Your project may be eligible for an Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP) grant of up to 50% reimbursement. Some examples of eligible projects;

Trade Shows - to help you expand your market, EODP pays up to 50% of the cost of registration, travel, accommodation and meals to attend a trade show that you have not exhibited at previously

Skills training - we have had a self-employed plumber who have used this funding to become certified gas fitters to expand the services they offer as an example.

E-Commerce - want to build an on-line shopping component on your website – we will pay up to 50%. Or perhaps you need help with implementing a point of sale system

Technical / Expert support - would your business benefit by tapping into some expertise? EODP can reimburse up to 50% of the cost. We have a client who has benefited from hiring a niche marketing consulting firm. Another client built a new commercial facility and EODP assisted with the technical drawings.

Equipment - The EODP may be able to assist with up to 50% of the cost if the equipment is innovative and/or you can demonstrate that it will improve your productivity and profitability.

For eligibility criteria and guidelines, visit https://frontenaccfdc.com/start/grants/. If you don’t have the 50% required as your contribution, we may be able to assist with a loan.
We are accepting applications for projects that are completed by December 1, 2018 subject to available funding.

Normally if you have a fully completed application into us by the second Monday of the month, you will know by the end of the month whether it was approved or not.
If you would like to speak with someone about the funding, please call Sue at 613-372-1414 ext. 206 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We look forward to working with you.

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.

It’s been a rather topsy-turvy year for The Spud Box owner Jerry Sommut.

After finding out just before Christmas that MTO had bought the property he had been operating on at the corner of Hwy. 7 and 41 in Kaladar and a chip truck wasn’t in their plans, he thought he’d found a new home at the corner of 7 and Road 38. But it turned out that Central Frontenac didn’t really have a bylaw governing chip trucks per se and when opposition arose to him being there, the Township decided it needed one.

So, despite the fact that he’d already paid the Township $1,000 as well as rent, he decided to remove his chip trailer without having ever opened or selling a single burger.

“People were calling the bylaw officer and I wasn’t even open yet,” he said. “I was just getting ready.”

He did, however, manage to work out a deal with MTO for this year and is selling chips and burgers a few metres from where his operation had been for seven years. But it’s temporary.

And he still plans to be in Sharbot Lake once everything gets worked out.

“I’m not mad, just upset at the process,” he said. “But I understand.

“I have all the necessary certifications and I’m ready when they are.

“I will open up there.”

Sommut comes from a long line of cooks starting with his grandmother who was the head chef on a Great Lakes freighter. His introduction to the business of food was helping her.

“They ‘snuck’ me onto the ship and I helped my grandmother,” he said. “It was her kitchen and she ran it that way.”

As he grew up, his family owned several restaurants and he even had one himself in Tamworth that specialized in perch and pickerel.

“I’d still like to do that again,” he said.

But Sharbot Lake appeals to him the most, not the least of which because he owns property on St. Georges Lake. And, he believes the area has great potential.

“I know I’m going to bring business to Sharbot Lake,” he said. “If I’m serving 1,000 to 1,500 burgers a day, at least one of those customers is going to make the trip through town down to the lake.

“And I don’t sell pizza or wings so if people want those, I’ll tell them exactly where they can get them in town.”

He seems to genuinely enjoy his customers, chatting up everyone and extolling the virtues of his “custom-made, six-ounce burger” while three others are busily moving about the trailer grilling, cleaning and deep-frying.

“You know, we’ve been getting a lot of Arden people coming in for burgers,” he said. “We’re actually closer for them than Sharbot Lake and they’re all saying ‘we’re glad you’re back.’”

He regrets any hard feelings from the spring meeting in Sharbot Lake about a proposed bylaw and said he’s prepared to do whatever he can to set things straight.

“Let’s have that meeting again,” he said.

At a public open house to discuss a proposed bylaw to regulate mobile food businesses in Central Frontenac, many issues relating to the business climate for restaurants in the vicinity of Sharbot Lake were aired.

Joe Gallivan, Manager of Planning for Frontenac County, came to the meeting looking for public input after he had looked at similar bylaws in other locations and tried to find “best options” for Central Frontenac.

