South Frontenac Council expects to have a bylaw concerning outdoor furnaces coming before it at a September meeting following a report from Manager of Development Services Forbes Symon and the testimony of two residents opposed to their neighbor’s furnace. Symon told the regular meeting of Council in Sydenham that the key elements of the bylaw governing Outdoor Solid Fuel Burning Appliances (OSFBA) included:

• Distinction between different types of OSFBA certification — those which are certified as being low particulate matter emitters and those which are certified based on conventional emissions

• Restrictions on where OSFBAs may be located on a lot — side and rear yard only, distances from neighbouring dwellings

• Prohibiting OSFBAs in settlement areas (hamlets, villages, registered plans of subdivision and condominiums)

• Prohibiting OSFBAs from being used for the incineration of waste

• Generally limiting operation of OSFBAs to Oct. 1 to May 1 • Grandfathering existing OSFBAs but requiring replacement units to comply with the bylaw

• Requiring building permits for new OSFBAs

• A statement which gives Council authority to take action against any OSFBA which is deemed by Council to be a public nuisance.

Resident Mary Royer said that she hadn’t been able to open her windows for six months before her neighbour’s furnace was shut down July 17. “It’s in the lawyer’s hands now,” she said. “I couldn’t use my backyard because of the fog,” said resident Jim Varrette. “We’re not going to put up with another winter of delays. “I can’t retire there so I might as well use my retirement money going to court.” Councilors were generally in favour of the bylaw but many felt there was still some tweaking needed. Mayor Ron Vandewal perhaps summed up Council’s concerns best. “I’m looking at condominiums now where we have seven-acre lots,” Vandewal said. “And Battersea to Sunbury is essentially a hamlet but most of it is rural. “I do have some concerns about language and measurement but generally I’m in favour of the bylaw.” Some battle lines may be being drawn. Manager of Development Services Forbes Symon presented two reports that could be opening salvos in a festering jurisdictional squabble between South Frontenac Township and Frontenac County when it comes to the approval of subdivisions and condominiums. The first report was on the subdivision and condominium approval process and the second on monitoring conditions during the approval process for plans of subdivisions and condominium approval. The discussion began as an examination of the flowcharts Symon presented for the process but it wasn’t long before several councilors reiterated dissatisfaction with the County having the final say instead of the Township. The term ‘delegated approval authority’ started to surface shortly after approval authority was transferred to the County from the Province last year. It was back at Tuesday night’s meeting. “We are the closest government level to the constituents and we should be responsible for the approval authority,” said Coun. Mark Schjerning. Coun. Ross Sutherland expressed similar thoughts. However, Mayor Ron Vandewal said he thought the County process has changed somewhat recently and urged a wait-andsee attitude.

Last Saturday, SLCC competitive paddlers, Sydney Hausen, Madelaine Wood, Grace Swinton, Clare Swinton(left to right), of the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, competed in the Annual Carleton Place Regatta to place fourth in their Girls U15 K4 event. Twins, Mathieu & Nicholas Symons came 1st in their K2 U15 Boys event.

Youthful, yet up and coming paddlers Kiera Wilson, Charlotte Wilson, Isaac Merchant, and Parker Friendship stayed afloat and proudly came 8th in their Mixed U11 K4 event. There was no bickering to be heard from any of these boats as they knew that they must work together to succeed. The ten young paddlers, who competed in the event, will have an opportunity to put their team spirit to the test in the final U15 competitive event of the season held on their own home turf.

Sydenham will be hosting the Eastern Ontario U15 Championship Regatta on Saturday, August 19th. The Regatta should prove to be an exciting event with over 100 paddlers and their families coming to Sydenham to compete in multiple canoe and kayaking events. Sydenham’s nationally sanctioned regatta course is highly regarded in the paddling community for its fine water quality and line of sight visibility. Since Sydenham didn’t host a regatta last summer, out of town paddlers will have their first opportunity to enjoy the newly restored Point facilities and accessible pathways. 

Now in its twentieth year, the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is an established part of the region’s sprint racing canoe kayak tradition producing a number of notable paddlers despite its small size. Sydenham kayaker and Team Ontario member, Genevieve L’Abbe recently qualified for the Canada Summer Games that take place in Winnipeg during the first week of August. She is following in the footsteps of canoeist Natasha Ostopovich who qualified for the Games as a part of Team Ontario in 2005.

