Kim Cucoch of the North Frontenac Food Bank, flanked by members of the OPP Auxiliary at the fall 'stuff the cruiser' event in front of Mike Deans Grocery store in Sharbot Lake, on Saturday, October 29. A steady stream of store customers made food and cash donations from 10 until 2. The cruiser needed to be emptied more than once as food kept accumulating.

Drug search warrant executed at residence in Central Frontenac

(Central Frontenac) On August 25, 2016 police executed a Controlled Drug and Substances Act search warrant at a residence in Central Frontenac Township. At the residential property officers located a marihuana grow operation. Additionally, an illegally possessed firearm and ammunition were seized. A 42 year-old male, a 39 year-old female and a 15 year-old young person face charges of unlawful possession of marihuana, production of marihuana and unlawful possession of a firearm. The male adult, who also faces an additional charge of uttering a threat to damage property, was held in custody pending the outcome a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston on August 29. The 39-year-old female and 15 year-old young person were released from custody and will be summoned to court at a later date. The potential street value yield of the seized marihuana is estimated at $10,000. The identity of the accused adults will not be released to protect the identity of the accused young person. The name of the young person will not be released in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

The OPP would like to remind the public to report any suspicious activities to their local police service. Anonymous information can also be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

OPP Locate Missing Woman

(Lanark) On August 25, Lanark County OPP, supported by members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), Canine Officers and the Aerial Support unit, located a missing woman in the Township of Lanark Highlands. The 25-year-old woman from the Toronto area was last seen at about 7am on August 25. Police were called to a location near McDonalds Corners Road at 11:45am and the woman was located in bush area at about 4.22pm. She was safely assisted from the area by the ERT members.

(TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH FRONTENAC) - On Sunday 21st of August 2016 at approximately 7:45 pm, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) from the Frontenac Detachment responded to a suspicious vehicle parked in a farmer’s field in the Inverary area of South Frontenac Township.

Police attended the scene and found two deceased persons in the vehicle, a 28 year-old male and a 19 year-old female.

The OPP Crime Unit was called in to investigate and do not suspect foul play. There are no concerns for public safety and the investigation is continuing.

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at approximately 5:27 pm officers of the Frontenac Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) with South Frontenac Township Fire and Rescue and Frontenac Paramedic Services responded to a motor vehicle collision that occurred on Battersea Road approximately 1 kilometer north of Sunbury Road in Inverary, South Frontenac Township.

The collision involved a Ford Windstar van, which was travelling northbound on Battersea Road and a Chevy pick-up truck travelling southbound.

The driver of the Ford Windstar, a 37-year-old female from Battersea, Brenda Trautrimas, along with her 6-year-old son Owen Trautimas were pronounced deceased at the scene. A second young child in the min-van had to be extricated by fire services and was transported to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries. Next of kin have been notified.

The driver of the pick-up truck was also taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

A reader reports that she has been contacted three times by telephone scammers pretending to be Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officials. She said they threatened her; that she should not tell anyone about the calls; however she was not taken in. Our reader would like to remind everyone to not respond to this scam. If any unknown person calls you and requests personal information, HANG UP, no matter who they say they are.

The OPP issued a press release three weeks ago advising that their call centers have been inundated with upwards of 100 calls per day from the public about this fraud, and that unfortunately at times these calls restrict the OPP’s ability to take calls from the public that require a police response. It is not necessary to contact the OPP to report that you have received one of these calls unless you are a victim of fraud that can be attributed to this scam.

The OPP Frontenac Detachment is urging all residents to be vigilant with their personal information. In the past month, Frontenac OPP has investigated several complaints from residents who have become victims of Identity Fraud.

Culprit(s) obtained personal information such as, full name, date of birth, Social Insurance Numbers, full address, driver’s license number and credit card information. The information is then used to apply for credit cards at various large chain department stores.

How to protect yourself:

• Do not provide personal information to unknown persons over the Internet or telephone.

• Familiarize yourself with billing cycles that you receive in the mail. If bills that are expected to arrive at a certain date do not arrive, inquire with the company or financial institution.

• Ask yourself if you need all of the identity documents you carry in your wallet or purse. Remove any you don’t need and store in a secure place.

• Trash bins are a goldmine for identity thieves. Ensure you shred personal and financial documents before putting them in the garbage.

• Your best protection method is to monitor your hard copy or on-line financial accounts frequently and to check your credit report regularly for any unusual activities. If you receive calls from collection agencies about unfamiliar accounts, or if you applied for credit and were unexpectedly turned down, you should investigate further.

If you think you have been a victim of Identity Fraud:

Step 1 - Contact your local police force and file a report.

Step 2 – Contact your bank/financial institution and Credit Card Company.

Step 3 –Contact the two national credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your credit reports.

Equifax Canada. Toll free 1-800-465-7166

TransUnion Canada. Toll free 1-877-525-3823

For more information about Identity Frauds and recent scams visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) website. www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca  

The Rural Mayors' Forum of Eastern Ontario (RMFEO) met with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), as well as the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) at the end of last month to discuss concerns they have with the OPP's new costing formula for billing properties for policing.

The RMFEO, in their analysis of the OPP billing model, found some discrepancies between the property counts given by MPAC to the OPP for billing and the population growth they're recognizing in their municipalities.

