Here are five stories to know today, with the focus first on Cornwall, SDG&A and Akwesasne, then on a U.S. court challenge to the 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.
Advance voting opens today in Cornwall, with free transit to the polls
Advance voting in Cornwall’s municipal election is scheduled to run from today, Wednesday, October 21, to Friday, October 23, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Cornwall Square, 1 Water Street East, the City of Cornwall says. Election Day is Monday, October 26, with eight polling locations open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cornwall Transit is offering free rides to and from polling locations on both advance voting days and Election Day; bus riders show their Voting Identification Letter or valid ID, and specialized transit users say they are travelling to vote when booking. Residents can also vote online using the web address, Voting PIN and date of birth on their Voter Information Letter, and the city warns voters to type that address directly into the browser rather than searching for it. Help is available at City Hall, the Cornwall Public Library, or the Voter Help Line at 613-930-2787, ext. 2026. Sources: City of Cornwall (transit and polls) and City of Cornwall (online voting guide).
Firefighters’ union presses election candidates on staffing levels
The Cornwall Professional Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 849, is urging municipal election candidates to address fire department staffing, according to Cornwall Seaway News. In a briefing for candidates, the union says a majority of council has not acted on a recommendation to add 12 suppression firefighters, which the city’s master fire plan says would narrow, but not close, the gap with industry standards. The union notes Cornwall has 56 suppression firefighters and a minimum shift staffing of 10, compared with 13 in Welland and North Bay, 14 in Belleville and 23 in Sarnia. Fire Chief Matthew Stephenson proposed phasing in the 12 positions over five years in September 2024, and the union says council received the rest of that plan without the staffing piece. The union says it has met with 14 candidates, putting fire protection on the table for voters ahead of the October 26 election. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Kastner’s to close downtown after more than a century
Kastner’s, the downtown Cornwall clothing store founded around 1920, is closing, Cornwall Seaway News reports. Owner Ahron Langburt, 64, hopes to close by the end of January, though a sale of the building could change that timing. The business was founded on Pitt Street by Tilla Brucer Kastner, according to the Ontario Jewish Archives, and Langburt’s father and uncle bought it in 1968, keeping it in the family for nearly 60 years. Langburt pointed to online shopping, fast fashion and more casual dress as pressures on the industry, and said, “It’s never the right time, but it’s time.” The closing marks the end of one of downtown Cornwall’s longest-running retailers, where manager Burton Girling has worked for 46 years. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Last day for Akwesasne help sessions on child welfare and Jordan’s Principle settlement claims
Settlement Claims Helpers are scheduled to offer free information and private help with claim forms today, October 21, for the First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle settlement, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne says. Today’s session has moved to the Kanonhkwa’tsheri:io Health Facility, running from 10 a.m. to noon in the DCSS Special Needs Office and from noon to 7:30 p.m. in the Bear Room. It follows sessions earlier this week at Kawehno:ke Recreation and Tsi Snaihne Recreation. The helpers explain eligibility requirements and the claims process, giving community members a chance to get in-person help with their paperwork. Questions can go to the MCA Special Needs Program at [email protected] or the council at 613-575-2250, and more information is at fnchildclaims.ca. Source: Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
U.S. importer sues to strike down 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods
A family-run U.S. food importer, Gellert Global Group, filed a lawsuit on October 20 in the U.S. Court of International Trade challenging the 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods imposed under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, according to Supply Chain Dive and the Liberty Justice Center, which is representing the company. The tariffs cover about $20 billion in Canadian goods, took effect August 22, and later expansions and import bans have covered products such as specialty cheeses, motorcycles and beer, Supply Chain Dive reports. The suit argues the administration did not properly justify using the 96-year-old law, which had never been used to impose tariffs, and added cheese without the required 30-day waiting period. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the tariffs unlawful, block their collection and order refunds with interest. Canada answered the tariffs with dollar-for-dollar retaliation, according to the Associated Press, so the case is one to watch for Cornwall and SDG businesses that trade across the border. Sources: Supply Chain Dive, Liberty Justice Center and Associated Press via PBS NewsHour.
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