(CLEARVIEW TOWNSHIP, ON) – The Huronia West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged an individual with impaired driving related charges because of a traffic tip.
On January 13, 2025, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Huronia West OPP officers responded to a traffic tip of a possible impaired driver on Mill Street in Clearview Township.
Officers patrolled the area and located the vehicle arriving at the vehicle owner’s residence. Officers noticed an odour of alcohol on the driver’s breath which led into an impaired driving investigation. As a result, Victoria BELL, 58-year-old of Clearview Township, was arrested and has been charged with the following:
· Operation while Impaired – Blood Alcohol and Drugs
· Operation while Impaired – Blood Alcohol Concentration (80 Plus)
The accused is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
Drivers and members of the public are reminded to respect our communities, comply with all laws, and not jeopardize the safety of our citizens or our neighborhoods with risky, illegal, and dangerous actions.
The OPP and Traffic Safety partners remain committed to saving lives on our roads. For safety and crime prevention tips, please visit our website at www.opp.ca.
The Huronia West OPP is committed to serving our province, including the Town of Wasaga Beach and the Townships of Springwater and Clearview. If you have any information about crime in our community, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit your information online at www.crimestopperssdm.com. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display, and you will remain anonymous. You will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.
The Ontario Provincial Police is committed to public safety, delivering proactive and innovative policing in partnership with our communities.
Good Luck to all Collingwood Minor Hockey players taking part in the return of ‘Hockey Day in Collingwood’ on Wednesday, January 15th!
This event sees 10 local elementary schools playing a fun, co-ed tournament between 7am and 4pm at Central Park and Eddie Bush arenas.
That evening, come out to see crosstown rivals Collingwood Collegiate and Our Lady of the Bay battle it out for area supremacy with Varsity Girls and Boys hockey matches taking place at 7pm and 8pm at the Eddie Bush arena.
Entry is FREE, but we will be accepting donations at the door for the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital.
Midhurst/January 13, 2025 – Construction of the new Paramedic Post in the Township of Springwater is progressing as planned and is expected to open in summer 2025. This two-bay facility, located on Snow Valley Road in Midhurst, is part of the County of Simcoe’s efforts towards further building up care and innovative services across our region.
Endorsed by County Council in 2008, County of Simcoe Paramedic Services Facilities Plan aims to improve operational efficiency while also reducing response times for urgent calls. The plan includes a combination of traditional paramedic stations combined with a hub-and-spoke model, which is particularly effective in urban areas. This model features a central hub, such as the Barrie-Simcoe Emergency Services Campus, that is complemented by smaller posts in high-demand locations, like the one-bay Central East Barrie Post, located at 31 Ross Street, to help ensure rapid response to life threatening situations.
The plan also promotes a standardized design approach that can be scaled to different sizes, providing cost savings and consistency.
In addition to the Springwater Post, the recently approved 2025 County budget including plans to move forward with the construction of a new Paramedic Station in the Township of Tay in 2025/2026. In an effort to better meet the growing needs of the community and provide long-term cost certainty, a new Waubaushene Station will replace the leased facility in Coldwater.
Photo Caption: Aerial view of County of Simcoe Paramedic Services Springwater Post.
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.
Collingwood, ON [13 January 2025] Collingwood now has a new non-profit housing group, thanks to the Town’s new $25,000 seed funding initiative.
Through the approved 2024 budget, Collingwood Council introduced a $25,000 funding initiative to seed a non-profit or not-for-profit organization that could develop, own, and operate affordable housing in the community. The objective the funding is to help kick-start a new or existing organization to increase the availability of affordable housing units in Collingwood.
Jane Truemner and Laurel McCorriston have been selected as the recipients of the seed funding and plan to use the seed funds to create a new non-profit housing organization that will develop, build and operate affordable, safe and sustainable housing for moderate-income residents currently shut out of the housing market in Collingwood. The two are well-versed in the non-profit housing space, with decades of combined experience in the delivery of capital projects, affordable housing management and operations, and fundraising.
“We are delighted to announce the award of $25,000 in Seed Funding to a new non-profit housing organization that can deliver affordable units in the community. We hope these funds can be used to boost the capacity of this new group to drive this initiative forward,” says Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.
