Ah_council_08-27
Back toHome
Feature Article - July 10, 2008 Addington Highlands CouncilBy Jeff GreenNew cell phone company makes overture in Flinton
OmniGlobe Networks, the company that is slated to bring broadband internet service to rural Frontenac and L&A Counties, is already branching out.
Lynx Mobility, a company that is so new it has not yet been formally launched, is a partnership between OmniGlobe Networks and Naskapi Immun, a corporation based in the Naskapi First Nation which is located in Northern Quebec.
Benoit Fleury from OmniGlobe and Balgovind Pande, a consultant who works for the Naskapi Immun Corporation, made a presentation to a meeting of Addington Highlands Council on Monday, July 7, in which they talked about the possibility of bringing cell phone service to the Cloyne area, perhaps making use of towers being constructed for the OmniGlobe broadband project.
Benoit Fleury said that 7-10% of Canadians do not have access to cellphone service, or roughly 3 million people, and this is the market that Lynx Mobility will be focused on.
“The large cellphone providers, Bell Telus and Rogers, are focused on population densities in the thousands. One of them told me that under the 10,000 threshold point it does not make sense for the incumbents to move into rural areas,” said Benoit Fleury.
This was not news to Addington Highlands Council. A couple of years ago, under former Reeve Ken Hook, council offered a $50,000 incentive to any of the major cell providors to encourage them to construct towers in Northbrook and Cloyne to serve the Highway 41 corridor, to no avail.
“We focus on communities with populations of under 2,000 people,” said Fleury.
“The Naskapi Immun has set up projects in remote locations, and has developed an understanding of how to set up services in remote communities. We also have lots of experience in how to access government funding,” said Balgovind Pande in outlining the expertise that his corporation is bringing to the Lynx Mobility partnership.
Benoit Fleury said that the first thing that must be done if this project is to move forward is to ensure that the towers that OmniGlobe is constructing this summer will be capable of supporting cellular equipment as well as high speed internet equipment.
“We need to move quickly on that,” he said.
Depending on the terrain, a radius of 15-20 km could be served by one tower.
Aside from that issue, Fleury said the next step in the process would be to identify a “priority coverage area, based on demographics, population density and other factors and then we can establish a business model.”
The preference for Lynx mobility would be for a locally based partner to step into the project.
“We call it a franchise model but it really is a partnership model with a local operator. It would provide a business opportunity and perhaps some local employment,” Balgovind Pande said. “But,” he added, “Lynx Mobility could be the operator.”
For a cellphone business to be successful, Benoit Fleury said it would be preferrable to have five or six hundred subscribers. “You can do it with less, but as the numbers drop further it becomes more difficult,” he said.
Ken Hook, who attended the meeting as a member of the AHEAD Committee (Addington Highlands Economic Advisory For Development) asked if it wasn't possible that once the service was up and running, “one of the big cell companies will jump in and decide to provide service, leaving the local business operator hanging,”
“It is a free market economy,” said Balgovind Pande.
“It still won't be the kind of area that will be particularly attractive to the incumbents, who would like greater density,” said Benoit Fleury.
Fleury said it would take 12-15 months to get service up and running if it turns out to be viable.
Reeve Henry Hogg thanked the two men for travelling to Flinton from their office in Montreal, and Council passed a motion appointing Henry Hogg, Ken Hook, and AHEAD committee chair Larry Pealow as contacts.
(In an attempt to receive further information about the OmniGlobe broadband internet offering from new towers in Cloyne, Mountain Grove and Plevna, the News attemtped to contact the company this week, but we were unable to contact the project coordinator. We will continue to seek information about the range and price of the service as well as the time frame for it to come online.)
Petition for ATVs misplaced, says Reeve
Fred Thompson headed a delegation that intended to work at convincing the township to open up the section of Highway 41 from the junction with Hwy. 7 north to Bon Echo Park to ATV use, but Henry Hogg said he was talking to the wrong level of government.
“We have no jurisdiction over Hwy. 41; it is a provincial highway. We can try to find out who you should be talking to at the Ministry of Transportation, but that's all we can do,” Hogg said.
ATVs are legal on Addington Highlands Township roads, ever since a bylaw was passed, in a split vote, by the council of the day in May of 2004.
