The race is on!

by Ashley Sloan

The Merrickville Heritage Classic Annual Road Race is back in person on Saturday, April 29, for its eighth run. The 2k, 5k, and 10k races are scheduled at 8am, with a 3-hour run time limit, starting from the

Merrickville Community Centre. The half Marathon is still being held virtually and can be tracked using your smart phone or other tracking device.

This means there will be road closures from 7:30am until 11am, and anyone still

Phone:613 329 0209 in the race would need to move off the roadway and obey all traffic rules after the roads reopen at 11.

Cindy Chandler, 2023 Race Director, is anticipating around 300 participants to join this year’s race. "Our mission is about promoting healthy, active living for all ages. We have racers from the surrounding areas and as far away as Western Canada"

The annual road race has a friendly vibe, fun atmosphere, and a beautiful location along the UNESCO World Heritage Rideau Canal. A special feature of this race is that the medals are designed and manufactured here in Merrickville by the Alloy Foundry Company LTD.

This is a sanctioned race by Athletics Ontario, and run times will be added to the stats of anyone who holds a membership. Runners are being chipped timed, so keep your bibs visible! Medal presentations for top 3 in the male and female 5k and 10k catagories will take place in the Community Centre after the race.

Local clubs enjoying soccer and baseball, as well as the Merrickville Trail Society, are former recipients of funds raised by the Race as part of their mission to promote active living.

Cindy also gives a huge “Thank you” to the founding members of the Merrickville Heritage Classic Annual Road Race who have worked tirelessly on the Run Merrickville Organizing Committee: Lori Reynolds, Sally MacInnis, Chuck MacInnis, Joanne Watson, Colleen Watson, Maria Ferguson, and Karen Murphy. "This Race started with an amazing group of people who have recently, after seven years, decided that it may be time to pass the baton and find their successors. They have graciously stayed around to support the new board and to volunteer in some capacity on race day."

As early bird pricing has closed, accepting late registration in person is still available on Friday evenings 5 -8pm, or Saturday mornings from 6:30 -7:30 am (cash only). You can find pricing info for each of the races on the website. If you would like more details about the event, or would like to cheer on the racers, you can check out the website www.runmerrickville.ca.

Farmers face unintended consequences of new federal housing tax

by Crispin Colvin, Vice President Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis, and different levels of government are introducing various measures to try to ease the pressure. For the federal government, one of those measures is the Underused Housing Tax Act that became law last year.

It is a one percent tax on the value of vacant or underused housing, and the new federal legislation requires that individuals who aren’t Canadian citizens or permanent residents, as well as private corporations and partnerships – which includes farms – who own residential housing must file an Underused Housing Tax return even if they don’t have to pay any tax.