At first glance it looked like most of the music fans attending the Flinton Jamboree were taking the opportunity to spend time in their trailers during the induction ceremony and performances for the first annual Land O'Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame, but looks can be deceiving, especially on a hot summer's afternoon.

While the chairs in the hot sunshine were almost empty, save for the one Dave Deacon was sitting in as he recorded the event for posterity in still and video format, out by the fences the seats under the large canopies were all full and there were a number of people standing as well.

On stage, Hall of Fame Chair Bob Taylor introduced his co-conspirator, the musician and band leader Bill White, who conducted the ceremony.

The first award was the lifetime achievement award, which was shared by two winners. Charlie Pringle, 89, performed first, playing “Worn Out” and the “Love Bug” before being presented with his award by Warren Anderson.

Harold Perry, 87, received the other lifetime achievement award for his playing and mentoring over the years. His award was presented by Roger Hermer.

The First Hall of Fame inductee was Reg Weber, who played “Duelling Guitars” with Murray White and then received the award from Murray Northey, who recalled how much Weber has done as a musician and a music store owner to encourage players young and old in the Northbrook area.

George York, from Marlbank, was up next. He played “Turkey in the Straw”, and was celebrated for all the music he has performed and brought to the local community as a promoter, and for his fundraising efforts over the years. His award was presented by Cathy Whalen.

Three children of the late Floyd Lloyd, including his daughter Sandra Lloyd Dunham, were in attendance to receive his award from Oddie Snider. “Robin and Nell”, Lloyd's signature song, was performed in his honour.

The final award went to Cathy Whalen, who had been on stage throughout the other awards, playing drums, guitar and providing vocals in the songs for the other inductees.

Mary Cassidy sang “Yellow Roses” in Cathy's honour.

In addition to the Hall of Fame plaques, each of the recipients received certificates from the Province of Ontario, presented by former MPP Daryl Kramp, who was standing in for MPP Randy Hillier, and the Government of Canada as represented by Hastings, Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio.

A special award from the City of Tweed was also presented to George York in recognition of his support for events in that community.

All in all, organisers were pleased with the turnout and the audience was able to hear some excellent music.

It started with a conversation between Northbrook's Bob Taylor and musician Bill White of Kingston, who is originally from Plevna. They were talking about their mutual friend Reg Weber, a musician and music store owner who has been ailing, but with some new medication has been able to play again.

“Bill said it would be great if Reg could play at the Flinton Jamboree this year and it got me thinking about all of the great musicians and promoters and singers from the region who are getting older and those who have passed on. I spent all night thinking about it and by the next morning I had the idea,” said Bob Taylor.

He called Bill White back the next morning, and “within two hours we had the whole thing worked out,” said Taylor.

The Land O'Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame will not be housed in a physical building, but will include a website, some memorabilia that will be offered to museums in Tweed, Napanee, Cloyne and Hartington, and will be expressed mostly through an annual ceremony on the Saturday afternoon of the Flinton Jamboree each year.

“We went all out with the plaques that will be presented to the inductees,” said Bob Taylor. “They are made of rosewood; they include a good picture, and are something substantial that we expect will be much appreciated.”

Taylor and White recruited musicians, promoters and music lovers from the Land O'Lakes region to help them. The first thing they did was put together a list of names, people who have made their mark locally, nationally and even internationally in traditional country, bluegrass and gospel circles. This is the pool of people they will choose from over the next few years as the virtual hall is being populated

The board of directors has representatives from Verona, Arden, Plevna, Yarker, Cloyne, Tweed and Madoc and for the first year the names that they came up with were done through consensus.

“We are setting up a more formal process for future years, and will be including previous inductees as part of it,” said Taylor.

The names of the inaugural members of the hall are no secret, however; they were announced at the same time that the establishment of the hall was announced back in early June.

Reg Weber is the inductee in the instrumentalist/ entertainer’s category. Reg has owned music stores in Northbrook and, more recently Perth, and is a guitarist who has played in numerous bands and one off situations for decades throughout the Ottawa Valley and southeast Ontario.

Cathy Whalen, in the band leader/ entertainer’s category, is the founding member of the Land O'Lakes Cruisers, a group that has been active for 49 years. They have raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity over that time, and are performing at the Jamboree as well this year.

