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RUSSELL COUNCIL FINALIZES TRANSPORT CANCELLATION
STEPHEN JEFFERY stephen.jeffery@eap.on.ca
Russell township will pay $90,000 less than originally projected to the opera- tors of Russell Transpo after voting to cancel the service at the end of last year. A three-two majority voted to cancel the publicly funded Russell Transpo service between the township and Ottawa at the last council meeting of 2020. The contract with operator 417 Bus Lines, due to expire in 2023, required the council to provide six months’ notice of early cancellation, mean- ing that the agreement would not expire until June 30 this year. Under the arrangement councillors initially approved in December, the township owed $274,576 to 417 Bus Lines. The figure covered the cost of three buses between February and May, as well as additional fees for January and June. But councillors raised concerns about the payment of 100 percent of invoices during the suspension of the service in the first half of 2021, and asked administrators to renegotiate aspects of the options to reduce the cost to the township. During reduced service levels during the pandemic, the town- ship had been charged only 50 percent of the regular invoice for four buses. Staff presented an alternative plan that would cost $185,636 at the February 1 council meeting. Under the new option, no service would be provided between January and June 30, 2021, which cost $27,366 per month between February and May. January cost the township $34,208, while $41,961 was charged for June, including an eight-day penalty. The vote in favour of the lower-cost option mirrored the December vote to cancel the Russell Transpo contract. Councillors Mike Tarnowski and Jamie Laurin voted in favour with Mayor Pierre Leroux, while Andr é Brisson and Cindy Saucier voted against.
La facture finale pour l’annulation anticipée du contrat de Russell Transpo devrait s’élever à environ 185 636 dollars, soit près de 90 000 dollars de moins qu’originalement prévu. — photo Stephen Jeffery Before the COVID-19 shutdown, about 225 commuters regularly used Russell Transpo buses between the township and downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. At the December meeting on the service’s future, councillors who voted to cancel the contract raised concerns about public funding a bus service when neighbouring municipalities used private operators. At the February 1 meeting, Leroux said he believed everyone on council under- stood the bus service was an important service, but said the question was whether it needed to be publicly funded. PETER LOAN DINING & CATERING Ouvert du lundi au vendredi de 11 h à 7 h Le brunch du dimanche De 8 h à midi Vérifiez nos plats du jour LE CHEF PETER N’UTILISE QUE DES INGRÉDIENTS FRAIS. SES VIANDES SONT PRÉPARÉES SUR PLACE.
EMBRUN MAN WINS $119,000 IN LOTTO MAX
An Embrun man is more than $100,000 richer after winning the second prize in the Lotto MAX draw. Christopher Pearson won $119,676.90 in the November 20, 2020 draw. He picked up his ticket from Embrun Convenience on Notre Dame Street, the same location from which fellow Embrun resident Lyne Carmichael bought a winning Instant Crossword Deluxe earlier this year. Pearson, a chef, said he regularly entered the lottery and came up with his own numbers a few years ago. “I couldn’t believe what I saw so I opened and closed the app to check again,” he said of the discovery that he had won. “It feels shocking. I am in disbelief.” The father of two told his fiancé about the win right away. He planned to use the winnings to pay bills and save for future vacations.
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