Along with the competitive and lesson program, SLCC offers a Canoe Kids Day Camp. The camp follows the progression outlined by Canoe Kayak Canada’s Canoe Kids program. Paddlers earn bronze, silver and gold awards of achievement on completion. Any U15 paddler who has registered for a week of the Canoe Kids Camp or Lessons over the 2017 summer season is eligible to compete in the Sydenham EOD Regatta.

Program registration is ongoing throughout the summer, so it is never too late to sign your children up. For more information, please go to www.sydenhamlakecanoeclub.com .

MPP Randy Hillier was on hand, along with Mayor Vandewal and Mike Howe, Chair of the SF Recreation Committee, for the celebration of the revitalization of The Point in Sydenham. Hillier represented the Provincial Government’s role in providing a $77,000 Canada 150 grant, which the Township matched.

Howe praised Tim LaPrade, the Township’s Recreation Director for his quick action in applying for the grant.

Vandewal also recognized the Lions’ gift of money for benches, KFL&A Health Unit’s new water bottle filling station and the attractive new bike stands designed and welded by SHS students. 

Neil Allen, chair of the township’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, confirmed that all the improved facilities at the park are fully accessible.

Several members of the Sydenham and District Women’s Institute sat in the seats of honour; without the foresight of this group there would be no public access to Sydenham Lake today.

In 1947, when the former Mace’s Point and traditional village swimming hole on McCallum’s farm came up for sale, members of the WI and the now long-defunct Sydenham Board of Trade put up money from their own pockets to place an option on the property. (It took until 1955 and an uncounted number of bake sales to finally pay off these personal loans.)

In 1971 the Township accepted ownership of the property from the WI which had named it Loughborough Memorial and Recreation Centre, as a living memorial in perpetuity to local men who died in the wars. The official name remains, although old habits die hard, and the area is still affectionately nick-named “The Point”.

Keeley road Break-in For the second time this year there has been a break-in and theft of Township property at the Keeley Road Public Works department, according to South Frontenac Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth. Until recently, there has been no need for a security system at the site, says Segsworth, “But unless someone comes forward with information, it may now be a necessity.”

No time wasted – fire hall ground breaking tomorrow Just a week after giving final approval to the project, South Frontenac Township will be holding an official ground breaking ceremony for thenew Station # 6, Perth Road Fire Hall on Friday July 28 at 10:00. The location of the New Hall (and Ground breaking) will be on the West Side of Perth Road north of Wilmer Road but South of Perth Road Crescent.

Those to be in attendance include Mayor Vandewal, Councillors, the Contractor Bill Anglin, the Architect Ron Awde, Fire fighters, and staff. On Tuesday July 18 Council approved the construction of a new fire hall. The contract is for $1,465,569 and construction is anticipated to be complete in spring 2018.

Like all event organizers, the committee for the Sydenham Lakes and Trails Festival were hoping for a nice day and a good turnout.

Well, as it turned out, they got a beautiful day and a turnout that exceeded their expectation, so much so they ran out of ice cream, hot dogs and burgers and had to send out for more. They even ran out of registration forms.

“We had 150 people registered by 11 a.m.,” said Ross Sutherland. “It’s been steady ever since.

“We had to get 150 more forms printed up and we registered some people on slips of paper.”

It was a busy day down at The Point on Saturday.

The idea was to show off the lakes and trails in the area along with a guided tour of historic Sydenham.

The day featured a “Paddle” around the lake with the Kingston Dragon Boat Club, the Cataraqui Canoe Club or just paddling around on your own. Kayaks and/or canoes were provided by the Sydenham Canoe Clubbut a lot of people brought their own.

Then there was a cycling event around the lake (a 21k loop) or for the more adventurous, 32k and 44k guided loops.

Organizers estimated there were at least 50 cyclists involved and the Think First Foundation put on a bicycle safety, skills course, bike repair and helmet fitting clinic.

As well, the library had a number of oversized games and there were several booths and displays.

“I hope this will become an annual event,” said Sutherland. “The weather cooperated — which this year is a ‘miracle.’

“But it showed that people in South Frontenac like to get outdoors when they can.”

