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Next month, Leonard Chan and the team at Inverary Pharmasave will be celebrating their second anniversary. It has been an eventful two years for Leonard, who has started a family during that time and seen his business progress steadily.

“The business has grown faster than projected, which is good,” said Leonard, in an interview just before Christmas, “and we are doing some innovative things as the community around us continues to grown and the role of pharmacists in the medical system develops.”

One of those innovations is in the relatively new field of DNA profiling. The Pharmasave is working with a company called MyDna, a genetic interpretation company, to help patients make more informed decisions about which medications may work best.

“The thing about DNA is that it does not change, even as people age and other health factors come into play.”

Particularly for mental health medication, where it can take a lot of time through trial and error to find the right medication, a test like this can be very helpful,” said Leonard.

MyDna also lists pain, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal as conditions that can benefit from testing. There are other health related applications for the testing that are non-medical, such as nutrition and fitness.

“There is a cost related to the testing. It is $199 for the most complete test, which makes it not for everyone, but it can be valuable for some patients, and it is a one-time test,” said Chan.

The Pharmasave is also offering on-line screening clinics for medicinal cannabis from the company Hq3.ca.

“There is a lot of interest in cannabis for chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia. Patients can meet, through a video link, with a nurse practitioner who can prescribe medical cannabis. The prescriptions are filled by a licensed producer, not our store, but again it is a service for our clients.”

Over the past two years, Inverary Pharmasave has contributed to community life in various ways, supporting Ken Garrett Park, Socks Kingston, and other initiatives, and has become a core business in the revived retail atmosphere in a growing area.

Offering new services, as pharmacies take on an expanded role as the healthcare system is reformed in Ontario, is one of Leonard’s goals for the business.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 08 January 2020 11:26

Inverary residents report thefts from mailboxes

On December 17, 2019 an officer from Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a report from a Canada Post employee about theft of mail. Several people who live in the Inverary area noticed that mail was missing from their mailboxes and reported this to the Canada Post employee.

The investigation has revealed that residents in the area of Battersea Road, Perth Road, Round Lake Road, Holmes Road and Davidson Road had mail stolen overnight on December 1 6, 2019.

Frontenac OPP would like to encourage anyone that has had mail stolen from their mailbox to report the incident online at OPP.ca or by calling 1-888-310-1122.

Consider notifying your bank and credit card company if you have concerns that financial documents were stolen. Be diligent in monitoring the amount and type of mail usually received.

The investigation is ongoing.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 18:18

The butterfly lady of Inverary

Susan Sutherland of Loughborough lake has been dubbed 'the butterfly lady of Inverary'. Susan and her husband, Ken Burns have built a safe butterfly hatching habitat called 'the monarch mansion' where the full spectrum of the stages of a monarch butterfly's life cycle can be observed and appreciated up close. The enclosed habitat boasts dozens of tiny eggs on milkweed leaves, hungry caterpillars of all sizes, with some already in a J-hang position getting ready to become a chrysalis, which hang in rows along the ceiling boards in a beautiful abundance. The chrysalis phase allows the catapillars to metamorph into beautiful monarch butterflies. Susan is expecting to release over 50 new monarchs in just this week alone, and several hundred by the fall. 

Over the past 20 years, the number of monarch butterflies have drastically declined, partly due to climate change, pesticide use and a rapid decrease in milkweed plants, which are essential for the insect's survival. Susan, an environmentalist and outdoor enthusiast, has been contributing to the repopulation efforts for monarchs for several years, with her growing hatching habitat and through cultivation of milkweed plants, which are native to Canada and the U.S. 

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

David Craig starting out his working career as a caterer.

When he realised there was large demand and little supply for mobile kitchens, compact commercial kitchens capable of preparing 1,500 to 2,000 meals per meal time that can be hauled to wherever they are needed, he saw a business opportunity, and jumped into a new venture.

He was living in Inverary at the time, so he set up a facility on a vacant lot on Davidson Road, just south-east of the village, hired a crew and began retro-fitting stock trailers with stainless steel counters, sinks and refrigeration units, stoves and everything else that is needed in a commercial kitchen.

