Photo: Betty Kelford and Edith Beaulieu

Approximately 21 people attended the 75th anniversary of the Snow Road Women’s Institute. The meeting started with the Institute Ode, followed by the Mary Stewart Collect. The roll call was “Name the country of your ancestors”. Guests in attendance were Joan Irvine, District President; Deborah Ireton, District Fundraising Convener; and Penny Hermer, a member of the Rideau Branch. Secretary Treasurer of Lanark South District, Edith, had gone through the books and made a plaque with all the members’ names of the last 75 years. It had 100 names on it. There were also many articles on display from past WI meetings.

The Snow Road WI started on September 4, 1935. I’ll just name a few of the people who were in the organization for many years: Laura McDougald, 67 years; Aileen Sproule, 64 years; Dorothy Millar 58 years; Della Sargeant 57 years; Evelyn Gemmill 54 years; Margaret Millar, 53 years. All were from Snow Road and are deceased now.

Geri Frechette did a tribute to Hilda Geddes, who was a member for 48 years, and the daughters all gave beautiful tributes to their mothers. Bev Elliot gave a tribute to her mother Aileen Sproule; Sharon Dowdall to her mother Dorothy Millar; Elaine Delisle to Evelyn Gemmill; Sylvia Lynch and Barb Crain to their mother Laura Mae McDougald. Pins were then passed out to members, to their surprise - they did not know they were going to get pins. Agnes Thomas received a 30-year pin; Elizabeth Neumann, 35 years, Irma Zeller, 29 years; Geri Frechette, 25 years; and Edith Beaulieu a 10-year pin.

Beryl Stott spoke on the Elphin Women’s Institute and Mrs. Bobby Ferguson. A candle was lit for all the members who had passed away. Joan Irwin thanked everyone for their involvement. A few draws were held at the end of the meeting and winners Elizabeth Neumann and Penny Hermer finished the meeting with the Institute Grace. A lovely lunch was served afterwards with lots of visiting.

I want to thank Edith Beaulieu and Betty Kelford for inviting us. They put their heart and soul into this meeting and we were proud to be guests.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Peggy Truscott was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1999 and had a dream about raising awareness and building a community of support for survivors and their families. The first Walk of Hope was organized by Peggy in 2002 in Toronto and has since grown to 15 national walk locations, now sponsored by Winners. The “mini” walk provides a way in which people who cannot attend one of the 15 national walk locations to learn more about ovarian cancer and take part in an inspiring and hopeful event in their own community. All planning and associated costs of hosting the walk are borne by the individuals organizing the event and all proceeds go to Ovarian Cancer Canada.

Last year 25 people from the Cloyne area participated in the Kingston mini walk and since then, another member of the community was diagnosed with ovarian cancer so we decided to hold our own mini walk this year.Please show your support by joining the Cloyne “mini” Winners Walk of Hope on Sunday, September 12 at Bon Echo Provincial Park. Registration begins at 10 am and the walk begins at 11 am. You can pre-register and download a pledge form online at www.winnerswalkofhope.ca (choose Cloyne as your walk location) or in person the day of the walk. Registration is free and money raised provides crucial funds for ovarian cancer awareness, education and research. If not pre-registered, contact Betty Stevens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-336-8140 to arrange for park entrance. Complimentary post-walk refreshments will be provided to registered walkers.

Photo:  Silver Lake Pow Wow emcee Mitch Shewell, head male female dancers Bernard and Tammy Nelson from Port Hope and Nippising First Nations and arena director Danka Brewer

The 17th Annual Silver Pow Wow, which was held at Silver Lake Provincial Park on August 28 & 29, attracted Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from far and wide to share and enjoy ceremonies, dances, food and festivities. Traditionally held to carry on commerce and match making and to trade the four sacred medicines - cedar, sage, sweet grass and tobacco, traditional Pow Wows are now held primarily as a way for Aboriginal friends and family to meet.

Pow Wows have been going on since time immemorial and according to Danka Brewer, the arena manager at this year’s Pow Wow, “Today they are as important, if not more important than those held before contact because of the fact that we are now more dispersed. Here we can come together to get the traditional teachings, customs, and languages.”

The Silver Lake Pow Wow is a traditional rather than a competitive Pow Wow, where everyone dances and sings together and learns from one another. “Danka continued, “There is real sense of community here with opportunities for mentorship, since certain members of the community who know the teachings, dances, songs and language can pass them on to others.”On Saturday afternoon when I visited, an Honour Song was sung, a ceremonial tribute paid to the teachings of someone present or to those of someone who has passed away. The particular Honour song I witnessed was for Running Wolf, a Lakota Dakota Sioux who lived in Kingston and did a lot of work with the local community and the Katarokwi Native Friendship Centre in Kingston, and who passed away a number of years ago. A drum that he made was played during the song.

A blanket dance was held for the Pow Wow Committee where four members of the community carried the blanket and were joined by a warrior who danced alongside them. Visitors placed donations in the blanket, which helped pay transportation fees for visiting drummers and dancers and to cover other related Pow Wow costs.

Among the highlights of this year’s Pow Wow was a set of dances performed by visiting Aztec dancers from Mexico, who were arrayed in golden regalia and headdresses made from pheasant feathers. The dancers entered the sacred circle with one of them blowing a conch shell, and before each dance, its meaning was explained to the audience. Their final dance was a fire dance dating from the Spanish conquest, which represented the self-immolation of an Aztec chief as he prayed that his people and culture would survive. The audience was enthralled by the dancers’ energetic and impressive performance.

Danka Brewer, whose Aboriginal name is White Bear Woman, sits on the Pow Wow committee and has helped organize the Pow Wow for years.

She said, “The best way to find out about a traditional Pow Wow is to come and participate. You are guaranteed to make five new friends and every time you come that will grow.” She continued, “A lot of people mistakenly think that Pow Wows are only for native people, which is not the case. They are open to everyone. When the Creator made the world he made four races of man, not one and so we celebrate that and everyone is welcome.”

For information contact Danka Brewer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She is also on facebook under Danka Brewer.

Photo: Arlene Uens, Greg Adams, Karen McGregor.

Word slipped out in mid-July that St. Lawrence College was going to locate their new Sharbot Lake-based Employment Service Centre at the site of the former Stedman’s store on Garrett Street.

The store, which had been vacant for a couple of years, has had a solid history as a retail venue, so community members were curious about how it would serve as an office space.

“When community members walk in here,” said Karen McGregor, the co-ordinator of the new centre, “they almost always say the same thing. ‘I can’t believe how big this space is, and how much like a big city office space it is.’”

The space might have an urban feel, but use of the office and all of its services is easy and informal, as befits a rural service centre.

In addition to the desks that are occupied by the three employees that staff the centre, there are two banks of four new computers in the middle of the room, all of which have high-speed internet access and a number of employment-related software packages installed.

There is desk space available with each computer as well, and they are available for use by anyone who is registered with the centre. There is also a bulletin board with job postings at the entrance to the centre, and there are comfortable couches. Free coffee is available every day of the week.

On the day I visited, two people were working away at the computers, using them as their own mini-offices as they developed their own employment plans. In addition to computers, they were using the telephone, printing, faxing and email services the centre offers.

Among the programs that are featured at the Employment Resource Centre is the Second Career Program, which provides an opportunity for people who have been in the work force for a number of years to receive additional post-secondary education.

Another program that is promoted is the Ontario Self-Employment Benefit, through which people can receive Employment Insurance benefits while they develop their own business. Apprenticeship information and job creation partnership services are also offered.

In addition to providing information and assistance accessing employment programming, the centre’s staff are committed to providing hands-on support, whether that means help in learning the ins and outs of certain software, help in building or fine tuning a resume, or providing referrals for people who require other kinds of training than is offered locally at Northern Connections, or at other locations.

“Our focus is clearly fixed on helping people gain employment,” said Karen McGregor, “and we are invested in the local community.”

It helps that two of the three staff members at the centre are from the local area, inlcuding McGregor herself, who lives in Sharbot Lake, and Arlene Uens from Mountain Grove.

“Sure, a lot of the work in this area is seasonal, but on the flip side of that there is plenty of time during the year for us to offer different kinds of training,” Karen McGregor said.

In addition to referrals, the centre’s staff will be offering training sessions on site in the coming weeks and months, including a fall prevention training course for roofers that will be offered by Greg Adams, the resource co-ordinator at the centre, and service training workshops that will be offered by other staff members.

The Employment Centre is charged with serving the population in Central and North Frontenac, and staff will be doing outreach throughout the region.

“Our goal is to eliminate barriers to employment, be they education-related, transportation-related, or whatever they may be. To do that, we will use our own resources and those of other groups and agencies wherever they are located,” said Karen McGregor.