The late Floyd Lloyd, radio host/ recording artist /band leader/ entertainer, made his name internationally after moving from Northbrook to Oshawa for a job at General Motors. In Oshawa he formed the group the Golden Boys, and eventually recorded four albums and toured through Canada and the United States.

George Yorke from Marlbank, the first inductee in the promoter category, is known as an auctioneer and for his tireless efforts organising concerts and festivals over the years.

Finally, the lifetime achievement awards are going to Charlie Pringle and Harold Perry.

“The Lifetime Achievement awards are set aside for older performers who have contributed to the music scenes in their communities over many years even if they never have had a commercial career,” said Taylor.

“Everybody loves old Charlie. He's played everywhere and keeps on going even though he is almost 90. And Harold has done so many things over the years as a mentor to youth, from playing music and teaching guitar to judo and woodworking. We thought it would be great to honour them both.”

The ceremony, which will be held on Saturday July 30 at the Flinton Jamboree from 3 until 5 pm, will feature a number of performances and reminiscences by friends and colleagues of the inductees in addition to the presentation of the plaques. MP Mike Bossio will be on hand to make the presentations.

“We wanted it to be more like a show than just a break in the regular music to present an award,” said Taylor.

Tickets are readily available for the Flinton Jamboree (see page 6 for details) and there may be special pricing available for the Saturday matinee.

More delays over Denbigh dump

Craig Dobiech and Roberto Sacilotto, from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, appeared before council on Monday to talk about the future of the Denbigh and Kaladar waste sites.

The Denbigh site was closed in 2004, and for the last 12 years the township has been seeking ministry approval to re-open the site on an expanded footprint. The township has purchased land adjacent to the waste site and, according to Reeve Hogg, has “done everything the ministry has asked of us over that time but we have not heard, ever, whether there is any likelihood of the site opening again and when that might happen.”

Speaking for the ministry, Dobiech said that there is a concern about the potential for leachate from material in the existing and the potentially extended site into the water table. He said that, in consultation with the township's waste consultant, Diedre Johnson, who was at the meeting, and Road Supervisor Royce Rosenblath, additional work is planned for the site to raise the ground level and hopefully divert water around the waste to mitigate the leaching issue.

“Hopefully we can expedite your application to have this work done, so it can be completed this year. We will then require a couple of sampling events to determine how well it works, at least one of them in the spring,” said Dobiech.

“There is one thing about this I don't like,” said Councilor Bill Cox. “We could do all this, spend more money, after we have spent a lot of money over the years, and end up with the dump staying closed.”

“Whether or not the site can be re-opened, the work needs to be done as part of the closure plan,” said Diedre Johnson, as Craig Dobiech confirmed.

“What's the likelihood, after we do this, that it will yield the results you are looking for and we can re-open the dump?” asked Councilor Tony Fritsch.

“I can't answer that question,” said Johnson.

“But if we do the work this summer, and test in the fall and the spring, the dump could be open a year from now, could it not?” asked Councilor Kirby Thompson.

“I can't answer that,” said Dobiech, “but we can expedite the approval for having the work done on the site this year.”

The second topic discussed was the pending closure of the Kaladar Waste Site.

“Essentially, the site is full,” said Johnson, “and it is ready to be capped with .6 metres of clay. However, if the township uses a thinner membrane instead of clay, there will be enough extra space created for 6 to 7 years.

“Has this membrane been approved in other places?” asked Reeve Hogg.

“It has, and we can consider it for this site, but we need an application in front of us before we can react,” said Dobiech.

“We are trying to get an application in within the next couple of weeks,” said Johnson.

The township is considering restricting all of the dump sites to household waste, and diverting all construction waste and furniture from the local sites in order to keep them open longer. If approved, the Denbigh site would be liable to receive waste for 30 years.

More noise exemptions – the New Apostolic Church requested the use of the Denbigh ball field for a church homecoming weekend on August 21 and 22, when they are planning to hold an outdoor service and a concert. They also requested an exemption to the noise bylaw for the occasion.

Council approved the noise bylaw exemption.

Library Purchasing Policy – In response to a request from Councilor Cox, the purchasing policy for the Addington Highlands Public Library was included in the agenda package. The policy, which dates from 2004, states that for any expenditure over $5,000, three “written quotes” are required.

“I was just concerned because it seemed all the work that gets done is solely sourced from one contractor, which is not something we can do at the township, and we pay the library budget,” said Cox.