His company. Mobile Kitchens Canada, began leasing the mobile kitchens for short term use, and festivals and other special events, and longer-term use during major renovations to large institutional buildings. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the United States, heard about his services through other contractors that they use, and that has brought the kitchens, and Craig, to some of the major disaster sites in the United States over the last 15 years.

“We had a fleet of trailers in New Orleans after Katrina, and I went down to set them up and manage them. We had to have a police escort when delivering them because of sniper attacks in the area, which gave me an idea that this wasn’t going to be a job like any other I had been involved with.”

David ended up spending nine months in New Orleans, and since then Mobile Kitchens Canada have supported relief at numerous disasters since then, including in Houston during the major flood there and in Pan Handle of Florida for hurricane relief. They have also been across Canada, most recently during the BC wildfire season last year.

Mobile Kitchens Canada became a very successful enterprise, and a time came when David Craig was planning to pull away from the business and let the staff that he had developed over the years run it for him while he moved into semi-retirement.

Then he took a drive back to Ontario from Florida with his Chief Financial Officer. The hours in the vehicle gave them an opportunity to talk about what David wanted to do, and the conversation came round to a discussion about opportunities.

“I had been frustrated over the years because we always had to fit our mobile kitchens in the stock trailers that were built for us. If we could control the entire process by building custom trailers for ourselves, we could make not only mobile kitchens, but other fully customised trailers for fire departments, emergency services, concert stages, and list goes on” he said, in an interview last week from his office.

The first idea they had was to build standardised trailers in order to have orders in hand when investing in the necessary upgrade to the factory in Inverary.

He made some calls while they were driving and by the time they had made it through the Carolina’s they had commitments from distributors to purchase hundreds of trailers.

“We were in business. What I did not realise was that it was a lot easier to sell that may many stock trailers than it was to build them,” he said.

RTD trailers did not end up in the generic trailer business because the work that they were really interested in doing, creating custom trailers for specialised uses, has consumed the company.

Recently, RTD needed a larger metal bending machine, and just as the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EOCP) was wrapping up, with assistance from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, they applied for and received one that covered some of the costs of a new machine.

“We are also looking at putting in an application to the new granting for a new piece of machinery that we need,” he said. “the CFDC has been great to work with.

A major expansion which will more than double the size of the manufacturing facility on Davidson road to over 20,000 square feet is in the works. This will give the company the capacity to develop a much better workflow and will lead to an increase in staffing levels.

There are already over 16 full time employees and 9 new positions were created in the last year.

“Once our expansion is complete, we will need even more people. Most of our employees are from the local area, and we will need more skilled workers in the future,” he said.

There seems to be no limit to the amount of business that is open to the company as order outstrip their manufacturing capacity on a regular basis.

“We have always done well in the United States, partly because of the Canadian dollar, but I have to thank Donald Trump for an upswing in demand from Canada. More and more Canadian clients are looking a made in Canada option.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Ken Garrett Memorial Park in Inverary was a hive of activity on the weekend as the first ever 3 Pitch, 3 Chords Spring Fling drew crowds in an effort to raise funds primarily for accessible washrooms.

“Everybody thinks this is a Township-owned park but it isn’t,” said Shawn Pearce, president of the Inverary Youth Activity Group, which owns and operates the park. “It’s used six, seven nights a week and we have nine minor ball teams — the most we’ve had in years.

“I grew up here and I’d hate to see it die — I even took a week of holidays this week to work on it.”

By all accounts, the Fling was the brainchild of Kimberly Allen, who, among other things, owns Little Texas Roadhouse in Kingston.

“I was very pleased when Kim approached me with this idea,” Pearce said.

Allen, who is originally from the 509 corridor north of Sharbot Lake, now calls Rickards Road home. She’s played her share of ball at Ken Garrett and other area diamonds, and she likes music.

“Growing up, I used to go to the Ompah Stomp,” she said. “This is my Ompah Stomp.”

To that end, she closed up Little Texas for the weekend, allowing all her staff to donate their time to this venture, if they so chose. Most did.

And so did 16 musical acts, all part of the musical family at Little Texas.

“Ninety-five per cent of the bands will just jump at the chance to do this for her,” said stage manager Ken Hemlow, who also played on Sunday. “We had one band who had to cancel because their drummer hurt his back but another one jumped right in.”

Country singer Courtney Kane is just getting started in the business and saw it as good exposure.

