At the Clarington Council meeting on Monday, January 30th, 2012, Margaret Zwart was presented with a certificate recognizing the Orono Weekly Times 75th Anniversary by Mayor Adrian Foster.
Congratulations to the Orono Weekly Times, you don’t look a day over 40!!
At approximately 1:36 AM on Monday January 23, 2012, Clarington Emergency & Fire crews were on scene of a structural fire just south of downtown Bowmanville. There were no injuries and the cause is under investigation.
At the same time, crews also responded to a tractor trailer fire on Highway 401. No injuries were recorded and there was no damage estimate provided.
The Clarington Physician Recruitment (CPR) Committee has been hard at work, and is happy to welcome Dr. Shiv Sivapalan, a family medicine doctor, to the Clarington community. The CPR Committee has successfully recruited 25% of the current working doctors in Clarington since its inception in 2005.
As of January 12th, Dr. Sivapalan opened his practice in Suite 201, East Wing, of the Bowmanville Professional Building at 222 King St. East, Bowmanville. He is currently taking patients; to reach the office contact (905) 440-3584.
With support of our partners from the Municipality, our existing medical community and representatives from the business community, the CPR Committee (a subcommittee of the Clarington Board of Trade) has developed a strong strategic direction in attracting family doctors. Attracting and retaining physicians to Clarington is an essential component to ensuring a healthy community for the residents of the Municipality.
For more information on the CPR Committee, or to find Clarington doctors who are currently taking patients visit www.cbot.ca/physician_recruitment.
A Gift of Art (located at 187 King Avenue East, Newcastle) reminds me of the “little train that could” story. This artisan gallery, as it is called, operates at a level that I think full scale galleries would be envious of. In addition to all of the art – unique and traditional – they also operate a free speaker series featuring some of Clarington’s well-known residents. Speakers in the past have include John O’Toole (Durham MPP) and Channel 12′s Dan Carter. Please take a look at the upcoming schedule. Speakers are “on” Wednesdays from 2:00 – 3:00 PM.
JANUARY
18 Michael Hackenberger (Bowmanville Zoo) - A Zoo’s survival in a small town Graduate of the University of Guelph – specializing in Elephant nutrition – That’s an appetite to fill
25 Regional Councillor Willie Woo - Growing up in Newcastle – from small boy to Regional Councillor with an annual Polar bear swim thrown in – Meet Willie
FEBRUARY
1 David Gibson - Gibson’s Orchard past and present – How an orchard develops – the impact on the community
8 Karen Lowery - Winter Health – Dealing with colds and Flu – holistic approaches to dealing with winter ailments
15 Edie Hopkins (Clarington Public Library)- Can a Library compete in the electronic age? As Chief Executie Officer of Clarington’s Library – Edie knows the place of the books in our lives
22 Nathan Blake – A young man’s view of life in the Canadian Military – including Afghanistan Having recently returned from the front – Nathan knows what is behind the news
29 Nancy Hutchinson (Spinning Wheel Alpacas)- Alpaca farming and lifestyle – Just cuddly and cute? Alpacas visit seniors residences, are shy and outgoing with great individual characters.
Clarington/January 13, 2012 – Federal Minister of Natural Resources, the Right Honourable Joe Oliver, announced today in Port Hope that the Government of Canada has provided the funding to permit Phase 2 of the Port Granby Project to proceed.
During Phase 1 of the Project, which started in 2002, detailed studies were undertaken to determine the best approach for cleaning up the existing Port Granby Waste Management Facility and safely storing the wastes for several hundred years. A key focus of these studies was minimizing the impact of the Project on area residents and the natural environment. Phase 1 ended on November 30, 2011 when the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued a licence to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited for the Project.
The Phase 2 funding will permit the various activities and works required to implement the Port Granby Project to be undertaken. These include improvements to local roads, the construction of a new state-of-the-art waste storage mound, and the construction of a new waste water treatment plant to treat contaminated water. Waste transfer and placement will start once these necessary works have been completed. Phase 2 activities will begin early in 2012 and are expected to continue until 2018.
Mayor Adrian Mayor stated: “This funding announcement demonstrates the commitment by both the Government of Canada and the Municipality of Clarington to ensuring the safe clean-up and long-term management of the wastes at the Port Granby Waste Management Facility. We look forward to continuing our work with the Port Hope Area Initiative Management Office to ensure that the Port Granby Project proceeds with minimal impact on our community.”
For more information on the Port Granby Project, please contact either Janice Szwarz at 905-623-3379 X 2411 or e-mail jszwarz@clarington.net; or the Port Hope Area Initiative Management Office at 905-885-8830 or e-mail info@phai.ca.
Graduate students from Fleming College, with expertise in environmental studies and planning, will further their knowledge and understanding of Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) as they work with Fleming College Instructor Kevin Duguay and the Municipality of Clarington on “refreshes” of the Plans.
Refreshing the Orono and Newcastle CIPs is seen as an opportunity to build a relationship between the College and Municipality in addition to being a resume builder for the graduates. The students are donating their time, the BIA’s have each committed to $500 for out of pocket expenses. A team of 4-6 graduates will review the CIPs within the context of other planning documents and regulation between January and May.
The three areas of priority will be: design (streetscape), accessibility, promoting economic development (attracting motorists). The outcome will be a visual presentation and a summary report. It is meant as a planning resource and will have to be reviewed in relation to the other priorities for the Municipality. The results will be presented to the BIAs, CIP liaison groups and Council.
The graduates have already started to review the volumes of material supplied by the Municipality. They will be doing a walkabout in each community, meeting with business representatives and other to obtaining feedback on the existing grant programs, and additional measures that could be taken. The end result will be a 5 year plan.
For more information about this project, please contact Faye Langmaid, Manager of Special Projects, at 905-623-3379 or by email at flangmaid@clarington.net.
We are back! I hope that everyone had a great holiday (I know some of you are still on holidays) and are looking forward to some good times in 2012. Just some things to think about as we head into another weekend.
The Annual Mayor’s Levee is scheduled for this coming Sunday (January 8) in Council Chambers (40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville) from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. This is a perfect opportunity to come out and introduce yourself to our Members of Council and Mayor Foster. Its an opportunity to have a conversation about topics that are of interest to you and your family. Light refreshments will be available.
Last night, I was fortunate to go and see Bowmanville Zoo’s 2011-12 production of “The Animal’s Gift.” This must be the 3rd or 4th year that I have seen the show and I have to tell you, it just keeps getting better. Some new animactors (I thought I had coined new word but I Googled it and it already exists) have been added to the show and some of the beloved favourites are back. The show is presented daily (Showtime is 2:00 PM) and finishes its run this coming Sunday. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It was great to hear the children enjoying the show last night and I can assure you they were not all under the age of 10! For more information and to get tickets online, go to www.theanimalsgift.com. There is a two-for-one coupon on the site.
Good news for you budding potters out there! Thanks to Sunspace in Newcastle, The Gift of Art has some new windows and will now be able to offer pottery programs for your enjoyment! Kudos and thanks to Sunspace for their continued generosity and Clarington community spirit!
