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Wednesday, 25 March 2020 13:09

Burn ban in CF

Effective Friday March 20, 2020, a Total Burn Ban is in affect for all of Central Frontenac until further notice.

The fire ban is in response to the COVID-19 crisis and will assist our Emergency Services in not exhausting our Fire Fighters and resources with keeping their safety and the safety of all residents at the forefront.

The ban is to reduce the potential of a large grass or brush fire which may place properties at high risk of loss and be dangerous to firefighters and residents. A small grass fire can rapidly change to a major fire in a matter of seconds. We encourage all residents to comply with the fire ban and help keep our municipality safe”.

Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue would like to thank all residents for their anticipated co-operation and remind them that any person found conducting open air burning in contravention of the ban, is guilty of an offence and may be subject to service charges per the Open Air Burning By-law and/or charges in accordance with the Ontario Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue has and will continue to monitor the COVID-19 crisis. Residents are urged to visit the fire department website at http://www.centralfrontenac.com/BurnBan.html to view when the burn ban is lifted or call 613-279-2935 X441.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Even before the announcement of a state of emergency and the forced closure of bars and restaurants, as well as gatherings over 50 people, Frontenac County municipalities, community services organisations, restaurants and other businesses had already taken steps.

As of now, all municipal recreational facilities in Frontenac County, Addington Highlands and Tay Valley township are closed. Municipal offices are closed to the public, but are still operating and staff can be contacted vis phone or email.

(Statements from all four townships are reprinted at the end of this article)

Branches of both the L&A and Kingston Frontenac Public Libraries are also closed until further notice.

Southern Frontenac Community Services has suspended Grace Centre Social Activity’s Diners Club and SALT events, foot care, and volunteer hospice and bereavement services.

Access to the Grace Centre is restricted to the side entrance and portables, with screening. Adult Day Services are still being offered. Transportation services are restricted to essential drives only. Frozen meals on wheels remain available as well as hot meals on wheels. Extra precautions are in place at the Meals on Wheels program. The Food bank will be open only on Wednesdays – food bank clients will receive pre-packaged hampers only and will be met at the door. Home-making and in-home respite services are also reduced to essential needs only. For further information, call 613-376-6477.

Rural Frontenac Community Services (RFCS) has shut down its daycare in Sharbot Lake and EarlyOn programming throughout Frontenac County, and The Child Centre is closed.

As far as services for adults and seniors are concerned RFCS Diners have been suspended, but meals on wheels continues, and may have its days increase as more senior’s are staying home. Senior’s respite, adult day and home help services are all continuing. The Adult Services building on Elizabeth Street in Sharbot Lake remains open and reception is being staffed. Many of the affiliate agencies that offer service at the Sharbot Lake office are now offering those services remotely, with workers working at home.  

Patient visits are being restricted at Pine Meadow Nursing Home (Northbrook) and Fairmount Home (Glenburnie) Only “essential visitors” are permitted to enter the home at this time, essential being defined as those who have a resident who is dying or very ill”. These visitors are being actively screened.

A scheduled meeting of Frontenac County Council on March 18 has been postponed until further notice.

All events scheduled at Frontenac Park are canceled and the Visitors Centre is closed. Day use of the park is still permitted so the trails are available.

Medical facilities have special restrictions in place as well (see article – call first .. on page …. Or look to “Coronavirus update” on page 7, which includes information about services at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team and important information for the general public as well)

The vast majority, if not all, public events such as concerts, breakfasts, Lenten lunches and community dinners, have been canceled. Not only have the town halls been closed, but as of Tuesday morning church halls were closed as well. Church services are also canceled.

Conservation Authorities are closing their offices to the public and events such as Maple Madness at the Little Cat Conservation area and Maple Weekend in Lanark, Frontenac and Leeds and a Thousand Islands has also been canceled.

Trails and Conservation areas, on the other hand, remain open, and where fees are normally charged (such as the Rideau Valley Conservation areas) they have been suspended.

As of Tuesday, as well, restaurant service has been curtailed by provincial edict. Local restaurants are endeavoring to stay open by offering take-out. Best to call first to confirm hours and menu options. Pharmacies and grocery stores remain open, and some grocers have stepped up to offer home delivery for senior’s and those who are self-isolating. Check with your local store to see if they are offering the service. Hardware/building supply stores also remain open, and delivery services are also being bumped up by some. Convenience stores remain open and are operating as normal.