An historical walking tour of Sydenham Village was part of the program at Saturday’s Lakes and Trails Festival. It offered a quiet but fascinating change of pace from the variety of paddling and cycling-related events, which drew the majority of the day’s participants.

Like several of its neighbours, Sydenham village had been an important and busy centre from the mid-1800’s all the way into the 1930s and ’40s. But over the years, many of the one-time landmark buildings have burned, been torn down, or, like the high school, lost the features that once distinguished them. The stories, however, remain; passed down, retold, some in danger of being forgotten, others still just whispers, too fresh to be told yet.

The tour was based on an illustrated booklet published several years ago by Ginny Trousdale and Wilma Kenny, written by Kenny.

Participants were provided with a map outlining a walk through the village with storytelling stations where four local storytellers, Peter Hamilton, Joanne Ankers, Christine Kennedy and Ginny Trousdale, entertained the walkers with stories and pictures about the village’s past.

Joanne and Ginny both wore dresses made by Lorraine Lobb of Sydenham in the style of 150 years ago. Christine was in period costume of her own creation, including her grandmother’s apron and a splendidly decorated hat. All four have real theatrical talent and distinctive personalities: their performances were funny, individual and polished. Approximately 40 people of all ages took the tour, and from their comments, had fun and felt they had learned a lot, too.

South Frontenac Rides is a two year old initiative dedicated to promoting cycling in South Frontenac. Without a lot of fan fair or funding it has been promoting safe cycling, the trails system as a cycling venue. Although cars and trucks and ATV’s are the common vehicles of rural life in Ontario, South Frontenac Cycles has been able to make cycling to work a viable option for a segment of the population. And thanks to promotional efforts and the bike stand project recently completed by Sydeham High School students, the face of the township as a cycle friendly place will dovetail nicely with efforts to promote the trails system now that there are three trails (Cataraqui, Rideau, and K&P) running through the township.

In each of the last two summers South Frontenac Rides held Tour du South Frontenac events in July. This year, in the early spring volunteers began meeting with a group that has been promoting sports on the Sydenham Lake for decades, the Sydenham Canoe Club.

Since then other groups and individuals have come on board and as a result the first edition of the Sydenham Lakes and Trails is upon us.

The Point Park is the ideal location for the event, which takes place shis Saturday (July 15 )  from 10am-2pm. The Park is conveniently located in downtown Sydenham on the lake, within metres of the Cat Trail. It has been the home to large regatta’s in the past (and again this ugust) and hosts the Sydenham Triathlon each summer.

Lakes and Trails is a great opportunity for experienced and inexperienced canoeists and kayakers to get out on the lake. A 5km guided canoe trip sets out at 11:00 am, but the route is open at other times as well, the Kingston Dragon Boat Club is hosting instruction and paddling at 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30.

Thanks to the efforts of the Sydenham Canoe Club and Frontenac Outfitters, boats and instruction will be available at the Point for those who can’t bring their own.

Members of the Cataraqui Canoe Club will be leaving the boat launch at Wilmer and paddling to the Point for a paddle by late in the morning.

For cyclists, there are 3 routes set out for a morning cycle, starting at 10:30am. They are 21, 32, and 44km rides and will be guided as well. Also there is a cycle skills course being set up, and bike repair and helmet fitting clinics throughout the 4 hour event.

For those who prefer to stroll through history to more athletic, cardio raising events, a historic tour of Sydenham is also on the agenda. 4 local historians (Ginny Trousdale, Peer Hamilton, Christine Kennedy and Joanne Ankers will be located at strategic points in the village to talk about crucial events and industries from Sydenham’s past. Maps will be available at the registration table in the Park.

The Kingston Frontenac Public Library is also contributing oversized jenga, chess, checkers, snakes and ladders, dominoes and tic tac toe for kids to play with on the lawn between the ball diamond and The Point.

From 11:30 to 1:45 a free BBQ will be available, capping this entirely cost free event for local residents and visitors alike.

For further information, go to lakesandtrailsfestival.org

Bob and Sue Clinton are well known in Sydenham for Bob’s biological dentistry practice and Sue’s efforts with the Loughborough Christmas Committee and other community efforts they both have taken on over the years.

