News

The County hosted a workshop last night for residents interested in running for Council later this year. Brenda Little has more. 

This is an election year and in order to attract potential candidates the County ran a candidate information workshop last night at the Wellington community centre. Attendees were walked through roles of the CAO, Clerk, Mayor, staff, and what role council members play. Former Mayor Robert Quaiff and former councillor Monica Alyea shared their experiences running as a candidate, their reasons for running, what issues they encountered door to door, their happy moments, and their disappointments. There was an open question period and of course everyone wanted to know about time commitment. Robert Quaife didn’t mince words when he said as mayor 60 hours or more a week was not uncommon. Speaking to attendees, they were satisfied with the information they gained but non-committal to running for council. If you are interested in running for council or mayor, nominations papers may be filed starting May 1 and for more information email the clerk’s office at elections@pecounty.on.ca

In other local news, County Mayor Steve Ferguson has called a special meeting of the Planning and Development Committee. The meeting will be in closed session in order to consider advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege. The topic is the Cork and Vine Subdivision, previously known as Country Club Estates, proposed by Kaitlin Corporation. The committee will re-consider the lapsed approval of the draft plan for the subdivision. The meeting will take place tomorrow afternoon at 3 in Shire Hall, and will be live streamed. If you’d like to comment, contact the County clerk’s office by noon tomorrow. 

A Trustee with the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board is continuing her legal battle against the Board. At last night’s meeting, North Prince Edward County Trustee Rachael Prinzen informed the Board that she has decided to appeal the recent verdict of the Ontario Divisional Court. Earlier this month, the Court dismissed Prinzen’s challenge when they found she had breached the board’s code of conduct by sharing with Ontario’s Ministry of Education confidential documents concerning the board’s operations. Prinzen had originally been barred from attending board and committee meetings for 180 days in total. The court ruled the 38 days already served would count as the full penalty. So far, the Board has paid around $175,000 for the legal battle.

Finally, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is headed around the moon. All going well, Hansen will become the first Canadian to travel to the moon’s vicinity, joining three NASA astronauts on Artemis II. The four crew members will spend nearly 10 days on board NASA’s Orion capsule, travelling one million kilometres from Earth to orbit the moon and back, going further than any humans have ever been. The spacecraft could launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this evening, just under two months after the initial launch was postponed due to a hydrogen leak. NASA also shelved plans for a March attempt after discovering a problem with rocket’s helium flow. This is the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. 

Sports

In the PWHL tonight, the Toronto Sceptres visit the Ottawa Charge with the last playoff spot on the line, the Montreal Victoire host the Vancouver Goldeneyes, and the Minnesota Frost travel to New York to face the Sirens. 

Four Canadian teams played last night in the NHL: In the Atlantic Division, the Ottawa Senators lost 6 – 3 to the Florida Panthers; and the Montreal Canadiens won their sixth game in a row, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – 1, and moving to within two points of the second-place Lightning. In the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets beat Chicago 4 – 3 to climb to within one point of a wild-card spot. And in the Pacific Division, the Edmonton Oilers won their fourth in a row, shutting out the Seattle Kraken 3 – 0. Tonight, the Vancouver Canucks visit the Colorado Avalanche, the first-place team in the league. 

In the NBA last night, the Toronto Raptors lost 127 – 116 to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, slipping back into sixth place in the Conference. Tonight, the Raptors host the Sacramento Kings, who sit in last place in the Western Conference.

In MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays got back into the win column with a 5 – 1 defeat of the Colorado Rockies last night. The rubber match goes this afternoon. At 4 and 1, the Jays are tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. 

In tennis yesterday, with her world ranking having slipped to No. 140, Canada’s Bianca Andreescu upset world No. 84 Dalma Galfi of Hungary in the first round of the Charleston Open.