News
Just a reminder that a cold weather warning has been issued by Environment Canada for our region for today and tomorrow with a chance of frostbite.
In local news, a 67-year old Belleville man is facing impaired driving charges after a single-vehicle collision in the city last night. Police responded to the west end of Belleville just before 9 p.m. where they found a vehicle that had been driven into a snowbank.
Officers spoke to the male driver and observed signs of impairment. The driver was arrested and charged with operation while impaired and blood alcohol concentration over 80mg. He was released on an appearance notice with a scheduled court date in March.
UNEMPLOYMENT
Stats Canada released the January unemployment rates this morning and our national ticked down to 6.5 per cent despite the economy losing 25,000 jobs. The unemployment rate — the lowest since September 2024 — was the result of fewer people actively searching for work.
The data agency also noted that the number of people who were neither employed nor looking for work increased in January from this time last year.
Manufacturing, educational services and public administration drove the majority of the job losses, while jobs were gained in information, culture and recreation; business, building and other support services; agriculture; and utilities.
ELECTRIC CARS
Auto maker Stellantis announced this morning that it is selling its 49% stake in Windsor-based battery manufacturer NextStar Energy to South Korean-based LG Energy Solution. NextStar was a joint venture between the two companies that came about in 2022 to build Canada’s first large-scale battery manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ont.
The move comes on the same day Stellantis announced a massive scale back of its electric vehicle ambitions, hammering its shares as automakers pay the price of misjudging the switch to cleaner driving.
In November, it was announced batteries made at the plant would now be prioritized for power grid storage systems and not primarily the automotive industry as originally promised.
The companies say roughly 1,300 people are employed at the Windsor plant with a long-term goal of having 2,500 having employees.
The federal government has previously pledged up to $10 billion in production subsidies to NextStar Energy. The other $5 billion is coming from the provincial government.
HOMES
The federal government introduced legislation yesterday that would enshrine its housing agency Build Canada Homes as a Crown corporation, giving it land acquisition authority as well as the ability to partner with private developers.
Housing Minister Gregor Robertson announced that the Federal government is making housing a top priority and that it will work alongside local, provincial and territorial governments, in ensuring that everyone in Canada has a safe and affordable place to call home.
Robertson said the existing Canada Lands Company, a Crown corporation that redevelops federal properties, would be folded into Build Canada Homes.
Unclear in the legislation is how many units Build Canada Homes intends to actually build, or other performance indicators, something housing observers say they hope is coming soon.
And finally, usually when it gets cold, you expect to see snowflakes falling. Not iguanas! Unless you live in Florida.That’s because a recent snap of cold weather in the Sunshine State caused iguanas to fall from trees. When temperatures drop near or below 0 C, the reptiles lose control of their muscles and become cold-stunned.
In Florida, green iguanas are an invasive species. They can be harmful to the local wildlife, are a nuisance to people and can even spread infections to humans.
That’s why last week, wildlife officials in Florida issued an executive order allowing people to collect cold-stunned iguanas and bring them to wildlife centres to be sold or humanely killed.
Usually, that job is reserved for wildlife officials. Since the iguanas were too cold to move, it was easy for people to grab them. In the past week they had received more than 5,000 invasive iguanas. Now that the weather is warming up, the executive order has ended.
Sports
In local Junior hockey, the Wellington Dukes have a home game tonight at 7:30 at the LeHigh arena. The first place Trenton Golden Hawks come to town to face the 6th place Dukes. With 10 games to go in the regular season, the Dukes just need a few more wins to clinch a playoff spot.
The County’s other Junior team, the Picton Pirates have five games left in their regular season and are still trying to lock down a playoff spot. Tomorrow night they are on the road in Frankford to take on the Huskies. That game gets underway at 7:00 pm.
HOCKEY
The NHL commenced its break for the Olympics and will resume play on February 25th. The PWHL resumes play a day later on Feb 26th
OLYMPICS
Over to the Olimpics, countries are preparing for the opening ceremonies that get underway at 2:00 pm County time this afternoon. Two athletes who are both about to compete in their fourth Olympic Winter Games have been named as Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers. Three-time Olympic medallist in moguls, Mikaël Kingsbury, and two-time Olympic medallist in ski cross, Marielle Thompson, were selected for the incredible honour of carrying the maple leaf.
Here are some results from today’s events.
Canada’s mixed double curling team of Jocelyn Peterman and her husband Brett Gallant suffered their first loss falling 7-5 to team USA. Canada sits in third spot in the preliminary round.
In the mixed team figure skating, Canada is in fifth spot after completion of the rhythm dance, pairs” and women’s short programs. The dance and men’s short program go tomorrow, with the top five teams moving on to Sunday’s finals.
