The Recorder & Times (Brockville)
BROCKVILLE BUDGET ALL BUT DONE; TAX LEVY HIKE AT 5.67%
Brockville's 2026 budget was one written declaration away from being done Thursday night, with the tax levy increase sitting at 5.67 per cent. In yet another marathon council session that saw members agree to hire a new firefighter and restore...
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BGH STAFFING LEVELS ARE `STABLE': CEO
Staffing at Brockville General Hospital (BGH) is currently in a good place, according to hospital CEO Julie Caffin. Caffin said staffing levels are “stable,” and according to statistics provided by the hospital, there is currently a five per cent...
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Students seek world peace at Mock UN Summit
Students from Brockville Collegiate Institute (BCI) and Athens District High School (ADHS) came together at BCI for a Mock United Nations Summit on Monday. Students from both schools represented countries that are part of the UN in an attempt to find...
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`POLICE SERVICES AREN'T CHEAP': BROCKVILLE GRAPPLES WITH BUDGET
The mayor asked for a reduction and he got one, but Brockville's police budget remains one of the city's bigger fiscal headaches. On the second night of a marathon series of meetings to discuss the 2026 budget, Brockville council on Wednesday heard...
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HEALTH, HOMELESSNESS, INFRASTRUCTURE AMONG TOP LOCAL CONCERNS
The Ontario government's all-party Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs made a stop in Brockville on Tuesday to hear the needs and concerns of local organizations as part of 2026 pre-budget consultations. In a meeting hosted at the...
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BROCKVILLE COUNCIL BREAKS OPEN BUDGET BOOKS
For civic affairs nerds, this week is like a second Christmas season. For many others, it more closely resembles the start of Lent. Brockville's budget season begins in earnest this week, with a marathon series of intensive meetings meant to allow...
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MORE CONCERNS OVER SPACES FOR AREA HOMELESS PEOPLE
Following the closure of the Co-operative Care Centre, the number of housing spaces for people experiencing homelessness has been front of mind for many people and organizations in the community. That topic was brought forward again at Tuesday's...
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BROCKVILLE WARMING CENTRE `A TERRIBLE IDEA': MAYOR
Brockville Mayor Matt Wren on Tuesday accused the county government of mismanaging the homelessness file in the wake of a recent shelter closing, calling a new midtown warming centre “a terrible idea.” In rare opening remarks at a council committee...
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Brockville budget starts with 5.72% levy increase
Brockville taxpayers begin the year staring at a potential tax levy increase of 5.72 per cent. Mayor Matt Wren late last week presented his proposed 2026 budget, in keeping with the new process set out in Ontario's new strong-mayor framework. The...
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`KIND OF COLD TO SLEEP OUTSIDE'
As the sun rose on the nearby St. Lawrence River on New Year's Eve, the thoughts at Brockville's Co-operative Care Centre were not of champagne, but cold weather. Wednesday morning's bitter cold seemed like one more bit of unnecessary cruelty as...
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Mayors voice concern over public health closures
Mayors from around Leeds and Grenville are speaking out against Southeast Public Health's (SEPH) initial decision to close satellite offices in a number of communities across the region. In November, the health unit announced it would be closing eight...
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HOMELESSNESS THE STORY OF THE YEAR
It was a roller-coaster of a year for people experiencing homelessness in the Brockville region. And as 2025 drew to an end with efforts to address it still prominently in the headlines, the homelessness crisis yet again remained the story of the...
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SECOND FIRE BURNS PEARL STREET HOME
Just a few months after a fire damaged a home and displaced a number of residents in south-end Brockville, a second fire has happened in the same building. Fire crews were called to 46 Pearl Street West at about 2 a.m. Monday to put out the house...
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BROCKVILLE TURNS DOWN SHELTER FUNDING REQUEST
After hearing from counties officials about plans for a new warming centre, Brockville council on Wednesday voted down another attempt to extend the current homeless shelter's funding for three more months. The decision means the Co- Operative Care...
