ottawa River in April caused widespread damage.

Dean Felhaber, President of Ben Hokum and Son Limited in Killaloe, was joined by his wife Tanya and local MPP and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski following a multi-million provincial investment into the family run mill.

This Petawawa firefighter was one of several first responders who searched the Petawawa River for 17-year old Sarah Donovan in early May. Sadly, her body was recovered a few weeks later and no foul play was suspected.

Members of the Pikwakanagan Cannabis Business Association were concerned after Band council passed a resolution saying they would not support or consider any future applications for an Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation licence or permit for any shop or storefront that subsequently opens on or after that date to sell, distribute or produce unregulated cannabis, or cannabis products. ****** County councillors expressed concerns over the uncertainty in provincial funding cuts that would create a projected shortfall of $750,000 that will impact paramedic services, long-term care and Ontario Works the most. ****** The County of Renfrew lifted the State of Emergency that had been declared due to the severe flooding in many areas of the county in late April and May. ****** The victim of a three-vehicle crash on Round Lake Road on June 5 was being remembered as a person who loved his family and who was actively involved in his community since moving there several years ago.

Randy Neff, 54, of Golden Lake, died at the scene of the crash involving a pick-up truck and two passenger cars near Jacks Lake while returning home from his job at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Chalk River. ****** Following a heated meeting between Bonnechere Valley Township council and the Eganville and Area Community Development Group (EACDG), council agreed no further work could be done on the proposed boardwalk project behind the former Eganville Creamery until outstanding invoices in amount of about $9,000 were paid by the EACDG. ****** The nurse practitioner-led primary health care clinic in Eganville, which was approved by the Champlain Local Health Integrated Network in May, was expected to open in July when it would share office space with Eganville’s longtime physician, Dr. Michael Petrini. ****** Bombadier Patrick Labrie, a soldier stationed at Garrison Petawawa, was killed in a parachuting accident while taking part in Exercise Swift Response 19, a multi-nation training exercise in Bulgaria on June 17. ****** Rachel Stamplicoski of Barry’s Bay was the lucky winner of $24,935.50 in the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation’s Catch the Ace draw on June 13. ******

June

The Barry’s Bay community and people in minor hockey circles across the Valley and beyond were mourning the unexpected passing of Barry’s Bay and Area Minor Hockey Association president, Bill Green on June 5. ****** Pembroke lawyer Mary Fraser was appointed as Judge for the Superior Court of Justice. Ms. Fraser, who practiced law for 28 years, is the daughter of the late James Fraser, the founder of the Pembroke firm she joined in 1994, and the wife of judge Michael March. ****** Eganville Olympian Melissa Bishop-Nriagu set a new meet record in the women 800 metres at the Guelph Inferno meet with a time of 2:01.01. ****** The sudden closure of Beaumen

Waste Management Systems in Renfrew left several Renfrew County municipalities scrambling to find alternative sources to handle their recycling materials. ****** Pembroke dentist Christy Natsis was granted day parole and will soon be living in halfway house in Ottawa after serving only 13 months of her five-year sentence after being convicted of impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death in the 2011 collision she was involved in that claimed the life of Bryan Casey of Ottawa. ****** A 14-year-old Mennonite girl who had moved to Toronto with her family from their Hardwood Lake farm in May while awaiting a heart transplant, collapsed and died at a barbecue.

Amanda Horst’s story captured the hearts of many in the Valley as she shared her story and her faith while awaiting life saving surgery.

Amanda Horst, a 14-year old girl from Hardwood Lake, passed away in Toronto while awaiting a heart transplant. Her family moved to Toronto six weeks earlier in order for her to be closer to Sick Kids Hospital.

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The top stories -- May to August

A sudden powerful microburst caused considerable damage to some cottages on McNee Drive in Deacon in Nyah Davidson and Ebonie Kauffeldt presented outgoing Opeongo High School vice-principal Angela Mc- late August. Although several trees were uprooted due to high winds, there were no injuries.

Gregor-Stewart with a bouquet during the 2019 Graduation Ceremony. Ms. McGregor-Stewart was named employee Don Pilon won $1 million A tractor trailer owned by Bruce to a position at the board office in Pembroke.