The best source of information about how to stay safe in the face of Covid-19 is KFLA Public Health. Go to https://www.kflaph.ca/en/healthy-living/novel-coronavirus.aspx

Statement from Central Frontenac Township

On March 16, 2020 at 10:30am the Township of Central Frontenac has closed ALL municipal buildings to the public including the municipal office. This includes all council meetings and municipal hall rentals. Waste sites will still be open as normal however, safety precautions are in place at each site. These measures are being put into place to put the health and safety of everyone at the forefront. Municipal staff will still be reporting to work and available by telephone 613-279-2935. This closure will stay in effect indefinitely and reviewed on a regular basis.

For more information please go to our website www.centralfrontenac.com.

In addition, a council meeting scheduled for April 24 has been canceled

Statement from Addington Highlands Township

Effective Monday March 16, 2020 As the Coronavirus/COVID-19 situation evolves, protecting the health and well-being of our residents and our workforce is our top priority. As a precautionary measure, the Township of Addington Highlands has closed both branches of the Addington Highlands Public Library. In addition, all Recreation Facilities are closed. All programming, rentals and events have been cancelled. Residents are still able to access the Lakelands Family Health Team at the Addington Highlands Community Centre – Denbigh during regular operating hours. Please check the Lakelands Family Health Team Facebook page and/or Web-page for updates on hours of operation. The Township Office is now closed to the public. We encourage residents to contact the Township by calling 613-336-2286 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. At this time, these closures are in effect until April 6, 2020. A council meeting scheduled for March 17 went ahead as scheduled. A budget meeting, scheduled for March 19, has been deferred the morning of the next scheduled council meeting, April 7.

Statement from North Frontenac Township

As a result of the COVID-19 virus and per the Township’s Emergency Plan, the Emergency Operations Centres was activated today and in concert with Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health and other municipalities, Mayor Ron Higgins advises the Township of North Frontenac will be closing facilities to the public until further notice. This includes the following facilities: ( Municipal Office ( Community Halls ( Public Libraries All Waste Disposal Sites remain open, regularly scheduled hours at this time. Emergency Services remain in effect and in the event of an emergency, dial 9-1-1. Staff will be working regular scheduled hours and are here to serve you via the telephone or email. Also, the Municipal Office has a mail slot available. A council meeting, scheduled for Friday March 20, is going ahead as scheduled. The Municipal Office entrance door will open at 8:30 a.m. for the purpose of attending

the Council Meeting only. Access will only be permitted into the Council Chambers, after each individual has been screened by the North Frontenac Fire Department.

Statement from South Frontenac Township

The Township of South Frontenac has decided to enact the following heightened procedures and closures, effective immediately. The Administrative offices at the town hall on George St., our public services facility on Keeley Rd, and all municipally owned facilities that are used for recreational purposes will be closed to the public effective immediately.

These facilities include, but are not limited to;Glendower Hall, Sydenham Library Community Room, Princess Anne Community Centre, Harris Park Hall, Storrington Centre, South Frontenac Museum, All Parks & Fields for the purpose of scheduled events and gatherings.

All fire stations in the township will be closed to the public, only essential staff and fire department personnel are permitted to access these buildings.

Township staff can be contacted via phone or email. Planning and building services remain operational.

The deadline for payment of the Interim Tax bill (originally March 31, 2020) has been extended to April 30, 2020. We are encouraging payments to be made through online banking, by mail or via credit card.

A Council meeting, scheduled for March 17, went ahead as scheduled.

(Editors note – updates from the townships regarding the ‘new normal’ for municipal operations kept coming in to our office until late in the day on Tuesday, March 17. We have endeavored to capture everything but readers can confirm for themselves by checking township websites.)

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

It was a fairly light agenda for Addington Highlands Council at its regular meeting Tuesday afternoon in Flinton, said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“We spent most of our time in closed session because we have a union contract with roads employees coming up but I can’t talk about that,” Hogg said.

“We did have a request to change our meeting times to the evening but we decided not to change,” he said. “The idea is to make it more attractive for people who work during the day to attend but we don’t have a lot of interest in coming to our meetings.

“If there’s something that affects somebody, they’ll come.”

And speaking of meetings, Hogg said they did set their schedule for 2020 with the first meeting set for Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. in Flinton.

“We still have one more meeting this year, in Denbigh at 1 p.m.,” he said “We’ll be looking at current budget adjustments.”

Hogg said there was discussion and some concern over correspondence from the Ministry of Health regarding Public Health Modernization and in particular, Emergency Health Services Modernization.