By provincial law, ATVs are permitted north of Bon Echo on Highway 41, but not on the stretch between Highway 7 and Bon Echo Park.
“I think that is because of traffic counts,” said Hook,” but you would have to check with the province.
The Addington Highlands bylaw also does not apply on Lennox and Addington County roads within the township, such as the Flinton Road, Hogg added.
“You'd have to contact the county in Napanee to change that rule,” said Hogg.
Cloyne dump hours and Skootamatta ratepayers – Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch told council she had an “interesting time” at the Skootamatta Property Owners Association meeting. One of the issues raised was the fact that a Request For Proposal for a development on Sheldrake Lake had been set out after the cottagers had left for the fall last year.
“I told the people at the meeting that I would bring this to the attention of council,” Yanch said, “and I am. I would hope in the future that there is some way we can communicate better with the cottage association on matters like that, it would be a good idea.”
Another issue she heard about were the new dump hours at the Cloyne transfer station, specifically the 1 PM closing on Sundays in the summer.
“I didn't even know the hours had been changed,” Yanch said “and we don't set the hours, the hours were set by North Frontenac Township.”
The Cloyne site is jointly owned by the two townships.
“We pay 50% of the costs,” said Clerk Treasurer Jack Pauhl.
Helen Yanch made a motion that the township contact North Frontenac for clarification.
Cfdc_08-39
Back toHome
Feature Article - October 2, 2008 Frontenac CFDC fulfills it’s missionBy Julie Druker
Almost 70 people filled the Verona’s Lions Hall early Tuesday morning for breakfast and to attend Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation’s annual AGM, 40 more people than attended their first AGM 5 years ago. Perhaps it is a sign of the FCFDC’s success in supporting and growing local business in the Frontenacs and adhering to its mission statement of “building business and growing communities.”
Executive director Anne Prichard summarized some of the accomplishments of the organization this year. Fifty four projects were completed and a total of $880,000 in loans were dispersed and 38 new jobs were created.
Some of the local businesses who benefited this year included Nowell Motors in Cloyne, Frontenac Outfitters in Sydenham, and the communities of Sydenham, Verona and Wolfe Island for their inclusion in OMAFRA’s First Impressions Community Exchange program which recently began this year.
In the 4.5 years of its existence, the FCFDC has lent 3.5 million dollars to community businesses.
Prichard described the FCFDC’s Strategic Plan that has been developed for 2008-2011.Their two overall priorities include:
“to develop new year-round well-paid employment opportunities and
“to improve the visual appeal, range and local services and vitality of our small communities to enhance our rural lifestyles.
Broadband infrastructure, tourism, and environmental and agricultural projects will also be focused on..
The FCFDC’s online directory now includes over 300 local businesses and it receives over 225 hits per week.
Guest speakers included Shawn Gee of Ockham Communications and Nigel Maund of OmniGlobe, two companies that have both been closely involved with the FCFDC in bringing broadband services and high speed internet to northern communities and local businesses, a long time goal of the FCFDC since their inception.
Gee’s company received support from the FCFDC and is proof that the kind of support offered can really make a difference to small business in their initial start up.
Gee explained, “We are a local company that has identified a market need and a community need and the FCFDC had the foresight to acknowledge that there is a need and we have been able to act on it.”
He continued, “Over the last year we have been able to go from nothing… to having over 200 paying customers on our network.
Nigel Maund of OmniGlobe focused on his company’s work with helping to develop broadband services in the north and his continued plans to expand on this work. His company will be holding information sessions in the area this week.(see current ads)
Board member Christine Ward focused on the importance of the FCFDC board, their diversity and the various skills they have to offer. She also explained their focus this year on a campaign to advertise all of the volunteer opportunities that are available to those who might become want to become involved.
Near the meetings end, Linda Thomas, a life time resident of Frontenac County and a retired administrator at Queen’s University in Health Services and Policy Research was elected as the new Director of the board.
Congratulations Linda and it looks as though the FCFDC is well on its way to another exciting year focused on generating new business ventures and new business growth in the Frontenacs.
Batik_artist
Back toHome
Feature Article - August 28, 2008 Arden’s Batik ArtistBy Ina Hunt Turner
Sarah Hale is truly one of a kind. Or at least one of a very few.