Thus far, the centre has been a success. Since holding a soft opening at the beginning of September, almost 150 people have visited, and the grand opening of the Sharbot Lake Employment Centre is still over a month away. It will be held on Wednesday, November 3 (look for details in the Frontenac News in October).

Through St. Lawrence College, employment services are also offered in Sydenham at the South Frontenac Employment Resource Centre, and in Northbrook at Land O’Lakes Community Services.

 

Photo: 2nd annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides in Sharbot Lake

Participants gathered with their four-legged friends in tow for the 2nd Annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides. Sponsored by the Sharbot Lake and District Lions, the walk started at Oso Beach. After complimentary coffee and donuts, participants headed out on the 5km walk, 2.5km there and back along the Perth extension of the K&P trail.

Carolyn Bond, organizer of the event and proud owner of three dogs, was hoping to surpass last year’s $3,500 total raised. This year a number of local area corporate sponsors joined the ranks, each pledging $100 donations.

For Bond, the walk addresses a very important need. “These dogs help so many people in so many ways, from autistic kids, to people who suffer from seizures, to people who are sight and/or hearing disabled. It's really amazing when you realize what these dogs are trained to do and how they are helping so many people.”

The cost for training a single dog guide is estimated at roughly $20,000 per animal, an expensive and time consuming undertaking, but one that allows people with various disabilities to live mobile, safe and independent lives.

Glenys Bender participated in the walk for the first time this year with her rescue dog “Pip”, a two-year-old sheltie cross that she often walks along the K& P trail. “I decided to join up this year because Pip is used to this particular walk and I feel that the cause is definitely a very worthy one.”

All participants received a complimentary doggie gift bag that contained a leash, bandana, and doggie treats courtesy of Purina.

As the dogs and their owners set off under bright and sunny skies, Bond was confident she'd reach her $5,000 goal and the bright sunny weather just might be the thing that will have made it possible this year. For those who missed the walk and would still like to make a donation, please call 1-800-768-3030, or visit www.purinawalkfordogguides.com.

 

Chris Bliss and D'Arcy Snider and four of their kids at Uptown Dairy in Sydenham

The first ever Open Farms Tour, put on by the National Farmers’ Union, took place on September 19 and the weather could not have been better. It encouraged many visitors to head out to meet local area farmers, find out what they produce and how they do so.

In Sydenham Chris Bliss, who along with her partner D’Arcy Snider owns and operates Uptown Dairy, a goat dairy farm, was in the loafing barn or the “nursery” as she calls it, a small wooden building that houses the most recent additions to the herd. Some of them were born just weeks ago and the visitors, myself included, could not seem to get enough of them.

The couple began production at their farm in January 2009 and a start up loan from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) the year before helped them along the way. After securing their market by joining the Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative, and armed with ingenuity, determination and years of experience as cow dairy farmers, the two are now running a very successful and smooth operation.

Their original 80-head herd now consists of 247 Saanen goats, a pure white alpine breed from Switzerland that is well known for its high quality milk. Though the industry says the goats can be bred at one year of age and can start producing milk, Chris and D’Arcy prefer to wait until the goats are 18 months old, since they want them to get “a bit more growth on them.”

Chris mentioned that the current popularity of goat milk and goat milk products is a result of a highly educated public that is well aware of the milk’s many health benefits, and is “a huge plus” for their business.

“The whole healthy eating trend has meshed perfectly with goat farming. There is very little education that needs to happen since now roughly 90% of the public are aware of the overall health benefits of goat milk, namely that it is a more heart healthy milk. A lot of people are trying it who have never tried it before,” explained Chris.

She continued, “It is also in high demand for people of all ages who are lactose intolerant, especially young babies.”

Chris explained that the molecules in goat milk are much smaller than those found in cow’s milk. “They do not glob up and cling - they don’t cause blocked arteries and other related health issues.”

The farm is 240 acres and includes a smaller loafing barn for the youngsters, and a 50’ x 75’ “cover-all” building to which the 8-week-old goats are moved after they have been weaned.

The third barn is the 50’ x 82’ foot main milking barn, which is also air conditioned and is where 120 goats are kept and milked twice daily, at 4:30am and 4:30 pm. They are milked 12 at a time by automated milking machines, which milk all the goats in just an hour and a half. From there the milk is immediately pumped into a sophisticated cooling system that cools it from 100 degrees F to below 40 degrees F in about five minutes. The milk is then pumped directly into a refrigerated 3200 litre storage tank. Once a week it is pumped into a refrigerated truck that takes it to Toronto where it is made into fine gourmet cheeses.

D’Arcy gave me a tour of the top notch milk shed where the storage tank and cooling system are located. He and Chris designed and built the shed, which has passed two inspections so far with a perfect 100% score, making their operation a grade A facility.

Right now the herd is producing up to 10,000 litres a month and D’Arcy is hoping to acquire machinery to allow him to milk an additional 12 goats.

D’Arcy informed me that part of the beauty of goats is that they eat whole grain and do not require processed feed, which is a huge bonus that helps keep the feeding costs down. Their diet consists of hay, wheat, corn and barley, all of which is grown right on the farm.

Compared to cow dairy farming Chris explains that one big difference is dealing with a much larger number of animals. It takes 10 goats to equal the milk production of a single cow and the goat population grows much more quickly than that of cows.

“Keeping up with herd management can be tough”, Chris said. “We look at the goats individually and a lot of the management depends on observation and skills that can’t really be taught. I tend to walk around with a note book and that helps a lot.” That being said Chris admits that goats overall are a user friendly animal, easy to handle and “you don’t have to be a life-long dairy person to do it”

“It was tough to get used to them but once we did and learned how they functioned and trained them, we’ve managed to get most of the bugs figured out,” he said.

D”Arcy informed me that he and Chris got into the Cooperative just in the nick of time.“Just after we got in, the cooperative closed their doors to other producers.” There are currently 17 million litres of goat milk being produced at the Cooperative by 100 producers in Ontario.

But those interested in the business should not be deterred. D’Arcy’s advice to others thinking of jumping aboard? “Seek your sales first and just make sure you have a market secured before you start. And then get on board because I think this market is really going to break loose.”

 

Municipal Election - October 25, 2010

Mayoral Candidates

Ward 1, Barrie

Ward 2, Clar-Mill

Ward 3, Palmerston-Canonto

Mayoral Candidates

Jim Beam – Ambition and a new approach to the County

Ever since Jim Beam was elected to Council four years ago, he has been pushing for a larger role. He started by seeking the deputy mayor’s position, a two-year renewable appointment, even though at that time he did not have any council experience.

He won the vote for deputy mayor, and in addition to serving in that job since 2006, he has been the North Frontenac representative to the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority and to the Frontenac County Trails Task force.

So, when the nomination period began for the 2010 municipal election at the beginning of the year, it was no surprise that Jim Beam's name appeared on the list as a candidate for mayor long before the snow melted.

“I believe I can provide a strong voice,” Jim Beam said when asked about his decision to run for mayor. “I’ve learned a fair bit about how the township and the county operate and I want to continue to move the township forward.”

With his wife Vicki, Jim has a history in the township that goes back to 1989, when the Beams purchased a property on Sunday Lake, located between Ompah and Snow Road in the eastern part of the township. They have lived there full time since 2001, when Jim retired from a career in National Defence. Prior to working for National Defence, he was an elementary school teacher, vice principal and principal in the Ottawa area. On Sunday Lake, Jim and Vicki built what Jim describes as their “dream home”.

One of the changes in direction that Jim Beam would like to see Council take in the near future concerns its relationship with Frontenac County.

He said that the positive experience he had working on the County Trails master plan with councilors from other Frontenac townships as well as the changes that have been made to the county structure make him a bit optimistic about the future of the County

“The hard work that we did to make changes at the County could pay off. I did not agree with the position that we took that led us to try and pull out of the County. That being said, I still think the County is southern oriented.”

One of the stress points between North Frontenac Council and Frontenac County has been over funding for an upgrade to the Pine Meadow Nursing Home, which is located in Northbrook, in Lennox and Addington County, but serves the population of North Frontenac.

North Frontenac has supported a request to the County for $250,000 over 10 years to help fund that upgrade. The County has refused that request each year for the past three years, and Jim said that, if elected, he would consider going to his own township council for that money if he cannot persuade his colleagues at the County.

“If the County does not step up, perhaps the township will have to,” Beam said.

Beam also advocates for North Frontenac to consider some mechanism for supporting road work on private lanes within the township. In recent years, a number of requests for help in grading and gravelling private lanes have come to Council.