One week after Beaumen Waste Management abruptly closed leaving several local municipalities scrambling to find a company to handle the pickup and processing of recyclables, the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre (OCWRC) offered its services as a short-term answer until the local governments can find a permanent solution. ****** A family and community were in mourning after four-year-old William Jones succumbed to his injuries following a tragic collision on Forest Lea Road near Pembroke a week earlier. ****** Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry John Yakabuski announced Rob Ford’s government approved funding for the widening of Highway 17 between Arnprior and Renfrew. The 22.5 km project is the largest ever provincial project in Renfrew County. ****** Dr. Keltie Jones was appointed the new Dean of Algonquin College in Pembroke and was scheduled to assume her role on August 22. ****** The second edition of the very successful Great Canadian Cheesebox Race along the Bonnechere River in Eganville was cancelled by organizers citing insufficient time to devote to planning and sponsorship due to ongoing issues with BV council over the proposed boardwalk/fishing dock project. ****** Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed Jens Stottenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to Garrison Petawawa as part of a ceremony to honour Canadian soldiers from the base who participated in overseas NATO operations. ******

July Bonnechere Valley council received a report from the Eganville Generation Corporation board of directors stating the estimated impact to repair damaged turbines was $275,000. ****** A collision that involved five vehicles sending nine people to hospital with severe injuries and claimed the lives of three others occurred on Highway 417 between Arnprior and Kanata after a suicidal man intentionally drove his car at an estimated speed of 140 km/hr across a large grassy median into oncoming traffic. Heidi Clarke of North Algona Wilberforce Township was one of two civilians first on scene and comforted the driver of the vehicle until he succumbed to his injuries. ****** Bryan Martin, who served as CAO for Bonnechere Valley for 17 years, announced his resignation after he accepted the position of CAO in the town of Arnprior. ****** Marianhill launched a $2 million community fundraising campaign to increase the number of beds in longterm care home from 131 beds to 160.

The funds will also be used to bring the facility up to modern accessibility standards from when it was first built in 1980 ****** Eganville resident Eileen JonesWhyte and Kurt Stoll are the two declared candidates who will be seeking the NDP nomination for the October 21 federal election. A candidate will be chosen at a future nomination meeting. ****** More than two years after the election of Chief and Council of Pik-

wakanagans of Algonquin was held, all members of council were officially sworn in. The lengthy delay was a result of several appeals launched following the election. ****** A total of 98 students graduated from Opeongo High School at the annual commencement ceremony.

Madawaska Valley District High School produced 87 graduates. ****** Several speed bumps were installed on Kokomis Inamo Road in an attempt to slow down the increasing volume of traffic that has occurred since several cannabis dispensaries were opened on the reserve. ****** Nine months after defeated municipal candidate Kevin Clarke launched an appeal in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to have the results of the North Algona Wilberforce election results overturned, Justice Martin James dismissed the case thereby bringing the case to an end. ****** Local MPP and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry John Yakabuski, announced a special advisor would be hired to analyze all aspects of the devastating 2019 spring flooding in several major water systems in the Ottawa Valley. ****** Several cottages around McNee Drive and Highway 60 along Golden Lake suffered extensive damage following a fierce wind storm which also uprooted a number of large pine trees.

Despite the high winds, there were no injuries as a result of the storm. ****** Maddy Kelly of Pembroke defeated former Canadian 800-metre champion Melissa Bishop of Eganville and six other runners en route to becoming the new Canadian champion during the Canadian finals held in Montreal.

Members of the Bonnechere Valley Fire Department wash down the bridge over the Bonnechere River to get it ready for the annual Dinner On The Bridge held on July 1.

Jones Forest Products in Pembroke went up in flames on Highway 17 in Head, Clara and Maria Township highlighting the dangers and challenges of not having a fire department or a mutual aid agreement with neighbouring Laurentian Hills. ****** Ian Pineau, a professor and program co-ordinator at Algonquin College in Pembroke was selected as the official Green Party candidate for RenfrewNipissing-Pembroke in the October 21 federal election. ****** Renfrew County’s first liquor distillery opened in Pembroke. O’Kenny Craft Spirits owner Andrew Kenny plans on using local agricultural products in the production of vodka and other spirits. ****** A group of 50 hoteliers representing the majority of all hotel and motel rooms in Renfrew County withdrew their memberships from the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association (OVTA) due to the proposed introduction of a new tax that would have hoteliers charge a new accommodation tax on their guests with the revenue being split 50/50 between the OVTA and the respective host municipalities. ****** Two open house hearings were held in front of packed halls in Killaloe and Pikwakanagan where residents were updated on an amendment seeking permission from the province to lower water levels in Round Lake in September to avoid a repeat of flooding that occurred in 2017 and 2019.

