Council accepts donation of Morrisburg storefront

December 2, members of South Dundas council were sworn into office at the South Dundas Municipal Centre in Morrisburg. South Dundas's first female mayor was sworn in along with re-elected deputy mayor Jim Locke, returning councillor Bill Ewing, re-elected councillor Archie Mellan and newly elected councillor Marc St. Pierre.

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The St. Lawrence Seaway closed for the season on December 30, 2011, with the westbound vessel Algoma Spirit reaching Lake Ontario at 7:54 a.m. after having transited the locks on the St. Lawrence River.  

The Seaway’s 53rd navigation season commenced on March 22nd, and the system remained open for a record 284 days, exceeding by one day the previous record set in 2006.

The tug / barge combination John Spence / Niagara Spirit was the last vessel to transit the Welland Canal, clearing Port Colborne December 30th at 8:26 p.m. on its way to Lake Erie.

The St. Lawrence Seaway’s positive momentum remained intact in 2011, with tonnage volumes rising by 2.5 per cent to reach an estimated 37.5 million tonnes.  

Trade patterns exhibited a number of changes, most notably with iron ore and coal becoming export commodities due to strong overseas demand. 

Grain volumes decreased overall by some 6.4 per cent due to a decrease in the amount of U.S. grain moving via the Seaway.  

Strong increases in the volume of bulk liquids, salt and scrap metal contributed to an overall cargo increase of 930,000 tonnes for the system’s 2011 season.

Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, noted that the year brought about some significant progress on a number of fronts.  

“We recognize that while some of our core markets remain under pressure, work is progressing in terms of diversifying our market base, containing our costs, and increasing the system’s productivity,” said Bowles.  “Over the last four years, our market development efforts have generated $12.5 million in new business revenue.”

“In addition to advances in cargo volumes, we achieved a good deal of progress in 2011 on a number of other fronts. In October of 2011, a new three-year labour agreement was ratified, extending to March 31, 2014. We reached a fair settlement that controls our costs and ensures that our customers can continue to experience reliable service.”

“This is the second consecutive year of increases in Seaway traffic and tonnage, reflecting the resilience of the North American economy” said Collister Johnson, Jr., Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

A recently published economic impact study, commissioned by Marine Delivers, demonstrates the significant role that the Great Lakes / Seaway system plays in supporting the Canadian and U.S. economies.  

Some 227,000 jobs and $34 billion in economic activity are supported by the movement of goods within the Great Lakes / Seaway waterway. 

Since its inception in 1959, over 2.5 billion tonnes valued in excess of $375 billion has been transported via the Seaway. 

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Early Saturday morning, April 7th, the South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services was called to a home on Merkley Street in Morrisburg.

Too late to save the home, the firefighters from the Morrisburg and Williamsburg stations were able to get the blaze under control in time to keep it from spreading to  neighbouring homes.

According to chief Chris McDonough, “one of my volunteers was going to work at five in the morning and he heard a crack and looked up to see a glow in the sky.”

By the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the home and its attached garage were completely engulfed in flames. With the home beyond saving, the primary goal became stopping the fire from spreading to surrounding homes. 

“There was exposure to the south,” said McDonough, “but we managed to stop it.”

“The guys did a good job. They had it knocked down pretty quick.”

The home was empty at the time of the fire and no one was hurt. McDonough estimated the damage to be in the vicinity of $260,000.

“We don’t have a cause as to what started the fire,” said McDonough. “It looks like it started in the garage area.” In fact, the car parked on the property was also destroyed by the fire, leaving nothing but a charred frame.

“I didn’t feel there was anything suspicious  with the fire,” he said.

His reasoning behind the determination included the following facts: damage was not over $500,000; there were no injuries or fatalities and no explosions. 

He did point out that the insurance company “is probably going to bring in a private investigator tomorrow,” April 10th. He reiterated, however, that he felt there was nothing suspicious. 

The Merkley Street home had been listed for sale at the time of the fire for a list price of $239,000.

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