June is Senior’s Month, and Pine Meadow Nursing Home wanted to join in the celebration! This year’s theme is “Living your best life”.  We thought a great day to show this was to have our residents get involved in our planned celebrations!  We had ladies prepare the squares for the party the morning before, and during the social, we had our residents plant a cherry tree in their courtyard.  A few years ago they planted an apple tree for Senior’s Month. We thought it was a great way to enhance our courtyard, and our resident’s will reap the benefit from the trees for years to come!

The 15th annual Pine Meadow Charity Golf Tournament took place on June 25th at Hunter's Creek Golf Course on Hwy. 506 near Cloyne. As in previous years, this year's tournament was generously sponsored by numerous businesses and community members, raising over $17,000. These funds are used for a variety of items at Pine Meadow, which cannot be included in their regular budget and which enhance the lives of the residents at the nursing home.

Funds raised this year will be used to subsidize the monthly excursions planned for the residents and to purchase an Arjo Maxilift, patio furniture and concrete pathways for the new courtyard, as well as raised garden beds and curtains and tablecloths for the activity room.

This year, 69 golfers participated in the tournament on a beautiful sunny day at Hunter's Creek Golf Course. Raffle prizes included a beautiful quilt made by Treadle Quilters and valued at $1100, which was won by David Thain of Napanee and a Smoker valued at $1000 donated by Lookout Home Hardware, which was won by Austin Sharp of Aurora. There was also a 50/50 draw with a prize of $165, won by Greg Wise, who donated $50 back to the

fund. The microwave, donated by Smitty's Appliances, was the prize for the chipping contest and was won by Cory Andrews. Hunter's Creek donated a prize of 10 golf games, valued at $250, which was won by Miller Hodgins.

The members of the first place team at the tournament (pictured) were Paul Andrews, Hailey Andrews, Marty Lessard and Matt Lessard. The second place team included Randy Andrews, Mike Sagriff, Derek Maschke and Cole Maschke. Both teams donated their winnings back to the Pine Meadow Special Needs Fund.

The men's closest to the pin was won by Jamie Tryon and the women's closest to the pin was won by Donna Peters . The men's longest drive was won by Greg Wise and the women's longest drive was won by Sue Tobia.

The raffle sales brought in over $6000 and we are especially grateful to the many ticket sellers, who gave of their time and enthusiasm. Special thanks to Mike and Candy Donahue and the staff at Hunter's Creek for all their hard work in support of the Pine Meadow Golf Classic.

Frances Smith, Mayor of Central Frontenac was on hand at Pine Meadow Nursing Home in Northbrook on June 10 to present the home with a cheque for $12,500 towards the window project. Rev. Jean Brown and Brenda Martin, chair of Pine Meadow's Family Council, made a presentation to the Township of Central Frontenac earlier in the year and both were present on Friday to update the results of this campaign. Pine Meadow needs to replace 11 bay windows at a total cost of $136,000. With the donation from Central Frontenac, funds raised to date are over $60,000. We are grateful to the Township of North Frontenac, who earlier this year donated $25,000, as well as the Northbrook Lions who have donated $5,000 to this project. The balance has all come from private donations. Work begins soon to complete five of these windows this summer. Following the cheque presentation, the group enjoyed an educational session from Tricia Dominik, Psychogeriatric Resource Consultant. The event was sponsored by Pine Meadow Family Council in celebration of Family Council Week. Pictured here is Frances Smith, Margaret Palimaka, Administrator, Pine Meadow, and Bill Cox, Chairperson of Pine Meadow Management Committee. Pine Meadow is a program of Land O'Lakes Community Services.

Gardens are never made by sitting in the shade and our local Land O’Lakes Garden Club members are prime examples of busy folks. The months of April, May and June are chock-a-block full of jobs as we cleaned up from winter, prepared the soil for planting and finally got to the best occupation -planting new seeds and plants.

An early morning line up was the order of the day on May 28 at our annual plant sale. Promptly at 9am the doors of Barrie Hall opened to a crowd of shoppers. Thank you to all our members and non-members who donated plants for this great cause. Our membership knows just what buyers want and spend enormous amounts of time separating and replanting vigorous specimens from their own gardens in pots. Remember these plants are acclimatized to our local conditions and will not be like fussy plants from further afield that take time to adjust to our acidic soil.

This was my first year and I was astonished by the number and quality of the plants for sale. The Don Cuddy family of Harlowe did an amazing job of starting vegetable seedlings and we were privileged to be the recipients of many beautiful heirloom tomato plants, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants and herbs to sell. This is a generous donation from the Cuddys that is very much appreciated by our garden club.

For those of you who missed the sale, don’t forget it next year, as you will find a wide variety of plant and vegetable seedlings at nominal expense. We hold the plant sale every year on the Saturday after the May long weekend, so mark your calendars for next year. By then you can pop those tomato plants into the garden, as frost danger is normally past. What a great way to build a garden and provide you and your family with delicious home grown produce. There are plenty of helpers at the sale to answer your garden questions and get you started producing food. The money we earn is turned back into the community in various ways and some of it goes toward a bursary for children interested in pursuing their post-secondary education in the Environmental and Horticulture fields.