August

****** The installation of a new boardwalk along the Bonnechere River initiated by the Eganville and Area Development Community Group (EADCG) was put on hold after an engineering firm hired by BV council submitted a report citing deficiencies in the design. ****** The decision by Pikwakanagan council to install a new gate on the old rail bed towards Tranquility Bay had cottagers and permanent residents worried about access in winter if they had to use the steep cottage road to reach their properties. ****** Three Renfrew siblings who were charged with over 150 offences linked to a series of destructive break and enters that plagued the Ottawa Valley in 2017 walked out of the Pembroke courthouse after Justice Michael March declared a mistrial and stayed the charges citing the Section 11(b) of the Charter of Rights stating their constitutional rights were violated due to the length of the trial. ****** Long-time Canadian Cancer Society co-ordinator Roger Martin was named the new Executive-Director of the Pembroke Regional Hospital Foundation following the retirement of Nancy Warren. ****** Kelly’s Corner resident and longtime Eganville Home Hardware

in a 6/49 lottery. ****** The 32nd annual Algonquin Traditional Pow Wow attracted nearly 6,000 spectators. The record crowd was entertained by 250 dancers. ****** North Algona Wilberforce Township parted ways with Rick Marshall who served as fire chief since 2010 and was a member of the volunteer fire department for 28 years. ****** The Eganville and District Sportsman’s Club hosted the 25th edition of the Eganville Gun Show held at the Eganville Arena. ****** The body of seven-year old Mason Ryan of Petawawa was found floating in the Petawawa River after he slipped into the river while walking along the shore earlier in the day. ****** City of Pembroke elected officials and staff held a community BBQ near the Pembroke Marina as a way to say thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who helped out during the spring floods that caused extensive damage to several homes and properties. ****** The Alice May, an alligator boat built by a group of seniors who were friends of the late Dr. Bill Burwell, was transported to Shaw Woods. It will be on permanent display as part of the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre’s preservation of the history of the lumber industry in the Ottawa Valley.

The Alice May, an alligator boat built by a group of seniors led by the late Dr. Bill Burwell, was transported from a cottage in Quebec where it was stored to Shaw Woods where it is now on permanent display.

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Looking back over the year 2019

Don Pilon of Kelly’s Corners, was the big winner in an August Encore draw when he walked away with $1 million and quickly retired from his job at Eganville’s Home Hardware.

The County of Renfrew will not be hosting the 2021 International Plowing Match (IPM). County council passed a resolution suspending its bid to host the IPM in two years time following a report by the International Plowing Match Advisory Committee. ****** A waterfall along the Bonnechere River near the Bonnechere Caves may soon be named after a Canadian soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. Bonnechere Valley council was notified the public has until the end of the month to comment on the proposed name of Baker Falls after Corporal Joshua Caleb Baker. ****** After more than three decades of strong and dedicated leadership, Randy Penney will be retiring as president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Renfrew Victoria Hospital and CEO at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay next June. ****** The province announced an inquest into the murders of Natalie Warmerdam, 48, of Cormac, Anastasia Kuzyk, 36, of Wilno and Ottawa resident Carol Culleton, 66, who owned a cottage near Combermere, and how the justice system treated convicted murder Basil Borutski with relative leniency in light of his violent past.

September ****** The County of Renfrew has thrown its support behind a request from North Algona Wilberforce Township regarding improving the safety flows and traffic at the intersection of County Road 30 (Lake Dore Road) and Highway 60 in Golden Lake. ****** Charges were dismissed against Martial Laverdure in connection with the January 11, 2015 death of former Chief Warrant Officer Ernie Hall. He was charged in January 2015 after the truck he was driving struck and killed Mr. Hall when he was leaving a Pembroke Lumber Kings hockey game. ****** Eganville resident Eileen JonesWhyte will lead the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the October federal election. She defeated fellow nominee Kurt Stoll of Deep River in the twoway competition. ****** North Algona Wilberforce council agreed to turn Grist Mill Road into a gravel surface after CAO/OM Andrew Sprunt said damage by Mennonite wagons left few options. The change was necessary because of ongoing damage caused by the steel wheels used by several Mennonites who

Local MPP John Yakabuski congratulated Randy Penny on a remarkable 30-year career as the CEO and President of Renfrew Victoria Hospital and St. Francis in Barry’s Bay.

