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Ontario shifts gears on alcohol sales, but not supply

There has been talk about ‘beer in the corner store’ in Ontario for many years, and change has come incrementally, over time.

Last summer, the province announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) process in 200 communities across the province for ‘convenience store’ outlets. The process got underway in late September, and it was a quick one in government terms.

By early January, two new outlets were opened on Road 38, Gilmour’s Meats in Harrowsmith and the Godfrey General Store, and one on Perth Road, Glenburnie Grocery.

For Jordan and Nick Gilmour of Gilmour’s Meats, the whole process has been a blur. Not only were they interested in expanding their range of products to include beer, wine, and spirits, but they also realised they needed more space.

“We didn’t want to get into it without making sure we had enough space and product to make it worthwhile for people to shop here,” said Jordan Gilmour.

In order to accommodate added retail space, and a large walk-in cooler for beer, Gilmour’s has had to expand. The walk-in cooler is not in place yet, but the space is now ready for it.

“Our landlord, who has been great to work with, took care of the exterior and we are doing the finishing,” he said.

By adding on, the butcher shop, take out kitchen, and grocery sections of the store have not been affected.

“It has added some business already, helping our winter sales, but we will need to be ready when summer comes,” he said. “All of our staff have had to be trained for this. It is a lot to get everyone up to speed. It’s a good thing it happened in January instead of the end of May.”

Laurie Love of the Godfrey General Store feels the same way. She was informed about the RFP in late September and it has been a lot of work putting the application together. As well, she had to determine how to integrate the post office, gas bar, and grocery and convenience stores operation with the alcohol sales.

“I am not complaining, however, since it is an opportunity,” she said.

The Godfrey General Store will also be installing a beer fridge at the back of the store later this spring and will be preparing for the increased traffic in the store during the already busy summer season.

The two privately owned Liquor Control Board of Ontario outlets in Frontenac County Northway Home Hardware on Perth Road in Inverary, and Reid’s Foodland in Verona, are facing an adjustment as the new stores come on stream. (there are also three LCBO corporate owned stores in Frontenac County – Sydenham, Sharbot Lake and Plevna)

Clint Reid said that while he, like any other retailer, does not relish the prospect of decreased sales, he wishes the new businesses well. He did say that he was troubled with the process that was used, since it was handled by a consulting firm that looked primarily at maps to determine which communities were underserved, rather than visiting the communities to see what was really there.

The Verona Foodland opened its agency store in 2004, when the business was owned by Graham Brooks. Clint and Andrea Reid took over the store almost exactly 10 years ago. The liquor store has been an important part of their business, not only in terms of offering the breadth of products that their customers expect, but also as a community trust.

“We live in this community, so we make sure that our staff are trained to the highest degree possible, when it comes to selling alcohol. We don’t control what happens once the product leaves the store, but we take our responsibility very seriously,” he said.

While the availability of alcohol in Ontario was opened up incrementally by the Liberal governments of the past 15 years, and more quickly by the current Conservative government, it is still a closed market when it comes to the supply chain. with the LCBO maintaining control over product selection and pricing.

While LCBO corporate stores in Frontenac County continue to open at 10am, the agency stores can open as early as 9am and stay open until as late as 11pm.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 04 December 2019 10:16

Yes, you do need a will, SALT audience told

The purpose of a will is to allow your assets to be handled the way you wish, lawyer Michelle Foxton told the Seniors And Law Enforcement Together (SALT) gathering last week at Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith.

“If you die intestate (ie no will), it’s not the end of the road, but . . .” she said.

Foxton was the featured speaker at the last SALT presentation for this year. The popular series will resume in January with sessions on frauds and scams.

“The reason I’m here today is to tell you the benefits of having a will and the downsides of not having a will,” she said. “Lawyers, because they’ve seen so many scenarios can properly advise you but they need your input so that they know where your assets are.”

While you can write your own will from a kit or website, it probably won’t do everything you might want it to.

“Sometimes, you want to keep assets out of a will to avoid probate,” she said. “Probate is contesting a will in court.

“Financial institutions want to know that the executor is the executor and that there isn’t another will floating around somewhere.”

And, she said, if one aspect of a will triggers probate, probate tax will be applied to the entire will.

She said the executor(s) of your will is entitled to compensation but some will opt to only take expenses because said compensation is subject to income tax.

In the case of joint ownership of property or bank accounts, the right of survivorship takes effect, she said.

