On Saturday June 4, the people on the land -- those who know it well – are invited to share their knowledge at a special community day in Plevna with groups who have formal and technical information about that land. The event will take place from 9:30am to 3:30pm in the Clar-Mill Hall on Buckshot Lake Road.

The objective of the day is to combine the knowledge of the people on the land with that of stewardship agencies to begin an inventory of i) specially valued places, and ii) places that need special care, focusing on the northeastern section of Frontenac County and its watersheds; to make a record of these places.

There are many official lists of the riches of our region but the people who have lived on the land and used it, and still do, hold the best knowledge of those riches. Community Day 509 will be an opportunity for folks who have shaped the landscapes North of 7 to see what riches the agencies have listed, to which they can add their own special places—those places they learned about by being on the land and on the waters.

Our environment includes special places that are both natural and historical. Together with ongoing events these form an ever-changing community. We should place high values on all places that are, or have been, important in shaping and holding together our community.

Everyone is welcome to attend and contribute and the Clarendon-Miller Volunteer Firefighters will have lunch for sale at the hall.

Contact Gray Merriam, 613-335-3589, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Richard Emery 613-479-8057, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

$25,000 doesn't cover a 4-wheel drive truck

Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson reported that a tender for a new truck for the building department has yielded only two responses, both from Bence Motors, and both were well above the maximum amount listed in the tender, which was $25,000.

Public Works Manager Jim Phillips reported that the class of truck that is being replaced, a small 4-wheel drive truck, is no longer available. The truck being replaced is a Ford Ranger.

“Most of the dealers told us they could not touch $25,000 and they did not even submit a bid. The bids from Bence were for well over $30,000, even with the 15% municipal discount.”

In her report, Robson proposed that a new tender be issued, with an upper limit of $40,000.

“Do we really need a 4-wheel drive pickup? Why not an all-wheel drive SUV?” asked Deputy Mayor Fred Perry.

“There are times when only a 4-wheel drive will do, particularly in the spring. An SUV just doesn't give us enough clearance” said Phillips.

The last time the township purchased pickup trucks, Phillips and Recreation Co-ordinator Cory Klatt went to the dealers and negotiated a price.

“When there is a tender, you don't get to negotiate a deal,” said Klatt.

Since a tender was already issued for the purchase, it was decided that it was best to continue tendering, and the upper limit was raised to $40,000.

The township will look at changing its procedural bylaw to allow more flexibility for purchases of vehicles that weigh less than 4,500 kilogram to try and get better pricing in the future.

Re-use day set 

Sunday Lake Drive resident, Mavis Wade, has been encouraging North Frontenac to consider setting up a re-use centre on the model of the successful site in McDonald Corners, which is run by a crew of volunteers and is subsidised by the local township (Lanark Highlands) to the tune of $1,000 per year.

Public Works Manager Jim Phillips visited the McDonalds Corners site and reported back on its operation. While the township is not planning to set a re-use centre up at this time, they are following through on Wade's fall back proposal, and are setting up re-use or swap days at community halls twice during the summer to gauge community interest.

Two dates have been established this year, the first being Saturday, June 11 at Clar-Mill Hall in Plevna between 8am and 3pm. (North Frontenac residents, please check the flyer in this edition).

20-year recognition

Firefighter Randy Schonauer has been recognised by the Province of Ontario for 20 years of service as a volunteer firefighter with the awarding of an exemplary service medal. A ceremony and presentation will be set for the next council meeting.

Social media coming to North Frontenac

In approving a new communications plan, which was drafted by Mayor Ron Higgins, the township also cleared the way for the establishment of an official NF facebook page and Twitter feed.

Higgins said that Twitter, in particular, provides not only an opportunity for promotion but also can be very helpful in emergency situations.

CAO Robson said that staff will undergo some training before setting up NF facebook and Twitter feeds later this year.

People on the land to share knowledge of special places

Coming soon is a chance for the people on the land north of Highway 7 to share their knowledge of their lands and waters and community. Join them on Saturday June 4, 9:30 to 3:30, in the Clar-Mill Hall on Buckshot Lake Road in Plevna

The land north of 7 is blessed with unbelievable natural riches, and on that land, many generations of people have added other riches that we recognize in our historical archives. Our artists and artisans are adding their creations. All of these riches should be considered as we choose among the options for the future of the lands and the community north of 7.

