Frontenac County representatives and farmers came together Thursday February 15 at the Verona Lions' Hall for a potluck and brainstorming session.

The brainstorm centred around developing the local food economy with the perennial questions coming to the fore: How do we address the lack of connectedness between producers and consumers? How can we develop better road signage and online directories to get the message out? How do the idea of buying local food and an awareness of opportunities to do so become ingrained in consumers' minds so that local food can grow?

Fifteen years ago, egg signs at the ends of laneways were virtually the only evidence that farm goods were available direct to consumers.

Around this time, a campaign was created under the logo, “Eat from Kingston's Countryside.” “Feast of Fields,” a series of events where guests were treated to fine dining with food from local farms, prepared by local chefs, were organized and well received; people were meeting farmers and having experiences on farms. They began signing up for beef and chicken orders, and visiting farm gates as a means of connecting further with these newly discovered farms and their quality goods.

Among the vanguards of this push for local food awareness and increased economic viability were Andrea Cumpson of Sonset Farms, Kim Perry of Perry Farm and Food Less Traveled, and Sharon Freeman of Freeman Farms, who attended Thursday's meeting. Thanks to their efforts, local food made great leaps in the last decade. The downside has been that such initiatives take time and energy, and risk wearing out already-overworked farmers.

The county is looking at ways to bolster the work of the farming community so that the local food economy can gain momentum and farmers can focus more on production. As Richard Allen, Manager of Economic Development, explained, a committee is set to be struck, that would see people involved in the local food economy first identify what the main issues are around supply, ease of access and branding. The next step would be to decide how the committee's findings could fit into the county's workplan.

From there it is a question of how much the producer does to further its market access and how much a larger body such as a county government is needed to ensure businesses can thrive.

The meeting, with an attendance nearing 20, came on the heels of Smith's Falls' Three Rivers' Food Hub announcing that it is discontinuing the distribution component of its operations. This had been a much-celebrated step forward in local food infrastructure in the region, and its loss is a reminder that local food distribution is still in its infancy.

A few possibilities for the coming year were floated late in the meeting: a re-emergence of Feast of Fields and Open Farm Days (a series of organized farm visits) which the County could help promote.

Attendees also pondered looking into web-based programs along the lines of Good Eggs, a San Francisco-based site that acts as a grocery service for local producers and eaters.

It was likely a coincidence that the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) chose to hold an event about the future of local food production on Groundhog Day. But with Maple Syrup producers laying low, farmers sorting their seeds, and restaurants in winter survival mode, it was a good time to get everyone together.

Katherine Howes is doing her thesis on Frontenac County as part of her work towards a post-graduate degree in Rural planning and development at Guelph University. She also has a farming background in Parham, and set the stage for the event with a short power point on her findings thus far.

One of the aspects of the local food industry that Howes has looked at is access to production facilities for small scale and startup food producers. She did so on the basis of the results of Business Retention and Expansion study that was conducted by the Frontenac County Economic Development department in 2012. The study identified commercial kitchens as a “key piece of infrastructure that was needed to grow local food processing in Frontenac County” she said in her presentation.

She contacted all the church and community halls in the county that have kitchens that are, or could be, used for commercial production.

“It was determined that a large number of community kitchens in the county are underutilised and that they have the potential to be upgraded to commercial kitchen facilities, given enough financial support”.

While her research found the owners of the halls are receptive to making more use of their kitchens, the demand among producers is mixed.

For her research, Howes has also interviewed producers.

Of the eighteen producers she has conducted extensive interviews with, seven use commercial kitchen space, but of those producers who are thinking of getting into a new, value added product, only 22% are considering looking for commercial kitchen space.

There was little or no interest in taking advantage of either of the two regional food hubs which offer kitchen and storage space, at least partly because they are located too far away, in Smiths Falls and Hastings County. While there is a need for more commercial kitchen capacity, producers in Frontenac are more inclined to look either at some local rental spaces that are available or can be developed, or at renovating existing kitchens or building new ones to commercial standards so they can work at home.