“I’m trying to make this full-time,” she said. “I’m working on a website and doing my own thing.”

Besides the ball tournament and concert, the day featured a beer tent, a kids area as well as several food and merchandise vendors.

They even brought the mechanical bull in from Little Texas.

“That bull has been all over,” Allen said. “It’s even been to the Havelock Country Jamboree.”

Even the mayor was there, but not in an official capacity.

“It’s wonderful that they’re fixing this up,” said Ron Vandewal. “It’s not a Township-run facility so thanks to all the volunteers donating their time.”

While Allen was very pleased with the way the weekend was unfolding, this may be only the beginning.

She can see potential to make it a yearly festival and has talked to local contractors and friends about fixing up an area for camping, just like many of the music festivals operating in Southern Ontario.

“This would be my Ompah Stomp,” she said.

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:45

Three Pitches Three Chords in Inverary

Kim Allan loves music and baseball and she likes a good party as well.

She owns the Little Texas Roadhouse Bar and Grill on Days Road in Kingston. She lives in between Sydenham and Inverary with her husband and three children, and they all play ball at the Keeley Road Park and at Ken Garrett Park in Inverary.

“Ken Garrett Park desperately needs new washrooms and septic improvements. And I realised that only a fundraising campaign could raise the kind of money that is needed to make this happen, but the Inverary Youth Group who run the park are all volunteers, and no one has the time to raise that kind of money. I don’t either but I do love ball tournaments and outdoor festivals, so here we are,” Kim Allan said, in a phone interview early this week.

This weekend at Ken Garrett Park there will be a ball tournament on Saturday for pick up teams and another one on Sunday for league teams, like many other weekends during the summer. But unlike any other weekend, there will also be a music festival, at the other end of the park at the small diamond.

The event, which is called the Three Pitch, Three Chords Spring Fling is bringing together a host of bands who play at the Little Texas Grill for a two-day festival of country and rock music in the park.

The bands are all playing for free, and the sound system and staffing has been donated by Little Texas, so all of the $35 weekend pass revenue is going to the washroom renovation project.

Saturday is country day at the festival. Saturday performers include: Courtney Kane and June Nixion, A Night with Elvis, the White Brothers, Chelsea Road, Pickett Fences, Porch Pilots, Clem Chesterfield, Old Habits, Lane Duke, and Hicktown. The music runs from 11am -8pm on Saturday.

The Sunday concert, which also starts at 11am but ends at 5pm, features: Texas Tuxedo, Jordy Jackson Band, Ice Gods, Rudy & Saddle Up, Knuckel Hed, Hicktown, and Richard Cranium.

In addition to the music, the park is licensed for the weekend and beer will be available for purchase, there will be a kids zone, vendors, three food trucks and a portable ATM machine available as well.

“The volunteers have been working hard this week to make sure the grass is cut and the park is completely clean. It’s been a lot of running around and getting things organised, but the response so far has been excellent. We have sold a lot of tickets at the bar, and we hope people will come out and buy tickets at the gate. Most music festivals cost at least $35 for the day so the price is right and all the money is going to the cause,” she said.

For information or advanced tickets go to Ticketscene.ca and type in Inverary 3 Chords. Tickets will also be available at the gate.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Joe Gallivan, Manager for Planning and Economic Development for Frontenac County, briefed Frontenac County Council last week on a communal services report that will be coming their way next month. This is a file that Gallivan has been working on for years, but he wanted some of the newer members of the council to be more familiar with the issues in the report in advance of its release.

The Province of Ontario encourages rural municipalities to focus on development within hamlets. Since there are no hamlets in Frontenac County that have municipal water systems except for Sydenham, and there are no municipal waste water systems in the county at all, development potential within and near hamlets is limited.

“The potential for communal services within subdivisions has been around since 1995, but municipalities have not taken it up within their jurisdictions, because of fears over the potential liability coming back to the public if a communal water or waste system fails,” said Gallivan. “Over the years, the technology for septic systems has progressed substantially, and that cuts the risk.”

Communal services would mean there is one large septic system to cover an entire development instead of separate systems for each building. In some case, one of more communal wells could be included as well.

