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ARNPRIOR
Chronicle Guide Proudly serving Arnprior and surrounding area since 1879
132nd Year , Issue 45
November 8, 2012 | 52 Pages
www.yourottawaregion.com w
Schools to close? Teacher dispute acceleration prompts student safety concerns Arnprior holds its annual Remembrance Day ceremonies this Sunday at 11 a.m. at the cenotaph in front of the hospital. This week’s edition has several Remembrance Day features. – Pages 4, 12, 13, 33
The first flu shot clinic of the city was held Tuesday with more than 300 people passing through, both young and old. – Page15
John Carter John.carter@metroland.com
EMC news – The escalation of the teachers dispute with the provincial government could result in school closures, warns the Renfrew County public school board. Secondary school teachers, who are now in a legal position to strike, have indicated they will start strike-related sanctions next Monday if a meeting Wednesday with the province doesn’t yield results. That has the school board worried about student safety. The board held a special meeting Monday and issued a press release Tuesday announcing the secondary school teachers had advised they would begin legal strike action Monday. One of the sanctions being imposed by the teachers is the withdrawal of supervision of students before and after school and at lunch and that “poses great concern for student safety,� says the release. As a result, the trustees have adopted an emergency contingency plan to provide alternative supervision at its secondary schools. Alternative supervision will be monitored daily by the board and if student safety is compromised the board “may be forced to close its secondary schools,� says the release. The board says it recognizes the frustration the union feels with Bill 115, but the safety of its students “is of paramount concern to school administrators, trustees and senior administration.� See SECONDARY TEACHERS Page 7
Getting a grip Leah Sziladi of the Arnprior District High School’s senior girls rugby team makes a run for it despite being held back by a Bishop Smith opponent. Arnprior won the Renfrew County girls rugby championship Nov. 1 at Dochart Park in Arnprior with a 38-0 victory. For more photos of the game, see Page 30.
Highway 17 dangers tackled A sweeping success Steve Newman Steve.newman@metroland.com
The Arnprior District High School Redmen senior football team is on another roll, winning the Renfrew County championship last Friday and following up with the Lanark-Renfrew title Tuesday. – Page 27
SABINE GIBBINS/METROLAND
EMC news - Deaths every year along the Highway 17 corridor of Renfrew County are blamed on everything from driver error, bad weather, lack of road maintenance and the virtual absence of a four-lane highway. But perhaps the newly-formed TEAM Highway 17 Working Group is about to make the highway a whole lot safer. During a visit to Renfrew County last week, officials with the Kingston regional office of the Ministry of Transportation made a presentation to county council on construction achievements, construction plans, and past and future maintenance standards. The MTO, the Ontario Provincial Police and County of Renfrew staff met in a teleconfer-
ence call about a month ago, then met again face-to-face for an Ottawa meeting Oct. 26. Five days later, Norm Meyers, the traffic head for MTO Eastern Region, told county council that three action items have been identified for the working group. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2013. The working group’s terms of reference are to identify and discuss safety or operational concerns, potential improvements and potential public education opportunities. The working group’s mandate is to maintain or improve the safety and/or efficiency of Highway 17 from Campbell Drive (just west of Arnprior) to the county’s western boundary (about 20 kilometres east of Mattawa).
John.carter@metroland.com
EMC news – Arnprior has proven once again it can successfully host a major sporting event. The praise is pouring in for Arnprior and its four Valley partners for how well they hosted the World Broomball championships last week. “We’re ecstatic,� organizing committee member Glenn Arthur said Tuesday. “We’re getting nothing but good comments from players, broomball officials and the communities.� Arthur, Arnprior’s recreation director, said the visiting teams were astounded by how smoothly the week-long tournament (Oct. 29 to Nov. 3) went and how friendly the Valley communities are. “Everyone we (organizing committee members) talked to Saturday night (at the closing celebration) was happy, happy, happy,� he said.
See TRANSITION Page 6
John Carter
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See FOUR LOCAL TEAMS Page 2
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