Land O’ Lakes Community Services in conjunction with Kingston Community Health Centre and Stanford University is holding educational workshops in Denbigh, at the Denbigh hall, 222 Highway 28. This workshop will help participants gain information and skills to better manage their diabetes. This free, six-week workshop starts Sept 10 - Oct 15 for 2.5 hours per week, 1 - 3:30pm (Living Well With Diabetes). You can learn new skills, and information that will help manage your diabetes daily, prevent complications and live healthier. Developing self-management skills will empower you to actively achieve your best health and wellness. You will gain the confidence and motivation to better manage your symptoms and the challenges with living with diabetes. This workshop is for people living with Type 2 diabetes as well as their caregiver and family members. You will learn about healthy lifestyles, managing stress, make action plans and set goals. The facilitators, Nancy Willis and Pam Lemke, received their training through Stanford University, and have been certified to deliver the program. If you miss this workshop, others will be offered in the future. For more information, call Pam Lemke at 613-336-8934, ext. 229, 1-877-679-6636, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In December 2011, the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) acquired the 100 acre Rose Hill Nature Reserve in Denbigh, a donation from sisters Bethany Armstrong and Charlene Bernhardt. The property had been owned by their family since the 1940s and due to its remote location is a quiet, wilderness oasis and wildlife haven.

On one of our first outings to the property, someone in the group noticed on an adjacent property an enormous boulder, an “erratic” deposited by glaciers during the ice age, that looked like it had something on the side of it. We wandered up the hill and were stunned to see a large bronze plaque mounted on the side of the boulder.

The plaque was a memorial to Robert Brodey and family friend Anna Hatton from Robert’s wife Patricia. On the plaque Patricia made a promise to Robert to keep the land as it was so that others may learn to love and respect nature as he did.

We were so mystified and moved by everything we had read that we managed to track down Patricia to let her know that she had a new Nature Reserve right next door to her property. We discovered that she now lived in Bar Harbour, Maine and had already been in conversations with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to donate the property. On learning about the MMLT and Rose Hill Nature Reserve, it just made sense to her to donate the property to us. It also made sense to NCC, knowing that we were already monitoring the adjacent property.

Patricia’s story is both tragic and inspiring at the same time. Here follows excerpts from her narrative telling her reasons for wanting us to preserve this beautiful 258 acre wilderness property.

“..I believe that this land can help in a very special way to bring to people an understanding of “how the world works”. A tall order for a small nature preserve in a large world.

To be sure there are many more dramatic places throughout Canada and the world with magnificent views, spectacular birds and other animals, places that draw visitors and encourage donations. I, as much as anyone, am awed by such places, but I believe that in focusing so much attention on the grand, we may draw attention away from the small: the parts, living and non-living, that keep the whole together and “make it work”. We see and applaud the macro and do not take the time to understand the micro.

I have been part-owner and later sole owner of this land for over 40 years. My former husband, Dr. Robert S. Brodey, was born in Canada and became an American citizen when he was employed as Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

When Bob was young he spent most of his summers at Camp Arowhon in Algonquin Park and was influenced for the rest of his life by those early years in wilderness Canada. As an adult he dreamed of owning some wild land where he could canoe, hike, photograph and study natural history (his special interest was Ornithology).

Bob asked his mother, Jennie to send him real estate ads from the Toronto papers. One ad she sent drew us to a property near Denbigh, Ontario. We had to wear snowshoes as there was fairly deep snow on the ground, but despite the difficulty in getting around, Bob knew immediately that this was the land he had hoped to find. This was the first and only land we looked at because it was perfect.

In June, 1971, Bob and I purchased the first 110 acres of land. The main attraction was a beaver pond, dammed years earlier and creating a ring of dead trees around the pond. ..

Bob at some point realized that the south end of the beaver pond was connected to another 148 acres and in June, 1972, we purchased it. This parcel had open fields, lilac bushes and apple trees, as well as an old barn and one other small building. The old silvered wood from the buildings was quite valuable and over the years was slowly removed. All that remains is what is left of the stone foundations.

