John Neven knows movement is medicine. Standing with his bike at the second annual Lakes and Trails Festival in Sydenham last week, the 70-year-old smiles after cycling 21kms. “The ride was ex...
...
When the sun went down and the stars started to come out, at least 40 people were treated to a spectacular view of Saturn and its rings at the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve near Plevna Saturday ni...
...
“All eight turtle species in Ontario are at risk,” said Julia Garro, while painting turtles on kids’ cheeks at Bon Echo Provincial Park Saturday. “And three of those species ar...
...
Through the ’90s and into the 2000s, Inverary’s Jeff Williams managed to make a living racing motorcycles. But things change and in 2006, he walked away from the sport he loved. These da...
...
Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue (CFFR) called in Ministry of Natural Resources to assist with a large wildfire July 12, 2018. On July 12, 2018, at 1723hrs, CFFR received a call from a resident re...
...
A case involving two counts fraud over $5,000 against Gypsy Villas (58) and Jessica Villas (38), has...
It might seem like an elaborate sleight of hand manoeuvre, but Frontenac County Chief Administrative...
Until late last week, The Wintergreen Energy Co-op (WGC) had thirteen 250 kilowatt solar energy proj...
While there’s likely nothing the Township can do about it, Council did express concerns about ...
If you’re looking for a little light reading this summer with a definitively local flavour, yo...
Landlords in Frontenac County are encouraged to connect with Amanda Pantrey, new Rural Housing Liais...
Organizers of the first annual Verona Lion’s ATV Poker run did not know what to expect last Sa...
One of the more “celestial” fundraisers in the area for the past several years has been ...
Dr. John Muscedere, from Kingston General Hospital and the Queen’s School of Medicine, is also...
On Sunday, more than 250 athletes ranging in ages from little kids to 80 years old suited up for the...
When the sun went down and the stars started to come out, at least 40 people were treated to a spectacular view of Saturn and its rings at the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve near Plevna Saturday night. Also in the frame was the likelihood of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan,...
While there’s likely nothing the Township can do about it, Council did express concerns about a planned new boat launch on Palmerston Lake in Ompah at its regular meeting last Friday. At the very least, they won’t be supporting Michael Widmeyer’s request for financial assistance for upgrades to accommodate larger boats and trailers to the private boat launch at the Palmerston Lake Marina. In fact, they’re not convinced it’s a good idea at all. “The problem I have with it is it’s a limited space,” said Public Works Manager Darwyn Sproule to Council. “The way the sketch is, the area is square and I’m concerned about pontoon boats attached to a half-ton encroaching on a busy highway.” “I’m also concerned about safety but how do we provide comments on something we don’t control?” said Mayor Ron Higgins. Since there already is an entrance to Road 509 at the sight, the Township really has no avenue to pursue. The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has some regulatory authority but as MVCA rep Coun. Gerry Martin said: “Mississippi Valley is not concerned with traffic, just water.” Council resolved to have Sproule meet with the owner to discuss the Township’s concerns and to send a copy of the resolution to the MVCA. • • • It looks like from now on, the Township of North Frontenac will provide its own traffic control in the form of public works employees.. Public works employees performed the task for the Canada Day fireworks display after a request to the OPP turned out that there were no OPP officers available to provide traffic control. “Even with short notice, and it being the long weekend, we were able to book two public works employees and two public works vehicles (not fire department volunteers or vehicles as legislation does not permit the fire department to provide traffic control) to provide traffic control at this year’s event,” said CAO Cheryl Robson in her report. “I think it would be a good idea to do this in the future,” said Coun. Wayne Good. “It’s cheaper.” • • • North Frontenac Township Council is asking for the public’s help. It seems not enough people are calling the TIPS line to report poaching and other wildlife/fishing violations. This is important because, believe it or not, the number of conservation officers and resources allocated to an area is dependent on the number of TIPS calls the area generates. “We’ll take this up when we meet with the Minister of Natural Resources,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “Pretty much our anglers and hunters have given up calling TIPS because of little response,” said Coun. Gerry Martin. “The bureaucrats have decided the conservation officers’ budgets are dependent on TIPS calls. “We have three trucks and four conservation officers.” “We were told the Minden area has more conservation officers but we have more area to cover,” said Dep. Mayor Fred Perry. “Minden does have more population.” “It’s not just calling, but people have to include information like licence plates and color of boats,” said Higgins. • • • North Frontenac Township appointed former Building Inspector Dan Halladay as its Chief Building Official by bylaw at its Friday meeting following the resignation of Shawn Merriman. Since North has an agreement with Central Frontenac regarding CBOs, Council appointed Alan Revill as Deputy CBO in accordance with the Shared Building Department Services joint agreement. Central has appointed Revill as its interim CBO until such time as they hire a permanent person. Revill is the former CBO of South Frontenac Township.
