New: Facebook has blocked all Canadian news. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.

New: Facebook has blocked all Canadian news. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 10:51

South Frontenac Garden Tour

If you are looking for a day out in the country, try the 2nd annual South Frontenac Garden Tour, on Sunday, July 7th. Organized by volunteers including Nona Mariotti and Shirley Joyce, the event is a self-driving tour to visit eight beautiful private gardens across South Frontenac.

“We are grateful to residents who have agreed to welcome the public to visit their gardens,” says Nona Mariotti. “We ran the garden tour last year and the response was highly favourable – people asked us to do it again.” The gardens will be open from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

The Garden Tour highlights the natural and cultivated beauty of the region, and also raises funds for Southern Frontenac Community Services Corporation. “Many of us have benefitted from the many seniors’ services and programs at SFCSC, and this is our way of giving back,” says Mariotti.

The Grace Centre, home of SFCSC, is also a stop on the tour, where guests can see the volunteer-run vegetable garden, greenhouse, and new memorial walkway. In addition, it will play host to a drop-in lunch generously catered by Chartwell Conservatory Pond Retirement Residence.

Ryan Wilkinson, Retirement Living Consultant at Conservatory Pond says, “We are so very delighted to support Southern Frontenac Community Services and surrounding areas. We truly believe in making people's lives better, and are really fortunate to be able to step in where we can to help. The greatest reward is seeing our communities come together and flourish.”

Tickets are only $10 per person, and are available at a number of local merchants, the SFCSC office in Sydenham, and online through www.sfcsc.ca/gardentour2019. All ticket purchasers will receive access to an online map of locations and descriptions of the garden, or will receive a paper copy with their tickets. The details include the degree to which locations are accessible to people with walkers and wheelchairs.

For more information, including where to purchase tickets or to purchase them online, go to www.sfcsc.ca/gardentour2019.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 19 June 2019 12:43

South Frontenac Council

Rezoning in Loughborough District

Township Planner Trudy Gravel opened a public meeting concerning a property at the intersection of Eel Bay Road and Charlie Green Road, on Eel Bay of Sydenham Lake. The proposal is to rezone a narrow waterfront property from resort commercial to special waterfront residential and replace three small cottages, a dock and a private but commonly used boat launch site with a single detached dwelling, a shed, a garage, and two docks.

Currently the site is described as “heavily culturally impacted” with an eroding shoreline, beside a Provincially significant wetland.

Gravel’s report states that the redevelopment of this site as proposed with greater setback distances will not have an environmental impact on the water quality of Eel Bay nor on the wetland (marsh) located near the southern portion of the property.

“The proposal provides an opportunity to reestablish (renaturalize) the shoreline vegetation that will both improve the habitat for wildlife species as well as provide stability and prevent erosion in the foreslope areas.” The boat launch will no longer be open to the public.

The only comment from the public was from neighbour David Plumpton, who was fully in support, saying that the heavy public use of this private boat launch in the past has led to overuse, noise, rowdiness, and littering.

Councillor Sutherland questioned allowing two docks, but the owner, Simon Clarke, said the second, smaller dock was in a location where he could back his boat down to the water for launching. (The main dock is down a steep slope which is currently being stabilized.)

Council approved the rezoning by-law.

Dogs Barking: A Noise Bylaw Issue?

In response to complaints from Harold and Lynn Snider about the noise of barking dogs believed to be originating from neighbouring Ben Acres Kennels, Councillor Revill brought a motion that the noise levels at the Snider property should be professionally measured. CAO Orr estimated that fees for such a measurement would be between $1,500 and $2,000 and still would not prove whether or not a township bylaw has been breached, as the bylaws do not reference decibel levels, using only the broad, subjective term “nuisance.”

Council defeated the motion, instead choosing to direct staff to work with development services to draft a bylaw update, perhaps one which would exempt dog kennels. (This is the only complaint about barking that Council has received in the past three years, and no other neighbours have complained: In most cases this type of matter is resolved between neighbours.)

Recreation Committee Restructuring

Council considered a three-part motion that: 1) Council strike a “Recreation and Leisure Facilities Committee” and a “Community Programming & Events Committee” 2) that this structure be put in place for a trial period of 12 months from the date of committee appointments, and 3) that staff be directed to actively advertise for committee appointments to these committees with a deadline of July 19th .