“(But) I really caution people from adding people (such as children) as joint owners because as survivors, it goes to them, shutting out other kids for example.

“And if you want to do anything with the property, you need permission of the joint owner.”

And, there are special provisions for passing on farm properties so you have to talk to a tax preparer before you go to a lawyer for a will, she said.

And, just because you have a small estate, doesn’t mean you don’t need a will.

“Small estates are often the hardest to deal with because there usually isn’t enough money to hire professionals to deal with certain aspects,” she said.

Wills deal with your assets after you die. Powers of Attorney govern your affairs while you’re still alive.

“Powers of Attorney can allow you to deal with bank accounts without adding joint ownership,” she said.

There are actually two types of Power of Attorney — for assets and for care.

Foxton encourages clients to discuss these with your lawyer and your doctor.

“These are tough decisions but you’d be surprised at how many matters can be resolved,” she said.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 27 November 2019 11:07

Doors open at Harrowsmith Pharmasave

It seemed like it was a pretty quick transition when a Pharmasave sign went up in the former location of a convenience and a bakery in Harrowsmith about a month ago. Two weeks later, the Harrowsmith Pharmasave, owned and managed by Bhavin Patel, opened its doors.

It wasn’t that quick for Patel himself, however.

“I had the property in the summer and hoped to have the store open in September, but there were construction delays and we ended up opening at the beginning of November. I am happy with the way the store looks. Everything is clean and we have all of the space we need to serve the public,” he said.

The wait for Bhavin Patel to open his own pharmacy has been quite a bit longer than a month or two. He emigrated to Canada, from India. After receiving bachelors and masters degrees in the field, he had to re-do his qualifications in Canada. He has worked in Winnipeg, Regina and other locations in the Prairies as well as Scarborough, always hoping to get an opportunity to open his own pharmacy and take control of his own business.

He lives in Kingston now with his wife, a trained engineer, and two children (one of whom is less than two months old) and he was looking for a good location for a pharmacy. Harrowsmith is a good choice because the local community has no pharmacy and the location he found is right on Road 38 near the stop light in town.

So far, he has found that the local community has been very receptive and he has been quick to respond when customers are looking for products that he doesn’t yet have available.

“We have most of the bases covered as far as over the counter medication, supplements, skin and hair care are concerned, but we have room for more in order to help people get what they need in town to avoid having to drive somewhere. I tell people who come in to tell me if they are looking for something that is not here, and if I can I order it in for them and the next customer,” he said.

He is, of course, also able to handle prescription needs for his customers, but knows it will take time for people to switch from their current pharmacy to a new one, even if they live close by.

“If people want to bring their prescriptions to me that is great, obviously, but it has to be something they are comfortable with. I am here to serve the community.”

As a token, Bhavin hands out a re-usable Pharmasave bag with a few products in it to first time customers.

The Pharmacy is open 7 days a week (9am-6pm Mon-Fri / 10am-3pm Sat / 10-2pm Sun)

A grand opening is planned for Friday, December 13th, starting at 11:30am.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 20 November 2019 12:14

Christmas in the Village Craft Fair

The Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church has been hosting its Christmas in the Village Craft Fair for five years now and what was different last Saturday was the parking lot — as in there were no open spots.

The church has generally lots of parking on all four sides but around 11:30 this year, there was nary a spot to be had.

“I’m sure we’ve maxed out this year,” said B. J. Calver, head organizer. “We have 48 vendors this year whereas we normally have 42 and we had to move the kids corner out into the hall.

“We started sending out invitations to vendors in May and we still have a waiting list for next year.

“We’ve been toying with expanding into the main hall upstairs.”

They started the Craft Fair in the fall but it didn’t get the traffic they were hoping for, which they now get with the Christmas tie-in. They moved it to the third Saturday in November so as not to conflict with Remembrance Day.

Calver said the main function of the Fair is to replenish their Community Assistance Program, which had been drained what with the need of late.

“We partner with South Frontenac Community Services,” Calver said. “The CAP is under our mission.

“If a need comes up in our community, we give support in various ways and we do Christmas hampers.

“We also do a community fun day in May with a free barbecue and kids activities and we get donations at that.”

But there’s another reason they hold the Craft Fair.

“When we built the gym, one of our goals was to allow community people the opportunity to sell their goods at reasonable prices,” she said.

Calver and her crew start setting up for the Saturday Fair on Thursday afternoon and “work right through.”