“We have concerns if they create a mega-health team out of Kingston that there won’t be much consideration for rural areas,” he said. “I did note there was talk about ambulance services but some of those changes were proposed years ago by the Niagara Region and disregarded.

“Of course that was a different government.”

As far as health services go, Hogg doesn’t see much changing for the rural areas.

“For us, we’ve always had an issue with doctor attraction and retention,” he said. “We do have an arrangement with North Frontenac to create incentives to attract doctors but we haven’t had much success.

“Of course if they create something based in Kingston, there’ll probably be less incentive for doctors to come here.”

Finally, Hogg said he was pleased to see work begin on the office addition in Flinton.

“It’s just getting started,” he said. “Fences are up, propane tanks are in place and they’re looking at where to relocate the hydro poles.

“We’ll have to use the disabled entrance while construction is going on and that will be awhile.

“These things take time.”

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

South Frontenac Fire & Rescue Station 6 welcomed a full house last Wednesday night at the 2019 Volunteer Fire Fighter Recruit Graduation Ceremony. Dozens of fire personnel, Councillors, staff, and family members gathered to celebrate the achievements of 24 new firefighters that can now respond to fires and emergencies in South Frontenac after having completed 6 months of extensive training.

Mayor Ron Vandewal addressed the graduating class with his well wishes for their future careers and thanked their families for their continuous support at home.

“I also want to thank Council for their ongoing support of the fire service and the steps that have been taken to position South Frontenac Fire & Rescue to continue providing exemplary service to our growing municipality. I am grateful for each and every member of SFFR for dedicating their lives to protection of life and property in South Frontenac,” said Mayor Vandewal.

The recruitment of a significant number of new volunteer fire fighters is part of Fire Chief Darcy Knott’s multi-year plan to bolster and modernize SFFR to ensure it can continue to provide excellent service to a region that is experiencing significant growth pressure.

“The men and women sitting before you are the cream of the crop, “noted Director of Fire & Emergency Services Darcy Knott. “They have received the same level of training as a fulltime fire fighter in any city across North America, and now hold certifications that are internationally recognized.”

Chief Knott explained that this year’s recruitment campaign was one of the most involved and most successful in South Frontenac’s history, ensuring that our eight stations spread out across the township remain equipped for any emergency that faces the residents of South Frontenac.

“I am continually amazed by the dedication, commitment, and professionalism of the volunteer firefighters of South Frontenac Fire and Rescue,” added Chief Knott.

“This graduating group of new firefighters share those same qualities and have already exhibited great comradery throughout this process. I congratulate them on this achievement and welcome them to the SFFR family!”

About South Frontenac Fire & Rescue: SFFR is a hybrid force with 110 volunteer fire fighters. With 8 fire stations located throughout the township, and 36 apparatus, SFFR volunteer fire fighters help to protect 18,646 residents and over 941 sq. km. of beautiful landscape. These individuals spend their time responding to calls relating to fires, medical emergencies, and various other situations that require their assistance.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

“I’ve never had an information report defeated before, I guess it’s non-information,” Mayor Frances Smith said at Central Frontenac Council’s regular meeting Tuesday night at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

The report in question came from Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Services Greg Robinson.

Staff department heads in all townships regularly give monthly reports and they’re almost exclusively rubber-stamped by councils.

But not this time.

Councilor Brent Cameron asked for a recorded vote on the resolution to accept the report. He, along with Councilors Nicki Gowdy, Cindy Kelsey, Sherry Whan and Elwin Burke voted against accepting the report.

Before the vote, Gowdy asked Robinson about training sessions.

“Do you see a buy-in from firefighters and attendance at these sessions?” she asked.

“It’s definitely a work in progress but comments I’ve had are that training is improved,” Robinson said.

Cameron took issue with what he called “a lack of statistics” in Robinson’s report.

“I understand the broader issues with technology (the department’s ‘Firehouse’ reporting software has been an ongoing issue),” Cameron said. “But I’d like to see even the stuff you would input to Firehouse.

“For example, recruitment numbers.”

“We have found a major tech issue,” Robinson said. “I have good 2018 stats now (and) I fully believe we will have stats for the next Council meeting.”

“So the next fire report will have numbers in it?” said Cameron.

“It will,” said Robinson.

