Henry Hogg has seen this all before.

In 2008, as Reeve of Addington Highlands and member of Lennox and Addington County Council, he had the job of convincing his colleagues on county council that it was important to maintain the ambulance services in Northbrook and Denbigh even though a consultant’s report suggested it was too expensive to operate two bases in the sparsely populated northern end of the county.

At that time, the county sided with Addington Highlands and kept the two bases in operation.

At the same time, a decision was made to integrate the entire L&A County ambulance service into the same professional model. Previously, the northern bases had been what are called ‘volunteer’ services, which pay paramedics at a lower rate. The L&A ambulance service is slated to be fully integrated by 2014, raising the projected costs of running the two northern bases.

The L&A ambulance service rents space for the Northbrook base, and they have been informed that the landlord has other plans for the building after the current lease expires at the end of this month, although the lease can be extended for a time.

To deal with this, an update to the 2008 consultant’s report was ordered, and that report was delivered to L&A County Council last week.

The update deals with a lot more issues than finding a new location for the Northbrook base. It notes that the northern bases are much more costly to operate than they were three years ago, and are even less frequently used.

“Station operating costs for both Northbrook and Denbigh have increased to $700,000 (from $465,000 in 2008) and are projected to increase to $1,033,000 by 2014. Call volumes have declined by about 10%. For Northbrook the cost per call has increased to $1,850 (from $1,100) and for Denbigh it has increased to $5,500 (from $3,100),” says the new report. “In our opinion, it is no longer necessary or financially justifiable to maintain ambulance service operations at both locations.”

The report recommends closing the Denbigh and Northbrook bases, and opening a new base in the Northbrook/Cloyne area. It also recommends building a new base to serve Loyalist Township, which is currently served mostly by Kingston ambulance bases operated by Frontenac County ambulance services. Ambulance calls to Loyalist are billed to L&A County, based on a cross-border agreement.

On a more positive note, the report recommends ending the policy of having northern ambulances go south to Tamworth on standby whenever the Napanee ambulance is called out, which happened twice a day, on average, last year. The report also recommends upgrading the capacity of the system to put Advanced Life Service paramedics in L&A ambulances in the coming years.

Henry Hogg, who has now been the Warden of Lennox and Addington for two years in addition to being Reeve of Addington Highlands, is less than convinced by all of the points raised in the new report.

“The report said that the new Family Health Teams in Northbrook and Denbigh have changed the service environment, but they have little to do with the kind of 24-hour emergency service that people are seeking when they call an ambulance. People call an ambulance to go to a hospital, and hospitals are an hour away from Addington Highlands,” he said.

Hogg said he is not sure that the members of county council will go along with the recommendations.

“I am not convinced that the cross-border service in Loyalist is hurting anyone, and the Denbigh base serves Renfrew and Frontenac County as well as Lennox and Addington. If that base were gone, there would be a large region that would be a long way from any ambulance base,” he said. “This is not a done deal. I’m not sure there is enough support on council for it to proceed,” he said

Ambulance talks “not fruitful”: Meanwhile back in Frontenac County, putting in a northern ambulance base continues to be on hold.

At a Frontenac County Council meeting in May, a proposal by North Frontenac to go ahead with construction of a joint ambulance base/fire hall in Ompah was deferred because details about how the costs will be divided up have not been agreed to. At the time, the direction from county council was for an agreement to be worked on at staff level.

However, talks at a staff level “have not been fruitful”, in the words of North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton. Staff have not met in person to work on an agreement.

According to North Frontenac CAO Cheryl Robson, County CAO Liz Savill has informed the township that she has not received specific direction from county council to alter a funding formula calling for two-thirds of the costs to be borne by North Frontenac. Since this change is what North Frontenac had requested in order to move the project forward, the matter must go back to county council, which will not be meeting until July 6.

Mayor Clayton said that he has asked County Warden Gary Davison to call an emergency meeting this month to deal with this, because the construction window for building a base in 2011 is rapidly closing, “but the warden refused to call a meeting,” Clayton said.