Community Day 509 will build on the Community Day held in Cloyne in 2014 and will provide an opportunity for the people on the land to discuss knowledge gained from many generations of experience on the land. Adding knowledge from the land to information gained from satellites looking down on the land from above and from other technical and analytical approaches will give a fuller appreciation of the richness of our lands. We need to bring all these ways of knowing together as we decide the futures for the riches North of 7.

On June 4 nobody will give speeches. It will be a chance for questions and answers, for conversation and for you folks who live in the region North of 7 to exchange ideas about how you want our region to be in the future. Come out and discuss how you value that wealth of living conditions and want it cared for as your community changes.

As human populations both here and in neighbouring cities change and lifestyles change we will need to choose among the possible futures for the lands North of 7. Before choosing a particular future to aim for, we need to safeguard the rich range of Special Places that we have. Our lakes, our forests, our visible landscapes, the ecosystem processes that maintain those natural features clearly make this land rich. So do the special features that humans have created and that are important in our history. All these riches have Special Places that should be identified before they are changed. Community Day 509 will take a step toward that end.

You will be able to exchange knowledge with: planners, conservation managers, land trust volunteers, naturalists, stewardship volunteers, artists and crafts people, historians, municipal politicians, and others.

If discussing your information gives you an appetite, the Clarendon-Miller Volunteer Firefighters Association will have lunch for sale at the hall.

For information contact Gray Merriam, 613-335-3589, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Richard Emery 613-479-8057, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bethany Armstrong founded the Clar-Mill Community Archives soon after she published a reprint of her father's book, “Away Back in Clarendon and Millar”.

“As I was working on the book, I went to the township office and asked if I could look through the archives for some material. They said there were no archives, and that's how we got started” she said.

The archives that she started, with help from Heather White of the Plevna Library and the support of Ian Brummel, Marg Axford and the crew at the Cloyne and District Historical Society and Pioneer Museum, celebrated their 10th anniversary on Saturday, May 14 at the Clar-Mill Hall.

The celebration was organized by Brenda Martin, who has taken over much of the administration of the archives, freeing up Bethany Armstrong to focus on research, and it took the research into the area's general stores to another level. Not only were there displays of material about 10 or so stores, there was also a recreated general store at one end of the hall.

As part of the program there was a panel discussion with former store owners and workers from Fenleigh, Plevna and Ardoch. Well-known author and story-teller Mary Cook also gave a talk about the general store she grew up with in Renfrew County.

Mary Cook also came to the fifth anniversary celebrations of the archives in 2011 and talked about Pioneer Women.

On Saturday, she talked about the general store in her own community in the 1930s, painting a picture of poverty and resiliency in her own well-known homespun way, underlining how the local store was the glue that kept small farming communities from descending into starvation in those lean years.

Her family was too poor to purchase oranges when they came in at Christmas time, but they did get the purple paper that the oranges were wrapped in from the storekeeper.

“We would iron the paper and set it aside, and when the minister or some other important person came to visit, one of us was dispatched to the outhouse to replace the old catalogues with the purple paper for the important guests,” she said.

The stores were also communications hubs, affording the men with a place to congregate in the evenings (women seem to have met in houses over tea), and housing the phone switches and post offices. Store owners were also bankers in effect, offering credit to their customers, even if reluctantly on some occasions.

During the panel discussions, the former store owners were asked about extending credit, and while they all did it, some said they were often worried about people who never seemed to be able to pay. But eventually, the vast majority of customers cleared their bills.

The community archives are housed at the Plevna branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, where a new sign has just been erected. Senior staff were on hand to mark the 10th anniversary. While the library is open for limited hours each week, the archives are involved in a major digitizing effort, building materials and features into www.clarmillarchives.ca. Under the photos tab of the website there is a directory of communities, with loads of information and pictures from the archives. The archives are always on the look out for materials. They can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-479-2542

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

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

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

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

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

The Grass is greener for businesses

At Friday’s council meeting, David Bergstrome, from Rocky Shore Cannabis, presented his proposal for a 6,000 square foot marijuana growing facility he wants to build in North Frontenac. He was hoping to get support, in principle, for his idea.

