Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Today – Mainly sunny. Wind west 20 km/h becoming light this morning. High minus 1. UV index 7 or high.

Tonight – Partly cloudy. Low minus 7.

Police launch Security Camera Registry

The Chatham-Kent Police Service says private home security and business security is a priority for residents and commercial owners in Chatham-Kent.

This combined with population growth has led to an increasing number of video surveillance cameras being installed at residences and businesses, police officials say.

“Security cameras are an effective crime prevention tool that also assists in solving crime, police officials stated in a press release.

“These benefits extend beyond the home/business to include the community. Police will often contact homeowners (or) business owners to inquire about video surveillance while investigating a crime which has occurred elsewhere in the neighbourhood.”

The Security Camera Registry is a community based crime prevention opportunity and investigative resource that enlists the help of Chatham-Kent residents and business owners.

This registry enables the members of the community to voluntarily identify their video surveillance location through a simple, secure, confidential, online form located on the Chatham-Kent Police Service website.

Identified addresses will be mapped on a database of surveillance camera locations for officers to quickly and effectively direct resources when investigating criminal offences within Chatham-Kent.

“Your participation in this innovative program can deter and prevent crime, and save lives,” police official stated.

Objective:

The objective of the program is primarily to build a database of camera locations in our community. Adding a security camera to your personal or commercial property is an excellent crime prevention tool, and is a way for you to protect your OWN belongings. Crime prevention is everyone’s responsibility. The presence of cameras is a deterrent to crime. Allowing the police to quickly contact you so that you may check your cameras for potential recordings of crimes in progress is a way for citizens to help make our communities safer for everyone.

Privacy:

The list of registered properties is kept confidential and only the police will have access to it. When a crime occurs, officers can locate the scene on a “crime map” and instantly see which residences or businesses in the neighbouring areas have security video that may be of use.

For more information on this new program offered by the Chatham-Kent Police Service or to register your security camera, click on the link: http://ckpolice.com/camera-registry.

FREE community meals in Wallaceburg for January

Here are the FREE community meals for January in Wallaceburg:

Sydenham Field Naturalists offer winter speaker series

Chatham-Kent Public Library is pleased to host the Sydenham Field Naturalists Winter Speaker Series 2018. Sydenham Field Naturalists welcome the public to learn about and support the unique ecosystem in Chatham-Kent. This four part series will feature guest speakers addressing pertinent topics pertaining to Southwestern Ontario environmental concerns.

Sydenham Field Naturalists will meeting in Chatham Branch’s meeting room on the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. The general public is welcome to attend the meetings, no registration is required.

– Thursday, January 25, Allen Woodliffe: Hidden Natural Gems of our Local Area

– Thursday, February 22, Paul Pratt: 50 Years of Nature

– Thursday, March 29, Stan Caveney: Pollinators and the Pollinator Crisis

– Thursday, April 26, Larry Cornelis: Bring Nature to Your Backyard

To find out more about programs at Chatham-Kent Public Library, visit www.ckpl.ca.

Ontario investing in 53 research projects

Ontario is supporting researchers in fields such as health care, advanced manufacturing, clean tech and computer technology to make new discoveries that will benefit people across the province, government officials say.

Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science, made the announcement at Brock University on Monday, where research at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute is helping Ontario’s grape and wine sector adapt to climate change.

“Supporting Ontario’s researchers as they make breakthrough discoveries will help advance technology and drive economic growth across the province,” stated Moridi in a press release.

“Making sure they are working in state-of-the-art facilities with the most up-to-date technology will help researchers do their best work and lay the groundwork for new products and services, and economic opportunity for people in Ontario.”

This year the province is investing in 53 projects across 17 leading institutions through the Ontario Research Fund.

These investments will help cover the cost of building or renovating and equipping facilities to conduct large-scale, collaborative research projects. This will allow researchers to develop new products or services, including new treatments and cures for illnesses while supporting high-quality jobs.

Other projects receiving support include:

– The University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Precision Medicine Program, which will advance knowledge of the genetic and non-genetic aspects of cancer

– RoboDrive, a research facility and test track for autonomous vehicles at the University of Waterloo

– Carleton University’s Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research, which aims to develop new insulation technologies that will reduce heat loss in Canadian homes and buildings.

More details:

– The province is investing more than $960,000 in the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute and close to $137 million in this round of the Ontario Research Fund.

– Projects were evaluated through a rigorous peer review process involving Canadian and international academic and industry experts. The successful projects were chosen based on their research excellence and their economic and societal benefits to Ontario.

– Ontario leverages matching federal funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for these projects. Ontario and the CFI each provide up to 40 per cent of the project value, with the institution providing the remaining funding.

– In other recent rounds of funding, Ontario invested more than $2.37 million in four research data infrastructure projects, and $21.7 million in 130 projects through the October 2016 and February 2017 rounds of the Ontario Research Fund – Small Infrastructure Fund.

– Since 2013, Ontario has committed investments of more than $750 million towards 1,235 research projects.

Improvements to tax filing services for Canadians

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is taking steps to make it easier for Canadians to file their income tax and benefit returns, no matter which method they choose.

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, yesterday announced the launch of a new automated telephone filing service called File my Return.

“Improving service to Canadians is my top priority,” Lebouthillier stated in a press release.

“We know that Canadians lead busy lives and doing taxes can sometimes be a challenge. This is especially the case for people with reduced mobility, people who live far from service locations and people without Internet access. The CRA is working to make it easier and simpler to find, complete and file a return. The new services we are now providing are more user-friendly and convenient, especially for Canadians with low or fixed income.”

Government officials say over 950,000 eligible individuals with low income or a fixed income that is unchanged year-to-year will be invited to file their income tax and benefit returns simply by answering a series of short questions and giving some personal information.

Canadians eligible to use File my Return will receive personalized invitation letters starting in the middle of February 2018. This service allows all the deductions, benefits and credits that the user is entitled to, without the need for any calculations or paper forms to fill out.

Minister Lebouthillier also announced that taxpayers who filed using paper tax forms in previous years will now receive a tax package by mail.

Canadians who use paper guides and forms now do not have to visit a Canada Post, Service Canada, or Caisse populaire Desjardins outlet to get the General Income Tax and Benefit Guide and the forms book for the 2017 tax year.

This will help all those who file using paper forms. However, to ease the transition to this service, limited quantities of guides and forms will still be available in these locations.

By making filing returns easier and simpler, these services will help millions of Canadians do their taxes, government official say.

For more details, click here.