In the interim, the potential closing of the Denbigh base may change Frontenac County’s plans entirely, because Frontenac County depends on the Denbigh base to cover its northwest corner.

Paul Charbonneau, the Director of Emergency Services for Frontenac County, said on Tuesday, June 14 that he had just received the report about the future of the Lennox and Addington Service and will be reading it this week.

“It [the report] has not been a factor in anything we have done thus far, because I was not even aware of its existence,” he said, “but that does not mean it won’t become a factor.”

Photos: Jean Wannamaker

Over 100 friends and family representing five generations gathered at the community centre in Flinton to celebrate Jean Wannamaker’s 100th birthday. Displays of photos and a written history of Jean's family life and work history were all on display for celebrants to get a further glimpse into the century-long life that Jean has spent on this planet.

Jean is described by those who know her best as caring, loving, and feisty. That last attribute is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that she purchased the Northbrook store at an auction, unbeknownst to her husband Clayton, and ran it from 1958 until 1974.

Though Jean has worked at numerous occupations throughout her long life as a maid, cook, and store owner, she says that by far her most rewarding undertaking and life-long joy has been her family. She feels blessed by them and is truly thankful for them.

A mother of five, grandmother of 15, great grandmother of 22.5 and great great grandmother of one, Jean continues to live a happy, healthy and active life. She has beaten two bouts of breast cancer, the first of which was diagnosed when she was 91, and she continues to remain mobile and independent despite recently receiving a pacemaker. She is also totally free of arthritis, something that continues to amaze her family doctor. Jean attributes that to her 30-year-old habit of consuming a few gin-soaked raisins every evening - plus always aiming to “eat right, sleep right and be right.”

Jean McDiarmaid was born in Bolter, Ont. Her first job at the age of 16, was working as a maid while she took cooking classes at night. At the age of 18, she met her beloved husband, Clayton Wannamaker, on a blind date and they were married on September 25, 1933 at Clayton’s parents’ farm in Coe Hill. The couple had five children, Lee, Don, Amy, Laurence and Jackie, and eventually settled in Northbrook in 1958, the same year that Jean bought the store that she ran for 15 years.

Sadly, Clayton passed away suddenly in 1962, one of three tragedies that she has endured. The second was the death of her eldest grandson Marty and most recently the loss of her son Laurence in 2010. Jean now resides with her loving daughter-in-law, Germaine, who regards her both as a mother, and a friend. Described by those who know and love her as “the cornerstone of her family, a strong and beautiful person with a big spirit and big sense of humour”, and whom I am told still enjoys a cold beer at the end of a day, Jean Wannamaker continues to inspire. And rightly so.

She was presented with no less than six official birthday wishes from the prime minister, governor general, premier of Ontario, and others.

Jean remains most grateful for the love and support of those who joined her in Flinton and who continue to help her to celebrate a happy, productive and love-filled life every day.

It has been in place and in service since June, but it was not until October 9 last week that politicians, Emergency Services officials, and senior staff from Lennox and Addington County had an opportunity to officially open their new Northbrook base.

The cost to build the 3,143 square foot base, which includes crew quarters, a training room, an office, two drive-through garage bays and a back-up generator, was $1.3 million.

Although Lannox and Addington Chief Administrative Officer Larry Keech said that the base was built “on time and on budget” the price was much higher than had been originally anticipated.

At first L&A Council put aside $1.2 million for the new base and two new ambulances (which can cost between $110,000 and $135,000 each). The $1.3 million budget came later.

Keech said that the new base represents a long-term commitment by L&A County to maintain a 24-hour a day ambulance service in Northbrook.

“We are extremely pleased to have the new Northbrook Ambulance Base operational,” stated Doug Bearance, warden of the County of Lennox & Addington. “This beautiful new facility provides a vital service for residents of the northern part of our county and of neighbouring municipalities as well.”

