Kirker Rd. house fire

The two-tier jurisdictional structure of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry has existed in largely the same form since 1850. Each tier serves a purpose. The Counties manages departments that serve a larger […]

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced January 14, that tonnage increased by four per cent to 38.9 million tonnes during the 2012 navigation season, exceeding the SLSMC’s original forecast by 300,000 tonnes thanks in part to a late season surge in grain movements. 

Strong performance within a number of core markets contributed to an overall gain of 1.4 million tonnes for the year, when compared to the Seaway’s 2011 result of 37.5 million tonnes.

Demand for low sulphur coal in Europe led to a substantial increase in coal volumes, while busy Chinese steel mills triggered an upsurge in the demand for iron ore.  

The shipments of coal and iron ore were brought to the Great Lakes and loaded on domestic Laker vessels.  The Lakers then proceeded from the Great Lakes to the lower St. Lawrence River, where the commodities were trans-shipped to larger ocean vessels, for export to overseas destinations.

On the grain front, 2012 was a story of contrasts as strong Canadian grain movements offset a sharp drop in U.S. grain movements, due to the drought which impacted the majority of the U.S. grain belt.  

Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC, emphasized the essential role that the Seaway plays within the North American transportation network. 

“The Seaway was instrumental in providing grain shippers with the means to rapidly respond and capitalize on market opportunities late in the season”, said Bowles.

A number of newly built state-of-the art vessels came into service within the Seaway in 2012, boasting sharp increases in fuel efficiency and reductions in emission levels.  

“These new vessels, part of a billion dollar fleet renewal effort by domestic and ocean carriers, combined with our marketing efforts which have recorded 10.6 million tonnes in new business over the past five years, underscore the Seaway’s future potential,” added Bowles.

The 2012 season also witnessed an important advance in navigational technology.  

“The commissioning of the Draft Information System (DIS) further enhances vessel safety and efficiency”, said Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “A vessel equipped with DIS can now precisely gauge the amount of water under the ship’s keel, given satellite guided navigation combined with highly precise models of the channel floor.”

The St. Lawrence Seaway closed for the season on December 29th, 2012, with the westbound vessel John B. Aird transiting the Iroquois Lock at 8:59 p.m. After transiting the Iroquois Lock, the John B. Aird proceeded further west and served as the last vessel to transit the Seaway’s Welland Canal, clearing Lock 8 at Port Colborne on December 31st at 4:23 a.m.

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

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A $25,000 suggestion nearly cost the West End Terrace a pavilion and shuffleboard area.

The subdivision agreement for the West End Terrace, a new 17 home subdivision slated for construction at the west end of Iroquois, was brought to South Dundas council at the April 23 special meeting in hopes of expediting the process to get the development started.

The park area of the subdivision was to include a pavilion and shuffleboard area rather than playground equipment as the single-level homes being constructed are ideally suited for seniors.

Township staff suggested that $25,000 be added to the subdivision agreement to help offset the future costs of maintaining the shuffleboard that would become township property upon completion of the development.

Swank, the developers, were not willing to pay the extra, and pulled the idea from the table. They instead opted leave the required amount of parkland vacant.

When council advised Ron Swank, who attended the meeting, that it would be two weeks until an amended agreement could be approved, Swank was angry about the two week delay, instigated by the municipality.

At the end of the meeting, council again discussed the subdivision agreement. 

They decided to eliminate the $25,000 township imposed charge so that the pavilion and shuffleboard could remain part of the development proposal. 

Council also gave the mayor the authority to sign the agreement to expedite the process.

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