Editorial Canada. According to a federal government website, the name likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” We like to think of Canada as a country that’s a mosaic – where everyone’s language, culture, skin colour, ethnicity, is celebrated and allowed to co-exist. Integration, not assimilation. …
Madawaska Valley District High School (MVDHS) students bade farewell to their high school years on June 30 with a virtual graduation ceremony on YouTube. Members of the Class of 2021 celebrated with the usual gowns, mortarboards, speeches, awards and, of course, those baby pictures. But unlike an in-person graduation ceremony, …
Royal Canadian Legion Barry’s Bay Branch 406 serves a territory that reaches Killaloe in the east, Whitney in the west, and Palmer Rapids to the south. The Legion actively supports the community as a whole, not just Canadian Forces veterans, as anyone who has attended the Barry’s Bay Vaccination Clinic …
A demonstration took place on Saturday, June 26 in Barry’s Bay along Opeongo Line (Hwy 60) in front of MPP John Yakabuski’s residence. Siobhan McLeod, one of the dozen or so adult participants, told The Current that it was not a formal group. She said some of the demonstrators and …
For the second time in seven months Brudenell Lyndoch Raglan’s (BLR) Integrity Commissioner, Peggy Young-Lovelace of Expertise for Municipalities (E4m) will be taking Court action in an attempt to remove a BLR Councillor from office. Council was advised of this at a Special Council Meeting on June 16 held in …
In keeping with the policy of Renfrew County and District School Board (RCDSB), Palmer Rapids Public School (PRPS) has flown a PRIDE flag during the month of June. But this year the flag was removed twice since June 4. Jude Kelley, PRPS Principal, told The Current that they replaced the …
The June 2 Council meeting of Brudenell Lyndoch and Raglan Township (BLR) rewarded residential ratepayers with a Zero Percent Municipal Tax Increase in the 2021 budget. The budget included an amount of $150,000 for legal costs (up from $30,000 last year). At the May 19 budget meeting, Acting Clerk-Treasurer Valerie …
Valley residents, some wearing orange as a symbol of reconciliation, gathered across the Valley on the evening of May 31 to commemorate the remains of the 215 children found in a mass grave at Kamloops Residential School. The socially-distanced mourners brought children’s shoes and toys to highlight the grim discovery …
The Barry’s Bay Farmers Market opened for the 2021 season on May 21 at its new location: Royal Canadian Legion, 250 John Street (Hwy 62 and Stafford Street). The Market will be held, rain or shine, every Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. First stop for us, some donuts …
Madawaska Valley Council met a number of times this month, including the Council In Committee meeting on May 4 and the Regular Council meeting on May 18. The 2021 municipal budget presentation originally promised for April was made at the May 18 Regular Council meeting (see separate report). Other matters …
Madawaska Valley Treasurer Amanda Hudder formally presented the 2021 municipal budget at the Council meeting of May 18. She began with the high level impact of the budget, covering tax billing, capital projects and the budget process. The bottom line for taxpayers? The overall tax rate for 2021 will increase …
At a Public Meeting held May 4, Madawaska Valley Township staff and Council responded to multiple communications from residents regarding the proposed development of 1048a-b Mill Street in Combermere by new owners Craig and Jude Kelley. A significant number of objections to redevelopment of the former St. Paul’s Church related …
EDITORIAL Let’s begin with the reason I am writing this nearly a month after a controversial editorial appeared in the Valley Gazette. It’s because in last week’s Gazette (Apr.28), it published an apology for incorrectly identifying someone in an article published the previous week. In fact, the words “We apologize” …
Because of an unusually lengthy Public Planning meeting on April 20, the Regular Council meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. did not begin until after 2 p.m. By then Madawaska Valley Council had deferred to May 4 any further discussion on the re-zoning application by Craig and Jude Kelley, new owners …
Editorial It seems fitting that Earth Day fell during National Volunteer Week and thanks to community volunteers there’s been a lot of clean-up lately in the Valley. Above from left: Brian Moore, Frank Burchat, Grant Grzywniak with some of the litter they collected (Photo supplied). This year an early spring …
