SOUTH DUNDAS – All the feedback from South Dundas council following a presentation regarding a newly formed committee’s plan to bring back Old Home Week for Morrisburg’s 150th anniversary celebration was positive, but South Dundas mayor Robert Gillard opted to defer any decisions concerning a list of requests.

Gillard told the committee they would have their requests answered after a council meeting this month.

WINCHESTER – Twenty-four restaurants from across the region, including many of last year’s winners, will be back for the second annual Soupfest, Mar., 6 at the Winchester Community Centre.

TLC Soupfest challenges area restaurants to prepare from scratch soup for judging in three categories; Best Soup, Best Creative Soup and Best Presentation. The winners in each category are awarded a soup spoon plaque. Second and third placed winners receive a framed certificate.

CORNWALL – Cornwall and Seaway Valley Tourism received a $76,500 investment from the federal government on Friday.

SDSG (Ontario)– The Province of Ontario is helping six not-for-profit social service organizations in Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry improve their facilities, so they can better serve low income and vulnerable Ontarians, including children, youth and families.

South Dundas’ deputy mayor reported that the United Counties of SD&G is considering eliminating Provincial Offences courts in Morrisburg and Alexandria.

WILLIAMSBURG – Voters in South Dundas will continue to let their fingers do the talking in the October 2010 municipal election, but the company tabulating and providing the results will change.

At the January 19 meeting, South Dundas council approved Intelivote Systems Inc., as provider of electronic/phone service alternative voting method for the coming election.

WINCHESTER (WDMH) – Winchester District Memorial Hospital is involved in discussions with the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) regarding local and regional plans for the next fiscal year beginning April 1, 2010.

“Ontario continues to face a significant economic challenge which has made it very difficult for the Government of Ontario to provide hospitals with planning targets for the 2010-11 fiscal year,” said Trudy Reid, WDMH CEO in a media release.  “At this point, we do not know when planning targets for hospital operating funding will be confirmed.”

Like all Ontario hospitals, WDMH has been asked to undertake scenario planning on the basis of 0%, 1% and 2% increases in hospital operating funding in 2010-11. These scenarios are meant to help guide further discussions between hospitals and LHINs in the next several weeks.