Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve

By spring, all of South Frontenac Township is expected to be included in the UNESCO-designated Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve (FABR), one of 13 such sites in Canada. Some of the Councillors have questioned whether this might mean property restrictions or additional taxpayer expenses, so invited Don Ross, executive director of FABR to explain the designation. Ross emphasized that Biosphere Reserves have no jurisdiction powers or authority. Their purpose is to recognize areas of unusual ecological, cultural or historical significance, and through networking with local groups, develop programs which help communities work toward healthy environments, sustainable development and cultural development. This would include encouraging sustainable tourism, supporting ‘buy-local’ programs, mapping canoe trails, shoreline restoration, etc. Canadian Biosphere Reserves are largely operated by volunteers, and at present have no government funding, although a private members bill proposes the Federal Government offer some support.

Committees and Boards

Council appointed members of a variety of Boards and Committees for the next 4 years: all such groups must have at least one councillor: the number of citizen members depends largely on the number of individuals who have volunteered. (Citizen members are paid $15. expenses for each meeting they attend.) The four recreation committees were well filled, and the Storrington Cemetery Board proved popular, netting 11 members to Loughborough’s 3. CAO Burns noted that Storrington cemetery had "a lively group." However, Portland cemetery board may be the one to gain that title this time around: its membership is Bill Robinson, Bill Babcock, Eldon Hamilton, Phil Leonard and Don Smith...

Mitchell Creek

SF Township has been approved for a Federal/Provincial subsidy through the COMRIF program up to a total of $325,500. based on the actual cost of the project. (COMRIF will cover 2/3 of the project costs.) This means the township may be able to build a more environmentally friendly, less intrusive bridge than originally planned, as well as improve the approaches to the bridge, all at a lower cost to the municipality. CAO Burns congratulated Public Works Manager Blum for his excellent work on the application. There has been no reply to Mayor Davison’s letter to Federal Minister regarding the bridge’s height. Mayor Davison said the letter had been sent to appease the public, and while it may have ‘muddied the waters,’ he doubted it would result in any change from the present government-approved specifications