Anyone walking in to the waiting room at the Lakelands Family Health Team in Northbrook last Wednesday, April 1, might have thought someone had served some bad tuna at a joint Council meeting.

Four members from each of the Addington Highlands and North Frontenac Councils were sitting or standing, waiting to be called into the clinic. However, none of them seemed particularly under the weather; they were only waiting to spend some money and secure another physician for five years.

Each of the townships has committed $15,000 per year for five years to help pay the medical school expenses of Dr. Matt Dumas, who in turn has committed to remaining at the Family Health Team (FHT) for at least that length of time.

This is the second time that a physician has been encouraged to practice at Lakelands in this manner. In July of 2012, Dr. Anne Wilson began accepting patients in Northbrook to fulfill a similar five-year commitment, which runs until July of 2017.

There are currently five doctors affiliated with Lakelands, including Doctor Tobia, who started the practice decades ago, Dr. Peter Tam, and the venerable Dr. Alan Elliott, who works two days a week.

Lakelands Family Health Team is part of the North Kingston Family Health Organization and Dr. Dumas heard about the Northbrook clinic when he was working on a short term contract at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team in 2014, after graduating from Queen's Medical School earlier in the year.

What Matt Dumas found, when he visited Northbrook, was a location that seemed somewhat familiar to him.

“The land around here is pretty similar to where I grew up, near North Bay.

Matt Dumas lived in North Bay for most of his youth. He is a member of the Dokis First Nation, and he spent some of his summers on the French River, which runs between Lake Nipppising and North Bay, staying with family on the Dokis Reserve.

“The landscape there is very similar to what I find in this area, lots of lakes and swamps, a Canadian Shield wilderness area,” he said.

He is entering into this agreement with the Lakelands FHT with some experience, as he has been working for them on contract since late in 2014.

“The staff and the other doctors here have been more than welcoming, and there is a lot of knowledge in this community that helps me as I pursue a career in Family Medicine, which is what I really enjoy.”

In addition to providing service in Northbrook and one day a week at the Denbigh satellite clinic, Dr. Dumas is also maintaining ties in Kingston by teaching a course with the Department of Family Medicine at Queen's, where he is an associate professor.

According to Janice Powell, the executive director of Lakelands, Dr. Dumas has been well received by the patients he has been serving over the last few months.

“He is good at listening carefully to what patients say,” she said. “One patient in Denbigh came up to me as they were leaving the clinic one day, and said 'you have a good one there, you'd better not let him go.' And now we don't have to, thanks to the townships.”

The townships of North Frontenac and Addington Highlands have been involved in medical services for a number of years. The townships began looking at putting money aside for doctor recruitment 10 years ago, and when Doctor Tobia was considering turning his practice into a Family Health Team, which came to fruition in 2010, the townships were involved in the transition. Addington Highlands now owns the building in Northbrook where the Lakelands headquaters is, and rents space to the FHT in is Denbigh Community Centre.

The townships have continued to put money aside for recruitment over the years. With this latest investment, each of them will have spent $150,000 on direct recruitment.

Do you have health issues that are affecting the way you live?

Gain information and skills to better manage your chronic condition and live healthier. This free, six-week workshop helps people to actively achieve their best health and wellness while managing one or more ongoing conditions like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease, depression, lung disease, and others. You can learn: how to deal with the emotional, physical and social aspects of living with a chronic condition; how to manage symptoms, medications and treat side -effects; improve communication with health care team members; and lead a healthy lifestyle, manage stress, make action plans and set goals.

The workshops will be held at Land O'Lakes Community Services, 12497A Highway 41, Northbrook, on Wednesdays, April 8 to May 13, 1:30- 4pm. Participants will receive a free copy of the book "Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions".

Register today as spaces are limited! Contact Pam Lemke at 613-336-8934 ext. 229; 1-877-679-6636 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The High Land Water Métis Council held an information and nomination meeting on January 31 at the Northbrook Lions hall, which was attended by close to 30 people. The meeting’s dual purpose was to attract new members and to nominate representatives for positions on the council.

