80 Years Ago
February 1, 1939
– Lennox and Addington County and the local Children’s Aid Society faced off in court over the custody of a child for three months. The County argued it had an arrangement to place the child in the care of an uncle at a cost of 40 cents per day board, rather than in the care of the society for 75 cents a day, which the society claimed covered board, clothing, supervision and other expenses.
The society argued it was the only body legally allowed to care for neglected children. The County argued the child wasn’t neglected because a competent adult was available and the municipality was willing to provide support. The magistrate ruled in favour of the society.
– Napanee council decided it would take its objections to a ruling over equalized assessment in Lennox and Addington to the Ontario Court of Appeal. The initial court ruling would assessment in Napanee raised by $770,631 annually. Napanee native Roland O. Daly, a lawyer at a prominent Toronto firm, had agreed to represent the town.
– Attorney general Gordon Conant announced a plan to designate one person to oversee policing in the province. New legislation would provide for greater resource and information sharing between police forces and create police commissions in all municipalities to manage local policing efforts.
30 Years Ago
February 1, 1989
– At a public meeting at The Prince Charles School, Queen’s University municipal affairs expert Stewart Fyfe, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs boundary negotiations director Doug Barnes, and other panelists told concerned residents that while a possible amalgamation of Napanee and Richmond, North Fredericksburgh Townships would cost money, it would probably be better than Napanee annexing surrounding areas and it would create efficiencies in the long run. Barnes said one negotiated deal would be better than multiple boundary change requests.
– Richmond Township received $507,318 from the Province as payment for sewage and water upgrades that would support the Goodyear plant locating in the township. Water and sewer services would be extended from Hwy 41 to the plant via Township Rd. 4. Residents could access the lines.
– After six weeks of uncertainty, an Ernestown Township committee studying a proposed name change from Odessa to Mill Creek voted against the change. All members of the committee and the more than 100 Odessa residents who packed into council chambers raised their hands at the same time to vote against the suggestion.