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SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THE PRIORITY FOR COUNTIES
The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville will shift its spending on homelessness away from emergency shelters and towards supportive housing, Brockville council was to hear at a special meeting Wednesday. After initially planning to break for the...
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MANY SHELTER USERS MAY NOT HAVE HOUSING PLANS
A list compiled by a local outreach worker is showing that many users of the Co-operative Care Centre (CCC) don't have housing options in the works before the shelter potentially closes in the next couple of weeks. With the shelter potentially closing...
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RIDEAU LAKES MAYOR, COUNCILLORS THREATEN LEGAL ACTION IN DISPUTE
Tensions on Rideau Lakes council may move from the council chamber into the courtroom, as the mayor and two councillors have indicated they may pursue legal action against the remaining five councillors, named in the document as “The Group of...
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AS BROCKVILLE BUDGET LOOMS, IT'S STRONG MAYOR TIME
As he prepares to exercise strong mayor powers in proposing a budget – in a manner the province pretty much requires – Brockville Mayor Matt Wren is reiterating promises not to stray from business as usual. Wren spoke at council's last regular meeting...
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`THINGS NEED TO GET BETTER'
Feed Ontario's annual hunger report shows that more and more Ontario residents are relying on food banks to survive, and in record numbers. The 2025 Hunger Report, released on Dec. 3, shows that for the ninth year in a row, the province's food banks...
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HART HUB OPENS IN SMITHS FALLS
It's been called a “game-changer” for people facing addictions and homelessness, and on Monday the region's new HART Hub will open its first doors. Dignitaries joined officials at Lanark Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (LLGAMH) Friday...
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BROCKVILLE CRIME NUMBERS DOWN
The Brockville Police Service's latest quarterly statistics show a year-to-date drop in a majority of crime categories, although total calls are up. The third-quarter crime statistical report, discussed at Tuesday's meeting of the Brockville Police...
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NEW BROCKVILLE CLINIC OFFICIALLY OPEN
On Saturday morning, Shoppers Drug Mart officially opened its Pharmacy Care Clinic, which has been up and running in north-end Brockville for about a month. Present for the special occasion were Parkedale Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist owner Adam...
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BROCKVILLE BACKS STEEP DEVELOPMENT CHARGE INCREASE
Brockville has approved a steep increase in development charges, albeit a lot less steep than initially proposed. After hearing a revised report from consultants at its regular meeting on Tuesday, council backed a new schedule of development charges...
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BROCKVILLE COUNCIL REJECTS REQUEST TO FLY PALESTINIAN FLAG
Brockville council on Tuesday narrowly rejected a local group's request to fly the Palestinian flag behind City Hall, with the motion falling to a tie vote. At its regular meeting, council also directed staff to look into revisions to the city's flag...
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STRONG EFFORT BY ANGE
The Académie catholique Ange-gabriel Anguilles just missed the podium at the OFSAA Girls' `A' basketball tournament this weekend. As the host school for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations tournament, the Anguilles finished fourth...
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COUNTIES COUNCIL REJECTS SHELTER'S FUNDING EXTENSION
After months of deliberations, the Co- Operative Care Centre funding extension saga has come to an end. In Thursday's United Counties of Leeds and Grenville council meeting, it was decided that the funding extension that would carry the CCC through to...
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COMMUNITIES PAUSE TO REMEMBER
In communities across the area people will gather quietly to remember those who never made it home from the world's many conflicts. Tuesday, municipal offices and other civic sites across the area will close for the day in observance of Remembrance...
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LEARNING MORE ABOUT A BROCKVILLE HERO
When Canada falls silent to remember on Tuesday, one Brockville family will have more to remember about a hero of the Second World War. Brockville-born Signalman Sidney Patrick Larocque, who was killed in action in France on Aug. 26, 1944 less than a...
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FUNDING EXTENSION RECOMMENDED FOR CO-OPERATIVE CARE CENTRE
The Co- Operative Care Centre has cleared one hurdle toward keeping its doors open through the winter months. In a tense United Counties of Leeds and Grenville joint services committee (JSC) meeting, the committee decided to recommend a funding...