After the presentation, the main business of Friday’s event centred around conversations at three tables on specific topics: creating consumer awareness, coordination for growth, and infrastructure. Among the diverse participants at the event were farmers, farm group representatives, value added food producers, and representatives from local municipalities and provincial ministries. Participants found their own tables based on their interests and the conversations were broad, but the intention of the event was to focus on finding a way to move forward on the issues that were brought up at the tables.

At the Infrastructure table, issues were raised both about dealing with municipal regulations around zoning and building permits, and about provincial regulations as they apply to food businesses.

“It would be ideal if there were a simple list of requirements, so I know what I have to do to get up and running as a legal producer, no matter how long the list was. But I can’t get that, I don’t know where I would go to get that, and it makes it hard for my timelines and my finances” said Alan Zahara, who is developing a new food business in the Hartington area.

South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal participated in the infrastructure table. He acknowledged that the township has not been able to streamline its own processes and provide all commercial developers, not just those in the food industry, with the kind of list Zahara was referring to, but said it goes both ways.

“We sometimes have people coming to us who think they can go ahead and construct new buildings or do renovations without engineer’s drawings, without professional support for their applications,” he said.

At the table that was looking at consumer awareness, Alison Shannon from Sun Harvest Greenhouses of Glenburnie (just outside Frontenac County) said that the Infrontenac branding initiative has “has led to a lot of awareness and cooperation among producers. Maybe the consumers, the eaters, are the next focus,” she said.

Others mentioned that creating awareness about the availability of local food is an issue that producers face everywhere, and in a county where people are scattered throughout and travel to other centres on a regular basis for food, it can be hard to build a local presence.

The two farmers markets (in Sharbot Lake and Verona) and some of the food stores, such as Local Family Farms in Verona and Lavallee’s Inverary Store are options for consumers to access local products, but there was a feeling that more can be done in the future as far as marketing ‘local’ is concerned.

The networking event was part of an initiative that the FCFDC has taken on for the township of South Frontenac, which has funded a study to identify the gaps in infrastructure and services for food producers and processors.

A final report will be coming to South Frontenac Council later this year.

As the day was wrapping up, Anne Prichard of the FCFDC wanted to let any of the participating producers know that, in response to one of the infrastructure needs that has been identified, there is a developer in South Frontenac who is looking at building fridge and freezer storage space, and she wants to hear from anyone who might need some. That invitation is open to all producers as well who might have a need. She can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the square footage and type of product that needs storage.

In addition to a chilli lunch prepared by Local Family Farms, samples of a new Frontenac County product that will soon be available, goat yogurt from a Harrowmsith area farm, was available for sampling. The thick, Greek version, and lighter Balkan version were popular among the crowd. Samples of the tasty, still warm, fresh goat milk was a little less popular, with some participants saying they preferred their milk cold.

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), at its annual inaugural meeting held last week in Kingston, elected Warden Robin Jones as the 2018 Chair and Warden Jennifer Murphy as the 2018 Vice-Chair.

Robin Jones is the Warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, and the Mayor of the Village of Westport. Jennifer Murphy is the Warden of the County of Renfrew, and Mayor of the Township of Bonnechere Valley.

The role of the Chair and Vice-Chair, elected on an annual basis, is to provide the main point of focus and contact for the Caucus and ensure that the established key priorities move forward.

“I am honoured to chair the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus in 2018, alongside my colleagues, and to advocate for this year’s priorities in support of the 750,000 property taxpayers across rural Eastern Ontario,” stated Chair Jones, elected as the EOWC’s first female chair since its incorporation in 2008.

“As we are aware, 2018 is a critical year for both the Province of Ontario and the municipal sector, with elections scheduled for both levels of government. That being said, the EOWC has restructured its focus and made its priorities very clear, and intends to send a loud and clear message to its partners at Queen’s Park.”

Two priorities were established for the Caucus in the coming year:

Building the EORN Cellular and Public Safety Broadband Network: The EOWC will continue to support the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) on its $299-million business case to the Provincial and Federal governments, which would close the many cellular network gaps, boost mobile broadband service across Eastern Ontario, and increase public safety for residents and first responders during emergencies.