She first became interested in batik when she spent a year in Japan after receiving a degree in English Lit. at Colby College in Maine. She was at that time already a painter and batik interested her very much. After she settled in Arden, she had the opportunity to pursue batiking as an art form and a business. She wanted to try to combine landscape art with batik and she has successfully accomplished that, one of the very few batik artists to do so. She often features the rocky scenery found right here in Arden. In order to create her beautiful work, a very intricate process of waxing and dyeing is involved. Sarah's pieces have been displayed at major art shows in Toronto and Ottawa and have been bought by collectors worldwide.
She recently completed an MCS degree at Regent College specializing in Christianity and the Arts.
Her studio is located at 1029 Elm Tree Road in Arden and her business hours in the summer are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am-5 pm. Feel free to browse because there is a lot to see. As well as her larger showpieces, the studio has Sarah's originals on smaller gift pieces, greeting cards and miniatures.
Also, this weekend, Sarah will be participating in the Inroads Craft Tour
Aok_auctions
Back toHome
Feature Article - August 21, 2008 AOK Auctions calls Harrowsmith HomeBy Julie Druker
Joe Quinn gets a great buy at an AOK Auction.
Attending an auction on a summer day in a small town out in the country is a favorite pastime for many antique collectors, shoppers and curious adventure seekers.
You can see a new town, meet interesting people, have a snack at the canteen, purchase a bidding card and walk away with some very interesting bargains.
Luckily, this summer Harrowsmith has become a destination for many auction goers thanks to Tracy Moore, owner and operator of AOK Auctions, who has held a number of auctions right here in Harrowsmith.
Tracy honed her skills at the Canadian Auction College in Barrie, ON where she studied calling and chanting (the fast talking banter that auctioneers are so famous for), business management and other related courses.
Auctioneering is not completely unrelated to her previous work experience as a co-coordinator for an environmental non-profit organization. The idea of reselling the multitude of beautiful objects that already exist in the world serves the 3R policy of reduce, reuse and recycle perfectly.
Tracy admits that when she first started out she didn’t realize that putting on an auction takes a small army of people.
The auctions are planned and prepared for weeks in advance. They involve the set up of over 400 items, tear down at the end of the day and of course all the work that occurs during the auction itself. The auctioneering, of course, is the focal point of the event but handlers, clerks, cashiers and canteen operators are all an integral part of any auction.
Tracy has been hosting a number of antique and collectible sales at the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith which have been gaining popularity. “People tend to call me to find out when the next one will be.”
She also offers other services that include co-coordinating and managing downsizing, moving, estate sales, tag sales and contents sales.
Tracy explains that an auction has been a success “when everyone leaves happy; when I do a good job for the people I am selling for and buyers leave with something that they love.”
In case you missed the Wednesday auction last week, Part ll will be happening at the Golden Links Hall on Wednesday August 27 between 3 and 9pm.
Viewing begins at 2pm and visitors can arrive anytime throughout the sale.
An auction is always a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, with a chance to visit with neighbors, grab a snack or a meal, and walk away with a great buy or two. It also a great opportunity to shop locally, support local business while honoring the 3 Rs.
For more information go to www.aokauctions.com; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613 331-3905
Lolta_08-36
Back toHome
Feature Article - September 11, 2008 Summer 'Not that Bad', Finds LOLTA SurveyThe Land O'Lakes Tourist Association released the results of a survey of their members this week. Twenty-six of the 200 member businesses answered the survey (13%) and the results confirmed that the summer of 2008 was not a banner year for tourism in the Land o' Lakes although it may not have been as bad as people had feared.
Of the respondents, 57% said business was down from 2007, 36% said it was up, and 7% said it was the same.
“As a marketing organization, we concentrated on the 'near market' with our materials this year because we knew that a variety of factors would attract new travelers from the United States,” said LOLTA manager Terry Shea, “and since 50% of the people said it was a better summer than they expected it would be, we think our focus on the 200 km radius around the Land O'Lakes worked pretty well.”
Twenty-five percent of the respondents said the summer had been worse than expected, and 25% said it was as they had forecast.
The decline in out-of-province traffic did hurt, however. Forty-two percent said the majority of their business comes from further than 200 km, and an equal number said the main negative influence was gas prices.
