News
In local news, Prince Edward County OPP are reporting that the month of August is not off to a great start when it comes to impaired driving offenses. Five people have been charged in the first nine days of the month. The RIDE program accounted for two of the arrests. Two single vehicle collisions led to two more people being charged with impaired driving offenses. The fifth charge related to the failure to comply with a demand during a traffic stop.
The Prince Edward County OPP reminds motorists to plan ahead and arrange for a sober ride.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Still on the local scene, the County of Prince Edward and Quinte Conservation are letting residents know about upcoming treatment applications to control invasive European Common Reed.
This work will take place from Monday, August 17 to Friday, August 21 (weather permitting). Treatment will be applied in areas with established populations of this invasive plant identified through the Quinte Region Phragmites Management Area roadside monitoring program.
Pesticides will be used by licensed applicators to control the invasive phragmites populations in accordance with all federal and provincial regulations. These measures support the restoration of native ecosystems and helps protect the environmental, recreational, and agricultural resources of Prince Edward County. If left untreated, this aggressive, non-native plant would reduce native biodiversity, degrade wetlands and wildlife habitats, restrict access to shorelines and waterways, impair drainage and water movement and create a dense monoculture that displaces native vegetation.
Spraying will take place within municipal road allowances and on several municipal properties. Treatment sites can be found on the County website.
MONERIS
For many local businesses who use Moneris as their online payment system, this Canadian success story any not be one for much longer.
The Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal announced earlier this week they would be selling jointly owned Moneris to Francisco Partners for $2 billion.
So far, it’s been positive for both RBC and BMO, with the companies’ shares jumping after the deal’s announcement. RBC expects to gain about $475 million from the sale after tax, and BMO $600 million. Thousands of businesses in Canada use Moneris. The company’s processing service covers more than 325,000 points of commerce or about 1/3 of the nation’s online payment transactions every year with a value of more than $5 billion.
However, some industry analysts are raising concerns the move could have negative repercussions for Canada’s digital sovereignty amid the country’s ongoing trade war with the U.S. Experts fear the deal could mean that Canadians’ data could be available, not only to foreign governments, but foreign law enforcement agencies. They cite an example of U.S. border agents potentially checking an individual’s transaction history before allowing them to enter the country.
The sale of Moneris still requires regulatory approvals, including clearance under the Competition Act, and is expected to be completed in early 2027.
And finally, for the star gazers in the County, the clearing skies overnight might finally give us an opportunity to view the Perseid meteor shower. This meteor shower occurs annually when Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by Swift-Tuttle Comet.
The meteors are visible from mid-July to end-August, but are going through the peak period this week. So, find yourself a dark spot with little light pollution and look to the NE sky. Best viewing time is between 11:00 Pm and 2:00 AM
Sports
BASEBALL
In major League baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays start a three game homestand against the New York Yankees tonight. Winning three of four games this week over the Boston Red Sox has seen the Jays finally get out of the cellar in the American League East. With 2/3 of the season played, Toronto is only 2 games behind a wildcard spot. But there are at least teams ahead of them trying to make the playoffs.
FOOTBALL
In the CFL tonight, the Ottawa Red Blacks will try to secure their first win of the season. They are in Winnipeg to see if they can prevail this time over the Blue Bombers. A month ago, Ottawa lost a close one 34-32 under the CFL’s new overtime rules. In OT, each team gets a chance to score from the opponents 35-yard line. If still tied after two attempts, each team tries a two point conversion from the three yard line until someone wins.
In this case, Ottawa and Winnipeg traded two field goals each. Winnipeg then score a two-point conversion, while Ottawa failed and lost.
In other games tomorrow, in the afternoon Toronto is at Edmonton. Tomorrow night, Saskatchewan is at the Hamilton Tiger Cats.
GOLF
On the links, it is the second round of the Fedex Cup playoffs. 70 of the top ranked players from last weeks Wyndham Cup have advanced to this week’s St. Jude Championship. From there, the top 50 move on to next week’s BMW Championship.
Canadian’s Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Corey Connors and Nick Taylor are still in the running. All three will have to play well this weekend as none are currently within the top 50. They are ranked in 54th, 56th and 61st respectively.
