Monday, February 8, 2010 4:20 pm
2010 budget deliberations get underway this week for the County of Perth. Municipal officials will tackle the EMS, Provincial Offences Administration and Archives budgets on Thursday. Warden Julie Behrns says a recommendation will then be made to the Municipal Liaison Committee which is made up of members from the County, Stratford and St. Marys who share the services. Behrns adds as with any budget process, it will take a great deal of time to examine what the needs of the County are - and how to best manage the ratepayers dollars to meet them. Perth County Council recently received a 2010 budget overview from staff that included proposed 3 to 4 per cent increases in contributions to the Perth District Health Unit, Spruce Lodge, and Social Services. It also reported a 22 per cent increase in grant requests and a significant reduction in its allocation through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.
Monday, February 8, 2010 4:20 pm
Canadians should rest assured their nuclear facilities are secure. That's the message coming from a Bruce Power spokesperson despite a recent report from a think tank suggesting it's time to ramp up nuclear security worldwide. John Peevers says facilities across the country and at the Bruce are taking the right steps. Peevers says other countries around the world could improve their security, but is happy with how diligent Canada has been.
Monday, February 8, 2010 4:11 pm
(Click arrow to play O-C-A report)
-> ONTARIO PORK REPORTS:
TOTAL SALES = 27,557
THAT'S = down 297 FROM LAST WEEK.
THE AVERAGE PRICE WAS = $1.28
THAT'S up 3 cents
THE U-S NATIONAL COST PRICE = $66.11 U-S, DRESSED WEIGHT
That's up 16 cents
FORWARD CONTRACT PRICE FOR May-June DELIVERY IS $149.04
WHICH IS up 80 cents
ESTIMATED SALES FOR Tuesday = 19,500
AT = $1.28/kilogram
-> ON THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE:
CORN FUTURES:
March up 4 and a half at 3.56
May up 4 and a half at 3.67 and a half
SOYBEAN FUTURES:
March up 16 at 9.29 and a half
May up 15 and a half at 9.40
WHEAT FUTURES:
March up 10 and a half at 4.84
May up 11 at 4.99
-> FROM DAUPHIN FEED AND SUPPLY, THE 48% SOYBEAN MEAL QUOTE, F-O-B HAMILTON = $357/tonne
-> CLOSING LOCAL GRAIN PRICES FROM SNOBELIN FARMS:
Note three's a basis change on old corn and old soys ...
09 CROP CORN = UP 14 AT 3.56/BU
2010 CROP CORN = UP 4 AT 3.86/BU
2011 CROP CORN = UP 4 AT 4.04/BU
09 CROP SOYS = up 21 at 9.55/BU
2010 CROP SOYS = up 11 at 8.95/BU
2011 CROP SOYS = up 10 at 8.81/BU
09 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 11 at 4.09/BU
2010 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 11 at 4.37/BU
2011 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 10 at 5.14/BU
Monday, February 8, 2010 8:43 am
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says Business Risk Management Programs were a major focus of Friday's meeting of provincial, federal and territorial agriculture ministers.
He says the ministers spent most of the morning talking about those kinds of programs.
(Click arrow to play audio)
However, despite the discussion there was no quick action taken at the meeting.
Instead the ministers are going back to consult their farmers further on BRM's and will bring the results of those consultations to the next Ministers' meeting in July.
Ontario Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell says that gives grass-roots farmers an opportunity to be heard.
(Click arrow to play audio)
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says they did agree on some things ...
(Click arrow to play audio)
The next federal-provincial-territorial agriculture minister's meeting is in July.
Monday, February 8, 2010 8:41 am
Ontario farmers continue to hear talk of new, alternative crops.
Barry Hill of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association says that was one of the keynote presesntations at their recent annual meeting.
He says some of the talk was about biomass crops like miscanthus and switchgrass.
(Click arrow to play audio)
Hill says their recent meeting heard from a Western Illinois professor who told them about the market for birdseed.
(Click arrow to play audio)
Monday, February 8, 2010 8:40 am
Statistics Canada says total stocks of most principal field crops in Canada were down at the end of December compared to a year earlier.
Soybean stocks were up, though, by just over 9 per cent.
The stocks reached 2 point 2 million tonnes - right on the five-year-average mark.