Implementing the Eastern Ontario Economic Development Strategy: The EOWC will continue to support the Eastern Ontario Leadership Council (EOLC) in its ongoing implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Regional Economic Development Strategy – the first regional plan of its kind across Ontario. By helping securing financial support from the Province, the strategy’s implementation would address Eastern Ontario’s future economic development needs, being a) workforce development and deployment, b) technology integration and innovation, and c) integrated, intelligent transportation systems.

The Frontenac County Economic Development wants to know how residents feel about allowing motorized off-road vehicles to access the K & P Trail at the planned Bellrock Road Trailhead among other things and as such held an Open House information gathering session Monday night at the Lions Hall in Verona.

“We’re here to listen,” said Richard Allen, the County’s manager of economic development. “Not to create a debate ground.

“There is a proposal for allowing (off-road vehicle) user access (but) we don’t have a proposal design.

“We’re getting people’s ideas.”

To that end, the County provided aerial maps where community members were invited to draw on their ideas, and a display where people were invited to write their thoughts about the potential off-road vehicle use.

Currently, off-road vehicles are not allowed on the trail south of Craig Road. However, there is precious little parking there and while off-roaders could access the businesses in Verona by taking to Road 38, there is little incentive for them to do so. Also, there has been damage to gates and the surrounding forest as some motorized users circumvent the measures used to prevent their access south of Craig Road. Thus the idea of extending the off-road permission to the larger Bellrock Road area at the south end of Verona was proposed.

For the record (and granted the comments hadn’t all been read) the tally of sticky notes at the end of the evening was 36 agreeing with the proposal to extend off-road use to Bellrock Road, 3 neutral and 13 disagreeing with the idea.

“Again, we’re not making any decisions tonight, this is a workshop,” Allen said.

Although ATVs seemed to be the dominating discussion topic for the evening amongst the sizable crowd, it wasn’t the only thing the organizers wanted to hear about.

There were also discussions about parking, benches, garbage receptacles, washrooms, signage and fencing.

For those who were unable to attend Monday’s Open House, there is an online survey at the www.infrontenac.ca website where residents can voice their opinions on all the above topics.

The survey is open until Dec. 1 and Allen said they’ve received 100 responses so far.

“I think it’s great that the community has been given this opportunity to voice their opinions,” said Warden and South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal.

If 2018 Frontenac County budget were a head of hair, and county council a barber, no one would notice the haircut that was administered last week.

The draft budget set the requisition to the Frontenac Townships at $9.775 million and after a snip of $12,400 dollars the final budget trims that figure to $9.763 million.

Either way the number rounds off to $9.8 million. In percentage terms the requisition increase now sits at 4.4%, down from 4.5%.

Each of the four townships will combine their share of county costs with the amount that they are charged by the Ministry of Education. The County levy in 2017 was $9.35 million.

When they met last week, (November 5) some members of Council had greater ambitions for cuts, but only two cuts were made. The first was the elimination of a $6,000 commitment to an education bursary for foster kids to Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac Lennox and Addington (FACSFLA). The second was to curtail a planned parking lot restoration project at the county office/Fairmount Home by $20,000. Of that $20,000 in savings, only $6,400 came from Frontenac County ratepayers, the rest was to come from the City of Kingston.

The gallery at the meeting was crowded, and the observers were on hand for one reason, to see if the proposed $55,106 annual commitment to the University Hospital Foundation of Kingston would remain in the budget.

In a previous meeting, the proposed commitment, which is set to run for ten years, was supported by 6 of the 8 council members, but the Frontenac News took an editorial position opposing it, and North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins used social media to solidify opposition in North Frontenac.

When the matter was raised again at the meeting last week, council members who had expressed lukewarm support or did not speak at all the first time around came out strongly in favour. Councillor Nossal from Frontenac Islands said that for her constituents the hospitals are an essential service and a cause they support.

“This might seem like comparing apples and oranges,” she said, “but on Howe Island we get no benefit from the K&P Trail but our money went towards its construction. Now we are looking for the other townships to come through for the hospital foundation.”

Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle and Central Frontenac Mayor Francis Smith both said they thought the commitment was important. Even South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, who opposed the payment in the first instance, had a change of heart.