..Bob and I took many trips to Denbigh from 1971 to 1979. Our last trip together was in August, 1979 when we were introducing our friends, John and Anna Hatton, to our land. On August 10, 1979 it was raining and we decided to have breakfast at the Swiss Inn (by this time Werner and Martha Lips were our good friends, and we often stayed at the Inn and/or ate meals there when the weather was not conducive to camping or cooking over the camp fireplace.) After breakfast we planned to visit Anna’s sister in Shawville, Quebec. On the way, on Highway 41, we were in a serious automobile accident, where another car swerved into our car and we collided head-on. Bob was driving with John’s wife Anna behind him; both were killed instantly. John, in the passenger seat beside Bob was badly injured with seven double fractured ribs, a broken left arm and contusions on his lungs. I was sitting behind John and had only minor facial injuries. It appears that the other driver fell asleep at the wheel.

“Shortly after the accident I first approached the Nature Conservancy of Canada about eventually donating the land. On August 10, 1980, a celebration was held on the land with representatives from the Nature Conservancy as well as our families and friends. A bronze plaque was installed on Rose Hill Rock as a memorial to Bob and Anna and a promise to preserve the land in its wild state.

“John Hatton and I were married two years after our accident. It was several years more before John and I felt comfortable enough to come back to Denbigh and to camp on the land. We thought that it would be very difficult, but we found it to be very healing being in a place where we had last been with Bob and Anna.

Camping on this land has been one of the great experiences of my life. I had always been interested in Natural History, however being virtually alone in the backwoods of Canada where, if we chose, we could immerse ourselves completely in what was around us… the insects and other tiny creatures... We were often asked if we were afraid of the Black Bears, but though there were bear-claw marks on almost every Beech tree, we never in all our years had a bear come into our camp or even glimpsed one from a distance. (We later learned that the local bears frequently went into town for the easily available food; our camp food was always hung securely in a tree.)

“We often fell asleep to the calls of the Grey Tree Frog, calls that were loud and long but soothing and pleasant. However, we could be suddenly startled awake by the very loud screech of the Barred Owl, a sound that would terrify anyone unfamiliar with this bird, especially when one screech would be answered by another from the other side of the pond.

“We learned where to find the Sundew and Pitcher plants; we watched Hummingbirds on the Spotted Touch-Me-Not growing on the beaver dam. I especially looked forward to finding the all-white Indian Pipe flower and the larval amphibian, the scarlet/orange Red Eft.

“We watched Painted Turtles and Brown Water Snakes warming themselves on fallen logs. We hiked all over the land and explored the pond by canoe and on the trail we had cleared around it. The days and nights always passed too quickly and although we occasionally ventured into town to visit Werner and Martha and eat at the Swiss Inn, we spent most of our time alone in the woods. When we returned home our friends would often say, “How does it feel to be back in the real world?” to which we would answer “That’s where we’ve been!”

In late June, Patricia fulfilled her promise to her former husband to ensure that this special spot would be protected forever and made Rose Hill Nature Reserve a grand 358 acres. A celebration and a short tour of the property is planned for Saturday, August 8. Please visit the mmlt.ca website for more details as they become available.

About the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust: The MMLT is a non-profit, charitable organization that works directly and flexibly with landowners interested in permanently protecting properties with exceptional ecological value, often bringing the support of a number of tax benefits.

In addition to conserving land, MMLT believes that exposure to nature provides numerous personal benefits and offers regular opportunities to the general public to experience the wilderness first-hand on its nature reserves. MMLT currently manages over 2100 acres of wilderness conservation lands. For more information, contact the MMLT at 613-253-2722 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Visit the MMLT web site at mmlt.ca.

Fears about declining property values, health concerns, and environmental protection were among the hot topics discussed at two meetings, a combined meeting of North Frontenac and Addington Highlands Councils on May 11, and a packed public meeting in Denbigh on the afternoon of May 30. The meetings concerned the Northpoint II Wind Energy Center, a proposal by Nextera, a subsidiary of Florida Power and Light, to install approximately 100 wind turbines in Addington Highlands and 50 wind turbines in North Frontenac.

A common concern for many of the folks in attendance at both meetings was property values.

Local realtor Chris Winney spoke about her fear that building a wind farm in the area would drastically hurt real estate values.

“It can be on somebody else's land and still have an effect on your property. It just cuts down on the number of people who are going to be interested in buying it. If there are fewer people interested in buying it then the value goes down” Winney told council.

Construction on the proposed project, if their bid is successful, is expected to take less than a year to complete, following a longer permitting process that Nextera would have to go through. Ben Faiella, a representative from Nextera was in attendance at the Flinton meeting and explained how Nextera had built a 92 turbine wind farm in Southwestern Ontario last year in about 6 months.