The High Land Waters Métis Council, which has been in existence for just seven years, is one of Ontario’s 29 Métis community councils. Its members represent part of region six, one section of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) that stretches east to Perth, west to Peterborough, south to Kingston and north to Bancroft. The 29 councils together make up the Métis Nation of Ontario, which is the organization officially recognized by the provincial and federal governments, and which through the Provisional Council of Métis of Ontario (PCMO) works with the Ontario government to discuss current issues and to implement their objectives.

Representatives on the council strive to bring Métis awareness to their communities and to let members know what services are available to them. Currently there are 500 card-holding members of the MNO in region 6.

Present at the meeting were Amanda Cox and Tracey Dale, both staff from the MNO's Bancroft office, and respectively, from its employment and health branches. Each spoke about the various services that are offered to members of the MNO but that are also made available to anyone in need. These services cover a wide range of health, employment and training programs through the MNO.

Also present at the meeting was Hank Rowlinson, manager of Community Relations with the MNO, who gave an overview of current issues facing the MNO at the provincial and national levels. Rowlinson also stressed the importance of community involvement. “This community has been working hard for the last seven years to create their own charter and what we are trying to do now is help them to sustain that charter. The best way to do that is to get more people involved,” he said. “Having a community here that is visible and practicing their culture is the best way to spread community pride.”

Rowlinson said that one of the major issues currently facing the Métis involves an upcoming 2015 hearing at the Supreme Court of Canda concerning the Daniels vs Canada case. The MNO will be seeking intervener status during the hearings in that case in the hopes of upholding a decision made previously by the Federal Court of Canada, which asserted that the Métis are the responsibility of the federal government and should be defined as “Indians” under the Canadian Constitution, thereby receiving the same rights and benefits.

Deirdre Thompson, current president of the High Land Waters Council, who lives in Northbrook, said that she hopes to see membership numbers increase as a direct result of the recent meeting in Northbrook. She said that for a long time Métis people struggled with an identity that considered them “too white to be native and too native to be white.” “We are trying to let people know that we exist and that we have rights as Aboriginal people.”

Thompson said that the long-term goal of council is to spread awareness that the Métis are a distinct Aboriginal group. “We want to have the same recognition as other native peoples.”

Included on the Métis Nation of Ontario’s website is an in depth history of the Métis in Canada, outlining their origins, which began in the late 17th and early 18th century with the establishment of the fur trade in this country. This unique group of people formed when male European settlers and Aboriginal women began forming relationships and having children. Soon after, these populations and communities began to self-identify as their own distinct communities.

The MNO website highlights the struggles the Métis went through and which continue as they try to protect their lands. It explains how they began to formally mobilize and in 1869 how the Métis National Committee was formed. Louis Riel, best known for leading the Northwest Rebellion in the mid-1880s, for which he was tried and hung, is a celebrated hero for the Métis people and his history is well documented on the site. Also highlighted are the current accomplishments and victories that the Métis people have made, many in the courts and many in the last 30 years and that include their inclusion in the charter as one of the three distinct Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

The formal nominations for the new council for 2015 wrapped up Saturday’s meeting in Northbrook. Secretary/treasurer Candace Lloyd, and youth representative Gwendalyn Lloyd were acclaimed. The councilors nominated and elected by acclamation were Terry Conners, Gertrude Conners and Thomas W. Thompson. Nominated for president were Scott Lloyd and Catherine Thompson and nominated for the position of chair were Marlon Lloyd and Benjamin Saulnier. The position for women’s representative is still open. The elections will take place at the Northbrook Lions hall on Sunday, March 8 from 9am-5pm. Voters must have their Métis Nation of Ontario citizenship card in order to cast a ballot.

photo- 2046

by Marcella Neely

Fair fa'your honest, sonsie face:

These words come from the poem, "To a Haggis" which is a central feature of the Burns Supper. Traditionally, the Haggis is brought out in a procession led by a piper and the poem is recited.

