North Frontenac Council Oct 13/15

Jonas Bonnetta | Oct 14, 2015

Accessibility in North Frontenac

Jannette Amini, the Manager of Legislative Services for the County of Frontenac, made a presentation to Council on Tuesday morning regarding the accomplishments of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee (FAAC) and suggested keeping accessibility in mind while working out their 2016 budget.

The FAAC was set up to promote accessibility and awareness of accessibility issues throughout the townships in the County. They have helped guide projects in Frontenac County like the redevelopment of the Sydenham Library, the new school in Sharbot Lake, and the accessibility upgrades to Centennial Park. They are also in talks with Elections Canada regarding the accessibility of polling stations.

Amini suggested that North Frontenac could start by having a page on their website showing all accessible locations in the municipality and hoped that moving forward Council would make sure that all new public spaces consider accessibility issues during the design phase.

The FAAC is still looking for a community representative from North Frontenac to fill a vacant seat on the committee. It's the only township in Frontenac County not currently represented. Anyone interested in this position can seek more information from Jannette Amini at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Summit of rural mayors

Mayor Ron Higgins took part in a meeting recently with 14 mayors and reeves from five local counties to discuss issues they have in their own rural townships in hopes that, collectively, they could operate more efficiently. The meeting was initiated by Higgins and Greater Madawaska mayor, Glenda McKay.

It's “focused on rural and how we can work together to help each other,” Higgins said.

Mayors and reeves from Hastings, Renfrew, Frontenac, Lennox-Addington, and Lanark Counties gathered in Madawaska Highlands on October 6 and shared the experiences they've had. Each mayor submitted their five most important issues and those were then whittled down to two priorities that the collective could focus on. Higgins explained to Council on Tuesday that they aren't alone with the issues they are facing in North Frontenac, such as economic development, cash flow, and amalgamation. It was decided that joint tendering for purchases of items such as sand and gravel was one of the most important issues they could work together on.

The second priority was policing and Mayor McKay proposed a new approach to breaking out the cost of reporting to their residents so the actual cost per resident, as opposed to the levy cost, is shown. She hopes this could alleviate some of the confusion around the new increased policing costs.

Their next meeting is November 6 in North Frontenac.

Out fer a rip

Council agreed at Tuesday's meeting that a discussion is overdue regarding the role of ATVs in the future of North Frontenac tourism, and the need to define ownership and responsibilities for different sections of trails in the township. There is concern regarding the destruction ATVs can cause on local trails and council agreed there is a need to create rules to govern usage in the township.

An in-depth discussion was postponed until Councilor Denis Bedard could be present as he helps organize an annual ATV trail run in the township and could offer some insight.