Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Thursday, March 15, 2018

Today – Mainly cloudy. A few flurries beginning this afternoon. Wind becoming northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 this morning. High plus 3. UV index 3 or moderate.

Tonight – A few flurries ending this evening then clearing. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low minus 7.

FREE meals in Wallaceburg in March (Updated) and April

Here is a list of the free meals taking place across Wallaceburg for the rest of March and April:

Ontario sets budget date for March 28

Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance, announced that he will deliver the 2018 Ontario Budget on March 28.

“Ontario has achieved a fiscal surplus this year,” Sousa stated.

“While the state of our economy may change, our values never will. The 2018 Budget will reaffirm our commitment to grow the economy and create jobs, while maintaining progressive policies like free tuition and free pharmacare. These investments are making a positive difference in the lives of people.”

The Budget will outline the government’s plan to create more fairness and opportunity for everyone and help families manage the costs of caring for their loved ones.

In order to invest more in hospitals, mental health, long-term care and child care across the province, Ontario is choosing to run a deficit.

Minister Sousa made the announcement during a speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto, and provided an update on Ontario’s economic outlook and fiscal plan.

The province has exceeded its fiscal targets every year since the recession, and is forecasting a surplus in 2017-18. Since 2014, Ontario’s economy has outperformed all G7 nations, and the unemployment rate is at its lowest level in nearly two decades.

While Ontario’s economic growth is strong relative to other jurisdictions, the government recognizes that it must take further action to bolster growth and ensure more people and families have opportunities to get ahead.

The 2018 Budget will outline a path to return to balance, building on the province’s long track record of strong fiscal management.

More details:

– The province has made postsecondary education more affordable and attainable for all by offering free tuition to more than 225,000 university and college students, and reducing the cost for many more through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

– Since January 1, 2018 over 920,000 children and youth have filled over 2.1 million prescriptions at no cost through OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare.

– The province is raising the minimum wage — and making workplaces fairer — to help people get ahead in a changing economy where many workers are struggling to support their families on part-time, contract or minimum-wage work.

– Ontario is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, transit, roads and bridges in the province’s history. To learn more about what’s happening in your community, visit Ontario.ca/BuildON.

– Private-sector forecasters, on average, have estimated that Ontario real GDP increased by 2.8 per cent in 2017.

Sarnia-Lambton Bluewater BorderFest Music & Entertainment Festival receives provincial support

The Bluewater BorderFest Board of Directors are pleased to announce that our application within the Province of Ontario’s, Celebrate Ontario Program has been successful.

Sarnia-Lambton’s Bluewater BorderFest Music & Entertainment Festival will be one of 328 Festivals in Ontario to receive support in 2018. Support from Celebrate Ontario helps festival and event organizers enhance programming, activities and services so that festivals and events can offer new experiences, reach new audiences and support jobs in their communities.

The Bluewater BorderFest Music & Entertainment Festival will take place in Sarnia’s Centennial Park on July 27th and July 28th, 2018 with the hopes of creating enough community support and sponsorship to add Thursday, July 26th as an additional day of the festival. Funding specifically from Celebrate Ontario will be allocated to increase artist and band talent and help support the additional expenses associated with a larger act.

The funding also allows Bluewater BorderFest to include the addition of a Food Truck and Food Vendor Festival (#FoodTruckFestival) that includes local daytime entertainment, enabling Sarnia-Lambton to hear great local music, while eating a variety of food options in Sarnia’s beautiful Centennial Park setting.

For the Nightly Music Concerts our goal for 2018 is to have a day dedicated to Rock Music, Classic Rock Music and Country Music, as long as community support allows us to include an additional day for this years event.

This past summer, in Bluewater BorderFest’s first year, there were more than 4,000 people from Southwestern Ontario Communities in attendance. The festival is now not only one of the Largest Tourism Attractions for the Sarnia-Lambton Area, but also one of the largest Local Economic Simulators and gaining popularity quickly, being recognized as one of the fastest growing Music Festival’s in Canada on Social Media.

Bluewater BorderFest is a non profit event, with the goal to create as many local partnerships as possible to maximum funding and growth of the event for years to come. We know that the success, growth and continuation of our Bluewater BorderFest begins with great community support and we strongly believe with the communities support we can continue to produce an event that the community is proud of, while it creates awareness and funding that supports many non for profit and charity organizations within our communities.

In addition to 2018 planning, Bluewater BorderFest is excited for to be working along side The City of Sarnia and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, as together Sarnia-Lambton’s Bluewater BorderFest Music & Entertainment Festival will partner with the Tall Ship Festival in 2019, to create and provide what could be one of the most exciting tourism experiences within Ontario.