At the Flinton meeting, Dave Winney, a local resident, inquired whether council should hire on a consultant to “look at what has happened in other areas...” and to offer advice.

Addington Highlands Councillor Bill Cox said, “No, this council has not. It costs money and we don't have it...We don't have money to give consultants.”

Dan Carruthers, a cottage owner on Ashby Lake in Addington Highlands, then offered his assistance.

“I will personally pay for both a referendum, legal counsel, and any consultants. I will write you a cheque because I see this as an investment in protecting the property investments already made in this region for multiple generations.”

Carruthers went on to say “the only compelling reason I'm hearing for approval of these wind turbines is the 'community vibrancy fund' which is a bribe by any other name...it's a small amount of money relative to what I think is gonna be the negative offset on this place being an attractive area for investment... 90 communities...across Ontario declared themselves 'not a willing host.' They've gone through this process.

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins suggested that for them it was too early to bring a consultant into the discussion as they were still waiting on some crucial information.

Councillor Tony Fritsch brought Carruthers $50,000 offer to the Addington Highlands council meeting on May 19. The idea was rejected by a vote of 4-1.

Sarah Miller, an outspoken opponent of turbines, who said “the only control these councils have is right now. Right at the very beginning. If you declare yourself not a willing host you have the control. After that you have zero control. These companies move in and they will do whatever it takes. They are bulldozers. They are steamrollers.”

Another resident said “these cottage people pay the majority of the taxes. If these turbines come, there will be no cottage people.”

Helen Yanch, Councillor for Ward 2 in Addington Highlands spoke about some of the positives of the proposed project. “I know that there are some seniors that have signed up to have one, or two, of these [turbines] on their property and maybe they were thinking of it being an income for them”

A concerned lady in the audience said “I'm interested in property value because I too am a senior and I'm looking at probably in the next while, while all these shenanigans are taking place, having to sell and re-locate and I know, that because of what's going on, my property value is going to go down...”

Paul Issacs made a request to council to “please, please don't make your decision based on 'it's gonna happen anyway'...I think if you do that you've abandoned your responsibilities to represent us.”

“We're listening.” Reeve Hogg said.

“Personally I don't have a feeling for what the community thinks yet...” Councillor John Inglis from North Frontenac said.

There was little doubt about what the segment of the community that gathered in Denbigh last Saturday thinks about the project.

Two different speakers, Carmen Krogh and Parker Gallant, took to the microphone to help offer some insight and clarity to a discussion surrounding the possible negatives of having a large wind farm in the area.

Krogh, a retired pharmacist with over 40 years of experience in the health studies, detailed, via an elaborate presentation, some of the possible health effects that residents should be aware of when living close to wind turbines.

“We have got some pretty strong evidence that concludes that our noise levels and our distances [setbacks] currently in Ontario aren't working very well” Krogh stated.

She explained that both children, and adults, are vulnerable to noise, especially children born pre-term or with a low-birth weight, and that not enough research has been conducted yet to determine what the long-term effects on people living by wind turbines are.

She then spoke about the controversial study published in April of this year by the Council of Canadian Academies stating that the only adverse health effect they could prove connected to wind turbines was 'chronic annoyance'. Krogh presented articles and studies that defined symptoms such as heart effects, vertigo, headache, sleep disturbance, and other issues that she said are connected to annoyance.

Krogh's presentation went into detail on the science connected with amplitude modulation, which is the “swishing noise that people hear”, and how it tends to be the main source of the annoyance, along with light flicker from the towers. She also referenced a few accounts of people leaving their homes because of vibrations caused by wind turbines.

Krogh suggested that taking children into consideration is important when trying to find a solution. She also advocated for the government to do vigilance and long-term surveillance monitoring like they do in the pharmaceutical industry and concluded that more research is needed on possible health effects before approving wind farms.

Parker Gallant, a retired banker who had a 33-year career with TD Bank, dissected how we pay for energy in Ontario and suggested that in the last 15 years we've seen hydro rates almost triple. He explained how Ontario is currently generating more electricity than it can consume and that the excess power is sold to New York and Quebec and that even when it's not sold off HydroOne still has to pay the companies that are generating it for the electricity, regardless if the province is using it or not.

Gallant explained that in the first 4 months of this year “Ontario exported over 8 terrawatts of energy that we didn't need” and how that much energy would be enough to provide “over 900,000 households in Ontario with power for a full year.” His presentation was aimed at the flaws in HydroOne and the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) that NextEra's proposal falls under.

