News
Copy by Lawrence Zwer
Prince Edward County will be introducing a Summer Weekend and Evening transit service beginning on June 27th. The weekend buses will run Friday evenings, Saturday late morning to late evening and Sunday late morning to dinnertime, with two 70-minute loops: one linking Wellington, Bloomfield and Picton, and the other between Bloomfield and Belleville, with both routes connecting in Bloomfield. Bus 1- Wellington – Bloomfield – Picton will feature an 18-seat bus that loops between the three towns, stopping at key destinations such as Wellington Rotary Beach, Base31, Macaulay Heritage Park and the new Harbour Trail in Picton. Bus 2 connects Bloomfield to the Belleville Transit Terminal, where riders can continue to VIA Rail, Quinte Mall and more. The bus will stop on-request in Rossmore. Every 70 minutes, the two routes meet at the transit shelter in Bloomfield where riders can transfer between them. Riders will be asked to pay an exact cash fare or e-transfer the fee to Quinte Transit. The fares are variable and can be found online.
The County of Prince Edward has published the agenda for the Planning and Development Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 18. The meeting will begin at 6 pm at Shire Hall (332 Picton Main Street) with the live stream on the municipality’s YouTube channel. A statutory public meeting will be held to consider a technical consent at 84 Parrs Lane (Ward 5 Athol) and a consent and rezoning at 129 Cressy Lakeside Road (Ward 8 North Marysburgh). The Planning and Development Committee will consider for decision applications for a consent and rezoning at 620 County Road 39 (Ward 7 Hillier) and a consent and rezoning at 1515 and 1601 County Road 24 (Ward 5 Athol).
Turning to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Prime Minister Mark Carney has agreed with US President Donald Trump to accelerate talks that aim to strike an economic and security deal “within the coming 30 days” that would end the Canada-U.S. trade war – this according to the Prime Minister’s Office. The commitment followed a 70-minute meeting between the two leaders. Further Canada-U.S. talks are scheduled for later this week, after the G7 meeting is over.
President Trump’s press secretary announced late yesterday that Trump is leaving Alberta early because he’s needed back in Washington to address what’s going on in the Middle East – referring to the active conflict between Israel and Iran. Trump’s departure means he will miss the second day of the G7 program, including a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump was set to meet with Zelenskyy and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. Trump did take a moment on Monday to call for Russia’s readmission to the G7, suggesting that had the country been allowed to remain in the group, the war in Ukraine might not have happened. Russia was expelled from the then-G8 following its invasion of Crimea in 2014.
Finally, you can expect traffic disruptions through to 7pm tonight near 8 Bridge Street at Town Hill in Picton. Pedestrians and motorists are advised to use caution or avoid the area altogether.
Sports
Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder went last night in OKC, starring Hamilton Ontario’s own Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jalen Williams had a career playoff-high 40 points, Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 and the Thunder moved one win from a title by beating the Indiana Pacers 120-109. It was the 10th — and by far, the biggest — time the Thunder stars combined for more than 70 points in a game. Former Toronto Raptor Pascal Siakam had 28 points for Indiana, which now trails the series 3-2 and will host Game 6 on Thursday.
Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch declined to name either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard as his starting goaltender for tonight’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final with his team facing elimination against the Florida Panthers. 33-year-old Pickard, who has played for six NHL teams in 10 seasons, replaced Skinner as the Oilers’ starter in Game 5, but gave up four goals on 18 shots in a 5-2 loss in Edmonton. Knoblauch defended Pickard’s effort in that game against high-danger chances from the Panthers. Skinner lost the starting job after getting benched in both Games 3 and 4 in Florida. He was pulled in the third period of the Oilers’ Game 3 blowout loss after giving up five goals on 23 shots and yanked after the first period of Game 4 after allowing three goals on 17 shots. Pickard ended up stopping 22 of 23 shots as the Oilers won in overtime to even the series at 2s, and he was given the start in Game 5. Puck drop tonight is at 8pm.
