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The long and contentious approval process to create 15 new building lots at Johnston’s Point on Loughborough Lake (off North Shore Road) took another bizarre twist this month with the release of a new document.

Because of the presence of two endangered species on the site - Blandings Turtles and Gray (aka Black) rat snakes – the project developer was required to obtain a “Overall Benefit Permit” from the Ministry of Natural Resources as a condition of approval for the project.

The permit sets out the steps that must be taken to ensure that the net effect of the development will not cause any more stress on the populations of the two endangered species than existed when the property was in its natural state.

Frontenac County, as the approval authority that will ultimately give the go-ahead for the project, wanted to see the permit. The Ministry would not release the document and the county submitted a freedom of information request last winter to get access.

While the request was being considered, ministerial changes took place and responsibility to enforce the permit is now held by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. The document was finally released to Frontenac County on October 29, but as members of Frontenac County Council saw this week when the document was released to the public, it is a redacted version that was released.

The redactions were done by the ministry and a third party with an interest in the project. The ministries’ redactions, county planning staff have determined, were done so that the specific locations where the species are located within the site are not identified.

The redactions make parts of the permit very hard to understand.

The permit does say that paving should be avoided within the building project, and that a 30-metre vegetative buffer around the lake must be adhered to. It also places restrictions on the time of years when certain construction activities can take place.

For example, no vegetative clearing, driveway clearing or construction, building or septic field construction can take place between April 1 and October 31 unless a qualified professional is on site to monitoring all clearing and construction to make sure the species are not negatively impacted by the activity.

While construction will be restricted during the main building season of April 1 to October 30, any blasting that will take place will be restricted to April 1 – October 31 so it does not impact the snakes during hibernation.

Even once construction is complete, there are provisions for educating property owners on the site, and for annual reports concerning the wellbeing of the two species.

The stringent requirements about the project, the materials to be used in road construction, and the timing and limitations during the construction phase will all be enforced by the Ministry, the township of South Frontenac and the County of Frontenac have no jurisdiction concerning the stipulations contained in the benefit permit.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

EORN (the Eastern Ontario Regional Network) has secured the last piece of funding it needs to set up its newest project. A $71 million commitment from the Province of Ontario, paired with a $10 million commitment from local municipalities, leaves only a federal government commitment of another $71 million still to come.

A request for proposal for private sector partners to invest the remaining $61 million for the $213 million project to get underway.

The Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) has designated both mobile (cell service) and fixed broadband (high speed internet) as a basic service for all Canadians.

The EORN project is designed to fill some specific service gaps in Eastern Ontario that would not be filled otherwise by the private sector because of what it calls “market failure”, not enough revenue for companies to justify large capital investments to serve too few customers in rural areas.

Currently 40% of the area does not have access to high definition internet services, 20% of the area does not have access to standard definition internet services, and 10% of the are has no voice call (cell) service at all.

This new project has, as its goal, 99% voice call cell service, 95% coverage for standard definition internet service, and 85% high speed internet service. In addition EORN intends to invest $34 million in increased capacity (5G) network enhancements in high density, high usage areas.

EORN is a not for profit corporation created by the Eastern Ontario Warden’s caucus to help improve internet service in 12 eastern Ontario counties and the City of Kawartha Lakes. To date it has been responsible for bringing more than $300 million in high speed infrastructure to the region.

Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith is one of 9 board members who oversee EORN operations.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 03 July 2019 15:21

CAO Orr’s last council meeting

By the time the next South Frontenac Council meeting rolls around (August 6), Wayne Orr will be retired and packing for a leisurely road trip west. In recognition of this, Mayor Vandewal presented Orr with his nameplate at the end of the meeting, just before Clerk Angela Maddocks brought out a cake.

Draft Development Charges By-law

Consultant Gary Scanlon of Watson Associates attended the mandatory public meeting to review the proposed Development Charges by-law and receive public input prior to Council’s final consideration of the new by-law on August 6. Development Charges are charges levied at the time of new construction to recover capital costs associated with both residential and non-residential growth within the municipality. The Province is currently in the process of separating “hard” services (roads, fire protection, police and engineering services) from “soft” services which include parks, recreation, and library services and community-based studies.

Mayor Vandewal noted that there have been no enquiries from either developers or the general public and only one person had attended the mid-June information open house. Likewise, no one from the public (other than the press) was in attendance at this meeting.

