The High Land Waters Metis Community Council is settling in to their new home at North Point Square near Northbrook. They held their grand opening on May 10 and have office hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 2pm and by appointment.

As one of their first projects in the new location, they have started a community vegetable Garden. On Saturday May 27th at North Point Square the Metis council and a few volunteers came out and planted the garden. Not only did they work hard all day in the sun, but Addington Highlands Township Councillor, Bill Cox stopped by and payed them a visit in support of their efforts. He stopped for a photo op with Chair Marlon Lloyd, Senator Robert Lloyd and Youth Representative Ashley Lloyd-Gomez.

The Metis Council is still looking for volunteers to help take care of the new garden.

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy gave an explanation on the current well situation at Northbrook Fire Hall to Council on Monday.

A well was dug at the fire hall site after a drilled well was recently put in but turned out to be contaminated.
Neither of the wells provide sufficient water to the hall because of contamination issues.

“We knew it was a crapshoot but it could've saved us a lot of headaches,” Cuddy said. “The (dug) well has already been decommissioned.”

Cuddy isn't sure yet what the expenses are going to be for the well but the company that installed the dug well was able to salvage a lot of material out of the project which will help cut down the overall cost.
Chief Cuddy offered a couple different options and will be pricing them out and bringing them to Council before moving forward.

The first option is a backwash drainage system that would cost around $17,000 but would create an excess waste water problem. Cuddy wasn't entirely sure the MOE would accept such a system at the fire hall.
The other option is to put in a cistern and have water brought in to fill it. They would then also need to install a U.V. System. Cuddy suggested possibly building a small shed beside the building to house the water tank.

More Mail For Hydro One
Addington Highlands Council supported two different letters that they received regarding equalizing Hydro One's pricing structure for delivery charges between rural and urban customers.

The letters, addressed to Kathleen Wynne, from Tay Valley Township and the Municipality of Greenstone, were requesting that the Provincial government “re-evaluate the structure of hydro in terms of access to delivery and implement structural changes to address the unfair practice of charging more for deliver to rural residents.”

“I think urban and rural customers should be charged the same delivery charges,” Councillor Helen Yanch said to Council.

Waste Sites To Close Early On Xmas Eve
Council made a decision to close the waste sites located in Kaladar, Vennachar, and Hartsmere early on Christmas Eve. Those three locations will be closing at noon on December 24th instead of the usual closing time.

Denbigh Dump Expansion Delayed Yet Again
The Township received news from the Ministry of Environment (MOE) in early November that the file on their request for an expansion of the Denbigh waste site has been closed.
The letter stated “the Ministry understands that the Township is undertaking corrective remedial actions to correct the issues, however, ministry procedures are to close application files for capacity expansions that are not in compliance.”

The letter also states that the Township can submit again once they've addressed the non-compliance issue.
“It's been 10 years now,” Reeve Hogg said. “Every time they change the rules we comply. The rules change faster than we can catch them”

Council made a decision to write the MOE to get more clarity on timelines and their specific compliance issues.

There's more to health care than doctors and hospitals.

October is Community Support Month, an opportunity to celebrate the services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. There are over 25 unique community support services, including attendant care, adult day programs, Meals on Wheels, respite for family caregivers, personal care and home support, transportation to medical appointments, and supportive housing programs... to name just a few! The not-for-profit organizations that provide these services are supported by their local communities, and rely on over 3 million hours of work donated by volunteers each year.

In Northbrook, Land O'Lakes Community Services has made an impact. A few years ago the agency responded to a need in the community identified by the local Family Health Team.

There was a lack of opportunities for senior men to socialize. A group was formed by a coordinator of the Community Support Program.

A member of this group described it like this: "A friend suggested that I attend a meeting organized by Land O'Lakes Community Services. The purpose of this meeting was to form a group of senior retired men who wished to socialize. All you need to join is a desire to interact with other men of varied walks of life and experiences. It is also advisable to bring along a good sense of humor. You can talk about any subjects that you are interested in." (Submitted by J.P. Pare)

This group continues to meet each week. They have supported one another with various health issues; they visit residents at the local nursing home, and even had a float In the Santa Claus Parade. This program has definitely had a positive impact on the lives of the men in this group.

"To us, stories about the impact of community support services may be extraordinary, but to the dedicated staff and volunteers of these organizations, they're all in a day's work," says Deborah Simon, CEO of the Ontario Community Support Association. This October, please learn more about how you can support these community-based organizations by donating your time or much-needed funds.

Recently in a client satisfaction survey about transportation, the following quotes were given;

"Thank you for the best driver. Also for the help along with not being just a driver but someone to talk to, just listen.";

“The service is great as I have no other transportation. My drivers are a great asset to me. I don't know what I would do if this service was stopped."

There are a few ways that the public can help ensure these services thrive. Residents could give a donation, volunteer, attend events or simply talk to their neighbor. Individuals who know what we do are vital to building a healthy community. For more information call 613-336-8934 or visit www.lolcs.com

All Ontarians deserve the opportunity to live in the comfort of our own homes and communities. Community support services make this goal a reality by going beyond meeting a client's current needs, and actually preventing more serious needs in the future. They keep people out of emergency rooms, hospitals and long-term care, helping Ontarians in need to stay happy and healthy, and making the entire health care system more sustainable.

