News
A ground breaking ceremony will officialy launch the construction of a new Catholic Elementary School at 175 Talbot Street in Picton tomorrow. The new St. Gregory Catholic School will have space for 354 students along with additional learning space and will replace the current school on Owen Street. Students will continue to use the existing building until the new facility is completed.
Quinte Conservation and the Children’s safety village are partnering on a new water safety program to help children understand the skills needed to stay safe around water in real world environments. Participants will learn about water safety and water hazards through interactive, hands on learning aids including a real flume that allows them to see how water moves and flows. The program is aimed at grade 3 children but can accommodate other age groups. Groups of 10 or more can arrange a session by contacting the Children’s Safety Village.
Prince Edward County is seeing a sharp increase in the number of intimate partner violence cases according to Detective Constable Aaron Miller. In a recent report to the police OPP Detachment Board, Miller said there were 200 cases reported in 2023 but that number exceeded 300 last year. While most incidents involve 25 to 45 year olds one factor in the increase is a rise in dementia related calls as the average age in the County rises. Other contributing factors include substance abuse, mental health issues and financial strain. Miller also said that most cases involve gender violence with females being the most frequent victims. While the increase in the number of intimate partner violence incidents is a significant concern, Miller also said that police intitives to insure victim safety and follow up may also be encouraging more victims to come forward. Miller is one of 70 Detachment Abuse Issues Investigators across the province who support frontline officers in investigating abuse and intimate partner violence.
Prime Minister Mark Carney released the names of his new advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations today. The list includes a number of banking and industry leaders as well as union leaders, industry association presidents, academics and some high profile politicians including former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, former Liberal finance Minister and UK High Commissioner Ralph Goodale and former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt. The Committee is similar to one Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used to advise the government during the last CUSMA negotiations during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
And a couple watching TV and doing yoga at home in California Saturday morning got a big surprise. A hot air baloon with 13 people on board landed in their tiny backyard. Hunter Perrin and his wife didn’t even realize the baloon had landed until a neighbour raised the alarm. Brianna Avalos and her husband were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in the baloon when the pilot decided an emergency landing was necessary. He managed to set down in a 10 foot patch of grass in the Perrin’s back yard with the basket upright and the baloon intact. The pilot was able to disembark the passengers safely and lift off again from the tiny back yard. When questioned about the tight landing, the owner of Magical Adventure Baloons said they were used to wine country where the back yards are bigger.
Sports
The NHL playoffs continue tonight. Montreal is in Tampa Bay for game two against the Lightning. Montreal won the first game and would like to go home with two games in hand while Tampa will be fighting hard to tie the series. The Canadiens and the Lightning face off at 7 pm. In other games tonight, Boston is in Buffalo starting at 7:30, Utah is Las Vegas for a 9:30 puck drop and Los Angeles and Colorado get underway in Denver at 10. The Bruins, Knights and Avalanche all won the first game of their series.
In Major League Baseball, the Blue Jays are in Los Angeles for the second game of a three game series against the Angels. The Jays will be looking to add to last night’s win when they send Patrick Corbin to the mound against Jack Kochanowicz for the Angels. First pitch goes out at 9:38.
In PWHL play the Toronto Sceptres are in New York tonight to face the Sirens. The Sceptres need a win to have a chance of catching the Ottawa Charge for the fourth and final playoff spot. The puck drops for that game at 7 pm. Montreal is also in action in Vancouver at 10. The Victoire need the win to stay ahead of Boston for first place while the Goldeneyes have been eliminated from post season play.
Canada’s womens’ soccer team moved up to 9th in the FIFA rankings released today after a strong performance in the recent FIFA tournament in Brazil. Spain continues in number one spot with the US and England rounding out the top three.
