Vol. 10 No. 8
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER COVERING NORTH DURHAM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Seniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CLIENTS COME FIRST! CALL LEE COLBY
905-430-3000 re.trader55@gmail.com
Professional Realtor Realty Executives Systems Brokerage
Valentine’s Day fire at casino causes closure DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
SCUGOG: A Valentine’s Day fire caused the temporary closure of the Great Blue Heron Charity Casino on Scugog Island. According to Scugog Fire Chief Richard Miller, the fire began on the morning of Friday, Feb. 14 in a utility room at the casino, caused by ice falling from the casino’s roof. “It turned out to be a broken propane pipe coming into the building caused by ice falling off the roof,” Chief Miller told The Standard. Chief Miller added that the casino’s sprinkler system doused the fire, and Scugog fire crews remained at the scene for approximately five hours to ensure it was safe for the casino to resume business later in the day. “We were working at getting any hot spots, and ensuring that the fire was completely out,” added Chief Miller. After a temporary closure, the Great Blue Heron re-opened for business at around 6 p.m. Chief Miller pegged the cost of damage caused by the fire at approximately $10,000.
SKATING IS A DRAG ON ELGIN POND: Matt spent his Family Day, Feb. 17, towing his kids around on Elgin Pond’s ice rink. The Family Skate Day event, put on by The Kinsmen Club of Uxbridge, also saw Shaun Israelstam of Jersey’s restaurant serving up lunch and warm drinks to the crowd of families BENJAMIN PRIEBE The Standard and young children who frolicked in the surprisingly warm sun.
Pat Molloy throws his hat back into the Ward 2 ring DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
UXBRIDGE: Ward 2 Councillor Pat Molloy is hoping for another four years of representing the northwest portion of Uxbridge Township following his recent acceptance of nomination to run for the seat in this October’s municipal election. In a press release, Councillor Molloy noted the work that has been done over the past four years at keeping Ward 2’s facilities and roads well maintained. “In Sandford we replaced the leaking roof at the Sandford Hall at a cost of $80,000. And, with the co-operation of Bell Mobility, they have re-considered the placement of the cellular tower that Sandford residents felt so strongly would be in a highly visible and poor location,” said Councillor Molloy. “The Siloam Hall had a new furnace and railings installed this fall. Zephyr had the parking lot repaved at a cost of $27,000, and we were able to add a small basketball court while we were paving. In Bristol Springs we are working with the go-kart track to cut down on noise and parking issues. We have worked hard as a Township to get rid of the horrible limestone on our roads, but the process is slow and expensive. This term of Council we allocated an additional $1 Million from reserves to move quicker to resolve this issue.”
In addition to his duties as Ward 2 Councillor, Mr. Molloy also serves as Chair of the Finance, Administration and Emergency Services Committee for the township, and has worked diligently on the budget process despite several obstacles. “Since 2010 we have had to deal with the issue of a drop in development fees by roughly $2 Million annually; while at the same time we have been subjected to substantial cuts in Provincial Partnership funding,” added Councillor Molloy. “Council has dealt with our financial sustainability responsibility, and the future looks very bright for our Township with moderate taxation over the next ten years. Uxbridge Township is financially secure with appropriate reserves and no debt. Very few municipalities in Canada can make that statement.” As well, Councillor Molloy has been actively involved with the planned construction of a new fire hall for the municipality, as well as the crafting of a new Fire Master Plan. “Our new Fire Hall is in the works and part of our tax increases over the past three years will now allow us to complete this project without any further impact on our residential tax levee. We have created a new Fire Master Plan and this year a new Township Emergency plan. These plans are integral to the safety of our residents.” TURN TO PAGE 7
New hours starting March 3
7AM9PM DAILY
22115 Island Rd.
Port Perry 905.985.2065
www.fillupfuels.com