Bancroft’s new warming centre is one step closer to opening. 

Hastings County has announced that the mobile unit that’ll house the new facility is scheduled for transport from Belleville later this month. 

It was originally meant to arrive in December, but “logistical pieces to the move at play” that were out of the county’s control caused a delay, according to Community Services Director Deborah Headley. 

Site preparations in Bancroft are set to begin next week, so the warming centre can open as quickly as possible. 

The unit is scheduled to arrive on January 23rd. 

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Make sure you fully cook any turkey you’re making over the holidays, so you don’t accidentally give your family the gift of salmonella. 

That’s a warning from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, which has put out some food safety advice ahead of the holidays. 

Beyond fully cooking poultry, staff members say you should be careful to avoid the “temperature danger zone” of four to six degrees Celsius, where harmful bacteria inside your meat can multiply. 

They say you can avoid it by thawing frozen food in the fridge, instead of on the counter or in the sink, and by keeping it above 60 degrees Celsius once it’s cooked. 

Once you’re eating, staff add that other illnesses like RSV and influenza often spread from touching utensils other people have used.   

They say you can limit this by washing your hands every time you use a serving utensil. 

When you’re finished, they add you should break any leftovers down into smaller portions and quickly refrigerate them to keep them safe to eat. 

You can find more food safety advice on the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health website. 

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Trick-or-treaters should stay in groups so that drivers have an easier time seeing them, says OPP Provincial Constable Dave Holmes. 

Holmes is offering some safety advice for families and motorists to make sure everyone has a happy Halloween. 

“There’s more safety in numbers,” Holmes says. “It’s easier to see a group of people than it is to see one person.” 

Holmes says parents should consider adding some high-visibility reflective tape to kids’ costumes or shoes, so they can be seen easily by anyone with their headlights on. 

“For parents that are trick-or-treating with their kids, stay with the children when they’re crossing the road,” he adds. “If you have other parents with you, the practice I use with my children is that one parent will walk out onto the road, make sure it's safe, and then tell them ‘Okay, you can cross,’ and everyone crosses as a group.” 

For people who are going to be driving on Halloween night, Holmes says motorists need to be more vigilant than usual because of increased foot traffic. 

“What we do see in smaller municipal areas is cars parked along the side of the road that drivers are just not used to, and a lot of people who are crossing the street are crossing between vehicles,” Holmes explains. “So, we tell pedestrians to cross at the designated crosswalk, and we tell drivers to slow down, especially at those crosswalks where somebody in a darker costume may be a little bit harder to see.” 

Holmes also suggests having your high beams on, so you have an easier time seeing pedestrians and they have an easier time seeing you. 

Halloween is next Tuesday, October 31st. 

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If you missed your chance last month to sign your child up for the Bancroft Skating Club, staff members say you’ll have more chances going forward. 

The club has released its full fall and winter skating schedule, and it includes weekly in-person registration opportunities. 

The club offers both “CanSkate” lessons for children who want to learn the basics, and “StarSkate” programs for kids with more experience on the ice to try figure skating. 

The fall skating season will see sessions for all skill levels every Thursday from September 7th to the 28th. 

Afterwards, the winter season will have skaters on the ice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from October 2nd until March 14th. 

Starting next week, you’ll be able to sign your child up for either season every Thursday at the North Hastings Community Centre from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. 

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Police officers are urging drivers to leave for their morning commutes early and follow the rules of the road next week. 

Bancroft OPP officers say they’ll be monitoring the roads carefully for drivers breaking school bus traffic laws, like failing to stop or passing a bus while its alternating red lights are flashing. 

If you fail to stop, you could incur thousands of dollars in fines, six demerit points on your license, and subsequent offenses could even lead to jail time. 

Beyond that, officers say you should also keep an eye out for kids that are cycling or walking to school, because they’re likely to be excited and might not follow all the rules of the road. 

If you have a child that’ll be walking or cycling to school this fall, they say you should talk with them about how to get to school safely before their first day. 

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Staff members at the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative are telling residents to watch out for baby turtles as summer turns into fall. 

Because of inconsistent temperatures this summer, they say turtle hatchlings are expected to start appearing over the next few weeks, slightly later in the year than normal. 

Managing Director Kelly Wallace says residents should be careful while driving or using ATV trails and bike paths to make sure they don’t accidentally run over any hatchlings. 

She also says you should check your lawn for hatchlings before mowing or doing any other maintenance. 

If you find a hatchling, Wallace says you should take it to the nearest slow-moving body of water and place it in a shallow area, to protect it from predators. 

If you have questions about safely handling turtles or hatchlings, you can call Think Turtle Conservation Initiative at 647-606-9537. 

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Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Conservation Officers say they need help from people in the Bancroft area. 

According to the ministry, a female white-tailed deer was found shot and killed out of season on the northwest side of Aides Island.  

The body was found on August 17th, and the day before, a single gunshot was reportedly heard near the area at around 4:00 PM. 

Conservation Officers say whoever shot the deer tried to remove the bullet from its skull to hide evidence of what happened. 

If you have any information that could help with the investigation, you can contact the ministry’s toll-free tip line at 1-877-847-7667. 

If you’d rather remain anonymous you can also reach out to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. 

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