During the meeting, MPAC explained that a property count is the total number of residential units identified on a property, plus the number of commercial and industrial properties identified on the tax roll.

A “unit” is defined, by MPAC, as a self-contained residence intended for seasonal or year-round use. MPAC considers basement apartments, house trailers, and cabins, all as separate units under these provincial regulations, which means that one property can have multiple, “billable”, units on it as far as MPAC and the OPP are concerned.

As well, each apartment in a condominium building counts as an individual unit, and a residence that doubles as a commercial space is considered two units by these standards.

For commercial units, they are counted based on the tax roll so a building may have multiple units in it but is only taxed as one unit by MPAC.

The OPP bill municipalities a base service fee, based on these property counts, and then also bill separately for individual calls of service.

While the OPP is billing the municipalities based on property counts provided by MPAC, the municipalities aren't necessarily able to recoup this amount through taxation because there is a disparity between property counts and property assessments. Municipalities aren't, currently, taxing properties the same way the OPP looks at them and to do so would require changes to the Municipal Act, MPAC explained.

All the parties involved have agreed to continue this discussion and work on some of these issues in hopes that they can reach a consensus on the OPP billing formula.

On Thursday May 12, 2016 between 12 and12:30 a.m, an adult female reports being sexually assaulted by two unknown males while walking along Desert Lake Road in South Frontenac Township. The victim sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital, where she was treated and released. The suspects are described as both Caucasian males, 30-45 years old. The vehicle is described as: a large pick-up truck with bright headlights. Frontenac OPP Crime Unit are assisting with the investigation and ask any person(s) who were traveling on or near Desert Lake Road near the times of the assault or have any other information to contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) where you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 and not have to appear in court.

The Frontenac OPP have partnered with the local community agencies, including the Township of South Frontenac, Southern Frontenac Community Services, the KFL&A's Health Unit, Kingston Community Legal Clinic and Rural Kingston Family Health Organization to create the committee known as Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, or S.A.L.T.

The committee's focus is aimed at seniors living in the Township of South Frontenac, and their goal is to increase seniors' communication with the local police and other service agencies. The committee will provide support and information to seniors in South Frontenac, with the aim of improving their safety and overall well-being.

The committee launched their first safety information session on April 19. Presentations were held in Sunbury, Verona and Sydenham and attracted seniors from across the township.

The free sessions were comprised of three presentations: Keeping Healthy, Falls Prevention and Scams and Frauds.

The first was delivered by two registered nurses: Meredith Prikker from the Sydenham Medical Clinic, and Annie Campbell from the Verona Medical Clinic, both of whom specialize in the management of chronic diseases with the goal of keeping seniors living at home longer.

They covered numerous health-related issues, like medication reconciliation, tips to avoid medication mistakes, advanced care planning, and creating a coordinated care plan. They informed guests about two free self-management workshops on the topics of Living Well with Chronic Disease, which runs from April 20 to May 25, and a second workshop in the fall on Living Well with Chronic Pain, with dates to be announced.

Rhonda Lovell, a registered nurse with KFL&A Public Health, gave the second presentation on Falls Prevention. She spoke about the leading fall risks to seniors, how to prevent them, and how seniors who fall represent 58% of the leading causes of unintentional injury-related emergency department visits. Lovell highlighted the personal costs associated with a fall, which can include bone fractures, chronic pain, loss of independence and a decreased quality of life.

Lovell also spoke of the fears related to falling and how a “Cycle of Fear” can increase the potential for a fall. She ended her presentation on a positive note, stressing that most falls are preventable and can be avoided by making smart choices, remaining active, and planning ahead.

Community services officer with the Frontenac OPP, Roop Sandhu, made the final presentation on the topic of Scams and Frauds. He spoke of the myriad of cons that exist, including door-to-door scams involving water purification, driveway sealants, and energy and hot water tank services. He spoke at length about telephone frauds, where con artists pose as grandchildren in a fix, needing immediate cash; various prize and money scams, like free travel awards, fake charities, credit card fees; and online frauds, like fake letters from Nigeria and West Africa.

He spoke about fraudsters imitating officials from the Canada Revenue Agency and demanding payments. He also gave tips on how to avoid identity theft. In summary, Sandhu quoted the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”

The S.A.L.T. Committee will be holding future workshops and members are hoping to hear from seniors about the topics they would like to see covered at the sessions. Active seniors in the community who want to become involved with the committee are invited to commit to just one hour a month of meetings. For more information about how to get involved can contact Roop Sandhu at 613-372-1932 or David Townsend at the Southern Frontenac Community Services at 613-376-6376.

Auxiliary constables from the Frontenac OPP detachment were out in full force for their Stuff the Cruiser events in Verona and Sydenham on March 12. With their cruiser lights flashing, their hopes were to attract the goodwill of local shoppers. Their goal - to swell the coffers of the South Frontenac Food Bank. With Easter weekend fast approaching, OPP Constables Jennifer Robertson and Brendan Pilow filled their cruiser two times over and also received numerous cash donations as well. Harrowsmith resident Elizabeth Hilton was more than happy to purchase a pre-packaged food donation bag from Reid’s Foodland in Verona for her donation. “Everybody hits the food bank at some point and it’s important to make sure that the food bank has everything they need because they need it badly,” she said.