Back to HomeOutdoors in the Land O'lakes - May 28, 2009 The Common Raven (Corvus Corax)by Lorraine Julien

The Raven (Corvus corax) is as much a symbol of wildness in our forest areas as the Common Loon is a wild symbol of our lakes. During this past winter I observed a large black bird that looked like a crow but appeared to be much larger and rode the air currents like a hawk. On closer scrutiny, I realized the bird must be a raven.

I still have trouble differentiating ravens from crows partly because our crows seem to be extra large….certainly much larger than the variety that cleans up roadkill along our highways. When seen flying at a distance, it’s difficult to determine size, but the much larger raven can be distinguished by its flying prowess and also by its paddle-shaped tail. Using the tail as a rudder, he can circle for hours in a flat eagle-like glide. From a height of some 500 feet ravens dive to earth like falcons or tumble in a series of somersaults. Crows could never match these aerial gymnastics nor do they like to fly at these heights for any distance.

Up close, there are other identifying factors – the “Roman nose” shape of the raven’s heavy black bill and shaggy throat feathers. His call is more like a hoarse “croak” or “kwawk” rather than the “caw” sound made by crows. The raven is longer, weighs at least a third more than a crow and has a wingspan of up to 4½ feet. Ravens are completely black with purplish reflections on the back, wings and tail. Male and female are indistinguishable but the female is a bit smaller.

Ravens are found throughout most of the Canadian Shield. They usually stay here for the winter whereas a lot of crows fly southward. From my few encounters we seem to have a fairly good raven population here in the Frontenacs.

In ancient times, ravens were considered omens of evil and were credited with supernatural powers. It’s interesting to note that ravens have been kept in the Tower of London for centuries. The story goes that Charles II predicted England would fall if the ravens ever left. In fact, they have thrived there to this day with some birds living as long as 40 years. Apparently they are now looked after by the government and their wings are clipped to ensure they do not stray! Ravens were also the subject of a somber poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Somehow, witches, hallowe’en and ravens seem to go together!

In other parts of the world, the raven is revered and has been the subject of folklore and mythology. This reverence is particularly noticeable on the northwest coast of North America where native peoples, including the Haida, have carved many raven images onto totem poles.

Once common on the western plains, ravens declined with the disappearance of the buffalo, on whose carcasses they fed. Many perished from eating poisoned bait put out for wolves and coyotes. Though ravens haven’t adapted to human intervention as well as crows, they still thrive in mountainous, desert and forest areas.

Like its cousin the crow, ravens are omnivorous and will eat practically anything. They prefer wide open spaces for foraging and woodlots for nesting – anywhere where food is plentiful – even the local garbage dump!

They usually mate for life and like to build nests on cliff ledges and in the cavities of trees. Peregrine falcons are sometimes neighbours, the two species tolerating each other. The bulky nest is made of sticks lined with mud, fur and any soft material to cradle the eggs which can number up to seven and hatch in three weeks. Ravens are even bold enough to attack golden eagles and gyrfalcons. In these encounters, Corvus corax usually wins.

Similar to the crow, many stories are told of the intelligence, craftiness and resourcefulness of ravens. Teams of ravens have been known to steal food from dogs. The story goes that one bird will distract a dog by grabbing its tail while the other birds grab the food.

This past winter we made the mistake of leaving meat scraps in a nearby open area. We thought the scraps might help a starving animal to survive the winter; however, after a snowfall one morning, it was easy to spot raven tracks. After that, they visited the area regularly hoping for more handouts. As much as I admire these interesting birds, I don’t want to encourage them as they are notorious for raiding nests of smaller birds.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Back to HomeFeature Article - May 28, 2009 Reprieve for abattoirby Julie Druker

The announcement not to close the Wallace Beef abattoir located at the Pittsburgh Institution near Kingston came at the third meeting held between representatives of various farm organizations and members of CORCAN and Correction Services Canada (CSC) staff on May 13 in Kingston. The announcement was made at the May 13 meeting by Ross Toller, the Deputy Commissioner of Corrections in Ontario.

Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan later confirmed in an interview in the Whig Standard a few days later that “We (Ottawa) shouldn’t do anything that would result in its closure.”

The announcement came as a relief and a victory to the many parties involved who opposed its closure.

For 14 years Bruce Wallace has owned and managed the abattoir, which operates as a co-venture between himself and CORCAN. He appeared relieved when I spoke to him on the phone last week. “I’m obviously very happy that it is being left the way that it has been… When I broke the news to the staff and the inmates, everyone was relieved.”

The abattoir serves many local farmers in the community, employs six full-time staff and trains 10 inmates from the Pittsburgh Institution.

Arguments against its closure included its benefit to 150 local farmers, 300 local businesses including the prisons, and the training skills it provides to the inmates there. Opposition to the closure was brought to light by various members of local farm groups and was supported by a National Day of Action on April 30 that included a trip to Parliament Hill.

Peter Dowling, a Howe Island farmer and an Ontario councillor with the National Farmer’s Union and director of the NFU’s local 316, has been instrumental in bringing to light the issue of the prison farm closures. He recently posted a news release on the NFU’s website citing the CSC’s decision not to close Wallace Beef as “very beneficial to the local food system and a positive step along the way.”

He explained in a phone interview on May 22, “The CSC staff we talked to at the meetings recognized the importance of the abattoir to the local community and the local food system and in terms of what they needed to satisfy public safety and inmate training. But it (the decision) is not the final answer.” He elaborated, “At that third meeting when the announcement was made not to close the abattoir, the decision to close the farms was still standing.”

The fight opposing the closure of six prison farms across the country, two of which are located in Kingston, does not appear to be over and Dowling explained that a local coalition group has recently formed made up of representatives from the Frontenac Cattleman’s Association, the NFU, Urban Agriculture and the Sisters of Providence Justice and Peace Office in Kingston.

According to Dowling, “We’re still working to build awareness and support in reorienting the drive toward local food with all of the other movements and associations concerned with local food and sustainability.”

Members of the coalition group will be meeting in early June in Ottawa with Minister Van Loan. Dowling hopes to “make the minister aware of the extent of support for the maintenance, enhancement and reorientation of the prison farm programs and to present strong arguments in support of them.”

He is hoping that the meeting will result in maintaining the prison farm programs across the country. “We’ve done as much as we can talking to the CSC staff and now it’s time to talk to the policy makers.“

In the meantime, he’s hoping to hear from individuals and local groups who support their aims to keep the prison farms running.

For further information, visit the NFU website at www.nfuontario.ca/316 or contact Peter Dowling at 613-546-0869.

Back to HomeMaster Gardeners - April 23, 2009 Problems with African Violets (Saintpaula)

by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County Master Gardeners

If leaves are small and very crowded, the plant needs repotting. Re-pot in the spring into the next size pot, but keep it pot-bound. If the leaves look limp, the plant is too cold. Move it to a warm place and do not allow temperature to drop below 13 degrees C. If the leaves curl or look dry, the plant may need watering and/or more humidity. If a healthy plant suddenly turns yellow, gas fumes or a cold draft is the cause and it needs to be moved to a protected fume-free room. If there are brown marks on the leaves, it has water damage, especially if it has been in a sunny location. Never spray with water. Keep humidity high by standing the pot in a saucer of damp pebbles. Water from below. If the leaves and the flowers rot, it has been watered too frequently and from the top. Water twice a week all year round by standing the pot in a saucer of water for half an hour and then discarding the rest of the water.

If the flowers have translucent marks, it is caused by water damage. Do not allow water to get on flowers.

Plants need a humid atmosphere but do not spray. If the leaves turn black, the cause is leaf shine damage. Never spray with leaf shine or water. If dusty, remove by carefully brushing the leaves with a camel-hair brush. If the leaves turn pale, then there is too much light or it needs feeding. If in the sun, move to a position of diffuse light. If new leaves are small, it needs feeding. Use liquid houseplant food at recommended strength every two weeks in the growing season and when in flower. If a healthy plant is not flowering the pot is too large. African violets flower better when slightly pot bound. Do not repot for two years. If there are no flowers but the plant is in the correct sized pot and correct conditions, add a pinch of Epsom salts once only to trigger the flowering season. When flowers are small and sparse, this usually occurs if a second flush of flowers appears in the same season. Remove faded flowers and feed every two weeks throughout summers with houseplant food at recommended strength.