Total stocks of grain corn were down 8 point 3 per cent.
They came in at 8 point 6 million tonnes - slightly below the five-year-average of 8 point 7 million tonnes.
Statscan says total wheat stocks came in at just over the 5 year average - but down 1 and a half per cent from a year ago.
Monday, February 8, 2010 8:38 am
The Chair of the Grey Bruce Pork Producers Association says a perfect storm of financial setbacks has contributed to a disasterous year in 2009 for hog producers in Ontario and across Canada.
Bob Reid says circovirus, oversupply and the mislabelling of the H1N1 virus as "swine flu" all contributed to a drastic drop in hog prices.
However Reid says the low American dollar is one of the biggest reason Canadian farmers can't get a good price for their product.
(Click arrow to play audio)
Reid says the federal government's $50 million dollar breeding swine cull program has helped reduce an oversupply situation that has led to extremely low hog prices.
However, Reid says reducing the number of hog farmers in Canada isn't enough to correct the situation.
(Click arrow to play audio)
Hog producers are hoping increased promotional efforts and labelling programs will lead to more Canadians eating domestic pork.
Anita Ivanauskas of Ontario Pork says consumers need to be pro-active in ensuring retailers offer pork produced here.
Monday, February 8, 2010 8:34 am
The president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is responding to a recent National Post article critical of government support for farmers.
The article says every budget brings a new agricultural program.
Bette Jean Crews agrees - but argues that's largely because the government can't seem to get those programs right.
(Click arrow to play audio)
Crews says there's no plan to secure Canadian food for Canadians beyond the next harvest, at most.
(Click arrow to play audio)
She says the O-F-A, C-F-A and their commodity partners are now working on a National Food Strategy to help governments develop programs that will work for farmers and for consumers.
(Click arrow to play full O-F-A commentary)
Monday, February 8, 2010 7:00 am
National Football League
Super Bowl 44 at Miami
New Orleans 31 Indianapolis 17
Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie
Final
Team Canada 8 P.E.I. 7 (extra end)
Ontario Curling Association Men's Tankard in Napanee
Final
Glenn Howard (Coldwater) 5 Bryan Cochrane (Rideau) 3
*Win gives Howard his fifth straight championship
National Hockey League
Washington 5 Pittsburgh 4 (OT)
Boston 3 Montreal 0
Ontario Hockey League
Kitchener 5 Saginaw 4 (SO)
Guelph 4 Ottawa 3
Barrie 4 Oshawa 1
Sault Ste. Marie 4 Brampton 1
Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League
Midwest
Listowel 5 Kitchener 1
Waterloo 2 Stratford 1
Cambridge 9 Elmira 5
WOAA Senior Hockey
Qualifying Round Best of 5
Saugeen Shores 5 Lucknow 0
*Saugeen wins series 3-2
Durham 2 Ripley 1
*Series tied at 2, Game 5 in Ripley Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.
Petrolia 5 Milverton 1
*Series tied at 2, Game 5 in Petrolia Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.
Lucan-Ilderton 5 Clinton 2
*Lucan-Ilderton wins series 3-1
OMHA Qualifying
Bantam "AE"
Saugeen Shores 2 Goderich 0
*Saugeen Shores wins series and will play Elmvale in OMHA quarter-finals
12th Annual Women's Silver Stick in Sarnia
Finals
Midget "B"
Walkerton 3 Ilderton 0
*Second consecutive year that Walkerton has won the final
Pee Wee "A"
Saugeen-Maitland 2 Oakville 1
Pee Wee "B"
Walkerton 2 Nashville 0
*Third consecutive year that Walkerton has won the final
Lower Lakes Female Hockey Playoffs
Bantam "AA"
First Round Best of 3
Saugeen-Maitland 2 Windsor 1
*Saugeen-Maitland wins series 2-0
Ontario Curling Association Bantam Girls Provincials
Final
Kendall Haymes (Westmount Curling Club, Kitchener) 6 Lauren Horton (Huntley Curling Club, Carp) 2
*Listowel's Cassie Savage part of Westmount team, they qualify for Ontario Winter Games in March
National Basketball Association
Toronto 115 Sacramento 104
Orlando 96 Boston 89
Monday, February 8, 2010 6:50 am
National Football League
Super Bowl 44 at Miami
New Orleans 31 Indianapolis 17
Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie
Final
Team Canada 8 P.E.I. 7 (extra end)
Ontario Curling Association Men's Tankard in Napanee
Final
Glenn Howard (Coldwater) 5 Bryan Cochrane (Rideau) 3
*Win gives Howard his fifth straight championship
National Hockey League
Washington 5 Pittsburgh 4 (OT)
Boston 3 Montreal 0
Ontario Hockey League
Kitchener 5 Saginaw 4 (SO)
Guelph 4 Ottawa 3
Barrie 4 Oshawa 1
Sault Ste. Marie 4 Brampton 1
Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League
Midwest
Listowel 5 Kitchener 1
Waterloo 2 Stratford 1
Cambridge 9 Elmira 5
WOAA Senior Hockey
Qualifying Round Best of 5
Saugeen Shores 5 Lucknow 0
*Saugeen wins series 3-2
Durham 2 Ripley 1
*Series tied at 2, Game 5 in Ripley Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.
