Debating the future of Hwy 174- Good Morning from Rockland - Episode #4

In this week's episode of "Good Morning from Rockland" the new, weekly breakfast show by TVC22 host Thomas Stockting provides a news round up including: 

Covid-19 Update ;

At the time of recording 5 out of 62 active cases in Prescott-Russell were in Clarence-Rockland. 
The figures in Prescott-Russell have been primarily driven by the outbreak at the St. Framçois Long Term Care Home in Casselman, but despite the outbreak, there is a clear downward trajectory of transmission with the 7 day rolling average now down to 27.6.
The outbreak in Casselman was slightly worse than initially thought as, unfortunately out of the 54 residents who tested positive two have died

City Council debate future of Highway 174 ;

for the first time the City of Clarence-Rockland acknowledged the unseeded indigenous lands upon which the City is situated at the start of this week’s council meeting. It was a packed Council meeting this week, with the City unveiling its new website, discussions over the St. Pascal Day Care & the announcement that the surveillance cameras which were part of the 2021 budget will soon be installed in the City - including at the local skatepark. The main topic of conversation however revolved around Highway 174. For decades now the future of the Highway has been much discussed, with traffic issues causing daily headaches for commuters. With empty promises having never been fulfilled by countless politicians, Clarence-Rockland Mayor, Mr. Mario Zanth, put forward a proposal for a committee dedicated to negotiations over the future of the highway, made up of full time members of the city’s administrative staff. Having heard previous proposals from the City of Ottawa, who own a large portion of the highway, Mayor Zanth was worried about the potential implications if Clarence-Rockland didn't act now… 

Alfred-Plantagenet reduce number of councilors;

In the last couple of weeks the municipal council in the Township of Alfred-Plantagenet discussed the possibility of reducing the number of councilors at the next election. Following a unanimous decision, as of the 2023 election, Alred-Plantagegent will have 4 council members, dropping down from 6, in a decision that Mayor Stéphane Sarrazin said will “hopefully encourage” more people to put their names forward. The remaining 4 council seats are likely to receive a pay increase as well and, earlier this week, we spoke to Mayor Sarrazin in our studio to ask about some of the risks of reducing the number of representatives…

We speak to the City about the YMCA;

Speaking of schools, an element of the Cultural and Recreational Complex which is attached to l’Éscale Secondary School are opening their doors for the first time since the pandemic hit in March 2020. Yes, that’s right the local YMCA will once again be offering fitness classes and gym facilities to the region starting the 1st of November; and we popped over to find out what classes will be available and why it has taken so long to get the doors open to the public again… 

& School Bus Safety Week.

STOP, IN THE NAME OF LOVE; isn’t just a major hit song from the 60’s, it’s also a campaign to keep our children safe. This week the Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario marked School Bus Safety Week across the region, encouraging the public to educate themselves on keeping children safe. With over 800,000 students travelling to more than 18,000 schools in Ontario everyday, STEO has 700 vehicles which take 30,000 students to school and back every day in Eastern Ontario. 
The campaign reminds people to stop for school buses when the lights are flashing red - NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION YOU’RE COMING FROM - as well as a reminder to adhere to general traffic laws and etiquette; including no rushing and no checking your phone in the car.