The Reggae Band was a couple hours late showing up, but otherwise, spirits were high as Back Forty Artisan Cheese opened up for the season on Saturday at its Mississippi Station location. The home-base for the popular sheep cheese shop is open Saturdays from 10am to 4pm from now until “sometime around the end of September,” said owner/cheesemaker Jeff Fenwick. For the past three years, they’ve held a summer kick-off event featuring other unique area food experiences including Stalwart Brewery, Deep Fried Battered Curds, Chocolates by Ludwig Ratzinger and a barbecue from Seed to Sausage. “This is my vacation,” said Mike McKenzie of Seed to Sausage. “It’s the least I could do for such wonderful people.” For those unfamiliar with the Back Forty story, Jeff and Jenna Fenwick bought a small farm near Mississippi Station back in 2000 and proceeded to turn it into a small cheese factory using sheep milk. Since then, they’ve been opening the shop on Saturdays during the summer, and they’ve been supplying restaurants and stores all over with their unique brands. This year, that will be significant if you want to try Fenwick’s latest endeavor, water buffalo milk cheese, because it’ll only be available at the shop and the Almonte Farmers Market. To go along with his regular brands, Madawaska, Highland Blue, Bonnechere, Flower Station and Ompah, Fenwick has added a Queso Almonte, Calabogie Blue and Shanklish for this year. (The Calabogie Blue is especially good.) “Water buffalo cheeses are particularly popular in Italy,” he said. “It’s what they use in mozzarella.” “The Queso is more like a Spanish mozzarella, and it’s a nice melting cheese.” But it won’t be available anywhere other than the store or Almonte Farmers Market. “I’ve always liked to try something different,” he said. “I like the water buffalo cheeses, but they are labor-intensive and you don’t get that much for a lot of work.” However, he does expect they’ll have plenty left for the fall studio tour, where they plan to have charcouterie and grilled cheese.
David Young is a 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Maine who will be appearing in concert in Ompah on July 19. David has deep roots in the Ompah area and has spent many-a-summer swimming in Palmerston Lake and playing guitar with his grandpa, popular local musician Dave Young. As a boy, David performed in Ompah several times. Over the years, it has been impressive to watch his growth in skill and comfort on stage. David performs a variety of genres from folk to rock to country and blues. He has played up and down the east coast of Maine and is delighted to be in Ompah again. David is an accomplished guitar player and singer and he has been mentored along the way by his grandpa. David has recorded two folk-rock CDs of mainly original material. In 2016, he released Acousticism, and in 2017, he recorded Midnight Road at Grandpa Dave's recording studio in Ompah. He will have CDs for sale at the concert. David often performs solo but also has a group called The Rubber Band. However, in Ompah he will be backed up by brother Deven on drums and grandpa Dave on guitar. He will sing many familiar songs along with some of his own material. David Young will be in concert at the Ompah Community Centre on Thursday, July 19 at 7pm. Admission is $10 with proceeds to the Community Centre. Refreshments will follow the concert.
Expansion of the K & P Trail into North Frontenac and beyond was on the minds of North Frontenac Council at its regular meeting last week in Plevna but there was little optimism that it would happen any time soon. “This will be something for the next Council,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “The next five Councils,” corrected Dep. Mayor Fred Perry. CAO Cheryl Robson said the CAOs have been discussing it and should have a report coming to all the township councils in the near future. “Richard (Allen, Frontenac County’s manager of economic development) should be meeting with interested groups and exploring partnerships like with Lanark and Renfrew Counties,” said Coun. Denis Bedard. “Richard’s in a difficult position,” said Coun. John Inglis, North Frontenac’s representative on County Council along the Mayor. “There remains a section between Parham and Sharbot Lake that may never be finished because it goes through swamp where there is no track bed. “It seems to me Richard inherited a big white elephant and he has no money to work with. “And it’s a political issue right now because it doesn’t help the townships on the two ends (North Frontenac and Frontenac Islands).” • • • Just who’s going to direct traffic on Canada Day for the fireworks turned out to be a bit of a touchy subject. It costs extra to have police officers do it but some councilors thought it could be just as easily be handled by the fire department. “Fire services cannot provide traffic control under the Highway Traffic Act,” said Fire Chief/Director of Emergency Services Eric Korhonen. “Firefighters can protect firefighters on the highway but that’s it.” “What section of the act says that?” said Coun. Denis Bedard. “It would be embarrassing to be fined,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “Council does have another option — do not provide traffic control,” said Korhonen. “(But) there will be a lot of families with children and seniors in attendance.” “We’ve been gouged by the OPP for the last five years and this is more of the same,” said Coun. Gerry Martin. Council voted to have the OPP provide traffic control with Martin voting against and Coun. Wayne Good abstaining (which is counted as a vote against). • • • Nobody was really saluting the issue of creating a Township flag but the idea is still up for debate. “It will be time consuming and cost us some money because it has to go through the Official Herald of Canada,” said CAO Cheryl Robson. “It will take a long time to get an agreement on a design,” said Coun. Denis Bedard. “You’ll get a thousand opinions.” “It seems to me we haven’t had discussion as to why we should do this,” said Coun. John Inglis. “It’s not an economic development thing,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “Maybe it’s not as important as it is symbolic,” said Coun. Gerry Martin. “Why couldn’t we use the Township logo on it?” said Coun. Vernon Hermer. “Please don’t,” said Martin.
Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue (CFFR) called in Ministry of Natural Resources to assist with a large wildfire July 12, 2018. On July 12, 2018, at 1723hrs, CFFR received a call from a resident reporting smoke coming from a forest area in the southern area of Arden Road. At t...
