LPS teacher Al MacDonald and some of his fellow Loughborough Public School teachers pulled together an ‘ad hoc’ musical group to entertain passers-by and SHS-across-the-road on Tuesday. And to keep up their own spirits on a chill, grey day when they would have much preferred to be inside with their classes.

Never mind that the drummer had played drums only twice before and ‘Strike Pay’ as a group has no intent to take their show on the road: their music’s gleefully familiar, and the words are sharp and sassy. For example: “Pants on Fire” (thanks to Johnny Cash), and Sounds of Silence rewritten as “We Won’t Be Silent”: “And people honked and waved/to the neon signs we waved/ and the snow flew hard this morning/my face is frozen, frostbite forming/And the sign said the cuts hurting kids/are gonna hurt for years/ Mr Buck-a-Beer/ And we won’t be silent.”

Strike line teachers were unanimous in their dismay about the Provincial government’s intent to save money at the expense of children who need extra time and attention: “It’s not just the high needs children who will suffer; the whole classroom ends up not getting the best learning situation,” said one.

About 30 residents attending the Town Hall meeting in Perth Road Village last Saturday. The event was organized by the two South Frontenac Council members representing Loughborough District — Coun. Randy Ruttan and Dep. Mayor Ross Sutherland.

“This is an opportunity to hear your concerns,” Sutherland said. “Everything is on the table.”

“I don’t pretend to know what your concerns are but I know what mine are,” Ruttan said. “I ran for Council because some things bother me.”

First up was the concept of having a property standards bylaw instead of a safe properties bylaw.

“Who’s going to decide what is junk?” was one comment.

“There have been property standards bylaws that prevented people from having gardens in their front yards that were struck down in courts,” Sutherland said.

Other comments included that such bylaws tend to pit neighbour against neighbour, tend to be expensive to enforce, “you can’t apply city standards to rural settings,” to one resident offering to take neighbours’ junk to the dump in his pickup.

That conversation morphed into a septic inspection program.

Ruttan suggested residents be required to prove they’ve had their septics pumped out every five years or so.

Another resident was annoyed that “people are dumping garbage on my farm . . . and growing marijuana on it.”

It wasn’t all complaints and/or new rules suggestions however. One resident was “very proud to see the involvement in conservancy in our area.”

Access to high speed internet and cell phone coverage was a huge issue for residents in the Buck Lake area.

Some Perth Road residents were interested to know what were the next steps with the firehall, along with concerns about increased commerial traffic on Perth Road.

Others were annoyed that there was no available access to the Point Park docks on Canada Day.

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.

Loughborough Public School (LPS) grade 3 Anishnaabe student Nescia Giangrosso travelled to Winnipeg, early last month, to be part of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Imagine a Canada – Youth Leading Reconciliation workshop and national celebration, which took place at the Turtle Lodge International Centre for Indigenous Education and Wellness in the Sagkeeng First Nation.

Imagine a Canada also includes an art project. Youth across Canada “invited to submit an art piece about the way they envision Canada through the lens of reconciliation”.

Nescia was invited to participate in the workshop because the mixed-media art piece that LPS had created was chosen as the Ontario entry for 2019. 11 or the 16 classes at the school (aprox. 70% of the students) from grades Kindergarten to grade 8 participated in creation of the art piece.

The 13ft long piece, which hangs in the school, is called “From What Dish Do You Want to Feed Your Grandchildren From?” was inspired by the treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississauga and Haudenosaunee First Nations in 1701 that bound them to share the territory and protect the land along the Lake Ontario basin. The treaty carries a message of peace and unity, and it is its environmental underpinnings that make it so valuable in a modern context. This was the inspiration for the art piece.

But the idea of one bowl (or one dish) one spoon is an old one in North America, signifying an agreement to share hunting grounds between neighbouring peoples. It refers to sharing the harvest as well as ensuring that there is plenty left for future generations to share.

The idea for the piece came from a walk that Nescia took with her mother and her little brother along a creek bed that runs through their backyard. When their mother Janza knelt down and thanked the creek, it sparked the idea that led to the art piece that the Loughborough students ultimately made, and idea about reconciliation with the natural world.

