Fournier, ON

After months of hard work and dedication, the St-Bernardin Centennial Book is about to celebrate its official release.

While the book won't be officially launched until May 20, 2012, people are being advised to reserve their copy of the commemorative book as soon as possible. Those wishing to order ahead will be eligible for the special prepaid price of $60 until January 31.

Those who wait until after January 31 will pay $70 for the 450-page book.

The Hawkesbury OPP has found a Fournier man who went missing from his home on Sunday, October 23.

Alain Chrétien, 51, of Fournier found by the OPP Canine Unit, with assistance from the Emergency Response Team, was found at around 7 p.m. Monday evening in a wooded area near Fournier.

Police said he was in "relatively" good condition.

Chrétien reported to have left his residence at approximately 4 p.m. without telling anyone. Police said Chrétien left the house without his wallet or car keys.

Residents in The Nation will see a modest one-per-cent increase in their taxes this year.

In a unanimous decision, council recently adopted the 2011 budget after months of budget meetings and negotiations.

The Nation's total budget for 2011 will be $22.3 million, with $7.7 million set aside for various capital projects.

While taxes will increase by one per cent per $100,000 in average assessment, so too will the salaries of municipal employees.

The sun doesn't appear to be shining on two solar projects in The Nation announced last summer.

Municipal politicians admitted they are "concerned and worried" about the future of the solar projects, which were to be located on the rooftop of the arena in St-Isidore and the municipal garage in Fournier.

The police investigation into last week's fatal collision on Concession Road 2 has resulted in criminal charges being laid against the driver of the flatbed trailer.

The truck driver, a 43-year-old man from Hammond, was asked to meet with the case's lead investigator, Const. Dominique Sauvé, at the Hawkesbury detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on Wednesday night, January 19.

He was subsequently arrested and charged for two counts of criminal negligence causing death under section 220 (b) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

A technical traffic accident investigator's report on the Concession 2 fatal collision last week must be received before Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) can determine if charges are to be laid.

According to Hawkesbury OPP Const. Pierre Dubois, the police detachment received an e-mail from the lead investigator this weekend indicating that interviews have been conducted with most of the necessary people involved in the case.

After a spring landslide washed a good chunk of Villeneuve Road away, the municipality has learned it won't have to foot the bill for the entire repair.

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde recently announced that the provincial government will provide the municipality with up to $437,000 through the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP).

The funding will help cover costs for the repair and rebuilding of Villeneuve Road and engineering studies needed for the reinforcement of road stability in the future.

With the municipal election just around the corner, candidates are racing to make sure their names are on the ballot.

As of September 7, a small list of candidates had officially handed in nomination papers in The Nation.

Since veteran mayor Denis Pommainville recently announced his retirement from municipal politics, former Ward 1 councillor Francois St-Amour put his name forward for the position, after serving as a councillor for seven years.

To date, St-Amour is the only official candidate for mayor.

The advent of solar energy development across Ontario has raised its share of debate and controversy, attracting both supporters and naysayers alike and forcing the creation of province-wide guidelines for renewable energy projects. However, with the provincial parliament's backing of the Green Energy Act and the Ontario Power Authority in charge of the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) pricing schedule, these new rules dictate that one player has little input in the process: a municipality.