“I'm not at all satisfied with the way things have been done in regards to private lanes. I think it is possible for a mechanism to be set up where we could provide some funding for private roads,” Beam said.

He said that he has developed a “tremendous working relationship” with township staff, and will continue to work on the broadband service issue, where there has been progress made, but not in the eastern portion of the township.

“Over the last four years I have been very visible in the community. I worked hard on the Clarendon School issue, attended meetings and events inside and outside the township, and becoming mayor would only be a continuation of that commitment.

 

Bud Clayton – launching a political comeback

Bud Clayton is no stranger to North Frontenac Council, or to the issues of concern to waterfront residents.

Since he retired from a management position in the Natural Gas industry in 1993, Clayton has been a year-round resident of North Frontenac, on a Mackie Lake property with no road access. “It's never a problem for me to get out. I use a boat or I can drive over the ice except for a few days of the year, when I can drive my ATV over a trail to get out.”

While Clayton has never had a problem getting out to meetings because of where he lives, it has given him an insight into the concerns of the seasonal residents in North Frontenac.

“It's the age old problem in cottage country that those who pay the most taxes use the least amount of services. There's never been a solution to that problem, but I think more dialogue with our seasonal residents needs to take place, more than a once a year meeting,” Bud Clayton said.

In terms of Council experience, Bud Clayton is the only candidate in North Frontenac, for mayor or council, who has served with two different mayors. He sat on Council between 2001 and 2003 under Stan Johnston, and between 2004 and 2006 under Ron Maguire. The last time that North Frontenac residents went to the polls in October of 2006, Bud Clayton was running for mayor against Maguire and Betty Hunter. Clayton finished second in that election, 400 votes behind Maguire.

While he was on Council, Bud Clayton was the North Frontenac Council appointee to the Management Board of the Pine Meadow Nursing Home. After the 2006 election, he became more involved with Pine Meadow and is currently the chair of that management board. “I've been pretty busy with Pine Meadow, as we have been working hard to secure a redevelopment plan, and haven’t been too involved in township politics,” Clayton said.

But as the days wound down before the nomination deadline in early September, and no one was stepping forward to contest Jim Beam for the mayor’s position, Bud Clayton decided to step forward. “Leadership roles are ones that I've taken my whole life. All of my jobs have been in leadership or leadership training roles so I am comfortable seeking this position. I also felt that acclamation is not the way to go for a position where someone has to lead Council and represent the township to other levels of government, and I was in a position to step up to the plate.”

In terms of policy, Bud Clayton thinks the budgeting process that North Frontenac has employed should be changed. “It's a bit of the tail wagging the dog. We get a budget document and then we tweak it here and there, but what we really need to do is work towards asset-based budgeting. We have to look at our roads, bridges, waste sites, and all of our buildings in terms of the long term. If we have a bridge or a road that will need replacing in 20 years we need to put money aside now so the money is there when we need it.

“I know we have more information about assets than we used to and we need to incorporate that information into the budget process.”

Although Clayton represented Ward 2 when he sat on Council, he is also sensitive to the fact that residents in Ward 1 tend to feel they do not get their share of attention and spending by the township. “Ward 3 always feels like they are the poor cousins. They feel the road work is not done in their district like it is elsewhere, and they do have reasons for feeling the way they do.”

Clayton also feels that the township has some fences to be mended with the County. “We always had issues with the County when I was on Council, and that hasn't changed, but saying we were planning to leave was not a reasonable proposal. You have to work within the family or you are not part of the family.”

Unlike his opponent Jim Beam, Bud Clayton is not sure that the way to deal with supporting the Pine Meadow building project is to go to the township if Frontenac County Council continues to say no, but says, “The township may have to look at that but I would not want to walk away from the County. I think if they understood Pine Meadow’s role in Frontenac County they might think differently, and as mayor I would be in a position to make them more aware.”

 

Ward 1, Barrie

WAYNE GOOD

Although Wayne Good has been sitting on North Frontenac Council for five years, this election will see him face the electorate for the first time. He was appointed to Council when Will Cybulski resigned late in 2005, and was acclaimed to his council seat in 2006.

He waited until the last minute before jumping into the current election race, only submitting his papers as the nomination period had almost run out.

“It is a time-consuming job, to be sure, and my wife and I have some plans to travel, but in the end she said that if I wanted to do another term she would stand behind me. And I feel there is some unfinished business with the township that I would like to be involved with,” Wayne Good said.

He thinks that the direction the township has been going in has been good, with a lot of work being done on the waste sites. Wayne Good supported the purchase of a trash compactor to extend the life of waste sites, and he opposes the extension of roads service to the roads that are currently un-maintained.

“It's a matter of cost in that case,” he said, “if we open the door by doing a road here or there we are going to start having to spend even more money on roads.”

Wayne Good has also been involved in the emergency preparedness committee of Council and is chair of the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Board, which involves working with members of the Addington Highlands Council as well as North Frontenac.

“I think we've come a long way with the fire board, and we have put an addition on to the Cloyne fire hall. The Barrie Hall is being developed as an operations centre for an emergency, and if we do get a pandemic, which was supposed to happen with the H1N1 virus last year, or if a wildfire goes through the area, or if any large-scale disaster happens, it will be a command post for the township,” he said.

 

SHAWN GRAY

Shawn Gray represents a new generation of political candidates in the North Frontenac election. He was raised in the area, and works for his father-in-law’s independent logging operation.

Shawn Gray is also married and is raising a young child, so he comes to his first political experience with the concerns of local business and young families at the forefront of his thinking, If elected, he plans to represent those interests on Council.

“I think it is time for younger people to get more involved. I feel it is my responsibility to have a say in what happens in our community and I am in a good position to do so,” he said.

Anything that the township can do, or that an individual councilor can do, “to help the small businesses in the area, even if it only means making a phone call, or trying to help in some manner, is better than standing on the sidelines.”

He is also concerned about the impact of provincial regulations. “I support property rights for private individuals on their land and want to protect private water supply,” he said.

In his election campaigning, there have been a number of concerns raised by the residents, including waste sites and spending, and he plans to bring them to Council.

 

LORRAINE GAREY -

Lorraine Garey was a member of Council in Barrie Township in the term before municipal amalgamation (1995-1997) and did not get elected when the number of councillors dropped from four to two in 1998.

Since then she has become involved in a number of other pursuits, including working part-time for Community-Living North Frontenac, volunteering at the North Addington Education Centre, and raising a total of seven children.

Lorraine and her husband have four children, all of whom are into their twenties now, and a few years ago the Gareys adopted three younger children, all from the same family. “The children are now all settled in school, and I have the time to think about getting back into municipal politics,” she said.

Lorraine came to the Harlowe area close to 30 years ago, and in addition to raising a family she has worked and volunteered in the social service environment in many capacities, including working at Pine Meadow Nursing Home and volunteering at Land O'Lakes Community Services.

“I bring that perspective to municipal politics as well, because there is a role for local government to play in supporting that work,” she said. “My background in human resources makes it easier for me to talk to people and understand what they need. I can help put the puzzle of municipal politics: the road system, waste sites and all that the township office is involved in, together for people.”

One of Lorraine's many concerns has to do with the future of the area. “I've raised four children in the area and only one has stayed here. You can see the cut in numbers in our schools. Councils need to do everything they can to bring opportunities for people to build lives here,” she said.

 

FRED PERRY

Fred Perry was appointed to North Frontenac Council in June of 2005 when Dick Hook resigned. He stood for election in 2006 and was acclaimed. So, he is in an unusual position, that of a veteran municipal politician facing the electorate for the first time.

Fred Perry was born in Myers Cave, but like many others he left the area for work. He worked at Nortel and Bell in management positions until he retired and eventually made his way back to North Frontenac.

Fred Perry has held a number of leadership positions on township committees, including the active waste management committee, the economic development committee, the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Board, and the Family Health Team Committee.

“We have worked pretty hard to bring Broadband service into the township, which has finally had some success in Barrie ward although we are still trying to extend the service further into the township,” he said.

He has also taken on a role with Frontenac County as a member of the Green Energy Committee, which is currently looking at solar micro-fit projects on municipal buildings, partly in order to stimulate the public into considering solar power projects as a viable investment.

Among the ideas that Fred Perry is bringing forward for the upcoming Council is improved relations with cottage/lake associations.

“I would like to see each lake association, or as many as are interested, appoint a contact person for Council, so they can receive updates or newsletters or surveys in a timely manner to share with the rest of the association. Permanent residents are able to get this information through the Frontenac News.

I would also like to encourage all residents to get involved joining township committees and task forces on new initiatives. Task Forces are time-limited commitments. We all know that waterfront ratepayers pay high taxes, and we need to work harder to bring their issues forward,” he said.