The report estimates that, over the next 15 years, 1311 new residential units will be built in the township and the population will increase by 2,767 people. The draft bylaw pegs the total development and community benefit fees per new single-family dwelling at $9,383, a 39% increase over the current fee of $6,758. This fee is paid in addition to building permit fees and any zoning amendment charges that may be necessary.

Scanlon briefly reviewed some of the highlights of his report, and there being no questions or comments from the public, Council agreed to move on to the next step, in August, of passing the by-law.

Community Safety and Well Being Plan (CSWB Plan)

In January 2019, The province legislated municipalities have two years to prepare and adopt a CSWB Plan which will identify risk factors in the municipality and “determine which risk factors the municipality will treat as a priority to reduce; strategies to reduce the risk factors, including providing new services, changing existing services, improving the integration of existing services or coordinating existing services in a different way; set out measurable outcomes that the strategies are intended to produce; plus any other issues/information that may be prescribed through Regulation.” A joint Frontenac Townships CSWB Advisory Committee will be created, and will include representatives from a large, specified group of social, health and education services. CAO Orr said that while the basic concept of such a group had the potential to lead to positive outcomes, “we’re the wrong group of people to set it up”.

Councillor Roberts suggested the proposed advisory committee was too large, but Orr said there was no choice: the group’s composition had been determined by the Province. Councillor Sutherland said he would prefer that as many as possible of the committee members be Frontenac residents.

The proposed committee will include Deputy Clerk Cindy Deachman, Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith (who is the incoming county warden and has a social services background) Sgt Sharron Brown, detachment commander Frontenac OPP, David Herrington from the South Frontenac Police Services Board, Chief Doreen Davis from the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, and one representative each from social services, addictions and mental health, health care, education, and children and youth.

Council adjourned to share the aforementioned cake in CAO Orr’s honour.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 26 June 2019 10:52

Shining Waters re-surfaces

After being passed over during the most recent federal budget, the Shining Waters rail proposal, linking Toronto and Ottawa with stations in Peterborough, Tweed, Sharbot Lake, and Smiths Falls along the way, has new life.

Mariam Monsef, MP for Peterborough and Minister for Gender Equality and International Development, announced on Tuesday (June 25) that the federal government and the Canada Infrastructure Bank are committing $71.1 million in new funding to complete planning activities over two years to advance the VIA rail proposal.

The announcement was made at the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, which is housed in the former Peterborough passenger rail station. A similar announcement was made in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, as the proposed Toronto to Ottawa rail line has been paired with a Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City line that would travel on the north side of the St. Lawrence River through Trois Rivieres.

A map that was printed along with article in the Globe and Mail that broke the news about the funding includes stations in Tweed and Sharbot Lake.

“This project would bring significant economic growth to our community and the affected regions along the corridor,” Monsef said.

The work that is slated to be done using this injection of funds includes consultation with stakeholders and indigenous communities, an examination of the required land and track acquisition, and the completion of the technical, financial, and commercial analysis that is required for a final investment decision.

Monsef added that this new expenditure is a step along a process towards bringing the new rail line to fruition but said “this train has yet to leave the station, but this is the furthest we have ever come on the idea of a passenger train.”

The project itself will cost about $4 billion to complete, $6 billion if the rail cars are fully electric. One of the potential outcomes of the $71 injection of federal dollars is to create enough certainty about the viability of the rail service for it to attract private investment dollars

In the Globe and Mail article, the section of the proposed line that runs between Ottawa and Peterborough is said to “involve reviving a long-abandoned rail line that has since been converted to a recreational trail”.

The advantage of using the trail is that it is simple to acquire, whereas the section between Peterborough and Toronto will require the purchase of an existing Canadian Pacific Rail line.

Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith received a heads up from VIA rail’s communication department about the announcement early this week, and brought the information to a meeting of Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday afternoon.

“This is the first communication I have received from VIA since just after the federal budget came out in April , when it looked like the project did not have much momentum,” Smith said. “That seems to have changed.”

The announcement of funding for rail in Eastern Ontario and Quebec comes about on the second business day after the start of a long summer of election campaigning. The House of Commons rose last week, not to return until after the election.