When Anishnaabe elder Deb St. Amant and Anishnaabe parent Janza Giangrosso shared the teachings about One Dish, One Spoon, and the wampum that it has inspired (see photo). They included some text from John Burrows about the wampum.

“We all eat out of the dish, all of us that share this territory, with only one spoon. That means that we share the responsibility of ensuring that the dish is never empty; which includes taking care of the land and the creatures we share it with. Importantly there are no knives at the table, representing that we must keep the peace,” he wrote.

The classes decided to "What do you want your grandchildren to eat?" - detail look at what they ate and where it came from, and ask the question, ‘what dish do you want to feed your grandchildren from?’.

They had the idea for the art piece. On one side it would be wrappers and garbage that litters the community, it would have beaver pelts in the middle, and birch bark on the other side.

They cut out squares of birch for one side, and cut out wrappers and other found materials for the other side. Then they sewed them together to make a very large installation. They each reflected on the piece and wrote their thoughts in many of the squares.

Each side of the piece represents an option for the future.

In her presentation in Winnipeg, Nescia said “Reconciliation is more than just reconciling our relationships with each other. We need to reconcile our relationship with nimamaki (mother earth). She has loved and supported us for generations. We learned about the honourable way to harvest gifts from the earth. This awareness can significantly impact my ecological footprint, as it is our grandchildren that will carry the burdens of the decisions we make today.”

The submission from LPS was an effort of the entire school community. Students from upper year grades helped with the cutting and sewing process, and the school’s ongoing food initiative dovetailed with the project.

Janza Giangrosso, who was also with the project from start to finish, said that a number of passionate teachers in the school and their students made the project what it was.

“We really warmed the ground and as a community, got a taste of what Indigenous education can look like and what is possible when members of the Indigenous community are invited into the classroom to share teachings alongside educators”.

The submission that accompanied a photo of the piece, which was much too large to transport to Manitoba, concluded with the following statement on behalf of the school: To imagine means “to form a mental image or concept of”. This was more than just a dreamy conceptualization of reconciling this country. This work created a safe space within our school community, where multiple perspective, narratives and world views came together to engage in a real, visceral conversation about sustainability and the future lives of our grandchildren.”

Where could you find a scale model of the CN Tower, complete with elevator, a 3D modelling of your school and a working trebuchet?

That would be the Loughborough Public School Maker Faire, which was on display to the public last Thursday afternoon in Sydenham.

Teacher Alan MacDonald, who was one of the organizers of the event, said this was the third time they’ve done this and this time, it involved the entire student body — from kindergarten to Grade 8.

“This isn’t a science fair, where getting help from parents and neighbours is illegal,” he said. “Here, it’s encouraged.

“The idea is to make something you’re interested in. The spelling of ‘Faire’ is french for ‘to do’ or ‘to make.’”

MacDonald said another way this differs from a science fair is that it’s non-competitive.

“If it were competitive, kids might be more apt to make something they already know how to do,” he said. “In this, kids are much more apt to take risks.”

He said another inspiring attraction for students is that there is lots of choice in what they make.

“There’s really only one rule,” he said. “You can’t do something you already know how to do.

“Oh, and other than the odd mediaeval weapon of mass destruction, it must be school appropriate.”

The mediaeval weapon MacDonald referred to came from Grade 8er Lucas Steele, who along with fellow student Jack MacInnis, built a working scale model trebuchet, which is capable of launching a basketball 50 feet.

“A couple of weeks ago, we were studying levers and mechanical advantage in physics and math class,” Steele said. “Jack looked up plans online and drew up a schematic.

“We built it at my grandparents’ house.”

Edie Hillman and Caitlyn Ball turned their love of all things Harry Potter into their project — butter beer.

“We had butter beer at the Universal theme park,” said Hillman. “We found a recipe online and changed it around a little bit.”

The projects on display ran quite the gamut.

There were plenty of dioramas, but also a Nimbus 2000 (Harry Potter again, it’s a broom favoured by quidditch players), horse treats, homemade cleaning products, a refracting telescope, bath bombs, jams, cookies, homemade essential oils, maracas, a catapult, a guitar and stomp rockets.