Municipalities in Ontario have two options for creating multiple building lots on a single piece of property, ‘vacant land condominium’ development, and ‘plan of subdivision’ development. Under a ‘plan of subdivision’, the municipality assumes ownership, and the associated costs, for the public infrastructure (roads, ditches, sidewalks, etc.) within a development, after the developer pays to build them to a municipal standard, whereas within a ‘plan of condominium’ the infrastructure remains the responsibility of the property owners after construction is complete.

Plans of Condominium, Gallivan said, could include responsibility for upkeep and maintenance of communal services in addition to roads and ditches, keeping municipal liability to a minimum.

“As well, if there are a number these systems within Frontenac County, there may also be an opportunity to put together a single municipal fund to cover potential liability from all of them. Individual projects would not have to cover as much liability on their own.”

In making his presentation, Gallivan used an existing development on the southwest edge of Inverary as an illustration of how much more density can be achieved using communal services. The Mathias subdivision is a 27 - acre block of land with 16 lots. The minimum lot size in the development is 1.5 acres, and each lot includes space for a well and individual septic system.

If a communal septic system were in place, the same block of land would be able to contain 42 detached lots as well as 9 townhouse lots and a small apartment complex with 12 units, plus a commercial lot. Gallivan said that once the study is released, he will be proposing that Council authorise him to go to the township councils to see if they are interested in pursuing the type of development that communal systems will make possible within their townships.

“It really comes down to what the local townships envision for their future,” he said, “the timing is good for South Frontenac, which is facing a lot of development pressure right now. The council is starting to review their Official Plan, and they will have the opportunity to accept communal services in their new plan”.

Gallivan said that one of the key elements for developers would be a consistent process and cost structure for communal water systems across the county.

“That would put Frontenac County ahead of other municipalities,” he said.

While South Frontenac is the jurisdiction that would be the most likely to see developments using the communal system model, Gallivan said he could see applications in Marysville on Wolfe Island, as well as in Central and North Frontenac.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

On Saturday June 1 and Sunday June 2, 2019 Little Texas Roadhouse Bar and Grill will be hosting the 1st Annual Inverary 3 PITCH 3 CHORDS Spring Fling in support of Inverary Youth Activities. All proceeds from this event will go toward one-time capital costs to replace the holding tank, to complete major renovations to the washroom facilities and to upgrade the electrical in the canteen.

The idea of the Inverary 3 PITCH 3 CHORDS Spring Fling came from combining my love of live music and baseball.

This family friendly two day event will feature live music, baseball, a large kids zone, vendors, food vendors and a beer tent.

The lineup includes: Rudy & Saddle Up, Hicktown, KnucKel Hed, The Ice Gods, Old Habits, Richard Cranium, White Brothers, Lane Duke, Courtney Kane, Picket Fences, Clem Chesterfield & the La-Z Boy Recliners, Jordy Jackson Band, A night with Elvis, Eastbound by Bytown, Chelsea Road and more

Tickets are $35 for a weekend pass, 16 years and under free. The Kids Zone will have several free activities as well several exciting pay per use activities.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Nona Mariotti started up the South Frontenac Garden Tour last year as a kind of experiment.

Would gardeners be willing to open up their gardens for people to come and see? Would people want to come out to see the beautiful gardens.

The answer to all those questions was a resounding yes, and so the second annual garden tour is now in the planning stages. 7 gardens are already lined up for this year, including some new ones, and Nona is looking for four or five more to make the tour bigger than the one last year.

“People aren’t going to visit 12 gardens in one day, but they do like variety and they also like to explore different geography,” Nona said.

She is particularly interested in attracting some gardens in the Perth Road and Buck Lake regions to add a different dimension to the tour.

“We have some wonderful places in the North Kingston – Inverary areas, one in Battersea, and over in Sydenham and up towards Frontenac Park, and we are still looking for more in those regions, but we would like to go further north on Perth Road as well,” she said.

The tour is scheduled for July 7 from 9m to 3pm and it is only the grounds of properties that are part of the tour, not the houses themselves.

“Last year it was a great experience for the visitors and hosts alike, a chance to share information and the joy of gardens. We keep the price to the public low, only $10, and all of the proceeds go to Southern Frontenac Community Services,” she said.

If you have a garden to share, contact Nona at 613- 893-2015

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Al Rankin doesn’t settle for good when he knows he can achieve great.

