The _End_of_Food
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February 1, 2007The End of Food -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------by Jeff Green
With the provocative title of his popular book, writer Thomas Pawlick points to the changes that have taken place in the food system over the past 60 years.
As he noted in a talk he gave to the Lanark Slow Food group last weekend, government research, both in the United States and Canada, has shown that the vitamins and minerals in supermarket produce have decreased by as much as 70% in that time frame.
For instance, since 1950, supermarket potatoes in Canada no longer contain Vitamin A, and their iron quotient has been reduced by 57% along with their Vitamin C. Meanwhile, tomatoes have lost 61.5% of their calcium, 35.5% of their iron and 50% of their Vitamin A, while gaining 200% more sodium.
The decrease in food value has taken place incrementally over time, and Pawlick sees its source in the way agricultural practices have developed over the years.
In researching his book, Pawlick travelled to some massive farms in California and elsewhere, and talked to regulators and food industry officials to get an understanding of the logic that drives the agriculture in North America.
What he found is that the corporate ethos is so strong in mass agriculture that concerns over taste and nutrition are non-existent.
“When I saw lists of the top ten criteria for planting a particular type of tomato, for example, size, colour, yield, resistance to disease, and ability to withstand long distance shipping were all mentioned. But not taste or nutrition,” he told the audience in Perth.
Pawlick mentioned that there are about 5,000 varieties of tomatoes in existence, but most supermarkets carry only three, and only four are planted in large numbers in North America.
Another issue is mono-cropping. By using chemical fertilisers dominated by synthetically produced nitrogen, thousands of acres are planted with a single crop, be it corn, spinach, or tomatoes, year after year. While the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium based fertilizers enable the soil to produce large crops of the same plant year after year, Pawlick says there are many other trace minerals in the soil which are continually depleted. “It is no wonder that the food value of the vegetables is continually dropping. Traditional agriculture provides for moving crops around after a few years. This gives the soil a chance to recover.”
Thomas Pawlick is also critical of the mass marketing of organic products, saying that the lobbyists from the large food companies have worked very hard to make it easier for mass produced products to be classed as organic.
Food is the only product that has continually come down in price over the years. “People pay a lower per cent of their income for food now than ever before, and this is only possible by putting pressure on the suppliers. Even mid-sized farms can no longer survive. Only massive operations have remained profitable,” he said.
Pawlick farms himself, with the help of his son, and he said that he has two neighbours, one who runs an organic farm, and one who uses conventional techniques; however, none of the three farms are able to provide an adequate income.
Industrial agriculture, whether the product is spinach, tomatoes, chickens, or hogs, is detrimental to the land, has devastated small town and rural economies, and produces an inferior product, according to Thomas Pawlick.
He is currently working on a new book, wherein he hopes to be able to promote solutions to some of the problems he delineated in “The End of Food”.
The solutions that he offered up to the Slow Food group in Perth were ones that were familiar to his audience: plant a garden and shop at a farmers’ market, all things that Slow Food advocates are familiar with.
The Kingston Frontenac National Farmer’s Union chapter, which is embarking on a sustainable local agriculture project this year, made a short presentation after Pawlick’s talk. Their vision of bringing together farmers and consumers from a 100 km radius around Kingston fits in well with the kinds of things Thomas Pawlick was saying.
Eating locally seems to be the only way to ensure that the product is of top quality and producers are receiving a fair price for their efforts.
Articles from January 18Third time lucky for South, North Frontenac:The 3rd and final intake of submissions to the Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) resulted in funding support for relatively small initiatives in South and North Frontenac.
Flinton Habitat build: Executive
members from the Prince Edward Hastings Affiliate of Habitat for
Humanity met with the newly formed Flinton Build committee and the
public at the Flinton Rec. Hall on Jan. 16
Biosphere, Committees, and the bridge: South Frontenac Council meetingThree strikes at Comrif for Addington Highlands: Addington Highlands Council meeting of January 15.Frontenac Heritage FestivalIt's Election Year, again: EditorialLetters
Seasonal_employment
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Feature Article - March 15, 2007Seasonal employment workers eligible for Habitat homes
Potential buyers of Habitat Homes throughout Prince Edward Hastings Habitat for Humanity’s jurisdiction, including this year a part of Lennox and Addington around the Flinton area, now have a greater financial opportunity to qualify.
After consultations with Habitat Canada and various Habitat Affiliates across the country, the local affiliate passed a resolution on March 8 to consider seasonal employment and EI benefits as part of the family selection process for those wishing to apply for a Habitat home.
