News
The Southeast Public Health Unit Board of Health announced today that it has engaged a third party consultant to develop a strategic plan and a clear vision for the future. The decision was made at a special meeting of the board on February 10th. The Board also made the decision to pause any further implementation of the Rural Services Delivery Strategy and any branch office closures until the strategic plan is approved. The Picton office was one of the locations that was being considered for closure.
There’s a new football league in the Quinte Region for younge people in grades 5 through 8 who want to learn the fundamentals of tackle football while playing in house league competition. The Bay of Quinte Minor Football League replaces the house league programs of the Skyhawks Minor Football League and the Belleville Minor Football league programs. While there is no team in the County yet, there are two teams in Belleville, one in Napanee and one in Quinte West all looking for players. Registration opens February 20th and play starts after March Break.
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered Canada’s long awaited National Defence Industrial Strategy today and there was a strong made in Canada emphasis. The strategy will set a target of 70 percent of all defense contracts to be awarded to domestic firms within 10 years, up from only 43 percent now. The government also wants the military’s ability to service it’s own equipment including spare parts to increase from less than 50 percent to between 75 and 85% within the same period of time. The strategy also looks to increase partnerships with other countries to develop and produce arms and to increase sales of Canadian produced military hardware abroad. How the new plan squares with Donald Trumps recent America First Arms Transfer Strategy which looks to increase sales of US military hardware to it’s allies isn’t clear but Carney said that Canada’s national and economic security go hand in hand and that includes being able to make our own military hardware.
Canada’s inflation rate was down in January coming in at 2.3%. The drop was mostly due to lower gasoline prices but there were declines in housing, rent and cell phone costs as well. Grocery prices were up 4.8% from a year ago but there are signs that food inflation is easing as January’s rise was less than December’s. The January rate was slightly better than economists had expected but most experts say the Bank of Canada isn’t likely to reduce interest rates any further for the time being.
And today is Shrove Tuesday and while it is traditional in many places to make pancakes to mark the day, the English take it a step further. Pancake races are held around the UK with one of the largest taking place in London earlier today. Participants from British Livery companies dress in fancy dress and race around the Guildhall yard flipping hot pancakes in a skillet as they run. The Worshipful Company of Poulterers hosts the race while the Gunmakers guild makes and fires the starting pistol, the Clockmakers time the runners and the Fruiterers guild provides lemons for the pancakes on sale to spectators. It’s all in the interest of charity and the winners receive, appropriately enough, a frying pan.
Sports
Another medal for Canada today at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
In a repeat of their success in Beijing in 2022, Canadian speedskaters Valérie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann brought home the Gold again in the women’s team pursuit today. That win marked Canada’s 3rd gold and 12th medal..
In women’s curling action, Canada’s Rachel Homan kept her rink’s playoff hopes alive with an 8-6 victory over Sweden. The Canadians are 4 and 3 in the round robin event and tied for fourth with two games remaining.
And in Men’s hockey, The French ice hockey federation suspended defenceman Pierre Crinon for the remainder of the Olympics after he ancd Canadian Tom Wilson were involved in a fight in the third period of yesterday’s Canada France game. The International Ice Hockey Federation gave each player a game misconduct but no further punishment but the French federation said Crinon provoked the fight and engaged in innappropriate conduct while leaving the ice.
In other hockey news, Canada will face Czechia in the quarter finals after the Czech side defeated Denmark 3-2 today. The puck drops for the Canada Czechia quarter final match up at 10:40 tomorrow morning.