The Frontenac News has received an unconfirmed report that VIA rail has already looked at locations for a station in the vicinity of Sharbot Lake, and is considering ducking just south of the village rather than following the former rail line which would rumble within metres of the Sharbot Lake Family Health team, the Sharbot Lake beach and the Central Frontenac township office.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Magenta Corporation is the proponent for a vacant land plan of Condominium that is slated to create 18 waterfront and back-lots on a 91-acre parcel of land called Johnston’s Point on Loughborough Lake south of Perth Road Village. Thanks to a decision of Frontenac County Council last Wednesday (June 19) they will have at least one more year to clear all the conditions and obtain final approval for the development.

The project has been the subject of much opposition from neighouring property owners on the lake and others who are concerned that the project will impact wildlife within an adjacent Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) and on some identified Species at Risk within the proposed development itself.

In 2016, it was approved by the Ontario Municipal Board, the final authority in Ontario for land use planning matters. That approval is good for three years, which runs out this month, hence the application for an extension.

Two delegations before Council on the morning of the decision urged them to reject the one-year extension, but Frontenac County Manager of Planning and Development Joe Gallivan said that the extension was warranted.

In his report to Council, Gallivan wrote: County planning staff along with the owner, project manager, [South Frontenac] township staff and commenting agencies completed a site visit of the subject property on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. At this site visit the commenting agencies and Township confirmed that the outstanding work required the extension to ensure that the required conditions are appropriately fulfilled and were supportive of the one-year extension. County Councillors also had the opportunity to attend the site.”

South Frontenac and Frontenac County Council member Alan Revill indicated he would not be supporting the extension, pointing to his concerns over species at risk within the proposed development lands.

The Planning department of South Frontenac also supported granting the extension, however South Frontenac Council rejected their own planning department decision, and voted down a staff motion at their June 4th meeting recommending the county grant the extension. Frontenac County is the approval authority for land use planning within its jurisdiction.

Joe Gallivan told County Council that he is not aware that an extension such as the one being requested in this case “has ever been rejected by a municipality in Ontario”.

In a recorded vote, the extension was approved, with Councillor Revill casting the only dissenting vote. Couth Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, who had been one of only two South Frontenac Council member to support the extension at the June 4th South Frontenac Council meeting, supported it again at Frontenac County Council on June 19.

One-year extensions for two other projects in the same district of South Frontenac, Storrington, as Johnston’s Point, were approved without comment. They are the Cranberry Cove and Sands Road projects.

Also at the meeting Council adopted a strategic plan for the rest of this term of council. The plan includes 3 relatively broad priorities: 1. Get behind plans that build community vitality and resilience in times of growth and change 2. Explore new funding sources and invest wisely in critical long-term infrastructure, and 3. Champion and coordinate collaborative efforts with partners to resolve complex problems otherwise beyond the reach of individual mandates and jurisdictions.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 05 June 2019 14:14

South Frontenac Township Council

Johnston Point: Gold Standards and Big Microscopes

In their responses to the developer’s request for a one-year extension of the three year old draft plan of approval for the Johnson Point plan of condominium, which is due to expire at the end of June, Council members made their unhappiness with the process very clear.

Although final decisions about plans of condominium rest with Frontenac County, the township’s recommendations on matters relating to condo and subdivision developments are forwarded to the county to become part of the decision-making process.

Developer Gavin Marshall of Magenta Waterfront Development, which assumed responsibility for the Johnson Point project in March, introduced himself as a person with strong local connections, having grown up in Prince Edward County and graduated from Queen’s. He spoke of the “unprecedented degree of scrutiny and analysis that has made this the gold standard for waterfront developments.” He said the condo corporation would have an environmental committee formed of residents who were totally committed to the environment and the area.

“Johnson Point will produce great economic benefits for the Township and will cement and elevate South Frontenac as a place with extremely high environmental standards,” he said: “Johnston Point is the gold standard future we all need to get to.” Marshall complimented Township staff for their help and commitment: “Our Corporation has the expertise and financial ability to help you bring this project to completion in the next few months.”

Marshall introduced Tracy Zander, planning consultant and project manager. “In spite of two extensions, I feel we are close to getting registration,” said Zander, “but to date, we have been unable to obtain a copy of the Benefit Agreement.”

