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Lace up your shoes and join Hike for Hospice this Sunday in Renfrew.
Year 140, Issue 44
Thursday, April 28, 2011 • 56 pages
www.yourottawaregion.com
Vote Monday
Advance polls frustrate early voters STEVE NEWMAN steve.newman@metroland.com
Renfrew’s Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday federal election advance polls attracted high numbers, and turnaround was slow. Slow enough that Renfrew voter Jack Partridge left Renfrew’s advance polling station Monday not knowing if he’d return to cast his ballot. Meanwhile, he’d called the office of MP Cheryl Gallant and told her staff about the slow process while acknowledging he knew nothing could be done this time around. “I’ve never, never seen it like this,” said Partridge, who said he was disabled and unable to handle standing in line for much more than 15 minutes. Some voters who talked to The Mercury said the long lineups resulted in some voters taking an hour to cast their ballot. “The biggest problem is that the advance polls are being used like regular polls,” said Gordon Cross, supervisor for poll 607, one of the two advance polls at the
SENATORS MVP Renfrew’s Drew Anderson is named Ottawa Junior Senators most valuable player for the 2010-11 season. He was also the team’s stop scorer.
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WATERS ALIVE
Area lakes and rivers are alive with the return of waterfowl of every type. For more, see Jim Ferguson’s popular Scene from the Hawk’s Eye column.
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Mercury photo by Steve Newman
Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre. The other advance poll, 608, was at the same site. The two polls attracted a high total turnout of about 400 voters on each of the three days of advance polls in Renfrew, said Cross. “It’s very good,” said Cross. “We’ve basically been swamped from noon to three o’clock each day.” The lineups were much, much shorter the remainder of the day, he added. While he acknowledged turnaround was slow, he pointed out the two advance polls were accommodating voters from Renfrew and area’s 27 polls on Election Day. Secondly, Cross said the more detailed process at advance pools, to ensure voters don’t vote again May 2, is predictably longer. At advance polls, each voter’s name and address must be written down, after presenting his or her voter’s card, before the voter provides a signature. On Election Day, a voter displays their voter’s card, provides proof of identification and votes.
Recreation director dismissed STEVE NEWMAN
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
steve.newman@metroland.com
Puppeteer Trish Leeper and frog Bonnie Chere have some fun at Bonnechere River Watershed Project’s community forum and annual general meeting in Eganville. For story, see Page 3.
Kelley-Whitman McKie has been dismissed as the Renfrew parks and recreation director.
The recorded vote conducted during an in-camera meeting just before Tuesday’s council meeting was not unanimous, stressed Renfrew Mayor Bill Ringrose. See ‘Second’, Page 2
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