For more gardening information call Margret Inwood at 613-259-3141.

Back to HomeOutdoors in the Land O'lakes - April 9, 2009 The Crafty Red Foxby Lorraine Julien

The Red Fox has the widest range of any terrestrial carnivore – native to most of North America, almost all of the U.S., Europe and North Africa and almost all of Asia and Japan. As most people know, the Red Fox is a small, slim mammal with a pointy nose and pointed ears. Its beautiful fur is reddish or sandy in colour and it has a white throat and underbody. The legs have black paws with white socks.

Unlike many other carnivores, it’s not unusual to see a fox during daylight hours. Marlene Leeson of Plevna emailed that she and some of her neighbours see foxes on a regular basis and some seem almost tame. It’s nice to see wild animals up close but you just never know what diseases they may carry or if they may suddenly turn on you.

Because the fox has been known to carry rabies and distemper, humans and their pets should really avoid any contact. Both of these diseases are viral – rabies is transmitted by a bite which can then infect humans and pets; distemper, however, can’t be transmitted to humans and immunized pets. Viral diseases tend to be more prevalent in areas where there is overcrowding.

Though less well known, the most common disease affecting foxes is mange. Mange causes significant fox mortality across North America. It is caused by a mite and can be transmitted to humans and pets. Symptoms are an itchy red rash and some hair loss. Females may look as though they have this disease in early spring but their scruffy looking fur could have resulted from the fur they pull out to line their nests.

Red foxes are mainly carnivorous but enjoy a varied diet that includes mice, voles, rabbits, birds, eggs, reptiles, fish, insects, earthworms and various fruits, nuts and grasses. It’s interesting to note that foxes have very small stomachs for their size and only eat half as much food in relation to their body weight as wolves and dogs. When food is abundant, a fox stores excess food in a number of secret caches throughout its territory. Red foxes often survive the winter by feeding on the remains of animals killed by wolf packs. They usually hunt alone, using catlike stealth and staying hidden until the prey comes close; then they jump high in the air and pounce on their prey.

Predators include wolves, coyotes, bobcats, lynx and bears; cubs can be killed by fishers and great horned owls.

Though they have exceptional hearing and a fantastic sense of smell, Red foxes have poor eyesight and tend to be nearsighted. In fact, their eyes are similar to those of domestic cats - gold and yellow in colour with vertical-slit pupils. Although they can reach speeds of up to 72 km/h, average speed is usually about 45 km/h – still pretty impressive! The long bushy tail is used to provide balance for long jumps and quick manoeuvres when hunting or avoiding predators. The thickly furred tail also helps foxes survive cold winter nights when it is wrapped like a cozy blanket over their noses and feet.

Though usually silent, foxes can get quite vocal during the mating season in late January or early February. Competing males go nose to nose in screaming matches until one backs away. The winner stays with the vixen (female) until after the young are born in March or April and helps her raise them. Cubs stay in the den for about a month nourished by regurgitated meat. By fall, the family breaks up with the young males traveling an average of 75 kilometres away from their home range. Vixens stay closer to home.

Foxes have long been the bane of chicken farmers. These wily creatures are notorious for raiding chicken coops. I grew up on a small farm and I’ll always remember the nights my mom would sit by the barnyard fence with a .22 cal. rifle waiting for Mr. Fox to arrive. By this point, she had lost a number of chickens and had decided to fight back. As a curious child, the idea of catching this wily predator seemed exciting so I sat one moonlit evening with her. To my knowledge she never did catch the bandit. Thinking of my mother actually shooting anything is almost laughable – the fact is that my mother grew up in Montreal and lived in the city of London, England for many years – a real city girl. The .22 was only used to try to protect her precious hens. She certainly didn’t hunt and I don’t think she ever shot anything!