Councillor Norm Roberts made an amendment that a specific date (September 30, 2020) be chosen for the review of the trial period, and Deputy Mayor Sleeth seconded it. Council passed the amended motion unanimously. Sleeth complimented Recreation Supervisor Tim Laprade on his excellent and detailed report which made this possible.

Sleeth also noted a recent example of local volunteer work: in order to bring the Storrington Centre kitchen up to commercial standards, volunteer Rebecca Smith raised the funds to buy a commercial stove by canvassing hall users and potential users.

Morgan Subdivision Update

Following a site visit and staff review of the Sydenham Valleyview (Morgan) Subdivision agreement, Director of Development Services, Claire Dodds reported that “it is staff’s opinion that the paving of driveways and any outstanding seeding/sodding is a matter that is best addressed between the developer and property owners to come to an agreement to complete the outstanding site work without direct involvement from the Township.”

Lot drainage and grading is at various stages throughout the subdivision, and RKR Landholders is responsible for completing work on the road and sidewalk between Rutledge Road and the communal mailboxes before the final approval can be issued. Dodds attributed some of the problems in communications as having occurred as a result of staff changes during the subdivision’s development.

Rideau Waterway Monitoring

Deputy Mayor Sleeth reported on a meeting between the Cataraqui Conservation Authority, Queen’s, the Ministry of the Environment (and other related groups) that addressed this summer’s plans to monitor the water quality of the Rideau and connected tributaries. The water off Gilmour’s point in Dog Lake is currently being tested.

Quote:

“If you want it to happen, do it!” Volunteer Award recipient Alvin Wood.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Customers haven’t really been screaming, but they have been asking, if Limestone Creamery might consider starting to make their own ice cream using the single source milk that they produce and process on their farm, located on the same property as the farm store at the southern edge of Frontenac County on Sydenham Road.

It is a logical extension for a business that has been following a path that started when Kathie and Francis Groenewegen decided to take transition their traditional dairy farm to an organic farm about 20 years ago. Their business has been evolving ever since, particularly once they began processing and marketing their milk themselves.

They sell their own organic milk at a farm store on their property, deliver it to customers living within a reasonable distance from their house, and extend their reach by selling it through selected stores that are located a bit further away, such as Local Family Farms in Verona.

“Our location, it turned out, was ideal, since we can easily deliver to Kingston and our store is located on a busy commuter road for South Frontenac residents,” said Kathie, as a steady stream of customers shopped for milk, fresh baked goods, and a variety of organic products from other local and regional farmers, bakers, jam makers, and others organic producers.

Everything in the store is available for delivery as well for weekly deliveries to Kingston, parts of South Frontenac and into Stone Mills township.

One of the reasons the Groenewegen’s decided to get into the marketing end of the milk business was to make their operation capable of supporting another generation of farmers, as their children Olivia and Patrick were interested in farming.

When they were building their processing facility, the Groenewegen’s talked to the Frontenac CFDC, and they were able to get a grant to cover half the cost of one of the major pieces of equipment that they needed.

The next big project that they are embarking on is to replace their aging barn with a new, open barn. These modern barns eliminate the need to gather cows twice a day for milking as the cows are able to decide when it is time to be milked. With the aide of a little bit of training and the incentive provided by a little bit of grain (the Groenewegen cattle are 94% grass fed, supplemented by peas and corn that are grown organically on the farm) the cows will be able to control the milking, at the same time making life a little less onerous for the farmers who have been waking up for 5am milking duty for generations. It will also be tied to technology, with the cow’s milk production, body temperature, and other information being monitored every time they come in to be milked.

“It will be good for the animals, which is really important to us,” she said.

The larger barn will also allow the farm to reach its capacity of Holstein and Jersey milking cows.

Ice cream is a bit of a side business, but it is also a response to customer demand, and it has involved the purchase of equipment and the necessary approvals from inspectors, and learning new recipes.

