News

Copy by Craig Foster

There was a special council meeting held at shire Hall last night where a decision regarding the sale of the Queen Elizabeth school to New View Holdings Inc. was on the docket. As expected, the council chamber and overflow room were packed with concerned residents opposing the sale yet there were many who came forward in support of the project. At one point, things got a little testy as councillor St. Jean took exception to inaccurate information given by a deputant however, after hours of deputations, comments and questions council voted 11 to 3 in favour of
the sale with Councillors Pennell , Neiman and Braney against. The school was deemed surplus some years ago and the County purchased it with the vision of affordable housing and a community hub. New View holdings has a track record of constructing affordable housing and with a county waiting list of 293, the build will put a dent in that list.

Another family physician is setting up shop in Belleville. The City today (Monday) announced the signing of Dr. Avneet Dhillon under the Belleville Doctor Recruitment Program. Dr. Dhillon will soon start her residency with the Queen’s Family Medicine Residency Program and once complete, will be ready to start her own practice here in Belleville in 2027.

Belleville Council is once again challenging the province to step to the plate to better invest in post-secondary education. The group approved a motion on Monday to have Ontario address the historic under-funding of provincial funding of post-secondary institutions. It also asked the province to reaffirm its commitment to remove barriers and advocate for post-secondary education funding that supports the growth and success of both institutions and students. Councillor Paul Carr asked for an amendment to remove references to the international student program, telling council the issue should be ‘singular focused.’

It is just over a month until the federal election and it appears that the Liberals have found their front runner for the Bay of Quinte riding. Quinte News has been told by several sources that retired journalist and Belleville City Councillor Chris Malette is the expected name to be on the ballot April 28. On Monday, Bay of Quinte Federal Liberal Association Chair Ken Manderville told local media that they were close to announcing their candidate. Four people have submitted papers and are being vetted, however, sources say Malette is the likely choice. That has not been confirmed by the party or the local Electoral District Association. Malette has been a Belleville city councillor since 2018 and worked decades at the Belleville Intelligencer as the managing editor, among other positions.

Sports

Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored in regulation and then got the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout, and the Vancouver Canucks rallied to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Monday night.

USC star Juju Watkins has sustained a torn ACL in her right knee and will undergo surgery, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Watkins appeared to injure her right knee and had to be carried off the court just five minutes into USC’s 96-59 win against Mississippi State.

The Canadian Football League Players’ Association has sent letters to both the league office and Edmonton Elks CEO Chris Morris to address concerns over recent comments Elks general manager Ed Hervey made suggesting the CFL doesn’t have any superstars. “Mr. Hervey’s comments were insulting and ignorant. He disparaged every single one of our members, and our entire league, when he stated that the CFL has no superstar players,” the CFLPA said in a release.