While all of this has been going on, they have also been working on developing their small acreage near the village as an eco-friendly garden/orchard/permaculture space. They grow garlic in “beds” that are made of piles of bark and scrap fire wood, have altered the landscape to keep water on the property for their trees, grow different varieties of grapes, and are always reading up on new ways of growing organically. All of this searching has brought them to the Haskap berry, which has now has a prominent place on their property.

Haskap berries have gained popularity slowly across Canada. They are a blue, oblong berry. They are the colour of blueberries but larger, and their taste is unique, it is vaguely like a cross between a blueberry, a black currant and a raspberry. When they are ripe, they are soft and plump and not quite as sweet as a blueberry or a raspberry, but still full of flavour.

Blueberries are considered a super-food because they are rich in anti-oxidants, and Haskaps are even higher in ant-oxidants as well as being a good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre. They can be made into syrup, flavoured vinegars, jam, wine, liqueur, ice cream and any other use that spring and summer berries are used for. They freeze well, and can be tossed into smoothies just like frozen blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.

Over the last few years, the Clinton’s have taken to growing different varietals that come from the University of Saskatchewan, where work is being done to develop Haskap as a commercial berry in Canada.

It is the ease of growing Haskap’s, their flavour, and health benefits that originally attracted the Clinton’s. As became very clear when visiting in mid-June, they have become taken with everything about the berry.

They have several rows of plants, which bush out about three feet and grow about as tall as that as well.

“We have been at this for a few years and you can see by the plants that some are earlier than others, and the fruit varies as well,” said Bob

He pointed to a healthy row of smaller plants, new varieties developed in Saskatchewan. The plants take five years to mature, but even at a year or two old, they begin a limited yield of berries. These ones were bushing out well, had tons of new growth, and a pretty good haul of ripening berries.

“They are very easy to grow. We have had no winter kill with them, they seem to resist most insects. The only thing they really need is to be kept weed free. That’s why we use a lot of mulch with them,” he said.

Haskaps are like pear and plum trees in that there needs to be more than one variety planted in order for them to produce fruit, but they are essentially a very easy plant to grow in virtually all conditions in Southern Canada.

For home gardeners, like the Clinton’s, they are an ideal fruit.

“One of the other things I like about them is how early the fruit is,” said Sue. “They are earlier than strawberries, and it is easy to tell when they are ready because they literally fall off the stem.”

Commercial harvesters use equipment to shake the bushy plants, and the Clinton’s were planning to experiment with placing some form of tarp under the plants and then hand shaking them, to save on picking time.

In any case, when compared to hand picking other berries or currents, the uniformity of harvest and lack of barbs on the plants make Haskap a superior picking berry than just about all others that grow in this region, at least in the experience of this reporter.

The Clinton’s eat fresh Haskaps when they are fully ripe, and they freeze them as well. They haven’t made wine out of them, but they have purchased the liqueur, which is reminiscent of creme de cassis.

As a culinary berry, Haskap has an advantage over blueberries because it has the slight bitterness and depth of black currants, making the jams, wine, and liqueur superior.

“We find that it is a crop that is easy to grow, lasts a long time, does not spread, and produces a delicious berry that is very, very healthy. They would be a great addition to any garden, and hopefully a commercial industry will spring up in Ontario as well, maybe even in Frontenac County,” said Sue Clinton.

And for those interested in ordering and planting, it is not too late to start in 2017. Fall is the best time to transplant Haskaps.

The Clinton’s have been doing their own field testing, but they refer to information from Haskap.ca, the website of the Not-for-Profit Haskap Canada Association.

On behalf of the Hartington Community Association (HCA), Michelle Foxton came before Council asking them to consider making a contribution to the costs incurred by Hartington residents in preparation for their recent participation in an OMB hearing.

In August 2015, developer Terry Grant had proposed a 40-unit subdivision which would run from Boyce Road in Hartington south to Petworth Road. In the face of local opposition, he shrank his proposal to13 lots, all within the hamlet. When, after much deliberation and continued opposition by residents, South Frontenac Council had still not come to a decision on the zone change necessary for the reduced-size subdivision to proceed, developer Grant appealed to the OMB in February 2016 on the grounds that the County had not given him a decision on his proposal within the allotted six months from the time of application. (For the subdivision to proceed, the Township had to approve a zoning change although the final subdivision approval is done by the County.)

