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Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Clarity sought on future of new south Wicklow greenway
A preferred route has yet to be published as the engineering team behind the project finalise their engagement with local landowners. Public consultations took place across south Wicklow – in Arklow, Aughrim and Shillelagh – in early October 2023 to gather input on the emerging preferred route and invite the public to provide feedback before the preferred route is decided. Cllr Peter Stapleton sought an update at the July monthly meeting of Wicklow Council and stated that there was some anxiety amongst communities along the 38km route in relation to the delay in publishing the final preferred route which is a crucial element in the planning process. Addressing the Chief Executive Emer O' Gorman, Cllr Stapleton said: 'I note just in your report there has been a slight update to talk about the meeting that happened in April but apart from that there's no update on the progress report that was listed in the Chief Executive's Report when I joined the Council a year ago.' 'I hate the word task force, I think the public is basically allergic to it at this point, but maybe some of regular meeting between your team and elected reps would be great.' Ms O' Gorman confirmed that a meeting will be organised to provide an update on the project. The move comes after members of the Arklow and District Chamber of Commerce recently met with Wicklow/Wexford TD Brian Brennan to discuss key opportunities and challenges facing the local business community. Among the topics raised was the future status of the greenway which received a funding boost earlier this year worth €550,000.
Irish Independent
05-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Wicklow Courthouse and extra parking need to be a priority to allow town flourish
Speaking during the June meeting of the Wicklow Municipal District, Cllr Paul O' Brien expressed the need to 'stamp out the negativity that has crept into the way they carry out their work in recent months'. In agreement Cllr John Snell said they were at a political disadvantage if only the chair and vice chair are elected to these teams, which allows them access to their meetings. Currently the team's steering committee comprises the seven chairs of their working groups, a representative from Wicklow Town and District Chamber of Commerce, two elected members of Wicklow Municipal District and officials of Wicklow County Council. In response Cllr Danny Alvey said the team will always welcome feedback and input from elected members in the district. 'Town teams are important entities that need more support. We are working closely with town regeneration officer Stephen Clarke to get a similar team set up in Rathdrum. Any other future teams will be set up subject to funding being made available.' he added. The Wicklow Town Team which advocates in the town's best interests recently held a meeting with the Tánaiste Simon Harris looking for support to advance several projects. Among the main issues raised was the long-vacant Wicklow Town Courthouse the lack of car parking spaces close to the town centre and the stalled progress of the East Coast Greenway.
Hamilton Spectator
28-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Chamber of Commerce GM shares findings from recent Washington visit
Before heading to Washington, D.C. for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's U.S. mission, Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce general manager Aaron Martin shared with the Times that he was focused on getting perspective. Gratefully, over the two-day trip on June 10-11, Martin got just what he was looking for. After the chamber's annual general meeting on June 19, Martin shared what happened over the course of the mission to the chamber's membership. Because most events were held under Chatham House rules (a governing set of rules that dictates that members can talk about what was discussed but couldn't attribute what as said to specific people), most of what he said was in generality. Still, the mission provided answers to some of the questions Martin and the wider local business community had. One startling fact was that most of the U.S. proponents were quite open about the fact that economically the trade measures the current U.S. administration has implemented (like across the board tariffs) are not helpful for either the U.S. or its partners, though it played well with U.S. President Donald Trump's base and that was the main driver for why they were implemented. 'The Americans want a sacrificial lamb,' Martin said. 'And the two things that kept coming up was timber and dairy … If they did attack either timber or the dairy bit, they wouldn't economically benefit from it, but the political basis that they get from it – they want to make sure they're getting a win for their loggers, they're getting a win for their farmers. And that's where they're really going for this. 'The American public also hasn't felt the impacts of tariffs yet,' Martin went on to say. 'So when this was all started … a lot of companies started doing front loading, where essentially they would buy everything they could and stock up their warehouses. A lot of people estimate that'll last for around a year, after which point you'll start to see issues in pricing. Prices will rise because the tariffs will actually come into effect. 'This can be an opportunity for the Canadian government to get a better negotiation with this. As the American consumer feels the squeeze more and more with the tariffs, they'll have more political pressure pushing the other way … If the Canadian government can hold out to then there's a real chance that (Republicans) will lose the House (of Representatives).' One point that Martin said was agreed upon across the table was China's abuse of the current trade system, using it to pit countries against each other. China, while not necessarily a boogeyman of the mission, was prevalent in every discussion that was had. Martin also said that there was more than one representative from Alberta in Washington during the mission that openly expressed support for secession. This was aside from the purpose of the chamber's mission, but Martin felt it was something worth sharing with the group. 'I think that's something that's been brought up in the media, that this is a non-issue. Nothing's ever going to happen. We have to ensure that Albertans, the average Albertan, doesn't feel they're getting the raw deal that they are feeling, that Confederation is to their benefit and that they want to be a part of it. We need to be unified here. And I think belittling the way they're feeling isn't the way to go forward.' Overall, Martin called the experience very eye-opening and encouraged anyone with further questions to reach out to him and the chamber, which continues to monitor the international situation and its local impacts in Perth County and area. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
