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UCPR DISCUSSES BUDGET CHANGES CHRISTOPHER SMITH christopher.smith@eap.on.ca
Administrative Officer Stéphane Parisien said it was a possibility, but the new PR Residence won’t be fully moved-into until almost the end of 2024, so any action would have to wait until 2025. In addition, the owner of the land that the new residence is being built on has the right of first refusal, and there’s a set price in their contract that the UCPR must honour if they choose to purchase the land. Only if they refuse could the UCPR list the property for sale. Brière also noted that the budget includes $2.5 million in the reserve fund marked for COVID expenses. He asked if the money could be used for other things seeing as COVID is “pretty much done with”, but Grat- ton said that the money was sent from the Ministry of Health and can only be used for telecommunication infrastructure to facilitate Work From Home (WFH) policies. Casselman mayor Geneviève Lajoie asked if the money could be directed to member municipalities to implement WFH policies there, but Gratton said the money could only be used by the UCPR as an institution and not any individual municipality. Lajoie asked if the UCPR could petition the Ministry of Health to release the money for other COVID-related reasons, such as supporting local hospitals in mental health initiatives. Gratton said the department could ask, but that she didn’t have an answer right then. Brière then asked about $7.2 million set aside in the working capital for ambulances. Marc-André Pèriard of the Emergency Ser- vices Department said the amount comes from reserves collected annually to replace ambulances and repair stations, which would otherwise be added to the budget individually. After the aforementioned changes, the re- serve fund is estimated at $39,638,000 for the end of 2024, decreasing by $1,381,000. The changes were approved, and the final budget will be presented at a later date.
The UCPR council discussed the second version of the budget with several alte- rations from the first meeting. The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) held a special meeting on November 8 to discuss the second version of the annual budget, which included several changes voted on during the last meeting. The budget now includes a total of $1,267,000 in grants to various community organizations, as well as an increased investment directed toward the new Prescott-Russell Residence. The grants section of the budget lists many different community organizations and businesses that the UCPR is giving money to. During the special meeting, Mélanie Gratton of Finance Department outlined the changes that were voted on during the last meeting: the UCPR’s discretionary funds were increased by $150,000, the Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network’s grant was redu- ced by $5,000 as per its request, and two new grants were added. Council allotted $50,000 to Hawkesbury General Hospital for various expenses and $43,000 towards Regroupement Autisme Prescott-Russell to cover its budget deficit. As for the Prescott-Russell Residence, council directed $800,000 from the wor- king capital reserve and added a further $881,400 to the county’s share of the fun- ding to reduce the future debt. The 2024 budget lists $1,109,300 in capital and interest payments, subsidized by $846,200, for a total financial impact of $263,100. The 2025 budget lists $3,327,700 in capi- tal and interest payments, subsidized by $1,678,500, for a total financial impact of $1,649,200. Mayor of The Nation Francis Brière asked if the UCPR could sell the old PR Residence once the new one is finished and use the funds to alleviate some of the debt. Chief
La plupart des changements concernent la résidence des relations publiques. -photo d’archives
RUSSELL OPP START RIDE PROGRAM
L’éthylotest est le test routier le plus connu. -Photo de Pexels
CHRISTOPHER SMITH christopher.smith@eap.on.ca
a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluation. As per the Mandatory Alcohol Screening law, officers who have an Approved Screening Device (ASD) can demand a roadside breath sample from any lawfully stopped driver without first having to suspect the motorist has been drinking. Anyone who refuses can be charged with failing or refusing to provide a breath sample. «No family should lose a loved one in a collision that involves alcohol or drugs, especially during the holidays,” stated OPP Commissioner Thomas Cararique in a press release. “Driving sober and drug free is critical to preventing road fatalities and injuries. You can help make roads even safer by calling 9-1-1 if you see a suspected impaired driver. Let’s work together to make this the safest holiday season yet.»
Russell County Ontario Provincial Police officers kicked off the Festive RIDE program last week, the safety cam- paign aimed at stopping impaired drivers during the holidays. Russell may ask for drug and alcohol tests of any lawfully stopped driver. During the Festive R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impai- red Driving Everywhere) campaign, running from November 16, 2023, until January 1, 2024, motorists will see an increased presence of OPP officers on the road and at checkpoints throughout the region. Officers can ask lawfully stopped drivers to submit to roadside drug and alcohol tests such as an Approved Screening Device (ASD) test, a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST), or
NO FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED IN CASSELMAN DEATH
had been fished from the river. The OPP later confirmed that they had attended the scene of a suspicious death shortly after noon on Friday. No foul play is suspected and there is no threat to public safety, according to an OPP spokesperson. Police gave no further details on the location, age, gender, or possible identity of the body.
JOSEPH COPPOLINO joseph.coppolino@eap.on.ca
The Russell County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed Monday mor- ning that police discovered a body in Casselman on Friday, November 18. L’Édition André Paquette received reports Friday afternoon that a heavy police presence was visible in Casselman and that a body
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