travel the roadway, he said. ****** Lutheran pastor Ralph Weigold was welcomed to Grace Lutheran, St. John’s Augsburg and St. John’s Bonnechere. He said he is a strong believer in community and interdenominational harmony. ****** Steven Butler, who has family roots in Pikwakangan, died defending his family and home from an unprovoked attack in Ottawa. His son was severely injured in the attack. ****** The plans for a boardwalk/fishing dock along the Bonnechere River sank like a stone as Bonnechere Valley council began the process to remove the oft-disputed rocks from the river, which in turn spurred members of the local volunteer committee to announce their decision to step down. ****** Owners of a proposed cannabis production facility at Foymount were told development was on hold until necessary re-zoning commenced at the County of Renfrew with investors anticipating it will take between $3 million and $5 million to make the facility at the old Blackwater Clothing facility operational. ****** Despite concerns RVs are contaminating the pristine waters of Lake Clear, local water quality researcher Greg Romanov said the lake could not be in better shape. ****** Bob Cotnam credited heroes at a nearby construction site, as well as the fast response of paramedics, with saving his life following cardiac arrest in the spring. A heroes party was held for them at the Cotnam home following his full recovery. ****** Killaloe and Rockingham-based Jabez Blanket Ministry expanded its mandate to include those in need in Canada’s North. The 17-yearold ministry provides homemade afghans, cuddly bears and school supplies to orphans overseas. ****** Lorna Hudder, CAO of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township since amalgamation in 2000, passed away at St. Francis Memorial Hospital after a brave battle with cancer.

Mayor Janice Visneskie Moore said the municipality not only lost one of its greatest assets, she has lost a close friend too. ****** Two Gals and a Truck, Julie Sanderson and Dale Benoit-Zohr, came to North Algona Wilberforce council asking for financial assistance to help them establish a food bank in Golden Lake. They said almost 75 per cent of all North Algona Wilberforce (NAW) residents receive some type of government assistance as either wholly or a segment of their annual income.

Although the Alice May was moved to the Shaw Woods Outdoor Eudcation Centre in September, the alligator boat, built by a group of friends under the direction of the late Dr. Bill Burwell, was officially christened at a ceremony at the dam on the Snake River. ****** Dressed in classic Victorian dresses and serving up traditional 19th century food, Barry’s Bay celebrated the arrival of the first train to the village in 1893. The Station Keepers, along with a few railway enthusiasts hosted the party on the grounds of the historic Railway Museum to mark the occasion. ****** The new members of a waterfront committee met with Bonnechere Valley Township council, first apologizing for the breakdown of the relationship between some council members and the Eganville and Area Community Development Group (EACDG) over the issue of a community boardwalk and then sharing plans for the future with council. ****** Renfrew County council unanimously endorsed an appeal to the provincial coroner’s office to hold the Basil Borutski inquest in Renfrew County. ****** County staff began the 2020 budgeting process with Admaston/Bromley Mayor Michael Donohue calling for a smaller levy increase. In a recorded vote, his motion was defeated by council 118 to 81. ****** The former Eganville Creamery on the north side of the Bonnechere River in the downtown has been purchased by PTF Construction and owner Chad Patrick has big plans for the old building, including the construction of a boardwalk along the river. ****** Local Rotarian Ed Byers was honoured for his volunteer work with blood donor clinics by the Canadian Blood Services at the Honouring Canada’s Lifeline ceremony at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa ****** The mayor, council and staff of Greater Madawaska Township had 4.6 million reasons to smile thanks to a funding announcement from Ontario government that will see $4.6 million in funds provided for the rehabilitation of Ferguson Lake Road in the municipality. ****** A $20 million expansion of its sawmill facility by Lavern Heideman and Sons that will ensure its longevity and prosperity in the future of the forest industry was celebrated. ****** The absence of incumbent RenfrewNipissing-Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant at an all candidates meeting was not only an undercurrent felt throughout the room for the entire debate, but also the first issue raised from the floor during question period.

October ****** Six Renfrew County residents escaped serious injury Tuesday evening, October 1 when their cruise ship was rammed by a fuel tanker on the Rhine River in northern Germany.

The tanker was loaded with 1400 tons of gasoline. ****** A move is afoot to name the falls on the Bonnechere River Menard Falls after one of the founding families in the township, following a previous push to name the falls after a soldier killed in Afghanistan. ****** Bonnechere Valley will not be preparing a Community Safety and Well-being Plan which looks at a better way of delivering OPP services.

