Each week, the Gazette looks back on stories from the past. Here is what happened this week, by year…
1928
-A delegation from Picton visited Ontario’s health minister seeking approval for the town’s proposed waterworks installation. Ministry officials noted that drinking water in town was “far from satisfactory” and they issued a mandatory order for council to install the new system.
– Robert A. Norman was appointed to become the new police magistrate for Prince Edward County July 1. The lifelong Picton resident had served as town clerk and as mayor. His father had also served as police magistrate 50 years prior.
– The Kiwanis Club of Picton provided slides for the playgrounds at local schools. The slides would be moved to Bayside Park for the summer, then returned to schools.
1948
– The Picton Public Utilities Commission received a $15,553 rebate from the provincial power commission for the amount of money it paid in excess of the cost of power used for 1947. It was noted the money wouldn’t be rebated to customers, but it might mean lower hydro bills.
– Vernon Armstrong, of Cherry Valley, was fortunate to only suffer a deep wound in his left arm after a shell exploded in the barrel of the shotgun he was firing. A two-inch-by-one-inch piece of metal shrapnel was removed from his arm.
– Andy Clarke, a frequent visitor to Prince Edward County and the host of CBC Radio’s Neighbourly News was mourned after suffering a fatal heart attack at age 65.
1978
– Lt-Gov. Pauline McGibbon was pulled over by the OPP en route to Belleville after a mix-up involving handbags at a hospital auxiliary tea. McGibbon’s aide Maj. Donald Campbell took what he thought was her handbag following the meeting, but it belonged to Claire Beatty, of Picton. Beatty noticed when she went to home. Police returned both handbags to the correct parties.
– Even with the provincial and federal government covering 90 per cent of the capital costs, it was estimated a new sewer system in Wellington would cost a minimum of $181 per household to complete.
– McGibbon presided over a ceremonial sod turning to bury a time capsule as part of PECI’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
1998
– Children’s Aid Societies across Ontario had a new central database they could access to learn whether families and children coming into care had interactions with societies in other parts of the province. The first-of-its-kind database was expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.
– An 83-year-old man died of smoke inhalation after being pulled out of a burning house on the Loyalist Parkway west of Bloomfield by firefighters.He was transported to Kingston General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
– About 20 Prince Edward County Junior Field Naturalists took part in their first outing to Prince Edward Point where they went hiking and observed bird banding.