Back in late January this year, Bob Taylor of Northbrook was surprised to receive a telephone call from a gentleman in England, Neil Trotter, stating that they were planning a memorial in honour of the crew of the Lancaster Bomber, who were killed in a crash on June 18, 1943, 70 years ago in Scredington, England.

Bob Taylor's father, Flight Sgt. Robert Allen Taylor, was part of that crew, and he perished one week before Bob's birth. He was the sole Canadian on the mission.

Lincolnshire in Eastern England was the headquarters of Bomber Command. Of 6,000 Lancaster Bombers built, 5,000 were shot down or crashed. The life expectancy of a bomber crew was four combat missions Flight Sgt. Taylor was a rear air gunner. He was enclosed in a pivoting rear turret with four fixed weapons shooting 303 bullets. He had completed 50 combat missions and had just returned from a furlough. He volunteered for the training mission in which he was killed.

Neil Trotter was seven at the time of the tragedy, and he saw the Lancaster on fire before it crashed in a field next to his home. He later went on to a career in the Royal Air Force.

Trotter and John Porter, who was one of the few residents to visit the crash scene, both felt the need for a lasting memorial and eventually contacted Scredington Parish Council, with the result that the National Service Association funded the memorial stone.

Bob Taylor arrived in England on June 14 for the ceremony and was hosted by a fabulous couple at a town that coincidentally was named Northbrek (Northbrook), adjacent to Scredington.

On Jun 15, he was driven to his father's grave site at Grantham. He expected only to find his father's grave and place a small Canadian flag on it but was surprised to find out that a formal service of dedication and remembrance had been planned, with dignitaries and an honour guard. Scredington parish church was filled to capacity for the service, after which Taylor had the honour of unveiling the marble memorial stone and also laid a wreath on his father's grave.

Wreaths were also laid in the church for each of the airmen lost. This was followed by a flypast by the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, dipping their wings in respect.

After the services, Bob Taylor visited the crash site and his chauffeur/chaperone discovered a twisted piece of metal from the crash, which was presented to him.

He also visited the Battle of Britain Museum where many of the vintage aircraft were kept in working order and had the opportunity to board a Lancaster Bomber like the one his father flew in.

It was a truly emotional and memorable experience for Bob Taylor.

Staff and the members of the board of directors from the Ontario Highlands Tourist Organization (OHTO) held a special event at Addison's Restaurant in Northbrook on May 28. The event was part of a two- day exploration and familiarization tour for OHTO board members and staff to meet business owners in the area and invite them to join OHTO and benefit from the many programs and services that the organization has to offer. Membership in OHTO is free.

Nicole Whiting, manager with OHTO, and other staff members spoke at the event, which included a wine and cheese meet and greet. The organization, which is based in Pembroke, has been in operation for three years and its goal is to increase tourism and visitation to the region, which according to Whiting is the second largest tourism region in Northern Ontario, covering over 25,000 square kilometres and including Renfrew and Lanark counties and portions of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Hastings and Haliburton counties.

The organization stemmed from a Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport initiative and a competitiveness study done in 2009 that evaluated how Ontario was doing as compared to the rest of the country as far as tourism visitation and spending goes. The report recommended creating 13 regional tourism regions to better align tourism development efforts and marketing. “While there are a number of smaller organizations doing their fair share of marketing tourism in the smaller regions,” Whiting said, “our organization was set up to be the collaborative body that brings together all of the businesses and organizations throughout the region who have an interest in growing tourism. Our job is to create conditions and to leverage and combine resources to better enhance the tourism product that we have here and to promote it to the world.”

OHTO offers a number of services and programs that can benefit tourism businesses in the region, including a new free customer service designation program called “Ohvation” where OHTO will send a mystery shopper to member businesses so that owners can get a consumer’s perspective of the goods and services that their business is offering. The business owners receive a full report and can win a special designation if they score 80% or greater. If they make the grade, they also can receive other promotional opportunities through OHTO.

Also on offer are a number of workshops such as one on packaging, in which businesses can learn how to offer special packages and to link with other businesses in the area. After developing a package, the participating businesses are then invited to advertise them on the OHTO website.

