Partial driver test services return to Bancroft on Monday

BANCROFT – Partial services will resume at the Bancroft driver testing centre Monday, Dec. 7.

A province-wide strike closed DriveTest locations 15 weeks ago. Eight locations opened in November to provide limited services.

The Bancroft, Kingston, St. Catharines and Ottawa Walkley Road locations bring the partly-open locations to 12, a DriveTest press release says.

The company, which provides driver testing for the Ontario government, will offer limited services to customers who need their licenses for employment or who have registered for driver training. For these customers, the only services provided will be:

• Written tests for all classes of license,
• Road tests for commercial classified licenses only, and
• Out-of-province and out-of-country license exchanges.

DriveTest will only conduct Road Tests for Truck, Bus and Driving Instructor licenses at this time. That means DriveTest will not be doing road tests for G2 or G licenses. DriveTest is conducting these commercial road tests at various pre-arranged locations throughout the province and not at the open DriveTest.

Customers who hold a license that expired after August 24th because of the need for a retest are still covered by the automatic license extension put in place by the Ministry of Transportation. Therefore, these customers do not need to come to a DriveTest Centre at this time, the company says.

DriveTest is also recruiting workers for the spring, after the strike is over, the company says

To apply for a permanent position with DriveTest, go to www.DriveTest.ca/Careers.

Madoc man badly hurt in school bus crash

View Larger Map

NORWOOD — A Madoc man was seriously injured in a head-on crash Dec. 2 between a pickup truck and a school bus on Highway 7.

Peterborough County OPP say Benjamin Anger, 20, was airlifted from the highway after the 6:30 a.m. crash just west of the 8th Line of Asphodel.

Anger is in the Intensive Care Unit of Sunnybrook Trauma Centre in critical condition, police say.

He was originally said to be from Marmora, until his identity was released a day later by police.

He was traveling west on Highway 7 when his pick up crossed into the eastbound lane. This caused the driver of the school bus to take evasive action swerving to the left and into the westbound lane, OPP say.

The pick up collided with the school bus near the centre line of the Highway when it attempted to return to the westbound lane.

A full-sized school bus with students from Lakefield High School was travelling east, on route to Ottawa, when it collied with the red Dodge pick up.

Ten passengers from the school bus were injured, but none seriously.

Police continue to investigate.

Click here to view the first Peterborough Examiner news story, photo and video of the crash.

Click here to view an updated Peterborough Examiner news story about the crash.

Work to rebuild Hwy 62 near Coe Hill pinching traffic

LIMERICK TWP – Traffic delays should be expected along Highway 62 south of old Highway 620, as the first phase of construction gears up.

The Ministry of Transportation hired Aecon Construction in September to rebuilt the bumpy, two-lane highway from 620 south for 17.3 kilometres to near Cleveland Road.  The $13.2 million project includes replacing the Beaver Creek Bridge.

The job is expected to be done by Nov. 26, 2010.

According to the MTO construction project website — click here to see it — work began Oct. 21.  Delays of up to 10 minutes were reported as lanes were closed and traffic pinched.

Click here to see what what Hastings-Prince Edward MPP Leona Dombrowsky says about the project in a Nov. 10 press release.

Two unlocked cars burgled in Bancroft

THEFT FROM VEHICLES

BANCROFT –  On Monday, the 30th of November 2009 Officers from the Bancroft detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police received the report of a theft from two unlocked vehicles on Forest Hill Drive in the Town of Bancroft.

Sometime between 1 p.m. Saturday the 29th of November and 8 a.m. Sunday the 30th of November unknown person(s) entered two unlocked vehicles and removed assorted items including a wallet, identification, credit cards and electronic equipment.

Anyone with information about these thefts is encouraged to contact the Bancroft OPP at 613-332-2112 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-800-222-TIPS.

The Bancroft OPP would like to remind Bancroft and area residents to never leave any property in full view inside your vehicle, park your vehicle in well lit areas or use your garage and always lock your vehicle doors.

– Bancroft OPP press release

Roof going on new Red Eagle store in Coe Hill

The roof is going on the new store at the Red Eagle campground on Wollaston Lake. The project is expected to be done by spring 2010. Brent Goodwin photo.