News
Belleville police arrested a man wanted on outstanding warrants earlier today after finding him hiding in the trunk of a car. Officers discovered the 53 year old man after stopping a vehicle driven by a woman with a male passenger shortly before 3 am. In addition to arresting the man on his outstanding warrants, police found cocaine in his jacket and charged him with possession. He is scheduled to appear in court to answer the charges in March.
Prince Edward County OPP are partnering with local banks to host “Officer in the Branch” events that will provide residents with practical tips on avoiding scams and protecting your finances. The first sessions will take place January 28th at the CIBC in Picton from 9:30 to 5 pm. Sessions will follow at the Picton Bank of Montrel on February 25 and the Picton Scotiabank March 25. During each event an OPP Community Engagement Officer will be available to answer questions and share advice about common scams and how to avoid them.
The Fraser Institute released its Report Card on Ontario’s Elementary Schools. The report uses province wide test scores to rank more than 3,000 schools across the province on several criteria. The highest scoring school in Prince Edward County was Massasauga-Rednersville with a score of 6.5 out of 10 and a rank in the top third in Ontario while the lowest was Kente with a score of 3.2. The report’s authors point out that all schools can improve, even where special needs issues are significant. They note that Tyendinaga Public School demonstrated one of the fastest-improvements by increasing their ranking from 1.6 in 2018 to 5.4 this year even though more than 40 percent of its students have special needs.
A vacancy is opening up on Canada’s Supreme Court bench. Justice Sheilah Martin announced today that she is retiring on May 30th. Judges are eligible to serve until age 75 but Martin elected to retire a day before her 70th birthday. Martin was nominated by Justin Trudeau in 2017 after serving in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. She was considered an expert in indigenous issues, education and equality. Martin will be eligible to hear cases for up to six months after the date of her retirement but the search for a replacement will begin immediately.
Scott Adams, the controversial creator of the Dilbert comic strip that satirized office life, has died. Adams started Dilbert in 1989 after working in the office at Pacific Bell. At the height of its popularity Dilbert was syndicated to more than 2,000 newspapers in more than 70 countries but as time advanced the strip became darker, more misogynistic and more controversial. Derogatory racist remarks made by Adams led to the cancellation of his syndication deal in 2023 and resulted in the comic being dropped from most newspapers. Adams relaunched the strip online as Dilbert Reborn but it failed to achieve the same wide appeal as the original. Adams was 68.
And good news from McDonalds. Canadian CEO Annamarie Switjink announced today that the restaurant chain would freeze the price of it’s $1 coffee and drop the price of Value Meals to $5 for a year as a way to help with affordability. Like most fast food chains McDonalds has been facing pushback about rising prices and Switjink said the move is meant to show Canadians that McDonalds is doing something about their concerns.
Sports
It’s a busy night for Canadian teams in the NHL with all seven in action this evening. The Leafs are out west to face the Utah Mammoth starting at 10 pm. The Leafs will be looking to add to a four game winning streak. That has put them back in wildcard contention but they are still 5 points back of Montreal for third in the Atlantic Division. In other games, the Vancouver Canucks are in Ottawa for a 7 pm faceoff with the Senators. Montreal travels to Washington for a 7 pm start against the Capitals. Calgary is in Ohio for a 7 pm puck drop with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Edmonton Oilers visit Nashville for an 8 pm match up with the Predators and the New York Islanders are in Winnipeg. The Islanders and the Jets get underway at 8 pm as well.
Only one game on tap in the PWHL tonight when the Montreal Victoire host the Ottawa Charge starting at 7 pm.
And the concerns that the ice might not be available for the Milan Cortina Olympic events have been reduced. The NHL and the NHL Players Association announced today that test events have gone well and that they expect the ice surface to be ready. While the ice may be ready, the dressing rooms and other facilities are still under construction however. The women’s competition begins February first and the men start on February 11.
