We all know we live in a spectacularly beautiful part of Ontario, but sometimes it takes highly knowledgeable experts to open our eyes and look at our own back yards in a new way. Who knew that scientists from all over the world travel here to marvel at and study things we take for granted: "pillow" rock formations from ancient sea beds; the Plevna Fault (which is not a shortcoming of the good citizens of that town); traces of the last glaciers to scour this landscape; a watershed divide; and an extensive wetland and headwater that harbours rare species? We can even boast of Little Round Lake: a meromictic lake, which is a stratified lake consisting of two layers that do not completely mix, and creatures that thrive without oxygen.

On the Woodlands and Wetlands Tour on April 23, organized by Friends of the Salmon River, about 50 lucky passengers learned to look at their terrain in a new way, thanks to some local scientists and experts. Gray Merriam (landscape ecologist) taught us about the Kennebec Wetlands complex, Dave Smallwood (professional forester) pointed out past and present forestry practices and woodlot management, Dugald Carmichael was the geologist on board who enlightened us with stories of events millions and billions of years ago that formed what we now see in the rocks at roadsides, and Don Cuddy (ecologist) shared his knowledge and insights into the complexity of the relationships between living things and the landscape.

The route took us north on Road 38 to Sharbot Lake, then up Road 509, through Snow Road Station, Ompah, Plevna, Meyers Cave, south on 41 to Northbrook, Henderson, and continuing south through Arden, returning to our starting point in Verona. There was never a dull moment as commentators both educated and entertained us.

The trip was a partnership sponsored by Friends of the Salmon River, the Ontario Woodlot Association: Limestone Chapter, and the Frontenac Stewardship Foundation. For more on these groups, see friendsofsalmonriver.ca, www.ontariowoodlot.com, and facebook.com/Frontenac-Stewardship-Foundation.

Can't see the forest for the trees? Dave Smallwood of the Ontario Woodlot Association explains good woodlot management practices.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Worshippers at Land o' Lakes Emmanuel United Church held a joyous covenanting ceremony recently. The pledge between Rev. D'thea Webster and the congregation opened a new chapter both for her ministry and those assembled. D'thea comes from a long line of United Church ministers, two of whom were in attendance. Penny Akey, chair of The Four Winds Presbytery, conducted the well-attended service. Many congregants, family, and well-wishers were present. Ordained in 2012, Rev Webster was called to the area last fall and quickly became part of the Northbrook community where she resides. Land O' Lakes Emmanuel Church is the successful amalgamation of Harlowe United Church, Cloyne United Church and Riverside Untied Church (Flinton). It is located just off Highway 41 on #108 Addington Road #2 in Northbrook. The inclusive church welcomes everyone to their services on Sundays at 10am.

Land O’ Lakes Community Services will be holding ”Living Well with Diabetes” workshops. The workshops will help participants learn skills and strategies to help manage diabetes. You will gain confidence, develop self-management skills to actively achieve your best health and wellness. You will learn how to deal with difficult emotions, stress management, and relaxations techniques. We will learn how to eat healthy, exercise appropriately, prevent complications and low blood sugar. This workshop is open to anyone living with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes as well as their caregivers and family members. This workshop is FREE, and will be held once a week for 6 weeks, starting Wednesday May 18, 1:30-4pm at the Land O’ Lakes Community Services Board Room, 12497A Highway 41 Northbrook Ontario. Register today; space is limited; 613-336-8934 ext. 229; 1-877-679-6636 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 328, in Northbrook, held the Public Speaking Contest on February 19 at the Lions Hall. A big thank you to all the participants, family members, friends, Legion members who turned out to support the contestants: President Mike Powley; scrutineer, Warren Anderson; judges, Charlene Bright, Jilene England and Cathy Meeks; registration, Verna Andrew, Val Arsenault and past president Cecil Hawley; time keepers Harold Genge and Laura Lee Meeks; and last but not least, Linda Oakey for helping us out at the school. It was a huge success. The winners are:

Primary, grades 1-3: 1st - Sophia Borger; 2nd - Carley Pollard; 3rd - Quin Sproule.