The wind turbines that Nextera are proposing for this project can be as tall as 110 metres to the hub, with the blade extending even higher. For comparison, as someone at the Denbigh meeting pointed out, these would be significantly taller than Bon Echo Rock.

The deadline for Nextera to submit their proposal to the IESO for this LRP is September 1st 2015 but they are seeking support from the townships by July 20. The project, if successful, is expected to be up and running by 2019.

Nextera is hosting open houses this coming weekend in Addington Highlands and North Frontenac to explain more about their projec.t The projects are awarded based in part on which company brings in the lowest price to the IESO. There is a 100-point system as part of the bidding process that discounts the proposal price by having support from the local council and a local Aboriginal group.

The Addington Highlands meeting takes place on Friday June 5th at 5pm at Denbigh Hall and a North Frontenac public meeting will take place Saturday June 6th at 10am at Harlowe Hall, followed by a presentation from Nextera.

Much ado about wind

Weary members of Addington Highlands Council spent most of their council meeting on Monday (June 1) listening, and talking, about a potential wind power project in Denbigh.

Presentations in opposition to the project by Rosemary O'Connor, Alice Madigan, Dianne Isaacs, and Paul Isaac were received, and there was one in support of the project by Ed Yanch. Rosemary Oconnor presented the results of an informal referendum on the project. Of 104 ballots cast in Addington Highlands, 101 said they disapprove of the project, 2 approve of it, and 1 was undecided. From North Frontenac residents, 10 ballots were cast, of which 9 were opposed and only 1 was in favour of the project,

Alice Madigan then presented a 540 name petition opposing the project. She said that most of those who signed live in or around the hamlet of Denbigh.

Dianne Isaacs then suggested that council seek legal council concerning whether the fact that Nextera has offered to pay up to $350,000 per year for 20 years to the township only if council supports the bid and the bid is ultimately successful, constitutes acceptance of a bribe, which would make the township open to legal scrutiny. Paul Isaacs presented an excerpt from a contract that he said revealed some of the potential pitfalls of the NextEra lessee agreements. Although owners of properties where turbines are located will receive at least $7,000 per year through the 20 year life of the project, those that contain roads will receive a minimum of $2,000 per year and those with transmissions lines a minimum of $1,000 per year. Because Ontario Power Generation will be in a position to appropriate lands of those property owners who refuse to have power lines run across them, Isaacs said the township should insist that the landowners who are forced into accepting the line should receive “at least 2 or 3 times what those who are willing to have their lands used are paid.”

Councillor Bill Cox intervened as far as the contracts between Nextera and residents are concerned,
“It is not our role to intervene in private contracts entered into by residents. Where would we stop if we started meddling there?” he said,.

Finally Ed Yanch pointed out that the township stands to receive $7 million over 20 years if the project goes through, and the economic activity would bring needed work for local residents.

“In my years living here there were two other occasions this kind of Nimbyism took place. One was when the provincial government was thinking of selling off cottage lots, and the other was when Bon Echo was proposed. Both times there was opposition, but where would Addington Highlands be now without cottages on our lakes and Bon Echo Park,” he said.

Later, in the body of the Council meeting, Councillor Tony Fritsch made 5 separate motions relating to wind power proposals.

The first two were endorsed. They were that staff contact municipalities where NextEra and RES Canada (the two companies who are seeking council support for wind power project) have completed projects to find out how the process worked.

The others, that township staff contact 10% of the 60 municipalities in Ontario that are already hosting wind projects to see what their experience has been, that council prepare a 'bargaining position' prior to meeting with Res or NextEra to finalize the Community Vibrancy agreements, and that no decision on the matter be made prior to August 4th, were rejected by Council.

Council will be meeting on July 6, and that is the final meeting before NextEra needs to submit their bid, and unless a special meeting is called for later in July, the decision on NextEra will be made at that meeting. As far as RES Canada is concerned, the township has not been approached with a deadline, but the company has set up public meetings on July 2nd from 6 to 9 pm at the Denbigh Hall.

A list of questions submitted to NextEra and answers from the company are being posted on the Addington Highlands website this week. We will link to it from Frontenacnews.ca

Other matters

A picnic table is to be installed, at a maximum cost of $200, outside the Denigh library to encourage use of the free wifi at the library.