A single family, ranch style bungalow will be built on a 1.15 acre lot just outside of Flinton this summer, thanks to the generosity of Chisholm’s (Roslin) Lumber, celebrating 150 years as a family-owned company this year.
The Affiliate’s Family Selection Committee has been meeting to review a number of applications received to date but no cut-off date has been set to receive applications.
“People wishing to apply for the Flinton Habitat home should call 613-969-1415 and leave their name and number, which will be passed on to me. I will return your call promptly. Also, check out our web site at www.habitatpeh.org for more information,” said Family Selection Chair, Bonnie Dobson.
The resolution passed on March 8 reads: “A family whose employment is seasonal and who then qualifies to collect Employment Insurance shall be considered for homeownership if they have a history of seasonal work and EI eligibility for 3 – 5 years depending on other indications of stability, such as continued residency in the area and reasons for change of employer.”
“The Prince Edward-Hastings Habitat for Humanity Affiliate’s goal is to provide as many homes for as many low income members of our community as possible and this adjustment to the eligibility policy will help us do that,” said Affiliate president, Karel Vanek.
“The policy sets a precedent for all Habitat Affiliates and if adopted elsewhere can help seasonally employed families all over Canada,” he added.
Under the Habitat program, Habitat built homes are sold to low income first-time home buyers with a zero per cent mortgage and no down payment. Each home buyer is required to help build their home along with Habitat volunteers and professionals.
To volunteer for the Flinton Habitat home build project this summer, contact Ruth Peck, Flinton Build Committee Chair at 613-336-8915.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedScamp_camp
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Feature Article - 24, 2007Scamp Camp Strikes Back!
Back by popular demand is the Kaladar Community Club’s very own Scamp Camp. This day camp offers children age 5-11 years the opportunity to interact with one another, while enjoying various cultural, theatrical, and outdoors experiences. This unique camp is geared to support local families, and the cost is only $20 a week, per child. This cost includes two daily snacks, drinks, craft supplies, a weekly trip, as well as presentations by several organizations. Although camp doesn’t start until the week of August 13th, the registration process has already begun. If you are interested in being a Leader-in-Training, we would love your help! Registration forms can be picked up from Tanya Bence at Bence Motors in Kaladar. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the camp coordinator, Candice Bovard, at 613-336-0477.
We would also like to advertise our First Annual Glenda Bence Memorial Weekend, which will be taking place on August 18th. This event will include our annual Chicken n’ Ribs barbecue, games for the kids, the dunk tank, a silent auction, face painting, a dance at night, as well as a baseball tournament. There will be more information in the upcoming months, so please be on the lookout!
Even though there will be various fundraisers for Scamp Camp, we have asked local organizations and businesses for their support. We have already received generous donations from the Fiddler’s Association (pictured above), and the Flinton Recreation Club. The Land O’ Lakes Old Tyme Fiddlers’ Association is a group of music lovers who meet on the third Friday of every month at the Flinton recreation centre. After a great night of music, they have an amazing meal. The night begins at 8:00 pm, and the fiddlers would love to see you there!
Any support that can be given to camp would be greatly appreciated. With your help, we can continue to make this summer one to remember for many local children.
The Land O’ Lakes Olde Tyme Fiddlers’ Association presents Scamp Camp with a $500.00 donation for camp. L-R: Marie Whiteman (Olde Tyme Fiddlers’ President), Graydon MacCrimmon (Olde Tyme Fiddlers’ Treasurer and Kaladar Community Club Vice-President), and Candice Bovard (Scamp Camp Coordinator).
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedLol_garden_club
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Feature Article - 31, 2007Land o' Lakes garden club has been busy
submitted by Lynn McEvoy
This spring has been a very productive time for the club with several projects on the go. Club members have given many hours to the planning and preparation that has gone into our efforts to beautify our community.
Cloyne Pioneer Cemetery - Early May saw garden club members weeding and clearing the site for future landscaping. Plans are to make pathways through the area and plant with hardy, drought resistant ground covers and perennials.
Addington Highlands Business Breakfast - Our club made a presentation of a plan to install banners on utility poles and have planter boxes placed at businesses throughout the LOL area.
Pine Meadow Nursing Home - Two days were spent at the nursing home, one to remove deteriorated raised beds and to construct new planting beds, and a second to plant perennials and annuals in beds and pots. Decorative structures such as an obelisk and a twig trellis were included and brightly-coloured birdhouses are to be installed.
Flinton Library Garden club members, 1st Cloyne Brownies and Guides and their moms and the Flinton Library’s librarian renovated the front yard garden and planted a variety of perennials and shrubs.
These projects are undertaken for the enjoyment of residents and visitors and to make the community more pleasant to be in.