But the gas price factor might be overstated, according to Terry Shea. “People are still going to do what they are going to do. They are seeking an experience, and while they may decide to travel shorter distances, families are still traveling for their vacations. Factors that have nothing to do with gas prices, border issues, or fishing regulations, have a far greater impact than we might think. The weather was listed by 30% of respondents as the major negative factor, and there is nothing anyone can do about the weather,” said Terry Shea.
According to Shea, the survey demonstrated that for most tourist-related businesses 2008 was a year they “just had to get through,” in hopes that the combination of factors working against the industry will not be repeated in 2009.
For LOLTA itself, 2008 marks the end of a tourism marketing initiative that was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
In its stead LOLTA is pursuing a strategy of “accessible wilderness” to make the Land o’ Lakes a destination for the 7% of Ontarians that have physical disabilities. Funding is being sought from OMAFRA and from the Eastern Ontario Development Fund.
Abc_fraud
Back toHome
Feature Article - November 6, 2008 ABC's of fraudBy Julie Druker
Jack Fox and Denny Buchanan
The seminar was presented by Jack Fox and Denny Buchanan of the Rotary Club of Kingston, who volunteer their time to present the program to community groups.
Fox and Buchanan said that the elderly are prime targets for con artists for a number of reasons. They are often alone at home, can tend to feel lonely and often are too polite to say no.
The presenters reviewed simple steps that can be taken to avoid identity theft: leave birth certificates, passports and SIN cards at home; never provide personal information over the phone or internet unless the call is initiated by yourself; regularly reconcile bank and credit card statements with purchases and cheques; review your personal credit report from Equifax or TransUnion at least once a year; and never discard documents containing personal information without shredding them first.
The second part of the presentation focused on identifying frauds and scams. Certain “Red Flags” include: offers that sound to good to be true, like doubling your money in 6 months; being asked to send money to receive a prize; being pressured into making an immediate decision.
Con artists also tend to convince their intended victims to keep their offer “a secret”, and often make immediate efforts to become a close friend. Typical con artists will present their scam as a “lucky opportunity” since they “just happen to be in the neighborhood“.
One video portrayed a lone widow solicited at her front door by a roofer who “happened to be in the neighborhood and noticed that her roof could use some work”. He proceeded to squeeze himself through her front door and upstairs into her home to “look around”.
The woman in the end came to her senses, locked her door when he left and when he returned demanded from him a business card, references from his past employers and stated that she would be looking into the Better Business Bureau. He quickly fled.
A second video portrayed a son trying to convince his very healthy father to grant him power of attorney since the son felt he should be trusted to make the right financial decisions for his father. The father was polite but firmly let his son know that he was very capable of making his own decisions for himself.
“Kingston’s Top Ten Common Frauds”, were covered and these included: internet solicitors asking for bank information for various reasons; the skimming of debit and/or credit cards at ATM machines and various restaurants and stores. The bottom line: keep your cards with you and be present when card transactions are being made.
Anyone who feels suspicious of fraudulent offers or perpetrators is encouraged to call the police at Kingston Fraud section at 613-549-4660 or the OPP at 1-888-310-1122
Robinson
Back toHome
Feature Article - December 18, 2008 Robinson & Associates:No WorriesBy Jeff Green
Wayne Robinson
But Wayne Robinson is not particularly worried.
“We’ve been sitting here for how long, two hours,” he said near the end of an interview at his office in Sharbot Lake a couple of weeks ago, two days after the Toronto Stock exchange lost almost 10% in value in a single day. “and the phone has not been ringing? None of our investors are worried. We’ve delivered profit every year we’ve been in business, for everyone of our investors. And this year is no exception. And the investors know this, so they are not worried about their money.”
Wayne Robinson and Associates are financial planning consultants, and they also manage two investment funds, which have a total value of $50 million.
While these funds did not generate 20% annual returns during boom market years, they were never intended to be get rich quick funds, but rather stable funds that generate income by investing in regional building projects. The projected returns for 2008, 7% for one fund and 8% for the other, look pretty good when compared against mutual funds that have been suffering large losses in value.
The trick is that almost all of the money in the funds is invested in residential and commercial mortgages in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.
