In recent days, the village of Richmond lost two very strong, passionate leaders: Garnet Ralph and Sarah McKay. Mr. Ralph hosted the last local International Plowing Match in 1983 at his farm on Old Richmond Road.  Mr. Ralph, like his father, was also a member of the Agriculture Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Outstanding Leadership in Agriculture Award. Sarah McKay was instrumental in the formation of the Richmond Youth Centre and was also a dedicated volunteer for Richmond Residents for Community Space as well as the Richmond Cooperative Nursery School.  Sarah left us far too soon. Both Garnet & Sarah will be dearly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing them. Our thoughts are with their families and friends.

Manotick Secondary Plan

As many of you are aware, the Manotick Secondary Plan was approved by Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee on December 10th, 2015. I am pleased to report that Council also approved the Plan at its meeting of January 27th, 2016. Along with the Plan, the motion dealing with several local transportation issues was also passed.

The transportation motion included a speed limit change on Bankfield Road, between Colony Heights and the village boundary, from 80km/h to 60km/h as well as a change from 50km/h to 40km/h on Manotick Main Street, between Bridge Street and Eastman Avenue.  In addition to these two items, Community Safety Zones were approved in front of both Manotick Public School and St. Leonard’s Elementary School.  A work order has been issued for all of these items and installation of new signage should occur within the next few weeks.  However, if some locations require new posts, it could take a little longer due to the frozen ground.  Thank you for your patience.

ORMHA Manotick Arena Expansion Fundraiser

As a follow up to last week’s column, I just wanted to provide a last minute reminder that the Osgoode-Rideau Minor Hockey Association's Valentine's Dance is on February 13th, beginning at 7:00pm upstairs at the Osgoode Arena. All proceeds will go to the Manotick Arena Expansion project.

Tickets are $20 each. The band is Whiskey River Band. There will be a light lunch and dessert, cash bar, door prizes, and silent auction with incredible items. Tickets can be purchased through Teri Croucher at [email protected]. For further information, please visit the ORMHA website at www.ormha.com.

Community Dancing in Manotick

If you are interested in a fun, interactive session of dance, laughter & music, join the Ever Hopeful Stringband and caller Pippa Hall for a family-friendly, alcohol-free evening of community dancing, including circles, squares and contras. Each dance is taught and the whole family is invited. The evening begins with a 30-minute teaching session especially for families and beginners, followed by dances that build on skills as the evening progresses.

This fun night of dancing takes place on Friday, February 26th, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm, at the Manotick United Church.  Adults are $10 and children under 12 are free. More information is available by calling 613-692-4576 or visiting http://dance.manotick.net. This event is made possible with support from the City of Ottawa’s Rural Community Building Grants program.

North Gower Country Kickup

The Annual North Gower Cooperative Nursery School fundraiser is back.  Come out to the Alfred Taylor Recreation Centre on Saturday, February 20th and take in one of our great local talents, Brea Lawrenson. If you aren’t familiar with Brea Lawrenson, please visit brealawrenson.com or, better yet, just come out and hear her live.  We have had the pleasure of having her perform at our Rural Expo before and she is incredible.

The evening will also include a fantastic silent auction with over 100 items donated by local businesses.  Tickets for the event are $30 and are available at countrykickup.com.  Doors open at 8:00pm.  I will be taking on MC duties again this year and I hope to see you there!

Register now for March Break Camps

School will be out from March 14th to 18th for March Break, and the City is offering a week of fun-filled activities and action-packed camps in sports, arts, swimming and more. Register now for March Break camps. Find your neighbourhood adventure online at ottawa.ca/recreation:

• Take to the ice with hockey, skating and curling camps
• Try aqua camps, indoor soccer or rock climbing
• Wow family and friends with talents developed in computer, magic or movie camps
• Star on stage in acting, singing and dance camps
• Get messy with clay, paints and glue
• Work on your leadership skills and make new friends
  

Ottawa’s largest selection of camps comes with enthusiastic and trained leaders. Our programs offer top value and quality you can trust. You can register online, or visit a recreation facility or Client Service Centre where customer service staff can help you with all your registration needs.

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If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or contact me by phone at 613-580-2491.