She said Vera McDonald looks after the Bake Shop, Heather Harper runs the Chilli Cafe and Lynda Clow is her “right arm.” Ingrid Smith helps with decorating, she said.

“And we get terrific support from Pastor Bob (Boutilier) and Pastor Carl (Bull) has been our faithful greeter for years.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

South Frontenac Council met last week in committee of the whole to pour over the draft 2020 township budget.

The base budget that they received from the treasury department called for an increase in local taxation of just over $500,000, 2.54%.

That increase is not arbitrary. South Frontenac Council set a target of a 2% increase in what the township treasurer Louise Fragnito calls the “taxpayer impact” of the budget.

Fragnito looks at the total value of property assessment in the township when setting her budget target.

She considers two kinds of assessment growth, one that is based on inflationary increases in property and an another that is due to new construction (new homes and renovations to existing homes). The added revenue that the township receives as the result of new construction is considered an increase due to growth and it is used to help calculate the “taxpayer impact” of the budget.

When the increase due to growth is taken into account, the impact of the 2020 budget is a 2% increase in taxation on the average valued house in the township.

The average valued house in South Frontenac will have an assessed value of $272,538 in 2020. Township taxes on the average property will increase by $40 if the draft budget were accepted by council with nothing was added to it.

Before looking in detail at the budget, council heard brief outlines from Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Neil Carbone and the department heads overseeing four services areas (Corporate, Public Works, Development, and Fire and Emergency) about their plans for the coming year or two.

It is the first budget since Carbone came to the township this past summer.

He described the budget process as the most important strategic planning tool and policy document for the township. He said that the 2020 budget process has been focused on maintaining “council’s tax target rate and long-term financial plan while addressing emerging challenges and opportunities”.

Starting next year, the strategic plan the township is working on as well as a recreation master plan, a fire station location study, a service delivery review and a climate change adaption and mitigation plan, will all have an impact on the budgeting exercise.

Manager for Public Works, Mark Segsworth said that the township continues to grow and there are increased expectations on the part of the public, which, “for the most part, we have managed to keep up with.”

Councilor Ray Leonard said that the “expectations of people who move into the township are sometimes out of line with what we can, or should be, providing. We need to be wary of that.”

Recreation facilities and programming are also a growth area for the township, Segsworth added.

Fire Chief Darcy Knott said that the “cultural shift” in the fire department, from four semi-autonomous fire crews into a single service, is a work in progress that is proceeding well. The department completed a successful recruitment drive this year and 25 new recruits have been trained and are ready to join the department.

He also said, in terms of capital expenses, the department is looking at acquiring first response vehicles, 4-wheel drive pickup trucks, to respond to medical calls, which are the most common call-outs for the department.

“Pumper trucks are expensive and can remain in service for 25 years but the cost of maintenance to keep them that long increases over time,” he said. I myself if we need to use a $750,000 pumper for a medical call. We could purchase a whole fleet of heavy-duty pickup trucks for the cost of a single pumper.”

Director of Planning Services Claire Dodds talked about the challenge her department is facing to respond to new tighter timelines for planning approvals that the provincial government has mandated in an effort to bring more housing on stram more quickly. She said that better use of technology could free up planning staff to make better use of their skills, and also talked about more integration between the planning and building departments. She will also be working on a comprehensive growth plan for the township with a 20-year window.

In discussing the budget, a number of items caught the attention of council.

There was concern expressed about the unanswered questions regarding a proposal to build a Stock-sport court/multi use pad at Harrowsmith Centennial Park, but since funding for the project would come from reserves the money was left in the budget. The project was not approved by Council by at this time, but neither was it halted in its tracks.

New hires in the planning, public works and recreation departments are included as add-ons to the budget, and will require further discussion before getting final approval.

One member of council questioned the necessity of developing a South Frontenac brand, when there is already a county brand.

“The branding initiative is fundamental to all of the other initiatives we are undertaking. Staff feel strongly about this,” said Carbone.

The budget allocates $45,000, taken from reserve funds for the branding initative.

A number of alterations were made to some of the budget numbers as well as clarifications about how some spending will roll out.

In the end, Treasurer Fragnito said she will act on council’s direction, and will also wait to receive some further information about funding from provincial sources before bringing a final budget forward in December, at which time council will have a final opportunity to make changes.

