News

Copy by Craig Foster

A major winter storm is taking aim at the Quinte Region and surrounding area. Environment Canada upgraded its weather alert to a snowfall warning on Tuesday night for Belleville, Quinte West, Northumberland County, Prince Edward County, Napanee and Kingston. The winter storm will begin Wednesday evening and gradually taper off through Thursday afternoon. Snow may become mixed with ice pellets early Thursday morning as well. Forecasters say 15 to 25 cm of snow is possible with peak snowfall rates of 2 to 4 cm per hour.

County Council approved Councillor Harrison’s resolution seeking Council support for a ‘Buy local, Buy Canadian’ letter of support following U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threats on virtually all goods from Canada, with a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian energy products. It was also requested that this resolution be forwarded to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford, the Ontario Minister of Finance, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Bay of Quinte Member of Parliament Ryan Williams, all 444 municipalities in Ontario, the Federation of Canadian Muncipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucas. Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp was on the list until it was brought to attention that he is currently not a member of parliament, but a candidate in the running for the Bay of Quinte until Feb. 27. It was agreed upon that whomever is elected on Feb. 27 will also be included following the election.

More studies are needed before a planned subdivision near Picton can proceed.
During Tuesday’s Prince Edward County council meeting, council reviewed a motion to approve a zoning application and subdivision agreement for a new subdivision to be built near Waring’s Creek. The site covers 35 hectares with frontage along Sandy Hook Road and Upper Lake Street.
The Cold Creek Subdivision has been before council before, with council first denying a zoning application, and then reversing course and directing staff to work with the developer to address concerns raised by both council and residents about the impact of the development on the area’s water quality.
The revised plans include widening setbacks between residential use and local wetlands to 50 meters, which caused several lots to be eliminated from the plan. The road layout also shifted to respond to complaints that an intersection would be too close to a resident’s driveway.
While staff had recommended the latest proposal be approved by council, councillors also received a series of public comments and deputations urging them not to approve the subdivision. The Waring’s Creek improvement association claimed they had not been engaged as promised previously in a cumulative impact study process, and disputed the accuracy of the tests. Councillor Brad Nieman put an amendment forward, that the approvals be made conditionally, pending the results of a cumulative impact study…. The motion narrowly passed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday the ceasefire in Gaza would end and the military would resume fighting Hamas until it was defeated if the Palestinian militant group did not release hostages by midday Saturday. Following Netanyahu’s ultimatum, Hamas issued a statement renewing its commitment to the ceasefire and accusing Israel of jeopardizing it. The Israeli announcement came after Netanyahu met with several key ministers, including defence, foreign affairs and national security, who he said gave the ultimatum their full support.

Alberta pop sensation Tate McRae and Nashville up-and-comer Josh Ross lead the list of nominees with five apiece for the 2025 Junos, which were released on Tuesday and highlight the rise of both country and Punjabi music in the Canadian mainstream. McRae isn’t exactly a newcomer to the Junos field, but she has seen quick success. Since her first nomination in 2021, she’s never been left off the board — though she only managed to take home her first statues in 2024.

Sports

A troublesome second period hurt the Wellington Dukes on Tuesday afternoon against the Milton Menace. The third place team in the OJHL’s West Conference whipped the Dukes 8-3 in a makeup game from December. The Dukes started with rookie goalie Cole Vreugdenhil, a call-up from the U16 AAA Halton Hurricanes

Scottie Barnes scored 33 points, Immanuel Quickley added 23 and the Toronto Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak with a 106-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.

Jordan Binnington will start Canada’s opening game at the 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden in Montreal on Wednesday