The rejection of the report comes in the context of continuing controversy over an incident that took place on July 27 and 28, when the township owned pickup truck that is used by Fire Chief Robinson’s was reported stolen in Prince Edward County. (Under the terms of his contract, Robinson uses the truck for personal as well as township business)

The truck was subsequently located in Sharbot Lake after having been damaged in a hatchet attack by a man from Perth. It had been returned to the township office parking lot by the as yet unidentified truck thief. The hatchet incident led to an extensive police operation in Sharbot Lake on Sunday afternoon on July 28, involving the OPP canine and Emergency Response Units with helicopter support. A man from Perth, who has still not been identified by police, has been charged with vandalism and assault in the case. The OPP have not released any information regarding the theft itself.

An unofficial petition on Change.org asking for Robinson’s resignation on the grounds that he has lost the confidence of the public has garnered 105 signatures.

The council meeting was attended by 15 or 20 people who were interested in seeing if council would address the controversy. Aside from the unprecedented rejection of the chief’s monthly report to council, there was nothing related to the chief or the fire department on the agenda for the open council meeting.

A closed meeting regarding “personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees pursuant to S. 239(2) (b) of the Municipal Act of Ontario” followed the open council meeting. In addition to members of council, Clerk/Administrator Cathy MacMunn and Fire Chief Robinson remained for the in camera meeting, Council rose from the in camera meeting without taking any action.

Other items from Central Frontenac Council

The boat dock at Oso Beach in Sharbot Lake is to be dismantled and moved to Eagle Lake.

In his report to Council, manager of developmental services Andy Dillon said: “Waterlines from the lake supplying the bathrooms have been severed four times this year from motor boats. There are also neighbours’ waterlines near the dock that have also been severed.

“The swim program at Eagle Lake could make better use of the sections to tie their buoys to and divert boats away from the swimming area.”

He said existing staff can complete the work.

Store coming to Arden

Council held a public meeting on a proposal that would make it possible for a convenience store, gas bar and take-out restaurant to open up north of Arden,

There is no decision made at public meetings but for the project to go through a rezoning to General Commercial from Rural has been the subject of an application that came before council.

Proponent Derek Matson said the proposed location is on Arden Road, just across from Price Road.

“At the Kennebec Lake Association meeting, there were people applauding the proposal so I think there’s interest,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Interim Public Works Manager plans to pulverizes roads

Interim Public Works Manager Steve Keeley, a retired public works manager in Tay Valley and Huntsville who was recently signed to a three-month contract, said he plans to pulverize Henderson Road (Baker Valley to Bordenwood) and Price Road in conjunction with the pulverizing of Crow Lake Road.

“Price Road is really bad and I think we should pulverize it all,” he said. “The same could be said for Henderson.

This would mean the roads would become essentially gravel roads until such time as they can be re-surfaced but, he said the pulverizing would provide a good base once those projects can be undertaken and would provide a more drivable surface in the meantime.

He said the Arden Road project from the hamlet to Pit Road is on hold.

“I’m not sure it’s in good enough shape for micro-surfacing,” he said.

He said they plan to do some paving repair on Road 509 and have a paving company coming in to make recommendations.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

While the Ottawa area and the Muskokas have been battling floods all spring, mainland Frontenac County has pretty much escaped the worst of things.

All three townships have posted warnings on their websites but only North Frontenac has had to do much flood fighting of any note, and that hasn’t been bad, said Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief Eric Korhonen.

“When they opened the dam on the Mazinaw, it created some flooding on Head Road,” he said. “We’ve had water over the road in Plevna, a little bit of flooding on Kash and in the Snow Road area, there have been five or six homes flooded along the Mississippi.

“We’ve given out about 3,000 sand bags and I’d really like to commend the citizen volunteers and firefighters who have risen to the occasion,” he said. “We’ve had seven culverts go and seven road washouts but the Public Works Department has really been on the ball.

“There’s no need to call an emergency.

“If residents have problems, they can call us and we’ll have firefighters run out there with pumps.”

In Central and South Frontenac Townships, flooding has been virtually non-existent.

“We’ve fared very well compared with others,” said Central Frontenac Emergency Management Coordinator/Fire Chief Greg Robinson. “We have had some road washouts and flooding but no houses have been flooded.”

Robinson said when Central has flooding issues, it’s commonly in the Depot Lakes area but this year they’ve been more concerned about the northern areas.

“The Salmon River is high,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for flooding and we do have a sandbag program but we haven’t had to implement it.”

“(South Frontenac) is in excellent shape, comparatively speaking,” said Fire Chief Darcy Knott. “We haven’t had any significant issues.”

