THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017
THE PICTON
Gazette
2
Volume 187, Week 15
Canada’s oldest non-daily newspaper
RESCUE
THE GOLD VAULT
OCIF funding covers 78 per cent of project
County gets $737,958 for water plant upgrades
Councillors support revitalization of Picton Terminals site CHAD IBBOTSON STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
See GRANT, page 10
pays homage to RESPECT Story Vimy Ridge operative
Teen pulled from raft off county’s south shore
By a 10-5 recorded vote, municipality reps do about-face on committee motion from last week
CHAD IBBOTSON
The municipality officially received a grant this week that will support upgrades to the Picton water treatment plant. Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Jeff Leal was at Shire Hall on Monday morning to announce the County had received funding from the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund totalling $737,948. That number represents 78 per cent of a planned project at the facility with a total cost of $949,080. The project includes the rehabilitation of filters, improvements to the chlorine system, and upgrades to the building's structure near both components of the treatment plant. The project was approved last year and is underway. Leal says in a news release the Ontario government is committed to improving roads, bridges and water infrastructure in rural areas of the province. “This important investment in the Picton water treatment plant will not only help improve water quality and safety for the community, but will boost economic growth and create jobs in eastern Ontario,” Leal says in the release.
36
PECI Panthers gymnast Lindsay Stakes springs onto the vault as part of her winning performance at the OFSAA Level 6 provincial championship at the Quinte Bay Gymnastics Club in Belleville Monday. In addition to defending her gold medal on vault, Stakes was also the top-scoring competitor on bars at the highest level of high school competition in the province. For more on her achievements, please see page 26. (Adam Bramburger/Gazette staff)
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request of councillor Brad Nieman Tuesday evening. Nieman said he couldn't support the clause withdrawing support for revitalization at the port, saying an ongoing operation at the site would be better than letting the port deteriorate. “It doesn't matter who is there, I support something going on there, a business,” he said. “If you have no business there and it starts fading away and going into the bay, we'll end up paying for it anyway.” Nieman said he supports the establishment of a viable operation at the port because it could mean local jobs. “They've hired three local people already, they're going to hire three more local people — that's six families that get to stay here,” he said.
See VOTE, page 33
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Council won't revoke its support for the revitalization of Picton Terminals after all. On Tuesday evening councillors voted in opposition to a motion to withdraw council's May 2016 motion supporting the revitalization of the port. The motion lost in a recorded vote of 10–5 with councillors Lenny Epstein, Steve Ferguson, Steve Graham, Jim Dunlop and Mayor Robert Quaiff voting in favour of withdrawing support for the revitalization. Councillor Janice Maynard was absent. Council did, however, give unanimous support to a motion withdrawing support for Picton Terminals' request for funding from upper levels of government, an application Picton Terminals had already withdrawn. They also unanimously supported a motion asking for a report on available municipal options as they relate to the activities of Picton Terminals in order to ensure the intent of municipal land use regulations and municipal and public interest, including obligations to the municipal drinking water system, are being protected to the full extent of the law. The entire motion had received majority support at the March 30 committee-of-thewhole meeting, but was split into separate motions at the
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