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Back to HomeOutdoors in the Land O'lakes - March 19, 2009 The Red-Winged Blackbird: Herald of SpringBy Lorraine Julien Flashes of red on the wing and distinctive, raucous calls announce that the Red-Winged Blackbirds are arriving back in marshlands and other open areas from their winter in the south. Usually these early harbingers of spring arrive in early to mid-March, braving sometimes cold, snowy weather in order to stake out their territories. The marshes they love may still be frozen. When migrating, the Red-Winged Blackbird travels in single-sex flocks. The males arrive first, foraging and roosting together for a few weeks and then, gradually, each stakes out his turf. The females arrive two or three weeks later.

It is so heartening after a long, cold winter to see and hear these birds. Usually we hear the first call when out walking and, even if the weather is miserable, we know that warmer weather will soon be here. It’s good to see Robins in the spring but I’ve never seen them arrive as early as the Red-wings.

The Red-wing is a medium-sized song bird up to 9” long with a wingspan 12 – 16 inches and a moderately long, sharply pointed bill. Even for a novice birder, these birds are easy to identify. Though the males are black all over, their red shoulder bands and yellow wing bar are not as brilliant when they first arrive. It’s not long, however, before the shoulder bands become dazzling as they strut around in full breeding finery, fluffing up their feathers to attract the girls! The brown striped female is strikingly different from the male, looking very much like a large sparrow. This drab colour has the benefit of acting as a camouflage when the female is incubating her eggs. Each female maintains her own nesting zone within her mate’s territory, driving away potential new concubines.

Food consists mainly of seeds, insects and berries. Insects are picked off plants or caught on the wing. These birds are not fussy eaters and may also eat carrion, frogs, snails, eggs, etc. I’ve been able to attract them to my feeder with seed, bread scraps and suet when they first arrive in spring and other food sources are scarce. Once their natural food supply becomes plentiful, they don’t seem to bother with backyard feeders.

The male is very noisy during the breeding and nesting season and fiercely defends his territory. He keeps all other males and predators such as crows, osprey and hawks away but, in rare instances, will also attack large mammals such as horses and people. Many Red-wing parents nest together in groups which help to deter predators; sort of a community watch! Males, in particular, may fight among themselves but when a predator threatens the community they band together to drive outsiders away.

Where possible, nests are well concealed and usually built in reeds and cattails above water at a height of one to two meters. The relative inaccessibility of these nests also helps to thwart attackers. Despite all this vigilance though, about half of all Red-wing nests are raided each year by predators.

Depending on which study you read, one male may have up to 10 or 15 females making nests in his territory though 4 is probably average; however, the female, not to be outdone, may be courted by a number of males, and may have the occasional fling while hubby is away (something like Desperate Housewives). This means that the eggs in any one nest could have several different parents! One study shows that almost 30 per cent of hatchlings are fathered through extramarital affairs, usually involving next-door neighbours!

Young Red-wings are a brownish colour until their third year. Gradually, late each summer in August and September, Red-wings start to gather in favourite areas in the hundreds of thousands roosting for a while before they begin their trek south.

At least until recently, Red-wings were believed to be the most numerous single species of land bird in North America with an estimated population of approximately 400 million. Although pesticides at one time were used by farmers in the U.S. to reduce their numbers, it seems to have had little effect on these tough birds. As far as I’m concerned, anything that consumes huge quantities of insects must be a good thing!

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The North Frontenac Food Bank Committee would like to thank all the individuals, groups, organizations, churches, schools, and businesses who have given their support to the food bank over the past year, especially during the Christmas season. Even though the food bank is a small, unregistered charity operated by a few volunteers, our communities have rallied around it with caring generosity over the last several years. This allows the committee to continue to provide assistance to families in an emergency situation.

The food bank gave out 214 food boxes last year, which was a 21% increase from 2007. Unfortunately, the need for food banks is becoming greater due to increases in living costs such as heat, transportation and food, which are not reflected in increases to income. Our limited resources make it necessary to have a policy in place for clients to meet a financial criteria and receive one food box during a one-month period. We encourage people to ask for assistance during a financial crisis rather than depending on the food bank every month.