A case involving two counts fraud over $5,000 against Gypsy Villas (58) and Jessica Villas (38), has been in front of Sharbot Lake court eight times previously. This time, both defendants were in court for the first time, as were representatives from their lawyers. The lawyer for Jessica Villas is available for a trial the week of the 11th of March or in April. The lawyer for Gpysy Villas was in court only to ask to be removed from the record. Villas himself informed the court that he has applied, and expects to be granted, legal aide and will then hire a new lawyer. His new lawyer may ask for a pre-trial in the case, which would apply to Jessica Villas’ case as well. The case was given a further remand, until August 27, for Villas’ new lawyer to provide input. Convictions for Over 80Paul Sullivan, 54, pled guilty to a charge of driving with blood alcohol over 80mg/100ml of blood. The case stems from a snowmobiling incident on December 22. Sullivan had been sledding on the lake where his cottage is located, and then went on to his own property, where he hit a dock that had been pulled out of the water and was hidden under the snow, throwing him from the sled on to the ground. A neighbour helped him into his house and suggested calling 911, but Sullivan resisted. When the neighbour and the neighbour’s wife returned to check on him a bit later, it was clear he needed medical attention and 911 was called. Police attended along with the paramedic services, and saw that Mr. Sullivan was intoxicated.. He was transported to Kingston General Hospital where he was treated for broken ribs and a punctured lung. At the same time, police attended and made a breath request, which ended up leading to a blood test instead of a breath test on the advice of the medical team at KGH. The result was a reading of 133mg/100ml of blood, well over the limit. The Crown requested a $2,000 fine and an 18-month driving prohibition due to the high alcohol level, but Judge Griffin levied a $1,200 fine and gave Mr. Sullivan a 12-month driving prohibition. Anthony Arney was driving at high rate of speed on Road 506 on July 4, when he encountered a police patrol headed in the opposite direction. Both the police and Arney had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. The police cruiser then turned around and caught up to Arney’s car and pulled it over. They found indications of impairment and made a roadside breath request. Arney failed the test, was arrested and brought to the Sharbot Lake detachment. The readings from the tests done at the detachment were 113 and 95. He pled guilty to a charge of “over 80” and two highway traffic acts related to the incident were withdrawn. He received a $1,000 fine and a 12-month driving prohibition. Because the plea was made at the earliest opportunity, Mr. Arney will be eligible to apply for an interlock device in three months. First appearanceLynn Porteous, 55, is facing a charge of driving while impaired and a charge of driving with blood alcohol over 80mg/100ml of blood. She will return on September 17.
Upcoming work on Crow Lake Road is “still in the design phase,” Kevin Hawley of Greer Galloway told an open house in Sharbot Lake’s Oso Hall last Thursday, held to get public feedback. “Construction could be in the late fall (or August) or next spring,” he said. “We can’t do it in winter because cold weather paving can be a problem.” The plans are to address several specific issues that have been noted by residents, including speeding and drainage, he said. “This will only pertain to the hamlet,” he said. “From the Crossroad to the train tracks. “There are several options for the rest of Crow Lake Road to Road 38 but that will have to wait for grants.” “And we are applying for grants all the time,” said Mayor Frances Smith. Hawley said they’re well aware of the issues and have made them part of every grant application. “When applying for grants, you tell the saddest story possible,” he said. Currently, he said, they are looking at putting in curbs (no sidewalks), some ditching, new asphalt and new signage. “We don’t want to widen it too much because that would encourage people to speed through there,” he said. Also, they’re looking at speed bumps, which would be in place from May to October. “We can’t put in permanent speed bumps because of issues with snow plows,” he said. They’re also looking at eliminating a drain that goes through a concrete dock. But there will be measures undertaken to “hopefully eliminate road water.” Hawley said he didn’t expect there to be major traffic disruptions during construction but “there could be the odd daily 10-3 closure.”
Normally, a contractor defaulting on a contract with a township isn’t a good thing. But in the case of Dilawri Chrysler not being able to fulfill an order for three ½ ton pickups, it’s worked out rather well, at least from the standpoint of saving money. Acting public works manager David Armstrong told Central Frontenac Council at its regular meeting Tuesday in Arden that the Township solicitor had reviewed the contract and considered the non-compliance a breach. “We weren’t the only ones,” said Clerk Cathy MacMunn. “They had some 300 deals they made that they couldn’t fulfill, including four municipalities.” Armstrong said that with the opportunity to review the Township’s needs, they would be better served by buying two 4 X 4 ¾ ton crew cabs. And that’s the good news. The two ¾ tons come in at a price of $62,692, whereas the three ½ tons would have cost $97,000. Council had budgeted $120,000 for new vehicles in this year’s budget. “Upon review, we thought the ¾ tons would suit our needs better as we can get more guys to the job in them, attach a plow to them and hook up trailers to them,” Armstrong said. Coun. John Purdon said he wondered if the matter shouldn’t have come back to council when the breach was discovered but Clerk/Administrator Cathy MacMunn said the vehicles are needed now and will definitely be needed before winter, so they went ahead and called for tenders. “With only one meeting in July and one in August, we felt the need for the equipment meant we should go ahead and call for tenders,” she said. Coun. Phillip Smith and Brent Cameron had another concern. “I’m having difficulties supporting the ¾ tons,” Smith said. “We have two ¾ tons at the fire substations and I think this would have been a good opportunity for fire and public works to get together on how to use those trucks.” “It is something that’s been discussed,” said Cameron. “There is an issue of time here,” said Coun. Vic Heese. “We can’t really reassign those trucks until after the fire plan is done.” “My recollection is that the trucks in the fire stations wouldn’t work for your needs right now,” said Fire Chief Greg Robinson. “They might work next year.” Council approved the acquisition of the two ¾ tons. Smith and Cameron voted against. Kennebec Wilderness TrailsFollowing a presentation by Gord Brown and Kevin Laporte, Council approved several requests regarding the Kennebec Shores Parkland Trails including naming it Kennebec Wilderness Trails. Designating it as Wilderness Trails under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act so that the rather rugged trails won’t have to be accessible to those with disabilities, an expensive, and in this case a near-impossible proposition. Coun. Bill MacDonald pointed out that under the Act, ATVs and snowmobiles would be allowed to use the trails but Brown said they plan to install farm gates at trail entrances. Council also approved $7,500 for said gates, signage, footbridges and parking facilities. The $7,500 was to have come from Parkland Reserves and is the same amount Mark Snider paid for two additional lots when he acquired the Kennebec Shores Waterfront Community. However, Cathy MacMunn told Council that the current amount of funds in Parkland Reserves is “none,” and it would have to come out of general revenues. Council also authorized the use of a 220 metre section of unopened road allowance to extend the yellow trail to Nordic Road as the existing part of the trail was flooded by beaver activity. Ailing MayorDep. Mayor Tom Dewey chaired the meeting in the absence of Mayor Frances Smith who is recovering from eye surgery. “I talked to the Mayor this morning and she is doing well — considering,” he said. New gateFollowing an email from CP Rail, Council approved $87,500 for its part in installing a new warning (gate) system at the Wagarville Road crossing in Parham. There was no word on when the new system would be installed.
