Bancroft this Week

Reeve guilty of drinking and driving

Following a two-hour trial held at the Ontario Court of Justice in Bancroft on March 14, Wollaston Township Reeve Graham Blair was found guilty of operating a motor vehicle with more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his blood. He had been arrested on Feb. 9, 2016 during a police vehicle check in Wollaston Township.

Council finishes operating budget

Municipal staff has drafted a more than $8.7 million operating budget for Hastings Highlands. It includes a small tax increase. Council held public consultations for the operating budget March 8. The operating budget stands apart from the municipality’s capital budget, which will be released later this month.

Community consults on children’s mental health

Mental illness is more than a health condition. It can handicap people to the point of rendering them economically and socially disadvantaged. This can begin in childhood. Mental illness — showing up as learning difficulties or behavioural problems — can reduce a young person’s ability to advance academically. This in turn can hamper job prospects, and make it difficult to earn an independent living.

System must change: consultant

Hastings Highlands council met with consultants Gary Davidson and Beate Bowron March 9 to see what could be done to equalize voter parity in Hastings Highlands — Ward 3 has less than half the population of Ward 1 but has the same number of council seats. It was petitioned to change its electoral system to at-large voting, or rework its ward boundaries, in early January. According to consultants, petitioners have fair grounds to call upon the Ontario Municipal Board to make council change its electoral system. If council does nothing, the board would most likely hold a hearing if the petition was submitted.

Bossio announces $50,000 for Bancroft Village Playhouse

MP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington Mike Bossio announced March 14 that the Village Playhouse will benefit from $50,000 in federal infrastructure funding to improve their kitchen facilities. He made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development and minister responsible for FedDev Ontario.

When needs become commodities

In 2016, Hastings Prince Edward District School Board paid $6,400 for York River Public School and $13,500 for North Hastings High School for wastewater. The Algonquin and Lakeshore District School Board related that Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School paid $3,750 for wastewater.

Calling for a new vision

At the annual Hastings Highlands budget meeting on Wednesday evening many people touched on the challenges faced by our municipality in 2017 and beyond. We face declining provincial funding because of our status as a small rural community, and we have unpredictable operating costs complicated by climate change. This situation is unlikely to improve. Although our municipal staff and council are doing a good job with the present budget, there is a lack of inspiring vision for the future. This is understandable. But what I heard from people’s questions in the budget meeting was that we need more from our municipal government than a balanced budget and cleared roads. We need strategic vision and planning for how we will face an uncertain future.

Fatal fentanyl reaches Hastings Prince Edward

Illegal fentanyl has been identified in Hastings and Prince Edward counties. Hastings Prince Edward Public Health has released that fentanyl and other illicit drugs containing it have been found in and around the region. The health unit is warning that the drug could increase the rate of fatal overdoses.

Government reviewing assisted dying eligibility

People being denied access to medical assistance in dying are the subject of a review announced by Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, and Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, on Dec. 13.