Shuffle forward to August 2016, when South Frontenac turned down the proposed zoning change, and the following day County Council approved Grant’s application. By then, the Township had a report saying that in spite of their having spent over $100,000 on clean-up, there was still contaminated soil on the former gas station lot located across Road 38 from the subdivision area. The HCA, which had based their opposition to the development on the grounds that it was a potential threat to the quality and quantity of their well-water, asked for third-party status at the OMB hearing. This hearing took place over two weeks recently; a decision is not expected before fall.

In preparation, the HCA had independently hired peer reviewers to respond to the hydrogeological reports carried out on behalf of the Township and the County (which had already been peer reviewed on behalf of both municipal governments.). Foxton said that the total costs incurred by her group amounted to more than $70,000. Saying that the Township had gained valuable hydrogeological information about the area as a result of the reports obtained by the HCA, Foxton asked Council to consider covering the hydrogeologist’s last two invoices and one from expert witness Ruland, for a total of $28,792.

Mayor Vandewal responded that the matter would be referred to the Development Services Committee for review and recommendation.

Three Requests for Road Closures
Applications to purchase unopened Township road allowances frequently come before Council. All three were forwarded to Council for approval, although two were leading to water, and there is a general policy not to close off public access to water. One is a 40-metre long, 20-foot wide strip crossing a small island in Opinicon Lake, and marks the boundary between South Frontenac and Rideau Lakes. As Schjerning said, “Unless we decide to build a third crossing…” Because of its access to water, cost will be $9,857.

An unopened extension of Larry York Road, terminating at a cliff on Cedar Lake near Battersea, generated some discussion, but ended in general agreement. Sutherland objected, on the grounds that if it became a lot addition, it would create a (very narrow) waterfront lot with development within the 30-meter setback.

The third, a 15-foot wide strip of township property in Harrowsmith running parallel to Church Street behind the former St Paul’s church and rectory, is a query, as the proposal is to use the land for a multi-unit residential property (two units in the former church, and one in the house.) It is hoped the bit of extra land would make a “well-engineered” septic system possible for the small parcel. There was overall agreement-in-principle, on the grounds that it could improve the property.

Skateboarding on Township Property
CAO Orr brought a report recommending against a by-law forbidding skateboarding on the Sydenham Township Hall property. Corporate Services had recommended the by-law, for at times skateboarders have become a nuisance on the property, causing noise, risking injury, and possibly damaging cars in the parking lot. Orr, while acknowledging the issue existed, contended that a by-law would require enforcement, which could lead to fines. He suggested this seemed unnecessary use of bylaw enforcement services. Although a Township skateboard park has been proposed, it was not one of the priorities of Council at budget time. The estimated cost of skateboard park was $5,000 for a design, and $100,000 for installation.

Councillor Summerville favoured a by-law; “this is not a skateboard park, and (the boarders) are a danger to users of the property,” adding that he was, however, in favour of a skateboard park.

“At least they’re out there exercising,” said Vandewal, who later said that one of the problems was choosing a location for a skateboard park: “In many ways, Harrowsmith Park’s an ideal place, but the high school’s in Sydenham.”

“Today’s question is, ‘where will we put the fax machine?’ says Dr Jeanette Dietrich with a smile, “ and this afternoon I have to measure all our current furniture so we can decide what we’re taking with us, and how it will fit into our new space.”

Moving’s never easy, and Sydenham Medical Clinic’s move is particularly challenging for it’s essential to keep down-time to a minimum throughout the whole exercise.

Sydenham’s clinic is a part of the Rural Kingston Family Health Organization (FHO); an administrative body made up of the physician-led clinics in Sydenham, Verona, Sharbot Lake, Newburgh, Tamworth and Northbrook. Dr Dietrich is the lead physician for the FHO.

For many years the medical clinic has operated from a rented building on Campbell Road, south of Sydenham. Over the years as services have expanded, space has become increasingly tight, and staff is looking forward to moving into their new, much more spacious location on Rutledge Road, just past Silverbrook Garden Centre. (Darryl Silver, who purpose-built the new structure to accommodate the clinic, will be their new landlord.)

