Here are five stories to know today, with the focus first on Cornwall, SDG&A and Akwesasne, then on a struggling Eastern Ontario franchise operator and a G7 move aimed at high fuel prices.
Community rallies Tuesday for a new French Catholic high school in Cornwall
A new citizens’ movement called Patriotes toujours is pushing for provincial funding to build a modern French-language Catholic secondary school in Cornwall, according to Cornwall Seaway News. The group says École secondaire catholique La Citadelle, built in 1950, would cost nearly as much to renovate as to replace, and the Eastern Ontario Catholic District School Board (CSDCEO) has twice asked the Ministry of Education for money for a new building without success. Movement president Johanne Lafrance-Cardinal, a retired judge, is scheduled to present a declaration of the La Citadelle community’s aspirations to CSDCEO members in Cornwall on Tuesday, October 6. A solidarity rally is planned the same day from 6 to 7 p.m. in the school’s main parking lot, and parents, students, alumni and community groups are invited. The outcome matters for Cornwall’s francophone families, who rely on the school for French Catholic secondary education close to home. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Voter information letters start arriving in Cornwall mailboxes this week
The City of Cornwall says Voter Information Letters for the October 26 municipal election are being mailed out during the week of October 5. Each letter contains confidential information that voters will need to cast a ballot, whether they vote online or in person, so the City is asking residents to keep it in a safe place. Details on voting locations and procedures are posted at cornwall.ca/elections, and the City can be reached at 613-930-2787 or at 360 Pitt Street, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Elections Cornwall also plans to run a temporary office at Cornwall Square from October 19 to 31, on the main level near Maritime Travel. Sources: City of Cornwall and Cornwall Seaway News.
Agape Centre Thanksgiving food drive at Cornwall Square runs until Wednesday
Cornwall Square and the Agape Centre are collecting food donations for Thanksgiving until Wednesday, October 7. Collection barrels are on the mall’s upper level near the Food Hall, at the top of the escalators. Organizers are asking for non-perishable items such as cereal, boxed macaroni dinners, soup and peanut butter, with all donations going to people in need. With Thanksgiving falling on Monday, October 12, the drive gives shoppers an easy way to help local families in need at a time when grocery costs remain a strain for many households. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Alexandria-based Tim Hortons franchisee enters insolvency proceedings
MGB Ventures Inc., an Alexandria-based company that runs six Tim Hortons restaurants in Vankleek Hill, L’Orignal, Alexandria and at the St-Isidore/Maxville exit on Highway 417, began proceedings under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act on September 22, according to The Review. Its largest creditors include the Canada Revenue Agency, owed about $1.6 million in payroll deductions and taxes, and the Bank of Nova Scotia, owed about $1.08 million. In an affidavit, company president Paul Burke pointed to lost sales during COVID-19 restrictions, being shut out of more than $500,000 in pandemic wage subsidies, and federal changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program that complicated the company’s housing arrangements for those workers. The restructuring proposal includes selling three of the locations to another franchisee, and all six outlets remain open for now. With more than 100 full-time staff, the outcome matters for workers and customers across Glengarry and Prescott-Russell. Source: The Review.
G7 agrees to release 100 million barrels of oil as Canadian diesel tops $2.60 a litre
Canada and its G7 partners agreed Friday to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products over four months, with a large share of diesel to be released within the first 20 days, The Canadian Press reports. Natural Resources Canada figures cited in the report show the average price of diesel has climbed from $1.52 a litre in January to $2.61, while gasoline has risen from $1.33 to $1.83. Because Canada has no strategic oil reserve, its contribution will be to coordinate refinery maintenance schedules so that too many plants do not go offline at the same time. The report notes Canada’s diesel refineries are already operating near capacity. For Cornwall and SDG households, farmers, truckers and businesses that depend on fuel, any easing at the pump would be welcome, but it is not yet clear how quickly the release will affect local prices. Source: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch.
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