Question about dispatch in Denbigh – Councillor Kirby Thompson said that he has been approached by Denbigh Firefighters concerned that since the dispatch service has been moved to Kingston they are not receiving some calls within their territory, which are then being handled either by Plevna or Northbrook based fire departments, which are located further away. The query will be forwarded to Fire Chief Casey Cuddy.

Tenders

A tender was awarded to Danford Construction for the rehabilitation of Hughes Landing Road in the amount of $672,860. Danford was easily the lowest of four bidders. In second place was Crain's Construction at just under $1 million, followed by Greenwood ($1.17 million) and Cruikshank ($1.22 million)

The paving contract for both single and double surface treatment on various roads was awarded to Greenwood Paving at a price of $18,440 per kilometre (single surface) and $35,670 per kilometre (double surface). There were only two bids for the contract, and Greenwood’s was the lowest.

Presentation to members of Denbigh Abinger, and Ashby Fire department.

The formation of the Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby (DAA) fire department came about as the result of two things. First, in the mid 1960s the township council requested that the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office conduct a fire protection survey for the township. When the survey was completed and provided to the municipality it came with a number of recommendations, mainly that a fire department be set up and what it would need.

At the same time the DAA Centennial Committee was doing fundraising for anniversary projects and the volunteer fire department was one of those projects.

Money was raised to purchase a portable building from a Belleville trucking company and was moved to the township for use as a fire hall and roads department building. More money was raised to buy a truck, and a used milk tanker truck was purchased and refurbished. The township purchased some equipment and other equipment was donated.

It was sometime after 1967 that all of the equipment was finally in place, the volunteers were trained and the department was formally established, with William Scott Senior, who had been a firefighter in Toronto, serving as the first fire chief. The service was entirely made up of volunteers, and a fire phone system was set up so that when the emergency number was dialed it rang in designated homes. The volunteers in those homes each had a list of firefighters to call.

With municipal amalgamation at the beginning of 1998, the service was amalgamated with the Addington Highlands Fire Service. A plaque commemorating all those who served between 1967 and 1997 was commissioned by Addington Highlands Township, and on Monday night, April 20, the plaque and certificates of appreciation were presented to volunteers from those years who were able to attend. A number of the volunteers were on hand in person to receive their certificates, but a larger number were not, as there are many who have died or left the area since being fire department members back in the 1970s and 80s.

“This is just a small token of appreciation for all of the service provided over those 30 years by the Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby Fire department and all its members,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

After receiving their certificates, the firefighters who were on hand posed for a picture with the commemorative plaque, which will go on permanent display at the Addington Highlands Community Centre in Denbigh.

Notes from Council meeting

Fees waived for community wind power meeting - Paul Isaacs has organized a meeting concerning the NextEra proposed wind farm in Addington Highlands this Saturday (April 25) and he was asking for the use of the Denbigh Hall for free. The meeting will concern itself with creating three lists: a list of benefits from wind turbines, a list of detriments from wind turbines, and a list of questions to ask concerning wind turbines. Council approved the request for waiving the fee.

The idea of holding a public meeting sponsored by the township in ward 1, was also raised at the meeting and council will be considering setting one up. NextEra, as part of their public process, is going to be setting up an information Open House in Denbigh in late May. The Open House will be part of NextEra's push for council support for the project. A motion of support from the local township is one of the elements in the bid that NextEra will be submitting to Ontario Power Generation (OPG). A competitive bidding process is being used by OPG to determine which company they will sign a 20 year contract with for the purchase of 300 megawatts of wind power. As an incentive to Addington Highlands Council, NextEra is offering a $350,000 annual payment for the life of the contract. Those payments are contingent on two things happening: NextEra needs to the be successful bidder, and Addington Highlands Council needs to have supported the bid.

Support for a private members bill -

Sylvia Jones, Progressive Conservative MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, is sponsoring Bill 36, the Respecting Private Property Act, which if enacted will increase the fines for trespass on private property. The bill would establish a minimum fine of $500 for trespassing and would increase the limit for compensation to the landowner to $25,000 from the current limit of $1,000.

Council passed a motion supporting Bill 36.

Water levels low in Mississippi Valley

Councilor Kirby Thompson, who represents AH on the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority Board, reported that Gord Mountenay, who has been monitoring water levels in the watershed for 35 years, said that the lake levels are at historic lows this spring. The MVCA controls the flow of water within the system by using flow control dams, but the options are limited when water levels are low.