“People love ice cream, of course, and they want to be able to eat some that is made from organic cream and other ingredients that are locally sourced, so we are working with Gorr’s Maple Syrup, Fruition Berry Farm on Hwy. 15, and others to develop recipes. And it tastes pretty good. We hope to have our ice cream available later this summer,” she said.

There are a few others who are hoping for that as well, now that the warm weather has hit the region. Even if they are polite, local food lovers, Limestone Creamery customers are at least silently screaming for ice cream.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Bill Campsall never thought he’d survive the war.

Sitting in his room in a retirement home in Amherstview, the gentle 95-year-old’s eyes glisten with tears as he talks for the first time about his service, 78 years earlier, as a paratrooper in WWII.

“I hadn’t got my notice yet,” he says about his voluntary enlistment in October, 1941.

Born and raised on a farm in Sydenham, Bill went to Fort Henry in Kingston at the tender age of 17 to join the Canadian Armed Forces. After a routine medical review, he was offered a medical certificate to discharge him from infantry service, or hernia surgery. He chose surgery, and by the next March, he was in basic training in Cornwall.

“When that finished, I went to CFB Borden for advance training, where I was one of a handful of soldiers hand-picked for special services,” says Bill, proudly. “We were sent to Manitoba for tower jumping and classwork to prepare us for parachute jumping in Germany.”

Bill remembers his first night-jump, when 60 soldiers refused to jump out of the airplane. That left Bill and 14 others to complete the program, which included three weeks of explosives training.

“We had to carry a one-ounce bottle of nitroglycerine in training,” he explains. “Six soldiers wouldn’t do it which left eight of us, besides myself. They taught us to land on our heels because we carried the nitroglycerin on our chests and a timer in our back pockets. We jumped out of a Halifax bomber or glider, depending on the mission.”

Bill and his special services unit landed in Scotland in January, 1942.

“They took us off the train in Yorkshire and sent us to an estate for lodging,” he notes.

According to Bill, a lieutenant at the time of his service, the military had Europe marked off in zones and had effective communication through an underground network.

“We boarded a plane in Yorkshire and dropped into the continent between midnight and 2am,” he explains. “Through contact with underground, we were brought back by fishing boats.”

Bills eyes fill with tears, remembering a break from the fighting on the third week of July to visit a wax museum of the Royal Family. Over four hours, a tour guide named Lizzy gave them a detailed account of the wax figures located in an underground cavern. When Bill learned Lizzy’s last name was Windsor, he soon realized his tour guide was Princess Elizabeth of the British Royal Family.

“It was quite an experience,” he said.

The next month, it was almost daylight and Bill was returning from a mission with three of his men when they were hit with a detonated hand grenade.

“My three-men were killed, and I was pretty banged up,” he says quietly.

When Bill awoke in a field hospital, he discovered the near fatal damage to his lung, heart, stomach and bowel. He lost almost 50 pounds in one month as he fought for his life.

By January, he was stretchered aboard a boat to Halifax with 600 other wounded soldiers. He was transported from the East Coast to a hospital in Kingston where he was discharged on March 31, 1945. Bill was only 21 years old.

Awarded a medical disability pension, Bill reunited with his girlfriend Marg, whom he quickly married that fall. The first of the couple’s three children arrived a year later.

Over his lifetime, Bill held many jobs, such as a turnkey at the county jail, manufacturer at Alcan, bus driver in Kingston and operator at a water sewage treatment plant.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:47

Copper, the therapy dog, is always a hit

Copper, the therapy dog, really works a room. He comes to the Grace Social Activity Centre (GSAC) in Sydenham on Wednesday mornings each week to visit with the participants in one of the Adult Day Program sessions that are a core service of Southern Frontenac Community Services. Copper meanders through the room, visiting with the program participants, reacting to them as they welcome him into their world.

And it is immediately clear that everyone at GSAC loves Copper.

His handler is Trina Mawer of the Parham area. She keeps Copper on a leash during the sessions, and generally takes a back-seat role.

“I am very proud to be a member of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program, even though most often people don't remember my name, as it's always all about Copper,” said Trina Mawer.

Trina is a lifelong dog lover, and she prefers large breed dogs. When she got Copper, a Leonberger, she found that not only was he big, but he was also very, very calm and very affectionate. His nickname is ‘Loving Lummox’.