Ward 2, Clar-Mill

ELAINE GUNSINGER

Elaine Gunsinger has served as a councillor for two years after being appointed to replace Wayne Cole in August of 2008.

She has lived in the area since she moved to Flinton as a teenager, and after moving around with her husband, to Calabogie and back to Flinton, they settled on the North Road where they still live today.

Elaine ran a catering business and worked for a time at North of Seven Restaurant in Plevna.

She has enjoyed her two years on Council, and feels that she has spent a lot of that time “learning so much about how the council and the township operate that I think I would like to put that experience to use for the next four years on Council.”

She is supportive of many of the initiatives that the current Council has undertaken. “I think we've got to do a better job explaining to the residents why things are done the way they are done,” she said. “An example of that is the waste issue. People are concerned about the clear bag policy, but it is really all about keeping our waste sites open and keeping them within the guidelines from the province. If people know where the directives are coming from, they are better off.”

Another commitment she has made is to ensure feedback from ratepayers is responded to. “Many times when someone has phoned me, they are surprised when I phone them back, but it is important for people to know they have a voice.”

She is concerned about calls for increased road maintenance on un-maintained roads and private lanes, and uses an analogy from her catering days to illustrate the problem. “It's like when you are planning a wedding. When you invite one extra person you have to invite more and more people and things can get out of hand,” she said.

 

GERRY MARTIN:

Gerry Martin is a relatively recent retiree who lives in a year-round home on Malcolm Lake after a 35-year career with Bell Canada. Martin grew up in the Fernleigh area and attended Sharbot Lake High School in the 1960s before starting his career in Kingston. His final posting at Bell was in Smiths Falls as a section manager.

Since his retirement he has become a member of the Committee of Adjustment in North Frontenac, which has given him some of the flavour of how the township operates. He has also been a tour boat operator at Bon Echo Park in the summer time.

He has a couple of reasons for wanting to sit on Council.

He says that one of them is that, “We have government by bureaucracy instead of government by representatives. I think the Council has been unable to set out proper guidelines for the staff to work with, and that leads to all sorts of problems.”

Another reason he is running for Council is that he is “a little tired of being retired. I can only hunt and fish so much.”

What he can offer to Council, in addition to his management experience generally, has to do with his technical understanding of the telecommunications business. “I don't think the township has ever made a complete presentation to Bell or Telus about the needs and opportunities for cell phone and broadband service in this township. People are not going to move in here with young families unless we have that kind of service available,” he said.

Another issue that Gerry Martin has become acquainted with is the question of development on private roads, which in his view is necessary for the township to thrive, but is something that the Province of Ontario would like to put an end to. “Council needs to be strong on the private roads issue,” he said, “the province is completely out of touch on that issue.”

KARIN FERGUSON-REYNOLDS

Karin Ferguson-Reynolds said she is running for Council because, “I've always been drawn to professions where I can make a difference".

She grew up in North Frontenac, went away for a time, and then returned to raise a family. As a teenager she worked at a nearby summer resort, which gave her a sense of what a tourism-related business is all about.

She moved to Kingston to become a registered nurse after graduating from high school, and then worked in Brockville at Nortel, along with her husband Terry. When Nortel closed in Brockville, they moved back to North Frontenac and Terry took up teaching, eventually finding a job teaching the intermediate class at North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne.

Living on the Ardoch Road in Ward 2 of the township but near Ward 3, and with her husband working in Ward 1, Ferguson-Reynolds said she “has an interest in all of the wards. I don't have the framework of someone who only cares about their own ward; the entire township is important to me.”

With her children now well established in public school, she has the time to serve as a councilor.

In her dealings with the township, Karin Ferguson-Reynolds said that she is not as happy with the way Council has run. “People are frustrated with the format of the council meetings. It makes the whole municipality seem very formal and impersonal. Procedures have to be followed, but there should be an openness to hearing what people have to say,” she said. “I also think that decisions need to be more consistent, and the same set of rules should apply to everyone.”

PAUL THIEL

Paul Thiel is a relative newcomer to North Frontenac, having moved to the township just under two years ago from Kitchener.

“My wife and I were looking to get out of the city, and we had been looking in the Bancroft area but did not find anything,” he said. “I have hunted in the Denbigh area for 30 years, so we went to a realtor in Northbrook who showed us a property in the Fernleigh area and we took it.”

Paul had been involved with his neighbourhood association in Kitchener, so he joined the Clar/Mill volunteer group after moving to North Frontenac. He attended council meetings occasionally back in Kitchener and he started going to most of the North Frontenac meetings early this year.

“This summer I began to think about running for Council because I think that I could help the Council out if I were a member,” he said.

In his working life, Paul Thiel spent two years chairing a committee to help bring the automotive assembly plant where he was working up to the International Safety Organisation standards, and found that he had the necessary skills to steer a committee forward.

“I think there can be a little more done to organize council meetings better in North Frontenac,” he said. “There should be more consistency. The other week council discussed something for half an hour while a number of people were waiting for the bylaws to pass. It could have been done differently.”

Waste management, more ongoing communications with lake associations, and taxes are all issues that Paul thinks the new council will have to address.

 

LONNIE WATKINS:

Lonnie Watkins was born and raised in North Frontenac. He lives near the hamlet of Ardoch and runs a tree service business.

He is younger than most members of municipal government, and being a family man who runs a small business he represents a group of individuals that do not usually receive much representation on Council.

During his first term on Council, Lonnie was involved in a number of initiatives, and one of his responsibilities was to represent the township on the Program and Accommodation Review Committee of the Limestone District School Board, which had a positive outcome from the point of view of North Frontenac when Clarendon Central School was kept open.

One of his regrets coming out of his first term on Council had to do with the decision he feels Council was forced to take over the proposed Family Health Team Satellite clinic in Plevna.

“If we could have opened up the old MNR building in Plevna as a walk-in clinic that everyone could have used, it would have been a great thing for the people around here. But that was not going to happen,” he said.

With the knowledge and experience gained from his first term, Lonnie is running again to hopefully contribute to completion of some projects that are currently in mid-stream. 

"My viewpoint on many issues that cross the table in Council is that we are here to help the people, whether it be seniors, young families or businesses. If we can make a difference for the people, we should.

“After all, they pay the taxes" he said.

Ward 3, Palmerston-Canonto

BETTY HUNTER

Betty Hunter was a council member for Ward 2 (Clarendon and Miller) between 2004 and 2006,and she ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2007.

As a member of Council, she took a particular interest in economic development, and since 2006 she has become a board member with the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC).

She has also become a board member of the Eastern Ontario CFDC and she has just been elected to the provincial board as well.

“Working with the CFDC, I see lots of opportunities for working on county-wide development projects, and in particular for North Frontenac the One Metre Initiative is particularly exciting even though it has a number of hurdles to overcome,” she said.

In the current campaign for Council, Betty Hunter said that her “main focus is on fiscal responsibility, economic development, roads, waste management and the environment.”

She has been a resident of North Frontenac since 1986, when she bought a business in the community with her husband. Although that initial business did not work out, the Hunters have continued to live and work in the region. Betty's husband Don is self-employed, and she has worked in various jobs over the years.

The Hunters live at the borderline between Wards 2 and 3, and this time around Betty is running in Ward 3 “mainly because it is the area where I first settled when I came to the area and because even when I represented Ward 2, I was doing some fighting for Ompah.”

Hunter is also not convinced that the ward system should be maintained in North Frontenac.

“North Frontenac has to start looking at itself as a whole. The ward system isn't the be all and end all of everything. We might think about our councilors representing the entire township.”

 

JOHN INGLIS

John Inglis was an engineer with Ontario Hydro when he moved to the Lothlorien co-operative near Ompah some 36 years ago. His original plan was to keep his job, but the distance could not be bridged in the days before faxes, email, and teleconferencing.

He learned how to make doors and windows by building them for his own house, and ended up opening Lothlorien Woodworking, a business that he continues to operate to this day. While Inglis is new to municipal politics, he has been involved in economic development initiatives in the region for many years.

He was involved with the Hwy. 7 Community Development Corporation in the 1990s, and was instrumental in the development of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, eventually sitting on the founding board of the corporation. “I've thought about running for Council before, but I've always been too busy,” he said. “I decided I could do it now. I have a couple of good people working for me, so I now have time to spend on township business.”

“I’ve come to this because I feel I have something positive to offer in meeting situations. I'm not afraid to express dissenting opinions,” he said.

He sees that roads are the major asset of the township, and by far the major cost factor. “I am concerned about some of the amortization in the township budget concerning roads,” he said, “and I am somewhat concerned about the size of our bureaucracy.”