Last September, Councillor Cindy Kelsey expressed concern about an unlicensed chip truck that had opened up on Highway 7 near Road 509, and then Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven reported to Council that although mobile food businesses were defined in the township zoning bylaw, there were no regulations in the bylaw about whether they are permitted or not and under what circumstances. This put several existing businesses in the township in legal limbo, and in February Neven brought forward a draft bylaw, which was presented to Council but not acted upon. Since then a new Chief Building Official, Shawn Merriman, has taken over, and Joe Gallivan has been working on developing a bylaw.

At the same time a business has come forward asking to be able to set up at Hwy. 7 and 38. The Spud Box is planning to relocate from Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 41 at Kaladar. Two weeks ago, at Council’s request, CBO Merriman presented a temporary use bylaw which would enable the Spud Box to apply for a permit to open this summer while Joe Gallivan and the county planning department works on a permanent bylaw, which will not likely be in place until the fall.

The meeting was set up to ask questions about the permanent bylaw, such as how to define mobile food businesses, which zones they should be restricted to, and whether there should be a separation distance between them and restaurants. But the pending opening of the Spud Box came up repeatedly in the questions that were asked by a crowd that was made up of most of the restaurant and other food vendors in the Sharbot Lake vicinity.

CBO Shawn Merriman repeated a point that he had earlier in the month in front of Council. “I think that in a commercial zone, like we have on Highway 7, it is not up to the township to restrict the kinds of businesses that come forward. Let the market take care of that.”

Frank White from the Sharbot Lake Country Inn said “this is something I completely understand and would definitely not contest or dispute if we were on the same playing field.   However, allowing a business to set up that would be in direct competition with other year round venues with low, low overhead and at far reduced cost with a fraction of the of the licensing fee for operations i.e.  $350 per year vs $9,000 plus in property taxes is not what I feel should be the long term direction of economic development, especially given that the local populous would not be sufficient to support all of the business in the area.”

The owner of the Spud Box, Jerry, piped in at that point.

“We do have other expenses, including rent, but I know what you are saying because I owned restaurants in the past. The restaurant business is finished. I’m sorry but it’s true. We will pay  a fair license fee. It does not have to be $350.”

Jonathan Desroche, who owns Gray’s Grocery and Bake Shop, which is kitty corner to where the Spud Box would be located if approved, said “I don’t have any issues with him setting up. If he brings more business to the corner, that’s fine with me. But we need to face up to the reality that all of our businesses are hurting because tourism has died off completely in this area. If we don’t turn that around, none of us will be around. I’ve noticed a dramatic drop since I opened in 2010, tourism is off and our sales are off as well,” he said.

As the meeting continued, other issues about the business community were raised.  

CBO Merriman and Mayor Frances Smith both referred to the pending approval for a new Ultramar gas station with a convenience store and restaurant component at the site immediately to the west of the LCBO store, on the site where The Junction and Bubba’s takeout were located.

Joe Gallivan said he has been working for two years, from the planning end, with the owners of that proposed business, which is waiting for approval from the Ministry of Transportation before starting site development.

Input on the technical issues around the new bylaw was gathered at the meeting. Most in attendance agreed that mobile food businesses should be restricted to commercial areas, but the issues around setbacks from restaurants are more complex and the response was mixed.

A draft bylaw should be coming before Council before the end of the summer.

As befits a crowd of entrepreneurs, the breakfast Annual General Meeting for the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation started early last Thursday morning (June 15) with Marty G Sensations breakfast pies on the menu, starting at 7:30. By 8 the meeting was underway. One of the key note speakers, Ryan Reynolds of Capital Waterfowling had to back out because he was pulled in another direction as his company continues its meteoric rise. Billy Day, whose high tech custom metal and 3d print shop on Sydenham Road came along in time to help Capital Waterfowling get underway, and now does work for a number of new companies, was also scheduled to speak. He asked to go early so he could get back to his shop to fill an emergency order.

He credits the CFDC with helping him get his start.

“They got me the funding for my first machine, helped me get the ball rolling. I try to tell everyone to go and see them as long as they are working in Frontenac County. At that time the banks had no interest in supporting what I was doing, but the CFDC was interested in a big way,” he said, when interviewed a few days after the meeting.

In terms of overall numbers, CFDC Board Chiar Jan Dines reported that the corporation loaned $1,776,925 to Frontenac businesses in fiscal 2016/2017, an increase of 38.75 over the previous year. Combined with $1,257 that the 21 businesses that received loans collectively invested from their own funds, it represents over $3 million in business spending in the county last year, impacting a total of 100 jobs.