This new organization can now take advantage of opportunities to create affordable housing units, including receiving lands or units from donors, building new or renovating existing structures to create affordable housing, and/or taking advantage of future financial incentives from all levels of government or via social financing, to deliver affordable housing by and for the community.
Statement from Jane Truemner and Laurel McCorriston
We appreciate the Town of Collingwood’s proactive approach to the housing issue. We are excited to begin work establishing ourselves as an Affordable Housing Organization in Collingwood. As growth in population and business continues, we will focus on developing new opportunities to find affordable housing solutions. This will ensure community members can both work in town and have a safe, healthy place to live.
We (the recipients) will hold a community meeting in February (Details TBD). We look forward to sharing more information with the community soon.
Background
Affordable housing has been identified as a key priority for Council and staff, as well as the Affordable Housing Task Force (AHTF). With their leadership and the support from consultants N. Barry Lyon Consultants (NBLC) Ltd., the Town of Collingwood Affordable Housing Master Plan (AHMP), was developed and endorsed by Council in November 2023. The demand for adequate, affordable housing supply has inspired this recent seed funding opportunity at the request of Council.
The Town of Collingwood is facing a deficit of more than 1,300 affordable units to meet the existing housing needs in our community. Moderate income households are currently priced out of both the ownership and rental housing market, and the limited rental options drive up prices, creating a constrained market with few options available. The seed funding initiative is just one of many actions the Town is taking to address the housing crisis.
For more information on affordable housing initiatives being undertaken by the Town of Collingwood, please contact Housing Development Coordinator Claire de Souza, [email protected] or 705-445-1030 ext. 3242.
Self-checkout stations were once a retail innovation, promising cost savings, shorter lines, and a smoother shopping experience.
But today, retailers are rethinking their strategies as these machines reveal hidden costs and operational issues.
From high installation and maintenance expenses to rising theft rates and frustrated customers, self-checkouts have brought unexpected challenges.
This video dives into why self-checkout may no longer be as profitable as once believed, exploring if this technology will evolve or fade away in favor of human interaction. Source: SBC News
Self-checkout can be less profitable for retailers because of:
Theft: Self-checkout stations can be more vulnerable to theft than traditional checkouts:
Shoplifting: Shoppers can trick the system by entering incorrect item codes or not scanning every item.
Accidental theft: Shoppers can forget items at the bottom of their cart or lose track of what they’ve scanned.
Inventory shrinkage: Theft leads to inventory shrinkage, which is the difference between a retailer’s recorded inventory and its actual inventory.
Customer frustration: Self-checkout can lead to frustrated customers.
Operational issues: Self-checkout stations can have hidden costs and operational issues, such as:
High installation and maintenance expenses
Understaffing, which can increase opportunities for theft
Complexity: Self-checkout systems can add complexity to the retail experience.
Jean Chretien turned 91 a few days ago and gave himself a birthday present. He told Donald J. Trump to piss off in the The Globe and Mail.
Here’s his column:
Today is my 91st birthday.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. To look back on the life I’ve had the privilege to lead. And to reflect on how much this country we all love so much has grown and changed over the course of the nine decades I’ve been on this Earth.
This year, I’ve also decided to give myself a birthday present. I’m going to do something in this article that I don’t do very often anymore, and sound off on a big issue affecting the state of the nation and profoundly bothering me and so many other Canadians: The totally unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our very sovereignty from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
I have two very clear and simple messages.
To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: Give your head a shake! What could make you think that Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, that is what we are – to join the United States?
I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony.
We’ve also built a strong social safety net – especially with public health care – that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.
This may not be the “American Way” or “the Trump Way.” But it is the reality I have witnessed and lived my whole long life.
If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to win us over, you really don’t know a thing about us. You don’t know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up – both times – years before your country did. We fought and we sacrificed well beyond our numbers.
We also had the guts to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a completely unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.
We built a nation across the most rugged, challenging geography imaginable. And we did it against the odds.
We may look easy-going. Mild-mannered. But make no mistake, we have spine and toughness.