That’s where the idea of putting Copper to work as a therapy dog came in. Trina thought that Copper could bring joy to people who need it.

“When I contacted St. John Ambulance about the therapy dog program, it was the beginning of a long journey. They are very careful about the way the program works, for the sake of the public, the dogs, the dog owners, and their own needs as an organisation,” she said.

“There really isn't any specialised training for a therapy dog, it's mainly their temperament and disposition. Although obviously obedience and manners are imperatively important. A therapy dog must be friendly and get along well with other dogs. Any signs of protection or aggressiveness is not acceptable.” 

The process did not begin with an evaluation of Copper, however. First, they interviewed Trina.

“They wanted to know what kind of person I was, and what I expected out of the program, before they even considered Copper,” she said.

Trina passed muster, and once they met Copper, they knew they had found the right dog for the program.

In addition to the Grace Centre, Trina brings Copper to the Country View Care Retirement Home once a week.

And Copper is an award winner. In his first year with the Therapy Dog program, 2018, he won the ‘rookie of the year’ award from St. Johns for the most visits in his first year with the program.

Although Copper is always game to go to work, it does tire him out.

“After about an hour, even he has had enough attention. He sleeps well when we get home,” said Trina.

Copper also gets a bit of the star treatment.

Not only are all of his medical records 100% up to date at all times, his coat is also soft and fluffy due to brushing at least 3 times a week.  He also “indulges in going to the 'spa' every 8 weeks at Groom to Bloom in Hartington,” Trina, “Lauren [who runs Groom to Bloom] gives him superb attention as her specialty is knowing the various breeds, coats and specifications.” 

The St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program started in June, 1992 as a pilot program in Peterborough, and is now a nationwide program of St. John’s Ambulance. As of 2015 there were 3,000 dog teams across the country.

They visit senior’s homes, hospitals and other care facilities, as well as schools and universities.

For further information about the program, contact the Kingston office at (613) 384-8062

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:46

Busy weekend for Frontenac OPP detachment

On Saturday May 25, 2019 shortly before 12:00pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 15 near Washburn Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 54 kilometers over the speed limit.

The driver, a 21-year-old from Amherstview Ontario, was charged with stunt driving which resulted in the licence and vehicle being seized for seven days and the driver was given a summons to appear in Provincial Offences Court in Kingston at a future date to answer to the charge.

On Sunday, May 26, 2019 shortly after 7:00pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Perth Road near Davidson Side Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 30 kilometers over the speed limit.

As a result of the investigation, the 20-year-old driver, was charged with speeding, no insurance, cannabis accessible to the driver and a three-day licence suspension after registering a warning on the roadside alcohol screening device. The driver was given a summons to appear in Provincial Offences Court in Kingston at a future date to answer to the charges.

On Saturday May 25, 2019 just after 4:30pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 401 near Sydenham Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 38 kilometers over the speed limit.

As a result of the investigation, the 34-year-old driver from Glenburnie was charged with speeding and driving with a suspended licence.

On Sunday May 26, 2019 shortly after 3:00pm, the same officer was near the area of Highway 401 and Montreal Street and observed the same driver, operating the same vehicle as the day before.

As a result of the investigation, Lawrence Mc Ewen was charged with breach of probation, breach of a weapons prohibition, fail to comply with probation order, possession of a prohibited device and suspended driving. The accused was held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston.

Arrest results in weapons charges

On Saturday, May 25, 2019 shortly after 9:00pm, Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were patrolling the Kingston and Pembroke trail. The officers saw an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and spoke to the driver.
As a result of the investigation, the 21-year-old driver, John Badour of Central Frontenac Township, was arrested on warrants that had been issued by the Ontario Court of Justice. The accused was held for a bail hearing and was charged with possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and carrying a concealed weapon.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:45

Trillium grant for accessibility

Last Friday, Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCS) held a ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning construction of an accessible entrance to the lower level of the Grace Centre in Sydenham. This level is where the Adult Day Program, some admin offices and the commercial kitchen are located, and at present it is reached only by stairs or a small lift. The new ramp will provide full, safe access into and out of the main room, replacing the current short steep stairway in the northeast corner of the building.  

