Perth Courier

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Perth Courier

January 27, 2011 • Edition 32

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The Perth and District Community Newspaper since 1834

IN BRIEF Lanark to compete in “Slim till you Win”

Highway 7 expansion to Perth could be in new 10-year plan

A weight loss competition called “Slim till You Win” will BY DESMOND DEVOY take place between Lanark and desmond.devoy@metroland.com Renfrew counties next month. The challenge is considered Long-term plans by the one of the largest weight loss province could see Highway 7 competitions in the area, with expanded to four lanes between an estimated 200 participants expected to compete. The goal is to get 100 competitors from each county. Launch stations will be set up throughout both counties where competitors will be weighed in. For privacy reasons, only numbers will be used to identify participants. A launch station will be set up at Tay Valley Reflections in Perth on Feb. 10 and Feb. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Carleton Place and Perth. “It’s very possible it could be in the 10-year plan,” said Bob Chiarelli after a breakfast speech to the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce at the Ottawa Golf

and Hunt Club on Jan. 13. “People in the ministry are very mindful of the needs in that part of eastern Ontario…Perth is, in many respects, becoming a commuter community.”

Figure skating club seeks volunteers The Perth Figure Skating Club is looking for help during the Seaway Valley Interclub Competition, which will be held in Perth the weekend of Feb. 26. The competition is held in Perth once every 16 years and is one of the club’s most important fundraisers. Eighteen skating clubs are expected to be in town over that weekend, and volunteers are needed to help out. Anyone who can spare some time is asked to contact Wendy Martin at wmartin@terridar. com.

Campaign-style speech

INSIDE

SCOTTISH FUN FOR EVERYONE Eleven-month-old William Klein enjoys the music at the Robbie Burns Day celebration in Middleville on Jan. 23. Kassina Ryder photo

Genocide survivor speaks to students Rwanda’s Yannick Tona tells his story of survival to help students realize the dangers of hatred and bullying. 3

Coral Spoule says declining her nomination for a provincial farming award was an ethical decision. 5

Feeling the sting Perth Stingrays compete against the best swimmers in the province in Toronto. 16

During his speech to IrishCanadian businesspeople, Chiarelli stressed many themes that will likely be appearing in Liberal speeches in the run up to this October’s provincial election. He noted that the Dalton McGuinty Liberals will have spent more than $30 billion on infrastructure projects by March 2011. Meanwhile, during the last three years of Progressive Conservative rule under Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, the province spent a total of $2.6 billion on infrastructure. Another campaign talking point that Chiarelli rolled out was that while the Tories closed 28 hospitals during the 1995-2003 reign, the Liberals have built 18 hospitals, and are expanding See ‘Highway 7’, Pg. 3

Two thousand cyclists slated for summer arrival

Annual event brings economic opportunity to town, request for rental fee waiver BY CATHY JAMES

Farmer nominated for award, declines to accept

But the Ottawa West-Nepean MPP hastened to add that, “there has been no commitment given to expanding it (the highway) further west…It’s not going to happen tomorrow.” He noted that the provincial government has already invested about $222 million into local roads, including adding High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes along Highway 417, and expanding Highway 7 to four lanes. While the provincial government has passed on buying up the Ottawa Valley Railway line between Pembroke and Smiths Falls, Chiarelli did leave the door open to being part of talks to keep the rails where they are. “The railroad is a federal responsibility,” Chiarelli said. “The province is not going to get involved in it. (But) the province would be willing to hear partnership opportunities. We’re prepared to sit down and talk.”

This summer, 2,000 cyclists will pedal into Perth, which could bring in thousands of dollars to the local economy. But to turn this economic spin-off event into a reality, St. John Catholic High School and the Town of Perth have to accept and approve the projected plans. Produced by the Quebec-based, non-profit organization, Vélo Québec Voyages, the Grand Tour is an annual event that has participants take part in a seven-day, 600-kilometre cycling vacation. This year’s Grand Tour is a trip across eastern Ontario in August, in which the cyclists will leave from Brockville, making stops in Perth, Sydenham, Kingston and Belleville. These cyclists will spend the night in Perth on Aug. 6, and to accommodate the 2,000 participants and staff, a mobile village must be set up. At the end of their cycling day, participants reach the Grand Tour village, and it’s there that all activities planned for the stopover

are held. All services and utilities needed by participants, including campsites, showers, meals and entertainment, are concentrated on this site so that a villagelike atmosphere is created. The village is located close to the cycling route and nearby local attractions, so that participants who wish to take advantage of those attractions in the stopover may do so easily. This is where the high school and town enter the picture. In December, Vélo Québec met with SJCHS principal Ken Crosby as well as Perth’s director of community services, Shellee Evans, and presented them with a report. The report outlines all the required facilities and resources needed in order to make the Perth venue run smoothly. The organization seeks complimentary use of the town’s equipment and rental facilities, while setting up the village on the school grounds, as well as the use of classrooms. Crosby told the Perth Courier he was impressed with Vélo Québec’s report, but it’s not a small job.

“I think the event is great, and it gives the town great exposure,” he said. “But it’s definitely a huge undertaking.” The town will experience a boost to the local economy, as Vélo Québec estimates the Grand Tour will bring in $300,000 to the regions visited this summer. According to Evans, all the accommodation venues within Perth are booked that evening,

specifically for the cycling tour.

Playing a Fair Game Evans initially outlined the company’s proposal in a report to councillors at its committee-ofthe-whole meeting Jan. 11. Should council waive the rental fees, Evans estimates the projected loss sits at $4,000. See ‘Two thousand’, Pg. 3

Alcohol tent considerations BY CATHY JAMES After 100 kilometres on a bike, cyclists participating in the Grand Tour know what to expect when they arrive at the mobile village each day. Clean clothes, shower facilities, as well as access to the bar-bistro marquee. A Grand Tour feature is the bar-bistro, where participants can have alcoholic beverages until 11 p.m., and a wine service over dinnertime. Yet a caveat to St. John Catholic High School’s approval for the Grand Tour to use its facilities is to set up the alcohol tent off school grounds.

Director of community services, Shellee Evans, shared this news with Town of Perth councillors at a council meeting Jan. 18. “The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario has concerns about the alcohol tent being on the school premises,” she said, adding the cycling organizers approached the town, asking to set up the tent at Conlon Farm, adjacent to the school grounds. “If the town allowed that tent at Conlon Farm, the school would most likely have it.” But there is a glitch. The town’s existing alcohol See ‘Alcohol tent’, Pg. 3

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