The big blue and gray bouncy castle that adorned Oso Beach on Canada Day has been recovered, said District 3 Rec Committee chair Lesley Smith-Merrigan. Bouncy castles like this one are in great demand on Canada Day and picking them up often becomes an exercise in logistics. So, when Orbital Talent owner Brian Wilson asked Smith-Merrigan if she thought it would be OK to leave it on the beach overnight, she of course said yes. Wilson would have somebody pick it up Monday. Only, it turned out not to be OK. Sometime after the fireworks, the castle disappeared and was nowhere to be found. That initiated a Facebook campaign to get it back (with 300 shares) and luckily “a gentleman and his son who were walking along the shore spotted it near the helipad,” Smith-Merrigan said. “Thanks to the Central Frontenac firefighters who went down and recovered it.” The castle weighs in at over 300 pounds, and plus it was staked into the ground, she said. “Our speculation is that whoever took it tied a line to it and towed it behind a boat,” she said. “Then it probably got to be too much for them and they let it go.” Smith-Merrigan said they’ve had a long-standing relationship with Wilson and Orbital Talent and would have been prepared to replace the castle if it came to that. “We were going to be on the hook for it, but luckily it was found,” she said. “We don’t think there was damage, but if there is we’ll work something out with Brian. “If there is damage, it’ll be a lot cheaper to repair than it would have been to buy a new one.”
John Neven knows movement is medicine. Standing with his bike at the second annual Lakes and Trails Festival in Sydenham last week, the 70-year-old smiles after cycling 21kms. “The ride was excellent,” says the Sharbot Lake man after eating his third ice cream cone ...
Through the ’90s and into the 2000s, Inverary’s Jeff Williams managed to make a living racing motorcycles. But things change and in 2006, he walked away from the sport he loved. These days, he makes a living with his own paving company — Williams Paving. But, old habits die hard and on Aug. 10-12, Williams will be at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville for the CTMP Superbike Doubleheader, the series’ final races of the season. Williams is currently fifth in the Pro Superbike points standings (he was seventh last year) and has a legitimate shot at the championship title. At age 45, Williams is one of three top-five racers this year over the age of 38. But even he admits racing motorcycles is essentially a younger man’s game given the physical and mental toll the sport demands. There have to be less taxing ways to make living, right? “You can make money at it, but you can’t make a living,” Williams said in between paving jobs Monday. “For much of the ’90s and into the 2000s, you could make a living but now . . . “My bike (a BMW S1000RR) is in the $65,000 range as are all of the top five riders’ bikes.” One aspect of 21st Century motorcycle racing that adds to the expense is the electronics built into these new machines. “We have traction control, wheelie controls and a lot of other electronics,” he said. “Current bikes are a lot closer to Formula 1 cars than most motorcycles and your engineer is probably the most important guy on the team. “But, electronics certainly helps old guys.” It’s still a grueling circuit though. A season includes two stops in Ontario, one in Quebec, and a doubleheader in Nova Scotia before returning to Bowmanville for the finale. But once the competitive juices get flowing again . . . “It’s a bad bug to get in your system,” Williams said, chuckling a little bit. “I got back into it after doing some ice racing in the winter in Madoc. “It didn’t take long to get me back into it and now it’s back to ‘nothing else matters when you put that helmet on.’” He said these days, he feels the mental strain more than the physical, given the speeds they travel (300 to 320 kph) and how close the bikes are together, especially when drafting. But strangely enough, there’s an almost zen-like therapeutic effect there. “It gets me away from the stress of work,” he said. “I’ll definitely be doing another three years of racing.” Inverary’s Jeff Williams takes the checkered flag at a recent CSBK event. Photo/Don Empey.