Council noted there is no money in the budget to do the plan, and it just doesn’t make sense. ****** Pembroke native Chris Harkins, who had a desire from a young age to become a police officer, was chosen to fill the position of Deputy Commissioner of Field Operations for the Ontario Provincial Police. ****** Cheryl Gallant once again defied her critics and rode a wave of popular support as she steamrolled over nine other candidates on her way to her seventh consecutive victory as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke.

****** The Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre (OVWRC) is increasing its recycling output by 17 per cent due to the sudden surge of municipalities sending recyclables to the Laurentian Valley Township facility. ****** The answer is in and the Pembroke community would like to see a new pool built to replace the aging Kinsmen facility, but just how this will be funded remains up in the air. ****** Ugo Fredette, who led police officers on a chase into Renfrew County following an Amber Alert which culminated in a dramatic takedown in Dacre, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of two charges of first-degree murder. It was the longest Amber Alert in Quebec history and began in a Montreal suburb before ending in rural Renfrew County. ****** A building in downtown Killaloe that has been vacant for several years has been declared structurally unsafe and Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards (KHR) Township council is having the building demolished. ****** A group of concerned citizens reacted against an “agreement in principle” made by the City of Pembroke to move The Grind and Community Kitchen to the old fire hall which would put this in close proximity to a seniors drop in centre, as well as the local library.

Pembroke native Chris Harkins was promoted to Deputy-Commissioner of Field Operations for the OPP in October. He began his career as a frontline constable 29 years ago and spent time policing in Killaloe and Upper Ottawa Valley.

Ed Heideman, president of Lavern Heideman & Sons Ltd. and vice-president Kris Heideman welcomed local MPP and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, John Yakabuski, to celebrate the company’s $20 million expansion.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

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Page A19

The top stories September to December

Don Burchat of Wilno was on hand during the unveiling of the new Memory mural he created to help raise money for St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay. Hundreds of residents attended a public meeting held at the 50+ Active Living Centre in Pembroke, with several of them opposed to the relocation of The Grind’s soup kitchen to the former fire hall. ****** A new Memory Mural was unveiled at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. The wooden mural, designed by Wilno craftsman Don Burchat, is a way to honour a loved one and at the same time help raise money for the hospital. ****** Renfrew County council approved emergency work on the bridge over the Petawawa River in the amount of approximately $1.15 million. The base of the bridge was damaged during the Spring flooding. ****** Kathy Davis was named the new Executive-Director of Family and Children’s Services of Renfrew County. ****** Micksburg Twins pitcher Joran Graham was named to the 2020 Team Canada roster pool for international softball competition. ****** November 2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the Victory Loan plane crash on the edge of Eganville, The plane, which was used to promote the sale of Victory Loans to finance Canada’s role in World War I, was just approaching Eganville from its flight from Pembroke when the crash took place and claimed the life of pilot Harry Dobin and Pembroke entrepreneur James F. Munro. ****** North Algona Wilberforce Township council agreed to host a dinner/ appreciation event for staff and volunteers after concerns were raised at an earlier meeting about spending taxpayers’ money in this manner.

Councillors Janet Reiche-Schoenfeldt and Melvin Berndt felt a smaller, scaled down celebration could be held

November with far less tax dollars being spent. ****** Grist Mill Road resident Paul Hamilton, and several other property owners along the road, demanded that North Algona Wilberforce council reverse its decision to switch the road from a hard surface to gravel. ****** North Algona Wilberforce council agreed to have Interim Fire Chief Kevin Champ remain in the position until a permanent chief is hired in 2020. ****** Thieves used a front-end loader to drive through the front doors of the Legion Hall in Chalk River in order to steal an ATM. ****** Damage was estimated at $1 million after a wood chipping plant at the Ben Hokum & Son Sawmill complex on the west end of Golden Lake was destroyed by an early evening fire.

Firefighters from North Algona Wilberforce and Killaloe Hagarty and Richards battled the blaze in -20C temperatures. There were no injuries. ****** The plans for a new luxury apartment complex were presented at a public meeting in Renfrew. Lepine Luxury Apartments plan to build 380 units in six separate buildings and they will include underground parking. ****** More than 130 residents from across the Ottawa Valley gathered at the Eagle’s Nest in Eganville for a threeperson panel discussion on the safety and health concerns of 5G wireless technology. ****** A condemned building located at 171 Queen Street in Killaloe was demolished by order of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township.