The Land o’ Lakes Garden Club has projects planned for further beautifying the area and is always looking for new members who are interested in sharing their gardening experiences. We meet September through June on the second Thursday of the month in Cloyne. Our monthly meetings are planned with learning and fun in mind. We have knowledgeable guest speakers and have trips to garden centres as well as attractions such as the Lanark Orchid Festival in June. For more information, you can contact Lynn at 613-336-0771
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedFlinton_build
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Feature Article - August 30, 2007Flinton build: A true community effort
The Habitat for Humanity build in Flinton started with Mike Gabourie coming in to do the excavation at the beginning of August. Bill Juby and his helper came in to put up the blocks and Bill stayed on to help with the knee walls. Roy Cummings, Rob Bonter and their crew (with lots of direction) got everything else finished in time to have the Blackwell & Allcock crew come in on August 22 to start the framing. Thanks also to Russell Grey for responding so quickly and without question to a request for help put to him by Ruth Peck (our committee leader) who just happened to be driving by and saw his tractor out on the road. Russell was kind enough to come by and backfill the foundation for us.
And a special thanks to all of those who have come out so far; we really appreciate your time and effort. Without you, we would not be this far along. Thanks also to the local people and merchants who have donated materials and cash. There is much still to be done and we are still looking for volunteers to help finish this very worthwhile project. Please don’t feel that you should not volunteer because you believe you would be helping somebody get a free house. This is not the case, nor is it what Habitat for Humanity is all about.
When the house is finished, it will be independently assessed and valuated. This price will include the lot and the very generous donation of materials given by Chisholm Lumber of Roslin to celebrate their 150th anniversary. It will also include all other materials and volunteer hours.
The young couple, Wendy Reid and Steven Scott who qualified for this house, will take on a mortgage based on this valuation. The mortgage will be interest free and will be geared to the family’s income. The family will personally put 500 hours of sweat equity into the build. What a wonderful opportunity for a young family to have a house of their own--something they probably would never have been able to afford.
So don’t be shy, please volunteer when and if you can. There is still much to be done and we need your help. Let’s rally round as a community and truly welcome this young couple into their first house.
To volunteer, contact Mary Kelly at 613-336-6806.
Habitat
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Feature Article - July 26, 2007Flinton'sHabitat forHumanity build starts
August 8 is the groundbreaking date for the first Habitat for Humanity home construction in Lennox and Addington, just outside Flinton. Ruth Peck, Flinton Build committee chair, and her committee have been working for over eight months getting ready for the August start.
The family selection process is nearly complete; volunteer skills people and contractors have come forward; the home has been designed; the necessary paper work almost complete; and a volunteer coordinator is in place ready to sign up build volunteers. “One reason we selected the August start date is so that students for the school in Cloyne can participate in the build in the fall,” said Ruth.
Doug Chisholm, of Chisholm’s Lumber, who donated the lot and $20,000 worth of building product, said that involving students in the build would be a great idea. The Chisholm family is celebrating a big birthday this summer: the 150th for Chisholm’s Lumber, one of only a handful of Canadian businesses run by a single family for all those years.
The three-bedroom home is expected to take from 12 to 16 weeks to complete. Volunteers for the build are welcome to spend a day, a week, or more helping the family and other Habitat volunteers build the home.
There’s even camping space available at the building site located two kilometers south west of Flinton.
To volunteer, call volunteer co-ordinator Mary Kelly in Flinton at 613-336-8606 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Fundraising is ongoing too. Currently there’s a draw with a first prize of an electronic digital picture frame. The second prize is a piece of artwork from one of the area’s local artisans. Tickets are available at various locations in and around Flinton and Northbrook or call Ruth at 613-336-8915.
Bill_salmond
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Feature Article - August 9, 2007Bill Salmond:firefighter and family man
by Jeff Green
The picture of Bill Salmond that emerges from talking to two of his closest colleagues in the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department, is of a straightforward, hardworking, committed man, who was well liked by everyone who worked with him.
Bill Salmond died in the line of duty as a volunteer firefighter this past Sunday afternoon, August 5, in an accident at the junction of the Flinton Road and Highway 41. Deputy Fire Chief Salmond had been on standby at the Flinton Jamboree when he received a call about a motor vehicle collision on Highway 7. He intended to park the tanker when he reached Highway 41, and ride to the accident with two of his colleagues when his own accident occurred.
There have been reports locally that faulty brakes on the tanker may have caused the accident, but a forensic investigation is underway, and the exact cause has yet to be determined.
“Bill never had a driving incident in his 33 years as a volunteer firefighter,” said Fire Chief Casey Cuddy.