The project has been made possible by a $125,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. OTF’s Grant Review Team member Rosemary Rooke and MPP Randy Hillier were on hand to congratulate SFCS’s Executive Director, David Townsend, and together they presented the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s plaque to Margaret Knott, Vice Chair of Frontenac County’s Accessibility Committee. In thanking them, Ms Knott quoted Rick Hansen: “Everyone should be able to go everywhere.”

John Garrah and Harry Tibbs from M. Sullivan and Son Contracting joined Hillier, Townsend and Knott in a brief groundbreaking ceremony, then along with staff and guests enjoyed refreshments on the adjoining patio.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:45

Three Pitches Three Chords in Inverary

Kim Allan loves music and baseball and she likes a good party as well.

She owns the Little Texas Roadhouse Bar and Grill on Days Road in Kingston. She lives in between Sydenham and Inverary with her husband and three children, and they all play ball at the Keeley Road Park and at Ken Garrett Park in Inverary.

“Ken Garrett Park desperately needs new washrooms and septic improvements. And I realised that only a fundraising campaign could raise the kind of money that is needed to make this happen, but the Inverary Youth Group who run the park are all volunteers, and no one has the time to raise that kind of money. I don’t either but I do love ball tournaments and outdoor festivals, so here we are,” Kim Allan said, in a phone interview early this week.

This weekend at Ken Garrett Park there will be a ball tournament on Saturday for pick up teams and another one on Sunday for league teams, like many other weekends during the summer. But unlike any other weekend, there will also be a music festival, at the other end of the park at the small diamond.

The event, which is called the Three Pitch, Three Chords Spring Fling is bringing together a host of bands who play at the Little Texas Grill for a two-day festival of country and rock music in the park.

The bands are all playing for free, and the sound system and staffing has been donated by Little Texas, so all of the $35 weekend pass revenue is going to the washroom renovation project.

Saturday is country day at the festival. Saturday performers include: Courtney Kane and June Nixion, A Night with Elvis, the White Brothers, Chelsea Road, Pickett Fences, Porch Pilots, Clem Chesterfield, Old Habits, Lane Duke, and Hicktown. The music runs from 11am -8pm on Saturday.

The Sunday concert, which also starts at 11am but ends at 5pm, features: Texas Tuxedo, Jordy Jackson Band, Ice Gods, Rudy & Saddle Up, Knuckel Hed, Hicktown, and Richard Cranium.

In addition to the music, the park is licensed for the weekend and beer will be available for purchase, there will be a kids zone, vendors, three food trucks and a portable ATM machine available as well.

“The volunteers have been working hard this week to make sure the grass is cut and the park is completely clean. It’s been a lot of running around and getting things organised, but the response so far has been excellent. We have sold a lot of tickets at the bar, and we hope people will come out and buy tickets at the gate. Most music festivals cost at least $35 for the day so the price is right and all the money is going to the cause,” she said.

For information or advanced tickets go to Ticketscene.ca and type in Inverary 3 Chords. Tickets will also be available at the gate.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Joe Gallivan, Manager for Planning and Economic Development for Frontenac County, briefed Frontenac County Council last week on a communal services report that will be coming their way next month. This is a file that Gallivan has been working on for years, but he wanted some of the newer members of the council to be more familiar with the issues in the report in advance of its release.

The Province of Ontario encourages rural municipalities to focus on development within hamlets. Since there are no hamlets in Frontenac County that have municipal water systems except for Sydenham, and there are no municipal waste water systems in the county at all, development potential within and near hamlets is limited.

“The potential for communal services within subdivisions has been around since 1995, but municipalities have not taken it up within their jurisdictions, because of fears over the potential liability coming back to the public if a communal water or waste system fails,” said Gallivan. “Over the years, the technology for septic systems has progressed substantially, and that cuts the risk.”

Communal services would mean there is one large septic system to cover an entire development instead of separate systems for each building. In some case, one of more communal wells could be included as well.

Municipalities in Ontario have two options for creating multiple building lots on a single piece of property, ‘vacant land condominium’ development, and ‘plan of subdivision’ development. Under a ‘plan of subdivision’, the municipality assumes ownership, and the associated costs, for the public infrastructure (roads, ditches, sidewalks, etc.) within a development, after the developer pays to build them to a municipal standard, whereas within a ‘plan of condominium’ the infrastructure remains the responsibility of the property owners after construction is complete.