Some years after Burns' death in 1796, the Burns supper was developed as a means of celebrating his poetic genius on the anniversary of his birth. Recitation of his poem "To a Haggis" became a central feature of these suppers, which included the consumption of this traditional Scottish dish along with neeps (turnip) and tatties (mashed potato).

On January 24, the Cloyne and District Historical Society is putting on a Burns Supper at the Northbrook Lions Hall. Following supper there will be readings of Burns' poems and singing of Burns' songs. His writings are in Scots, the traditional language of lowland Scotland. It uses many words that are close to English but others that are quite distinct (e.g. burn = brook, bairn = children). Those attending will be provided with written translations of the poems being presented.

James Norris lives a quiet life. He has lived in a small house in Northbrook for the last 15 years, after moving there with his wife from Oshawa.

They both suffered health problems. He has Multiple Sclerosis and was forced to retire from the auto industry after injuring his back, and his wife suffered from lung disease, which ended up taking her life in 2006.

Norris lives alone now, trying to make ends meet on a Disability pension from his work, and some support from the Ontario Disability Support Program.

He receives $1085 a month, has a $285 mortgage, and he also has hydro, property tax, and phone bills to pay. That leaves only about $400 for food and day-to-day necessities. And then there is heat.

“As the weather gets colder this year, I have no oil in my furnace, and no money to buy oil,” he said on a cool, cloudy afternoon, from his candle lit kitchen. He wore a housecoat over his clothes, and I kept my coat on in his kitchen. A small space heater was on in the sitting room.

For the past seven years, ever since his wife died, James Norris has slowly built up a balance on his VISA card, to the point where he has to pay $400 each month towards the balance. He has a driver's license but could not keep a car on the road, and now faces the fact that he cannot afford oil this winter.

There is a program that he has accessed in the past through the Ontario Works department in Napanee that has covered one tank of oil per winter in the past, but he cannot access that until at least January.

Getting to January is a problem, however, and the fact that oil companies have a minimum delivery of $400 worth of oil has him basically out of luck.

“It is really tight surviving right now. I only get food that is on sale. I basically shop when I need to. I certainly could eat better,” he said. “I try to get out and volunteer as much as I can. I'd rather be out doing something than sitting at home. Between my back and MS I can't work but when I feel ok I can volunteer, but I always need to be picked up and brought home.”

He says that his situation is not unique.

“There are many other people like me and worse. Costs go up but benefits don't. At $1085 a month, it doesn't add up for someone like me to get through the winter,” he said.

Ann Marie Langan works for the Legal Clinic, which provides legal services for residents of Lanark, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington from an office at Northern Frontenac Community Services in Sharbot Lake. She has been providing legal advice to clients facing financial difficulties as well.

“More and more families in the area are facing a lot of financial hardship,” she said, “and it only escalates when winter comes.”

Kendra Godfrey lives in Mountain Grove with her husband Sean. Between them they have seven children ranging from five to 20 years of age, and six of them are living at home.

Sean receives Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) support and Kelly works at the Maples in Sharbot Lake. They have had financial struggles, and not only do they face the coming winter and the cost of oil for their rental home, Ontario Hydro is threatening to pull the plug on their electricity.

“Since we moved here two years ago, ODSP has been paying $240 a month to Hydro from Sean's funds all that time. I have been after Hydro One to send us bills that whole time, and each time gave them our address but the bill never came, so I had no way of knowing if we were paying enough,” she said.

On October 2, a letter came to their home by Purolator, saying they owed $6,900 were going to have their power cut us off unless they made arrangements within 10 days to start paying off the debt. Hydro One is looking for $600 per month for service and $240 per month for two and a half years to pay off the debt.

Anne Marie Langan is working on the case with Kendra Godfrey, and last week put in a demand for the bills but has not received them.

