2023 OCPA Plowing Match set for Richmond

The Ottawa Carleton Plowmen’s Association (OCPA) Plowing Match is set for August 25 - 26, 2023, on the land across from 3285 Eagleson Road, Richmond, owned by Chris Schouten.

On Friday, Aug. 25, there will be an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and VIP Plowing Competition commencing at 11 a.m. followed by a light lunch and awards ceremony.

On Saturday, Aug. 26, rain or shine, the OCPA Plowing Match starts at 10 a.m., with competitors from across the county vying for a spot to move on to the next level of plowing perfection using both modern and vintage tractors, as well as horses. The day will also showcase an antique tractor display. All are welcome, and admission and parking are free.

Winners will be announced at a banquet held at St. Philip’s Parish Hall, 127 Burke St., Richmond, 5 p.m., with proceeding pre- sided over in part by the Ottawa Carleton Queen of the Furrow, Rhiannah Gallagher of Osgoode. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased on site.

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of OCPA hosting the International Plowing Match in Richmond in 1983.

To commemorate the occasion, there will be ‘Meet & Greet’ reception at 3 p.m. at the plowing site. Additionally, committee chairs and their members from the 1983 IPM are extended a complimentary invitation to the banquet. For more details, please contact Jennifer Hyland at 613-822-6353 or jwaldroff@ xplornet.com.

Plowers must compete at local matches to be eligible to plow at the International Plowing Match (IPM) and Rural Expo in Bowling Green, (Dufferin County) Ontario, September 19 – 23, which is celebrating the 105th anniversary of the IPM.

City trying to get LRT back on track as shutdown approaches a month

The headache for local commuters will continue at least until Mon., Aug. 14.

Renée Amilcar, the city’s general manager of transit services, said at a news conference last week that she was “hopeful” that the problematic light rail system would be back in operation by Aug. 14. She added that the date was an estimate and that “as work progresses, we will provide an updated timeline.”

The Rideau Transit Group was performing a risk assessment last week. After the assessment, work was to begin on restraining rails located at various curves along the track. Amilcar said that work on restraining rails and testing on sections of the track could be com- pleted at the same time.

OC Transpo was originally hoping for an opening date of July 31 for the light rail transit service. They said last week that they needed additional 10 days for repairs to reposition the restraining rails on the line, and then time for testing the trains which had not yet been determined as of press time.

A resumption of service on Aug. 14 would put the LRT shutdown at 27 days. It would be the secondlongest shutdown of the system, with the longest being a 54-day shutdown in Sept. 2021 after a derailment.

One of the major issues locally is that many local students who attend Carleton University and uOttawa use the LRT.

Many students bus to Tunney’s Pasture and then take the LRT to Carleton, as the train rolls through the campus.

With the rail system down, many OC Transpo buses are being used for the commuters. School resumes for high school and elementary school students in a few weeks. The French school bards resume classes in late August with the English boards resuming after Labour Day. Many of the students at these schools use OC Transpo buses instead of yellow school buses.

Amilcar added that the service will continue to be delivered with buses, and that they are working around the clock to get the service up and running as soon as it is safe to do so.