Plans of Condominium, Gallivan said, could include responsibility for upkeep and maintenance of communal services in addition to roads and ditches, keeping municipal liability to a minimum.

“As well, if there are a number these systems within Frontenac County, there may also be an opportunity to put together a single municipal fund to cover potential liability from all of them. Individual projects would not have to cover as much liability on their own.”

In making his presentation, Gallivan used an existing development on the southwest edge of Inverary as an illustration of how much more density can be achieved using communal services. The Mathias subdivision is a 27 - acre block of land with 16 lots. The minimum lot size in the development is 1.5 acres, and each lot includes space for a well and individual septic system.

If a communal septic system were in place, the same block of land would be able to contain 42 detached lots as well as 9 townhouse lots and a small apartment complex with 12 units, plus a commercial lot. Gallivan said that once the study is released, he will be proposing that Council authorise him to go to the township councils to see if they are interested in pursuing the type of development that communal systems will make possible within their townships.

“It really comes down to what the local townships envision for their future,” he said, “the timing is good for South Frontenac, which is facing a lot of development pressure right now. The council is starting to review their Official Plan, and they will have the opportunity to accept communal services in their new plan”.

Gallivan said that one of the key elements for developers would be a consistent process and cost structure for communal water systems across the county.

“That would put Frontenac County ahead of other municipalities,” he said.

While South Frontenac is the jurisdiction that would be the most likely to see developments using the communal system model, Gallivan said he could see applications in Marysville on Wolfe Island, as well as in Central and North Frontenac.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

After flirting with the idea of constructing a new Frontenac County Administrative building, Frontenac County Council is being asked to look once again at renovating its current building.

A little over a year ago, after considering its long-term office space needs for over two years, Frontenac County was approached by the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority about a shared accommodation solution. The idea of a brand new building was raised, and late last spring the idea gained more traction when South Frontenac Township expressed interest in a three-way partnership.

This led the county’s Administrative Building Design Task Force to look at the feasibility and cost estimates surrounding a new building for the three partners, located somewhere in South Frontenac, perhaps in Sydenham in order to save on water costs.

This process carried on through the fall of 2018, into the beginning of the new term of municipal council.

At a meeting in April, South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal informed both the county and the conservation authority that South Frontenac Council had rejected the idea of a new building at their own meeting in early April.

In response, the task force decided to look again at using either the current Cataraqui Conservation Authority near Hwy. 401 or the current Frontenac County/Fairmount home site in Glenburnie for a joint office space.

“The lowest cost option would be to use the existing county site as all infrastructure and servicing is already in place,” said a report to Council prepared by Clerk Janette Amini and Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender.

Accordingly, the report recommends spending $10,000, to be taken from a provincial grant earmarked for modernisation, to look at renovating the existing county offices for use by the two entities.

If approved this week, the money will go towards, architectural analysis of the current county building, preliminary plans to meet partner needs, options for potential configuration of common areas, implications for parking, water & similar services; and initial budget-level estimates for comparison with a stand-alone option.

Strategic Plan to be presented

At that same meeting, Council will consider a draft strategic plan that was developed in association with 80/20 Consulting.

The previous plan, prepared in 2014, has become known for identifying four “wildly important goals” for Frontenac County. This new plan, by contrast, talks about three strategic priorities for this term of council.

Although the plan was prepared before the provincial government’s recent budget, which is already having an impact on municipal budgets, it is written with a sense of caution and a focus on maintaining programs and services that are already in place.

Here are the strategic priorities: 1 - Get behind plans that build community resilience and vitality in times of growth and change, 2 - Explore new funding sources and invest in critical long-term infrastructure using sound judgement, and 3 - Champion and coordinate collaborative efforts with partners to resolve complex problems otherwise beyond the reach of individual mandates and jurisdictions.

Within these priorities is everything from enhancing broadband coverage, securing the future of Fairmount Home, promoting economic development and improving planning processes across the county.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Page 3 of 59
With the participation of the Government of Canada