We hope you notice the community planters that dot our neighbourhoods. They are the rectangular black boxes, like the one in front of the Cloyne Post Office. Freshly touched up for the summer, with renewed soil and compost, they were well planted by our member teams on June 3 with beautiful annuals. Local businesses donate a small fee, which goes directly to our expenses in filling the planters, and we are grateful to every business and individual who makes that possible. When you see a planter in front of one of our local business locations, please make a comment to the owner as this beautifies our community and those folks are instrumental in making that happen. Business owners assume the responsibility of watering the planters throughout the summer while our member teams check on them periodically to ensure all’s well and blooming.

Take a walk along Little Pond Road and wander through the lovely little Pioneer Cemetery that members have lovingly restored. From an overgrown bush it has been transformed and every year we make improvements. This year you would have found many volunteer members moving gravel to renew the pathways as well as enjoying a great lunch. Do have a look!

Besides all the planting we have been up to, a big and exciting project is planned and underway for our Canadian 150th Birthday of Confederation. We are keeping the details under wraps for now but want to make a special thank you to Brad Douglas of Home Hardware in Northbrook for making a wonderful donation toward our objective. Thank you Brad!

A couple of things we can tell you are: It will be a show-stopper and the community will be invited to the opening. Watch this newspaper for more details as the summer progresses. And one other thing: think about planting all your gardens with red and white next year, and get your order in at the local nursery early as the entire population of Canada is thinking the same thing. Growers are anticipating the demand but it never hurts to remind them you will want red and white. What a display it would be if we all made this happen.

Pine Meadow Nursing Home is blooming too, thanks to our wonderful volunteer members. There is no one that is without a job helping out in these spring months in our garden club. You need to know that our levels of experience in gardening and our interests in what we grow are wide-ranging. Some have gardened a lifetime; some a few weeks. Some members love a vegetable patch; others care for growing cut flowers. Maybe there is an interest in shrubbery or herbs or just an interest in hearing our monthly speaker and having some social time. We gladly accept all visitors and hope you stay and decide to join our group. There is nothing better than sharing growing knowledge with someone who likes the dirt! We meet every 2nd Thursday of the month, April through November, at the Pineview Free Methodist Church at 7pm. Join us. Our welcome mat is out.

The Pine Meadow Nursing Home Special Needs Committee is gearing up for the 14th Annual Pine Meadow Classic at Hunter's Creek Golf Course, which will take place on Saturday, June 25.

The tournament has been responsible for bringing amenities and functions to Pine Meadow that are not covered by the limited funding the home receives from the provincial government. Over the years these have included the garden, gates and pavilion near the entrance to the home; specialised beds and lift equipment; and chairs for the activity room. The fund has also paid for trips to Wheeler's Pancake House, Woodland Park, Sand Lake, Farm Town Park and many other locations.

The special needs committee, which is community-based, is headed by Laury Hitchcock, Eleanor Nowell, Fern Sedore and Alison Yearwood.

There are two main ways for community members to support the tournament. One is to purchase tickets to play at the event. They sell for $55 and include 18 holes of golf, coffee and muffins before the shotgun tournament start and a lunch as well. There are also door prizes and contests throughout the round.

Individuals and businesses can also sponsor the tournament. Individual sponsorships from $150 to $499 are available, as are major corporate sponsorships at $500 or more.

Over the years the tournament has always been marked by competition among some of the strong teams with a healthy dose of good humour as other teams vie for the coveted “most honest team”. Players can enter as individuals, partners, or teams of four.

The funds raised at this year's event will be directed towards monthly excursions for residents; an Arjo Maxi Lift; raised garden beds and paved pathways for the back courtyard; patio furniture, and tablecloths and matching curtains for the activity room.

While the tournament is six weeks away, committee members are filling up the tournament roster and sponsorship slots early this year, and in order to reserve a spot, it is best to contact them as soon as possible. To book a spot, call Eleanor at 613-336-2547 (days) or 613-336-8226 (evenings) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For sponsorship enquiries contact Laury Hitchcock at 613-336-2394 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

After Frontenac County Council voted down the request for a grant to help replace aging windows at Pine Meadow Nursing Home, there has been a lot of misinformation regarding how the home operates. As the current chairperson of the Land O’ Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) Board of Directors, I would like to clarify some of the confusion.

Pine Meadow Nursing Home is a community-owned, not-for-profit nursing home. The volunteer management committee, which oversees operations of the home, is a committee of the Land O’ Lakes Community Services Board, and the directors who make up the board are elected from a general membership that anyone in the community may belong to.

The board is responsible for hiring managers for the organization. We hire the administrator for Pine Meadow Nursing Home and the business manager and director of programs for our community based services. Those individuals report to and are responsible to the board. They hire and oversee the remaining employees of the organization.

LOLCS is the partner that signs the Long-Term Care Home Service Accountability Agreement (L-SAA). This agreement is set forth by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care between the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and the long-term care provider. For Pine Meadow, the agreement is between Land O’ Lakes Community Services and the South East Local Health Integration Network. We do not receive any annualized tax dollars as we are not a county-owned home; however, the County of Lennox and Addington did provide us with a $250,000 commitment (over 10 years) to help with our expansion – even though L&A has its own municipal home, the John Parrot Centre, in Napanee.