There are many different types of community support services. Here are specific celebration dates set aside for each type:

October 5 - Congregate Dining Day

October 12 - Client Intervention and Assistance (CIA) Day

October 2-8 Meals on Wheels Week

October 9 . 15 Community Care Worker Week

October 3 Respite Services Day

October 10 Transportation Services Day

October 16 - 22 Adult Day Program Week

October 7 Supportive Housing Dav

October 14 Friendly Visiting/Telephone Reassurance Day

October 21 Home Help/Maintenance Services Day

October 26 Attendant Services Day

October 28 Hospice Services Day

Join the conversation on social media at #CommunltySupportStorles.

To learn more about Land O'Lakes Community Services, visit our Facebook page or our Website at lolcs.com

The Land Between is your backyard: It is a region that extends from Georgian Bay to the Frontenac Arch, skirting the Algonquin Dome. It has the highest habitat diversity in Ontario, and the most shorelines too. It is a meeting place for species from north and south such as moose and deer, blueberry and strawberry, river otter and woodchuck, black fly and mosquito. Because of these features and this species richness, The Land Between is an important area, providing water and vital ecosystem services to all of southern Ontario during climate change. But the region does not have enough soil and with a starker climate, pollution and disturbance are far reaching and need to be managed wisely. Learn more about this significant region and its features, the rare wetlands and turtles that contribute to water quality and biodiversity, and how to live in harmony with this environment by creating native buffers, shoreline gardens and pollinator-friendly areas in your backyard. Leora Berman, founder of The Land Between organization, a national charity, is providing a free three-part workshop this Saturday, Sept. 24 at Land o’Lakes Emmanuel United Church in Northbrook. “Why the Land Between is important” will be presented at 10am; “All about turtles and wetlands” at 10:30am; and “Creating Natural Shoreline Gardens and Buffers” at 11am. While you are there, take advantage of the opportunity to book a site visit and create a stewardship plan for your property. Everyone is invited to drop in or RSVP to Leora at 705-457-4838 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information visit thelandbetween.ca

Earlier this year, Connections Adult Learning received a $39,000 Seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to fund its new “Alleviating Social Isolation Through Technology” (ASITT) project.

Over the next eight months, Connections will be taking steps to provide access to hardware and internet connections and to help people improve digital skills through various training opportunities. Planned activities include establishing community Wi-Fi points; visits to housebound persons; providing multi-session and one-day workshops on various technology topics; establishing half-day technology drop-in centres for access and advice; hosting social digital activities like exergaming and streamed video; and providing online tips from experts in health, legal and other online information.

“Technology is advancing at incredible rates; the ability to use technology and navigate the internet is no longer simply an amusement or enjoyable distraction, it has become a necessary and essential tool for accessing government services, finding information about health care, searching job opportunities, running a small business, or just staying in touch with family,” remarked Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. “With this grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Connections Adult Learning is providing important technology-based education and skills development while helping people better connect to their communities, and the world, in a digital age.”

So, what could you learn if you participated in one or more of the training opportunities? Topics currently being explored include: online banking, how to buy and sell items online through sites like Kijiji or eBay, learning to use social media (Facebook, Skype, Instagram), basic computer skills, finding online health care information, finding legal advice, and how to watch online videos. However, Connections will be looking for the public’s suggestions into their needs and interests.

“To many of us, activities such as sending a photo, using social media, browsing yardsale sites, or visiting with distant family and friends are simply taps on our mobile device. However, for people without digital skills or access to hardware or internet these activities are not simple, and becoming socially isolated from family, friends and community is a real possibility,” said Karen Bertram, the project’s coordinator.

In late September, Connections will be offering the first of ASITT’s multi-session workshops. In Sharbot Lake, (24719 Hwy 7), Connections will present a “Basic Computers - Windows 10” workshop and “Managing Your Mobile – Android Phones and Tablets”. In Northbrook, (12497A Hwy 41, Unit 3), they will also offer “Basic Computers - Windows 10” but switch up the mobile training to “Managing Your IPAD, IPhone or IPOD”. See the flyer insert in this paper for more details or visit www.connectionsadultlearning.ca.

To make this happen, Connections will need the community’s help. It’s looking for 10 or more volunteers (Digital Coaches), to help deliver training and support to the programs’ participants. It will provide technology training to the Digital Coaches, as well as training in adult learning processes.

Additionally, to advise on content, recruitment, effectiveness and evaluation, Connections is recruiting six volunteers who can commit to four hours a month for a Project Advisory Committee.

Some examples of people who will benefit from the project are: the student who can’t use the Internet to do their school assignment; someone who can’t apply online for Ontario Works or Employment Insurance; seniors who can’t use social media to connect with their children and grandchildren; anyone who isn’t able to list their item for sale online; and the resident who can’t use online banking.

Connections needs you. Whether you want to learn more about computers and other digital technology or if you have digital talents to share, give Connections Adult Learning a call (Sharbot Lake 613-279-2499 or Northbrook 613-336-0691/866-402-8347);check them out on Facebook or drop in to see them at the addresses above.