****** Two barns at the ranch owned by Willi Schmidt on Whitewater Road in Laurentian Valley were destroyed by fire. Fortunately, no animals were injured in the blaze, but several square bales ands tack equipment was lost. ****** The Golden Lake Variety Store, located on Highway 60 in the hamlet, obtained conditional approval for an LCBO outlet. ****** A noon-hour fire destroyed two outbuildings and an excavator at the home of Tom and Donna Nolan on Burnstown Road near Renfrew. Despite very strong winds, members of the Horton Fire Department kept the flames away from the main house. ****** An accident with a potentially serious outcome occurred on Highway 17 when a tractor trailer from British Columbia overturned while travelling westbound in Whitewater Township at Haley Station. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic or vehicles travelling close behind the rig when the incident occurred. After taking out several guide posts, the rig flipped onto the passenger side, coming to rest across both lanes of the busy highway. ****** Almost one year after fire destroyed their John Street residence in Eganville, Steve and Jackie Agnew moved into their new home which was built on the same site. Their original home and an adjoining residence were destroyed in the November 2018 fire which also damaged four other homes. ****** Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township Mayor Janice Visneskie Moore vowed to continue her opposition to any proposed 5G technology being established in the municipality until proper research has been done on the new technology.

A public meeting regarding the leasing of the old Pembroke Fire Hall to The Grind at times became emotional with residents speaking both for and against the proposed soup kitchen and smaller services.

Customers of Beachburg’s Scotiabank received a form letter informing them the bank would be closing in June 2020 after serving the village for more than 100 years. ****** It was announced Admaston/Bromley clerk-treasurer Annette Gilchrist was hired as the new CAO/Clerk Treasurer for Bonnechere Valley and will assume her role in early January 2020. ****** Innovation Seven, a First Nations private business that provides consultation services and infrastructure planning and administration to First Nations, held an open house for its new office at Pikwakanagan. ****** Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, John Yakabuski, released a commissioned report on the 2019 flood that devastated parts of the Ottawa Valley and it concluded that human error was not the cause of the flooding. ****** The Leo Buckley Rink from Deep River won the A-Division at the Eganville Curling Club’s Fall Classic that featured 12 teams from all parts of the Valley. ****** Marianhill, Pembroke’s most established long-term care facility, received the highest Level of Accreditation demonstrating excellence in meeting the national Qmemtum program designed to assist seniors in long-term care homes. ****** Laurentian Valley Reeve Debbie Robinson made history at Renfrew County Council. Not only was she the first LV elected official to hold the office of warden, but she was the first woman to be elected to the position following another female warden, Bonnechere Valley Mayor Jennifer Murphy. She defeated McNab Braeside Mayor Tom Peckett. ****** Pembroke dentist Dr. Christy Natsis was granted full parole after serving only 13 months of a five-year sentence after being found guilty of impaired driving causing death in the March 31, 2011 death of 50-year old Bryan Casey of Ottawa. Her trial made national headlines when the results of her breathalizer test, which indicated she was 2 ½ times over the legal limit, were disallowed as evidence after the trial judge ruled her Human Rights were violated on the evening of her arrest. * * * * * *Board members from the Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Library held an open house to announce the awarding of a $150,000 Trillium grant as part of a $250,000 expansion of the site. ****** North Algona Wilberforce council pledged to reverse its controversial decision to turn the once-hard top surface of Grist Mill Road into a gravel

December

road. Several residents appeared before council and convinced them to set aside funds in the 2020 budget for the surfacing. ****** Toni Lavigne-Conway attended her final Tree of Lights ceremony in Barry’s Bay due to her retirement at the end of the month. The event is a major fundraiser for the St. Francis Memorial Hospital. ****** Local High School teachers escalated their job action against the Ontario government as they joined about 60,000 others in a one-day strike to highlight their demands. ****** The third annual Holly Jolly Radiothon, sponsored by Valley Heritage Radio, raised $54,000 for Hospice Renfrew. The event has raised close to $200,000 for Hospice over the years. ****** Opeongo High School students carried on the tradition of staging first class musicals after they drew high praise for their performances in Mamma Mia. ****** During the Inaugural Session of Renfrew County Council that had the installation of Laurentian Valley Reeve Debbie Robinson as Warden, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Chief Kirby Whiteduck addressed council and reminded them of the many hard-

