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Ontario is providing financial support through the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program to help the Township of Frontenac Islands with flood recovery efforts.

 

Heavy rainfall combined with spring runoff and high water levels on Lake Ontario led to significant flooding in Frontenac Islands starting on May 5, 2017. The funds will help restore damaged ferry docks and numerous roads in the township. The township may be eligible for as much as $560,593 in provincial funding under the program.

 

The Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program helps municipalities address extraordinary emergency response costs and damage to essential property or infrastructure like bridges, roads and public buildings, as a result of a natural disaster.

Published in General Interest

When the Ontario Liberal government took power in 2003, one of the key issues for municipal governments was dealing with all of the downloaded costs that had been one of the features of municipal amalgamation under the previous Conservative administration under Mike Harris.

The municipal share of costs for social programs, ambulance service, policing, and other services had increased or been instituted for the first time. While the McGuinty, and now the Wynne Liberals have not taken uploaded entire sectors as municipalities had wished, they have uploaded some costs. They also brought in, early in their first mandate, a funding program aimed at helping more vulnerable municipalities cope with the cost of uploaded services. Over time, the program, which is now called the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) has become focussed on helping rural, remote and financially challenged municipalities cope with a variety of costs. The program includes a rural communities grant, a fiscal circumstances grant, and an assessment equalization grant.

The way the program works in 2018, larger municipalities (in relative terms) such as South Frontenac, which has over 10,000 households and an average property assessment of $307,000, will receive $1.52 million in 2018, up slightly from $1.49 in 2017.

A smaller township, such as Addington Highlands, with 2,500 households and an average property assessment of $177,000 will be receiving $2.04 million, up from $1.8 million in 2017.

To illustrate the realtive impact of the grant on the two townships budgets, the OMPF grant for South Frontenac equals less than 8% of the amount council collects from taxpayers, whereas in Addington Highlands it equals about 75%.

North Frontenac Township will receive $1.6 million in OMPF payments in 2018, up $240,000 from the $1.4 million that they received last year. There are 3,500 households listed for North Frontenac at an average value of $250,000.

Central Frontenac Township will receive $2.05 million in 2018, up $75,000 from $193 million in 2017. There are 4,100 households in Central Frontenac, at an average value of $218,000.

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC

Councillor Amanda Pulker-Mok will carry the Ontario Liberal Banner in Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston in the upcoming provincial election.

“We are all very happy Amanda has stepped forward,” said local Liberal Association president David Campbell. “Amanda will be a tremendous representative for our riding at Queen’s Park and we are looking forward to doing all we can to help Amanda win the election this spring. Our communities need a Liberal MPP who will focus on building a fairer and better society for everyone.”

In the meantime, Amanda Pulker-Mok will continue to carry out the duties and obligations that come with being a Councillor in Mississippi Mills until the Provincial election campaign begins.

The riding association will host a nomination meeting tonight at the Perth Lions Club, 50 Arthur Street.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 08 November 2017 17:58

The Tree of Hope

The Tree of Hope – one of the oldest holiday appeals in Southeastern Ontario – begins in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington November 20. The campaign is expected to help 900 kids with toys, food, clothing and other items.
The Tree of Hope is the annual Holiday appeal of Family and Children's Services of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington – a 123 year old Children’s Aid Society. The Agency has been running holiday appeals every December for most of its existence.

This year, the campaign will feature two “official” permanent Trees of Hope – young evergreen trees planted outside at the Agency’s 817 Division Street office in Kingston and 99 Advance Avenue office in Napanee. Both will be dedicated in special public evening ceremonies – Saturday, November 25 at 7pm at Division Street and Sunday, November 26 at 7pm at Advance Avenue. All are welcome to attend. The Agency is currently running an online contest to name both trees.

All the details about how to give, what to give and where to give it are online at HelpTreeofHope.ca or by calling (613) 545-3227.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

One of the initial insights that analysts looking at the 2016 census data that was released this week was that urban areas are seeing population growth and rural areas are seeing a decline. But the fastest growing areas are not the downtown cores or suburban areas in major cities, but the communities that are located further out in the countryside,

While Kingston is very small by urban standards (too small to be properly considered an urban area), and it saw paltry growth between 2011 and 2016 (0.4%), the pattern of greater growth in the surrounding region did hold true. Not only did South Frontenac do better in percentage terms, (2.9% as compared to the 0.4% for Kingston) in people terms it even out-flanked the City. There are 533 more South Frontenac residents than there were in 2011, and only 435 more residents in the City of Kingston.

Loyalist Township, which encroaches on the western edge of urban Kingston, saw more growth yet. 4.6% in percentage terms, 756 more people.

The permanent resident population in South Frontenac is 18,646, up from 18,113.

As a whole, Frontenac County saw an increase of only 1.1%, 287 people, because of population declines in Central Frontenac and Frontenac Islands and very modest growth in North Frontenac

In Central Frontenac the population has dropped by 183 to 4,373 in 2016 from 4,556 in 2011 (-4%).

North Frontenac is up by 41 , (+2.2%) from 1,857 in 2011 to 1,898 in 2016.

In Frontenac Islands the population has dropped by 104 to 1,760 from 1,864 in 2011 (-5.6%)

Kingston and Frontenac County are pared together as census division, and in that division the population is up by 0.5%, an increase of 722 souls.

Addington Highlands saw a decline in population as well. There were 2,373 permanent residents on census day in 2016, down from 2,516 in 2011 (-7.7%).

Over in Lanark County Tay Valley has seen a small increase, at 5,665 as compared to 5,571 in 2011 (+1.7%) and Lanark Highlands is up by more, to 5,338 from 5,128 (+4.1%). Lanark County as a whole saw a healthy increase of 4.6%, mostly from increases in population for areas within the Ottawa nexus. The town of Perth saw an increase of only 90 people (1.5%) and Smiths Falls saw a decline (-2.2%), but Carleton Place is up by 9%, well above the national average.

The information in the census report will be used by municipalities as they plan for the future. The results, except perhaps in North Frontenac, are not surprising. Even in North Frontenac the numbers are so small that they would be highly influenced by any error either in the 2011 or 2016 count and might not indicate a trend of any kind.

South Frontenac has been concerned in recent years with managing growth and the other Frontenac Townships and Addington Highlands have been trying to retain the existing population and encourage growth where possible. On the whole, the census numbers indicate those concerns will still be with us over the next 5-10 years.

As a whole, the region is not growing at anywhere near the national average of 5%.

Hastings County is up by same percentage as Frontenac County, 1.1%, and Lennox and Addington is up by 2.6%.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
With the participation of the Government of Canada