Relations with lake associations should also be fostered, he said, noting that Canonto Lake, for example, is completing a lake plan that may impact the township’s Official Plan at some point.

John Inglis has also been involved with the initial planning for an upgrade to the tiny Ompah library once the building it is located in is vacated by the fire department. “I’d like to see us put a library space in and see if we can convince the Kingston Frontenac Public Library to fill it.”

 

BOB OLMSTEAD

Bob Olmstead wasted little time deciding to run for a second term on North Frontenac Council. He was the first person into the election race back in January.

In addition to serving on Council for the last four years, Olmstead was a member of Council for Palmerston-Canonto from 1983 to 1986. A life-long resident of Mississippi Station, Bob worked as mechanic until he retired from that profession in 1999. He continues to run a hobby farm.

As a member of Council he has sometimes been critical of the roads department. “I'm not always pleased with the way things are done, but there have been improvements,” he said. He also thinks it is sometimes necessary “to fight for more down in this end of the township because we are the last to get anything done.”

As well, Olmstead thinks the township should consider extending roads service, in a measured way, on un-maintained roads. “We are always talking about the economy and about people moving in here. A bit of gravel on an un-maintained road might be enough to bring someone in or keep someone here,” he said.

Whatever concerns he has about the roads department, Bob Olmstead is wary of any proposals to upload roads to Frontenac County.

“We pay a lot of money to the County and we don't get much, if anything, back. Now they are talking about Hwy. 506/509. I really don't think that's a good idea. It will blow up in our face. I feel that we are in a good position right now to take care of our own roads.”

He sees the Ompah fire hall project as the major project that he would like to see through to completion in the next Council term.

 

ROBIN RIDDELL

Robin Riddell has lived in the Robertsville area for over 30 years with her husband Steve, although she originally came from Madoc.

While she was caring for a young family, Robin ran a home business, Robertsville Upholstery, for 12 years. When her youngest child started school, she returned to school herself, graduating from Queen's as a Registered Practical Nurse in 2001, and eventually earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2006. She currently works in Kingston General Hospital for the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) but in October she will be transferring to a job with the CCAC at the Perth Hospital.

“When I knew I was going to be working closer to home in Perth, I made the decision to run for Council,” she said.

One of her reasons for seeking a council position is the fact that she is still in the work force and would represent a younger generation if elected. “I think it is time for a newer perspective, some newer ideas, to come forward to Council,” she said, “my main focus is the working people and the need to keep families living in the township.”

She points out that it took a community effort to keep Clarendon Central Public School open last year, “but unless we can encourage young families to live here we will eventually lose that school.”

She recalls that when her children were small, she received some support from the township to send her children to nursery school in Sharbot Lake, “which I really appreciated at the time.”

She would like to see the township act now in the interest of young families and local business. “Our local bus companies are under threat now with the new school bus contract. I'd like to see that sort of issue addressed by Council in some way.”

The Zealand Women's Circle was created from the Zealand Women's Institute in April 2004 because the members were dissatisfied with the fee hikes and the emphasis on sending money to support the organization on a provinicial, national and international scale. The members preferred to use resources to support local causes instead of sending funds to Toronto. We continued to meet regularly the third Thursday of each month, first at the Royal Canadian Legion hall, then at St. Andrew's Anglican Church hall. Our major fund raiser has been well organized by Marlene Ambler for 12 years, with members and other groups supplying the lunches at various times. If any group in the community is interested in taking over this venture, please call Marlene at 613-268-2369. 

Although our membership grew to 24 people, we find now that with people moving away, members being involved with other projects, going south in the winter, and the aging of all of us, that we are unable to continue as an organized group. Our last official meeting was held on June 17. At that time the members decided to disperse our remaining monies, and to try to meet on a bi-monthly basis for lunch to keep in touch. The funds were dispersed to the following local groups--Central Frontenac Railway Museum, Oso Rec Committee for the Swim progam, Adult Day Program at the Seniors' Centre in Sharbot Lake, Alzheimer Society, the Maberly Agricultural Society and the balance to the Sharbot Lake Food Bank, which we have also supported with pennies collected at each meeting. 

Quilts that we made have been turned over to Grace Wilby to be distributed as needed on our behalf.

Over the years we have had programs on a variety of topics--guest speakers, armchair travel experiences with Pam Giroux, presentations by community service organizations, and paper crafts, to name a few. We've participated in fun and games, exercise, and of course, EATING.  We have supplied more than 80 quilts to cancer patients, and 160 to newborns through the Childcare Centre. We've donated money to the Seniors' Centre, Cancer Society, Sharbot Lake food bank, Grandmothers by the Lake (Stephen Lewis Foundation), Christmas Angel Project among others.

It has been a wonderful way to meet many great people of Sharbot Lake, both old-time residents and newer ones.  Hearing their stories, sharing their joys and sorrows, saying good-bye to some and hello to others, has been a great experience. Some of our longest standing members include Brenda and Elda Garrett, and Shirley Crawford, who were all involved many years ago.

So many people have taken part in Institute functions over the years--it is impossible to name (or remember) them all--and have helped the group to grow and thrive.  Always supportive, in good spirits, our monthly get-togethers have been delightful.  Good luck as we continue to meet on a more casual basis, always with the Mary Stewart Collect in our thoughts.      

 

Mayoral Candidates

Gary Davison

When Gary Davison was running for mayor four years ago, he drew on his experience as a volunteer firefighter. He had been the fire chief for Loughborough District in the years following municipal amalgamation.

“There were four fire departments in South Frontenac and four part-time fire chiefs. We realised that we could not do the job that needed to be done. So Marty Olman from Storrington and myself got together and started pushing and scratching to get a full-time chief hired, and we finally succeeded. It took a while for there to be a buy in from all of the firefighters, but it made a lot of sense in the long run,” he said.

In a way, the arrival of a full-time fire chief was the catalyst for Davison's own political career. In 2003, he resigned from the fire department after 40 years, a decision that he took partly in order to take himself out of the picture so the Loughborough crew would start looking at the South Frontenac Fire Chief as their chief.

“It was what I perceived as the best for everybody,” he said.

Working on bringing amalgamation to the fire service put Davison in front of South Frontenac Council a fair bit. He decided to run for council in 2003 and was elected as a councilor from Loughborough.

When he decided to run for mayor in 2006 the main thrust of his campaign was to bring full amalgamation to all of the services offered by South Frontenac Township, including waste management, roads, emergency services, and all budgeting.

“I was sitting on council when we had five budgets,” Davison said in explaining how the system used to work. “If a truck left the Sydenham Road station and was going to do a job in Bedford, maybe making a stop in Loughborough to do something first, they had to log it in two or three log books.

“Aside from being a bookkeeping mess, all this was doing was making the area councilors fight to protect their own domain, as the question for any job was always ‘Whose budget is this coming out of?' I didn't think this was a good business plan and I didn’t think it was in the best interest of our township and our road crews. I thought it was time to get on with our life, so I campaigned on that issue.”

With the sometimes reluctant support from council, this amalgamation project has been completed, and there is now a single South Frontenac road crew, a single fire department, waste management system, and budget. The 2010 election provides an opportunity for the electorate to pass judgement on how that process has been brought about.

“I did a lot of soul searching before deciding to run again,” Davison said, “and in the end I felt that we are doing a lot of good things in this township right now. I have learned a bit in one term and with some of the contacts with other levels of government, I think I have more to contribute.”

In addition to the amalgamation project, South Frontenac has doing a lot of building over the last few years, making use of infrastructure initiatives from the federal and provincial government.

“We've done lots of bridge work and road work. We've rehabilitated our Keeley Road works yard, and spent over $700,000 in road upgrades in each district last year,” Davison said. “All of that costs money, and while we try to keep tax increases to a minimum, there have been some modest increases, including 2% in 2010. I know people would like a 0% increase, but to think you can run a township like this with a 0% increase is unrealistic.”

Gary Davison is taking his turn serving as the warden of Frontenac County this year, and he acknowledges that many of the members of his own council do not like the way the county operates.

“They like to throw darts at the county,” he said, “but look at the ambulance base and the library that are being built in Sydenham. Those are county-funded projects, not township-funded projects.”

The expansion of Frontenac County Council from four to eight members (with an increase in voting power for South Frontenac because its mayor will have two votes) is not something that Gary Davison wanted to see. “I was not in favour of expanding county council. The decision making is going to be the same; it will just take longer to get there.”

That being said, Davison is concerned about the growing scope of the county.

“We have to be vigilant to prevent the county from growing back into what is was before amalgamation. A lot of good ideas come forward at the county, but they all cost money,” he said.

 

John Fillion

John Fillion has only served one term on South Frontenac Council but he has a long history of involvement in municipal politics through the ratepayers’ association he helped to start up in the 1980s.

