Rockland, ON

It's no longer just the pediatricians and the sports physicians.

The words of federal politicians, coaches, league executives and former professional hockey players are joining the chorus of voices calling for a need to address concussions in hockey.

From the NHL to your local junior hockey league, the number of identified concussions is unarguably on the rise - and these injuries are not necessarily the result of a fight or a hit to the head. But whatever the reason, according to those leading the cry for change, something has to be done - now.

Of the 20,000 junior hockey players in the Ottawa region, statistics indicate more than 3,000 concussions will occur this season alone.

Of those concussions, some players will suffer more than one. And many of these players will return before the damage has disappeared, making them vulnerable to a second concussion.

In fact, according to an Ottawa-area doctor who specializes in concussions and pediatric sports injuries, 85 per cent of those concussions will reoccur within seven days.

No one can say Marilissa Gosselin isn’t an optimist.

Even after it became apparent that Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Liberal candidate Grant Crack had secured the win for the riding, Gosselin was reluctant to admit defeat during the provincial election, which took place Thursday, October 6.

The house was packed as guests arrived from across the region to welcome the opening of a new, $20-million hockey arena in Clarence-Rockland - one that will serve as a training ground and school for some of the world's top young players.

Depending on where you live in Ontario, you may be out of luck when it comes to finding services and treatment options for mental health issues and addictions.

A report released last week by the newly-formed Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Alliance states that tens of thousands of Ontarians are struggling to find timely and appropriate care for mental health and/or addiction problems.

The reason, the Alliance notes, is because some Ontarians live in regions where mental health and addictions problems are severely under-funded.

The United Counties of Prescott-Russell and Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry have the highest rates of suicide, poverty, chronic illness and addiction in eastern Ontario.

In an effort to address these issues and provide residents in these rural communities with better access to mental health programs, the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital and the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) have launched the Quick Response Treatment Program (QRTP).

The QRTP was discussed at the LHIN's open board meeting, which was held in Rockland on Wednesday, June 22.

Incumbent Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux was largely re-elected by voters for a third term in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell on Monday, May 2, and met with supporters only minutes after it was announced the Conservative Party won a national majority.

Lemieux entered the banquet hall of the River Rock Inn in Rockland just before 11:20 p.m., flanked by his wife and three children. Welcomed to the podium with a loud round of applause, he thanked the more than 100 supporters in attendance for their presence.

"It is because of your hard work and support that we are here celebrating victory tonight," the MP began his speech.

Veteran Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde wasn't afraid to shed a few tears following his announcement that he won't be seeking re-election in the upcoming provincial election.

"This was a very difficult decision for me to make," the MPP told a packed room at the River Rock Inn in Rockland on Tuesday, April 12. "I thought about it long and hard for a very long time. Sometimes, there comes a point where you just have to make a decision."

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde will be holidaying with his family when finance minister Dwight Duncan delivers the 2011 provincial budget today, Wednesday, March 30.

However, the veteran MPP said he has spent "a considerable amount of time" speaking with Duncan and other ministers about important items for this region - items he hopes will be included under the capital works support portion of the much-anticipated budget.