(see "Rain brings some relief from low lake water levels - burn ban conditions")

For many it is the local Santa Claus parades that mark the start of the Christmas season in these parts and the numerous parades that took place in North, South and Central Frontenac are always welcome and exciting events, especially for youngsters and the young at heart. This year's parades seemed especially festive with a plethora of colourful floats courtesy of the numerous businesses, organizations, service clubs and individuals, who despite the bustle of the holiday season took the time to put together their unique parade offerings. This year it seemed there were more colourfully clad youngsters, more live animals and more live music than in parades past. Whatever the reason, here are just a few snap shot memories from the parades that took place in Sydenham, Harrowsmith, Sharbot Lake, Tichborne/Parham, Northbrook and North Frontenac.

Sharbot Lake

Elsa waves from the Northern Frontenac Community Services' Disney inspired “Frozen” float

 Denbigh

It was a crisp evening for the Santa Claus Parade in the village; even still, a good number enjoyed the lights and sights. Mr & Mrs Claus had a warm welcome for everyone at the hall, as hotdogs, hot drinks and goodies were gobbled up. The children took their turn making their requests to the Man in Red, followed by a festive program presented by the Rec. Committee. Congratulations to the LCBO on winning people's choice for favourite float with their entry decorated in gingerbread and sweets.  

 North Frontenac

The North Frontenac Christmas parade took place on November 29, starting at the township offices in Plavna and finishing at the Ompah hall.

Photos courtesy of Michelle Ross. At right: the Plevna Pioneer Club’s float proclaims “Jesus is the sweetest gift”. ton Cottages float

Due to the numerous Remembrance Day ceremonies that will be held in Flinton, at Pine Meadow Nursing Home and the local school, and as they will all be led by Rev. Padre Bruce Kellar with the participation of members of the Northbrook Legion, the Denbigh Remembrance Day service was held early, on November 2. The ceremony took place at the Denbigh cenotaph located at the Denbigh United Church and it attracted close to 30 members of the local community.

Rev. Padre Kellar led the service, which included members of the Northbrook Legion, Cecil Hawley, Sergeant-at-Arms Ernie Ballar, Mike Powley Junior, Harry Andringa, Wayne Marsh and Robert Wood. Rev. Padre Kellar began the service by speaking about the tragic events that took place over two weeks ago in Ottawa and Quebec, in which two members of the Canadian Forces were killed. He said, “We are able to stand on this free ground because of the men and women who have put their lives in jeopardy.” He prayed for those who have been lost and for those who have lost loved ones and who continue to experience suffering and pain because of that loss.

Twelve wreaths were laid by various members of the community including members of the Addington Highlands and North Frontenac councils. Following the ceremony attendees gathered to share a meal.

by Angela Bright

The Denbigh Griffith Lions Club, formed in 1998, is part of Lions Clubs International, which is the world's largest service club organization. The Lions' motto is "We Serve" and our local Lions are part of a global service network, doing whatever is necessary to help our local communities. The club, at a current count of 24 members, donates about $20,000 each year to a variety of projects and causes. One of the current major initiatives is to donate $25,000 over five years ($5000 per year) to the Lakelands Family Health Team (LFHT) in Denbigh. On Wednesday, October 22, at a club meeting, the official cheque presentation and most recent installment was presented to, and gratefully accepted by, Janice Powell of LFHT. Powell shared that while she was not intending to stay on for more than a few years, it has become her passion and she is now in year four with LFHT. Working to gain the services currently in place and others that may be realized down the road, has, and is her objective. This money is a part of how that happens and thus, patients have the opportunity to have more tests completed locally. The Denbigh Clinic serves the greater communities of Denbigh, Griffith, Matawatchan and the surrounding area, and has increased access to primary health care for residents of this remote and isolated area. Patients now have more access to a physician and nurses, as well as access to a nurse practitioner, a dietitian, a mental health counselor, and an advanced foot care specialist, in their home community. LFHT offers several programs (hypertension, diabetic, smoking cessation, Healthy You: Weight Management), and preventative care. Emergency care is also provided at the Denbigh site.

As far as the fund raising end of things go, Lion Bill Shipley summed it up; “If it's not fun, it's no fun at all and not worth doing.” With the amount of money that has been raised for projects like the LFHT, the Lions are definitely having fun doing it.

Canada Day celebrations took place through out the Frontenacs both on the weekend leading up to and on the day of the July 1 holiday.