“I am not going to support the increase in this budget, let me make that clear,” he said, “but in canvassing my council last night and the community as well, not many people in South Frontenac seem to have a problem giving this money to the hospital foundation, so I will not vote against this item. We need to find savings elsewhere.”

With that, when Ron Higgins moved an amendment to cut the $55,064 from the budget, there was no one to second his motion.

After the hospital foundation supporters left, Ron Vandewal proposed the bursary cut, saying “is anyone here from Children’s Aid as he did so.”

Other cuts that Vandewal floated included trimming a $35,000 expenditure on Economic Development, which did not proceed anywhere.

Vandewal also want council to consider not following through with a 24 hour ambulance to Wolfe Island, which was a decision made two years ago but is still causing a budget increase in 2018 because it has been phased in.

Chief of Paramedic Services Paul Charbonneau was asked if an alternate service model, the use of an Emergency First Response vehicle, staffed by one paramedic, could provide the same level of service on Wolfe Islands a full 24 hour ambulance. Charbonneau said that with contemporary knowledge about emergency calls and medical technology, the First Response Vehicle could provide a high level of service even if it meant transport would have to wait until an ambulance arrived from Kingston via ferry.

Dennis Doyle argued that to shift away from the 24 hour ambulance just as it was about to come about would have negative impact on Wolfe Islanders.

“I am asking Council to provide this service to Wolfe Islanders,” he said. “It is important and if it is abandoned it will bring down property values and that won’t help anyone in Frontenac County.

That was the end of the debate.

The motion to approve the budget and prepare an enacting bylaw for approval on December 20 passed without further changes.

(Note – The final budget estimates for overall expenditures in 2018 are set at $41.3 million, which is unchanged from the draft version. The budget cuts approved last week fall within the rounding error)

Budget article update - Wednesday 6:00 pm

(At their meeting today, Frontenac County Council considered proposals which would have brought their 2018 budget levy down by up to $150,000, but in the end only managed to make the most superficial of cuts to the document.

But pity the poor foster kids!

A 6,000 expenditure to support a scholarship program for foster children in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, was cut from the budget. The impact of the cut was to lower the budget levy by 0.06%. The only other change to the budget that was made by council was to remove another $6,400 from taxation by cutting almost half of the budget for a parking lot restoration project at the county offiuce/Fairmount Home complex.

All in the levy to ratepayers has been reduced from $9.775 million to $9.763 million, a decrease of a little over a tenth of one per cent. The net increase in the levy to ratepayers has been set a 4.4%.

The other potential changes that would have had a greater impact did not have enough support from Council to come to fruition.

A motion to cut the $55,061 contribution to the University Hospital Foundation of Kingston, which was made by North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins, did not receive a seconder.

The only major dispute of the morning came when Warden Ron Vandewal proposed that the ambulance that is stationed on Wolfe Island could be replaced with a cheaper option using a single paramedic and a first response vehicle. The transport ambulance would come from Kingston off the soon to be upgraded ferry service. This would save about $100,000 per year, and a portion of those savings would go to Frontenac County ratepayers.

Chief of Paramedic Services Paiul Charbonneau said that the alternative service would be a good fit for Wolfe Islands and would serve the residents as well as the traditional ambulance that has been phased in.

That did not sit well with Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle however.

“Just like we voted to support the K&P Trail and Economic Development, I would ask that the county support the residents of Wolfe Island by completing the phase-in of ambulance service that this council started in 2015.”

Council stood with Doyle.

The draft 2018 budget thus remained intact, with the only losers from today’s process being part of a parking lot and a foster child who will not get a scholarship.

Overall spending for Frontenac County, which stood at $41.3 milliom in the draft budget, remains at $41.3 million. The $26,000 decrease in total expenditures (0.06%) falls within the rounding error.

The following was published before the meeting on Wednesday morning, and is based on the content of the draft budget, which as explained above, has remained fundamentally intact in its final incarnation

Perhaps Kelly Pender sky dives on the weekends, but in his working life the Frontenac County Chief Administrative Officer is averse to risk and drama. As far as the annual Frontenac County budget is concerned, he has been preaching from the gospel of predictable, controlled budget increases over time.

This has taken a lot of the drama out of the annual Frontenac County budget process, which was never a riveting spectacle to witness even before Pender took the helm.