One of the more fascinating projects came from Keagan Leonard, who got dad Wade to fly the family drone around the school and then took the data collected to map the entire school yard, complete with elevation and vegetation components.

He then printed out a 3D version of the school.

“The idea just came to me,” he said. “I asked the principal if it was OK to use 3D printers and he said sure.”

Back in August the 11 year old goalie with the Napanee Crunch Pee Wee B team who attends Loughborough Public School entered a contest that is open to Montreal Canadian Fan Club youth members. She submitted a drawing to be considered for a special ticket to be used for a single Canadians game during a promotion the team was organising for Family Weekend in February when they were scheduled to play Saturday and Sunday afternoon games at the Bell Centre.

“I think we heard that she won in late August or early September,” said her father Adam, in a telephone interview this week. “It seemed like it was so far in the future we didn’t think that much about it. Then all of a sudden it was here.”

Meredith, along with her parents Sue and Adam, all Canadians fans who have been suffering through a disheartening season, had a big lift when they went to the game this past weekend. Meredith’s drawing had been transformed into an NHL ticket for Saturday’s game between the Habs and the Anaheim Ducks. The Canadians came into the game on a three game losing streak, with season record of 20 wins, 25 losses, and six ties, headed nowhere, but somehow they put a good game together and won 5-2.

The ticket had nothing to do with the team’s improved play, or did it? Nothing else changed for the team that hasn’t been able to score goals all season, except for the ticket.

The Canadians went on to win again on Sunday afternoon, as the Peters returned to their home base in the Godfrey area.

“We had a lot of fun,” said Adam, speaking for Meredith, who was under the weather, so much so that she missed a hockey practice on Tuesday afternoon.

As for the Canadians. They have been off until tonight, when they play in Philadelphia.

The judge hearing the case of South Frontenac Township seeking an injunction against Loughborough Lake Holiday Park holding concerts, weddings and family gatherings in an ancillary building ended Wednesday’s proceedings at the Frontenac County Courthouse by saying he needed to consider the matter further and will provide a written decision.

Mr. Justice Hurley told Del Vezeau, owner of the park, and acting as his own council and Michael Hickey, lawyer for the Township “I’m not sure when I’ll get it to you” but that he would get it to them as quickly as he could.

At issue is whether Vezeau has the legal right to hold concerts (and weddings) in the barn-like structure he constructed on the property in 2009. The building has been the venue for the Canadian Guitar Festival, a gathering dedicated to all aspects of acoustic fingerstyle guitar that attracts visitors from around the world and the genre’s foremost practitioners including Canada’s own Don Ross, as well as Ed Gerhard, Antoine Dufor and John Ainsworth.

Although the Township has given its blessing to the CGF on numerous occasions (a requirement for Vezeau to get a liquor licence for the event), Vezeau has also held some other concerts including Ambush and Rock of Dimes (fundraiser for the March of Dimes) as well as weddings in the building.

Following complaints from neighbour Maureen Belch, the Township laid charges through its bylaw enforcement officer (at the Ambush concert specifically) which were later withdrawn.

The Township, through Planner Lindsay Mills, then advised Vezeau that such events were not allowed in the Resort/Recreational Commercial Zone his operation falls under (part of the 41-acre parcel falls under the Rural Zone but the services camping/trailer sites and the building where concerts take place are in the RRC zone). Mills also suggested that a zoning change could rectify the situation.

No one seemed to question Vezeau’s right to have the ancillary building for “storage and public gatherings,” only if concerts and weddings could be held in it.

Hickey laid out a comprehensive history of what’s gone on in the ancillary building, at one point mentioning a petition signed by neighbours protesting the concerts on noise concerns, saying “I want to give you (the court) some flavour of the complaints.

Justice Hurley dismissed the petition, saying “I wouldn’t care if every neighbour signed the petition (the question is) is he breaking the law.”

Vezeau maintains he doesn’t need a zoning change, telling the court: “In my view, I have been in complete compliance with the (Zoning) Bylaw.”

The judge’s ruling in this case could have far-reaching ramifications for the area, as well of all of Ontario’s cottage country in that it may become the precedent for what resort owners of all types can and cannot do on their properties.

