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Hawks “want to stay”
during the regular season. “To say that the Hawks are a central point in and for the town of Hawkesbury would be somewhat of an understatement. Yet to some, if not most, they are just a team that plays on Friday night, that 300 to 350 people gather to watch, approximately three per cent of the town,” the club noted. While lauding loyal fans and “fantas- tic” sponsors, Henderson continued: “We would like to see 400 or 500 fans at our games.” Under the current ownership the team has created a business model that not only makes the team financially viable but also has a significant financial impact on the community and businesses. “In order for that model to survive, businesses and fans must support,” said the owners. The club also helps minor hockey, local charities and events. Annual ice rental fees alone represent $30,000. The Hawks donate one practice ice back to the community per season for a free public skate with the Hawks. This season, the Hawks, with the help of their Booster Club, also gave one free home game to the entire community, which this season at- tracted 815 people. The numbers The team spends $36,000 on sports equipment, $35,000 to pay the cost of families to billet 11 players per season. It is estimated the club brings $10,600 in busi- ness for local restaurants, $6,000 for gas vendors and $3,500 for hotels. The team has spent $8,500 on arena sig- nage, pays $7,250 to time keepers, goal judges, video coaches and trainers and spend $11,000 on transportation. Players’ spending totals $10,000 while medical ex- penses are $3,000. In addition to helping the minor hockey association, the club helps players land college and university scholarships. Eight players have been able to secure scholar- ships worth $775,000. Councillors agreed that Valade resume talks with club representatives, with the goal of renewing an agreement that will ensure the town cover its fixed costs. Com- plex employees are regularly called upon to install billboards on the walls, the rec- reation director said in her report, adding that the team receives preferential rates, as do the figure skating club and the Hawkes- bury Minor Hockey Association. Őčŏg(! 0%+*ŏ partielle le 4 mai Les électeurs de Grenville-sur-la-Rouge retourneront aux urnes le 4 mai afin de remplacer le conseiller Raymond Larose, décédé le 1 er janvier. Le directeur général par intérim, Marc Montpetit, a annoncé la date mardi soir. M. Larose est décédé seulement deux mois après son élection au siège 5. Le résident de Pointe-au-Chêne était âgé de 79 ans. (RM)
RICHARD MAHONEY RICHARD.MAHONEY@EAP.ON.CA
Good news!
HAWKESBURY | “The Hawkesbury Hawks – to nest or fly?” That question was the title of a presenta- tion the Central Canadian Hockey League team made to town council Monday. The answer is that the junior A hockey club intends to maintain its nest in town, despite being wooed by prospective buy- ers and challenged by financial concerns. “We have had a few offers in the past 12 months to sell the team and move the team, all of which have been ignored. Our intention is to stay and remain in the town of Hawkesbury and help push through their hard economic times,” said general manager and co-owner Ian Henderson. The organization has been a staple in the community of Hawkesbury for 40 years, “something few things in the town have been able to do,” commented Henderson. “We want to stay,” he told council. “We like it here.” The Hawks are an economic force, inject- ing about $190,000 into the local economy
A baby boy, a stinky pit and police bills. Yes, they all have something in common. They are all positive news stories in Hawkes- bury. Following several brutal months of negative happenings, the odds were that the town would catch a break sooner or later. What with the water and sewage rate increas- es, sports complex debts, rough streets, the Hawks’ troubles, the price of everything, Hawkesburgers have had plenty of reason to be more grumpy than usual this winter. But finally, there have been a few glimmers of hope. First, there is confirmation that the Ontario government is taking concrete action to clean up the stinky pit on Main, a.k.a. the former Canadian International Paper mill waste lagoon. And then there is the new Ontario Provincial Police formula which ought to save the town a bundle next year. The CIP lagoon saga began in 1982, when the iconic, and sludge-emitting, industry shut down, and left town, leaving behind a reeking riverfront legacy. The 35-acre lagoon, now owned by the government, contains 312,700 cubic metres of sludge. The huge pond emits foul odours and hinders waterfront development. The government