With Part 2 of Bill C-46 coming into effect December 18, the Ontario Provincial Police will begin to exercise new authority for investigating impaired drivers on Ontario roads.

Police officers will now be able to demand a roadside breath sample from any lawfully stopped driver to determine whether a person has alcohol in his or her body without first having to suspect the motorist has been drinking. Until now, officers had to have a reasonable suspicion that a driver had alcohol in their body before demanding a sample. Drivers need to be aware that it is mandatory for them to comply with this demand and that those who do not can be charged with failing or refusing to provide a breath sample. Under the new legislation, drivers impaired by alcohol will also face higher mandatory minimum fines and some higher maximum penalties.

"The new mandatory alcohol screening serves as an important deterrent to drivers who are impaired by alcohol, including those who believe they can avoid detection by police. So far this year, alcohol and/or drugs have been a factor in the deaths of 41 people on OPP-patrolled roads. Every person who uses our roads has the right to be safe. The OPP fully supports this and any other legislation that enhances our ability to reduce the number of preventable deaths attributed to this deadly driving behaviour."

The OPP has laid more than 7,300 impaired driving charges across the province between January 1 and mid-November.

Four too many?

New SDG Warden Jamie MacDonald suggests there are too many school boards in Eastern Ontario.

Read about it in the December 19 edition of The News.

Want to know why digital speed signs are posted on every road except yours?

Location of the displays is determined by authorities who have devised one big traffic management plan.

Read about it in the December 12 edition of The Glengarry News.

The weather was warm but the response was chilly when Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell addressed a rally held Saturday at his Cornwall office to protest cuts to French-language services.

He was at one time booed when he attempted to explain the rationale behind the measures which led to Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Amanda Simard to leave the Tory caucus and sit as an independent. 

Voters are understandably divided over Amanda Simard's decision to leave the ruling Conservative government to sit as an independent.

While many are hailing the Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP for her courage and conviction to her principles, others believe she has turned her backs on voters who supported the Conservatives in the last election, and has just blown any chance of reversing cuts to French-language services.

What do you think?

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Amanda Simard has quit the Tory caucus to sit as an independent.

The move comes the day after she continued to defy the Conservative government and voted in favour of a motion by the New Democrats asking Premier Doug Ford to reverse cutbacks to French-language services.

Speculation about her future within the majority government has been growing since last week when she criticized the cancellation of a proposed French-language university and the elimination of the independent French-language services commissioner.

L’Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario de Stormont, Dundas et Glengarry (ACFO-SDG) invite les Francophones et les Francophiles de Stormont, Dundas et Glengarry à se mobiliser le 1er décembre devant le bureau du député Jim McDonell pour dénoncer l’abolissement de programmes annoncés par le gouvernement de Doug Ford, dont le Commissariat aux services en français et l’Université de l’Ontario français.

Date: Le samedi 1er décembre 2018

Heure: 13 h à 15 h

Lieu: Bureau du député Jim McDonell Time Square, 120 Second Street West Cornwall, Ontario

Depuis 11 ans, le Commissariat aux services en français veille à ce que les droits des citoyens de l’Ontario et les obligations du gouvernement et des organismes gouvernementaux soient respectés selon la Loi sur les services en français. Du jour au lendemain, les francophones soutenant ne pas avoir été servis selon les provisions de la Loi sur les services en français se retrouvent sans recours.

L’Université de l’Ontario français est un projet de société qui avait été durement gagné suite au combat de toute la communauté et un projet qui devait assurer la vitalité de la communauté francophone en Ontario.

Le gouvernement Ford ne tient pas compte des droits des citoyens de l’Ontario et de la richesse qu’apporte la communauté francophone à la province. L’abolition du Commissariat aux services en français et la fin du projet de l’Université de l’Ontario français auront des conséquences importantes sur la vitalité et l’avenir des 742 000 francophones de l’Ontario, et sur l’ensemble de la province.

Les Franco-ontariens et Franco-ontariennes se sont toujours mobilisé.e.s pour conserver leur place dans la province et défendre leurs droits. Tout comme nos ancêtres et les leaders communautaires qui nous ont précédés, nous devons unir nos voix et exiger que nos institutions demeurent, pour le bien de la communauté, pour le futur de la francophonie ontarienne.

L’ACFO-SDG vous invite à venir se joindre à nous et transmettre notre message à toutes les communautés de SD&G.

Demonstrations across the province are set for December 1 to protest the Ontario government's cuts to French-language services.

Hawkesbury is among the communities where rallies are to be organized by L'Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario.

More details can be found at https://monassemblee.ca/

“Definitely upset,” Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Amanda Simard is urging the Ontario government to reverse its decisions to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner’s post and to cancel a proposed French-language university.

Responding to criticism on Facebook last night, the rookie MPP said, “You have an ally in me, and I'm never going to let you down.”

She said the decisions “disappoint me immensely, and I share this disappointment and frustration today, having at first worked internally as much as possible to have these decisions overturned. I have asked the Premier to reconsider these measures.”

Her initial reaction to the moves was to use “diplomatic channels.” She said she “became aware of these decisions just a few minutes before the official announcements.” She observed that she had read that she “might be upset.” That is false, Ms. Simard insisted. “I am definitely upset.”

“To my friends, to my community, to my constituency, you know me – my Francophonie is dear to my heart. To my more than 600,000 Franco-Ontarians and Franco-Ontarians, you may not know me but know that I'm with you. I was born, I grew up, and I still live in my francophone community of Prescott-Russell.”

“Now we have to assess where we are, and what we can and should do. I'm with you. I hope you will support me,” she concluded.

Here is her Facebook post.

Vous avez une alliée en moi, et je ne vais jamais vous laisser tomber.

Les décisions prises la semaine dernière relatives au Commissariat et à l’Université franco-ontarienne me déçoivent énormément, et je partage cette déception et frustration aujourd’hui, ayant dans un premier temps œuvré à l’interne autant que possible pour faire renverser ces décisions. J’ai demandé au premier ministre de reconsidérer ces mesures.

J’ai toujours le réflexe d’utiliser les voies diplomatiques pour régler les situations, et c’est ce que j’ai fait, avant de réagir publiquement, dès que j’ai pris connaissance de ces décisions (ce qui fut qu’à peine quelques minutes avant les annonces officielles). En passant, j’ai lu quelque part que la députée Simard « might be upset ». Faux. Je suis « definitely upset ».

À mes amis, à ma communauté, à ma circonscription, vous me connaissez – ma francophonie me tient à coeur. À mes plus de 600 000 Franco-ontariens et Franco-ontariennes, vous ne me connaissez peut-être pas encore, mais sachez que je suis avec vous. Je suis née, j’ai grandi, et je vis toujours dans ma communauté francophone de Prescott-Russell. J’ai complété toute ma scolarité en français, de l’école élémentaire (école St-Jean, Pavillon La Croisée), au secondaire (Embrun), au collège (La Cité), ainsi qu’à l’université (uOttawa), où j’ai choisi d’étudier le droit, la common law, en français ! Il n’y a, et n’a jamais eu, question pour moi d’appuyer ces mesures.

Maintenant, nous devons évaluer où nous en sommes, et ce que nous pouvons et devons faire. Je suis avec vous. J’espère que vous allez m’appuyer.

Amanda

Roads are slippery.

Here's the front page of this week's edition.