One of the funds, which is called “The Frontenac Mortgage Investment Corporation” has grown out of a group of three people who pooled their RRSP money in 1983 to invest in “something other than stocks and bonds” Wayne Robinson recalls.
In 1983, Wayne Robinson was running a propane distribution company, which he sold in late 1984.
Within a year he had started a financial planning business, which he has been running ever since.
In the late 80’s, Wayne’s wife Alison founded Lake District Realty, which in recent years has focused almost entirely on waterfront property, and the two have set about building the two companies ever since. In recent years they have been joined by son Matthew and David, forming a family based business that is poised for growth, even as others are concerned about an economic slowdown.
“We expect, over the next ten years, to have $250 million in our funds, and be employing 40 people,” he said.
Currently, there are 26 people working for the various companies that are based at the Simonett building, near the Robinson home, all of them from the local area.
“And most of them own houses”, Robinson said.
Wayne Robinson was born on a farm near Tichborne, and attended the Bradshaw School. He was the original Chief Executive Officer of North Frontenac Community Services, where he worked for eight years.
To have made his way in the world while remaining located so close to his roots, is not something he planned when he was younger, but it tells him that it is possible to make a success in the Sharbot Lake region in spite of the flow of people to the cities.
“A hundred years ago Canada was 80% rural and 20% urban. Now it is the opposite. That does not necessarily bode well for us out here. But, it is possible to live an urban lifestyle in the country nowadays, with the technology there is and the mobility there is. A place like Sharbot Lake can survive. There is enough here. Our company and others show that. But there must be some forward looking people around, including forward looking politicians,” he said.
Celebrating the successes of the NFU’s new farm project
The National Farmer’s Union “New Farm Project” (NFP) held its 2nd Annual Fall Gathering at the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith on November 18. Over 100 farmers (and wannabee farmers) from far and wide gathered to share their experience and knowledge, and to celebrate the successes of the NFP's first year.
Though farming is an industry fraught with challenges and a very real and ongoing income crisis, it is simultaneously experiencing a rebirth in these parts, thanks in large part to an increased desire for local produce and to the help that the NFP is now offering to newbie farmers and revisionists.
Facilitated by Wendy Luella Perkins who works as a consultant for the NFP, the Fall Gathering began with an introduction from Diane Dowling, Vice President of NFU local 316 of FL&A. Dowling explained how the NFP came about as a result of the NFU local 316’s growing success in educating consumers on the benefits of buying local food. That success created a need for more local growers and producers. For that reason members of the NFU local 316, Colleen Ross and Kathy Rothermel put together a grant application to Heifer International, a not-for-profit donor organization that promotes self sustenance and reliability in communities and in 2008 the NFU local 316 was granted $250,000 for a new four-year project called the New Farm Project, whose motto is “building farm capacity, building farm community”.
The new project was designed to build and promote a more sustainable local food system in Kingston and its countryside and to enable more people to get involved in farming through education, training and support.
At the gathering, NFP project coordinator Ian Stutt, himself a market gardener for four years summed up the achievements of the NFP in its first year, which included identifying and supporting eight new and four revisionary farmers, establishing a new chapter of the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT), an internship program that provides practical experience to new farmers. This year the NFP through their CRAFT program hosted a total of 18 interns on 10 different farms, providing the new farmers with practical hands-on training.
Also this year a total of 12 workshops on various topics offered over 80 hours of training to farmers and 21 NFP conference bursaries were given out. An NFP equipment sharing program was also set up whereby farmers can borrow and use farm machinery and tools that they require but do not own themselves such as poultry processing equipment, rototillers, bush hogs and more.
Of the 100 families that the project has set out to assist over four years, 27 have been assisted and of the 100 families expected to receive a “pass on gift “, 18 have received theirs.
The morning began with the stories of 14 individuals who received NFP “gifts”. Each NFP gift recipient described what they received, how they benefited and how they have or intend to “pass on the gift”.
Scott Irving, Gregg Williams, Louise Cooper and Thor Hansgen all worked as craft interns at different farms. Scott received funding to attend a two-day organic agriculture Conference in Guelph. His gift back? He is in the process of putting together an educational presentation for school-aged children on the importance of earthworms.
Thor attended a potato workshop and more recently a seed saving workshop and he intends to share his knowledge on seed saving by offering a future workshop on the subject.