Family practitioners Jeanette Dietrich, Steve Ingo and Jack Raleigh, nurses Meredith Prikker and Blaine Montroy and nurse practitioner Trisha Warren make up the core staff. As well, a counsellor comes weekly from the Kingston Community Counselling Centre to help women dealing with violence and domestic abuse, a nutritionist comes for a day every other week, and once a month an asthma nurse is in attendance. Two full-time receptionists, Tracy Semeniuk and Lorie Webb answer phones, coordinate appointments and help keep records organized; no small task in such a busy centre. They are assisted by Mary Day and Emma Stott who work part-time on reception, and Ms Stott also scans documents.

Each physician has their own roster of patients, and they share weekend and holiday ‘on call’ duty, and they rotate doing Monday evening clinics.  

Nurse Meredith Prikker’s position was created in 2010 and is contract funded by a Ministry of Health (MOH) program called ‘500 Nurses’. Prikker works closely with the Rural Kingston Health Link, established to provide better coordination of care for people with complex medical/social needs. She often makes house calls, providing care for frail seniors and connecting them with resources and other agencies within the community. Prikker also teams with the nurse in Verona to provide courses to help people who are dealing with chronic pain or disease.

The new larger building will be more comfortable and efficient with separate storage space for paper records*, more examination rooms, full accessibility (entries, halls, washrooms) and a large paved parking area on the same level as the main door. A separate exit door will provide easy access for ambulance pick-ups, but not  ambulance drop-offs (as was stated in a previous article).

Moving day’s this week: the office will be closed Thursday and Friday June 22, 23, and the morning of Monday June 26.

* “Aren’t all records electronic these days?” The law requires that medical records must be kept for ten years after last contact, and Dietrich explained that in most cases, it’s inefficient to put hours into scanning piles of historical paper into an electronic system, if there’s minimal likelihood of their being needed again.

Craig Beattie, of Edgewater Stonemasons in Kingston, loves working on restoration projects involving heritage buildings. He took the Heritage Masonry course, along with his colleagues at Edgewater, at Algonquin College and has worked on projects on government and other heritage buildings over the years.

These days, Beattie and his crew are at the Grace Centre in Sydenham, restoring the Grace Centre to the condition it was in when it was first constructed in 1861.  He said he is pleased with the condition of the building.

“You can see that the stone work is intact, nothing is really coming apart,” he said, pointing to the building. All we have to do is take out what is there and replace it with something that is as close to the original mortar as we can use nowadays.

He explained that the idea behind the original limestone based mortar was that the mortar would absorb moisture in the wet and cold seasons, and would dry out in the hot summer weather, maintaining the stone cladding in good condition. Later on, the thinking was that the buildings would be better off if they were sealed against moisture completely, so a layer of Portland cement was applied over the original mortar.

“The problem that resulted for these heritage building is that any moisture that got in, even through cracks in the rock, was trapped inside and can do damage over time,” he said.

So in recent times many buildings, including the Parliament buildings in Ottawa and Queen’s Park, are having the Portland cement removed and replaced so the buildings can function the way they were first intended to, and can live on for another 150 or more years in good condition.

The Grace Centre re-pointing project is being supported to the tune of $38,000 from the Ontario150 Community Capital grants program, with the funds being administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Last Wednesday, (June 7), at the Grace Centre, scaffolding was already covering the south wall of the building and a three member crew was hard at work when they took a break to allow for MPP Randy Hillier, Ontario Trillium Foundation Rep John Blake, and Southern Frontenac Community Services Executive Director David Townsend to conduct a ceremony announcing the grant.

Hillier took the opportunity to don a hard hat and chip off the old mortar from the front of the building, under strict supervision from Craig Beattie.

“These kinds of non-partisan projects, and the work of the Trillium Foundation, are what government is really about, beyond all the politics at Queen’s Park,” said Hillier.

“The Centre is delighted to receive the funding to ensure it will continue to be a place where seniors and others in the community can gather to benefit from programs and events that reduce social isolation and contribute to their quality of life,” said David Townsend.

The politicians, officials, SFCS Board members and the public then went into the building for coffee and treats at the Grace cafe. Soon after, all the officials drove off, the SFCS staff returned to work, and the masons climbed back up the scaffolding to continue working.

The project is expected to be completed by the fall.