Due to limited space and refrigeration, our food bank can store only food items with a long shelf life, so we try to provide nutritious staples that are canned or packaged and are hopefully enjoyed by most people. However, it is difficult to meet everyone's taste satisfactorily, especially when we depend on donated food items. We hope that if someone receives food they do not like, they will realize it cannot always be avoided and give it to a friend or neighbour who would enjoy it. Some of the goods we provide are:stew and/or other canned meat, canned vegetables, fruit and soup, chunky soup, peanut butter, jam, pork & beans, spaghetti or other pasta, rice, fish, Kraft Dinner, tomatoes, kidney beans, and Cheez Whiz. The basic fresh food, such as bread, milk, eggs and margarine, is purchased at the time of delivery. A small government grant provided to assist children, allows us to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and meat and/or baby formula. However, due to government revisions to the processing of these funds, it is not guaranteed that this grant will continue.

We are fortunate to be able to rely on Northern Frontenac Community Services to act as liaison to the food bank, making it possible to contact the committee or access food bank assistance by calling 613-279-3151. Food boxes are given out twice each week, Tuesday and Friday, by appointment only. Referrals can be made by any social or health worker and must be into NFCS by 3PM on Monday and Thursday.

We ask that you continue to support the North Frontenac Food Bank with your generous donations of food and/or money. It fills a need in our rural areas that would otherwise be far more difficult to alleviate because of the distances our residents have to travel for assistance. Let us keep reaching out to help each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Lorraine Julien

As winter is now really settling in, getting colder and snowier by the day, please remember to feed our little feathered friends. Feeding birds can be as simple as throwing a few bread crusts or kitchen scraps on the snow or by sprinkling seeds on a bench or platform. If you want to feed birds on a regular basis though, you will need to protect the food from rain or snow and try to discourage visitors such as squirrels. It’s important to continue feeding through bad weather as many birds may have become dependent on the food supply. It is especially important after a snow storm or extreme cold spell.

By having a variety of foods available, you can probably attract many types of birds to your lunch counter. For instance, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and blue jays especially like suet or fat, and sunflower seeds. We were even lucky this past week to have a visit by a couple of pine grosbeaks. Some suggestions for bird food are:

Sunflower seeds - a really versatile food enjoyed by many birds. Two kinds of sunflower seeds are available – a larger striped kind and a smaller black oiled seed. Most birds seem to prefer the black seeds.

Niger seed is excellent for attracting small finches, chickadees, redpolls and other small birds. Niger seems expensive but I find it lasts a long time in the finch feeder and the location of the feeder is inaccessible to squirrels.

Seed mixtures containing millet, cracked corn, oats, wheat, etc. are of little interest to a lot of birds and some of the mixture such as cracked corn may spoil if wet.

Suet cakes – these are my favourite because they require little work and are not too expensive. I’ve never tried it but you could make your own suet cakes by melting fat and then mixing it with seeds, bread crumbs, etc. Metal suet holders are available and it is difficult for squirrels to get at the suet.….. or you could use one of the wire devices that are made to keep leaves out of eavestrough downspouts or even a plastic mesh onion bag. Just fill with suet and hang from a fairly high tree branch. Suet should be hung as high as possible so that cats, dogs, etc. cannot reach them easily. I’ve noticed raccoons try to get our suet cakes whenever the weather is mild and they come out of hibernation for a while. When this happens, we bring the suet cakes in overnight.

Fat – if I have fat drained from cooking bacon or from hamburger, I let it solidify and then scrape it onto a tree trunk or the bird feeder cedar post. It’s okay to do this in winter, but I’d never try it any other time as you could attract unwanted predators such as bears!

Peanut butter – birds love peanut butter but some people say it should be mixed with fat to reduce any danger of choking.

Kitchen scraps tossed on the snow such as dry bread crusts, leftover whole grain cereal, apple cores, etc. disappear within minutes. Another treat quickly devoured by jays is peanuts in shells but these could be expensive so they only get the odd handful.