A further $454,454 was injected in the local economy trough Eastern Ontario Development Program projects. Adide from loans and grants, business advice and counsellling are also a major focus for the corporation.

Anyone starting, expanding, or shifting their business to fit the times is welcome to call 623-372-1414 (1-888-372-9962) to find out what services they might be able to make use of.

Central Frontenac Council expects to have a draft bylaw for ‘chip trucks’ to discuss at its June 27 meeting following a report from Development Services Manager Shawn Merriman at this week’s regular Council meeting in Sharbot Lake.

The Township is holding an open house on the subject June 24 and Merriman said he expects to incorporate comments from that meeting into the proposed bylaw.

“Nothing quite screams Eastern Ontario identity like a chip truck,” Merriman said, quoting an old Toronto Star article. “A new bylaw would recognize the desire of the community to have mobile food vendors and provide some certainty as to where these operations would be allowed to set up within the various communities and locations throughout the Township.”

The bylaw on the table at the moment is of a temporary nature, allowing potential vendors to enter into an agreement with the Township in order to operate until such time as a permanent bylaw is prepared, debated and passed. Merriman said that the permanent bylaw should be all-encompassing, addressing more than food vendors.

“It’s about more than chip trucks,” he said. “This bylaw should not only cover the generic chip truck but in all likelihood all mobile vendors/special or recurring events.

“It should not matter whether the item being sold is prepared food, whole foods, homemade crafts, arts or mass produced items like flags or T-shirts.”

Coun. Victor Heese reiterated that the bylaw to be considered on June 27 was for temporary use and wondered about a time frame for a more comprehensive bylaw.

“I’ve seen these things go fairly quickly,” Merriman said. “I personally think mobile vendors are a good idea.”

Council accepted Merriman’s report, setting up a vote on June 27.

The process is now set out for the Spud Box truck that is parked at a lot on Hwy. 7 and 38 to open in Central Frontenac this summer. As Merriman pointed, approval from the Ministry of Transportation will be required because it is located at an on-ramp to the provincial highway, and the Public Health Unit will have to approve it as well. If, as seems likely, the bylaw is passed on June 27, the owners of the truck were told by Merriman that they can come and see him about a permit on June 28, provided they have the necessary approvals in place from the MTO and Public Health.

This did not sit well with the owners of the Spud Box.

“June 28th is too late for me,” the man said, “I thought this was going to end today.”

He indicated that he had first approached the township back in September of 2016 about opening up in Central Frontenac and was frustrated with all the delays.

Construction delayed
At the recommendation of Public Works Manager Brad Thake, Council decided to put off construction projects for Dickson Crescent and Gordon Crescent in Sharbot Lake for a year.

“Timelines and budgetary concerns would be best addressed in 2018,” Thake said. “The roads are still in pretty good shape.”

“As long as we keep them maintained, I’m sure the residents can wait a year,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Bridges get go-ahead
Council did vote to go ahead with bridge rehabilitation on two bridges on Burke Settlement Road, awarding the contract to Crains’ Construction Inc. for $329,337.25 plus applicable taxes.

“I notice this is ‘rehabilitation’ and not ‘reconstruction,’” said Coun, Bill MacDonald. “What’s the life expectancy for this work?”

“We shouldn’t have to look at them again for 20-plus years,” said Merriman.

“Any idea when this work will be done, it will affect me directly,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

“It should get started around July 20 and will be done long before school starts,” said Merriman.

Road safety
Council awarded the contract for engineering design services to Greer Galloway to look at road user safety, traffic calming measures, road realignment and traffic safety barriers for the hamlet of Crow Lake.

Arden Pit
Council approved a plan to crush recyclable asphalt, concrete, brick, glass and ceramics that had been stored at the Arden pit as the Township’s approval to store the material has expired.

“We can use a lot of this material in our road building and other projects,” said Merriman.

Back Forty Cheese will be open on Saturdays throughout the summer, and to mark the start of the summer season, they are holding an open house and party onn June 24 between 10am and 4pm. The converted drive shed that serves as a cheese factory and tasting room for Back Forty Cheese, and a loft studio for Jenna Rose, will be open and tours of the factory and studio will be offered at different times throughout the day. All of Back Forty’s sheep’s cheeses will be available, including Highland Blue, Madawaska, Bonnechere, Flower Station and Ompah, as well as fresh curd, ricotta and fried curd as well. Charcuterie boards and baguettes will be available as well.