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Lansdowne mother to represent Canada's fallen heroes
Nancy Payne of Lansdowne will carry a deeply personal honour this Remembrance Day, serving as Canada's 2025 National Silver Cross Mother. On Nov. 11, she will lay a wreath at Ottawa's National War Memorial, representing all families who have lost a...
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Human remains found after missing man deemed murdered
Provincial police have located human remains in their ongoing investigation into the murder of a Smiths Falls man. The Ontario Provincial Police said Friday morning it was too early to determine whether the remains are those of Robbie Thomson. On...
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BROCKVILLE MAYOR MATT WREN TO GET REPRIMANDED
Brockville council on Tuesday voted unanimously to reprimand Mayor Matt Wren over violations of council's code of conduct. The decision follows the recommendation of the city's integrity commissioner, who suggested the reprimand over Wren's dealings...
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FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
From left, Kanta Bhasin, Dr Harvinder Chawla, Pretty Beri, Selina Gill, Shelly Beri, and Aneeka Rath take part in a Diwali festival, as they offer prayers and observe Aarti, offering light and devotion to the gods with a Deepak of ghee. Members of the...
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ONTARIO FUNDS MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE TEAMS
Police services across the region are receiving funding from the provincial government that will keep critical mental health outreach and response programs afloat. In an event on Friday, Leeds— Grenville—thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve...
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FIRST POPPY
Brockville Mayor Matt Wren pins a poppy on Royal Canadian Legion Branch 96 member Wayne Mcisaac at City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 as part of a longstanding tradition that marks the beginning of the Remembrance Day poppy campaign.
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PETITION URGES KEEPING `ESSENTIAL' SHELTER OPEN
“People are going to die if we lose the shelter.” That was Jes Besharah's stark assessment Saturday evening, as a fundraiser for the Co- Operative Care Centre at the Cedar Valley Golf and Country Club turned into a continuing appeal to keep the...
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DAWN VOYAGER
The Hanseatic Inspiration, a luxury cruise vessel en route to Montreal, proved a spectacle for early risers inclined to ship-watch at Blockhouse Island, just before sunrise on Oct. 17, 2025 in Brockville, Ont.
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BROCKVILLE HART HUB NEIGHBOURS VOICE CONCERNS
A proposed treatment and support centre for people struggling with homelessness, addiction and mental illness has met with concerns from its intended neighbours. Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health invited the public to a...
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BROCKVILLE ROTARIANS TOP LAST YEAR'S FOOD DRIVE TOTAL
The combined forces of the Rotary Club of the 1000 Islands and the Rotary Club of Brockville tipped the scales this Thanksgiving weekend, collecting at 9,580 pounds of non-perishable food and donations of more than $18,000 during the 16th annual Rotary...
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NEWEST CENTENARIAN
Muriel Carlyle signs the City of Brockville's guest book with some help from Mayor Matt Wren in the mayor's office on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, to mark the occasion of her recent 100th birthday.
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COUNTIES CUT FUNDING FOR WARMING CENTRE
The Co-operative Care Centre, an overnight shelter for the homeless located on the grounds of the Brockville Mental Health Centre, is at risk of shutting down after the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville has decided to cut their funding. At...
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BROCKVILLE FOOD DRIVE FACES GROWING NEED
With the start of Brockville's annual Harvest Sharing Food Drive only days away, the local food bank continues to face a surge in demand. Brockville's two Rotary clubs are coming together for the Thanksgiving food drive, set to begin Thursday....
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RAILWAY MAINTENANCE
Workers are seen at the Perth Street railway crossing on Thursday morning, Oct. 2, 2025 in Brockville, Ont. CN was doing maintenance this week at both the Perth and Ormond Street crossings.
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MINISTER STRESSES `PEOPLE OVER PAPERWORK'
The battle against red tape begins with local groups like the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce, area businesspeople heard Wednesday as they launched into Small Business Month. “We need to know where those pinpoints are,” Ontario Red Tape...