Tibrata Gillies of Milk River Farm in Sunbury received funding to purchase milking equipment and she intends to hold a cheese-making workshop as her gift back.
Dave Perry of Perry Maine-Anjou Farms received funding for a solar fence to expand his pasture and herd. He plans to donate 12 turkeys to local families in need as his gift back. And the stories continued on.
A delicious lunch was sandwiched between two informative panel discussions. The first was titled “Making a Farm Business Succeed Today: Balancing Economics, Ecology and Quality of Life”. Moderated by Brian Burt of Burt’s Greenhouses, the panel of farmers, which included Emily Dowling, John Wise, Oliver Haan and Titia Posthuma, each gave moving and informative accounts of why, how, and what they farm. They summed up its rewards and challenges and provided moving and often comic accounts of their struggles, triumphs as they strive to be sustainable, remain economically viable while not burning themselves out physically. Strong points were made by panelists about the importance of farmers putting the business model before lifestyle, asking consumers to pay the price of production, educating the public, accounting for externalities as well as the importance of direct marketing, and trying to mimic nature to achieve ecological balance.
After lunch, Stacey Corcoran-McLaren moderated a panel discussion concerning Local Food Trends and Marketing Innovations. Panelists included Wendy Banks, whose business distributes locally grown food; Clark Day, a Kingston restaurateur who buys local produce; Pat Dawson of Desert Lake Gardens; and Dave and Kim Perry who own Perry-Maine-Anjou Farm and Local Family Farms in Verona. Each spoke about how they go about running their business and gave advice based on their own experiences.
The day proved to be an informative and fun one with a lot of networking, on other discussions taking place during breaks.
The NFP’s objectives for the upcoming year includes supporting the plans for 10 combined new and revisionary farmers, continuing to offer and implement the CRAFT program to new interns, continuing to offer bursary grants and providing workshops on a number of topics: farm business planning, farm production, marketing and distribution, fence building, seed saving, scything and canning and preserving to name just a few.
Earlier Stutt pointed out the fact that the wording “New Farm” in NFP does not just relate to new farmers but also describes the new type of farm that farmers are building these days. Stutt described this new farm as, “stable and resilient with the capacity to adjust itself to the physical, social, economic environments that present themselves.” Anyone thinking of making the move into farming or making a change in their farming practice is well advised to get connected with the NFP.
For more information on what the NFP has to offer, visit www.nfu.newfarmproject.ca or contact Ian Stutt at 613-767-6037; e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Frontenac County Council - Nov. 24/11
County resolves governance issue
Frontenac County Council has ended an 18-month-long process by selecting a new governance model.
An eight-member council, with the mayor of South Frontenac carrying two votes, will be in place after municipal elections next November, pending ratification of the proposal by lower-tier councils in the county.
Currently there are four members of Frontenac County Council - the four Frontenac townships (North, South, Central, and Frontenac Islands), and each township will be adding an additional member after the municipal election next November.
The extra councilors will be chosen by the member councils for a four-year term
By allocating two votes to the mayor of South Frontenac there will be nine votes on the council, ensuring majority votes on contentious issues and providing extra weight to South Frontenac, whose ratepayers contribute 58% of municipally derived funds to the county budget.
The proposal is similar to ones that have been put forward by the member councils, although the specifics of the weighted vote provision was put into the final proposal by Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski.
Gutowski's one-year term as county warden ended after the November 18 meeting at which the council made the governance decision that had been lingering on their agenda for over a year.
“There is a clear indication that there needs to be change,” Gutowski said in framing the final debate. “We've got some very weighty issues at the county table. I think the discussion can be deepened, and I do feel it can be enhanced by adding new bodies. The job is getting bigger and we need more hands on deck.”
Although she said she is not completely comfortable with the second township representative being selected by the councils rather than by an election by the entire electorate, as the mayor is, “I am prepared to let the townships make that selection,” she said.
Gutowski's insistence that the extra vote for South Frontenac be held by the mayor reflects her concern about representation. “I think the directly elected representatives must have a majority of the votes on the council,” she said.
Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek, who initiated the debate about governance during his second term as county warden in 2008, was reluctant to support the change.
