News
Last night, Council spent hours on the statue of Sir John A. MacDonald. Brenda Little has more.
The council chamber was packed last night with residents wishing to present their comments regarding the reinstallation of the Sir John A MacDonald sculpture. First, council heard a deputation from Mark Johnson, the founder of Save Our history, an advocacy group whose goal is to have the statues of Sir John A reinstalled in various locations in Ontario, Picton being one of them. After great discussion, a compacted history lesson from Councillor Roberts, and before comments from the audience were heard, Councillor Neiman proposed a motion for staff to engage with all stakeholders to explore the feasibility of bringing the sculpture back to public view. That motion failed 6 to 8. Council heard comments from 2 history authors supporting the idea but 12 people from the audience spoke against the idea, often with great passion and especially about the residential school history. The statue was installed on Main Street in 2015
but taken down in 2021 in the wake of the Kamloops discovery. There were many suggestions to locate the statue at the Macauley museum as part of the Path Forward exhibit but to include both sides of the Macdonald history. No definitive decisions were made.
Also last night, Council decided to award a tender for the next stage of the County Road 3 reconstruction project. The project begins where the previous phase of the project ended, at address number1460, and continues to the west for just over one km., to address number 1668. The project includes ditch improvements, culvert replacements, paved shoulders, and full removal and replacement of the existing asphalt surface. At least one lane of traffic should be open during the work. The project should be finished this September. The work was tendered to Earth-Crete Ontario, the lowest of the seven bidders, for just over $1 ¼ million.
In addition, The County will be hosting a meeting tonight regarding those repairs to County Road 3, from 6 – 8 pm, at the Ameliasburgh Town Hall. County staff and the project consultant will be available to answer any questions. For more information, contact Garrett Osborne, the County’s Project Manager.
The Committee of the Whole will be meeting tomorrow. On the agenda: an update from the County Housing Department on the Disraeli Development, as well as updates from Corporate and Legislative Services, Wastewater Services, and Community Services, Programs, and Initiatives. If you’d like to comment, register with the County Clerk’s office by noon tomorrow.
The meeting will be held tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 in Shire Hall, and will be live-streamed.
Finally, in provincial news: The $28.9-million private jet the Ontario government purchased — and Premier Doug Ford has now committed to sell — would only have been able to use about 10 per cent of recognized airports in the province. Those limitations raise questions about how the jet would have helped the premier travel around northern Ontario — one of his justifications for needing the jet — and how the plane would have fulfilled other government uses Ford described at Queen’s Park yesterday. The province already owns other small passenger planes that can access the majority of Ontario’s airports.
Sports
In the PWHL last night, the New York Sirens beat the Toronto Sceptres 1 – 0 in overtime, but without a regulation win, New York was officially eliminated from playoff contention. And the Vancouver Goldeneyes held on for a 4 – 3 win over the Montreal Victoire. Tonight, the Ottawa Charge visit the Boston Fleet, and the Seattle Torrent host the Minnesota Frost. With a win, Ottawa will clinch the final playoff spot, joining Montreal, Boston, and Minnesota, and eliminating Toronto.
In the NHL playoffs last night, the Montreal Canadiens lost 3 – 2 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Habs and Lightning go to Montreal tied at one win apiece. Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers host Anaheim, with the Oilers ahead one game to none.
In MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays are nearing the end of a nine-game road trip, with a three-game series against the L.A. Angels. The Jays won 4 – 2 last night, and are looking for a sweep this afternoon.
In MLS, Toronto FC hosts the Philadelphia Union tonight. TFC sits sixth in the Eastern Conference.