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SLC Brockville nursing alumni celebrate 50th
The first graduating class of nurses from the Brockville campus of St. Lawrence College celebrated 50 years at the Glen House Resort on Sept. 9-10, marking their 1975 graduation. A total of 18 former nurses attended the reunion arriving from London,...
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`I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO'
Robin Mcmillan laughs dryly as he recalls a recent conversation with a police officer who told him he and fellow inhabitants of a midtown Brockville encampment will soon have to vacate the premises. “I said to the officer the other day, the process of...
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SLC support staff join picket lines
Support staff at colleges across Ontario are on strike, as of Thursday morning. Picket lines have gone up at college campuses across the province as 10,000 full-time support staff have walked off the job after negotiations fell apart late Wednesday....
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GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR PRESCOTT'S WELLINGTON MANOR
Construction is now underway to build a new, expanded long-term-care facility in Prescott. Wellington House, which will be known as Wellington Manor when the new building is open, will reportedly double the capacity of the current facility to 128...
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New roundabout being built in Crosby
A new roundabout is going to be built in Crosby in an effort to improve road safety. In an announcement Monday morning, Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria said the roundabout is slated to be built at the intersection of Highway 15...
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MEETING BEFORE THE STORM
Passengers on the Sea Fox II, from 1000 Islands and Seaway Cruises, gaze at the bulk carrier Whitefish Bay, heading upriver on the St. Lawrence at Brockville, not long before a rain storm on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 4, 2025.
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`OLD COACH' SHAPED GENERATIONS OF PLAYERS
If you grew up playing hockey in the South Grenville area, there's a pretty good chance you got your start under Ron Baker's teaching. But no one called him Ron – everybody called him by his nickname: “Old Coach.” For nearly 50 years, Baker was the...
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`OUR KIM': A FOND WALL STREET FAREWELL
She is now known throughtout Canada as the Right Reverend Dr. Kimberly Heath, 45th moderator of the United Church of Canada, but on Sunday, Brockville made it clear she will always remain “Our Kim.” That was the title inscribed on a jokingly...
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Province grants nearly $25M to Kemptville sewage treatment plant
The next phase of expansion for the Kemptville sewage treatment plant will be a bit easier on the pocketbook for the municipality of North Grenville. In a media event on Thursday, Leeds–grenville–thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark...
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PROVINCE TO STUDY EASTERN ONTARIO POWER NEEDS
Eastern Ontario's demand for electricity is set to grow rapidly in the coming decades, and a new study will determine how to meet it, the province's energy minister said Wednesday. Ontario Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce chose Greenfield...
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BROCKVILLE, KEMPTVILLE GET $2.4M FOR SKILLED TRADES
A provincial investment of more than $2.4 million will allow the Kemptville Campus, Brockville-based manufacturer Canarm Ltd., and others to continue training young people in the skilled trades. In a media event Monday morning hosted at the riverside...
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CAR THEFTS PROMPT CALL FOR BAIL REFORM
A Brockville roundtable on the proliferation of vehicle thefts in Ontario this week became part of a continued push for bail reform at the federal level. Zee Hamid, Ontario's associate solicitor general for auto theft and bail reform, joined locals at...
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BENEATH THE WATER, BROCKVILLE BOASTS TREASURES
It started with an invasive species. In the 1990s, zebra mussels, brought to the St. Lawrence River through the expelled ballast water of cargo ships, colonized the local freshwater ecosystem. While such outcomes are generally to be avoided, this...
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CORNFEST RETURNS TO ATHENS, BEATS THE DROUGHT
The 42nd Cornfest, a signature festival in Athens, returned on Saturday after a one-year absence. The popular event, with its pledge to be always free, was reconfigured with its new home situated at Centennial Park, Centre 76, and the north end of...
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POUTINE APLENTY
Jay Laidlaw and Ruth Meeker-stamp are served a brisket poutine from the Smokin' Carnivore food truck at Brockville Poutine Feast around lunch hour on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. Poutine Feast continues at Hardy Park through Sunday.