“We might pay the budget, but the library is not required to follow our bylaws. They are independent in that sense,” said Reeve Hogg.

Council received the library purchasing policy for information.

Calcium Carbonate applied – Royce Rosenblath reported that the application of calcium carbonate on township roads for dust suppression has been completed, as have the re-surfacing projects that were approved in the budget.

Letter from the Publisher

The summer season is a crucial part of the year for all the businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities. This week, I've been calling many of the business owners that we deal with on a regular basis to ask them for help.

There is a good possibility that this will be the last Frontenac News that readers will receive in their mailboxes for a while, as Canada Post and two of the bargaining units with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are at an impasse in negotiating a contract.

As of this coming Saturday, July 2, the union will be in a legal strike position. What will result is anyone's guess. It could be a contract; the union may launch a strike; or Canada Post might lock them out.

We distribute 9214 copies of the Frontenac News through Canada Post each week, to the far corners of Frontenac County, Addington Highlands and western Lanark County. On some weeks, we distribute an extra 2920 papers to the Inverary and Perth Road regions. While this is an expensive way to distribute newspapers, in our experience it is the only way to reach all the hamlets and back roads properties in the region. For us to set up our own distribution system would be [prohibitively?] expensive and would also be difficult to monitor effectively.

So, as we face a shut down at Canada Post, we’ve been on the phone to ask for help.

Thankfully, all the businesses we approached have been understanding, and below is a list of locations that have been lined up as of early this week. We will expand our distribution further as we contact more businesses but you can count on the ones listed here to have the Frontenac News available for free every Thursday until Canada Post is back up and running.

DISTRIBUTION POINTS:

• KINGSTON FRONTENAC PUBLIC LIBRARY branches during open hours – Sydenham, Hartington, Sharbot Lake, Parham, Arden, Mountain Grove, Plevna, and Cloyne.

• TOWNSHIP OFFICES for Addington Highlands (Flinton Recreation Centre – basement), North Frontenac (Road 506 between Ardoch and Plevna), Central Frontenac (Sharbot Lake), and South Frontenac (Sydenham)

• RETAIL OUTLETS -

• Denbigh – Glaeser's General Store

• Cloyne/Northbrook – Nowell Motors, Grand's Store, Bishop Lake Outdoor Centre, Hook's, Yourway, Northbrook Gas and Variety, Northbrook Foodland, Addison's Restaurant

• Kaladar – Kaladar Shell

• Plevna – North of 7

• Ompah – Palmerston Lake Marina

• Arden – Arden Batik?

• Sharbot Lake – Petrocan, Ram's Esso, Mike Dean's Superstore, Pharmasave, St. Lawrence College Employment Centre, Cardinal Cafe, Maples?, Sharbot Lake Country Inn, and our own office at 1095 Garrett St., rear building.

• Parham – Parham General Store

• Godfrey – Godfrey General Store

• Verona – Asselstine Hardware, Verona Hardware, Food Less Traveled, Nicole's Gifts, Verona Foodland

• Hartington - Leonard Fuels

• Harrowsmith – Gilmour's on 38, The Pizza Place

• Sydenham – Sydenham One Stop, Trousdale's Foodland ?

We are also constructing some special temporary boxes, which will be located at roadside postal locations, such as the Snow Road Community Centre, the Mountain Grove Library (outside), the Arden Post Office, etc.

Also, readers can always read the articles online at frontenacnews.ca and at that site can also access a flash version of our paper that is a .pdf copy of the newsprint version that comes to your door each week under normal circumstances.

If there is a strike, this distribution system will remain in place for at least the July 7 and 14 editions. If there is a stoppage that extends beyond mid-July, we will take stock of the success of our system and may consider changes.

We thank our readers in advance for their patience, and hope that those who enjoy the Frontenac News each week will be able to continue to do so next week.

Bottle collection at waste sites

A proposal from the Land O'Lakes Lions Club to collect beer, wine, and spirits bottles from the Kaladar waste site was well received by Council, but there are some complications.

“The Lions brought a large three-sided box with a lid to the waste site,” said Roads and Waste site manager Royce Rosenblath, “but we need to know where to place it and how to encourage the public to use it. There is a cost to having staff separating recycling, however.”

“Township staff should not be looking after it at all,” said Councilor Bill Cox.

“I could see doing it on a trial basis as long as staff aren't impacted. I'd suggest they put a sign there, telling the public where to deposit the bottles,” said Councilor Tony Fritsch.