is spending about $30 million to turn the site into a park. The job is expected to be completed in three years, if all goes as scheduled. Few things have developed as planned in the lagoon story. Remember that in Decem- ber, 2007, the municipality was presented with a grandiose long-term development vi- sion for the shoreline. The dream included 1,159 residential units, 349 senior housing units, a marina, a theatre, a cinema, businesses, parks, recreational trails and a school. But all of this would happen over a period of 30 years, and would be dependent on the de- contamination of the government lagoon and the neighbouring 200 acres of privately- owned land. With the government moving forward, perhaps now we can expect some movement from the private sector. On the police beat, in 2015, if a new provincial funding system is adopted, Hawkesbury will save about $1.2 million on its bill, which this year will be about $4.2 million. The town pays the highest per capita rate -- $381 – in Prescott-Russell, where the average cost is $170 per person. The town is also the only Prescott-Russell municipality that receives no police subsidies. But as Hawkesbury’s burden will be alleviated, the load on other municipalities will be increased. Naturally, the neighbours are not pleased with this new cost-sharing formula. The Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus “is prepared to look at any strategy, including working with all eastern municipalities on negotiating a single, region-wide contract,” says EOWC chair Jean-Paul St. Pierre, who is also Prescott-Russell warden. “Simply chang- ing the distribution of existing costs between municipalities is akin to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.” But a fewmonths ago, Prescott-Russell mayors concluded a regional police force would be too costly. The net costs for a regional service would be $15,477,872 for 2013 com- pared to the $14,167,565 tab municipalities now pay. The average rate for policing ser- vices in the province is $160 to $170 per capita, the rate for the proposed county-based contract would be $185.42 per capita. Stay tuned, and beware of fiscal icebergs. Everyone say, “ Awwww!” And now for something really warm and fuzzy. Baby Jaycob made history when he was born January 21 at the Hawkesbury and Dis- trict General Hospital. He is the child of the first gay couple to have a surrogate give birth at the hospital. Since we published the article, our Facebook page has been lit up with thousands offering congratulations to his parents, Dimitry Jean-Baptiste and Pascal Huberdeau, of Mirabel. This has become one of our most popular posts on our Facebook page and our website. And who says that only bad news gets people’s attention?
Photo Richard Mahoney
Ian Henderson
Town avoids off-ice “battle” revenue cut. Councillor André Chamail- lard worried that “there will be a battle be- tween the Hawks and the town,” stressing the importance of reaching an agreement with the organization.
HAWKESBURY | The town is drawing up a newbargaining strategy with the Hawkes- bury Hawks junior hockey team, which fears it will suffer financial losses in a pro- posed revenue-sharing deal. The club is in a position to “hit black” but “this may put us back in the red,” franchise general manager Ian Henderson told town council Monday. He was referring to a rec- reation department suggestion that the team give the town 10 per cent of revenues it generates on advertising at the Robert Hartley Sports Complex. Town council rejected the suggestion, noting the organization is already facing a financial hit with a 15 per cent ice rental fee hike scheduled to go into effect September 1 st . The new ad money arrangement would generate between $5,000 and $10,000 an- nually for the municipality, explained recre- ation director Liette Valade. While the club is a major contributor to the local economy, “We believe it is reasonable that 10 per cent of net sales revenues are remitted to the town,” Valade wrote in her submission to council. However, council members recom- mended that the department drop the ad
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Bertrand Castonguay , President, bertrand@eap.on.ca Roger Duplantie , D.G. / G.M., roger@eap.on.ca François Bélair , Sales & Development, fbelair@eap.on.ca François Legault , Directeur de l’information/News Editor, francois.legault@eap.on.ca Yvan Joly , Sales director (Hawkesbury), yvan@eap.on.ca François Leblanc , Directeur (Lachute), francois.leblanc@eap.on.ca Gilles Normand , Production & Distribution Mgr., gilles.normand@eap.on.ca Julien Boisvenue , Layout & Prepress Mgr., julien.boisvenue@eap.on.ca
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