Sitting in his historic limestone house nestled inconspicuously on a country road north of Kingston, Al speaks passionately about the music he showcases in his Inverary home and to the broader community..

“My whole thing is, I don’t want good music here, I want great music,” says the retired drama teacher as a pellet stove hums softly in the background.

Talking from a tastefully decorated living room, Al, 68, is a well-known member of the Canadian music scene. He is the artistic director of three local groups that bring music to public theatres, school auditoriums and his private home.

Not far from his armchair is a curtain hung in a doorway to stop heat from escaping the rooms used by his family. Outside the curtain is a sunken showroom with a stage called The Rankin Gallery; home to eight house concerts a year by musicians on tour.

Lined with old church pews where hundreds of the best musicians in the world have played, the room feels like a significant part of Canadian history. It is a charming space that fits 65.

“There’s an incredible number of musicians out there trying to make a living and the only way to make money is to perform live concerts,” says Al about the purpose of the space. “It’s tough for them.”

Picking up where he leaves off, Al’s partner Brenda Lyon notes, “This way, they can come here and play a concert and make a thousand dollars. They get a free place to stay and a warm dinner and breakfast. They’re just so appreciative. It’s a good feeling.”

Gesturing to the walls where dozens of posters are displayed of bands that have played in The Rankin Gallery, the couple is clearly proud of the music performed in their home and the musicians they room and board. Personal messages of gratitude are scrawled across the posters from bands such as the Good Lovelies and solo acts such as Serena Ryder and Rose Cousins.

Some of the musicians who have played at the gallery have travelled from as far away as Serbia, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Europe. Most are from Canada and the United States.

For a house on a quiet country road in Frontenac County, it feels like the heart of the global music scene.

“We get a wide-range of musicians coming to The Rankin Gallery concerts” says Al with pride.

“His biggest job is saying no because everyone on tour wants to stay here,” adds Brenda, 67. “We get 1,500 requests a year.”

“We do end up saying no to a lot of people,” responds Al who doesn’t invite musicians to perform in his home; rather, they ask him.

“It’s a lot of work,” adds Brenda about the organization, promotion and hospitality required for each show. “But it’s great when the concert is going.”

Asked why they open their home to the musicians and the public, Brenda answers kindly, “We’re supporting a lot of Canadian musicians. It is unbelievable how hard they work and how hard it is to make a living. We’re trying to encourage them.”

“It’s great for the community,” adds Al. “A lot of people who come to our house concert wouldn’t attend a concert at a larger venue in town. They love the closeness to the performers. It’s a whole different experience for members of the audience.”

Asked to pay a nominal admission fee of $20 to support the musicians, guests travel from as far away as Trenton, Smith’s Falls and Westport. Within 12 hours of a show’s notice, they are always sold out.

“It’s not just for our neighbours,” says Al about the memorable performances in his home. “It’s sort of a secret. A secret a lot of people know about.”

“When people come here, they know it’s going to be great because Al is very picky about who he brings here,” says Brenda.

“We’ve never had any problems with the concerts or people coming to the house, even when we let them wander upstairs,” she says gratefully. “It doesn’t bother us at all. It feels a bit like a community hall most of the time which is fine.”

“Of course, we don’t have any cutlery left,” adds Al with a laugh.

In addition to hosting house concerts, Al and Brenda also bring musical acts to the area through their company, Rankin Productions. The work involves booking a headline act (such as Pete Seeger, Leon Redbone, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie), renting a theatre, selling the tickets and arranging the band’s hotel rooms.

“We only do that a couple times a year,” says Al about the bigger shows.

Al and Brenda are also involved in a volunteer organization called Live Wire which arranges six musical shows annually in Kingston and supports musicians performing in local schools.

Referring to all of the performers they have met over the years, Brenda says with a smile, “It’s like we have 100 sons and daughters now.”

Happy to host and support the best performers in the world, Al notes, “It’s unfortunate that we’re saying no to some incredible people. We just can’t fit them all in.”

To see upcoming shows by Live Wire, please go to www.livewiremusicseries.ca  To learn more about Al Rankin’s shows, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613-353-6650.

                                                                                                                               

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
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With the participation of the Government of Canada