Organizers of the first annual Verona Lion’s ATV Poker run did not know what to expect last Saturday morning. “We had only a few tickets sold in advance and we were wondering if the whole thing was going to be a bust. We were a bit worried because we had vendors coming out for the day and we had a lot of valuable prizes donated and we had also been working hard on the event for a few months. Then, the people started coming,” said Verona Lion’s Club President Eric Maclean. In the end, over 105 ATV’ers participated in the run, more than anyone had anticipated. “For the first one, we’d have been happy with 40,” said Frank York, a long time Lion who was one of the volunteers at the poker run. The route consisted of some 80 kilometers, both on road and off and included a varied selection of surfaces all around the area. The route started with Desert Lake Road, continued on to Hinchinbrooke Road, Westport Road to the K & P Trail, Echo Lake Road, Fish Creek Road, Road 38, 4th Lake Road, Raymo Road, Oak Flats Road and back down the K & P to Verona. “ATVers came from as far away as Brighton, Ontario. Participants thoroughly enjoyed the variety of trail, backroad scenery and terrain. Many who rode commented how leisurely and well-marked the route was. The canteen was open offering our famous Lion’s burgers with onions and fries and spectators came to eat and peruse the display of new ATVs and side-by-sides offered by local ATV dealers in attendance. And we could not have asked for better weather,” said Maclean. The ride was so well supported by local businesses that it took over an hour and a half to distribute all the prizes that had been donated. “We handed out over seventy prizes valued in excess of three thousand dollars. Almost everyone who participated left with something. The three top poker hand winners took home an ATV dump trailer, a backpack leaf blower and a chain saw making for some very happy participants,” said Maclean. Maclean added that the Lion’s are grateful for the support of Frontenac County which helped them gain the use of the K&P trail from Highway 38 to Craig Road, making for a safer and more enjoyable ride, as well as to the Verona Pentecostal Church for the use of their parking lot. Craig said that the ride was an overwhelming success. “On behalf of the Verona Lions Club, I would like to thank our community and volunteers for making this a successful event. The proceeds of this event will be put to work by the Lions right here in this community.” The Poker Run took place on the weekend after Canada Day, the traditional weekend for the Verona Lion’s Jamboree, which was canceled this year after a 66 year run. The cost of the midway, a key element to the Jamboree, jumped this year and it was no longer viable for the Lion’s to continue running the event.
Dr. John Muscedere, from Kingston General Hospital and the Queen’s School of Medicine, is also the scientific director for the Canadian Frailty Network. The CFN is dedicated to improving care for the estimated 1 million Canadians who fit the definition of frail that the CFN has developed. He was the keynote speaker at the Annual General Meeting of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCSC) last Friday morning (June 22) at the Grace Hall in Sydenham. SFCSC provides programming for populations other than seniors through its food program, homelessness prevention program and other activities, but the agency has a primary focus on providing supports for seniors within the community. As Executive Director David Townsend pointed out in his remarks, SFCSC has had increased uptake for most of its senior’s services over the last year, a 20% increase in the use of the Adult Day Program for the frail elderly, a 25% increase in the number of deliveries through its meals on wheels program, and a 6% increase in the number of rides provided for seniors. “In all of those cases, we are providing more service than we are funded to provide by the LHINS (Local Health Integration Network, SFCS’s primary funder for senior’s programming). We do that because the need is there in the community, and the only reason we are able to do that is because of the funds that we raise each year from the community,” he said. Townsend’s remarks paved their way for Dr. Muscedere, who hobbled to the stage on two crutches. “I was attempting to stave of frailty for myself,” he said, “by taking a hiking trip in Scandinavia. That’s where I got a broken ankle.” He started his presentation by talking about some global numbers. The number of people in the word age 0-64 is expected to go up by 22% by the year 2050. Over the same timeframe, the number of people 65 and over will go up by 188%, the number over 85 by 351% and the number over a hundred will go up by 1004%. He said that this kind of information is behind all of the doom and gloom scenarios about the future of our health care system and the need for long-term care. “People use a phrase that I detest, ‘the aging Tsunami’,” he said, “but the reality is that not all aging is the same, and as more people age, more people will also be aging well, aging healthily through exercise, nutrition, good social interaction, etc. There is a very real difference between chronological and biological aging, and this is important when you look at frailty.” He put up a slide that featured a photo of an old, thin man, crossing a finish line. “This a photo of Ed Whitlock, who set a world record by finishing the Toronto marathon in under four hours at the age of 85. He is not frail by any means, but if you saw him in a hospital bed, you might think he was.” There is a clinical frailty scale, ranging from level 1 (very faint), to level 8 (terminally frail), and the CFN advocates to keep people from slipping down the scale, and for better supports and care systems for those who have reached advanced stages of frailty, from which they cannot recover. As well, dementia plays a key role. “Where dementia is present, the degree of frailty usually corresponds to the degree of dementia,” said one of the slides. In order to deal more effectively with frailty, the CFN advocates for better recognition of frailty, more study, and better organization of the healthcare system. To end, Dr. Muscedere talked about Denmark, a country with a population that has completely revamped its healthcare system over time. Since the late 1980s, Denmark has focussed its resources away from hospitals and long-term care, and towards community-based medicine. In terms of seniors, home-based care is prioritized over long-term care facilities. “We are a very long way from that model in Ontario,” said Muscedere, “and another key piece is that lack of integration in our system as compared to theirs. To address frailty, we need a multi-pronged approach including increased recognition, increasing evidence for its treatment and multi-institutional, multi-jurisdictional efforts to break down silos and implement holistic models of care in the system.” The final point that be made was that frailty is not solely a healthcare issue, and that “better care for seniors living with frailty will only come through improvements in both health and social care.”