Meanwhile in a subsequent phone call with a representative from Hydro One, Kendra found out that it is no longer $6,900 that Hydro is asking for in back payments. “I talked to someone on October 27 and she said that it is $8,500 that is owing, so I don't know what is going on at all now.”

Not only are the potential hydro costs spiralling out of control, oil costs are very high in their home, leading Godfrey to wonder how they will keep the home warm and bright this winter.

“We live as carefully as we can, don't leave lights on, and we close off part of the house in the winter to save money,

but this hydro mess has made it impossible for us to budget,” she said.

Michele Zigman administers a number of emergency funding programs for Frontenac County residents out of her office in Sydenham with Southern Frontenac Community Services. She is also worried about the coming winter.

“We are still working with people who are trying to recover from last winter, which was cold and long and particularly hard on those who heat with propane. This coming winter could be really devastating to a lot of people,” she said.

Wigman pointed out that most of the money she is able to access to support families struggling with costs is subject to strict conditions, one of them being that the families do not receive social assistance. She also said that the funds she makes use of are provincial dollars administered by the City of Kingston.

“Frontenac County, based on its share of the regional population, should receive more funding than it does for these programs,” she said.

A new homelessness initiative will bring a change in the supports for families in situations such as those faced by James Norris and Kendra Godfrey's family, but funding remains an issue.

“The goal is for people to have sustainable housing in the long term,” said Zigman, “and my fear is that people will be forced to give up their houses if this winter is as bad as last winter was.”

Bonnie George, the administrator at Pine Meadow Nursing Home, has a bit of trouble explaining how the next phase of construction at Pine Meadow will proceed.

A couple of weeks ago, residents moved into the newly constructed wings at either end of the v-shaped home.

Now that all the new construction is completed, crews are renovating the rooms in the older part of the home that were vacated by those residents. When those renovations are complete, residents will move across the hall, and those rooms will be worked on. Then the administration offices will be changed, the main dining hall and servery will be renovated.

“All of this will take place while the home is operating. It's all very complicated. I spent days with the construction supervisor figuring it all out and how it will work,” she said.

The construction phase is now 70% complete and is on budget thus far, George added, and the good news is that a number of residents are in new rooms, enjoying the benefits of an upgraded, grade “A” long term care facility.

Pine Meadow will have only two-bed or one-bed rooms when construction is complete, and each 32-bed wing will have its own admin hub, nurses' and doctors' rooms, showers and baths, common room and activity room, and dining room.

The entire home will be newly finished, and will be up to date in terms of safety and accessibility requirements.

Bill Cox, the chair of the management board that oversees the home for Land O'Lakes Community Services, said that the home has developed a reputation as a first class care facility due to the support of the surrounding community through ongoing fund-raising and donation efforts and other engagement with the home.

“The renovations include a new staff lounge plus space in what is now the dining room for public use,” said Cox. “Some day we hope to have physiotherapy and dialysis offered here for the general public. The space will be there; it will be up to the LHIN or the ministry if the service ends up being available here,” he said.

One thing that Bonnie George is hoping will happen sooner than that is a decision to increase the capacity of the home to 64 residents. The home is licensed for 60 residents, but it has a healthy waiting list, and the ministry approved constructing it to a capacity of 64.

“It will be up to the ministry to decide if we should be licensed for 64 residents, but we will certainly be ready once the renovations are complete,” she said

The projected end date for the project is February 18, 2015, and George anticipates the construction crews will be close to or spot on that deadline.

For members of the management board who began lobbying for the re-build of the home almost 15 years ago, that day can't come soon enough.

Bob Taylor runs a fresh fruit and vegetable stand in Northbrook during the summer and fall these days, but he has done a lot of other things, and is known for the years during which he was associated with ambulance service in the northern half of Lennox and Addington County.

