Calumet, QC

While Grenville-sur-la-Rouge taxpayers can breathe a sigh of relief following council's approval of the 2012 budget last Tuesday, January 10, the debate surrounding its passing indicates that council continues to be plagued by a vicious split.

As during a special meeting held last month, Mayor John Saywell again complained of being undermined at finance committee meetings, saying he had proposals to make that were not being considered.

A decades-old saga regarding the management of Harrington Road between Grenville-sur-la-Rouge and Harrington Township might be coming to its conclusion in the near future.

Grenville-sur-la-Rouge Mayor John Saywell says his municipality will try to alleviate some of its northern neighbour's concerns about heavy truck traffic on Harrington Road in the coming year.

The remuneration for Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council members in 2012 and their seats on various municipal committees was decided on Monday, December 12.

Mayor John Saywell will receive $11,373 in salary and an additional $5,695 in allocated expenses. The salary has decreased about 35 per cent from last year, down from $17,379.18, while the expenses have increased by 77 per cent, up from $3,208.80.

Saywell said the adjustments are to bring the salary in line with provincial law.

The first edition of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge's family festival is set to take place next Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 at the Centre Paul Bougie and the municipal park in Calumet.

The public is invited to gather in the park as of noon on Saturday, as the festival's inauguration is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. At the same time, the municipality will officially unveil some playground equipment recently installed in the park.

After an outpouring of complaints about this year's tax rate increase in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, the municipal council has decided there is little to be done at the current time to alleviate the financial burden for its residents.

Mayor John Saywell raised the issue at last month's council meeting, saying council members had recently discussed methods of adjusting the tax rate for certain residents: seniors, residents on fixed incomes, low-income earners, and long-time homeowners with no interest in upgrading their homes.

Council members in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge are hoping the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) will consider selling the municipality a parcel of land at the intersection of Highway 344 and Highway 50.

The purchase offer to the MTQ - or, rather, the request to begin discussions - is part of a plan announced last month to relocate and develop a new industrial park in the municipality.

A dump truck belonging to the municipality of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge was pulled over and placed out of service for safety reasons, following a roadside check by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) last Monday, March 28.

According to the MTO, the truck was pulled over by one of its enforcement officers "during a normal patrol in the Hawkesbury area."

The former train station in Calumet has officially been declared a heritage property.

The bylaw passed its final approval stage at the Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council meeting on Tuesday, March 8, after the municipality held the required public consultation and sent a letter to the Quebec Ministry of Culture.

The Committed Citizens of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge has announced the nomination of Robert D'Auzac as its official spokesperson.

According to a press release sent last week, D'Auzac will be responsible for meeting with councillors at the municipal, provincial, and MRC levels, as well as the media, but will report to the committee on any developments that may arise.