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Mayor St-Amour accepts SNC chairman post
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Themayor forThe NationMunicipality will helm the board of directors for the South Nation Conservation Authority for the next two years. Mayor François St-Amour was acclaimed without opposition or competition to the chairman’s position at the South Nation Conservation Authority’s (SNC) annual general meeting in Finch, Feb. 17. Alfred- Plantagenet TownshipMayor Fernand Dic- aire was also acclaimed as the SNC board’s vice-chairman for the next two years. “I do believe in the SNC,” said St-Amour during his acceptance speech. “It does a lot of good. 2017 is going to be a very eventful year, loaded with activities.” St-Amour observed that the coming year should present “lots of opportunities” for the SNC to meet its mandate for conservation, research, and working with local landowners and municipalities on flood management, environmental protection, and enhance- ment of local recreation opportunities. Dicaire noted that the SNC has “a great staff” of employees, experts in their fields, and able to work with area residents. Doug Thompson, who became past- president of the SNC board at the close of themeeting, reflected on the 16 years he has sat on the board of directors, including his past two years as chairman and also on the
Lemaire François St-Amour (à droite) remplacera DougThompson à la présidence du conseil d’administration de la Conservation de la Nation Sud. M. St-Amour a été nommé au poste lors de l’assemblée générale annuelle de l’agence, le 17 février, alors que Dennis O’Grady (à gauche) a été honoré pour son travail de directeur général, avant que sa retraite officielle ne prenne effet plus tard cette année. —photo Gregg Chamberlain
70 th anniversary of the creation of the SNC. “Since that time (70 years ago) the South Nation has become one of the leading con- servation authorities throughout the prov- ince,”Thompson said. “We are blessed with an incredible staff and dedicated volunteers.” During a later interview, St-Amour noted that one of his immediate goals as chairman- elect is “to oversee a good transition” in the changeover fromDennis O’Grady to Angela Coleman as SNC’s general manager. O’Grady
steps down as general manager for the re- gional conservation agency when his official retirement takes effect later this spring. Coleman, a longtime SNC senior execu- tive, was named as the new general manager last autumn and she is working with O’Grady to familiarize herself with her expanded range of responsibilities. St-Amour also expects the expertise of SNC staff to prove valuable for the agency in finding and getting grants and other sources of funding aid, for both existing projects and new ones dealing with conservation work and recreation enhancement. He also expects the SNC will be working “very closely”, during the next two years, with the agricultural community of the South Nation River watershed région, to deal with the issue of maintaining and improving the forest cover for the region, which helps both
protect wetland and other natural habi- tats, and also aids in soil conservation and recreation. Recent SNC studies show that the wa- tershed’s forest overall forest cover has slipped below the percentage deemed ac- ceptable for sustainable support of wildlife habitats for an area of its size. Part of the reason is land development for residential housing and also expansion of existing agricultural areas. St-Amour, who operates a working farm inThe Nation Municipality, expects successful results for SNC in resolving the situation through its partnership with the regional farming sector. “They (farmers) know all about the problem,” St-Amour said. “There are things that can be done without infringing on anyone’s property rights.”
Census reports more people living in Prescott-Russell
SAISON 2017 26 février au 17 avril
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
five per cent for the whole of Canada during the past five years.The StatsCan information release also noted the number of private homes in the UCPR jumped from 34,400 in 2011 to 36,783 in 2016, resulting in a growth rate of 6.9 per cent with the additional 2,383 new dwellings. “Looking back further over the last 10 years,” stated Barton, “we also observe that
There are more people living in the Pres- cott-Russell region. This is good news for all themunicipal offices and for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR). Statistics Canada has begun releasing details of the 2016 federal census. The first
report out of the census deals with population numbers and for the UCPR, the StatsCan report shows a 4.6 per cent increase in the ove- rall population of the region during the past five years.
our region has seen a total population increase of 11.4 per cent, with a gain of more than 9000 new residents.This is wonderful news for our communi- ties, our munici-
Les premiers résultats du dernier rapport de recensement indiquent une croissance de l’ensemble de la population des Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell
“These recent census figures demonstrate quite clearly that the United Counties of Prescott and Russell continue to experience a period of steady and confident growth,” stated warden Gary Barton. In 2011, the population of Prescott-Rus- sell was 85,381 people but now it is 89,333 re- sidents. Prescott-Russell’s population growth is a close match for the national average of
palities, and our businesses, as well as the potential for economic development and tourismopportunities, and the benefits that these create on a regional level.” Among the UCPR’s member communi- ties, The Nation Municipality and Russell Township experienced the largest percen- tage increase in their local populations, at 9.8 forThe Nation and 8.3 for Russell Township.
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