“Can we get a sense of how much it will cost to add four more members, in terms of salary, staff time, everything? Will it require an extra staff position?” he asked.
After taking a short break to consider that question, County Treasurer Marion VanBruinessen said the cost would be around $70,000 per year. She began to break down the estimated figures, noting that the salary for a councilor is $7,000.
Then Vanden Hoek said, “We don't need the detail. If it is $70,000, that's quite a bit of money. If you agree to this, the eight or nine-person council will be around for a long time. There may be an interim step. I'm going to suggest a couple of things for a term that would avoid us spending the $70,000. What if we transfer any net surpluses at the end of the year back to the townships on a pro-rated basis? That would put the county and the townships on the same operating level as the city and the health unit. We may also turn around and establish a finance committee, with township representation, that works with the county on the budget.”
“You are putting a new proposal on the table at 2 in the afternoon [the Council meeting had started at 10 am with a two hour in camera session] after we have discussed this for 12 months,” Warden Gutowski replied.
“We are dealing in apples and oranges,” added North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam, sitting in for Mayor Ron Maguire, “if you want to take back the surpluses, I don't think that will satisfy the desire for more input from the townships.”
“There has been a lot of discussion and it is time for a vote,” said Warden Gutowski. “There is one proposal on the table.”
Neither Mayors Vanden Hoek nor Davison would move or second a motion based on Gutowski's proposal, forcing her to relinquish her chair in order to make a motion, which was seconded by Jim Beam.
The motion was approved by a 4 – 0 vote.
A bylaw was passed later in the meeting, and the proposal will go to a public meeting on November 30 at the Sydenham Town Hall.
In order to come into effect in time for the 2010 municipal election, it will need to be ratified by at least three of the four member councils, representing at least 50% of the population, by the end of the year.
Because South Frontenac has 58% of the population, the change must be ratified by their council and at least two others.
County still uneasy with transportation plan
Frontenac County Council continued to express concerns about a proposal to establish an independent not-for-profit corporation for transportation in South, Central and North Frontenac townships.
Susan Leslie, the CEO of Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) and Deborah Andrews, CEO of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCS) along with Jane Drew, the Manager of Rural Routes and Dean Walsh from Community Living-North Frontenac, came to Frontenac County Council last week to answer questions about a business plan they have submitted.
The plan calls for Rural Routes, which is currently a project of NFCS, to become an independent corporation that will co-ordinate rides to medical appointments and other services throughout mainland Frontenac County for needy clients of SFCS, NFCS, and others.
The plan calls for Frontenac County to provide $80,000 each year towards transportation. Of that money, Rural Routes would receive $45,000 towards its administrative budget, and each of the agencies would receive $17,500 to help pay for rides.
Rural Routes will have driven about 400,000 kilometres in 2009, mostly for NFCS clients, and SFCS will have arranged for 100,000 kilometres in rides for its own clients.
The Rural Routes business plan envisions revenue of $244,000 per year from fees charged to customers, along with the $80,000 in county money and $15,000 in fundraising dollars.
Most of the clients' fees are funded by external agencies, such as Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program, Children's Aid, and fundraising by the two agencies.
In introducing the plan, Deborah Andrews mentioned some of the clients that use the transportation service her agency provides. “We received a call recently from the hospital in Kingston, about a young mom who was being discharged with a new baby and had no transportation home. Another couple had lost their house, but were able to secure work and needed help getting there,” she said.
Susan Leslie attempted to reassure council that Rural Routes does not intend to fold itself into county operations. “My key point is this is not a request for the county to become a transportation provider. We are asking for the county to support transportation, not provide it. As well, almost half the money we are asking for from the county is for rides we cannot subsidize in any other way,” she said.
“I've been lukewarm about transportation in rural areas. I've always had difficulties with it. I'm probably still lukewarm, but first I want to give credit for the work you have done to bring your agencies together on this, and to the volunteers who provide the service,” said Frontenac Islands Mayor Vanden Hoek. “I want to go back to something you’ve heard before. There is a significant risk to the county going forward. One of the risks is the volunteer model. The cost would double if there were no volunteers.”
Vanden Hoek also expressed a concern about the potential to ramp up demand by offering subsidy, creating a programme that costs more and more to operate, eventually costing the county more money.
“I would be more comfortable if you had a sustainable business plan,” he said.