Less well known is his connection to WW2. Bob was born at the end of June in 1943, near the town of Stirling, a long way from the war, but that war had already taken a toll on him. His father, Robert Taylor, died in a plane crash during a training run near Scredington, England, on June 18, 1943, one week before Bob was born

Bob was raised by his grandparents, as his mother was working when he was young and eventually re-married. “My grandparents were wonderful and always kind and helpful to me, so I have no complaints about that,” he said. Although he was sent to New Brunswick, where his father's family was from, at about six years old, Bob had already made attachments in Ontario and he soon returned.

His grandmother died in 1955, and he stayed with his grandfather through his teenage years.

Although he knew of the circumstances of his father's death, it wasn't until last year that he visited Scredington, where the accident took place, to participate in a ceremony in a 13th Century church in which a plaque was dedicated.

“It was pretty overwhelming visiting the site, participating in the commemoration, and being treated as if I was royalty the whole time,” he said.

As part of the events, there was a flypast of one of the few remaining Lancaster Bombers, the same plane that went down on that June day in 1943.

Nine soldiers were in that plane, two more than a normal complement. Flight Sergeant Robert Taylor was the rear gunner with a new crew, and because it was a training mission he was basically along for the ride on the flight but, all crew members participated in training missions.

He had survived 50 bombing missions over enemy territory, a rare feat in itself (22743 soldiers died in combat missions flying in Lancaster bombers between 1942 and 1944 and 44% of the fleet ended up going down) He was in training in a plane that was set to be a Pathfinder, planes that flew just above treetops and lit up targets for bombing missions.

According to his son, because the anti-aircraft guns were trained on the bombers, the chances of survival in a Pathfinder were significantly better.

“He likely would have survived the war as a Pathfinder, but that was not to be,” said Bob Taylor.

By remaining in contact with his New Brunswick grandparents, uncles and aunts, Taylor learned some details about his father.

“My grandfather was renowned as a hard-working man, He built a very successful dairy farm, but my grandmother was much more social. Apparently my father took after his mother. He had a rare skill. He could smell a day’s work and disappear like a Houdini,” he said.

While he was in England for the ceremony, it brought some of the physical reality of his father's last day home to him, and he even brought a souvenir, of sorts, back to Northbrook.

“Someone pulled up a piece of twisted metal from the ground near the crash site. The paint on the bottom was the same as the non-reflective black paint on the bottom of the Lancasters, so it only makes sense that it was from the plane,” he said.

The metal is attached to a plaque to his father that Taylor brought home from England.

He is currently working on a book about his father's life and death.

Cutline

Bob Taylor holding a plaque to his father that was presented to him in England.

by Marilyn Bolender

On October 1, the Land O' Lakes Lions Club presented a cheque to the Land O' Lakes Community Food Bank in the amount of $2,000. On the left is Lion Pam Lemke, in the centre Lion Red Emond, and missing from the picture Lion Phil Barchard, who were instrumental in raising this money by holding the 1st Annual Fun Golf Tournament, held at Hunters Creek Golf Club. Receiving the cheque is Betty Pearce. The Lions hope to make this event an annual affair and many people are already asking for a spot for next year. The local food bank has had an abundance of calls for help this year and with more money going out than coming in, the LOL Lions helped fill the void.

by Julie Druker and Jeff Green

It was an emotional afternoon at the new Land O'Lakes Emmanuel United Church in Northbrook, where a full house gathered to say farewell to Reverend Judith Evenden. Evenden became the minister at the pastoral charge eight years ago, which at that time included the United churches of Cloyne, Flinton and Harlowe. In what she described as “eight wonderful years of transformational ministry”, she helped the three congregations through a challenging time of change that saw them come together in a difficult decision to sell off the three church properties in order to build a new, more functional place of worship.

With the new church near Northbrook nearly complete and with the congregation now worshiping there, it seems ironic that Evenden, who was at the helm during the historic changes, is now taking leave of her flock after having brought them together under one roof. Evenden gave her notice back in July informing her congregation that she would be moving back to Kingston and would be holding her final service at Land O' Lakes Emmanuel United on October 26. With that date in mind the congregation planned a special celebration and invited Evenden and her partner Eleanor Belfry-Lyttle to the new church on October 25 for a farewell that included an entertaining and heartfelt recounting of her history and accomplishments there.