Editor’s note: The Frontenac News plans to cover the court proceedings on Wednesday, Jan. 24 and publish the results on our web pages.

The Township of South Frontenac is taking Loughborough Lake Holiday Park owner Del Vezeau to court Jan. 24 seeking an injunction against live music events at the park.

The biggest musical event at the park is the annual Canadian Guitar Festival, but Vezeau has hosted a couple of much smaller events such as a fundraiser for March of Dimes and an Ambush concert.

“One of the biggest reasons I bought this place was so we’d have somewhere to hold the CGF,” he said. “We put up the building in 2009 and it was expensive — $130,000.

“But I don’t have a concert hall, I have a recreational facility for the pleasure and enjoyment of my clients.”

The Township doesn’t seem to have a problem with the Guitar Festival, having recognized it as having significant cultural value.

Vezeau said that gave the impression to some people that he was applying for a permit to hold it every year but “I’m not applying for a permit to hold the festival, that was only so I could get a licence to sell beer during the festival.”

However, there has been one neighbour complain about noise and after the Ambush concert (which ended before 11 p.m.) in 2015, Vezeau was charged and had to appear in court in November 2016. Those charges were withdrawn in court.

The Township has suggested a zoning change to resolve the dispute but Vezeau maintains the zoning he has (resort/recreational) allows him to host concerts from time to time.

He calls the Township’s pursuit of an injunction “specious and punitive” and even speculates that there could be an ulterior motive at play here.

“This is a 48-acre campground and I pay $5,500 in taxes yearly,” he said. “But if the property were developed, it could bring in $150,000 in taxes.

“And I have had offers from developers.”

Vezeau plans on representing himself in court and has every confidence in his chances of success.

“I will speak truth to power,” he said.

For me, a highlight of the Christmas season is taking part in a few of the Christmas Bird Counts held in our area. This year I participated in 3 “CBCs”, as they are known by many – Westport, Frontenac Provincial Park and Sharbot Lake. So how did it go this year? In three words – cold, cold and colder! More on this in a moment.

Christmas Bird Counts go back to 1900, when American ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed a new holiday tradition of having people count living birds in their home towns. Coined the "Christmas Bird Census”, people believed that it could be a fun activity that also contributed to conservation. It caught on, and CBCs are now conducted in over 2000 localities across the Americas.

Christmas Bird Counts are conducted on any one day between December 14 and January 5. They are carried out annually within a 24-km diameter circle that stays the same from year to year. CBCs are usually group events organized at the local level, often by a birding club, naturalists’ organization or simply an enthusiastic group of volunteers. People participate in one of two ways: field observers cover a portion of the count circle on their own or with a small group, counting all birds they find. Feeder watchers count birds at their feeders for a portion of the day.

On the chosen day, field observation teams have 24 hours to identify and count every bird they see or hear in their assigned sector of the circle. At the end of the day, the numbers are compiled, and this information is reviewed and coordinated by Bird Studies Canada, the sponsoring organization in Canada. This data has proven to be very valuable in helping scientists better understand important things like bird distribution and movements and population trends over time.

The big day for the Westport CBC was Friday December 14th. It was cold and windy but sunny, with the thermometer reading about minus 20 when I set out. The mercury rose a little during the day, but the wind became more biting as the day went on. My tally was below normal, with 113 birds representing 12 species, but with several interesting highlights, including a group of 5 Eastern Bluebirds and 2 small flocks of Cedar Waxwings. Overall some 23 intrepid birders and feeder watchers tallied 5,030 birds of 54 different species. Among the most unusual birds were a White-crowned Sparrow at a feeder and a trio of Yellow-rumped Warblers – both very rare sightings during the winter in this area. Blue Jays were back in large numbers this year (at 501), in contrast to last year when they were virtually absent.