Council decided to give the go-ahead to the Lions to collect the bottles on a trial basis at a location to be determined by staff, with appropriate signage.

More bylaw exemption talk

The township received a letter from the Mazinaw Lake Resort asking if the noise bylaw could be exempted for a second night this summer. The township has already approved an exemption for one event this summer, although as Clerk Christine Reed pointed out, the township has not yet been informed about the date of the event.

“I think we would cause an upset if we approved this, after the response from some of the public that we heard at our last meeting,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“They have the stage around, apparently, as we requested,” said Bill Cox.

Council did not approve the request for a second noise bylaw exemption.

More bylaw requests

At the previous meeting, Council approved the use of the Denbigh Park for the Hermer wedding on September 3, and at this meeting Cheryl Hermer's request for an exemption from the noise bylaw to allow for amplified music at the wedding was considered. The request was for an exemption until midnight, but in the name of consistency, Council only approved the exemption until 11 pm.

Ambulance safe for the time being

Reeve Hogg reported that Lennox and Addington County Council approved an extension of the Loyalist Township Service to 24 hours, up from the 12 hours a day that has been in place. The hours are not, however, being taken from the 12 hour service that is offered out of Denbigh.

“The Denbigh service is safe, for now,” said Hogg.

Missing from the changes is a plan for the Township of Stone Mills, which has been identified as an under-served area. It is covered by bases in Napanee, Loyalist, Sydenham, Parham and Northbrook, but all of those bases are 15 minutes or more from the border with Stone Mills. The accepted provincial target for rural ambulance service is 30 minutes or less, 90% of the time.

Chloride is coming to township roads, but not this week

The dry spring has led to a higher than normal number of calls to the roads department for this time of year asking for chloride dust suppressant to be applied.

Royce Rosenblath said that it will take another week to complete grading and then the suppressant will be applied.

“I know people are concerned. It's the driest I've ever seen it at this time of year,” he said.

Much noise on noise

The township's noise bylaw prohibits amplified music out of doors. A contentious proposal to suspend it for three events at Mazinaw Lakeside Resort this summer, on July 2, July 30, and either August 20 or September 3, turned into a debate between Lori Ellerbeck, one of the resort owners, and Susan Delaney, Rod Trute and Elizabeth Russell, cottage owners on Mazinaw Lake.

The resort, which is located on the east side of Highway 41, across from Mazinaw Lake, has hosted a number of rock and pop music events in recent years, much to the consternation of some of the lakefront property owners.

“We are only talking about three nights out of 365 in the year,” said Ellerbeck. She said that she had learned three days before the meeting that opponents of her proposal had written to Council, so she quickly started up a petition, collecting 25 signatures.

When she approached Council, Susan Delaney pointed out that a number of names on the list were people who lived some distance away from the resort, and would not be affected by the noise in their own homes.

“To sanction these events allows a private business to profit at the expense of residential ratepayers,” said Delaney. “It is not just three nights; it is three nights during long weekends. Our family and friends can only come up on long weekends. The noise is so loud that we cannot enjoy a campfire; we are held hostage in our homes with the windows closed. We can't enjoy our property.”

Elizabeth Russell said, “I agree with what Susan said wholeheartedly. It is a troublesome situation. It is extremely noisy, extremely disruptive.”

Dave Deacon, who lives next to the Mazinaw Resort, said he supports the live music events because they help the resort stay open.

“It does a lot for the community and is the only restaurant left on that side of the Mazinaw,” he said.

Lori Ellerbeck said she wonders why Brown's Campground, which is located at the far end of the lake, not far from her resort, is able to hold their own events without trouble, and don't even apply for noise bylaw exemptions.

“They bring in the exact same band” she said, “the same band.”

Councilor Tony Fritsch proposed a motion that Council approve one event.

Councilor Bill Cox said that the matter, which has come before Council in years past, “keeps haunting us .. Two years ago we approved one event; last year two. What needs to happen is the stage needs to be turned around to face away from the lake. I will support one event, only if the stage is turned around.”

Fritsch said he would accept Cox's amendment to his motion.

Pointing out that Ellerbeck had said she has already booked bands for July 2 and July 30, Deputy Mayor Helen Yanch said she would not support the single event motion.

The motion was approved, on a vote of 3-2, with Yanch and Reeve Hogg voting against it.

