Mother Nature cooperated by cooling things down allowing for the snow to fly, blanketing Brimacombe. The 2021-22 ski season officially opened on Monday, December 27. January 2022 marks the ski hill in Kirby’s 85th year. Due to the everchanging COVID public health guidelines, check Brimacombe’s website for updates before heading out.
Using the On Demand option to access transit in the town of Newcastle has been in place for over a year now. In taking the pulse of the ridership, it is evident that this service is getting mixed reviews. General issues such as: ride availability; lack of scheduled DRT service in Newcastle; usage of the App for booking On Demand trips; telephone wait times for a dispatcher; long wait times for pickups; missed rides or rides that do not arrive; and the cost and length of time accessing both GO and DRT to get to point B.
The protection of the natural heritage system has been in question as the municipality balances its legal obligation to follow provincial regulation and the needs of rural residents who want to have the option to build and construct on their lands.
2021 was indeed a year of patience. We were all tired of enduring revolving lockdowns, quarantine measures, and not being able to visit those closest to us. Meet the new year, same as the old year.
That pretty much sums up the transition from 2021 to 2022. This time last year, we thought by now we’d have a handle on this viral pandemic, the likes of which we haven’t experienced since 1918. Given what we’d been through in 2020, we greeted 2021 with breathless anticipation.
When we entered 2021 COVID had already taken more than 1.8 million lives worldwide and more than 14,600 in this country. We couldn’t have conceived at the same time a year later the death total would top 5 million worldwide and 30,364 in Canada. In Ontario, we’ve surpassed 774,000 COVID cases and 10,252 deaths.
We thought with three vaccines approved for use, the days of COVID-19 were numbered.
“On Sunday last about sixty ski enthusiasts from Oshawa and Toronto met at Mr. Fred Brimacombe’s hill for a skiing race. Two snow plows cleared the road to let the skiers get as close to the hill for the event. A course was marked out on the steepest part of the hill, with a live cable running the full length of the course to secure the correct time of each individual skier. Just as one skier would take off, he would touch the cable and a bell would ring.
The New Year – the time when we ponder the year that was and look forward with hope to what is to come. At this point, surely, we can agree that we have no idea what is in store for us in the days and months ahead, so maybe a little extra time is better spent looking at times past.
On Tuesday, December 14, 2021 David Piccini, MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, was joined by Sam Oosterhoff, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education, in Bowmanville where they made a major funding announcement for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. A new school, located on Northglen Blvd, will accommodate 769 students from JK to Grade 8. Collocated on the site will be a four-room childcare centre with 73 licensed childcare spaces. MPP Piccini and Mr. Oosterhoff were joined by KPRDSB Trustees Cathy Abraham and Sarah Bobka.
Brimacombe officially opened for the 2021 season on December 27. With COVID protocols changing week to week it’s hard to predict how the season will evolve.
Durham Region Police Services’ (DRPS’) 911 communications unit has released a list of the most ridiculous, and non-emergency 911 calls received in 2021.
In any small-town Ontario, one hears rumours of what happened back in the day. Things that were never written anywhere, and were part of the culture, but where there is a rumour there is a story.
It was assumed- wrongly of course, that a postmaster could put credence to some of these rumours. “I have nothing to say” claimed Blain. “You should talk to Ian.” Ian McKenzie serendipitously was available and agreed to an interview.