Freebie site in early discussion stage By KELLY MCSHANE, SPECIAL TO THE PACKET & TIMES December 29 2010Freecycle fans may soon be able to get their fix at the Orillia landfill, if a prospective recycling program gets a green light. ...

By TEVIAH MORO, THE PACKET & TIMES December 29 2010A municipal election that radically altered the political landscape in Orillia was, without a doubt, the story of the 2010.Seven of nine members of the incoming council turned out to be newcomers after the polls closed on the evening of Oct. 25....

Mayor, councillors list some of their goals By SARA ROSS AND JENNIFER BURDEN THE PACKET & TIMES December 29 2010Orillia’s mayor and city councillors for the 2010-14 term were elected on a mandate of change that they hope to fulfill.Mayor Angelo Orsi and councillors each have their own visi...

By NATHAN TAYLOR, THE PACKET & TIMES December 22 2010After nearly a decade of service, Don MacNeil’s time with the Orillia Police Services Board (OPSB) is up.MacNeil joined the board in September 2001 and has been chair of the five-member OPSB for the past four years. Prior to joining the ...

By JENNIFER BURDEN, ORILLIA PACKET & TIMES December 18 2010As the Orillia housing market rebounds from the recession, its industrial sector has taken a hit in 2010.The industrial market is down 86% from 2009. Last year, the value of permits issued for industrial construction was around $1.3 mill...

By Frank Matys Simcoe.com Dec 16, 2010 ORILLIA - A staff skit that made light of single mothers, the homeless and people with mental illnesses had no place at a city Christmas party, Mayor Angelo Orsi says. ...

By Frank Mays simcoe.com December 9 2010ORILLIA - A staff Christmas skit that proved no laughing matter for Orillia's newly-elected mayor is the subject of a soon-to-be-released report.Angelo Orsi said he and others in attendance at a Nov. 27 municipal Christmas party did not find anything funny in a...

By SARA ROSS, THE PACKET & TIMES November 30 2010The City of Orillia has been conducting studies to determine where pollutants leaching into Lake Simcoe are coming from.A report from the Ministry of Environment (MoE) released last January tells the city to address the “significant leachate...

Outgoing councillor plans to remain active in community after mayoral race loss By SARA ROSS THE Orillia PACKET & TIMES November 27 2010After nine years as an Orillia city councillor, Ralph Cipolla is leaving politics. But not by choice.Despite years of mayoral aspirations, the 63-year-old came ...

By NATHAN TAYLOR, THE PACKET & TIMES November 20 2010Pete Bowen has withdrawn from the race to continue as part the Downtown Orillia Management Board (DOMB).Bowen’s decision comes as a result of his being elected as a Ward 2 councillor in the Oct. 25 municipal election.The ballots, with hi...