Whiting has been to the area before, and regarding its specific strengths and weaknesses she said, “This region bar none has the most potential in Ontario for attracting visitors. The unspoiled natural attractions and the natural environment, along with the wealth of seasonal outdoor experiences to participate in are huge”, she said.

Asked about the weaknesses she said that the size of the area is both a strength and a weakness. “Due to the large geographical area, we tend to lack a bit of quantity even though the quality is very high. Unfortunately a lot of the businesses are very spread out, which can make it difficult for them to collaborate, but that being said, the size of the area also adds to the quality of the natural environment.” Membership in the organization automatically makes members eligible for all of the programming the organization offers. Whiting said, “The key thing for members is the communications that we offer. We have ongoing monthly communications to all of our members, which highlight skills development workshops, funding opportunities and other development, advertising and marketing opportunities for businesses that join up.” For those who did not make it out to the event, Whiting encourages them to sign up. “We are here to offer very concrete benefits to tourism business operators in our region.”

Interested business owners can visit www.ohto.ca and also www.ontarioshighlands.ca

Twelve years ago, Ernest Lapchinski, a member of the Pine Meadow Nursing Home management committee, asked Kim Harvey, who was then the administrator of the home, what kind of project would be beneficial to the home.

Kim Harvey said that what Pine Meadow most needed was an upgrade. It was a B class facility and would provide an improved environment for residents and receive more operating funding if it was an A class facility.

Lapchinski drafted Bud Clayton, who at the time was a North Frontenac Council appointee to the Pine Meadow Management Board, to join him on the redevelopment committee. Kim Harvey and Donna Anderson, who had been integrally involved in the committee that worked on building Pine Meadow back in the early ’90s, also joined the committee.

Twelve years later, Kim Harvey has moved on from Pine Meadow and Donna Anderson has passed away; but Ernest Lapchinski and Bud Clayton have been waiting all summer for final confirmation from Infrastructure Ontario that a $5.5 million loan is in place and construction can get underway.

That confirmation came in an email last Thursday, and the contractors that have been waiting patiently since their bids were accepted months ago, will be on site this week to start work.

“The whole thing will be done in stages,” said Lapchinski. “The new construction will be the first stage, and then piece by piece the existing building will be worked on and brought to a higher standard.”

In the end the new Pine Meadow will have two 32-bed wings, and it will not have any four-bed dormitory style rooms. At this point the redevelopment is only slated to have the approval to house 60 residents, the same number as it houses now.

The changes will include revamped nursing stations, as well as community-oriented facilities for a physiotherapy clinic and a satellite renal dialysis clinic. In conjunction with the local family health team and a new ambulance base, Northbrook will be even more firmly established as a hub for medical service along the Highway 41 corridor.

But it has been anything but an easy road getting there, as Ernest Lapchinski can recall all too vividly. “We went to a lot of meetings and had a lot of promises made to us, only to see the approval fall through at the last minute several times."

One of the requirements for approval was a fundraising campaign aimed at raising $300,000 locally. “We had to show the province that we had local support, and we were able to do that,” said Lapchinski.

Major support came from the County of Lennox and Addington, which kicked in $25,000 per year for 10 years. The Land O’Lakes Lions have promised $5,000 per year for 10 years. These commitments, along with a host of private donors and fundraising events, have brought in a total of close to $400,000.

About a year ago the project was set to get underway but tenders for construction came in too high. This spring the tenders came in a little lower and everything was seemingly ready to go again, but the final approval from Infrastructure Ontario ended up being delayed.

“It turned out that they had not developed a template for funding this kind of project,” Lapchinski said.

That hurdle has finally been cleared now and it's all systems go.

A formal ground breaking ceremony will take place later in October.

Ernest Lapchinski and Bud Clayton are sure to have their hands on that silver shovel. Hopefully Kim Harvey will be on hand as well, and certainly a tear or two will be shed for Donna Anderson, whose efforts over the years will not be forgotten.