Noise bylaw exemption for Flinton Jamboree

“Timing is everything,” said Councilor Cox when the next item on the agenda was a request for an exemption to the township's noise bylaw for the July/August long weekend for the Flinton Jamboree.

“This is for three days but it is only one event,” Cox added. “No one has ever complained about it.”

“I live near there and I hear it; I certainly hear it, and I am not a fan of country music,” said Helen Yanch. “I'm not going to oppose it because it is good for the community, but I want it to be known that I hear it.”

“I hear it also,” said Cox.

Council granted the noise bylaw exemption, as well as a subsequent request to waive the rental fee for the use of the Flinton Recreation Centre and grounds for the event.

Bicycle recycling

Robert Sprague was given permission to take a number of bicycles that were left in the Vennachar dump, with a view towards fixing them up and giving them to some of the children in Denbigh.

Free Methodist Church rebuild

Council expressed its support for the congregation of the Vennachar Free Methodist Church in their intention to rebuild the church, which has been in continuous use since 1894. The potential of a funding application to the Canada 150 Infrastructure Fund Intake 2 is being considered for the project.

Backhoe purchase

Council approved the purchase of a backhoe from John's Equipment of Frankford for the price of $125,445, minus $12,000 for the trade-in of the township's old backhoe. It was the lowest bid.

Breathing apparatus

On the recommendation of Fire Chief Cuddy, Council approved the purchase of new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units from AJ Stone at a price of $177,350 for the Kaladar Barrie department and $80,668 for the Denbigh department.

Clean review

Adam Young from Seckler, Ross and Perry, presented his findings after reviewing the township’s consolidated financial statements for 2015, and found no serious issues in the statements.

OPP visit

Inspector Pat Finnegan, detachment commander for Napanee/Loyalist/Kaladar, brought the quarterly incident data to Council. Year over year the incident numbers were similar, although the number of constable hours in the township were down from about 185 in 2015 to about 160 in the first quarter of 2016, which could translate in savings in billing down the road.

Finnegan also talked about what he described as a successful first few months for the “Situation Table” initiative that he has been co-chairing in Napanee.

Representatives from police, social and health services agencies meet weekly in Napanee. Participants bring forward the names of individuals that they have determined are in crisis. If the case fits a strict set of criteria, the agencies send teams to see the person and offer them comprehensive services to help them take steps to improve their circumstances. The idea is to intervene before any incident leading to injury, arrest or any other negative outcome takes place

“We have dealt with 29 individuals so far, and there have been success stories. Some people say ‘go away’, but some are receptive. The other change is that as a group that meets each week, we have developed a better understanding of the work everyone else does. We are becoming a team, which is exciting,” he said.

The Situation Table deals with individuals from Napanee and rural Lennox and Addington County.

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch congratulated Reeve Hogg over his appointment as warden of Lennox and Addington County at a council meeting in Denbigh on Monday night.

“Now we can expect a solution on the Denbigh ambulance issue, right?” said Councilor Bill Cox.

“I have letters from all the surrounding counties, but it may take a while to sort out,” said Hogg. “Stay tuned”.

Contract for paving

The contract for single and double surface paving that were included in this year's budget went to Greenwood Paving of Pembroke, who will also be looking at the parking lot at the Flinton Recreation Centre/township office complex as an extra project. The price quoted by Greenwood was $16,440 per kilometre for single surface, and $32,880 for double surface. The single surface price was just a hair under that of the only other bidder, Miller Group (Smith's Construction), which was $16,470, but the double surface price was substantially lower. The Miller bid was $40,260.

“The good news is that the price is $2,000 lower than last year's price,” said Roads and Waste Management Supervisor, Royce Rosenblath.

“Wasn't the price $3,500 not that long ago?” said Henry Hogg.

“That was quite a while ago, but yes,” said Rosenblath.

Waste site changes coming

In a discussion about the wording in the upcoming township newsletter, the subject of changes to how waste sites operate came up. A proposal to divert all construction waste from the Kaladar site was not approved by Council recently, but since the projected life of the existing waste sites has been shortened by consultants looking at the sites, council will be looking at changes.

“You should just write that changes to waste site operations are pending in the newsletter,” said Rosenblath to Clerk/Treasurer Christine Reed.

“Sounds reasonable,” said Councilor Kirby Thompson.