Bergstrome, whose family has been cottaging on Kashawakamak Lake for over 50 years, explained there is a growing need for marijuana in Ontario because of its use medicinally, and because the general public, as well as the medical industry, are becoming more educated about the drug. He said that the proposed 2017 legalization of marijuana for recreational use would stress an already under-supplied market. With the demand continuing to increase, Bergstrome said that the gaps in supply would be “met by illicit producers.”

Bergstrome's proposal for Rocky Shores Cannabis included details regarding the regulations put in place by Health Canada. He explained that plants have to be tracked from the moment they are sown in the ground right up to the shipping process. He also went into detail regarding the security precautions that would need to be in place in order to pass certification. Bergstrome said that all the work would be done within the windowless facility and that the regulations call for perimeter fencing, 24-hour video monitoring, and a reinforced concrete vault in which to store the dried product.

He is currently looking at North Road as a proposed location for the project based on its accessibility and low traffic and, if the project gets the green light, he hopes to use local labour and materials when possible during the construction process. He also said that he would expect one Canada Post truck per day and that it wouldn't negatively impact the traffic in the area.

When asked about potential employment opportunities for locals, Bergstrome said that initially he thinks they would be hiring about three people to trim and tend to the plants, as well as for security.

Bergstrome's long-term vision includes plans to eventually expand to a 60,000 square foot building on the same property.

The power consumption on a growing operation like the one Bergstrome has proposed is big. He said that with a proposed layout of one 1000-watt lamp every six feet, and the current price of electricity, he has estimated his hydro bill at over $100,000 a year.

“Any business that can benefit the township is good for us,” Councilor Wayne Good said.

Council voted in favour of endorsing the proposal in principle.

Disaster Recovery
Petr Sizow, a representative from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), made a presentation to Council on Friday regarding two new programs they launched in March of this year.

The Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) and Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance (MDRA) programs are in place to help municipalities and their residents deal with rebuilding and operations in the aftermath of a disaster. Under the MDRA program, the municipality can request funding from the province to cover incremental costs not originally budgeted for if the area is hit by a disaster. Eligible expenses, under the MDRA, can be: repairing essential infrastructure; engineering assessments; rental vehicles; safety equipment; and repairing supply roads to get goods into the area.

The program only kicks in when the costs incurred are equal to or more than 3% of the municipality's tax levy. Once the eligible expenses hit that 3% threshold then the province covers 95% of the costs related to the disaster.

Some councilors wondered if the program could potentially be helpful in the case of an ice storm, like the one in 1998, or wildfires in the area. Sizow agreed to report back to council with more details.

Potential tax increase for homeowners on dammed lakes

A portion of the costs of maintaining and repairing dams owned by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) could be put on ratepayers that have houses or cottages on the lakes.

The MVCA owns and maintains 11 dams as part of a control system for the Mississippi River water system. In a staff report, Paul Lehman, the general manager of the MVCA, explained that when the dams were constructed, or assumed, by the MVCA, there were provincial grants available to cover 50% of the costs, as well as an additional 35% as a supplemental grant to cover construction, operation, and maintenance costs. Now only the 50% grant is available for operation and construction. This leaves a question mark about who should cover the balance of the money.

“Ottawa is refusing to pay their share of maintaining these dams,” Councilor Gerry Martin said, “...which is flood control for the City of Ottawa. In the Conservation Act, there is a clause that says benefitting municipalities will pay a share of the rehab of the dam in their own municipality.”

One of the dams in need of attention, which was built in 1910, is on Kashawakmak Lake.

“Kashawakamak Lake is a large dam and it needs to be totally replaced,” Martin said, “It's one of the few structures in Ontario built with no steel. It's totally concrete....They're proposing to put a levy on our residents that live, for example, on Kashawakamak Lake, and expect us to cherry-pick all those properties and apply that tax to those properties on Kashawakamak. If this goes through for the Kashawakamak dam, the precedent will be set for other lakes”

“I think we'd better get mentally ready for that,” Councilor John Inglis said.

“I'm totally disgusted,” Mayor Ron Higgins said.

