This week’s Port Hope news was riddled with community issues and the like. Here’s a quick recap of the major stories that happened in Port Hope.

A recent survey that polled numerous residents in the Municipality of Port Hope showed that many still had confidence in the local government’s plants to dispose and manage the town’s low-level radioactive waste. A long-term facility is currently in the works. Most residents who were polled also said that Port Hope is a still a good place to live in.

An issue that drew heated debate was the Port Hope library’s reduction of funding worth $10,000. The move was met with some controversy after chief librarian Barbara Stephenson pointed out that the reduction had to do with their receiving a donation from the company behind the ABC series “Happy Town,” which was shot in Port Hope.

Just recently, a wave of debit card fraud hit some residents in Port Hope, prompting police officials to launch an investigation into the matter. Police have not confirmed the number of people affected due to the lack of facts and details.

And finally, the third annual CanSkate Provincial Olympic celebration took place in Port Hope last week, hosted by the Port Hope Figure Skating Club. Every child who participated in the event was a winner, bringing home their own medal.

Some Port Hope residents were shocked to find out last week that someone had stolen money from their bank accounts. According to Port Hope Police Constable Jim Dunn, someone or some group is responsible for this rash of debit card fraud, but they can’t make any statements as of yet due to lack of details and facts. He admits that they have received a disturbing amount of complaints from people all over town.

Last Friday, February 5, police from the Municipality of Port Hope took action as people began to notice that they had money go missing from their individual accounts.

Port Hope’s police authorities don’t have a final number of the residents affected by the fraud, but their investigation led them to believe that a number of merchants in the Port Hope area had compromised machines. One local bank in the region pointed out that this wave of debit card fraud is the largest they’ve ever seen.

According to Bobbi Lax VP of operations at Ganaraska Financial, there’s a major difference to complaints of credit and debit card in the past and what’s happened now. The marked increase is disturbing he added.

Investigation on the case is still ongoing.

In spite of chief librarian Barbara Stephenson’s and incumbent library board Chairperson Marilyn Marsh’s opposition, the Port Hope library is still set to have a $10,000 reduction in funding from the Municipality of Port Hope, that is if the draft budget remains as it is.

It could have been much worse. In a budget meeting held on the 26^th of January, Port Hope’s council dismissed a motion to reduce the library’s budget by $17,000, changing it instead to $10,000.

According to Councilor Karen O’Hara, the reduction was necessary, seeing as how funding was donated by the library to the Friends of the Library, when it should have been used by the library’s costs like maintenance and the like.  She motioned for the reduction of $17,000.

Stephenson argued that the donation by Stage 49 Ltd, the company behind ABC’s TV series Happy Town, worth $15,000 is responsible for the negative reactions of local media and some in the community. She pointed out that the donation was received in good faith. Stephenson added that she didn’t even know council had an issue with the donation, so she was more than taken aback by the decision to reduce funding.

A next council meeting will be scheduled if councilors deem it necessary.

Last Saturday morning, the Port Hope Figure Skating Club had it its third annual CanSkate Provincial Olympic celebration, which took place at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in the Municipality of Port Hope.

The young skaters were separated into teams named after the different provinces in Canada. Aside from being grouped, they were also tested and evaluated by Sylvia Cappler on specific components with regards to their level of skill.

All of the skaters received a medal on the 6^th, Saturday.

Among those who scored the most points during the evaluation process for individual components include Devon Burli, wining Gold with 11 points; Doriann Blue, who won Silver after getting 10 points; and Nicole Burli, securing a Bronze medal for 9 points.

For team prizes, “Quebec” won the gold medal thanks to performances by its skaters Eva Ritchie, Rachel Madgett, Devon Burli and Caitlin Davies, Jacob Mahaffy and Grace Jenkins.

Team “Ontario” secured silver or second-place with its members Keegan Gunn- Lewis, Carlyle Ouellet, Nikki Bradshaw, Reghan Chadwick, Scout Young and Sein Kim.

Everyone went home a winner though, each taking home a special Bronze medal.

Indeed, these kids proved that they “CanSkate”. One can only imagine the future they will have. Who knows, they might go pro someday.

According to a recent survey commissioned by the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) Management Office that involved residents in Port Hope, community members still have confidence in the municipality’s plans to clean up and manage Port Hope’s low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) at a long-term facility that’s going to be constructed in the future.

Bob Neufuld, PHAI’s manager for its stakeholder and communications department, was pleased to find out that confidence remains high in the project, as well as in the quality of life in Port Hope.

The survey, which was done through telephone, indicated that 78 percent of those polled in the Port Hope community were at least somewhat confident that the low-level radioactive waste can be managed in the planned long-term waste management site. 40 percent of Port Hope’s residents on the other hand, were very confident in the upcoming project.

The same survey also found out that over 70 percent of those interviewed, were satisfied living in the community. 90 percent were ‘somewhat’ to ‘very’ satisfied to be living in Port Hope.