Free use of meeting room

The meeting room in the basement of the Flinton Hall will be used by organizers of the Flinton Jamboree free of charge. In approving the request, Reeve Hogg said that the township should receive financial statements from public groups asking for free use of facilities for non-profit events.

“I know they tend to not be incorporated; they are just community groups, but we should see something,” he said.

Support for Lyme disease research but not for wake ban

Council supported a motion circulated by the municipality of Niagara Region asking the province to increase funding for Lyme disease research.

A motion from the Township of Perry asking the federal Minister of Transportation to implement legislation that would provide authorities with the ability to enforce a “No Wake” restriction in Ontario's navigable waters, was just received for information.

“I would have supported it,” said Reeve Hogg, “except they asked the federal minister to make rules for only Ontario, which does not make sense.”

Budget in, levy up – tax rate flat

After a 30-minute in camera session with two residents, Reeve Henry Hogg wasted no time going through the agenda at a meeting of Addington Highlands Council in Flinton on Monday, May 2, racing through in 15 minutes.

Among the items on the agenda was the 2016 budget, which had been the subject of a special meeting three days earlier. All that was left to do was pass the document, which will see the levy to Addington Highlands ratepayers go up $140,000, from $2.4 million in 2015 to $2.53 million in 2016, an increase of 5.58%. Overall spending by the township will top $5.4 million in 2016, with local taxes being topped up by $1.2 million that comes from “pre-levy revenues” such as transfers from L&A County for road maintenance, user fees, etc. and a $1.65 million subsidy from the Province of Ontario.

Among the issues that were noted as contributing to this year's increase is a $108,000 (17%) increase in OPP costs. There were also increases to the fire budget and to the environmental services budget.

Reeve Hogg pointed out that although the levy is up by over 5%, that increase will not be reflected in the tax rate, which is flat. Individual ratepayers will see an increase based entirely on the amount of assessment increase that is applied to their property this year by the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).

Joint Council meeting over fire services

A meeting was held last month between Addington Highlands and North Frontenac Council to discuss issues that have arisen in the funding of the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Department, which serves residents in both townships. Four motions came out of that meeting for consideration by each township. One dealt with a review of core services delivered by the department and two dealt with fees charged for service by the department. A fourth resolution was not related to the fire service, but had to do with medical services that both townships have an interest in. All four resolutions were passed without comment.

Waste site closure pending

At the Denbigh meeting in April, the township's waste site consultants reported that the Kaladar site is reaching the end of its usable life. At the current rate of use, it could be full within five years, but if dumping at the site is restricted to household waste only, eliminating construction and other waste, it may last up to 10 years or more.

Royce Rosenblath said that in light of that report, the township needs to assign staff to deal with all the details of diversion, closure, transfers and necessary changes to the waste site’s Certificate of Approval from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

“We could use our own staff or consultants to do this, but we need to get on it pretty soon,” he said.

The township office is short-staffed at the moment, but that will change in early June.

Councilor Bill Cox put forward a motion to defer the matter of changes to the Kaladar waste site so that it will come back to the table in early June.

On April 20, close to 70 enthusiastic volunteers gathered at the boat launch at Deerock Lake near Flinton, armed with gloves and bags, eager to clean up the mess that careless campers left behind over the years.

The lake, which is located in the Elzevir Peatlands Conservations Reserve, is protected under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act and receives the same kind of protection that the local provincial parks do.

The area attracts campers and fishers, and offers 28 picturesque campsites. Most of them are located on small islands, and are free to visitors on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Unfortunately, campers have failed to heed the sign on the road leading to the boat launch that reads: “Please, take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but foot prints.”

The cleanup was initiated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and was also supported by Quinte Conservation, who owns the 60-70 acre parcel of land in and around the boat launch.

They were joined by numerous local groups and organizations, including members of the Conservationists of Frontenac Addington (COFA); the Frontenac Addington Trappers Council; the Township of Addington Highlands as well as staff and students from North Addington Education Centre; and employees from the Milestone Funeral Center in Northbrook.

The event demonstrated how cooperation between like-minded groups can positively impact the natural environment they share. The event was headed up by Justin Punchard, a partnership specialist with the MNRF, who works for the Peterborough district at the Kingston field office.

Punchard instructed and organized the volunteers, who met at the boat launch at 9am and were supplied with a map of the lake, rubber gloves and plastic bags. They then took to their boats and headed out to their designated locations on the lake.