ships First Nations people have had and stressed the need to keep this in mind as they develop policies for all residents of Renfrew County. ****** A combination of freezing rain and high wind gusts during the December 14-15 weekend mixed with a heavy snowfall resulted in several collisions and numerous power outages across the Valley, with some communities without power for three days. ****** Inspector Colin Slight, Commander of the Renfrew Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, retired after more than 37 years serving as a police officer with the former Renfrew Police Department and the OPP. ****** Bonnechere Union Public Library board of directors chair Judy Sauve announced Interim-CEO/Librarian Nikolina Licarevivc was hired as the new permanent CEO/Librarian. ****** Calver Lumber of the Eganville Hockey League went into the Christmas break for the six-team league as the runaway leader after reeling off its eighth consecutive victory and remains unbeaten so far this season. ****** Ensyn Technologies in Renfrew, a company that produces liquid fuel from sawdust, was purchased by Wisconsin-based Kerry. Kerry will use the technology in the plant to produce liquid smoke for several of its BBQ and food products.

Annette Gilchrist will be the new CAO/Clerk-Treasurer for Bonnechere Valley beginning in January.

Francis Lepine, owner and president of Lepine Luxury Apartments, outlined his plans to build 380 luxury apartments in Renfrew beginning in June 2020. The six four-storey buildings will be located near Scapa Tape on Barnet Blvd.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

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Jason Blaine Fund supports several local organizations Pembroke -- Canadian Recording Artist Jason Blaine has a big heart and he showed it by flying home prior to Christmas from Nashville to perform at a special charity event in Rankin for a little girl who is battling an inoperable brain tumor.

Mr. Blaine, who is a father of four children, helped raise thousands of dollars for the girl’s family as he joined with other area musicians for the benefit concert.

Throughout his career, the Pembroke-native has made children and families a major focus of his charitable efforts and while he was home, he also handed out $25,000 worth of cheques to many Pembroke area organizations from his own charitable fund. The money was raised at his 2019 Jason Blaine Celebrity Concert and Golf Classic, held in June of this year in Pembroke.

The funding will help support seven local organizations through the Jason Blaine Charitable Fund

“Helping our Community” initiative. He had already committed $25,000 to his endowment at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus to support students in financial need, $25,000 to the Pembroke and Area Boy’s and Girl’s Club and $20,000 to the United Way’s After the Floods campaign.

While presenting a cheque for $10,000 to the Robbie Dean Counselling Centre, he also announced that moving forward the organization will be a primary benefactor of his annual charity event.

“Supporting the well being of the people of the Ottawa Valley is a priority for our committee and we felt that the Robbie Dean Centre needed some assurances of our commitment to the excellent work that they are doing,” he said.

“By making the Centre a primary benefactor each year we hold our event, we can solidify our support to this important mental health and wellness service in our community.”

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels for Hope initiative received $5,000

while the Pembroke Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion was granted $2,500

to help cover the costs of replacing fridges in their community hall. The Ele-

vate Youth Wellness Centre and Carefor each received $3,000, while First Steps

Canadian country music star and Pembroke native Jason Blaine shared some early Christmas joy with benefactors from proceeds of his 2019 Jason Blaine Celebrity Concert and Golf Tournament. The benefactors were a family in need; Algonquin College Endowment Fund; Pembroke and Area Boys and Girls Club; United Way After Floods campaign; Robbie Dean Counselling Centre; Royal Canadian Legion, Pembroke; Canadian Cancer Society; Elevate Youth Wellness Centre; Carefor; First Steps Options Pregnancy Support Centre; and, Algonquin College Students Association Food Bank. Here, Mr. Blaine, centre row with Santa hat, is seen with some of the beneficiaries.

Opeongo Classic Loppet set for February 2 Foymount -- One of the area’s favourite winter pastime’s annual celebration marks its fifth anniversary this year at the Opeongo Classic Loppet.

Organizers are hoping for a great turnout for the 2020 classic cross-country ski race which takes place at the Opeongo Hill’s Nordic

Ski Club in Brudenell on February 2nd.

Participants start en masse at 11 a.m. with distances of five, 10 or 12 kilometers for adults and five kilometres for youth under 18, and two-and-a-half kilometers for kids under 10 years of age.

New this year is the team

Options Pregnancy Support Centre was given $1,000 and the Algonquin College

category where friends, family and neighbours form a team. Awards will be given to the largest team and the team with the best costumes. People on teams can still compete for individual prizes.

The groomed and trackset trails cater to various skill levels, and they take

skiers to some of the most beautiful scenery in the Madawaska Valley. The course is about 20 minutes east of Eganville and 13 km. south of Killaloe.

Participants and visitors to the loppet should bring warm clothing for after the race as there is no lodge.