John Bolton has known Bill Salmond since they both attended high school in Flinton some 50 years ago. He had been a volunteer firefighter for about five years when Bill Salmond joined.
“I remember the first night he joined our department,” Bolton said in an interview early this week, “Bill said, ‘I am not here to do fundraising; I am here to help you make the department better.’”
They served on the fire department together for many years, with John serving as Chief and Bill as Deputy Chief.
“We stood shoulder to shoulder,” Bolton recalls. “He looked after the maintenance, and I looked after the equipment. When we really wanted something from council, we would both go the council meetings. They took to calling us the ‘terrible two’ because we always cost them money.”
The two men shared more than their commitment to the fire department. Two of their children married each other, and they share grandchildren.
Bill Salmond was also a licensed mechanic, and he brought those skills to the fire department. “He was very, very dedicated,” John Bolton recalls, “a lot of times he would be over working on equipment on his days off.”
Bill Salmond spent his working life at the Celanese plant in Millhaven, and he was on the firefighting team there, taking advantage of firefighting training opportunities that Celanese offered, and bringing the information back to Barrie/Kaladar.
One of the young firefighters that he trained was Casey Cuddy, who eventually replaced John Bolton as Fire Chief. “He was a mentor to a lot of people in the department, “ Cuddy said, “And he was one of the guys who talked me into becoming chief. After that he was right there to support me, every step of the way.”
Casey Cuddy also said that Bill’s whole family should be acknowledged for supporting him on the fire department. “The whole family has given something to the community, for all the times he had to run out in the middle of supper, or miss a granddaughter’s birthday party.”
Bill Salmond was also a sporting man. He played baseball in local leagues until well into his fifties, and was active with the Mazinaw Powerline Snowmobile club, grooming trails in the wintertime.
After his retirement from Celanese, he worked at Hunter’s Creek Golf Course during the summertime.
Bill Salmond is survived by his mother Hilda, wife Gail, children Jeff, Jerry, and Judy and their spouses, and seven grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at the Maschke Funeral Home, Northbrook, on Saturday, August 11, at 11 am.
Ah_council_07-46
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Feature Article - November 22, 2007Addington Highlands Council - Nov. 19by Jule Koch Brison
AH bites the bullet – votes to build new Hartsmere bridge
Since receiving the bad news recently that not just one, but two of its bridges need immediate repairs, Addington Highlands has been considering its options.
The Flinton bridge was built in 1935 and the Hartsmere bridge in 1932. They have both been deemed unsafe and the Flinton bridge has been closed. However, there is an alternate route for the Flinton bridge, so repairing the Hartsmere bridge has higher priority.
At Monday night’s council meeting, Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath reported that the cost of replacing the Hartsmere bridge alone has been estimated at between $200,000 and $250,000 (the township’s entire roads maintenance budget in 2007 was around $900,000).
The township has been planning to put a 5-tonne limit on the Hartsmere bridge, but Rosenblath pointed out that the township would then not be able to perform winter maintenance on the road – “An empty sand truck weighs more than 5 tonnes,” he said.
Rosenblath described one alternative, which is to lay steel I-beams across the top of the bridge and cover them with wooden decking. He said that could cost $40,000, unless the township was able to get some used steel that he had heard about. “But that would be a band-aid solution,” he said. In order to lay the beams, the bridge would have to be closed for 2 –3 days, so the township would still have to build a detour whether council chose to repair the bridge or build a new one. Rosenblath pointed out that it would be easy to build a detour right now, as the creek is lower than he’s ever seen. Also, if the bridge were temporarily patched up there would still have to be a load limit on it, though trucks would be able to get over for winter maintenance.
Deputy Mayor Helen Yanch asked if the guardrails would still be adequate since the beams would raise the level of the bridge, and Rosenblath replied that they would have to be replaced as well.
Reeve Henry Hogg said he couldn’t see spending almost one quarter of the estimated cost of a new bridge on a stop-gap solution. He said he had been enquiring about a new round of funding for municipalities, COMRIF 4, but had been unable to find out anything about it. In any case, he said, COMRIF 4 would take time, so it wouldn’t help with the Hartsmere bridge, though maybe the township might be able to get some funding for the Flinton bridge.
Council voted unanimously to proceed immediately with building a new Hartsmere bridge.
Council also discussed whether to tender the project or hire the same equipment that is currently repairing the Hartsmere Road. All members of council agreed that there is no time to tender the project, and since the Hartsmere Road tenders are recent, the township probably would not get better prices. They voted to proceed with the quotes they already have.