The township budget makes up only part of the municipal tax bill that ratepayers receive. Education taxes and Frontenac County taxes are also included. The education rate for 2020 is still pending as is the county rate, although the Frontenac County Council is slated to include a 5% tax increase after discussions in October. Like South Frontenac, the county budget will not be finalized until December.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

“Some of these guys were racing before I was born,” said Bill Day, who, besides hosting and announcing the Bill Day Memorial Snowmobile and ATV Grass Drags at his family farm near Harrowsmith is also the head of Snowmobile Drag Racing of Eastern Canada, the sanctioning body for events like this.

“We had a little hiccup with the organization a couple of years ago but I think we’ve got it straightened out so we’ll keep rolling out with this.

“It was just dropped on me, so it’s what I do now.”

And some 200+ entrants and their families are glad he does.

On the Saturday of Labour Day weekend, there were 50 classes racing. On Sunday, there were another 41.

“On Saturday, we raced until dark,” he said. “It was pretty hectic but we had a lot of people to help out.

“We even had someone hit 123 mph in 500 feet.”

Indeed, many of the races feature speeds in excess of 100 mph.

But these aren’t your regular snowmobiles.

“There are a lot of mods,” Day said. “Most change the chassis and lower the sled  . . . change out the suspension.

“And then there are the tracks themselves, many with different picks and chisels depending on conditions and classes.”

He said many of the competitors have driven 12-14 hours just to get here.

“For the pros, there’s a 100 per cent payback of their entry fee, plus awards for finishes,” he said. “For the amateurs, there’s a chance to win $250.”

But there’s more to it than just the races.

While you can’t even hear the engines roaring from Harrowsmith/Rutledge Road, there is an impact on the community and it’s something Day is keenly aware of.

“There’s an impact on the filling stations and restaurants and we’ve also started adding vendors to the race venue,” he said. “This is all for people and we’re all working together in a very small community.

“And, I want to see people have fun.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

“I think we have a legitimate shot at first or second,” said Karl Hammer Monday at the Stock Sports demonstration in Harrowsmith’s Centennial Park as part of the Canada Day celebrations. “Brazil is a powerhouse but we’ve put in a lot of time.”

Many will know Hammer as coach of Sydenham High School’s football team, but in this particular case, he’s talking about Stock Sports, a curling variant that can be played on tennis courts or any other smooth surface. The granite rocks of curling are replaced by stocks (which can be and are played on ice) with plastic or Teflon bases. The game is very similar to curling with some differences.

“There’s a perfect Venn Diagram of similarities,” Hammer said.

There is a world championship organization for the sport, which will be holding its championship in Asuncion, Paraguay July 9-11 and Hammer, along with teammates Mike Osborne, Tyler McComish and Karl Hammer Sr. will be representing Canada in the four-nation event, which is called the America Cup of Stock Sport. Tammy Lambert will also be going as a member of the women’s team.

Worldwide, South America is a perhaps the most enthusiastic about this sport, Hammer said.

“The origins of the sport are Austrian-Bavarian,” he said. “There was a large emigration to South America from those areas and they brought the sport with them.”

Canada hosted the championship in Angus, ON in 2015 but this will be Hammer’s first championship.

“Our other members were there,” he said. “Including Tyler, who came seventh out of 15 in the target competition.

“He was the first person to ever compete in the world championships who has an exceptionality.”

He said McComish has become something of a celebrity in the sport.

“Some people were worried about him competing but it’s turned out he’s bolstered the sport’s reputation,” Hammer said.

Obviously, Hammer and squad want to do well but there’s also an underlying reason they’d like to put in a good showing.

“We’d like to host the 2021 championships in Sydenham,” he said. “We’re making a push for a playing area specific to the sport.

“It would be nice to have level asphalt without any pressure cracks.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

When she learned that nothing was being planned to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion in South Frontenac, Harrowsmith’s Brenda Crawford knew just the place that a ceremony should take place.

She started working the phone. Soon she had arranged for the Mayor and some other local politicians, legion and community members, and several classes from nearby Harrowsmith Public School.

On the afternoon of June 5, a gathering was arranged at the new Harrowsmith junction, where there is a public square and a sculptured-metal poppies as a permanent feature. The former site of the Harrowsmith train station is just metres away, and Crawford remembers her own father walking to the station with other men from Harrowsmith and vicinity, to board the train that started their journey to World War II.

“Right there,” she said, pointing northeast to the corner of road 38 and the Harrowsmith-Sydenham Road, “my mother stood, leaning on the only gas pump in town at the time, watching my father walk to the train station to go off to war.”