On Sunday, more than 250 athletes ranging in ages from little kids to 80 years old suited up for the 10th annual Somersault Series of races in Sydenham. The series got underway at 8am to avoid the heat of the date and to accommodate many participants who travelled considerable distances, said race director Maryanne Takala. Sydenham’s Takala is no stranger to triathlon as her son, Scott, has competed in World’s. Competitors signed up for eight events ranging from Olympic triathlon to kids’ fun runs as varying race courses dominated downtown Sydenham and The Point Park. Here are the results for the top events: Olympic TriathlonTop Male – Michael Casista – 2:06:27Top FM – Maia Idzikowski – 2:27:12 Olympic Tri RelaySolitutes (John, Jack and Tom Glassco from Sydenham) 2:15:47 Sprint TriathlonMale – Clive Morgan – 1:07:53Female – Heather Low – 1:09:43 Half MarathonJack Kilislian – 1:54:36Marigold Edwards – 2:28:10 Kids RunTop Female and Winner of the 2 Km race – Avery Blanch Hinch 9 years old - 10:42Top Male and youngest runner , David Owen 5 years old – 22:15 5KmMale - Cody Harding – 20:5Female - Val Hopkins – 24:43 10KmMale – Jim Townsend - 42:06Female – Tania Storms - 52:04
It might seem like an elaborate sleight of hand manoeuvre, but Frontenac County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender is asking members of Frontenac County Council to consider setting up a county roads system, on paper only. And the payoff could be some heavy virtual paper m...
Until late last week, The Wintergreen Energy Co-op (WGC) had thirteen 250 kilowatt solar energy projects ready to proceed in South and Central Frontenac and rural Kingston under the Feed-in-Tariff (5) program. Not anymore. The WGC projects are among the 758 green energy projects that were cancelled this week by the new Ontario government. WGC President David Hahn said on Tuesday that the solar projects had been waiting for the final go ahead from Ontario’s Independent Electricity Service Operator (IESO), which was to come in the form a Notice to Proceed (NTP). “My understanding is that all of the projects waiting for the NTP have been cancelled,” he said when contacted at his farm on Canoe Lake Road, “which would include our projects”. Hahn said that Wintergreen itself was not facing a large financial loss as the result of the cancellations. “We invested time and effort in it, and some money, but the way these work we don’t take ownership until the project is up and running. Our partner, SolarShare, and the contractor we work with, Soventix, as well as the landowners who will not be getting any benefit from the land leases, are all out of pocket for all the work and costs associated with getting approvals and arranging for the tie-in to the grid. They are all worse off than the co-op itself from these cancellations.” Hahn said that projects were all set to create jobs locally and regionally, but “that is all gone by the wayside now. For the WGC, the future is unclear as until now they had been promoting community based renewable projects under the soon to be scrapped Green Energy Act, but Hahn thinks it will continue to have a role to play. “We will discuss this at our Annual General Meeting in the Fall, but I am hopeful that net metering projects will still be viable, and maybe we can do some of those on a community basis. Net metering refers to small scale projects that feed energy back into the electricity grid, lowering or eliminating hydro charges to the customer who produces the power, “If we can pool groups of homeowners to feed energy back into the system, hopefully that will still be something that will be acceptable to the new government,” he said. The Wintergreen Energy Co-op was set up in 2012 to promote community based green energy projects in Kingston Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. “We envision a region where our energy needs are met through renewable and clean energy technologies. Community ownership and participation provide the foundation for all Wintergreen Energy Co-op projects” is how its mission is described on its website.
Landlords in Frontenac County are encouraged to connect with Amanda Pantrey, new Rural Housing Liaison Worker, to find out about the incentives and perks that come with working with the rural Housing and Homelessness Collaborative Team, based out of Southern Frontenac Community Services in Sydenham. The Housing and Homelessness program in the County of Frontenac aims to serve high-needs, low-income families in need of assistance to secure and maintain safe, appropriate, and affordable housing. Landlords are a key partner in the success of the program, and in return for working with the Collaborative Team, landlords gain access to supports and incentives. “There are benefits for rural landlords to work with the Collaborative Team,” says Pantrey. “First, landlords will have an advantage because their units will be entered into our database, which our staff can use to successfully match clients with appropriate properties. As well, landlords can be confident knowing eligible tenants can access on-going support, such as funding to help them get and stay on their feet, or to cover unexpected costs such as utilities arrears.” “Landlords working with our team are also included in our information-sharing networks and will get insight to incentive programs, such as Kingston-Frontenac Renovates Program – Accessibility Enhancement Program.” Pantrey adds, “This program is exciting. Landlords could be eligible for a forgivable loan up to $20,000 to assist in accessibility upgrades. The deadline for that program is August 31, so landlords are encouraged to call me as soon as possible to get started.” Southern Frontenac Community Services is one of three agencies working together in the Housing and Homelessness Collaborative that serves the County of Frontenac, administered by the City of Kingston’s 10-year Municipal Housing and Homelessness Plan. Rural Frontenac Community Services and Addiction Mental Health Services, KFL&A make up the rest of team. “Homelessness and housing insecurity in Frontenac County is very real,” says SFCSC Executive Director, David Townsend. “The demand for services keeps growing. Building relationships with local landlords will not only benefit our clients, but the community as a whole. When families who want to live here are able to stay, everybody wins.” For more information on the Housing and Homelessness Program in the County of Frontenac, and how we can help you, call Amanda Pantrey, at SFCSC, at 613-376-6477 ext. 208.