There is a yurt to warm

up in, an outhouse, and a safe place to leave bags.

Participants are encouraged to stay after the race for awards, hot refreshments and a chance to chat with other racers and volunteers.

Interested people can register online at www.zone4. ca until 9 p.m. on Saturday, February 1 or before 10

a.m. on race day, February 2. The cost is $30 for the main races, or $4, $10, and $15 for the kids, youth and social categories. Racing starts at 11 a.m.

For more information visit the Opeongo Hills Nordic Ski Club on Facebook or visit the club’s website opeongonordic.com

Students’ Association Food Bank received $500.

Now into its sixth year, the Jason Blaine Charitable Fund has raised more than half-a-million dollars. The money is generated through a two-day event that includes a concert and golf tournament.

The event has attracted some of the leading Canadian County recording artists and many athletes and other celebrities each year who attend for this good cause. The majority of the funds are raised through sponsorships made possible by a very generous business community that has supported Mr. Blaine’s musical career and his efforts to help his hometown.

He and his wife, Amy, and their children have lived in the United States for the past 13 years. He has had more than 20 hit songs and has used his celebrity status to attract leading artists to his annual charity event in Pembroke.

Mr. Blaine’s 2020 charity event will be held on June 16 and 17.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

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Ace of Spades remains elusive in Renfrew draw

Diane Green of Barry’s Bay won draw 12 in Barry’s Bay as the hunt for the ace continued.

Renfrew -- The Ace of Spades continues to live on in the weekly Catch the Ace draw sponsored by Renfrew Victoria Hospital The usual Thursday evening draw was moved to last Friday, December 27 due to the Christmas holidays and the winner of $25,583 was Robert Bennett of Renfrew. He bought his ticket at Gourley’s Outdoors on Hwy. 132 west of Renfrew and chose envelope Number 52 which revealed the Three of Clubs.

The progressive jackpot to start Week 38 is $500,381.

Since the launch of the lottery in May, $833,968 has been raised for the new X-ray suite and new portable x-ray machine.

The winner in the Thursday, December 19 draw was Brian Pappin of Pembroke who won $21,483.

He bought his ticket at Circle K at Macs in Pembroke. He had chosen envelope number 47 which revealed

the Six of Diamonds.

Tickets for the RVH draw are available at over 20 locations in Renfrew; in Douglas at the Grocery and Tavern; Eganville: Country Store and Foodland; Cobden: Olmstead’s Home Hardware; Beachburg: Simple Things; Calabogie: General Store; Griffith: BMR Building Supplies; Burnstown: Neat Cafe and Castle Building Supplies; all three Circle K locations in Pembroke and one in Arnprior and JR’s Country Store at the four corners on Cheneux Road. ****** Up in Barry’s Bay, the St. Francis Healthcare Foundation lottery has now completed draw 12 in its third lottery since last May. Diane Green of Barry’s Bay won the weekly prize of $1,386 last week.

She purchased her ticket at the Esso Station in Barry’s Bay and chose her number in honour of an anniversary date. The corresponding envelope

revealed the King of Spades.

Dean and Denise Bergstresser of Golden Lake won the weekly prize of $1,357 in the December 19 draw. The ticket was purchased at the Kokomish Cafe at Pikwakanagan. They chose Number 21, which is the day of their anniversary and the corresponding envelope revealed the Two of Spades.

The Weekly Prize for Week #13 is estimated at $1,310 and if the Ace of Spades is found the jackpot will be around $24,540. All proceeds support Valley Manor Redevelopment.

Tickets can be purchased at Round Lake Centre, AJ’s Convenience, Killaloe Hardware, Kokomish Café, Wilno Building Supply, Charlie D’s, Barry’s Bay Esso, Lorraine’s Pharmasave, Barry’s Bay Shell, CO Country Market, Algonquin Bound Outfitters (Madawaska), St Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation, Valley Manor and The Cottage Cup.

The Leader, Eganville, Ontario - January 1, 2020

Postal Agreement # 40005333

Page A22

Renfrew County Dance Scottish

Give Scottish Country dancing a try!

Tuesdays starting January 7th, 7:00pm Eganville Legion Hall, 57 Veterans Way

Your first class is FREE! No experience or partner needed

RCDanceScottish@gmail.com

We want wish everyone a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR that brings WONDERFUL new POSSIBILITIES. . . & WE LOOK FORWARD to HELPING YOU discover HOW EASY it can be to BUY & sell in 2020!

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