Councilor Martin speculated that the costs could be as high as a $1 million per dam. These costs, if put to North Frontenac ratepayers, would result in outrageous tax hikes. Martin points the finger towards Ottawa and their refusal to contribute to dam rehabilitation upstream but also at the MVCA for not having an asset management plan in place to properly budget for these large infrastructure renewal projects.

“This isn't over by a long shot,” Martin said.

Buckshot Creek culvert replacement on 509

In February of 2015, the township received a grant of up to $288,000 toward replacing the Buckshot Creek culvert on Road 509 through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund. The original estimated cost for the project, when they submitted their application, was $320,000, which included the project management costs, permits, and engineering design.

The township only received two bids on the project, although there was significant interest in the tender when it went out, and both bids were well over budget. The lowest bidder was Crains’ Construction Ltd., in the amount of $473,401.07 including HST. The second quote they received was over $1.6 million.

“A lot of that is our lack of services,” CAO Cheryl Robson said in explaining to Council why the quotes they received were so high. “We don't have accommodations for larger construction firms for their staff to stay here, or even to feed their staff. It makes it really hard. Their costs are going to go up because they have to pay their guys to drive to hotels.”

The replacement of the Buckshot Creek culvert was considered a high priority when a bridge study was done two years ago.

“I'm concerned if you don't move forward with it then the (grant) money might not be available to us,” Robson said.

Council voted in favour of giving the contract to Crains’ Construction.

Council votes in favour of new township building

Norh Frontenac Council chose to move forward with adding a 2265 square foot addition to the existing township building as well as renovating the existing structure in a three-phase construction project.

Jeremy Neven, the Chief Building Official, and Larry Gaines, the architect who designed the new building and addition, were at the meeting on Friday to discuss any questions and concerns that Council had about the designs.

Neven explained that the construction project would be rolled out in three phases. The first stage is building the new addition on the current township building. The second phase is renovating the exterior of the existing building including windows, doors, and insulation. The final phase is renovating the interior of the existing building, which includes mechanical upgrades, electrical work, and finishing.

Gaines spoke about how he attempted to incorporate some of North Frontenac's character into his design with a proposed timber frame structure over the entrance-way and stonework on the exterior.

“The project costs have certainly accelerated,” Councilor Dennis Bedard said.

One of the proposals that Bedard brought to Council back in August of last year was to add an additional 1,500 square feet to the existing building at a cost of $900,000.

“My gut feeling, in terms of doing renovations, is it's never under. It's always over,” said Bedard.

“You're absolutely right but I think we've accounted for that,” Gaines told Bedard.

“I want to know how we're going to pay for this,” Bedard said. “$1.3 million. I'm really uncomfortable with that dollar figure.”

“Reserves and loans,” Mayor Ron Higgins said.

North Frontenac Treasurer Kelly Watkins said that a loan would cost $59,000 a year for 25 years on a 3.24%, guaranteed, interest rate.

“If we don't do something this year then it gets more expensive next year,” Mayor Higgins said.

“Would it be worth waiting to see if we can lessen the burden on these taxpayers to see if we can get federal and provincial grants?” Councilor Bedard asked. “I don't know about you folks but constituent-wise I think a lot of people are not in favour of that kind of money being spent on a building.”

“I've had more positive comments on a new building than renovating this old building,” Councilor Gerry Martin said.

Currently there is no funding available to help subsidize the construction project.

“I don't think we're going to get a better deal than this and I'm going to support this,” Councilor John Inglis said.

“No decision like this is going to please everybody but we need to do something,” Mayor Higgins said.

Councilor Vernon Hermer expressed his worries about financing the project as well because of increased policing costs and because “the economic conditions in this municipality are bleak.”

“We still have to remember we're looking at the working conditions of the staff in this existing building,” Councilor Wayne Good said. “Going through another winter or two is unacceptable.”

“I think we all agreed that we had to do something when we started on this journey,” Mayor Higgins said.

“That 'something' has gotten very highly priced,” Bedard said.

In a recorded vote, requested by Bedard, the motion was carried 5-2, with councilors Bedard and Hermer voting against the proposal.

Mayor Higgins hopes that they will break ground on the project this year.

Fire department operational review gets heated

Eric Korhonen, North Frontenac's Fire Chief, presented his operational review of the fire department at Friday's meeting.