Mayor Vandewal said a few words, some wreaths were laid to mark the occasion and a few people were wearing poppies, which they pinned to one of the wreaths. After a few moments, one of the Harrowsmith PS teachers, said “the students would like to sing ‘Oh Canada’”.

The students sang ‘Oh Canada’, and everyone else joined in. The students slowly walked away, back to school, and the assembly slowly broke apart as people went back to their daily routines.

“I feel that it is important,” Crawford said as people were leaving, “for us to acknowledge these events that shaped who we are, so the next generation will have some memory of what my parents’ entire generation endured in those years.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Ever wonder what the Oddfellows and Rebekahs are all about?

The roots of the International Order of Oddfellows go back to the medieval ages. In the days before the advent of social services guilds organised to take care of their members who fell ill or ran into difficulties. This commitment to community support was taken up by fraternal societies, and the Oddfellows became established in the United Kingdom.

In North America, the Oddfellows consider the founding of an Oddfellow Lodge in Baltimore in 1819 by Thomas Wildey as the start of the International Order on this continent/

In 1842, the North American order split from the order based in Manchester, England, and took on the name International Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) Women were welcomed into the order in 1851 with the formation of the daughters of Rebekah. To this day the command of the Oddfellows and Rebekahs is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.” 

The Oddfellows and Rebekahs of Harrowsmith provide service in both Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. They also operate a hall that is available for community events, the Golden Links Hall.

This weekend they will be marking the 200th anniversary of the IOOF with a special celebration on Sunday afternoon (June 23) from 2-6pm. There will be presentations and memorabilia on display about the history of the IOOF locally and internationally. All are welcome to attend. For information, call Brenda at 613-372-2410

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

Under what was likely the first ideal day of the season, keen Pickleballers from the Frontenac Pickleball Assocation were out in full force for the 9am – 12pm session at Centennial Park in Harrowsmith last Friday morning (June 7)

They took a short break to pose in a photo-op to mark a $1,000 donation that they, and the affiliated Kingston Pickeball Association, has made to South Frontenac Township to help cover the cost of defibrillators for Centennial Park and Gerald Ball Park in Sunbury, the other outdoor Pickleball location in South Frontenac. But they were soon back on the courts.

Even it is a relatively low-key recreational session at the park three mornings a week, the level of competition on each point is pretty high. Pickleball is popular with seniors partly because it requires less running than tennis or badminton, two of the sports that it is loosely based upon. But that does not mean that the players aren’t competitive, or that hand eye-coordination, court positioning, and killer instinct aren’t keys to success.

Kelli McRobert is an Inverary resident who handles promotions for the Kingston Pickleball Association and is a passionate advocate for the sport, and she sees a massive potential for the sport in South Frontenac.

“Pickleball is a sport that anyone can play, and it has become very popular with the young senior population, and with South Frontenac’s growth and its demographics, that’s a lot of people. We tell the township that if they provide us with the facilities to play, we will fill them with players, both from Kingston and South Frontenac,” she said.

She explained as well that Pickleball really has nothing to do with pickles.

“The man who invented the game, Joel Pritchard, had dog named Pickles who would take the ball whenever it came his way, thinking it was ‘Pickles ball’ – hence the name of the game.”

As the game has developed as an organised sport, there are levels of play, which Pickleballers call Ladders, and that allows players to start at a more gentle level and progress in the sport.

Pickleball is also inexpensive. It costs $5 to drop in and only $20 a year to join either the Kingston of Frontenac associations and play all year.

Kingston Pickleball will be hosting the national championships later this month at the Invista Centre, which will raise the profile of Pickleball in the region.

Ashley Bates, the recreation co-ordinator for Southern Frontenac Community Services, has organised Pickleball at the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church and worked with the township to get the Gerald Ball Park tennis courts marked up for Pickleball as well.

The township is paying attention to the potential to offer more opportunities to local residents to enjoy the sport.

Recreation Co-ordinator Tim Laprade said that the township is looking at improvements to the surface at Gerald ball Park and at fence coverings for both parks to keep high winds from hindering play. As well, the possibility of developing a multi-use court at the Point Park in Sydenham for Pickleball, tennis and basketball is being looked. And then there is the arena.

“They are also interested using the Frontenac Arena for Pickleball in the off-season, and any way we can get more use from the arena would be a good thing,” said Laprade.

For more information about Pickleball, contact Lesley Inglis as 613-449-1757

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