Next up was the Frontenac CBC. Coordinated by The Friends of Frontenac Park, the count takes place in a circle that encompasses Frontenac Provincial Park and includes the towns of Sydenham and Verona. Now in its third season, this year’s December 16 count drew 50 participants, many of whom met at the Sydenham Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library for coffee and a great “Winter Birds 101” workshop. The weather was not unpleasant, with temperatures in the minus 7 to minus 10 range all day under sunny skies and moderate winds – a nice winter day. Participants tallied 3,502 individual birds of 48 different species. Highlights included a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Common Redpoll, both spotted at Loughborough Lake feeders, and 3 Rough-legged Hawks – all new species for the Frontenac CBC. Birders finished the day with a hearty and well-deserved meal at The Point restaurant in Sydenham. The day’s events also included a CBC for Kids afternoon workshop at Frontenac Park attended by several families. Plus, the Frontenac CBC had its first youth survey team, with seven participants aged 11-16.

Several years ago the Sharbot Lake bird count was revived by the keen and itinerant birder (and expert “pisher”) Andrew Keaveney, making this year’s count, held on January 5, the third consecutive recent count for this circle. The weather was likely the most memorable feature of the Sharbot Lake count day. There’s no way around it, it was brutally cold. Our small but hardy birding party headed out at 9:00 am with the thermometer reading minus 25 with a wind chill of minus 36. Man it was cold! We tallied 13 species and 83 birds, a bit higher than last year but still quite low. The cold weather handicapped us a little – I rely a great deal on my hearing to help me find birds, but the layers of hats and hoods I was wearing (to stay alive) muffled most sounds. Another teammate found the cold weather left his glasses fogged up all morning, so he was operating at less than 100%. And for the first time in my birding career, the exceptional cold made the focus wheel on my binoculars stiff and uncooperative.

At sundown, survivors converged on the Maples Restaurant in Sharbot Lake to thaw out and compare notes. In total 9 field observers and several feeder watchers tallied 1,347 birds of 32 species, including a Northern Goshawk, 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Several Pine Grosbeaks and Red Crossbills were tallied as well, a pair of species that are not easily found in Frontenac most years. Perhaps the most interesting find was a Brown Thrasher being treated like royalty at a local feeder. Neither the thrasher nor the Red-bellied Woodpecker had ever been recorded on the count before. Bird numbers were down a bit over the long-term average, with the weather (did I say it was cold that day?) having an impact on bird numbers. For example, open water usually yields waterfowl like ducks and geese, but this year open water was very scare.

All of the above CBCs are looking for more volunteers. Anyone who is interested in birds and in spending a winter day looking for them either in the field or from the comfort of their own homes as feeder watchers are invited to join the fun. Those interested in participating in the Sharbot Lake CBC can contact Andrew Keaveney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more info on the Westport CBC, please contact Wendy Briggs-Jude at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and to join the Frontenac CBC please contact Carolyn Bonta at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Participating in Christmas Bird Counts for me is a bit like a treasure hunt – it’s exciting to seek out new species to add to the daily tally or come across a group of interesting birds like this year’s bluebirds or the 110 Snow Buntings we spotted north of Westport during last year’s CBC. I also get a good deal of satisfaction knowing that our effort and the data we collect is helping to paint a continent-wide picture of the status of our winter birds. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without looking for birds.

Working with a core board of five: Sue Clinton, Bev McNeill, Jim Kelly, Katie Koopman, and Coleen Ure McCulla-Grant (long-time member Peter Stewart’s in England this year) this small group of very well-organized volunteers helps connect those in our community who have plenty with those who need a helping hand, by raising funds and donations to create generous Christmas baskets for seventy South Frontenac families and individuals. Throughout the rest of the year, as the Loughborough Christmas and Emergency Committee, they help provide relief to local families in times of distress.

The Christmas ‘baskets’ include boxes of food, age-appropriate books for children, toys and bright hand-knitted mitts, scarves and toques. “We live in an incredibly generous community,” says Clinton. The last week before packing, shoppers are dispatched and on packing-day a small well-organized auxilary army of volunteers and family members come to help. Grace Hall is crammed with rows of tables and numbered boxes, van-loads of food arrive, are carried in, and somehow the whole huge task of filling the boxes is accomplished in a few hours. Fresh produce is added on the morning of pick-up and delivery. To respect confidentiality, only the core group is present when the boxes are collected or delivered.