Junior, grades 4-6: 1st - Alyssa Borger; 2nd - Walker Fobert; 3rd - Mary Forbes.

Intermediate grade 7-9: 1st - Sierra Baldacchin.  

As we wind down our mild winter and ramp up for spring, it is a good time to reflect on the past year and upcoming events and opportunities from Land O’ Lakes Community Services. This month will highlight our Community Support Program and Pine Meadow Nursing Home.

Board Initiatives:

Our Quality Assurance Committee has been hard at work sprucing up much of our office space by placing some new brochure/pamphlet boards in the main office waiting area and some nice artwork throughout the building (all donated), providing a positive atmosphere for our employees and visitors alike.

Community Support Programs:

Last year, our Meals-On-Wheels provided 68 different individuals with a hot meal every Thursday, prepared by volunteer cooks and delivered by volunteer drivers. In that same time frame, our Transportation program saw 12 volunteer drivers travel a total of 193,581 kilometres to get individuals to appointments, locally and outside the community, and our Congregate Dining programs (Adult Drop-In in Northbrook and Denbigh Diners in Denbigh) provided services (lunch and socialization) for 333 different individuals.

Pine Meadow Nursing Home:

As everyone is aware, we saw the completion of our expansion and were re-licensed. During the holiday season our residents had visits from students of North Addington Education Centre and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas concert with lots of music and entertainment.

We continue visit Adult Drop-In twice a month and are looking forward to our upcoming events. We will be having a Chinese New Year Bingo and regular outings that are still to be determined. Our Breakfast Club is up and running and anticipating a great Pancake Tuesday Breakfast. There are many opportunities to volunteer at Pine Meadow, and this can be a great opportunity for high school students who require 40 volunteer hours to graduate. We encourage anyone who is interested to call for more information at 613-336-9120.

Upcoming Events:

Our annual spaghetti supper in support of the Adult Protective Services program is scheduled for Saturday March 19 at the Barrie Township Hall in Cloyne from 4-7 p.m. This is a great place to bring in spring with a delicious meal and some fun company.

Once again, we will be running our income-tax program from March 1 until April 30. Volunteers complete income tax forms. If you enjoy completing these forms and are looking for a short-term volunteer commitment, this could be something that interests you. Please call the office for more information about the service or to volunteer at 613-336-8934.

We are also recruiting volunteer cooks and drivers for the Meals-On-Wheels program. Cooking for this program is a relatively small time commitment as the schedule is to cook once every 8 or 9 weeks. If interested please call Lori at 613-336-8934.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scots and other enthusiasts all over the world will celebrate Robbie Burns Day near his birthday. In the North of Seven area it shall be done at the Lions Hall in Northbrook on Saturday Jan 23. The Cloyne & District Historical Society who bring you this event, are particularly careful to not leave out any fun-filled traditions. Tartan will be worn; pipers will play; prime rib will be served; Scotch will be consumed; Auld Lang Syne will be sung; and the lads will dance with the lassies. Once again, the highlight of the evening shall be Gordon Sparks plunging his knife into the haggis as he addresses it. The tickets are limited in number and are $35, with a charitable receipt for part of it. The piper shall greet you as early as 5pm for a 6pm sitting. To reserve your place, call Ian Brumell at 613-336-2203 or Gordon Sparks at 613-336-0157

The grand opening / open house on November 21 for the new Kaladar-Barrie Northbrook fire station had a good turnout. Reeve Henry Hogg and Deputy Helen Reeve Yanch cut the ribbon to start the day off. Kaladar-Barrie Fire Chief Casey Cuddy thanked the Council of Addington Highlands and the residents for the new fire hall, which has filled a great need. He said the new facilities would help in training and allow for better care of the equipment, thereby providing better service to the residents. Retired clerk treasurer, Jack Pauhl, who was very much involved in getting the project started, was also present to cut the ribbon.

Three retired members of the department were present, including founding fire chief, John Bolton. The event also included informative displays and demonstrations, including car safety information and live fire extinguisher training.