This year Frontenac County Council has moved away from the very general; approving the parameters of the budget in conceptual terms in September, to the very specific; looking at individual projects as add-ons to the budget in late October.

This week they received, for the first and likely the last time, a draft budget document. It contains few surprises.

The number that matters in 2018 will be $9,775,000, that’s how much will be levied to the four Frontenac Townships if Council accepts the budget as presented Wednesday morning (This article will be updated on Frontenacnews.ca at that time) The townships will then collect that money from Frontenac County properties.

This projected levy is over $400,000 higher than it was in 2017, an increase of 4.5%.

Most of that increase came about as the result of previous decisions by this Council.

They indicated at their meeting in September that they would like to see an operating budget, including service enhancements, come in at under 1.5%, the figure for the increase in the consumer price index (CPI) for the year as calculated in late August.

Treasurer Susan Brandt, working her first budget as the lead official (she was the Deputy Treasurer until replacing the retired Marion Vanbruinessen earlier this year) followed last year’s practice and added 0.6% to that target, based on figures for the projected increase in property assessment that was provided by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

By keeping the operating budget increase to 1.1% ($104,117), adding 0.89% ($83,550) for new projects, and using $88,000 from reserve funds, the result was a 2% increase. This increase includes a new overnight Personal Support Worker shift at Fairmount Home and a new Human Resources position, as well as $35,000 for the Economic Development Department.

Added to the 2% increase from this year’s process are increases resulting from commitments made earlier in the mandate of this council. The largest of those is 1.78% ($166,7782) for two service enhancements of the Frontenac Paramedic Services, which are being phased in. One is on Wolfe Island, which is now fully funded, and the other is the second of three increases for a new overnight ambulance in Kingston. Another 0.65% ($60,787) is devoted to increase the reserve fund for capital projects, which has been in place for three years now and will continue to effect future budgets.

All together, the increase rounds off to just about 4.5%

Because of the incremental process and the weight of prior commitments, there is little to be decided when the entire package is presented this week. All of the spending increases have been approved in principle at previous meetings, but Council is not bound by those prior decisions.

Based on the discussions that took place earlier, the only item that is at all likely to re-surface is the commitment to provide $55,000 each year for ten year to the University Hospital Foundation of Kingston. That was approved in a vote of 6-3 and may come up for a final vote before the budget is signed, sealed and delivered.

Whether approved with or without amendments, the enacting bylaw for the budget will not be before Council until their meeting on December 20th.

(Frontenac County’s overall spending budget for 2018 will be $41.3 million, up 3% ($1.2 million) from 2017. Most of the money required to deliver Frontenac County Services is provided by the Province of Ontario and the City of Kingston, which provide the lion’s share of funding for the two largest County operations (Fairmount Home and Frontenac Paramedic Services)

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremonies for the K & P Trail. It was a great event, and one that was thoroughly enjoyed by all who were in attendance. It was also great to be back in Central Frontenac, and to more fully appreciate just how much this region has to offer.

I presently live in Toronto, but my wife and I have owned property in Central Frontenac for the past several years. Both of us will turn 60 this year, and our eventual goal is to spend our retirement years in this region. Having now had a chance to become somewhat familiar with the region, it’s clear that Central Frontenac could be a great place to make a living, and a great place to make a life. But it also seems equally clear that, if Central Frontenac is ever going to fulfill its true potential, going forward economic development will have to be treated as a top priority. And in this area, it would appear that we’ve got a lot of work to do.

Central Frontenac has much to offer to businesses of almost any kind. Compared to larger population centers, the costs of doing business are quite reasonable. The region offers modern physical and technological infrastructure, excellent access to major markets located throughout Central Canada and Eastern North America, and a stable and dedicated workforce. Perhaps most importantly, Central Frontenac is a place where you’ll find an affordable cost of living accompanied by an exceptional quality of life, both of which are invaluable in helping companies attract and retain top-notch employees.
But without a clear plan of action to promote what Central Frontenac has to offer, we have little hope of seeing any real progress.