Meanwhile, outside in the yard that leads out to the Mississippi River, Stalwart Breweries of Carleton Place will have a stand with at least 3 of their different beers, Luke Mercier and Chris Colgan will be playin Appalachian music, and there will be wine from Three Dog Winery from Prince Edward County, Kin Winery from Carp, and sparkling cider and wine from Scheurermann’s winery of Westport.

A BBQ, presented by Seed to Sausage, will be running all day as well.

Admission is free and all are welcome to enjoy great food and drink and the summer weather.

For information, go to artisancheese.ca/news.htm

Last September, Central Frontenac Council became aware that there was no provision for approving Chip Truck’s (aka refreshment vehicles) in the township bylaws. The matter came up because a chip truck had opened on Hwy. 7 near Road 509, and the township had not been informed and had no way of determining if it had health unit approval or if the business was licensed in any way.

Although that business was quickly closed down, an issue had surfaced. With long established Chip Trucks being in place at the Godfrey General Store, Jossy’s at Hwy. 7 and 38 and Tim’s Mobile Catering doing business at various locations for special events, Council recognised that they needed to come up with something.

A “refreshment vehicle” bylaw was prepared and came before Council on April 11 for preliminary consideration. A public meeting was to follow and then the bylaw would be back before Council for adoption, as early as this month.

Jossy Harpell was in the audience at that April 11 meeting, as was Rachel Scott, who was in negotiations to purchase Jossy’s business but the deal had not been finalised because she was unsure what the new bylaw would do to her prospects for opening in the spring.

At the meeting, the bylaw was deferred, but Scott felt that two of her questions had been addressed, one being that she would be able to remain in business, and the second that another Chip Truck would not be able to open up within a short distance of hers.

“During the meeting [Councilor] Jamie Riddell made an excellent point, he had mentioned that the township should not discourage the three current businesses that are pre-existing and suggested they be grandfathered in. When I left the meeting I felt confident, as it was also my understanding from the meeting that there were no new chip trucks allowed to open until they sorted out the bylaw and that pre-existing trucks could open without issue. Jocelyn and Bill who also attended with myself were under the same understanding,” Scott said in an email to the Frontenac News this week.

The draft bylaw was to be the subject of a public meeting in May, but that meeting has been deferred. The Chief Building Official (CBO) Jeremy Neven, who prepared the bylaw, has departed for New Zealand and the new CBO, Shawn Merriman has inherited the file.

Late last last week Scott noticed that a trailer from the Spud Box was parked in a lot at the southeast corner of the junction between Hwy. 7 and Road 38, next to the building where Steve Duggan’s law office and the Sharbot  Lake Veterinary clinic are located.

Until recently, the Spud Box had been located at Hwy. 41 and Hwy. 7 in Kaladar, but the building on that lot is being torn down this summer and the Spud Box has pulled out.

Scott then emailed Central Frontenac’s new Chief Building Official Shawn Merriman asking him what was going on.

“At this point the other truck [Spud Box] is preparing for the eventuality that he will be allowed to open. I am bringing a report to Council to see if there is any wish to allow a permission to operate prior to the passing of the bylaw by using such options as security deposits, amenity agreements etc,” Merriman said in an email response to Scott.

She was surprised by this response, because she understood that new trucks were not to be approved until the new bylaw was in place.

When contacted, Councillor Riddell said that Council had decided that since the new bylaw is not ready, they should not be discouraging new businesses and would not be putting up restrictions.

“If they can get approval from all the other authorities involved, the Health Unit, the Ministry of  Transportation, etc. then we will just charge a fee and let them open,” he said in a phone interview.

Based on what Shawn Merriman said in his email, it appears that approving the new Spud Box is not quite a done deal until his report is brought before Council, likely at the June 13 meeting.

If is approved at that time, then the Spud Box owners will be the beneficiaries of fortuitous timing, because the new bylaw would likely have stopped them in their tracks. It says that “no portion of the designated area [for a refreshment vehicle] shall be located on a highway or part thereof” and it also says that “the designated area shall not be located within 500 meters of a business establishment(s) or another designated area in which similar products are sold; unless there is written consent from the permanent business establishment(s)”.