This is the problem: a benefit permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries (MNRF) is required before the subdivision can be registered, and neither the Township nor the current developer has been able to obtain a copy of this document. The document delineates protective measures to be undertaken for the surrounding wetland habitat and identified species at risk at the site (including Blandings turtles, Black Rat snakes, and Whipporwills). The MNRF issued the Benefit Permit for the Johnston Point project on November 14, 2018, to the then proponent of the project (Gary Beach) and claims that it is unable to share the permit with township or county. To date Beach has refused to share the document, the County has been unable to get a copy, and has filed a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act request to obtain one that can be shared with the Township. Marshall is also in the process of trying to obtain a copy of the benefit permit. Later in the meeting, Beach came as a delegate in reference to another subdivision, saying only that “there will be time to speak to other developments at another date.”

As Claire Dodds, Director of Development Services for South Frontenac Township, explained to the News earlier in the day in a telephone interview, the township cannot make a recommendation to the county until it sees the benefit agreement. The township needs to know that whatever is required under that agreement has been satisfied before it can recommend that the county give final approval for the plan of condominium.

“Without seeing the agreement, we are stuck,” she said.

The township has made a freedom of information request to try and force the MNRF to release the document, and Dodd’s recommended that council grant the one year extension to allow the benefit agreement and other issues enough time to play themselves out.

Deputy Mayor Sleeth led the response by some sharp questioning of the unavailability of the Benefit permit, asking why nothing seemed to have been done until now, even though Magenta had taken over the project more than two months ago. He went on to point out that neither council nor staff had been permitted to enter the Johnson point property until very recently, to see what was going on.

Councillor Sutherland said that although it was good to talk to the majority shareholder, in his opinion “Johnson Point is an inappropriate space (for development), no matter what the gold standard is.” He listed five issues that have come up in the past five years, including the “unconscionable” construction of a bridge without a building permit, and brush clearing along the shoreline.

Marshall responded that construction of the offending bridge had halted, and an engineer had been retained to draw up a design to accompany a building permit application. He added that although branches had been cut along the shoreline, no trees had been removed and this had been all right with their consulting biologist. Sutherland countered this by saying that regulations for the 30 metre setback stated that all vegetation should be retained and maintained; “It’s pretty clear that this means all vegetation. We have been working hard to protect our shorelines and don’t want to see niggling and picking away at branches and fallen trees, etc.”

“This is your issue, not ours,” said Councillor Ruttan when Marshall complained that Mr Beach had refused to release the Benefit Permit to him. “I question it is gold standard when a lot of work has been done without approval: seeking permission after the fact is hardly ‘gold standard’. Also, how do you plan to hold the new owners to a standard?”

Marshall replied, “We’re under a really big microscope here. No way could we get away with cutting corners. It can be tough to legislate human nature, but the residents will have a commonality of interest - they will be interested in conservation.” Ruttan responded that the big magnifying glass didn’t seem to have worked so far.

“The municipality has put in hundreds of hours on this project, and it has cost us thousands of dollars,” said Sleeth, “with no benefit to the Township to date.”

Marshall responded that he, too, had a lot of money - ten million dollars -invested, and five pending sales, once the project had final approval: “We have high environmental standards. It is regrettable, deplorable and unfortunate that these standards have not been upheld. The microscope has been greatly expanded now that our company has taken over.”

Councillor Revill said he was disappointed Mr Beach was not more forthcoming, but at this point he could not support what appears to be a very last-minute request for an extension. “It feels like a very adversarial relationship between the developer and council.”

Council narrowly defeated an amendment that would have seen the matter referred to the development committee, which meets later this week, for recommendations to a special meeting of Council that could be called shortly afterward.

In a recorded vote, Council also turned down the recommendation that they approve the requested year’s extension of draft plan approval. (Only Mayhor Vandewal and Coucillor Leonard were in favour).

The minutes of the evening’s discussion and outcome will be forwarded to the County, who will make the final decision.

Two other requests for draft plan extensions: Cranberry Cove condominium and Ouellette subdivision, both in Storrington, were approved without discussion.

Cowboy Mounted Shooting Range

Council directed stuff to issue a letter of ‘no objection’ to the private shooting range proposed near Piccadilly for the purpose of Cowboy Mounted Shooting, subject to both Phillip Smith and Jamie Lloyd entering into an agreement with the Township as outlined in the report of May 29, 2019. Conditions limit the times of use, and stipulate that no live ammunition will be discharged on the range, as well as other details. This support will be granted on a trial basis of 6 months and will be subject to renewal upon evaluation. The range will also be governed by the Firearms Act and Regulations, as administered by the Chief Firearms Officer.