Port Hope Mayor Linda Thompson said she is very pleased to see that residents in the community are still very supportive of the project. She promised that the waste management facility will have a positive impact on the community.

If you want to pay Mother Nature back a favor, then why not join a free workshop in Port Hope that educates residents and landowners on the benefits and incentives they can have if they plant trees on their own properties?

The workshop, which is organized by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Trees Ontario, the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, the Ontario Forestry Association, and the Northumberland Stewardship Council, will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. The event starts at 7 to 9 in the evening and will be held at the Millennium Building in Port Hope.

Those who get to attend the workshop will be taught how to correctly plant trees, as well as other techniques they can use to make tree planting more effective. Financial incentives for those who plant trees will also be discussed. Planned incentives will be similar to those of Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program and the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program. Under the programs, those who plant trees on their properties can avail of significant property tax cuts.

But more importantly, planting trees is an effective way of reducing their carbon footprint on the environment.

So don’t forget to mark your calendars, and get your seats reserved. Space is limited so register now.

The winter season may be a dull time for gardeners in the Port Hope area, but that isn’t stopping Northumberland Big Sisters Big Brothers (BSBB) from putting together a venture aimed at giving people with green thumbs a worthwhile activity to work on.

Heart of Northumberland BSBB is launching a new fundraising activity dubbed as the ‘Spring into the Garden Speaker Series’. The venture is comprised of a series of four symposiums taking place each Thursday of the month beginning on the 4^th of March, 2010. Participants get to enjoy hearing 4 local speakers talk about their gardening secrets. Liz Primeau, Frank Kershaw, Marion Jarvie and Paul Zammitt – all from the Northumberland area are widely considered as gardening “masters”.

Indeed, it’s a golden opportunity for those who want to learn more about the craft. The speakers will also answer questions about gardening from the audience.

The series of symposiums will be held at Calvary Pentecostal Church in Port Hope at 7:30 in the evening.

Tickets are priced at only $35 and can be purchased at Second Helpings Store, also in Port Hope.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars! Spring is just around the corner, so greet it with new gardening tips and techniques in your arsenal!

In an effort to have the public learn more about the proposed price hikes in the Municipality of Port Hope’s sewage and water services, officials have invited the town’s residents to a public meeting set to take place on the 16^th of February, Tuesday.

The municipality is planning to pass a bylaw that allows Port Hope to meet the requirements outlined under the Sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act of Ontario. The act also requires Port Hope to provide enough revenues, hence, the need for a bylaw that changes that current clean-water and waste-water rates.

However, Port Hope’s council is also required to host a meeting to in order to inform the public on the proposed cost of water and wastewater services.

Anyone in town who’s interested to know how the price hikes will them is invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday, February 16 at 5:30 in the afternoon. The meeting will take place in council chambers at the Town Hall. Those with concerns and other comments can raise them in the meeting.

Details and additional information on the proposed rates will be made available through the office of the municipal clerk on Friday, February 12.

Good news for the folks in Port Hope. Viceroy Homes will be back to building homes as its employees put pen to paper and signed a 3-year deal on Monday, this according to the Chris Lindal, the company’s chief officer for operations.

He said that Viceroy is happy to have reached a long-term accord that pleases both the company as well as its unionized employees. It’s a fair agreement that everyone likes, he added.

Though he didn’t disclose the full details of the deal, Lindal said that the agreement gives stability to the workforce, allowing Viceroy to provide new services to their customers, as well new products to be manufactured in the Port Hope plant that will distributed to all parts of the globe.

On December of last year, close to 60% of Viceroy Homes’ factory workers from the plant in Port Hope rejected a proposal presented by the company, leaving the future of the plant in limbo for a few weeks.

It’s worth noting that Viceroy Homes has been a part of Port Hope’s industry for more than 20 years. Lindal said that he owes it to the town and its residents to present a better deal to the company’s employees.

Foodies listen up! If you’re in the Port Hope area next month and happen to be looking for something to ease your food craving, then we’ve got an event for you that’s sure to pique your interest. And if you like hot pancakes, you’ll love it even more.

Happening on the 16th of February, 2010, the Tower of Port Hope Retirement Residence will be hosting a special Pancake Tuesday Luncheon, which begins at exactly 12 noon.

As the event’s name suggests, the luncheon will feature hot and delicious pancakes, sizzling sausages, and fresh fruit juice. The best part? Everyone is invited, so bring everyone you love and those you want to have a good time with. Believe us when we say that the event’s organizers want you to bring company.

So what’re you waiting for? Mark your calendars and don’t forget to come on over to the Tower of Port Hope Retirement Residence for a hearty lunch with family and friends. The Tower of Port Hope is located along 164 Peter Street, Port Hope. For reservations, contact Melinda ASAP to get your seats reserved at 905-885-7261. For more information, you can logon to their website at www.chartwellreit.ca