There are many possible options for promoting economic development in Central Frontenac. The region could be a great location for certain types of light manufacturing, provided that appropriate infrastructure were put in place. There is obviously significant potential to foster growth in the tourism sector. And in my view, there would be great opportunities to attract more semi-retired professionals who plan to continue working, but want to do so in an environment that offers a much more relaxed lifestyle than that which can be found in a large urban centre.

This could offer tremendous benefits for Central Frontenac. Successful economic development would translate into more people buying goods and services from businesses already established here, more new jobs that will encourage our young people to stay in the community, and of course, greater tax revenues for the township. It would be a win-win scenario that would ultimately benefit all residents of the community.
But the bottom line is, we need a plan for economic development, and we need it now. What’s needed now – and in my view, the need is urgent - is a plan that reflects what the community wants, that lays out clear and realistic goals for promoting Central Frontenac, and that is supported by an appropriate level of resources. With such a plan, it would be possible to begin to take some concrete steps forward that would lead to real results, and real benefits, for the entire community.
The Corporate Strategic Plan adopted by Central Frontenac Council in February of this year does identify the formulation of an economic development plan by 2019 as being one of its goals, but no elaboration is provided as to what this plan should focus on, or who will be responsible for creating it. In the absence of any clear guidance on these important issues, nothing much is likely to get done.

In her remarks at the K & P Trail ceremonies, Mayor Frances Smith noted with pride that “this community runs on volunteerism”. It’s true that volunteerism can be a great thing, but it must be remembered that there are clear and significant limits to what volunteers can do entirely on their own. When it comes to something as important as economic development, what’s needed is proper plan that is professionally done, appropriately focused, and carefully implemented. A solid, well-thought-out plan could make a world of difference to Central Frontenac’s future. In the absence of such a plan, I fear the community may wind up going nowhere.

In the wake of the forthcoming provincial election next June, and the municipal elections that will follow in October, a great deal is going to change in Ontario in the next few years. I’m firmly convinced that the time has come for the Central Frontenac Council to demonstrate some leadership on the issue of economic development, and take action to develop and implement the kind of plan this community needs. If you feel the same way that I do, I would encourage you to contact Mayor Smith or your local council representative, and make your views known. Remember, it’s up to us to build a bright and prosperous future for the community that we love. Let’s work together to create kind of future that the people of Central Frontenac deserve.

An anticipated report by Paul Blais of MDG Insight and Libby Smith of Terra Consulting that reviewed the existing inventory of accommodations for visitors to Frontenac County and proposed a strategy for growth in the sector, is being presented to Frontenac County this week.

Members of Council have been appraised of the reports development throughout the last few months so they will not be surprised by the recommendations.

One of the key elements to the report is what it does not see in Frontenac Counties’ future, a large scale hotel, spa, or resort complex.

Instead, it focusses on maintaining and upgrading the existing mix of lodges and Inn’s, rental cottages, campgrounds, and Bed and Breakfast operations in the County.

One of the insights in the report is that North and Central Frontenac attract a somewhat different mix of travellers than South Frontenac attracts. While travelers categorized as “nature lovers” and “connected explorers” are attracted to all of mainland Frontenac, “outgoing mature couples” are also coming to North and Central Frontenac, while “up and coming explorers” and “sports lovers” are more likely to visit South Frontenac.

In terms of developing the kind of accommodation mix that will be well received by the Ontario tourism market and deliver a return on investment for entrepreneurs getting or hoping to stay in the accommodation industry, the report identifies 5 “best bet” opportunities. These include: redevelopment of existing cottage accommodations, bed and breakfast establishments, pod - based accommodations,  upscale camping and campground accommodations, and niche resort accommodations.

The report then goes on to discuss how some of these potential new and rejuvenated businesses can come about, and provides guidelines for what the county can do to attract investment in the sector.

For the county, this involves establishing relationships with people in the industry both within the county for existing businesses and outside of the county for potential new investors. As well, marketing and selling Frontenac as a place to invest is indicated, as is ensuring that land use policies and regulations within Frontenac are investor friendly.

Most of them are there somewhere, behind their new #INFRONTENAC sunglasses. The Councils of all four Townships attended at a special Committee of the Whole meeting at Verona Lions’ Hall last Wednesday night (May 31), to hear two presentations from the County of Frontenac.