SF Official Plan Review

Council will hold a special meeting on August 6, to consider revisions to the Official Plan, and three public meetings will be scheduled, to gain public input on lakes and natural environment, rural lands and economy, settlement areas and community. These will be publicly advertised.

Premier’s letter to municipal councils

Premier Ford’s letter of May 23, which withdraws this year’s retroactive funding cuts for public health, paramedic series and child care, also asks municipalities to find new and better ways to cut costs.

This drew a tart response from council and staff.

Outgoing CAO Wayne Orr: “I do not believe for a moment that South Frontenac is wasteful or overstaffed. Rather we deliver exceptional services with the resources we have and have taken steps towards being self-sufficient rather than relying upon grants in order to meet expectations.

“I do acknowledge that there could be different processes, but caution that they may come at a cost to service delivery, access to services and programs or staff morale and retention. Efforts to identify potential efficiencies and / or savings are best focused on the big picture items rather than looking at how much is spent on office supplies, how many paint brushes we buy a year or how much we pay for rust proofing etc.”

Councillor Sutherland: “Council knows how to save and spend money: this is disrespectful.”

Deputy Mayor Sleeth: “I agree; we do a really good job of managing our finances.”

Mayor Vandewal: “There’s always room for improvement, but it doesn’t seem like the (recommended) exercise is worth it.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Opponents of the Johnston Point 15 lot development on Loughborough Lake have not given up the fight. The development received draft approval from the Ontario Municipal Board over a year ago last spring.

That approval included a number of conditions that need to be met by the applicant, Magenta Waterfront Development Corporation, before the plan can be approved and the lots created. Among those are conditions related to endangered species at that location. Early in November, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) posted a notice on the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) web site. The notice concerns a so-called “overall benefit” permit that the ministry is intending to issue regarding two species at risk that have been identified on the 36 acre parcel known as Johnston’s Point. It relates to two species, the Gray (aka Black) Ratsnake and the Blandings Turtle.

If the ministry issues the permit, it will be based on a commitment by the applicant to take measures to offset any harm that is done to the habitat with greater measures to improve the habitat, achieving an “overall benefit”.

A delegation on Tuesday Night (November 28) urged Council to support their opposition to the “Overall Benefit” permit on the grounds that two other species at risk have been identified at Johnston’s Point, bats and whip-poor-wills.

“The benefit permit completely disregards significant evidence gathered by citizens of South Frontenac regarding the presence of at least two more species: Little Brown Myotis Bats (Endangered), as well as Eastern Whip-poor-will (Species at Risk)” said Roel Vertegaal in a letter to council.

The Eastern Whip-poor-will was mentioned in the draft condominium approval from the OMB. One of the conditions was the delivery of a study concerning the presence of whip-poor-will. The opponents presented a report that they commissioned, which was prepared by Cambium Engineering, which found whip-poor-wills on the site on three sampling dates in June, 6 on one night, 16 on another, and 11 on a third.

The report also says that there is “probable breeding” within the proposed condominium area.

It also concludes: “The General Habitat Description for the Eastern Whip-poor-will states that an area extending 500 meters from the centre of defended territories is considered part of the general habitat for this species. Therefore, the entirety of the peninsula is considered Eastern Whip-poor-will habitat under the ESA [Endangered Species Act] and damaging or destroying the forested areas without appropriate authorization is prohibited.”

While the conditions for the approval of the condominium are being worked on, some of the lots that have not yet been created have been sold. As well, work has been proceeding on a road that will access those lots.

The development is also being marketed by a corporation called Boneliving, which builds what it calls “Net-Zero Energy Ready High Performance Homes” out of steel “on unique lots”.

In addition to the proposed Johnston’s Point development, Boneliving lists properties on Sweetfern Lane on Inverary Lake.

Evonne Potts, one of the opponents of the project, told the News that she is concerned about the amount of roadwork and shoreline work that has already been done at the site when the condominium approval is still pending.

Joe Gallivan, Manager of Planning for Frontenac County, said that while there are limits to work that can be done on properties before planning is completed in some jurisdictions, there is little in place in South Frontenac to limit that kind of work. He also said that selling lots that have not yet been created but are in process can be done, although the sales are by necessity conditional on planning approval.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Thursday, 26 October 2017 13:20

News briefs from Central Frontenac

Council voted to enter into an agreement with GREC’s aerial drone program. Wade Leonard, who teaches the program, said they were prepared to collect data for the Township in return for permission to use Township property to take off and land.