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BROCKVILLE AND REGION WEATHER LENGTHY DROUGHT
Nearly everywhere you look in the Brockville region, and across most of the province, you see dead brown grass instead of luscious green lawns. A lengthy drought has hit the area, causing a month-long period of mostly dry weather. According to...
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LEEDS GRENVILLE TO DESIGNATE MORE LAND AS AGRICULTURAL
For the first time in its history, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is on the verge of finalizing a comprehensive Agricultural Area Review. In the past, the reviews were done by each individual municipality. But thanks to a directive from...
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ANCASTER DIAMONDBACKS WIN PROVINCIALS
In a nailbiter of a final game, the Ancaster Diamondbacks emerged victorious in the Minor Little League provincial championship in Brockville on Tuesday. With the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the final inning, the Diamondbacks held on for...
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GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES ENJOY THE 195TH DELTA FAIR
The Delta Fair revved over the weekend, opening on Thursday afternoon and weathering the heat until some rain arrived Sunday morning. The time-honoured fair is a beacon for eastern Ontarians as families and friends gather to celebrate tradition and...
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William Street overpass construction ahead of schedule
The work happening on the William Street overpass may not be done yet, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. One of the city's main thoroughfares has been completely shut down since February, causing detours and traffic backups. Since the...
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RAILWAY TUNNEL, AQUATARIUM PART OF A UNIQUE `SYNERGY'
Late on the Friday afternoon before Canada Day, Honeymoon Suite guitarist Derry Grehan was going through soundchecks on a stage set up on Brockville's prime riverfront spot, Blockhouse Island. The Canadian rock legends were scheduled to perform that...
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PLENTY TO ENJOY AT THE 161ST LANSDOWNE FAIR
The 161st Lansdowne Fair with its theme Just Moo It beckoned throngs of families and friends over the weekend. The endless summer days were mostly free of rain as all the traditional joys from the thrill of the midway to the moo of cows were greeted...
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CITY POLICE FORCE SEEKS OWN RESERVE FUND
Brockville councillors want more time to discuss a proposed reserve fund for the city's police force, seeking assurances that such a fund would lead to police covering their own deficits. Council's general committee earlier this week put off a...
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DAILEY'S LOT DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDED
Citing the need to build more homes downtown, Brockville council's planning committee is recommending approval of a scaled-down version of a proposed commercial and residential development on the site of the former Dailey's lot. Members of the...
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Brockville street festival sizzles
Saturday's searing heat didn't stop the crowds, as many took up the invite to Shop the Street with the promised echo of the fabled Summer of Love as its theme. From Market Street East to Perth Street, booths of endless description lined both north and...
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STEPHANIE STEED IS CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Stephanie Steed, the executive director of the Brockville and Area Community Foundation, is Brockville's 2025 Citizen of the Year. The Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce made the announcement on Friday. Steed will be formally presented with...
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WATER WORKS
Workers atop Brockville's water tower are dwarfed by the scale of the structure as they continue with an elaborate maintenance project on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. City officials are calling for communitywide water conservation for the next three months...
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`ELBOWS UP FOR CANADA' RALLY STRESSES FRIENDSHIP
In an effort to show Canadians that many Americans value the relationship between the two countries, hundreds of North Country residents came out to the “Elbows Up for Canada” rally in Ogdensburg, N.Y. Saturday afternoon. A number of signs, red...
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Province commits $82 million to St. Lawrence Parks Commission
Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho announced Friday that the St. Lawrence Parks Commission will receive $82.2 million over four years to support the second stage of its septic, washrooms, and drinking water revitalization...
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Local officials stress unity on Canada Day
A few drops of rain and gloomy skies didn't dampen the patriotic spirits of the people in attendance at the Canada Day celebration in downtown Brockville. The festivities began with the sound of bagpipes in the air as the Brockville Pipe and Drum...
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WARMING UP
Honeymoon Suite guitarist Derry Grehan performs a soundcheck on his signature Godin guitar ahead of the Canadian rock band's concert at Brockville's 1000 Islands Regatta and Festival on Friday, June 27, 2025. The regatta runs all weekend, featuring...
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