Consultant Terry Gervais reported on behalf of the In-Field Communications Committee, established last November. Made up of the  township Fire Chiefs and Public Works Managers, the  group was tasked with first tracking and recording gaps in communications, incidents of equipment failure and dispatch problems, then developing a protocol to build a standard means of communication across all fire departments (e.g. radio use training, using consistent terminology). Secondly, they assessed the current radio system: both tower infrastructure and user gear, making recommendations re upgrading, replacement, and standardization and the associated costs and timelines.

The current estimated costs (new simulcast system with three additional towers, fencing, backup generators and (eventually) updating (all) user gear, would run between $2,075,000 and $2,575,000. Other options being considered are leasing the tower infrastructure and user gear, or exploring partnerships with neighbouring municipalities.

Gervais said that once final recommendations are made and approved, a new system could be implemented within a year, pending financing.

The second presentation, given by Richard Allen, Manager of Economic Development and Alison Vandervelde, Community Development Officer, focused creating the conditions for economic development that will be appropriate to the resources and local interests of Frontenac County.

The three main areas they are working in are: Trips and Trails, Local Food and Beverage, and Recreation Lifestyle. Some of the goals they are working toward are to provide local employment and better connections between communities, support food production, processing and sales, attract tourism and encourage the recreational lifestyle enjoyed by both local residents and visitors to the area.

Noting that Frontenac County is working with a very small budget compared to neighbouring Counties, Allen and Vandervelde expressed confidence that much could be accomplished through collaboration and creative use of resources. Currently, they are supervising an accommodation study, working with Tourism Kingston on a ‘Ferry by Foot’ tourism initiative, with the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation CFDC on improving local food awareness, with Eastern Ontario Trails Association for maintenance and marketing of the K&P Trail, and with planning, township staff and other agencies to promote the INFrontenac brand, making sure all related information is accurate and relevant. Other collaborating partners include: Land O’ Lakes, Great Waterway, Ontario Highlands, the provincial cycling network and Visit Kingston. Regional signage will soon appear along Highway 401, with other ‘gateway’ highways to follow. Their ‘Brand Ambassador’ program currently has a network of over 80 participating  businesses.

They made sure everyone went home with a pair of the INFrontenac sunglasses pictured above.

“We’re building a toolkit to increase overnight stays in Frontenac County,” Paul Blais of MDB Insight told a special meeting of North Frontenac Council last week in Clar-Mill Hall. “To do that, we need to establish supply and demand — how do they mesh and where are the gaps?”

Blais and fellow consultant Libby Smith of Terra Consulting are holding similar events in each Township.

On May 1 from 1-3 p.m., they’ll be at the community hall in Marysville on Wolfe Island and from 7-9 p.m. they’ll be at the Storrington Centre in Sunbury. On May 2, they’ll be at St. Lawrence College Employment Services in Sharbot Lake from 9-11 a.m.
Using Ministry of Tourism parameters, Smith gave an outline of “who are our tourists” which ranged from nature lovers, to explorers to outgoing mature couples. She said North and Central Frontenac are part of the RTO 10 tourist zone while South Frontenac and Frontenac Islands are part of the RTO 9 tourist zone.

“You’re employed by the County,” said Coun. John Inglis, who is also a County councillor. “The biggest entity in the County is South Frontenac and I’ve been a little concerned you’d be ignoring us.

“We have our own unique problems here.”

“We’re studying it township by township,” Smith said.

“This study is becoming as much about supporting the economy of tourism as it is about accommodations,” Blais study.

But the conversation quickly returned to North Frontenac’s ‘unique’ problems, with one of the biggest being electronic communications.

“If it rains, my Bell line doesn’t work and that means plastic money doesn’t work,” said one audience member.

“If internet/phone service doesn’t change, this is a waste of time,” said another.

There was a general consensus that when it comes to communications, the ‘Snow Road Abyss’ is a very real place.

“So, even when they’re exploring the wilderness, everybody still wants the comforts of home, you’re saying,” said Blais.

When it came to advertising and promoting the area, most seemed to agree with Coun. Gerry Martin when he said, “The Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance promotes our area more than any other group.”