“We formed the Storrington Ratepayers’ Association to hold the council’s feet to the fire,” he said. “They were not doing things quickly and efficiently enough and we had to push them a little bit.”

He said that the association was instrumental in getting subdivision approvals through Storrington Council in the 1990s, which improved the tax base for the then township. Storrington was amalgamated into South Frontenac in 1998.

John Fillion has a long background in the Inverary area. His family homesteaded there and he has been living there since he was 16. He was master plumber by trade, and built up a plumbing contracting business.

He describes himself as retired but he does keep a small septic and excavation business going, although his son does most of the work.

“I haven't done much in the last three or four years,” he said, “but I do run some rental properties.”

It is what he learned in the business world that provides a lot of the insight that John Fillion brought to municipal politics when he ran for council in 2006, and when he looks at South Frontenac Council from that point of view he still does not like what he sees.

“We didn't like the way things were shaping up on council. The Storrington representation we had seemed to side with the wrong bunch. One of the ratepayers said to me, 'Why don't you run?' so I did. We are very political in this area over here, and we like the best bang for our buck, so that's what I brought to South Frontenac Council.”

Since then, Fillion said it has been an uphill struggle trying to provide the kind of oversight of township spending that he came to council wanting to provide.

“This is what I’ve been battling,” he said. “How can I provide oversight if the facts aren't presented to council? They keep us in the dark. I electioneered last time about openness, to watch and respect your tax dollars, to try and save your money. I started on council with no support, and I managed to get three other members of council with me, and I almost got a fourth.”

In response to what he calls a 5-4 split on council, Fillion is seeking the mayor's position.

“I'm going to bring in accountability. There will be accountability to the mayor's office. Everyone will have to come forward to council and tell them what they are going to do and how much it is going to cost.

“We have a pretty good ship, here in South Frontenac, but there is a problem with the rudder. It is not the fault of staff; it is the fault of council, and that starts with the mayor.”

Fillion took a stand this year when the township budget was being debated. He argued that the overall budget should be brought it with 0% increase in the levy to ratepayers, instead of the 2% increase that was eventually approved. In the end he voted against the budget, and he has brought his budget fight to the election campaign.

“The mayor says that they need to keep all kinds of money in reserves, but the reserves themselves are a self-perpetuating thing. Any money that is left over goes into reserves, and it disappears there. We could have brought in a zero increase budget and kept millions in reserves at the same time,” he said.

He also said he would be willing to take on the County of Frontenac over spending. “I don't see why the county council needs more people on it. I put the blame for the way the county operates squarely on the shoulders of the four mayors. With more people on the county it will just get worse. The county is already out of control.

“They are always increasing staff; the pressure will continue to be there to hire more staff and to build a new room for meetings. And we know this is not sustainable,” he said.

In seeking the mayor's position, John Fillion points to his own business experience.

“I've been through four recessions in my life. I'm still here and I've never gone bankrupt,” he said. “The province is bankrupt and they are going to try and do more downloading to cover their deficit. We need to be able to fight them.”

 

 

School Trustee

BARB MCLAREN

Barb McLaren has lived in Sydenham for 21 years.

As a Limestone School Board Trustee for four years she has been an advocate for expanded French immersion. She comes by her interest in French education from her own background.

She took a French degree in university but neglected to complete her Bachelor of Education. She worked as a manager at Sears for a time, then took an extended leave from the work force to raise eight children.

“When my youngest children were toddlers I was asked to teach French in a number of private schools, and I then did some teaching in the Limestone Board,” she said, “ending with a contract position doing Core French at North Addington.”

She left active teaching to take an online Master’s Course in education and was elected as trustee in 2006. “The experience as a trustee has been great, and I have developed a real appreciation of the responsiveness of the senior staff of the board,” she said.

One of the roles of a trustee is to help shepherd concerned parents through the system to deal with problems their children are having.

Barb McLaren served as the chairperson for the Program and Accommodation Review Committee for North and Central Frontenac and came out of that experience impressed as well with how the senior staff responded to public concerns. “The parents made it very clear they wanted us to keep Land O'Lakes Public School open, and instead of saying there was no way to do it, the staff worked really hard to find the money that was needed,” she said.

If re-elected, McLaren said she would continue to pursue improvements to French instruction in the Limestone Board.

“My thing is pushing French into the primary grades. If they started in grade one the kids could learn the language, but starting in grade 4 kills the program,” she said.

SUZANNE RUTTAN

Suzanne Ruttan, who lives on Buck Lake, brings a wealth of experience to her campaign for the Limestone District School Board Trustee position, for South Frontenac Township. She has worked for 5 different school boards over a period of 17 years, in various aspects of education.

As a trustee, Suzanne would promote all South Frontenac students having the same educational opportunities regardless of the school they attend; this would be accomplished by requesting equitable resources for all South Frontenac schools. As well, she would “make sure” that the schools have a variety of ways to hear their community’s wants and needs. To assist with this, Suzanne has a dedicated website and e-mail and will respond to all education based inquiries within a 24 hour time frame. Among other goals, she would like parents to be welcomed into all South Frontenac schools, so that they can support their children’s progress any way they can.

Suzanne moved to the township in 2000 from Toronto when her husband Randy, a lifelong South Frontenac resident, got a job with the Upper Canada District School Board as the principal at Gananoque Secondary School (he is now the principal at Thousand Island Secondary School in Brockville)

Both Randy and Suzanne were working with the East York Board of Education in Toronto when it was amalgamated into the Toronto District School Board, the largest in Canada, so she is familiar with the kinds of growing pains that boards like the Limestone Board have lived through.

She is currently working as an agent of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, administering nutrition programs for students in 51 schools and community agencies in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

As well, Suzanne is the chief governing officer for Limestone Advisory for Child Care Programs and the Ontario Early Years Centre in Kingston. She also volunteers two days a month in her son's classroom.

Suzanne believes that everybody must work together to deliver the best possible education to every child in every school.”

Bedford District

PAT BARR

Pat Barr is making her first run at Council this time around, but she has an indirect history in Bedford politics, having heard all about them from her father Carl, who was a councilor and reeve in Bedford in pre-amalgamation days.

Pat moved back to her family home from Ottawa 11 years ago to look after her father. She started working in Kingston at that time.

She has a geography degree from Guelph University and went to Kemptville college as well, where she studied agriculture. However, she always found herself working in some aspect of horticulture, from greenhouses to florist shops and has worked in that field over the years.

In this election she is hearing a lot about waste management as she talks to people because of the curbside pickup that has came in last month in Bedford.

“The people on private lanes are not getting the service. Some feel they can’t put their garbage out at the ends of their lanes without a bin, even though they can put it out without a bin on garbage day. I think the real issue is with the dumps and the costs,” she said.

In preparing to run for council, Pat Barr has attended a number of council meetings, and she has found a lot of time is wasted when councilors argue with each other.

“I hope that whoever gets in will start to work together more harmoniously than the council that is in there,” she said.

Barr was appointed to the South Frontenac Recreation Committee last year, which she said might provide a model of cooperation for council.

“We all put forward an effort to make things happen. We put forward the idea to hire a facilitator, and that seems to be going well. I think the people on the committee generally trust each other,” she said.

Issues that Pat Barr sees coming to council this next term include roads budgeting and planning matters, as well as taxes.

“Road 38 is going to need major work and council is going to have to put aside its petty differences to be able to approach other levels of government for grants to do that job,” she said.

 

DEL STOWE

Del Stowe first became acquainted with South Frontenac Council as an employee. He moved to Bedford from Kingston in the late 1990s and worked as the Chief Building Official for the township. When he took a job in the building department at the City of Kingston, he was freed up to run for council. He sought and won a council position for Bedford in 2000 and was re-elected in 2003 and 2006.

Stowe talks about his experience as a volunteer firefighter when he first came to the township to illustrate what has been accomplished in that time.

“We had a gas can on the hood of the pumper attached to the carburetor so the truck would keep running, and off we went to fight fires. Now we have a full-time chief, a vehicle replacement plan, and real training standards.”

“I'm kind of inquisitive and I've always been interested in grass root politics,” he said of his continuing interest in sitting on council. “We've done some good things since I've been on council, such as amalgamating our operations, bringing in septic re-inspection, the Private Lane Upgrade Program adopted by South Frontenac (originally introduced to Bedford District as one of my election platform issues in this term of council) and more, but now I think it's time for us to really decide what we really want this township to be.”

To that end, Stowe thinks the township is ready to look seriously at some long-term goals for itself.