South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison said, “The only thing I hear from you is about efficiencies in dispatch by setting this up, but nothing about making sure there are savings on the ground. I too have fears about the cost. I commend you people but this is not an open chequebook.”
North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam said, “Thank you very much for the plan. You were asked to do this and you did. You asked the county for support and I think you should get it.”
Warden Janet Gutowski said, “I look at the business plan and I see there is a lot that is not spoken of in it. There is a lot that is not clarified, but I think we should go forward and open the door on this. It is a recognised need in the county.”
Later in their meeting, county council received the first of the budget estimates for 2010. Included among them is $80,000 under the heading “Grants to service providers” that is earmarked for Rural Routes.
The budget estimates will all be on the county agenda for approval in the new year.
Transportation collaborative awaits county approval
Sue Leslie, Jane Drew, Deborah Andrews, and Dean Walsh slipped quietly into the back of the room at a Frontenac Council meeting a week or so ago (October 27).
They were a bit nervous, and they had every reason to be. Sue Leslie, Executive Director of Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS), and Deborah Andrews, Executive Director of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCS), represent social service agencies that have stretched their finances to the limit in 2009 by funding transportation costs for clients. Jane Drew is the director of Rural Routes Transportation Services, and Dean Walsh works for Community Living – North Frontenac.
The 2009 Frontenac County budget included $80,000 for transportation, but the money had been held back until the two agencies, along with partners such as Community Living - North Frontenac could come up with a business plan to provide integrated transportation services throughout the county.
With the business plan having been submitted earlier in the month, it was a mere formality for the 2009 funds to be released, and when that happened a collective sigh of relief could be heard from the back of the hall.
But the future of transportation in Frontenac County is by no means secure.
The Frontenac Transportation Collaborative Business plan, which includes an $80,000 annual contribution from Frontenac County, has been received but not accepted by county council, and on November 18, Leslie, Andrews et al will be front and centre as council considers formally accepting the plan.
Essentially, the business plan involves spinning off Rural Routes Transportation Services, which is currently the part of NFCS that provides rides for agency clients and others for a fee, into an independent entity that will serve North, South, and Central Frontenac.
SFCS, which is based in Sydenham, will drive clients over 100,000 kilometres this year and Rural Routes about 400,000. Most of those ½ million kilometres constitute rides for children or adults to medical services or services provided by the two agencies. The rides are funded in most cases by social service agencies such as Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Services, and are delivered by volunteer drivers who receive payment for mileage.
But the task of putting drivers together with clients is as onerous and expensive as it is necessary.
“In order to provide a range of services in a rural context we need to help people get to them,” said Sue Leslie, “so whether we like it or not we are in the transportation business.”
This led NFCS to set up Rural Routes three years ago, and while a Trillium grant helped get the agency up and running, ongoing operations required municipal support, leading to an appeal to Frontenac County.
While the county has supported Rural Routes for the past three years, it has always been as a project, and county councilors have been careful not to commit any funds for future years.
South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison has been particularly wary of the potential costs of a transportation program, and he has been pushing for a program that covers the entire county. Rural Routes has been primarily covering the region from Verona to the north, the catchment area for NFCS, while SFCS provides their own, more limited service, for clients in the south. Putting the two services together has been a condition for ongoing county support.
The Frontenac Transportation Services Collaborative Business Plan is an attempt to do just that. It calls for Rural Routes to be spun off from NFCS and for the SFCS transportation to be dispatched through Rural Routes. Driver training, safety procedures, and the cost of transportation will be the same throughout the county, and in time a seamless service is to be developed.
For 2010, the plan calls for an $80,000 grant from the county, to cover about 27% of the costs of the service. $17,500 is slated for NFCS and SFCS - $15,000 to cover fees for rides that each agency funds, and $2,500 for their administrative costs - and $55,000 is slated to go directly to Rural Routes for operating costs, training and dispatch.
The business plan outlines several steps that will need to be completed in order for Rural Routes (or a re-named entity) to become an independent transportation service.
The county will likely have a presence on the Rural Routes Board, as will SFCS and NFCS, along with client representatives and other county agencies.
The reception the business plan receives at Frontenac county council on November 18 will likely determine the future prospects for Rural Routes.