There is only one race for Mayor thus far in Frontenac County, and races in only a single district in North, South and Central Frontenac as the deadline for nominations nears. In North Frontenac, Mayor Ron Higgins is running for re-election, and incumbent Fred Perry is the only candidate for the two ward 1 (Barrie) positions. Gerry Martin and Vernon Hermer are both running again in ward 2 (Clarendon-Miller). In ward 3 (Palmerston) Fred Fowler is challenging the two incumbents, John Inglis and Denis Bedard. In Central Frontenac, Mayor Frances Smith is uncontested thus far. Incumbent Tom Dewey is running in ward 1 (Kennebec) as is Isaac Hale. In ward 2 (Olden) only incumbent Victor Heese is running, and in ward 3 only incumbent Bill Macdonald is the only candidate thus far. The only contested ward is Number 4, where incumbents Brent Cameron and Phil Smith will be contending with Nickie Gowdy for the two council spots. In South Frontenac there is a race for Mayor between current Mayor Ron Vandewal and Loughborough District Councillor Mark Schjerning. The Storrington ward incumbents, Ron Sleeth and Norm Roberts, are both running, as are the incumbents in Bedford District, Pat Barr and Alan Revill. In Loughbrough, Ross Sutherland is seeking re-election, and Fran Willes is running as well. The only contested district thus far is Portland. In what promises to be a wide-open race, incumbent Brad Barbeau (who was appointed when Bill Robinson died) and Ray Leonard, Bruno Albano, Doug Morey and Tom Bruce are all seeking one of the two council positions. And in Addington Highlands there are only three candidates in the entire township: One for Mayor (incumbent Henry Hogg) and one each in ward 1 (Denbigh - Royce Rosenblath) and ward 2 Kaladar – incumbent Bill Cox). Down in Frontenac Islands it is the same story. Dennis Doyle is running for re-election and there is one candidate in both Howe (Bruce Higgs) and Wolfe Island (Barbara Springgay) for the two seats that are available. Over in Tay Valley, there are three candidates for Reeve: incumbent Keith Kerr, Susan Freeman (former Deputy Reeve), and Brian Campbell (current Deputy Reeve). In Sherbrooke ward there are two candidates for the two spots: incumbent Mark Burnham and Rob Rainer. Finally, in Lanark Highlands, there is a contested election for Deputy Mayor between incumbent John Hall and Bob Mingie, Terry Donaldson is the only candidate for Mayor, and in ward 5 Jeannie Kelso is seeking re-election. There is only one councillor per ward in Lanark Highlands.
Total ban in Addington Highlands, North Frontenac, Lananrk Highlands - campfires only in Central and South Frontenac by Jeff Green The weather has been and will continue to be hot and dry, and this is the case throughout the region. But fire permitting and the imposition of fire bans is overseen at the township level, so people might need a municipal overlay on their GPS if they want to know whether they can light a match. Here is an overview as of Tuesday morning, July 10, at 11:30 am In South Frontenac there is a Level 1 burn ban on. Camping and cooking fires are permitted under a Level 1 burn ban, however fireworks, open air burning and incinerators fires are not permitted. In Central Frontenac there is a Level 2 burn ban on currently. A Level 2 burn ban in Central Frontenac is identical to a Level 1 burn ban in South Frontenac. Camping and cooking fires are permitted, but all other burning is prohibited. In North Frontenac, Addington Highlands, and Lanark Highlands a total ban is on. Fires are not permitted at all. Camp and cooking fires and fireworks are forbidden. Meanwhile, Tay Valley township has no fire ban on. (Editors Note – it pays to check your local township’s website for updates. The information in this article changed twice while it was being written)
“All eight turtle species in Ontario are at risk,” said Julia Garro, while painting turtles on kids’ cheeks at Bon Echo Provincial Park Saturday. “And three of those species are here in the park — Blanding’s, snapping and midland painted turtle...
If you’re looking for a little light reading this summer with a definitively local flavour, you could do a lot worse than The Skootamatta Ozone Ball by summer Cloyne area resident J.E. (Jeff) McBee. This is McBee’s third offering in the Riverton Trilogy, which also includes Fugitive Dust and Key North. It’s being sold at the Cloyne Pioneer Museum as a fundraiser and also at Hook’s Building Centre. It starts out with a mysterious death on the river near Riverton, New York, which really only serves to provide a reason for the moods of some of the protagonists in this particular chapter of the trilogy. After the death of their friend on the river, several guys around the age of 20 decide to make the trek to Skootamatta Lake for the Labour Day weekend. Tom Martin’s family has owned a cottage on the lake since Tom was a kid, and this is the first time he’s been allowed to use it without his parents being around. So, what does he do? He invites a bunch of his buddies along for the kind of long weekend that will be all too familiar to area baby boomers who’ve been to more than one of these weekends. It’s about what you’d expect. There’s more beer than food. There’s plenty of marijuana. There’s waterskiing, there’s a dance at the Cloyne Hall and amateur night at the Hotel Northbrook, where the boys display typical inadequacies in attracting the opposite sex. And there’s boys being boys. What makes this particular novel fun for area residents is all the local references starting from St. Catherines, up the QEW, 427, 401, 41 and finally to Addington Highlands cottage country. This is Labour Day, 1972. The novel is full of historical references, including the Watergate Scandal breaking and the Summit Series with the Russian Hockey Federation. But there’s also plenty of small references to local culture, including Brador and poutine (could you really get poutine at the Hotel Northbrook in 1972?) It’s essentially a romp. Think Hunter S. Thompson comes to Cloyne for the weekend. There’s the obligatory stereo system complete with Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead as well as Gordon Lightfoot and Bruce Cockburn for Canadian content. It’s a good bet most of us in our 60s now have had weekends like this (probably more than one), and it’s interesting to see a Florida writer’s take on it, through the eyes of a bunch of young Yankees. You’ll recognize just about everything and be saying to yourself, “Yeah, it was pretty much like that.”