“Every large business has a set of values and goals,” he said, “we have nothing like that. I'd like to see us have some direction; I'd like to go to the public and see where the people want us to go. Do we want development? What kind? These are questions we haven't asked.”

As a member of council for ten years, Del Stowe stands by the decisions that council has made, including the changes in waste management that have been somewhat controversial in Bedford district.

“I stand by what we've done by amalgamating waste. In Bedford we had $28,000 in reserve funds for closing all our waste sites. Now the township has taken that on. I think we did well and I have no trouble supporting it,” he said.

 

MARK TINLIN

Mark Tinlin and his wife Beverly purchased property on Bob Lake in the 1980s, and when Mark retired from Carleton University in 2005 from the position of Director of Public Safety, they became full-time residents at their waterfront property.

Mark Tinlin comes to municipal politics with a wealth of management experience. Before working at Carleton for 15 years, he held a similar post at Western University in London, and before that he worked as a commercial crime investigator for the RCMP for seven years. Prior to that he was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, where he reached the rank of major. He also held a senior management position with St. John's Ambulance.

He said he is interested in “trying to preserve the quality of life we have in South Frontenac, and in working on long-term plans to both protect the environment and foster growth.”

In campaigning over the summer, Tinlin has been faced with public concerns over waste management, as Bedford has been transitioning into a curbside pickup system on township roads. “Eighty percent of the people I talked to were unhappy about it,” Mark Tinlin said, “they did not think it would work and were concerned about the cost. The system does not adequately address the issue for many residents.  Bedford is very different from the other districts - approximately 80% of its residents live on private lanes.  The township should have considered a waste management approach based on the model used by Tay Valley Township, which could work quite nicely for Bedford.  The new garbage pickup service is an example where the township failed to communicate appropriately and in a timely manner, which left residents confused and frustrated." he said.

Tinlin said another major issue that concerns people is maintenance on gravel roads. “People don’t want four-lane highways, but they want their roads maintained.”

As the Bedford representative, he said he would see it as his job to make sure that the concerns of Bedford residents do not get lost at the township level. “Bedford residents sometimes think they are considered the 'poor cousin' of South Frontenac, and I think two-way communication will help to deal with that.” he said.

Finally, Mark Tinlin said he would like to address concerns around the fire service in parts of Bedford.

 

Louborough District

RANDY FERGUSON

Randy Ferguson traces his local family roots back to a family farm that was founded in 1850 on the north shore of Loughborough Lake, not too far from where he lives now at Perth Road Village.

Randy Ferguson runs the Kingston office for Jewell Engineering, a company that provides engineering and project management for a lot of major municipal building projects, including a number in South Frontenac. He has never run for council before, but he has a long standing interest in municipal politics and a set of skills that would be useful at the council table.

“I was thinking about running the last two times, but I was just too busy to commit the time.” he said. “I feel all my public works experience and the fact that I deal with councils all the time in my work will make me an asset to the township.”

Ferguson has been extremely busy over the last couple of years on the job, because of the large number of infrastructure projects that have been approved.

“In the last 2 ½ years, we have done over $80 million in work,” he said, “including the Loughborough Lake Bridge in South Frontenac, and the public works site at Keeley Road.”

One of the projects that Randy Ferguson is supervising is the rebuilding of Highway 41 between Tamworth and Highway 7 in Lennox and Addington, a job that is similar to one that South Frontenac could be looking at in the coming years.

He thinks that what is lacking in South Frontenac is public input into decision making; a serious look at the viability of waste sites; and comprehensive recycling and hazardous waste policies.

“In terms of development I take a common sense approach. The township should provide more support for small business as well. I'm 100% in favour of anything that can encourage small business, for sure,” he said.

 

ALLAN MCPHAIL

Allan McPhail has been a member of council since 2006, after running unsuccessfully in both 2000 and 2003 (he also ran provincially for the NDP in 1999).

Before joining council he served on the board of what is now known as Southern Frontenac Community Services for six years, including taking on the role of Board chair for two years.

He is one of the founding members of the Sydenham Lions Club and has served as the club’s secretary throughout its six-year existence.

He moved to Kingston in 1982 to take a job as an electronic technician at Queen's, moved to Sydenham in 1987 with his wife and children, and retired from Queen's in 2008.

“I originally moved to Sydenham for the rural atmosphere, and have found it to be a great community. I have always had an interest in volunteering and in politics, so all of my various activities have come about from that,” he said.

“I think the latest council has certainly looked after the regular business of the township well. We have developed a few common concerns, and made good strides in improving roads, and in terms of amalgamation,” McPhail said.

While there have been a number of contentious issues before council that have led to rifts between its members, he said, “I have try to work with all members of council and try to facilitate communications between them - not always successfully I'm afraid. But I think there may be more opportunities for an improved atmosphere after the election, no matter how it turns out.”

During the next term, Allan McPhail said council would be facing issues such as “doing the groundwork to provide the financial planning that is needed to re-surface Road 38 in the next 10 years. I also think we need to bring together the various committees of the council itself to better reflect one township.”

 

RON VANDEWAL

Ron Vandewal ran for council one time before winning a seat in 2003, making him the third member of his family to serve on municipal council (his father and brother were both on Loughborough Council)

As a rookie councilor in December of 2003, the first item on the agenda of the first meeting Vandewal attended was the approval of the Sydenham water project. “I'm glad the decisions we've had to make since then haven't been quite as contentious,” he said.

He was one of the councilors who supported the amalgamation project that the township has embarked upon, and said that in most cases it has been a smoother process than he thought it would be.

“Everyone wondered what would happen when we amalgamated the fire department, and put all the budgets together, but we did and nothing terrible happened. The same has held true for the other departments,” he said.

But for Vandewal, the next step in amalgamation will only come when the members of council “stop being protectionist about their own districts and work towards what is best for South Frontenac as a whole while representing their districts.”

Another point he made about the way council operates is the attitude of mistrust that council has for staff, particularly senior staff. “We hire these people, and we want them to do a job, but we don't trust them to do it,” he said.

Should he be re-elected again, another matter that Ron Vandewal will be bringing to the new council is a “realistic” long-term plan for fire hall improvements. “We received a plan which called for us to replace seven of our nine fire halls at a huge cost. I think we should start looking at why we have nine fire halls; which ones can be repaired; whether we can build one fire hall in a new place and close two down; and how to fund this capital cost, etc.”

He also thinks the township needs to take a hard look at the way its landfill sites are operated to achieve a higher level of recycling.

 

FRAN WILLES

Fran Willes is no stranger to Loughborough and South Frontenac politics, although she has been off council for seven years. She sat on council in Loughborough between 1988 and 1997 as a councilor and deputy reeve, and also as a member of county council. Between 2001 and 2003 she served on South Frontenac Council and in 2003 she took an unsuccessful run for mayor against then incumbent Bill Lake.

“I did not run in the last election,” she said, “because I was pursuing university studies. I am now in the process of completing a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Queen’s University. This time many people asked me to run again, and I now have the time to do so.”

Her studies may also be of use to council as well because they have forced her to take a close look at the way small townships operate in the current environment. “Much of my planning degree program includes planning for smaller municipalities,” she said.

Fran Willes said she has a number of concerns about the stance this latest council has taken with respect to long-range planning and the effect this will have on our lakes. “There are new technologies in sewage treatment that are not recognized by council,” she said.

She is also anxious to see the ‘books,’ noting that she is concerned that the township may be going over budget this year. “Council announced at a recent council meeting, that $8 million had already been spent by the end of August of a $10 million budget. With four months remaining in the year, that needs to be looked at,” she said.

Willes would also like to see the establishment of a Planning Advisory Committee as used in the past that would be distinct from the township’s Committee of Adjustment. “People who are considering land development could then come before the Committee and discuss their planning issues before making a formal application to the Committee of Adjustment. A Planning Advisory Committee would make it easier for all concerned, including staff,” she said.

 

Portland District

JIM HICKS

Jim Hicks can tell you about the incident that sparked his interest in South Frontenac Council.

It was in 2004. He had applied to the township’s committee of adjustment for a severance, and even though his application was complete and the request fit into the spirit of the township’s Official Plan, the severance was not granted.

“It was unfair,” he said, “so I took them to the Ontario Municipal Board and I won. The township's lawyer even agreed with me.”

Since then, Hicks has continued to monitor the committee of adjustment, and in 2006 he ran for council in Portland and won. He was not chosen as the Portland council rep to the committee of adjustment but he still attends all the meetings, and pays particular attention when planning matters come to council. He does not always like what he sees.

“Some of them seem to think they can pick and choose which projects should get the go-ahead. We have a professional planner, but they seem to want to play favourites anyway,” he said.