“We are fully Transport Canada compliant and carry insurance from the school board,” Leonard said. “We need places to fly and data to collect. “It’s really authentic if we have a real problem to solve.”

He suggested things like spotting beaver dams and giving an aerial view of proposed developments etc. Coun. Tom Dewey suggested the Township’s Baker Valley property (where the new trails are located) might be a good place to start. Council directed staff to start thinking of potential projects for the program.

When Mayor Frances Smith asked Council if they had anything to report, Coun. Bill MacDonald stepped up and said: “The Leafs are in first place and I haven’t been able to say that in a long time.” “How many games?” said Smith. “Doesn’t matter,” said Mac- Donald.

Actually, at the time of Tuesday’s Council meeting, the Leafs trailed the Tampa Bay Lightning by a point (15 points to 14 points for the Leafs) in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. (Update from the sports desk - Lightening 17 points, Leafs 14 points.)

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 20 September 2017 18:20

$600,000 shortfall to complete K&P Trail

In a detailed report to Council, Manager for Economic Development Richard Allan outlined the expected costs for completion of the K&P trail between the CN rail crossing at Tichborne to the Sharbot Lake junction with the Trans- Canada trail. He said that “In December of 2016 construction began on the Tichborne to Sharbot Lake portion of the K&P Trail with the support of $247,000 of matching funding from the Canada 150 Infrastructure program (CIP 150)” and at this point about 3.5 kilometres out of the 13.8 kilometre section are complete and there is only about $65,000 remaining in the budget. “It is important to note that this work was undertaken prior to the identification of the final route through the land acquisition process, and the estimated development costs were largely based on developing rail bed in generally good condition to a trail state.

Costs for rerouting of trail bed or in the case of failed land acquisition can be significant, and were not planned for during the project development stage due to the lack of clarity around a final trail route,” Allan said in his report. Now that the land purchases necessary for the completion of the trail are complete and the scope of work to complete the trail is clear, Allan’s report sets out a schedule and costs. It will cost about $300,000 to complete those sections that are straightforward by the end of this year. Three more complicated sections will not be completed until about this time next year, and will cost an additional $355,000. The total budget shortfall sits at $595,000. (The land purchase for the 22 parcels of trail that were located on privately held land are not included in these prices as they came from a $300,000 pool of money that was allocated by Frontenac County Council this past spring. The exact costs of the land parcels that were purchased have not been divulged.)

In a telephone interview Allan said that the numbers in this week’s report are what he called “high level” numbers because a lot of the work depends on the state of the terrain on trickier sections of the trail, but that they will be sufficient to get the trail completed. “I don’t want to be going back to County Council asking for even more money to complete this project” he said. He identified possible funding sources, including the Trillium Foundation, and municipal infrastructure funding for portions of the trail that require road work. But the most likely source grant of funds would seem to be the Trans Canada Trail itself. In March, the federal government committed $30 million over 5 years towards completion and improvements to the national trail. The next application deadline for those funds is September 30. Allan suggested that the county raise whatever amount it must come up on its own through a loan from Infrastructure Ontario. “This is consistent with county policies regarding long term infrastructure. It spreads out the payments and ensures that people who use the trail in the future will help pay the costs instead of the current ratepayers shouldering all the burden,” he said.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 20 September 2017 18:09

Pine tree at Kennebec Hall replaced with cedars

Back on June 15, 1984, seniors in Arden and Kennebec planted a pine tree to commemorate not only the seniors of the day, but also descendants of those present who represented the original pioneers of the area.
However, nobody really envisioned a day when the tree would get as large as it did nor when needles and cones would cover steps and the ramp, making wet and/or icy conditions all that more treacherous for seniors and others wanting to access Kennebec Hall. Also, the bigger the tree got, the more light it blocked adding increased darkness to an already slippery situation.

So, the District 1 (Kennebec) Rec Committee, along with G. E. Matson & Sons/Kennebec Tree and Lawn Services got together last Monday morning to knock it down.
The pine tree was replaced with two cedars. There were no costs to the Township for removal or replacement of the tree.

“The lady at the store said they won’t get much bigger than 10 feet high and they can be easily trimmed,” said Lorne Harrison.

Rec Committee chair Wanda Harrison said a branch of the tree will be milled and a plaque attached commemorating the 1984 seniors as well as the 2017 seniors who planted the new trees.

Several attendees at the ceremony went home with bundles of pine cones from the old tree.

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