Knott wanted to remind people that the Township is holding a Touch-the-Truck event May 9 from 5-8 p.m. at the Keeley Road Garages in conjunction with United Way, where people can see and touch the equipment emergency personnel use including police and paramedics.

Over in neighbouring Addington Highlands Township, things haven’t been quite as quiet, said Road and Waste Management Supervisor Brett Reavie.

“We’ve had a couple of washouts (including Hughes Landing Road where crews worked through the night to correct the situation) we’ve worked on,” Reavie said. “We’re busy for sure.

“Rose Hill Road is still down because we’re waiting on getting a culvert.”

He said area waters are still high, especially in the north.

“It’s been a little extreme because of the amount of snowfall we had all winter,” he said. “And in the north, it’s tending to stick around because it didn’t get the thaws that the south end of the Township got.

“The north didn’t get the melts the south got and so it’s tending to come all at once.”

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

About 52 per cent of the septic systems inspected during the 2017 program had no concerns, Eric Kohlsmith of Mississippi Rideau Septic System Office told North Frontenac Council at its regular meeting last Friday in Plevna. However, he said, only one system was recommended for replacement. The other 45 per cent only needed some remedial work including pump outs and replacing baffles.

“It should be noted that age was not a significant factor in the system deficiencies identified,” he said.

He said interaction with property owners was “very positive” and that 64 per cent of the property owners were present during the inspections.

He said 41 park land campsites were inspected in the 2017 program, all on Crotch Lake.

“Given the difficult access and rough terrain, the North Frontenac Park Lands group does a very good job in trying to place the privies in the ideal location — greater than 15 metres from the water and in soil with a depth of at least 60 centimetres,” he said. “The only systems found not to meet the 15-metre setback distance were on sites that did not have 15 metres to water — island sites.”

Kohlsmith recommended continuing with a re-inspection program with a mail-out by May 5, complete parklands inspections in the last week of August, the use of soil probes for locating new privy sites and the removal of “tables” in park lands sites near the shoreline to mitigate the washing of dishes and other grey-water sources.

The full report is available in the agenda package on the North Frontenac website

 

 

• • •

Fire Chief/Director of Emergency Services Eric Korhonen showed Council one of three packages (with four quilts each) that the Trinity Quilters of Verona have donated to the North Frontenac Fire Department and one package to the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department.

“The Trinity Quilters have requested that the quilts be provided to individuals at emergency scenes who require warmth and comfort,” he said. “The quilts will be retained by the individuals who receive them.”

“They told us to let them know when we use one and they’ll replace it,” said CAO Cheryl Robson. “Any any local quilting groups are welcome to donate if they’re interested.”

 

• • •

Coun. Gerry Martin had quite a bit of feedback for Mayor Ron Higgins’ report on North Frontenac’s strategic plan, especially when it came to backing more boat launches instead of trails initiatives.

But Martin saved his best comments for the ‘values’ section where Higgins urged Council to be pleasant, accommodating, rational and show respect for all.

“I hope you’re not asking everybody to agree on everything — that’s not why we’re here,” Martin said.

“If we’re still around (after this year’s election), I’d still like to discuss this whole structure,” said Coun. John Inglis. “I didn’t know much about strategic plans four years ago and was skeptical about their usefulness.

“I’m a little better on them now.”

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 20 December 2017 14:38

Tim Trickey, devoted cadet leader, dies of cancer

Tim Trickey was well known in the Land O’Lakes region for his tireless efforts to to start up and maintain a cadet program at North Addington Education Centre for kids from Addington Highlands and North Frontenac. Even after his cancer diagnosis he continued to work with the cadets and as recently as last month, he led them at the Remembrance Day Service in Flinton. He died on December 17 at the age of 51.

Trickey was the co-ordinator for the volunteer ambulance service in Northbrook in the 1990’s and then served with L&A County Emergency Services as a paramedic for over 14 years. He also served on the Central Frontenac Volunteer Fire department.

Tim was married for 30 years to Darlene (nee Kelford). The couple have a son, Jordan, and a late daughter, Natasha. Tim is fondly remembered by his extended family, friends & co-workers.

Tim's family will receive friends at the Milestone Funeral Center, 11928 Hwy 41 Northbrook on Friday from 2-4pm & 7-9pm. A Celebration of Life & Tribute Service will be in the Chapel on Saturday, December 23, 2017 at 1:00pm with visitation 1hr prior to the service. A Gofundme campaign is underway to help Tim’s family.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 10 December 2014 23:21

Ten years later, 9-1-1 is a part of life.

