Neighbourhood plan
Base31 seeks community input on future of site Over the past year PEC Community Partners began the transformation of Base31 into a thriving arts and community hub. There were music concerts, a Christmas market and even a stage play, together with outdoor art installations and landscape rejuvenation. Over recent months, some of the buildings on […]
Ghosts of debates past
Council will review how the County is governed Council last week authorized staff to review governance of Prince Edward County. The decision followed a long and fraught debate about the intent, purpose and values of such a review. But ultimately, a majority of Council, 8-5, agreed with Hillier councillor Chris Braney that the time is […]
Property collectors
County bids on Barker Street School In a meeting last week, a committee of council unanimously agreed to bid $1 million to acquire the former Queen Elizabeth School in Picton. Earlier in the meeting, Council had struggled mightily to part with a short list of unused and forgotten properties. Then, they agreed to acquire a […]
Golden season
Maple in the County set to return Maple in the County is back!” Those words by Ron Hubbs were met with enthusiastic applause as five County maple syrup producers gathered at the Fosterholm sugarhouse last Friday to announce the return of Maple in the County after a three-year absence. The sweet celebration of spring was […]
Community conversations
All Welcome Here begins a series of community discussions Judith Burfoot founded All Welcome Here (AWH) in 2018 as a way for people in the County who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC) to connect with each other and to share experiences. The last census showed the about five per cent of […]
PEC Period Party
Fundraiser to collect menstrual products for distribution Ten-year-old Ramona Roblin has an aim to end “period poverty” in the County. The Grade Five student has been working on this for well over a year, after discovering what the term meant during a class project. The term period poverty refers to the unavailability or unaffordability of […]
Angry white men
Arguments get personal when council pay is on the table It was among the most bitter skirmishes around the council table in some years. It wasn’t about the unrelenting rise in the tax levy. Or roads. Or the wild demands of fire services. Or the massive spike in recycling costs. The issue that aroused council […]
Light up the night
Fundraising gala at the Regent Theatre The Roaring Twenties came back to the Regent Theatre on Saturday night during a gala fundraising dinner. With the ladies in sequins, pearls and tasselled dresses, and the men in tuxes or sporting fedoras, it was a throwback to the first decade of the theatre, which opened its doors […]
Up in the air
Plans for new long-term home hit a roadblock Redevelopment plans for the HJ McFarland Home have hit a wall. The County’s plan relied on the municipality accessing about $42 million from a provincial fund intended to accelerate the creation of new long-term care beds in Ontario. Marcia Wallace, the County’s CAO, explained to Council last […]
Ever upward
Council approves 7.9 per cent tax levy increase For the 25th straight year, the tax levy in Prince Edward County is rising. Significantly. Last week council approved Shire Hall’s 2023 operating budget of $71.6 million, compared to the $66.7 million budgeted last year. Of that, $47.3 million will be funded by property taxpayers. It is […]