And that leads me to my second message, to all our leaders, federal and provincial, as well as those who are aspiring to lead our country: Start showing that spine and toughness. That’s what Canadians want to see – what they need to see. It’s called leadership. You need to lead. Canadians are ready to follow.
I know the spirit is there. Ever since Mr. Trump’s attacks, every political party is speaking out in favour of Canada. In fact, it is to my great satisfaction that even the Bloc Québécois is defending Canada.
But you don’t win a hockey game by only playing defence. We all know that even when we satisfy one demand, Mr. Trump will come back with another, bigger demand. That’s not diplomacy; it’s blackmail.
We need another approach – one that will break this cycle.
Mr. Trump has accomplished one thing: He has unified Canadians more than we have been ever before! All leaders across our country have united in resolve to defend Canadian interests.
When I came into office as prime minister, Canada faced a national unity crisis. The threat of Quebec separation was very real. We took action to deal with this existential threat in a manner that made Canadians, including Quebeckers, stronger, more united and even prouder of Canadian values.
Now there is another existential threat. And we once again need to reduce our vulnerability. That is the challenge for this generation of political leaders.
And you won’t accomplish it by using the same old approaches. Just like we did 30 years ago, we need a Plan B for 2025.
Yes, telling the Americans we are their best friends and closest trading partner is good. So is lobbying hard in Washington and the state capitals, pointing out that tariffs will hurt the American economy too. So are retaliatory tariffs – when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself.
But we also have to play offence. Let’s tell Mr. Trump that we too have border issues with the United States. Canada has tough gun control legislation, but illegal guns are pouring in from the U.S. We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns crossing into Canada.
We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage, insisting that it is an international waterway, even though it flows through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as being Canadian waters.
We also need to reduce Canada’s vulnerability in the first place. We need to be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States. Let’s launch a national project to get rid of those barriers! And let’s strengthen the ties that bind this vast nation together through projects such as real national energy grid.
We also have to understand that Mr. Trump isn’t just threatening us; he’s also targeting a growing list of other countries, as well as the European Union itself, and he is just getting started. Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico, as well as with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan for fighting back these threats.
Every time that Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.
The whole point is not to wait in dread for Donald Trump’s next blow. It’s to build a country and an international community that can withstand those blows.
Canadians know me. They know I am an optimist. That I am practical. And that I always speak my mind. I made my share of mistakes over a long career, but I never for a moment doubted the decency of my fellow Canadians – or of my political opponents.
The current and future generations of political leaders should remember they are not each other’s enemies – they are opponents. Nobody ever loved the cut-and-thrust of politics more than me, but I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to make our community or country a better place.
That spirit is more important now than ever, as we address this new challenge. Our leaders should keep that in mind.
I am 91 today and blessed with good health. I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life.
Player of the Game goes to #29 Colten Drillen-Roach.
An incredible performance, Colten!!!
Happy Birthday Sam Griffiths!!!
UPDATE: Collingwood Blues Super Fan ‘Ihor Sywanyk‘ was not able to attend this event as he is currently networking in Japan. PRESS RELEASE in the works.
The Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI) marching band is a part of the CCI music program, which is one of the largest and most diverse in Simcoe County. The band is known for participating in the annual Santa Claus Parade in Collingwood, and has also performed at concerts, festivals, and parades around the world.
Here are some details about the CCI marching band:
When they perform: The CCI marching band performs from November to December.
What they do: The band practices songs and marching, and memorizes the music for parades. They also perform at events like the Santa Claus Parade and hockey games.
Where to learn more: You can contact the CCI music department at [email protected].
Related videos: You can watch a video of the CCI marching band preparing for the Santa Claus Parade on Facebook. You can also watch a video of the CCI marching band warming up the crowd at a hockey game on Facebook.
The CCI music program also includes other groups, such as the concert band, jazz band, and drumline.
A Chinese company has unveiled the Unitree B2-W quadruped robot – but could it turn out to be a soldier’s best friend?
The flagship design is being compared to US robotic systems already being tested, but the Chinese model appears to be nimbler, sleeker and more agile. The robotic four-wheeled friend can reportedly carry up to 40kg, move at a top speed of 30mph and operate over mixed terrain.