Jim Hicks has also looked at some township operations where he has found some wasteful spending. “We were paying for 10 phone lines at one location, $6,000 a year, but there were only seven phones there and they only needed five. It took me six months to get them to look at it, but finally it got changed. We save about $4,000 each year now,” he said.

He also has questions about some of the contracts for snow clearing at township fire halls. “Last winter there was a hall that was sanded and ploughed 3 times. It was an easy winter, but another one was sanded and ploughed 61 times. Something is wrong there,” Hicks said.

In the coming term, Jim Hicks would like to continue to monitor spending and waste, and he also would like to see the township partner with the Limestone School Board to improve its recycling practices.

“They have an excellent program at Sydenham High School,” he said, “and the township would do well to learn from the students and staff there.”

 

DOUG LOVEGROVE

Doug Lovegrove and his wife Deb were both members of the Canadian military when they moved to Verona 28 years ago. They had hoped Verona would be their retirement posting, but they were sent to Calgary for four years.

They made their way back to Verona when they both finally retired from the military. Their two children were born in Verona and they returned because they wanted to raise them in Verona.

Doug has worked in the computer business since then. He now operates a website management company and does some teaching.

Doug became involved in the Verona Business Association when he first came to Verona. “It seemed a lot of establishments were going out of business at the time. That's why I was part of the start of the association. Eventually we became the VCA (Verona Community Association)”

The VCA established the Verona Festival, the Christmas Tree Festival and other events, “making Verona the most vibrant community in our township,” Lovegrove said.

He said he has not been hearing too many complaints from people as he campaigns for council. “I'm not seeing major problems, only minor problems, with the biggest thing being council not getting together. One of my goals is to be active in getting the councilors to work together,” he said.

Among the initiatives Doug Lovegrove would like to see done by council are some small items that might make a difference. “If we even had a brochure to promote small business, with information about services that are available, regulations that need to be followed, things like that, it would be a help,” he said. “Right now, there is no such thing as a checklist to open a business in South Frontenac.”

If elected to council, Lovegrove said he would make sure he does his homework so that he understands the issues before “spouting off an opinion,”

“The basic thing is using logic and common sense,” he said. “They are not problems that we deal with, they are solutions that have not been found yet.”

 

JOHN MCDOUGALL

John McDougall has a long history of community involvement since he came to the Verona area in 1976 to become the music teacher in what is now Central and North Frontenac. He eventually became a school principal and worked at schools in Frontenac County and Kingston until his retirement in 1995.

He has taken leadership roles with the Verona Lions Club and the Verona Festival, and more recently has spearheaded the Verona Find-a-Doc campaign.

As a community activist, McDougall has rubbed shoulders with local politicians at various times, most recently as the chair of the Sydenham Library task force, and through the Find-a-Doc campaign, since the township is being asked to take ownership of the Verona Medical Centre.

He traces his motivation to seek a council seat to a long-standing concern about how the McMullen Manor in Verona lost its status as a seniors' facility and became part of the Kingston/Frontenac social housing stock.

“When McMullen Manor was sold to the township the family had an agreement that it would be a seniors' home. There was a real resentment in the village when that changed. The decision might have been the right decision at the time, but it has always felt like the community was left out of the process,” he said.

Another issue of concern was the decision by the Frontenac Land Ambulance service to locate the South Frontenac base in Sydenham.

“The original planning had it going to Harrowsmith, but that changed without any community involvement,” John McDougall said.

He is also interested in making sure community improvement plans find their way into the township’s official plan, and would like to see further efforts made to determine whether plans for an office building in South Frontenac can be pushed forward if that is what the residents want to see.

“There are lots of other issues to be examined,” he said, “from broadband to finding municipal alternatives to fossil fuel. But we have never had an opportunity for the communities to sit down together and make some decisions about the future.”

 

BILL ROBINSON

Bill Robinson moved to Harrowsmith when he left the armed forces in 1969. He purchased the Supertest Service Centre at that time and ran it for five years while working in the penitentiary service. He retired from Collins Bay Pen in 1988. Since then he has been working for his wife at the Verona waste disposal site, for which she has the management contract.

In the year 2000 he sought a seat on council in Portland District and was successful. He has been a member of council ever since and is seeking his fourth mandate this month.

He said he is motivated to run this time around partly to break up the 4-5 split that council has been enduring on a lot of major votes, but interests of Portland district residents will remain his central concern.

“My main focus as a councilor of the future is my district of Portland. First and foremost is my duty to look after the district of Portland,” he said.

He is also concerned about operational matters, both in South Frontenac Township and at the County of Frontenac. “There is a lot of duplication of effort between the two, and they both waste a lot of money hiring consultants to do studies that no one needs,” he said.

“You look at Frontenac County. They spent $35,000 to bring that Mr. Armstrong down from Peterborough for a governance study that went straight under the table. What a waste. Even in South Frontenac we hire consultants for engineering when we have an engineer ourselves.”

He is also committed to ensuring that a full inventory of equipment in the township is completed. “We've never had an inventory of our equipment done. Can you imagine an outfit this big with no inventory?” he said.

Although amalgamating South Frontenac services is now “a done deal”, Bill Robinson is not convinced it is bringing improvements. “You know the big promises of amalgamation were all a bunch of hooey,” he said. “On council they say a lot of things, but I listen to what my constituents tell me more than anything else. That's whom we work for.”

 

 

(and some divine appointments):

By Jeff Nault

The Verona Free Methodist Church (VFMC) Haiti mission team, along with a group from the Smiths Falls Free Methodist Church, went to Guerin, Haiti on September 28 to rebuild a school that had been flattened in the earthquake. To rebuild a school is to rebuild opportunity, and to lay a foundation for hope. We had the privilege of digging in and forming up the new footings, laying the block, welding the rebar and steel for the windows and doors, and cleaning up the rubble. We saw a lot of progress in the eight days we were on the job site.  

That was our mission.

But there was a mission within the mission. There was a very special dynamic at work within the group that had chosen to go. We felt God’s hand was at work in each of our lives, and in the group.

So, when 5 gallons of water were mistakenly put in the diesel generator, it could have been a show-stopper. But, one of our guys who does small engine repair was skilled and able, and had the engine running within an hour.

We felt His love and care in very personal ways and we met people who ‘informed’ us of their own very special needs that resulted from the devastation of the earthquake. It’s clear that we could not help everyone, but the question became evident…could we help a few?

It’s that last ‘mission within a mission, within a mission’ that I am referring to as the ‘divine appointments.’

It started after I had introduced our team and mission at the Free Methodist church we attended. That evening a woman who had heard me came and said she had appreciated my words and our mission. But, she said, there was more we needed to see and hear. I gathered our team together and we visited her in her makeshift shelter/tent, set up on the street, very near to FOHO (Friends of Haiti Organization) where we were staying.

She told us that she owned a home nearby that had been badly damaged by the earthquake, and there seemed to be no way to ever get it repaired; she had lived on the street for eight months, hoping and praying.

We went to her home. It needed the old roof taken off, and trusses and tin put on. But how? We were very focused on our mission to complete the first leg of the Guerin school. This was no time to get sidetracked, but we could not turn away. We knew we could not help everyone. We also knew that Jesus did not pass by the women mentioned in Luke 8:43, although he was already enroute to another task. So we determined to help.

On an afternoon when we had returned to Port au Prince from the Guerin work site, we took a walk up the choking congestion on Delmas street. A few blocks later we turned up a side street for relief from the fumes and traffic.

Some way up the street we met a group of local women who turned out to be a group from the Free Methodist Women’s Missionary society from a nearby church. We exchanged greetings with joy and marvelled at the coincidence (both being from FM heritage)

I asked the group if there was a way to get back to our lodgings at FOHO without going back down to Delmas street. One woman offered to show us the laneways and pathways back.

As we talked along the way, Mme. Faustin told us about her family. Of her eight children, one 16-year-old daughter was severely disabled. Several in our group have worked in the field of disabilities and wanted to know more. She invited us to her home, where we were introduced to her husband and children.

Her disabled daughter requires total care. Knowing what it takes to care for a developmentally challenged and high needs child in Canada, we were in awe of the Faustin family’s sacrifice, and ability to care for their daughter and sister.

Although her house had not been destroyed in the earthquake, it had suffered damage. Every time it rained, the water poured in. They mopped it up, and carried on. A new roof wouldn’t cost much. Could we help the Faustin family?

The team is back in Canada now, but these encounters have both informed us and led us in an exciting new direction. There were 13 of us on the team, and so we have determined to repair and / or restore 13 families to homes. We already have a good start on one family and one home. Several people have contributed to the $1250 US per home, on average, that we think will be necessary)

Many people contributed to the purpose and success of this mission. It’s with gratitude and humility that we thank you.