KALADAR WASTE RECYCLING: Council received a quote from Fraser Haulage of $150/ton for pick up and disposal of glass. Council has also been debating whether to enter into a three-year contract with Fraser Haulage for recycling at a cost of $2080/month. Reeve Hogg said that he had recently met with the reeve of Greater Madawaska, who said that changes to recycling regulations might be coming soon. Hogg said he wondered if the bins from Fraser Haulage would be of any use to the township then. Council decided to invite Mr. Fraser to attend a Waste Management Committee meeting on December 3.
Ah_council_07-44
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Feature Article - November 8, 2007Addington Highlands Council - Nov.5by Jeff Green
Trouble over bridges Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath did not have much in the way of good news for members of Addington Highlands Council this week. He informed them about two bridges that likely need replacing.
Jewell Engineering was in the midst of carrying out a required roads and bridges needs study for the township last week, when they found that the Flinton Bridge, which is located on the Deer Rock Lake Road, 100 metres off County Road 29, has developed a serious problem and was declared unsafe.
“We've closed the bridge temporarily,” Rosenblath told council, “basically we've got to wait until we get the formal report from the engineers before making a final decision”.
Rosenblath added that he expects the report will be completed soon, perhaps before the next council meeting. It might include an estimated cost for replacing the bridge. The bridge closing is causing a detour, but there is another bridge in the vicinity, and people can access their properties.
A second bridge, the Hartsmere Bridge, has also been recommended for replacement. “The Hartsmere Bridge is not closed, but it's going to take a load limit, which could have an effect on winter maintenance costs. What I'm really concerned about is the sand truck. We might need to use half loads all winter, which will cost quite a bit more,” he said.
Councilor Louise Scott asked, “Do we have anything budgeted for bridges?” and Rosenblath replied, “No, we chose to go with the Hughes Landing Road”.
The Hartsmere Bridge had been identified as needing replacing in the previous roads and bridge needs study, but the Flinton Bridge received a clean bill of health at that time.
Oliver Road – The township is going to pay for a survey to determine what property the township owns at the disputed Oliver Road.
Firehall damage attributed to skateboard park misuse – Fire Chief Casey Cuddy started his report on the condition of the Northbrook fire hall by asking a question, “Is there any chance we are looking at a new fire hall in the next two years?”
When no one answered, he carried on, saying “The reason is there has been a broken window there, cars are parked in front of the doors, dents in the walls and roof from rocks, and then there was the garbage can full of human feces.”
“We had a meeting after the window was broken, and the OPP assured us that they would monitor the skateboard park. But if these things continue, we'll have to fence in the skateboard park and set up specific hours of operation,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.
“It's too bad the kids don't seem to appreciate the skate park and keep out of trouble. Of the 40 kids I saw at the park one day there were only two skateboards,” Casey Cuddy said.
Hydro One herbicide – Hydro One has scheduled forestry maintenance beneath some of their lines in the southern end of Addington Highlands. They will doing some cutting and a low volume application of Garlon 4.
Generators – Lennox and Addington County will be transferring the ownership of a generator, which was earmarked for emergency use and is located in Denbigh, to the township.
MOE letter – The township received a letter from Jon Morish of the Ministry of the Environment, asking the township for an action plan to deal with “several matters requiring attention” at the Buckshot Lake landfill site. The letter asks for the plan by December 7, 2007. Council decided to send a letter back asking for a deferral until budget deliberations in 2008, because the plan will require a commitment of resources, which are not budgeted for this year.
Lol_garden_club
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Feature Article -April 24, 2008 North Addington Education Center builds planter boxesBy Jeff Green
The Land O'Lakes Garden Club prepares for planting.
The best ideas are always the ones that that are in plain view. That may have been what the Land o' Lakes Garden Club was thinking when they envisioned how Kaladar, Denbigh, Northbrook, Flinton and Cloyne could be beautified. Thanks to grade ten and twelve students at the North Addington Education Center, that dream is becoming a reality. The students built attractive planter boxes and the area will soon burst into bloom.
The project was a collaborative one from the start. The start-up funding was provided by North Addington, and was further helped by the Garden Club and a donation of stain from the Interior Zone in Northbrook. Over twenty local businesses each adopted a planter, agreed to finance the plants and nurture them from late spring into the fall months.
The annuals, designed and planted by the Land o’ Lakes Garden Club, are already flourishing in the greenhouses at the Upper Flinton Garden Center. They will be maintained there until early June, and then moved to their respective locations.
The planters will enhance the natural beauty of this area. Residents, tourists, and cottagers will not have to look very hard to spot these splashes of color in both sunny and shady spots around our communities.