“Your debt load is under control and you seem to be managing your expenses well,” Secker, Ross & Perry accountant Adam Young told Addington Highlands Council at its regular meeting Tuesday in Flinton. Young was presenting Council with its draft financial statements for 2017. “There haven’t been many great accounting changes for this year so we’d expect to see much the same as we usually do — which we did,” he said. He said that at the end of the day, assets are up by over $1 million and while taxes were down “just a tick, and we’re comfortable with the direction you’re moving in.” And while reserves and expenses are in relatively good shape, there is one thing looming in the not-too-distant future. “Closing dumps is expensive,” said Coun. Bill Cox. “Do you think we’re stable in that?” “Of the seven landfills you had, you closed two,” said Young. “You’re not going to see 20 more years out of Kaladar.” Having said that, Young didn’t have a definitive answer on what closing the Kaladar landfill site might cost. “You never know what the liabilities will be like until you get to the closing,” he said. “Buckshot Lake cost less than we expected but you can’t count on that. “Kaladar likely won’t cost a million but it will be a lot more than $500,000.” • • • Addington Highlands has joined the e-revolution by moving to electronic agendas. The July meeting was the first to use the iPad technology but the agenda itself isn’t available on the website just yet. CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed said she expects the online agendas to be “live” for the August meeting. Some of Council appeared a little unsure about the changes but not Coun. Bill Cox. “I love this,” Cox said. “I’ve been advocating to get this for 10 years.” • • • Council approved a noise bylaw exemption for the Flinton Jamboree. • • • Following a report on energy consumption required by O Reg 397 11, the two facilities that use the most energy in Addington Highlands are the Flinton Hall (not including the Township Offices) and the Denbigh Garage, which also uses a lot of propane.
Tim Snider of Cloyne brought it to the attention of Conservationists Of Frontenac and Addington that fish from local lakes were often found to have undigested plastic baits in their digestive systems. This seems to be a growing problem as the baits are very effective and widely used by anglers. The Ontario Federation of Hunters and Anglers has recommended that anglers be careful to remove all damaged plastic baits from the area of lakes and streams as they are likely to be eaten if they are in the water. In the USA they can be sent to a company, “REBAITS” that then recycles them into new baits. COFA has responded to the issue by placing signs and collection boxes at area boat launches. Please save all of your damaged plastic baits and put them in the boxes for proper disposal.
Located on highway 41 near the southern end of Mazinaw Lake, not far from Bon Echo Park, Smart’s Marina has been serving the boating needs of Mazinaw Lake residents and Bon Echo Park visitors for many years. Now, thanks to the ambitions of Ange Defosse, office manager at the marina, a new business is taking hold in the marina store, Smart’s Mercantile. The idea for the store came from a visit Ange took to some other cottage areas, including Prince Edward County. “When I saw that they were offering to visitors, I thought we could start to bring in local food and arts to make our region a better tourist destination,” Ange said. “Ange had the idea for this. She came to me with it and I said she could go for it. She made it happen. She got in touch with local producers to see if they wanted to sell their products here, and she approached Frontenac County for some leads and followed them up. It’s amazing what she has found and how many people are excited about it,” said Pauline Smart, who owns the marina with her husband Steve. “Over the winter, we began working, we worked on redoing our convenience store and are very excited about the outcome. We have changed the interior and brought in some new products to focus on local products and small businesses in our area, while still keeping our ice cream bar, convenience grocery items, and camping goods,” Ange added. Smart’s Mercantile is featuring a wide range of local and regional products including: Arden Pottery, Blue Tick Blacksmithing, Backwoods Honey, T&D Sauces, DFC BBQ Sauce, J.R. Watkins products, County Coffee, Abby’s Gardens Preserves, Hart ‘N Hart Mazinaw themed apparel, Farmacy Bath and Beauty, Ree’s Family maple products, Backwood Country Creations, and the list goes on. The store started with a soft opening in early June and has already created a buzz in the local community in advance of Sunday’s grand opening/summer kickoff event. The celebration runs from 11am-4pm on Sunday. The meat for the rib and sausage BBQ is being provided by another new local business, Milligans Meats, which is located in the former Cloyne Home Hardware Store. DFC BBQ sauces will be on hand for taste testing their sauces with the BBQ. Other vendors, including J.R. Watkins, Backwoods Country Creations and T&D Sauces, and others, will also be there. To celebrate Canada Day, free Sundaes (one per person) will be served, and there is a 10% discount on all local items in the store. Smart’s Mercantile will be open 8am-7pm Monday to Saturday all summer, 9am-7pm on Sundays.
Editorials
Letters
REGULAR COLUMNS
CLASSIFIEDS
OBITUARIES
FRONTENAC COUNTY
SOUTH FRONTENAC
NORTH FRONTENAC
CENTRAL FRONTENAC
ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