Terry Gervais, a former Napanee fire chief, who acted as a consultant on the report, and praised Korhonen's work on it, was in attendance as well to answer any questions that Council had. Gervais told Council that the report Korhonen prepared would have cost the township about $30,000 had they outsourced it.

Korhonen outlined in his review that a decline in the number of residents, and an aging population, as well as a diminishing number of recruits and increased training expectations have increased the stress on the department.

Korhonen made some suggestions aimed at improving the current operations of the department and these included being more flexible in hiring and possibly attracting seasonal residents during the department’s peak busy months. The area has an increase in 7000 people during the peak season, Korhonen said, between April and October, which also coincides with a decrease in volunteers.

Korhonen also proposed that the department switch from their current point system to paying volunteers an hourly rate, which would vary from $16/hour for a junior volunteer up to $22/hour for an officer.

The fire chief also recommended replacing three volunteer deputy chiefs with a paid, part-time assistant fire chief, which ruffled some feathers.

“Will that not have an effect on the morale of the fire department?” Councilor Hermer asked.

Councilor Bedard was quick to go on the attack about Korhonen's report, suggesting that the survey of other fire departments that was used as the basis for a lot of Korhonen's study was incomplete and should not have been used.

“A question that should have been asked [in the survey] is 'Do you have a full-time fire chief?',” Bedard said. “How many similar sized townships have a full-time chief, let alone a part-time chief? This report, has it been reviewed? Have you asked for input from the deputy fire chiefs? Did they provide input on this?”

“Yes,” Korhonen responded.

The report showed that the department, made up of 42 volunteer firefighters, is currently meeting emergency response standards. He said that the department is well-equipped and well-maintained.

Councilor Inglis made a motion to defer the decision until the next meeting.

“What is the big panic on this?” Bedard asked.

The motion to defer was carried.

George W. Dawson, who was originally from Sligo, Ireland, arrived in Plevna in 1877 and took over a store on the south side of Frontenac Street (now Hwy. 509), west of the bridge (likely the first in Buckshot/Plevna) from George and Abigail Caprin.

By 1882 Dawson had built and opened the store on the north-west corner of Frontenac and Church Streets (now 506/509/Buckshot Lake Rd), which became the largest in the area. He gave up running the store when he was elected MP in 1891 and moved to Ottawa.

Gilbert Ostler, originally from Yorkshire, England, started clerking for Dawson in 1888. He took over the running of the store in 1891, purchased it from Dawson in 1897 and operated it until his death in 1944. Both the Dawson and Ostler families lived in the attached residence and Gilbert Ostler was known for his beautiful gardens.

The families were related through several links, including Gilbert’s nephew Harry’s marriage to G.W.’s daughter Grace.

The Ostler family, Gilbert’s wife Claribel and daughter Ione, continued to run the store until it closed in 1956 or ‘57.

The McInnes family in the late 50s/60s lived in the store, took in boarders and operated a garage there. The property was owned at one point by Clarence Tooley. Bev Whan later had an ice cream parlour in the building and in the early 2000s Janet Kellar ran a pizza take-out from the store and a craft/gift shop within.

The Dawson/Ostler store was spacious, with room for all kinds of groceries, dry goods and hardware. Shipping invoices from 1881 showed fabrics and other sewing supplies, including 6 doz spools of thread ($2.13) and 2 doz. thimbles $.22); dry goods such as tea (52lb./$15.60), rice (25lb./$.98) and nutmeg (1lb/$.98), as well as medicines, and lead pencils and copy books (each $.20 a dozen). Ostler had space for clothing and cloth, though many families ordered from the Eaton’s catalogue.

The store did not sell fresh goods, fruit veggies or meat as these were produced locally. Dawson and Ostler also provided a market for customers’ goods including butter, eggs and fur. Muskrat pelts earned $1.00 in the 1920s; mink $15. At Ostler's you could buy licences - hunting for $1 and trapping for $5. Ostler’s later sold gas across the street, initially in gallon bottles then in tanks with glass tops.