Pine Meadow Nursing home is located in Northbrook, which is in Addington Highlands Township and Lennox & Addington County. It is important to note though, that approximately 1/3 of our 60 residents and 1/3 of our 100 employees are from Frontenac County (this number has been higher at times).

LOLCS purchases services from Extendicare Canada; as such, we are an Extendicare Assist Home, meaning we have a contract with Extendicare for certain services. They have a number of Assist homes, and each one has a contract that is suited to its individual needs. Our contract includes services such as payroll, H.R. support, accounting services, and legal services (when required). This contract also provides cost guarantees for supplies and food, as well as purchasing power for employee benefits and includes consultants for all programs at Pine Meadow. The management committee and the board of directors regularly evaluate the contract to determine our needs and contract renewal. Through our contract with Extendicare, we are also included in their computer networks, so our management employees have emails that indicate @extendicare, and we are linked to the Extendicare website.

I hope this information has clarified some of the issues about our wonderful home, but if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact Margaret Palimaka, administrator of Pine Meadow Nursing Home, at 613-336-9120.  

On January 18 there was an incident at Pine Meadow Nursing Home that required staff to act quickly. When a carbon monoxide alarm went off, residents were moved away from the wing of the building where the alarm was located while staff addressed the problem and called in the fire department.

“The fire department gave the all clear after doing a thorough check, and the residents were allowed to return,” said Margaret Palimaka, the home's administrator. “Families, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Labour have been informed. Medical follow-up was done and all concerned staff and residents are fine. We are also having a fire consultant review the incident.”

Palimaka added that the home often consults with community members and service providers, and seeks the expertise of their management contractor, Extendicare, on matters of safety.

“We would like to thank all our residents, their families and staff for their patience as we resolve this issue. We would also like to thank the fire department for their quick response and everyone else who responded in such a timely manner to keep everyone safe,” she said.

I applaud North Frontenac Township's decision to donate $25,000 for the windows at Pine Meadow Nursing Home and encourage my township of Central Frontenac to do likewise. Donations from the public would be welcome. Anyone who would like to donate towards the new windows, please mail a cheque to Pine Meadow Nursing Home, P.O. Box 100, Northbrook ON, K0H 1K0.

Also, I support a Central Frontenac Township bounty on beaver and coyotes. I am willing to pay more taxes so these suggestions can happen, and even more taxes if our Henderson Road could be paved with real pavement. Thanks to all the township folks who work so wonderfully on our behalf- we appreciate all you do, and the tough decisions you must make with such little revenue.

County CAO trashes Pine Meadow

The news coverage was a story regarding the Higgins/Dewey betrayal. But there is a second more insidious and underhanded situation that the editor clearly points out and readers should not overlook. County Council and the people they represent are in somewhat of a blind trust with the County’s CAO. They depend on him for the ultimate administration, financial and operational management of our County affairs and resources. His advice and input is crucial to almost every discussion. Since he can sway the vote and manipulate a County decision, the CAO’s integrity must be unquestionable.

Let’s be blunt about what happened on November 12 Pine Meadow denied funding by County. The County CAO fed councilors a “pile” of untrue and incorrect statements. The intention was to create doubt regarding Pine Meadow’s financial sustainability, its operating efficiency, its level of nursing care and quality of service. He summed it all up by proclaiming he thought Pine Meadow could learn a few things from Fairmount. He presented Pine Meadow as the poor sister and was making sure all the County cash kept flowing just to Fairmount. He was manipulating councilors and they fell for it. A week later he backed down and admitted much of what he had said wasn’t true. Was he misinformed by staff or does he sometimes speak without knowing what he is talking about? The end result is, his strategy worked. The seniors in the north lost out again and the tough part to accept this time around is that even some of their own Council representatives don’t care.

There ought to be a law for CAOs, senior managers and departmental heads who are paid for by the public purse. If they are proven to intentionally “mislead” their bosses, their councilors or the public three things should happen. First a public apology with an explanation is in order, then an apology to the Council and finally an offer to resign. These blind trusts are fragile. Fool us once but don’t fool us twice.

The present council and staff of Frontenac County seem to be unaware of much information surrounding Pine Meadow Nursing Home and I was surprised when I read your article Pine Meadow Denied Funding By County of Nov. 26. I was chairman of Land O' Lakes Community Services board at the time the province awarded not-for-profit beds. The mandate for Pine Meadow was to serve north Frontenac County and north Lennox & Addington County. The ten townships as they existed at that time all sent representatives to the preliminary planning meetings. We received great support in our fund raising efforts from the general public, Barrie Township and Lennox & Addington County and its townships. The article mentioned a statement by County staff that such a grant would open the door for other not-for-profit nursing homes with Frontenac County residents to ask for grants. Unless not-for-profit beds have been awarded since Pine Meadow opened, the only other one is in downtown Toronto. I find it very sad that a County with a much greater tax base than Lennox & Addington should decide to ignore their northern residents.