Here are five stories to know today, with the focus first on Cornwall, SDG&A and Akwesasne, then on how Cuba’s crisis is changing Canadians’ winter travel plans.
Kim Baird named Citizen of the Year at Chamber awards
Kim Baird received the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year award at its 38th annual Business Excellence Awards on Friday, November 6, at the Best Western in Cornwall, The Seeker reported. Baird was recognized for more than 40 years of volunteering, including with the Kinette Club and Knox Church and on fundraising to end cystic fibrosis. Leslie and Kevin Ouderkirk, owners of Kids Korner, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Other winners included Longevity Acrylics Inc. (Large Business), Au Vieux Duluth (Small to Medium Business), Play It Again Sports (Entrepreneur of the Year), Relove Dress Rental (New Business), New Normal (Community Impact), Devfest (Tourism Excellence), Seaway Valley Community Health Centre (Inclusion and Diversity), Transition Cornwall+ (Environmental Impact) and S.V. Meat Cutting Institute (Young Professional). The list gives residents a good guide to the local businesses and volunteers being recognized by their peers. Source: The Seeker.
Free Men’s Summit in Cornwall to offer suicide-prevention training
Cornwall’s third annual Men’s Summit is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Charles Émile Claude Centre, 141B Chevrier St., Cornwall Seaway News reports. The free event is open to everyone and this year centres on certified safeTALK training, which teaches people to recognize signs of suicide risk and connect someone with help, for up to 60 participants. Organizer Stephen Douris said the aim is to give people tools they can use long after the day ends, and he pointed to gaps in local support for men, including shelter and mental health resources. The first summit drew 105 people, 80 of them men, and Grant Marion Construction is fully sponsoring this year’s event, which includes breakfast and lunch. Space is limited, and organizers ask people to register by November 10 through Zeffy. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Remembrance ceremonies set across SDG today and in Cornwall on Wednesday
Several Remembrance ceremonies are scheduled in SDG today, November 8, according to a listing published by Cornwall Seaway News: Ingleside at 10 a.m. at Memorial Square, Long Sault at 11 a.m. at the Lost Villages Museum, Williamstown at 11 a.m., the Apple Hill Cenotaph at noon and the Lancaster Cenotaph at 2 p.m. On Wednesday, November 11, the Cornwall Cenotaph ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Legion Memorial Park, 219 Second Street West. Ceremonies are also listed for 11 a.m. that day at the Alexandria Cenotaph and the Dalkeith Memorial Garden, and for 2 p.m. at the Martintown Cenotaph. The Maxville Cenotaph ceremony was listed for November 7. With services spread over several days, residents across Cornwall and the Counties have more than one chance to attend and honour veterans. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Sisters for Life aims to pass $350,000 raised for cancer care
Sisters for Life, a volunteer group of seven women formed in 2013, has raised more than $325,000 and hopes to pass $350,000 this year, Cornwall Seaway News reports. Its Ladies Night Christmas Gala, Glitz and Garland: A Christmas Casino Affair, is set for November 13 at the Finch Recreation Centre and is already sold out. Proceeds will support the Glengarry Memorial Hospital Foundation’s CT scanner project, a new chemotherapy treatment chair through the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society research by Queen’s University researcher Casey Wong, and Cornwall Comfort Quilts, which gives free handmade quilts to local people living with cancer. Businesses and individuals can still help through sponsorships, cash donations and auction items, with the campaign running until December 31. Team lead Maureen Robertson said “Each of us has been touched by cancer.” Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Cuba crisis pushes Canadian travellers toward pricier sun trips
Canadians who used to vacation in Cuba are turning to other destinations that often cost more, The Canadian Press reports. Canadian airlines indefinitely suspended flights to Cuba earlier this year amid severe fuel shortages tied to a U.S. oil blockade, and the federal government still advises against all non-essential travel there. Flight Centre Canada agent Ashley Harold said Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Barbados and Jamaica are drawing most of the diverted travellers. She said a seven-day, four-star Varadero package from Toronto cost under $1,400 per person last holiday season, while comparable trips to Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica cost about $1,800 this year, according to Flight Centre data. Agents say Canadians are booking earlier to get better prices and choice, so Cornwall-area families planning a winter getaway may need a bigger budget. Source: The Canadian Press (via Global News).
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