News
Lennox and Addington County OPP have issued an advisory for the area around Deseronto Road and County Road 12 in Greater Napanee due to an ongoing police investigation. There is no immediate threat to the public but there will be an increased police presence. Until further notice, people should avoid the area if possible and follow any instructions by officers on the scene if they are near the police operation.
A domestic dispute in Belleville last night has resulted in charges for both parties. Belleville Police responded to a residence at North Front Street Monday where a woman said a man punched her following an argument. At the same time, a man reported to Belleville Police Services that he had also been assaulted during the same incident and punched by the woman. A 38-year-old Belleville man has been charged with spousal assault and failing to comply with a probation order and a 34-year-old Belleville woman has been charged with spousal assault.
The Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, Nolan Quinn, announced today that OSAP funding payments for all private post secondary insitutions are being suspended. Quinn said the Ministry has been investigating complaints and issues related to private institutions since 2024. Following a third party audit by KPMG the government has also asked the Ontario Provincial Police to join the investigation. The Minister said many of the issues relate to online only programs and the government will therefore be introducing legislation which will exclude these programs from OSAP funding. He also said that additional requirements will be imposed on all private institutions before restoring OSAP funding eligibility. The government intends to provide low interest third party loans to students attending private institutions to help bridge the gap while OSAP funding is unavailable.”
The Federal Government has given Cleveland-Cliffs, the US owner of Stelco in Hamilton, an ultimatum. The company has five business days to provide a plan to maintain jobs at the Hamilton steelmaker or face legal action. Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs said last week it plans to lay off up to 500 workers because of tariffs but the federal government says that violates “binding commitments” made when the company was granted permission to buy the company in 2024. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the company’s commitments “do not cease to apply simply because business strategy or market conditions have changed.” If the company is found to be in breech of it’s agreement the court could order financial penalties or force Cleveland-Cliffs to sell Stelco.
Meanwhile, the governments of Ontario and Canada announced a partnership today that will see them invest more than $203,000 to help protect steel and manufacturing workers in the Hamilton area. The funding is being provided through the Canada-Ontario Workforce Tariff Response and will help workers and job seekers upgrade skills or transition to in-demand careers.
And in some surprising news, US tariffs seem to be having an unintended effect on Canada’s trade surplus. Canadian exports to the US were up 8.1 percent in August while imports from the US fell by 2.5 percent according to Statistics Canada. Even with energy products removed, Canada exported more with a strong showing in some surprising sectors. Consumer goods, machinery and equipment and electronics exports all increased significantly. But it may not may not be sustainable. September saw the introduction of additional tariffs by both countries and that could have a downward impact on the numbers going forward.
Sports
It was a busy week for the PECI Panthers.
In rugby action, the senior girls dominated the Nicks 44–10, with Ezri Cordes scoring three tries while the juniors picked up a 26–12 win.
On the soccer pitch, both boys teams were 1–1 on the week. The seniors opened with a 4–0 win against Eastside on Tuesday. Easton VanHeck delivered the clean sheet. But the Panthers lost 4–0 to St. Theresa on Thursday. The juniors earned a 2–1 win over Eastside Tuesday, then narrowly lost 3–2 against St. Theresa Thursday.
In volleyball, the senior boys were competitive against Bayside but ended up with a 3rd set loss, while the juniors bounced back with a three-set win.
Listen for your weekly Panthers update every Tuesday at 4 and 6 pm on County FM.
In local hockey action today, the Dukes host the Leaside Flyers this afternoon starting at 5 pm while the Picton Pirates face off at 7:30 pm against the Lakefield Chiefs.
In the NHL, Toronto hosts Nashville, Carolina visits Montreal and the Senators are in Detroit. All three games start at 7 pm.
And Major League Baseball playoffs continue with Los Angeles in Atlanta and Milwaukee in San Diego. The Dodgers and Braves are tied at one game apiece while the Brewers lead the Padres 2 games to none.
