Douro-Dummer passed the 2026 municipal budget at the regular council meeting on Tuesday evening.
The budget process for council began with the first draft budget presentation taking place on October 16 followed by a public meeting on October 21 and a coffee and conversation on October 23 where ratepayers had an opportunity to discuss the budget with council and staff.
The increase to the tax rate on the first draft was penciled in at 4.8 per cent.
The second draft was presented on November 18. The increase to the tax rate was presented at 4.5 per cent.
There was substantial public input on the increases and council made some decisions to lower the increase on the third presentation. The largest adjustment came from the Public Works department where the decision to cancel surface treatment on Douro 4th Line from County Road 4 to County Road 8 saved $199,400.
Deputy mayor Harold Nelson tabled a motion that read as follows: Where as this is the third draft of the 2026 township of Douro-Dummer budget shows a levy increase of 1.6 per cent which is less than inflation and where as the draft 2026 budget is proposing that the capital budget be reduced by $207,900
Max Monk whispers his Christmas wishes to Santa Claus during the annual Chemung District Lions Club Breakfast with Santa in Ennismore on Sunday Dec. 14.
As the year comes to an end so too, does the transition period for producer responsibility of blue box collection within Peterborough County.
Selwyn Township has been working to navigate this change to ease pressure on local businesses and organizations that are impacted by this.
The shift to producer responsibility for blue box materials transition started on January 1, 2024 and ends on December 31, 2025. Full implementation of the
regulations under the Resources Recovery and Circular Economy Act, commences on January 1, 2026.
Because of the provincial changes to recycling, Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) is now the body in charge of collecting and depositing recycling for residents while businesses and non-eligible organizations will be responsible for their own recycling.
The Lakefield Herald office will be closed Friday December 19 for the week of Christmas.
Staff will return to the office on Monday Dec. 29, however due to the holidays our press deadline will be pushed up.
We would like to remind all readers and contributors that for the January 2, 2026 paper, please submit all materials no later than December 24, 2025 so that we may meet our adjusted holiday schedule.
Normal deadlines will apply the following week of Tuesday at 10 a.m. starting the week of January 5, 2026.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during the holiday season to allow our staff and printers to enjoy the holiday season with friends and family.
This short documentary is a portrait of a tiny town, Lakefield, Ontario, and its independent weekly, the Herald. Across North America, newspapers are dying, but in Lakefield, Terry McQuitty, the town paper’s publisher, carries on a rich, 150-year-old tradition. Set to the pace of small-town life, Unheralded is a testament to the vital role newspapers can still play, and the close bond between reporter and reader.