“The goal here today is to clean up all of the campsites and surrounding shoreline to ensure the sustainable use of the site for the future, and to return it back to its natural state,” Punchard said. He said that the group would be collecting mostly household recyclables, like pop cans and pop bottles, but also numerous lawn chairs that were left behind to rot.

Addington Highlands Township provided a large bin and a tri-axle dump truck, the former to collect recyclables and the latter to collect garbage. Both delivered the waste to the Kaladar dumpsite later that day. Toxic materials were also separated and hauled off. Those planning to visit the site this year will no doubt notice a big change.

Terry Murphy, manager of Quinte Conservation, said that the area is a very popular fishing place. “We are hoping that by cleaning up the islands and doing a good public relations job, we'll be able to convince users to keep the lake and the islands clean so we can keep the access to the lake open to the public. We want people to be able to use the area, but we also want people to respect it”, Murphy said.

Wilf Deline, president of the Frontenac Addington Trappers Council, had the same motivation for taking part. “This is our backyard and where we live, so it's important for us to be here today to help, and we just hope that people down the road keep it clean.”

Punchard thanked staff from Quinte Conservation, who he said are key stakeholders, and also thanked all the volunteers and other local resource groups who made the event so successful.

Visitors to the area are required to pay $10 for parking in the summer months, which will be managed by local students, who will also be responsible for educating the public about keeping the area clean. Murphy said that this event is the first massive cleanup of the area and he hopes it won't have to happen again.

Ontario Parks nixes winter operation of Bon Echo Park

It took the better part of a year for the Director of Ontario Parks, Bruce Bateman, to respond to a report from Addington Highlands that was focused on the opportunities that would come from Bon Echo Park opening for winter recreation opportunities.

When the response came last week, it was as short as it was long in coming.

“While we are very interested in the results of the report, the opportunity for a winter operation at Bon Echo is not being considered at this time,” Bateman wrote.

He went on to say that the park has been “continuing the expansion of the roofed accommodations and supporting park infrastructure to support shoulder season visitation.”

Bon Echo Park is scheduled to be open for camping between May 13 and October 16 this year. When contacted, Park Superintendent Clark Richards clarified that by shoulder seasons Bateman was referring to the 2nd Friday in May until mid-June, and after the Labour Day weekend until the Park closes on the Sunday after Thanksgiving Monday.

“While Ontario Parks is not considering extending the operating dates for Bon Echo Provincial Park at this time, if successful with increasing visitation within the current operating season and if there is customer demand, we are not opposed to expanding future recreational opportunities,” Richards said in an email.

While waiting for the response from Ontario Parks, Reeve Hogg brought up the idea of winter opening to the minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport at a municipal conference in February.

“The minister thought that Bon Echo was open in the winter,” said Hogg.

Canada 150 fund

The township received notification from MP Mike Bossio that applications are being accepted for grants under the Canada 150 fund until June. According to Bossio, “The Canada 150 fund can support projects across a broad range of subject areas, including but not limited to: arts and culture, environmental stewardship and connecting with nature; sport, health and active living; history and heritage; science and technology; and civic engagement.”

Councilor Tony Fritsch offered to look into possible projects and consult with the public before coming back to Council.

Councilor Kirby Thompson wondered if everyone on Council would have to grow a beard and wear a top hat during the centennial year to mark the occasion, to which Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch said, “I am not going to do that.”

Winter, spring, winter again and beaver dams

Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath said crews dealt with issues after all the rain late last week, and were getting ready to shovel snow again this week, if necessary.

He also said he has been in contact with the Ministry of Transportation over the potential impact on Hwy. 41 should a beaver dam, located near the highway at Mazinaw Hill, be taken out by township crews before it eventually gives way and releases a large amount of water, which it is now holding back.

“We have not heard from the MNRF [Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry] and the dam is on Crown land under their control”, said Rosenblath, “so there is nothing we can do. Maybe the MTO will be able to pressure the MNRF on this.”

A cottage is located on low land between the highway and Mazinaw Lake and the township is concerned about damage if the dam, which is 15 feet high, should give way.

Requests approved

A request from the Flinton Rec. Club to sell advertising on the boards of the Flinton rink to help cover operating costs of the rink was accepted. A request from the Mazinaw Powerline Snowmobile Club to store a new groomer in unused township garage space was also accepted.