It was ten years ago this week that 911 service was introduced in North and Central Frontenac and upgraded in Kingston and South Frontenac, tying civic address numbers to land line phone numbers in all of Frontenac County for seamless dispatch of fire, ambulance and police service throughout the county.

The ceremony marking the launch of the service took place on December 8, 2004 at the North Frontenac Telephone Company office, which had become the central meeting point for the 16 key volunteers, municipal and EMS personnel who had been working on the 911 project, some of them for seven years.

The project was in the early planning stages in the fall of 1997, months before the founding of North and Central Frontenac, and one of the first key pieces of information that was identified was the need for up to date mapping for the new townships.

Marcel Giroux, who came on as chair of the 911 committee at that time, recalls that the only comprehensive mapping that was available then were the Ontario Base Maps. The problem was that those maps had not been updated for Frontenac County for decades.

“The maps were dated from the early 1960s, and were pretty much useless for our purposes,” he said, when interviewed this week. “We pretty much had to start from scratch."

The process suffered a few delays along the way, the first of which was the ice storm that greeted the newly amalgamated townships at the very start of 1998. The politicians and emergency services personnel, who put in countless hours dealing with the ice storm and its aftermath, would undoubtedly have benefited from all the mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) that are available today, which are in many ways an off-shoot of the 911 process. As it was, it was local knowledge and chain saw-wielding road crews and volunteers who were relied upon to keep everyone safe and warm.

Giroux approached the townships in the late spring of 1998 to get them on board for the 911 system.

Two people were sought from each of the seven former townships that made up the two new townships to do the hard work of identifying each of the over 8,000 properties on over 200 public roads and 400 private lanes within the two townships.

The people who took this on were: Dick Hook and Bill Rowsome (Barrie), Dave and Nancy Smith (Clar-Mill) Colonial and Annette St. Pierre (Palmerston/Canonto), Marsden Kirk and Jack Nicolson (Kennebec), Faye Putnam and Elva Price (Olden), Gord Whan and Luc Salvador (Oso), and Lloyd Lee and Dave Hansen (Hinchinbrooke). Gleva Lemke took on the role of secretary of the 911 committee, with Marcel Giroux being the 16th member.

“One of the big jobs for the committee members was to sort out all the roads in their own districts and match them with the maps. There were roads with no names, names with no roads, roads with more than one name, and names that appeared on a number of roads,” said Giroux.

CGIS of Perth was contracted to develop brand new maps for the 911 project, beginning the process that has resulted, 15 years later, in comprehensive paper and electronic mapping covering all corners of Frontenac County. Exact locations of properties and buildings are now just a click away on a computer or smart phone.

The 911 process continued for three years, and by the end of 2001, all properties had been identified and civic addressing was in place. It was time to wait for Bell Canada to do some internal work to prepare for the 911 switch over.

In the meantime, the townships jointly hired Chris Matheson as 911 co-ordinator, in order to bring the project to its fruition and to provide the kind of support that the project would continue to require even after its launch. New properties would need to be added to the data base and the system would need to be upgraded over time. Matheson was later hired on as the full time IT (Information Technology) person for Central Frontenac and a similar position was created in North Frontenac, in recognition of the role that electronic information and GIS plays in the current workings of municipalities.

Matheson, who now works for the City of Kingston as a systems analyst, recalls the 911 project fondly.

“It was a good project to work on, particularly because of all the work that the volunteers did right up until the very end, matching phone numbers with addresses. We needed 98% of them assured for Bell to go ahead with it, and they made it happen,” he said.

Marcel Giroux is still a little upset over a decision that Bell Canada made to delay the launch of 911 in Central and North Frontenac until South Frontenac and Kingston were ready for 911 enhanced. A process that was supposed to take a few months ended up taking twice as long.

“I don't know if it cost anyone their lives or anything waiting the extra 18 months, but it did bother me at the time,” he said.

When the system was brought on stream, the volunteers and emergency personnel were all smiles, celebrating the new millennium in Frontenac County.

As 911 moves forward, hooking up GPS systems in cell phones with on-board computers in ambulances, police cars, even fire trucks, will make the service stronger yet as cell service penetrates the far reaches of the County.

It's all a far cry from 1997, when there were not even reasonable paper maps of Frontenac County.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
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