The store was designed with ample room for customers to sit around. In effect it was a community centre where people could gather on Saturday nights to discuss current news and exchange gossip, or even to doze. The store would also have been popular as it housed the Post Office and the Post Office Savings Bank. G.W. Dawson had been Postmaster as of 1877 til 1891 and Gilbert Ostler served from 1896 til 1944. Gilbert also served as church warden at Holy Trinity Anglican, which was established and built through the efforts of G.W. Dawson, for some 50 years.

The Ostler store had an early “generator”, a Delco that was gas powered and powered lights in the store. It was kept in the drive shed across the road.

Thomas Armstrong clerked for George Dawson in 1880/81 as did members of his family (Laura and Martha) for Gilbert Ostler in later years. Other clerks included A.W. Wood and Ross Thompson.  

Mr. Pender goes to Plevna

County Wardeb Frances Smith, and Frontenac County CAO Kelly Pender, made a presentation to North Frontenac Council on Friday.

Pender said that natural gas and hydro delivery issues, policing costs, economic development, and closing the cell service gap are priorities for the County in 2016.

“Part of our new budget regime is to pass the budget earlier,” Pender said. “It gives us the opportunity to get bids out on projects earlier and gives the municipalities a better chance to figure out how the County works into your budget as well.”

Pender told Council that they've set aside $500,000 for economic development and that he hopes to double that by applying for grants. They hope to hire a community development officer who would be able to work full-time with businesses and residents of the township in growing their businesses or starting new ones.

He also said that part of that money is being spent on re-branding and money is also being invested in developing accommodations in both North and Central Frontenac.

Pender said work is being done close the cell phone service gap and that the two main obstacles are coverage and capacity. The County is working towards 98% coverage in the township and is looking for capacity, the uploading and downloading, to reach a minimum of 5 megabytes per second throughout the area.

Pender also spoke about the County owned Fairmount Home and its challenges. The home is dealing with shorter lengths of stay. He explained that the length of stay used to be 5-10 years but that the length of stay is now about 2 years.

“People are coming to us sicker,” Pender told council. “We're moving towards providing less bingo and more feeding tubes, more wound care, more dementia cases.”

Pender explained that the County's Official Plan was approved by the province in February and that it “should reduce turnaround times for approvals, taking the province out of the official plan changes for North Frontenac.”

Denbigh ambulance base a concern to council

Councilor Wayne Good asked Pender about the County's stance on the Denbigh ambulance base, which is located in neighbouring Lennox and Addington County (L&A)

“The Denbigh ambulance station is a very difficult situation for L&A as well as Frontenac, Renfrew, and Hastings,” Pender explained. “Our stance at this point is that we're willing to work with them. Part of the motion was that we want to sit down and talk about how to make this work.”

The costs per call at the Denbigh station, based on a recent study, are high compared to the other stations in the surrounding areas because they receive fewer calls per year yet still have to pay to staff the station. Also, the station in Denbigh is leased and is in need of repair. The station responds to 133 calls per year, on average, and about 25% of them are in Frontenac County. One of the options being considered by the County of Lennox and Addington is closing the Denbigh station and moving that ambulance down to the Loyalist station in the very southern part of the County.

Councilor Good is concerned that if the Denbigh station is closed then the ambulance serving that surrounding area has to come all the way from Northbrook.

“If that Northbrook ambulance has to go to Renfrew or Bancroft [for a call] it could be 4-6 hours before there'd be an ambulance available, depending on the part of the township,” Good said.

Lennox and Addington have reached out to the surrounding counties, Renfrew, Hastings, and Frontenac, for supplemental funding but so far the proposal has been rejected.

Isaacs shines a little light on solar

Paul Isaacs, a representative from the so-called Democratic Municipality of Denbigh, presented a paper to Council on the repercussions and issues of continuing to use oil and spoke on the benefits of using solar in North Frontenac.

“A strong, resilient rural community is one that doesn't depend on the grid,” Isaacs told Council. “It's one that has its own infrastructure locally for generating it's own energy. That's your future. It's right in line with your plan.

“I think you can have a big impact with your cottagers,” Isaacs explained. “They are paying delivery charges all winter long even though they aren't here. They can use the solar in the summer time and get off the hydro and stop paying those costs all winter long.”

