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12 TheThe South Marysburgh MirrorMirror   "PECFN v. Ontario (MOECC)"  The ERT hearing concerning the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists and Gilead/Ostrander Point begins (again) on September 2nd and con(cid:415)nues on the 3rd and 4th at the Demorestville Town Hall star(cid:415)ng at 10:00 a.m. The Royal Hotel  On July 28th, counsel passed the site plan for the renova- (cid:415)on of the Royal Hotel. Words can't adequately describe what a great addi(cid:415)on the refurbished structure will make to Main Street Picton and Prince Edward County, adding some life to an area that sorely needs it. In addi(cid:415)on, the renova(cid:415)on will raise the bar for other main street estab- lishments. ple(cid:415)on date in late 2017. Work should begin in August for a tenta(cid:415)ve com- E: ward9@kos.net Facebook: Steve Ferguson for Ward 9 Municipal Council Update  By Steve Ferguson,  Councillor for South Marysburgh    I'm going to be somewhat brief this month owing to the Ontario government's approval of the White Pines pro- ject however, I'll begin there. The anger among residents of South Marysburgh and Athol is palpable in the phone calls and emails I have received since the project was approved. Ques(cid:415)ons as to why White Pines would be approved while Ostrander Point is s(cid:415)ll before the ERT cannot be answered because the decision makes absolutely no sense. There has been a lot of discussion as to next steps at both the municipal level and among SM residents as well as resident groups. You can expect to learn the results of these discussions in the near future. I have been accused of suppor(cid:415)ng an(cid:415)-wind, an(cid:415) -green and an(cid:415)-everything to do with wind-generated electricity although nothing could be further from the truth. Industrial wind turbines have their place but NOT in Prince Edward County, par(cid:415)cularly on the south shore where they will greatly affect the migra(cid:415)on pa(cid:425)erns - never mind the popula(cid:415)ons - of birds, bats and bu(cid:425)er- flies, and the habitat of countless other animals including the Blandings turtle. Picton Terminals  I a(cid:425)ended a tour and presenta(cid:415)on at the Picton Termi- nals located off White Chapel Road in Picton. This im- mense facility, originally built by Bethleham Steel in the 1950s, is now owned by the Doornekamp family who have interests in construc(cid:415)on and other businesses. Work is underway at the terminal to build load- ing and unloading facili(cid:415)es for any vessel capable of navi- ga(cid:415)ng through the St. Lawrence Seaway making it a dis- tribu(cid:415)on hub for products and materials to and from vir- tually anywhere in the world. It is a fascina(cid:415)ng business; you can glean some informa(cid:415)on h(cid:425)p:// www.pictonterminals.ca/ or a(cid:425)end their next public open house in August. The date has not been finalized but it will be adver(cid:415)sed in the local papers. Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Plans  Counsel heard a presenta(cid:415)on about plans for a new hos- pital to replace the current one. Being provided with in- forma(cid:415)on as to the planning necessary to create a facili- ty that addresses current needs as well as those twenty years in the future was welcome and interes(cid:415)ng. The good news is that the project is slowly moving forward (as they do for any new hospital in the province) with an es(cid:415)mate of building in 7 to 10 years. Of key importance is public interest and involve- ment in support and fundraising ac(cid:415)vi(cid:415)es that demon- strate the level of the commitment of the community. If you can make a contribu(cid:415)on to PECMH, financial or oth- erwise, please do so. their website from at