While the communities of Denigh, Arden, Long Lake and Kennebec Lake, Bedford, Ompah, Snow Road and Verona held their celebrations on the weekend before the holiday, the villages of Sydenham, Storrington, Sharbot Lake and Harrowsmith chose to hold their celebrations on the holiday Tuesday and despite a rather grim weather forecast, the celebrations (so far, as of mid afternoon Tuesday when this article was submitted) went off without a hitch though the day was a hot and humid one.

Some volunteers did plan changes of venue in case of inclement weather and in Sharbot Lake the festivities planned to move indoors to Oso Hall if need be with talk of delaying the fireworks until the following weekend if necessary.

In Harrowsmith the plethora of colourful classic vintage cars were a hit and in Sharbot Lake it was the parade fairies and the gathering of hundreds of holiday goers at Oso Beach following the parade that made for a fun and relaxing day. Thanks to the all of the service clubs, community groups, organizations and individual volunteers who continue to make the Canada Day Holiday in the Frontenacs one to remember each and every summer, rain or shine.

Denbigh post office facing cut in hours as well

The Denbigh Post Office is not immune to the cost-cutting measures at rural post offices in the region that continue to be rolled out by Canada Post.

Last week, Glen Baldock, Canada Post’s local area manager for Kingston, paid a visit to the post office in Denbigh, and also sent a letter to Addington Highlands Councils.

In his letter to Council, Glen Baldock says that Canada Post is considering “closing your post office on Saturdays only and realigning the hours during the week."

According to a presentation to Addington Highlands Council by local resident Dianne Isaacs, based on her conversation with the local postmaster, the more detailed proposal for Denbigh is similar to what has been proposed at some of the other locations in the region. Instead of the current hours of 9 to 4:30 Monday to Friday and 9 to 12:30 on Saturday, Canada Post is proposing hours of 10:30 to 3:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10:30 until 6:30 on Wednesdays; and no Saturday hours.

The proposed changes echo what is proposed in Parham and Maberly in that they involve a 25% cut in hours from 36 to 27, an end to Saturday hours, and opening late one day a week, but is somewhat different than what is proposed for Cloyne.

Dianne Isaacs urged Council to send a letter to Canada Post pointing out the role that the post office plays in Denbigh. As well, since the Denbigh Post Office is located in the basement of the post-master’s home, customers will not have access to their boxes when the office is closed.

“The post office is also the only location where federal forms, such as tax and passport forms, are available locally,” Isaacs added.

Council will send a letter to Canada Post asking for the hours to remain as they are now.

Concern over the state of Bridge Street

Bonnie Thompson, a new full-time resident of Denbigh, approached Council with a request that attention be paid to Bridge Street in Denbigh. “I know that the street needs to be rebuilt and that may not be possible at this time, but I do think some effort could be made to keep the grass cut and improve the guardrails to make it more appealing for visitors,” she said.

She also asked if the boat launch in Denbigh might be outfitted with a picnic table and perhaps a garbage can in order to make it more appealing to visitors.

Her proposals are being referred to the Denbigh Recreation Committee.

Building statistics for 2013

A summary of construction statistics show a total construction value of $5.8 million in 2013, down from a record $8.8 million in 2012 but well above the $3.2 million in 2011.

However, some large projects skewed the figures for 2012 and 2013. The 2012 figure includes $960,000 for the Northbrook ambulance base and $4 million for the Pine Meadow Nursing Home addition. The 2013 figure includes $2.6 million for the addition to Bence Motors' showroom and garage.

If these projects are taken off the results, it turns out that the construction activity has been relatively steady over the three years: $3.3 million in 2013, $3.8 million in 2012 and $3.2 million in 2011.

Warning about Health and Safety

The township's assistant clerk, Tanya Rosenblath, also acts as the health and safety officer for the township. In December she completed an inspection and sent reports to each department dealing with issues in various township-owned buildings.

In a report to Council she pointed out that the only building for which she has received a response to the concerns she raised are the Northbrook and Denbigh garages.

“I have not heard anything from the other departments/buildings that require some attention,” she said in her report.

She said she is bringing the matter to council’s attention because if the departments do not wish to follow the recommendations, “I feel that I can no longer take the responsibility of overseeing H&S [Health and Safety] because of the liability risk that I would be putting myself and the township if the Ministry of Labour should show up or an accident should happen.”

Deputy Reeve Bill Cox, chair of the recreation facilities committee, said he would make sure all the buildings under his committee’s purview will be addressed.