“You could invest in some solar products and sell them back into the municipality at cost and that would give people here a local place where they wouldn't have to worry about where to source these things from. You could designate someone on staff to become more knowledgeable about it so when you get someone with a question, as a municipality, you could answer it.”

“I don't think that the municipality necessarily has a place in providing people with what's available commercially,” Councilor John Inglis said. “If you're interested in solar just Google it.”

Councillor Hermer was concerned about the maintenance and upkeep of the expensive batteries that are needed for the backup system and that cottagers would have a difficult time keeping the system functioning.

“The idea with solar is it won't maintain a twentieth-century lifestyle,” Isaacs responded. “Solar will not provide you with the ability to turn on your hair dryer at 3am. It comes and it goes. You have to flow with that. That's another reason why the cottagers are important. The cottagers are willing to have a beer on the weekend and not worry if the laundry gets done or not.”

“If you adapt your lifestyle to what solar can give you it will give you quite a lot,” Isaacs said.

Mississagagon Lake considered “at capacity”

Victor Castro, a senior aquatic scientist from the Ministry of Environment, did lakeshore capacity studies on Mississagagon Lake and Blue Lake to determine phosphorous levels. Based on the completed study, Castro says that Mississagagon Lake cannot take any additional phosphorous loading and that any decisions about increasing infrastructure around the lake should not increase the existing phosphorous levels.

The report found that Blue Lake has higher than ideal phosphorous levels and that “careful consideration should be given to further development.”

Phosphorous is a limiting nutrient that controls the growth of aquatic plants and algae. When phosphorous is high it may promote excess algae and aquatic plant growth. A main source of phosphorous in inland lakes comes from septic systems. Other additional sources are storm water runoff, shoreline clearing, agricultural runoff, and fertilizers.

“Memories of General Stores” presented by the Clarendon Miller Community Archives.

Clarendon Miller Community Archives will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on May 14 at the Clar-Mill Hall from noon to 4 pm by bringing back memories of local general stores. Guest speaker, Mary Cook, will provide a historical perspective; a panel of local store owners/operators/employees will describe their experiences; and displays will bring back memories of the local stores in North Frontenac Township. As an introduction for that event, the story of James General Store in Plevna, when Don and Jesse Lavery were owners, was published in the March 31 Frontenac News. The next store to be highlighted is:

Ardoch General Store

Ernest R. Jacobi opened the first store in Ardoch around 1865. He also took over as the postmaster. Up until this time there were Ardoch postmasters but not in the store setting. The store was a social setting, especially on Saturdays, when the men would gather and find their favourite spot on the bench to hear the gossip. Women would often go to the store and get their supplies at this time or visit nearby. In later years, the most popular time was when the mail was due in from Clarendon Station. Many hunting and fishing stories were yarned as they waited. Jacobi operated the store until 1879 when he sold it to Alex Munro.

Some items that were available at the country store in the 1880s were: 6 pair cotton towels ($.50); 27 yards of print ($2.57); 3 dozen soap ($.75); 25 pounds of rice ($.98); 50 pounds yellow sugar ($4.99); 6 shirts and 6 drawers ($2.13).

In 1903 Munro added a franchise to sell farm machinery through his business. Robert Munro took over after his father died in 1911 but sold out to Wallace Clement in 1914. Jim Derue bought the store as well as other businesses in 1918 and had a long ownership. Derue was noted as a strong community supporter, providing work for many, accepting items for barter, and donating to numerous causes. With the use of automobiles there came a need to sell gas as well, so pumps were added.

In 1945 Don R. York purchased the store. He was actively involved in the community and assisted with many activities, such as skating and hockey. It was noted that he purchased a pump for flooding the ice in the bay so children could skate for hours after school and weekends. His daughter, Audrey York, has provided CMCA with photos showing her Dad inside of the store. Such photos are very helpful to CMCA as we attempt to reconstruct the setting in our displays.

On the death of Don York, his widow Margaret carried on alone until 1957. At that time, she remarried, to John McDonald. The store continued for many years with items such as fishing and hunting gear. People travelled many miles to buy footwear from the upstairs department.

In 1977 the store was passed to Margaret's son-in-law Robert Orchard. His brother, Douglas joined him in the business and it operated as a Lucky Dollar Store only for a few years before it closed.