Review-Mirror

•Continued from page 1 detailed business case for cell expansion to the federal and provincial governments in May 2017. The project is expected to create 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs over 10 years and spur $420 mil- lion in new business rev- enue. According to an engi- neering study commis- sioned by EORN: •About one quarter of the area where there are homes, businesses or major roads in the region cannot access any cellular services. •Depending on the cell carrier, nearly two-thirds of the area doesn't have enough capacity to pro- vide high quality mobile broadband service given growing demand. The gaps are the result of market failure. Rural areas don't generate enough revenue for cell carriers to build adequate services. The CRTC recently designated both mobile and fixed broad- band as basic services for all Canadians. A public- private partnership would reduce carriers' infrastruc- ture costs, creating a stronger business case to improve services and meet the CRTC's basic services goals. EORN, a non-profit created by the EOWC, helped to improve broad- band access to nearly 90 per cent of Eastern Ontario through a $175 million fixed broadband network funded by the federal, provincial and municipal governments and private sector service providers. It works with governments and commu- nity organizations to improve and leverage broadband access to fuel economic development and growth across the region. "This commitment from the province is a great vote of confidence in the project. EORN is building on the investment we've already made in fibre optics across the region to close the gap in cell services and improve economic growth, quality of life and public safety," said EORN Chair J. Mur- ray Jones. The Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) is comprised of 13 mem- bers across rural Eastern Ontario. It represents 750,000 people in 103 rural municipalities. Township of Rideau Lakes fire fighters will be dispatched to fewer med- ical calls with the signing of a new agreement with Leeds Grenville Para- medic Services which rec- ognizes improved response time of ambu- lances. The new agreement has the fire personnel respond- ing, in the case of short- ness of breath, if the ambulance is 30 minutes away. The previous thresh- old was 15 minutes. A change has also been made for a response to chest pains. Fire will respond if ambulance has a 15 minutes estimated time of arrival (ETA). The previous trigger was ten minutes. Fire Chief Steve Fournier noted the change is in line with the agree- ments other services have with the county. In his time with the township he's noted an overlap in responses to emergencies. "Ten out of ten calls they always meet us there," said Fournier. The change will result in fewer calls for firefight- ers to respond to medical emergencies. Fournier noted that with an ambulance from Perth responding from the north end and an extra ambulance at the station in Elgin responses had changed. The chief has also implemented changes in the response to emergen- cies in the South Elmsley ward where there are con- tracted services from Smiths Falls up to Lom- bard Manor on Hwy 15. "We are paying them (Smiths Falls) x number of dollars for the service. We are getting there and we have two fire departments and EMS there at the same time," he said. The Westport and Rideau Lakes Chamber of Commerce is looking for the support of new and prospective members to continue its presence in the region. This year's member- ship campaign has been successful in the retention of over 50 members, down from its over 100-member roster two years ago. Next month the group will be opening their wel- come centre on Spring Street in Westport. Businesses which have promotional material ben- efitting visitors to the area can contact the chamber's welcome centre coordina- tor to have them distrib- uted at the centre can con- tact Christine Jennings at 613 453-7063. The centre and its washrooms will be open in time for the May holiday weekend. On Monday the group decided to discontinue its presence on Hwy 15 south of Elgin. A three-part bill- board sign south of Elgin on the east side of the road has lost one of its three panels. On Tuesday the group voted to have the sign removed. Chamber seeking to boost numbers The Review-Mirror April 26, 2018 – 3 Rideau Lakes Fire and Rescue to receive fewer medical calls Royal Canadian Legion Branch 231 Harlem Road, Portland, ON Bullhead Dinner Saturday, April 28, 4-7 p.m. NEW-Take-out from 4-5 and after 6 p.m. Sit down serving from 5 p.m. until sold out. Adults $12.00 • Under 12 yrs. $6.00 •Continued from page 1 The school building could also potentially house the food bank and the clothing cooperative which are located in the lean-to portion at the rear of the Portland Hall. Both groups are concerned about their existing facili- ty. Discussions have also taken place with the OPP to relocate to the school from their premises at the South Elmsley Municipal Complex. The South Elmsley library branch, currently housed at Lombardy Pub- lic School, could move to their offices. CAO Mike Dwyer said preliminary discussions with the OPP indicated they would not be able to relocate with the presence of some potential other tenants with vulnerable populations. Their presence would preclude the potential of the operation of a day care centre at the facility, for example. The presence of the police in Portland would provide a more central location for the township as a whole. The township has dis- covered that providing the OPP with a facility is a more affordable option than being charged, what in 2016 was $4.73 per property in addition to their regular bill. In 2016, when the township was pondering charging the OPP for the South Elmsley premises they discovered that the move would add an addi- tional $37,438 to their bill and trigger a facilities review which would inevitably create require- ments for upgrades to the facility. Dwyer noted that there could potentially be enough space in the facili- ty to house a tenant which could provide ongoing revenue for the facility. The model has worked well at the Elgin Munici- pal Complex where the township leases to Canada Post. Helene Donnelly won the Legion's 'Area' public speaking competition in Frankford Sunday. She now competes at the provincial level in Trenton May 5. Her topic is Cyberbullying. About 25% of Eastern Ontario has no cell service Quality Eyecare in Westport 10 Bedford Street Westport, Ontario Dr. P. H. Radford Optometrist Friday: Evenings Sat: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. For Appointment please call 613-273-3097 Upper Rideau Branch 542 10099 Cty. Rd. 10, Westport 613-273-3615 Sun., April 29, 2-6 p.m. Matinee with Henry Norwood, Wade Foster & Shawn McCullough We're Back! The Hamburger Fridays team will be back May 4 12-2pm delicious burgers, hotdogs, sausages, and fries. Take-out available. 613-273-3615. "Spring into Summer" Draws May 21 – Cordless Lawnmower • June 21 – Pot of Gold basket July 21 – 49" Sony 4K Ultra HD Smart TV Tickets, good for all 3 draws, are 3/$10 or 1/$5 at the Branch All proceeds to the Generator Fund. Cribbage Wednesdays, 10 am Sunday Fun Darts , 12:45 p.m. All-you-can-eat Spaghetti 3rd Friday monthly, 6 pm Lounge hours Tues. 4-7•Wed 4-7•Thurs 4-7•Fri 4-7•Sat 3-6 Celebrate your special occasion with us... Weddings, receptions, anniversaries and parties. Full catering, kitchen & bar available with plenty of parking and full handicap accessibility. Call Juanita at 613-273-8455. Bingo 7 p.m. BONANZA $1750 • JACKPOT $800 PROGRESSIVE TOONIE POT • All 55#s or less MONDAY We are the Guardians of REMEMBRANCE Follow us on Facebook for the latest on Legion 542 events Food bank, clothing co-operative could also move to former school

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