It can be fun to watch squirrels but they do waste a lot of food. One of our red squirrels eats at the feeder until he can’t eat anymore, then he stuffs sunflower seeds in his cheeks and buries the seeds in various places in the snow banks. Mr. Red Squirrel may remember the whereabouts of some of these caches but probably not. A big waste of seeds but the antics are fun to watch!

To limit cost at your feeder, just put out a certain amount of food each day, whatever you can afford. The main thing is to be consistent so don’t worry if the feeder is empty in a couple of hours. The birds will adjust their regular foraging and will be back the next day. I try to put out extra food just after snow storms though.

Sometimes birds fly into windows and injure themselves. You can discourage this by placing your feeder at least 25 to 30 feet from windows. Our main feeder is fairly close to the kitchen window but I have a mini blind that covers the window yet still allows us to observe the birds. Feeders that are fastened to or right against windows may be alright because the birds are moving too slowly to injure themselves if they happen to hit the glass.

Aside from discovering and identifying new birds, feeding the birds offers great opportunities for photographs. Another advantage in attracting more birds to your property is that many species eat dormant insects and eggs during the winter.

Keep your bird books and your camera handy because, especially at this time of the year, you never know who will be coming to dinner!

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Participants enjoy exotic meat dishes prepared by Tibrata Gilles and her students at Meat Matter, a Lanark County Slow Food event

Convivial and curious foodies, members of the Lanark County Slow Food group, gathered at the Maberly Hall on March 14 for “Meat Matters” to learn about and sample “slow food” made from local meat.

The group’s leader, Janet Duncan of Almonte, formed the Lanark Slow Food group in 2005 after she and her husband attended the first ever Terra Madre in Turin, Italy. Terra Madre is now a bi-annual Slow Food event where the world’s sustainable food communities gather to share ideas and of course - food.

Founded in 1989 Slow Food is an international non-profit organization with 83,000 members in 107 countries, whose goal is to counteract fast food, fast life and the disappearance of local food traditions.

In Janet’s words, “Slow food is all about good, clean and fair food. We always try to have a theme and an educational component at our local events. Our goal is to focus attention on current food issues and to try to connect local producers with customers.”

Saturday’s focus was local meat, and more specifically, cooking with the more unusual parts and cuts.

Participants paid a minimal fee ($3 for members and $5 for non) and were asked to bring along a potluck dish made from local sourced ingredients, which Janet explained, “really encourages people to make relationships with their local producers.”

Tibrata Gilles was the guest presenter at the event. The former chef of Pan Chancho restaurant in Kingston now teaches at St. Lawrence College. She and her team of seven students spent the entire day prior to the presentation preparing a number of

exotic dishes from locally sourced chicken, pork, bison and yak, focusing on the more unusual parts like the head, feet, trotters, jowls, ribs and caul, the thin, white lacey fat that covers the pig’s kidneys.

Tibrata shared her passion and know how on a number of different topics throughout the presentation - like how to cook and cut various cuts of meat to best bring out their flavour and texture. She covered meat broths and stressed the added flavor and health benefits of incorporating collagen-rich hooves. She spoke at length about the various types of pork fat, what they are best used for and how to render them down.

Next she described the ancient French recipe she and her students followed to prepare pigs’ trotters stuffed with wild mushrooms and herbs and wrapped in the lacey white caul The students also had their chance in the limelight. Louis and Ken described how they prepared pork jowls on a bed of garbanzo beans; Colette described a chicken stock using only the heads and feet of the bird and herbs, and Alan described a bison broth made solely from rib cuts. Meagan finished off the presentation with a detailed description of the preparation a yak heart stew.

Following that was the best part of slow food - the not so slow eating part. Participants were invited to add their locally sourced potluck dishes to the meat dish-laden table and everyone sat down to an exotic meal.

If meat is your thing Maberly was where it was at on Saturday. If Slow Food and local produce interests you, contact Janet Duncan or Cheryl Nash at 613-256-2933 and 613-268-2881. Lanark County Slow Food holds regular presentations throughout the year, each followed by a potluck dinner. 

