Re - Sunday Hunting

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to the new council of Addington Highlands for voting to allow the Sunday gun hunt in our township.

The majority vote shows some forward thinking on the Addington Highlands Council, as all the surrounding townships also have Sunday gun hunting. This will make it less confusing for hunters, and will provide economic benefits.

When I ran (unsuccessfully) for councillor in Ward 2 in the last election,  this was one of my objectives, so I am glad this will be implemented. I am looking forward to working with the new Addington Highlands Council.

- Larry Pealow

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Re: Condition of Zealand Road

My husband and I came home after lunch on Sunday, December 24 to discover that the Willis Armstrong Road had been graded. What a surprise! We thought the township had taken pity and had given us a late present, but on a Sunday?!Shortly after we got home we found out it was our neighbour, Art Teal, who had used his tractor and blade to grade the road. It had been absolutely atrocious for weeks and weeks without a sign of the township machinery.Now, things are getting pretty bad when we have to take things into our own hands. I do believe that all of us back here pay our taxes on time. Several calls and personal visits have been made to those in charge but they have all fallen on deaf ears. Although we were promised it would be looked after, it wasn’t. Art felt something had to be done or our cars would have to go for repairs from falling into sink holes or driving almost in the ditches to try to miss the worse spots. Impossible to do.So the day before Christmas he took two hours out of his already busy day to fix this road for at least two miles. In some cases gravel had to be brought in to fill in the especially bad holes. On Christmas Day he and Frank White, another neighbour, used two tractors to try to repair a terrible 40 feet of potholes near David Armstrong’s home on the Zealand Road. Will these heroes be compensated for time, fuel and tractor use? I think not!It’s not as though no one lives on this road: we have folks who work in factories, the library in Sharbot Lake, Bell telephone, Red Cross Homemakers, Community Living, the Seniors Home and the Royal Bank in Sharbot Lake (Sandra White is the bank manager!) Even the superintendent of road maintenance lives on the Zealand Road, so surely he is aware of the horrible state of affairs, unless he drives in only by Maberly and up Highway 7 to miss the mess.So those of us who live here and have to drive these usually pleasant and scenic roads would like to thank Art and Frank for taking the time on the holidays to save us from hefty car repairs. Will this be the normal thing around here? We certainly hope not – but we’ll wait and see! Thanks again for a job well done.

- Jean Lewis

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A message from the Fire Prevention Officer of North Frontenac Township

Happy New Year to everyone in 2007! With the weather being very mild and sunny, some of you are planning on cleaning brush, leaves and debris on your properties.

Please be aware that on January 4 North Frontenac Township Fire Department responded to a brush fire which burnt approximately two acres of land due to windy conditions.

Just a reminder to all who plan on burning: Please keep your fires to a reasonable and safe size and watch for weather conditions that can change at any time.

Have a safe 2007.

- Norman Mills, Fire Prevention Officer

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Re - Electoral reform

I am encouraged and hopeful for a future government that will be both responsive and responsible (Zannah Matson's report Dec. 7th).

However, that is then and this is now. Canada's previous and present political leaders are primarily concerned with retaining the power assigned to them by the one-third of the electors that go to the polls and vote for them. That explains their pre-occupation with trivial non-issues and vague promises to consider formally praising whatever happened under their administration, or might happen if you nodded your head forward on hearing or reading their "top" policies. Easy examples are "Supporting Seniors" (by continuing taxes on OAS and CPP?); "Enforcing the Laws" (did anyone notice that crime rates are down?); "Restoring Marriage" (What happened, anyway -- did the idea fall off a shelf?) and "Fulfilling a Military Mission" (one that has yet to be explained beyond following the dictates of the CIA and Pentagon and diverting billions of tax dollars to the war-making industry where our defence minister maintains his allegiance).

Well now - can we find even more pressing issues? I think so.

1)       The loss of jobs at Harrowsmith and Gananoque.

2)       The restoration of funding for healthcare and daycare and native peoples' care.

3)       The overdue expansion of educational activities for the oncoming generation.

4)       The planned contamination at the Richmond twp landfill.

5)       The planned contamination (air, land and water) at the Bath cement plant.

6)       The overwhelming infrastructure deficit - roads, bridges, highways, water supply, sewage treatment and garbage disposal.

During last winter's election campaign, I failed to hear any concern about any of these six issues -- from either of the front-running candidates. It's only 12 months later, but I recall the word 'Accountability' being emphasized again and again. When I notice that we have a not-elected Minister of Public Works, an ex-lobbyist as immediate Minister of Defence, a previous 'point man' from another party trying to help the USA, bankers and corporate leaders sweep away our rights, freedoms and sovereignty permanently, and a Minister of Finance that refuses to use the Bank of Canada to fund our public goods and services, I wonder whether the word 'accountability' has some entirely different meaning -- once you are in public office.

- Jerry Ackerman 

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Where have all our politicians gone?

On November 14, I sent communications to MPP Leona Dombrowsky, MP Scott Reid, and the Frontenac News expressing my concern regarding the impending closure of FEWR (Frontenac Electronic Waste Recycling) in Sharbot Lake at the end of December.  Although Ms Dombrowsky wrote a response of sorts through the News, indicating that the matter was a federal concern, I have received no direct reply from either Leona or Mr. Reid.  On December 8 the same issue was presented to Premier Dalton McGuinty on the CTV (Ottawa) noon news.  On December 11, thanks to the investigative research of news editor Paul Brent, the FEWR facility was a news feature on CTV Ottawa on the evening news.  Having received no response by Dec. 31, I continue to wait for a reply about the status of this facility from any of the above elected officials.

A further issue, unearthed through CTV news investigations and reporting, appears to be gas leaks onto private and business properties from abandoned gas station tanks in Plevna, Silver Lake and Tichborne.

Where are our supposedly environmentally conscious politicians on this issue?

Elections are on the horizon both federally and provincially.  I suggest that you press your candidates about local issues such as these and find out what they plan to do about them.  Their first accountability should be to those citizens who elected them and to the communities and geographic region which they represent.

- Doug Boulter