The proposed Spud Box is located on Hwy.7 and there are 2 permanent food businesses located within 500 metres, Gray’s Grocery and Subway.

However, if the Spud Box is permitted and then “grandfathered” in when the new bylaw comes into place, it might be able to stay without asking permission of the neighbours and the proximity to Hwy. 7.

Of the neighbouring businesses who could be impacted by the new Chip Truck, Ram of Ram’s Esso, who would share an entrance-way off Hwy. 7 said he is concerned about the traffic coming off the highway at an awkward angle, as well as the potential overflow of litter onto his property. He also said that since he sells desserts and sandwiches the Chip Truck represents new competition for consumer dollars, “but that is more of a minor issue, the congestion and questions about litter and washrooms are more of a concern for me,” he said.

When contacted, Gray’s Grocery, which is located on Road 38, kitty corner to where the Spud Box is planning to open, said it is not a concern to them.

The owner of the Subway Restaurant could not be reached for comment before press time.

The agenda for the Central Frontenac Council meeting on June 12 has not been published as of this writing, but based on Shawn Merriman’s email it appears this matter will be before Council at that time.

The County of Frontenac is looking for input from residents and businesses as it’s trying to find ways to increase the number of overnight stays in the County in all four seasons of the year.

To better understand what’s needed to increase the number of overnight stays, Frontenac County and consulting firm MDB Insight are hosting workshops in each of the County’s member municipalities.

Anyone with a stake in tourism is encouraged to participate in these workshops and findings will be incorporated in a toolkit to help grow four season accommodations, including marketing strategies, new digital approaches and leveraging the network of existing businesses. Tourism operators, accommodation providers, cultural associations, business owners and other interested parties are all invited.

Workshop Dates and Locations:
North Frontenac: Wednesday April 19, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Clar-Mill Community Hall, 6598 Buckshot Lake Road, Plevna Registration: https://accommodationsinnorthfrontenac.eventbrite.ca
Frontenac Islands: Monday May 1, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Community Hall, 26 Division Street, Wolfe Island Registration: https://accommodationsonfrontenacislands.eventbrite.ca
South Frontenac: Monday May 1, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Storrington Centre - 3910 Battersea Road, Sunbury Registration: https://accommodationsinsouthfrontenac.eventbrite.ca
Central Frontenac: Tuesday May 2, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. St. Lawrence College Employment Services, 1099 Garrett St., Sharbot Lake Registration: https://accommodationsincentralfrontenac.eventbrite.ca

Alison Vandervelde and Richard Allen of the Frontenac County Economic Development department thought that fifteen or twenty of the 68 Frontenac County brand ambassadors would accept their invitation to hold an informal social gathering at the Sharbot Lake County Inn last Thursday (March 30).

“When over 50 said they were coming we were pretty surprised,” said Vandervelde “but then again I knew that businesses who have taken on the role of brand ambassador are an enthusiastic bunch.”

Vandervelde made a short presentation at the gathering, which included business owners from all four townships, and the staff of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation. She talked about plans to use the brand and the InFrontenac tagline to promote unique adventures in Frontenac County this summer.

“Mostly what people wanted to do was meet each other and have a good time and maybe talk about business a little bit. There was a lot of energy in the room,” she said.

Sandra White of the Sharbot Lake Country Inn hosted the event and provided appetizers, offerings that were augmented by a large meat board that Mike Mckenzie from Seed to Sausage brought along.  White talked about the journey she has gone through as owner of the Country Inn and Crossings Pub over 7 years. Along with her husband Frank and their three daughters they have renovated the entire building, creating a dining room/performance space that hosts east coast and other musical acts from across Canada. The rooms at the Inn are now mostly renovated as well. She also works at the local branch of RBC and invited representatives from the branch to the event to mingle with the ambassadors.

“You have to take every opportunity to promote what you do,” she said afterwards.

“We are enthusiastic that this summer will be a good one for businesses in Frontenac County,” said Vandervelde, “and as we hope that as we pick up more ambassadors they will continue to promote each other, making Frontenac a more attractive destination. It is easier to talk up other businesses when you know the people who run them.”

Later this spring, meetings are being organized to take a broad look at accommodations in Frontenac.

For more information or to become a brand ambassador, go to Infrontenac.ca and follow the links.

(The Frontenac News is an InFrontenac brand ambassador)