The new owners of the Verona IGA, Clint and Andrea Reid

Just a few weeks after their move to Verona, Clint and Andrea Reid, the new owners of the Verona IGA, have taken hold of the reins of a new business and a new life for themselves and their family.

The fact that it already feels like home after a few short weeks is proof to them that they have made a very good decision.

Born and raised in Peterborough the Reids are experienced grocery store operators. They owned and operated an IGA in Omemee for nine years and prior to that operated the Foodland store in Norwood, ON for a decade.

Clint admits to learning the business “the hard way from the bottom up” starting out at 14 and slowly working his way up to a full-time position at an Oshawa Food City. After that he worked in promotion for Food City in Toronto for a number of years until he decided that he wanted to get into the independent side of the business. That decision led Clint and his family first to Norwood, then to Omemee, and just three weeks ago to Verona.

While raising their two daughters Amanda and Mackenzie, Andrea Reid had also worked, first running her own daycare business and later working full-time at PepsiCo, Quaker Oats in Peterborough while also working part-time at the Omemee store.

With their two daughters grown and enrolled in college and university programs, the Reids, who have always wanted to live in the country, jumped at the chance when the recent opportunity to purchase the Verona IGA presented itself. Andrea recalled, “We immediately fell in love with the area when we came to see the store. The decision to move here involved myself and Clint but also our kids. When they came out here they also fell in love with it. I think we were all ready for a change.”

Taking on a former family business in a small community is also something the Reids are very familiar with and understand the intricacies of.

Clint said, “We really wanted to put all of the staff here at ease immediately and for them to know that we were counting on everybody to be a part of this. That was the same approach we took in Omemee, which was also a family-owned store and we had wonderful success there.”

According to Clint one important factor when stepping into a former family business like the Brooks’ is to build on what has already been established. Clint explained, “This business is very solid. The challenge will be taking something that is running well and trying to make it our own. Whenever you get into an ownership change the hardest thing is to realize that everyone tends to do things a little differently.”

That being said the Reids do have a couple of future plans for change in the works.

Clint explained, “We are definitely going to make investments into the business. We are currently planning a bit of a face lift with a focus on quality and freshness and we plan to put some new equipment into the store. We are hoping to have a grand opening in April, which I think the community will really enjoy.”

When I probed the Reids regarding a possible name change Clint replied, “I think it’s very important that we keep the community name “Verona” as the business name so right now it will be the Verona IGA.” The Reids are extremely pleased with the overwhelming reception they have received from the community, which has included numerous gifts and cards.

Clint said, “ I had really great relationships with all of the businesses and social groups in Omemee and that is something that I am also looking forward to here. I also believe that it’s part of our obligation as a local business to support local community events.”

The store staff have also been very accepting and Andrea said, “Since I have been working here for the last week I feel like I have known the people for years, which really says a lot.”

So from here on in it is business as usual at the Verona IGA. The only other change the Reids are considering is getting a dog. In Andrea’s words…“Everyone here seems to have one.”

 

 

Gord and Kim Lanoue of the Forgotten Idols Charity Group help organizations and individuals raise funds for worthy causes

Organizers of the Charity Street Party held in Verona on May 22, Gord and Kim Lanoue, founders of the Forgotten Idols Benefit Concert Group, along with Aziz and Naseem Murji of Verona Convenience & Sub and Vaughan’s Automotive, hosted a charity fundraiser for the Child Development Centre (CDC) at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston. The day included a BBQ, car wash and live entertainment that included local bands Rock Bottom, Rubber Neck and 12-year-old singer Mary-Lynn Neil of Kingston.

The Lanoues’ group, which has been up and running for four years, helps organizations and individuals raise funds through the aid of local musicians. In the past they have held events for the Kingston Food Bank and Habitat Kingston. They also organize private charity parties for families who have lost their homes to fire and other unforeseen disasters.

The Lanoues’ youngest boy, 12-year-old Jacob, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and so this benefit for the CDC is an especially meaningful one for them. Members of the Verona community came out and enjoyed a day of food fun and live music for a very worthy cause.

Anyone interested in hiring the Forgotten Idols group can contact the Lanoues at 613 542-6541. For more information visit theforgottenidols.com