Petrolia 5 Milverton 1
*Series tied at 2, Game 5 in Petrolia Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.
Lucan-Ilderton 5 Clinton 2
*Lucan-Ilderton wins series 3-1
OMHA Qualifying
Bantam "AE"
Saugeen Shores 2 Goderich 0
*Saugeen Shores wins series and will play Elmvale in OMHA quarter-finals
12th Annual Women's Silver Stick in Sarnia
Finals
Midget "B"
Walkerton 3 Ilderton 0
*Second consecutive year that Walkerton has won the final
Pee Wee "A"
Saugeen-Maitland 2 Oakville 1
Pee Wee "B"
Walkerton 2 Nashville 0
*Third consecutive year that Walkerton has won the final
Lower Lakes Female Hockey Playoffs
Bantam "AA"
First Round Best of 3
Saugeen-Maitland 2 Windsor 1
*Saugeen-Maitland wins series 2-0
Ontario Curling Association Bantam Girls Provincials
Final
Kendall Haymes (Westmount Curling Club, Kitchener) 6 Lauren Horton (Huntley Curling Club, Carp) 2
*Listowel's Cassie Savage part of Westmount team, they qualify for Ontario Winter Games in March
National Basketball Association
Toronto 115 Sacramento 104
Orlando 96 Boston 89
Monday, February 8, 2010 6:20 am
Walkerton's Pee Wee "B" girls hockey team was perfect in the round robin at the International Silver Stick and they carried that through the playoffs.
They beat Waterloo in the quarter-finals, Kincardine in the semi-finals and skated through Nashville 2-0 in the final.
It's the third consecutive Silver Stick win for Walkerton's Pee Wee "B" program in Sarnia.
Not to be outdone, the Midget "B" team scored a 3-0 win over Ilderton to win its second consecutive championship at the tournament.
In Pee Wee "A", the Saugeen-Maitland Lightning beat Oakville 2-1.
Monday, February 8, 2010 5:40 am
One of the top officials of the Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance says he's very pleased with the public response to recent survey.
650 people took time to answers questions on the future of health care deliver and CEO Andrew Williams says most recognized the need for change.
But he adds support for those changes diminished as they got closer to home.
There was also considerable support the concept of creating centres of excellence in the Alliance hospitals rather than each hospital trying to be all things to all people.
Monday, February 8, 2010 5:40 am
The efforts of Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board students are certainly appreciated.
The second installment of the "Applause Breakfast Awards" will be held in Stratford on Wednesday to honour the Perth County recipients.
Among them is Camille Christie, a Grade 12 student at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School.
Christie says it is exciting to be a part of a school community that offers so many opportunities and recognizes everyone's contributions.
Christie says she recently travelled to New Orleans for a "Habitat for Humanity" project to help rebuild the community.
She says it is important to be involved in the school community because it opens doors to positive experiences and future job opportunities.
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board students are celebrated each year with the "Applause Breakfast Awards".
Monday, February 8, 2010 5:40 am
13-year old Paisley Perrie was able to come away with a 4th overall placing in her first year of skating juvenile at the Canadian Age Class Long Track Championships in Winnipeg.
Perrie picked up a bronze medal in the 300 m and the 1000 m races.
Paisley also led the Ontario girls squad in the team pursuit.
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