(Note - in the paper version of this article the address of Connections Adult Learning centre was erroneously listed as 4719 Hwy. 7)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The congregation of Land O'Lakes Emmanuel United Church celebrated the dedication of their church on Addington Road 2 just north of Northbrook with an open house on Saturday, June 11. They have already been worshipping in the new space for over a year and a half. Before that they spent more than five years undertaking the arduous process of amalgamating the congregants who had been attending the Cloyne, Riverside (Flinton) and Harlowe churches.

The church, which had been a private home with a large garage before it was converted into a church in 2013 and 2014, features a 2,900 square foot room that is used for worship. Many of the key religious elements, such as crosses, the baptismal font, etc., as well as the piano and organ, came from the former churches, but from the start, the congregation and then pastor, Judith Evenden, felt that a new space was necessary for the congregation to come together in their own collective space.

“It also would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to bring the older church buildings to the point where they could satisfy not only our needs but the building code as well,” said Janice Andrew, the current chair of the church council, and one of the people who was involved in the amalgamation process since the start.

The renovations have been ongoing even after the church opened one and a half years ago.

“Let's just talk about walls,” said Andrew, to demonstrate how much work was done. “We removed the wall between the garage and the house, bedroom walls, the living room and dining room wall. We also put in a new floor, furnace, air conditioning system, new windows, paint, new stairways, a sound system, ramps. It was a lot of work, and there will always be more, but we are basically done now.”

The congregation decided not to put in church pews in their main hall, which gives them a lot more flexibility when it comes to how they worship together and how easy it is to use the space for other purposes.

Reverend D'Thea Webster came to Land O'Lakes Emmanuel in September.

“I've been here as we put the final touches to the space. Aside from the work on the space, what is really impressive to me is how much work has been done on a human level, to make sure everyone is welcome in that space. I couldn't tell when I came here who was from Riverside, who was from Harlowe or who was from Cloyne. It has been one unified congregation from the day I came in, and that is a tribute to all the work done before I arrived, and to Judith Evenden,” said D'Thea Webster.

Janice Andrew agreed.

“There were times, when we were going through the amalgamation, that some of us said we should go ahead and sell the three churches. We were anxious to move ahead, but Judith said it was important to keep hearing from people. She insisted that we give the time to people to discuss things very, very thoroughly and gently and gradually come to a decision. One of the things she kept insisting on was that 'everyone has to have their say' ” said Andrew.

“You can see why when you think about it. There is still grieving going on because people naturally have attachments to the place where they were married, where their children were baptized and confirmed, and married even. Spirits dwell in those rafters. There is still pain for some people who have not been able to come back, although there have been people coming back.”

Andrew was one of the people who first took note of the house that became the new church and she said that although it is not located right on Highway 41, which was what was planned, everyone who went to look at it had the same feeling.

“As soon as they got out of their car and walked to the building they could feel a sense of peace. We all knew this was the right place for us, and it is,” she said.

Adult Protective Services

Adult Protective Services would like to send a big thank you to the Mazinaw Community Fund and the Napanee District Community Foundation. The Mazinaw Community Fund was founded by Margaret Axford and Ian Brummel and is a chapter of the Napanee District Community Foundation. The foundation provided the APSW program a grant of $1785 to support 10 individuals, giving them the opportunity to participate in two organized sporting events. These opportunities may not otherwise have been available because of cost, transportation, and limited supports.

The first event was a Blue Jays game last summer. Our group teamed up with Lennox & Addington Association for Community Living and Adult Protective Services in South Lennox & Addington to attend the game. The second event was an Ottawa Senators’ game in February of this year. The individuals who participated enjoyed both of the outings very much. Generous community initiatives such as this are essential to helping us provide opportunities for people in our community, and we are very appreciative to the Mazinaw Community Fund and the NDCF. Without this type of assistance, these opportunities may not have otherwise been available due to cost, transportation and limited supports.

April Volunteer Appreciation:

On April 14, the staff of LOLCS held their annual volunteer appreciation dinner in Flinton. The night saw 102 volunteers being thanked for all they do for the organization. The delicious meal was prepared by the Flinton Community Club and the toe tapping entertainment for the evening was provided by the Pickled Chicken String Band from Denbigh. If the smiles from all the guests are anything to judge by, the evening was certainly a great success!

Annual Yard Sale

We are having our annual yard & bake sale at the LOLCS office in Northbrook on May 21 from 8am until about 3pm. This has become a very successful event and all proceeds go toward our Christmas Hamper Program. Make sure to include our location on your list of sale stops – the May long weekend is the time to shop for all your summer needs and more!

Afternoon Tea and Information Session

On June 13, from 1-3 pm we are holding an afternoon tea at the LOLCS office, 12497A Highway 41, Northbrook. This is an opportunity for community members to come into the office, meet the staff, and have a look around. This is a good chance to see what types of services we provide and ask any questions you may have – or just come in for a visit and to say “Hi.”

Cheryl Hartwick is the Board Chair of Land O'Lakes community Services