Speakers included mission chair Jean Sedore, Lois Wise, Janet Wilson, Bev Scott and Louise Hogg and the presentations were filled with laughter, joy and tears. Evenden was presented with a number of gifts and keepsakes and she spoke to me of the final sermon that she would be giving the following day. She spoke of the coincidental timing of her departure. “When I gave my notice in July, I used the end of the Exodus story. Because we at the United church work on a certain cycle of readings that is used internationally, what I did not know is that the reading tomorrow will be that Exodus story.” Evenden said that she will be giving the congregation cuttings from a Moses in the Bulrushes plant, which she was gifted and has cared for for decades. She will also be giving the congregation a Bible as a parting gift. In the interim until a new minister is appointed, members will be carrying on regular worship services at the new church, and former minister, Reverend Wayne Hilliker, will be leading services there along with others.

Evenden said she will be returning to the church for its special dedication service, which will be taking place in the near future.

Photo-2006 Reverend Judith Evenden and her partner Eleanor Belfry-Lyttle were honored at a special service at Land O'Lakes Emmanuel United church in Northbrook on October 25

By Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and Sonja Alcock

October is Community Support Month. This is intended to increase awareness and celebrate the achievements of what community support services are and why they are an important part of the health care system. Home and Community Services are critical in helping family caregivers and supporting seniors and persons with physical disabilities to remain in their homes. Land O’ Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) in Northbrook is one of 600 agencies in this province alone, which provides a wide variety of services such as adult day programs, Meals on Wheels, transportation to medical appointments, Home Care, Diners’ Club/Congregate Dining programs, caregiver support services; Diners’ Club; Home Help/Homemaking.

The inability to keep up with the growing health budget is a concern for government and Ontarians alike; by supporting a strong and robust home and community care sector, the government gets better value for the dollars they spend. Home and community support services such as Land O’ Lakes Community Services are the key to a sustainable healthcare system.

Community Support agencies are working with their partners: the Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN), Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) and other health care providers to integrate care for Ontarians. Their services help alleviate backlogs in emergency rooms and get people out of hospital beds and back home with programs that help them manage their chronic diseases, and reduce demand on long-term care homes and acute care health services.

Basic Facts about Home and Community Support agencies:

• They work to strengthen and promote home and community support as the foundation of a sustainable health care system.

• There are over 600 community based organizations providing services…which include over 25,000 paid staff…and 100,000 volunteers across Ontario!

• These agencies are community governed and not-for-profit; many are charities like LOLCS. This means that when surpluses occur they are reinvested back into services/programs for clients.

• In addition to program funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, our agencies also fundraise in the community and often charge low client fees for some services to help offset what is not covered by the government funding and fundraising efforts.

• Home and community health service providers deliver compassionate, cost effective health and home care to one million Ontarians per year. These services support people to live independently in their own home, thereby delaying or avoiding the need for long-term care or reducing the need for more expensive health services such as hospital care. Thus improving their quality of life.

• Most, if not all, these agencies would not function at all without the many volunteers that willingly give of their time, talent, and trust to help those in their community.

• The population is aging and the prevalence of chronic conditions and disabilities is on the rise. Ontario’s senior population is expected to double in the next 15 years. Almost 80% of Ontarians over the age of 45 have a chronic condition, and of those, about 70% suffer from two or more chronic conditions. And persons with disabilities develop age-related diseases much earlier than the general population – at 50 years of age. They also have much higher incidents of chronic diseases.

On a happy note: the quality of life is improved when individuals can receive a range of personal and medical care services at home and in their community. The impact of community support and supportive housing on clients has been researched in Ontario [Lun, Simonne, & Williams, 2005]. Some of the indicators arising from that research include: reduction of emergency department visits; reduction of 911 calls; reduction of caregiver burden; improved mental well-being [peace of mind]; increase in personal perception of health and social connectedness.