Review-Mirror

•Continued from page 1 The Building for the Future Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) public meetings will assist ARCs to receive feedback on the initial draft recom- mendations for possible closures and consolida- tions presented in the draft last fall. "This is another oppor- tunity for us to connect with the public and let their voice be heard about how to improve our school system," said Chair Jeff McMillan. "We are seeking public input in order to make decisions that will allow us to best serve our stu- dents in a sustainable way. I want to stress that no decisions have been made at this point and this ARC process serves as an important effort to receive as much feedback from the public as possible." "The input received through the ARC process will allow us to better understand the views of parents and community members regarding how our school district should be serving students given the revenue that our school board receives from the province of Ontario," said Director of Education Stephen Sliwa. At these public meet- ings, the ARCs will receive delegations from the community and staff will share insights on the feedback received to date. Information received throughout the process will be referenced in a final report to be prepared by UCDSB staff and pre- sented to the Board of Trustees on February 15. The Board will make final decisions about its accommodation review on March 23 at a Special Board Meeting scheduled at North Grenville District High School, which will be open to the public and will also be livestreamed for viewing. Other second round of Families of Schools ARC public meetings will take place at Rockland Jan. 19, Cornwall Jan. 23 and Iro- quois Jan. 31. The meetings will be livestreamed by the Board on the UCTV network at https://livestream.com/UC TV. Members of the public who wish to make a pre- sentation at these public meetings should review the ARC Guide for Dele- gations, noting the process and timelines for receiving requests. This information can be found at www.bit.ly/2eeARjG. •Continued from page 1 enue for the township so the municipality is left subsidizing the trailers even after their actual amount paid to the town- ship is determined. The property tax on a $10,000 trailer would be less than $45 in revenue for the township in taxes. The issue, which has been a hot button issue for some over the years, came to a head last year when the new OPP costing for- mula included seasonal trailers. The annual OPP bill averaged, in 2016, over $350 per occupied property province-wide, irregardless of usage. If the OPP are only charging the township $350 per household - the provincial average for 2016 - on the 450 trailers deemed assessable by MPAC, the township needs to recoup $157,500 to cover costs. Dwyer identified the extra fee, which could be administered by the camp- ground owner as an option for the trailer owner. "People always have the choice to take off the deck, put the wheels back on," he said, to drop back under MPAC's radar. The revenue for taxing trailers has the potential for an extra $60,000 in revenue at per $50 per trailer - but the fee would have to be considerably "Our taxpayers are picking up the cost for assessments which aren't reaping any dollars," he said. Staff will be research- ing the implementation of a trailer licensing bylaw and will be reporting back to council in time for rev- enue to be collected in 2018. Last weekend the ice on Seeley's Bay was in perfect shape to have fun for this pair of youngsters. Photo by Gina Bearne The Review-Mirror January 19, 2017 – 16 Final decision on school closings March 23 Immediate Cremation "THAT'S ALL I WANT" One simple cremation One simple price One simple solution "Providing YOU with exactly what YOU want" ASK FOR "THE BASIC ESSENTIAL PACKAGE" To find out exactly what the package provides for you, have no hesitation in contacting us directly, either by phone or email. Scotland's of Elgin Serving and Supporting our local communities since 1967 613.359.5555 dwssfh@bellnet.ca Published by The Review-Mirror in cooperation with Westport and Rideau Lakes Chamber of Commerce Rideau Valley VISITORS' GUIDE Your Complimentary Annual Guide to Events, Attractions and Services in the Rideau Lakes Region 2016-17 An affordable opportunity to reach visitors and local consumers throughout the area and beyond. Distributed to hotels, motels, Rideau Canal locks, liquor/beer outlets, bait & tackle shops, grocery stores, restaurants, municipal offices, tourist information outlets and The Review-Mirror. For more information call Bill Ritchie at 1-800-387-0796 or 273-8000 advertising@review-mirror.com • 43 Bedford St., Box 130, Westport, ON K0G 1X0 Rideau Valley Guide 2017-18 Mirror The Review Published by The Review-Mirror in co-operation with The Westport & Rideau Lakes Chamber of Commerce Deadline April 7, 2017 OPP bill for seasonal sites close to $160,000

• Cover