They’re the mayors of a temporary coaliton formed to lobby the province for changes, mayors including Norfolk’s Dennis Travale.

They say the province decides what to charge municipalities for the service, but without giving them any say about the numbers.

Now, they have an online presence as part of their ongoing lobbying efforts.

Despite this, Mayor Travale again notes no one has any complaints about the actual OPP performance…

MAYOR

Here in Norfolk, the cost of OPP service is set to rise 8 and a-half per cent in 2014. 

You can find the mayor’s coalition website at http://www.mayorscoalition.com/index.php

But it is possible more than a few may be moving, once the last two coal-burning units are shut down by the end of 2014.

Having said that, OPG is hoping to be able to convert to natural gas and biomass, which Mayor Dennis Travale says would mean most, if not all workers, would stay put…

OPG

Bob Menard of the Power Workers Union tells us there are a number of advantages to making the switch…

BIOMASS

Minard also says conversion would also mean security for those working at Ontario Power Generation and mean security for many of the workers and be good for the overall Ontario economy.

The union held the first in a series of province-wide meetings in Hagersville last night, promoting the the use of biomass.

The Human Resources Minister says coming changes to the employment insurance program will be designed to help jobless Canadians get back to work quickly and help businesses facing skill shortages…

EI2

Finley told the Commons Canadians will not be cut off from receiving E-I benefits for refusing to move or to accept inappropriate jobs.

The comments appear to go against a comment from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty this week who said he was brought up to believe “any job is a good job”.

Flaherty also said current E-I rules are a disincentive to work.

PDCS history teacher Steve Talos says he left ARC earlier this year, believing the outcome had been predetermined.

Now, he suggests the administration has come up with recommendations ARC had devised to keep PDCS open….

ARC

Talos gets no argument from ARC chair Don Werden who believes the same thing.

Staff suggest the Port Dover high school be used to house Grade-9 students in a faith-based curriculum–basically as a satellite of Waterford District High–as well as be home to Kindergarten through Grade-8 students from Doverwood public school.

Talos says the community would be devastated if the staff recommendations are adopted. 

It’ll be mid-October at the earliest before final decisions are made.

Staff have a number of recommendations for discussion, including new life for Port Dover Composite school.

They’re suggesting PDCS become a satellite campus of Waterford District High school, with a faith-based pilot program at first for Grade-9 students.

There would be room for expansion of that program.

The International Student program would be promoted with the idea of pulling in international students interested in the faith-based curriculum.

PDCS would also be reconfigred to accomodate Kindergarten to Grade-8 students from Doverwood Public School.

The Board’s communications manager Shawn McKillop says it’ll be a while before final decisions are made…

ARC1

It’s a different scenario from those suggested by ARC members.

They recommend keeping all five schools open with enhanced programming and busing changes and if enrolment didn’t increase enough, to close them and build one big high school.

Now, Ontario says it won’t create a provincial gun-registry, but it will require stores to keep records of who buys guns, despite federal objections.

Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur has written her federal counterpart, Vic Toews, to say Ontario will “comply fully” with the requirements of Bill C-19, which scrapped the federal gun registry.

But Meilleur says Ontario retailers will still be required to log names and address of anyone purchasing a gun as part of the permit process.

She says the Ontario Provincial Police chief firearms officer interprets section 58 of the Firearms Act as giving him the power to impose that requirement.

Meilleur says it’s up to Toews to change the Firearms Act if he wants Ontario retailers to stop collecting information on gun buyers.

Toews sent a letter sent Tuesday to all provincial chief firearms officers, saying the collection of point-of-sale data is no longer authorized under the Firearms Act.

Police say after a student had been seen at Cayuga High School with a what appeared to be firearm, staff were able to find the boy and confiscate a firearm.

The 14 year old is being held in custody as police continue investigating.

Haldimand OPP Detachment Commander Phil Carter commends students who reported the incident to school staff.

420-thousand dollars raised toward the 500-thousand dollar goal.

Executive-Director Jennifer Crandall says they lost a couple of major sponsors last year…

UW

All of the money raised goes toward 30 programs funded by the local United Way, including agencies such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the CNIB.

They had hoped to raise over $500,000 and managed to bring in just over $420,000.

Executive Director Jennifer Crandall says it was because they lost a couple of major sponsors last year.

UNITED TWO

All of the money raised goes towards 30 programs in Haldimand Norfolk.

Agencies like Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the CNIB.

Wayne Hobbs is Executive Supervisor of Support Services for the Grand Erie Board.

Mental health issues have long been shoved to the background, but Hobbs says “great strides” have been made in recent years when it comes to awareness and understanding.

Hobbs says that includes changes at the board…

MENTAL

Hobbs says ther’s a ‘better understanding of how broad-based mental health challenges are’ and in understanding and spotting the ‘risk factors’.

He notes 1-in-5 children will struggle with a mental health issue, which he says is also true for adults.