On Saturday, June 24, as part of our Canada 150 celebrations, Ompah resident Cille Harris presented a video, “Let’s Celebrate Canada’s Flag”, produced by the Flag Wavers of Waterloo Region. The video is a history of Canada's maple leaf flag that ends with a tribute to Cille’s father, Bernard G. F. D’Eon, former resident of Perth, proud patriot and lover of Canada’s flag since its birth in 1965.

Though not a wealthy man, “Bernie D’eon” purchased a colour advertisement in an Ottawa newspaper to celebrate both the 5th and 10th anniversaries of the adoption of the flag.  The ad came to the attention of John Matheson, MP for Leeds and Perth resident, who was impressed with the passion of an ordinary Canadian citizen.  In his book, “Canada's Flag”, 1986, John Matheson included the advertisement written by Mr. D'Eon, which reads: “On Feb. 15Th 1965 our maple leaf flag was born.  This flag which graces the Canadian landscape waves proudly over a most beautiful and fabulous Country on which god has never ceased to smile!  Canada, whose problems are so small and so few that her enemies within are compelled to manufacture some and magnify others, is truly “Land of the Free” and the envy of the whole world!”

The flag wavers of Waterloo region saw Bernard D’eon’s words in John Matheson’s book and were so moved by the sentiment that they decided to end their video with his beautiful message.

The maple leaf has long been a symbol of the land beginning with the settlers. Over the years, there were several unsuccessful attempts to create a Canadian flag.  As Canada approached its 100th anniversary, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, proposed a distinctive flag for Canada instead of the Red Ensign.  Opposition Leader John Diefenbaker was adamantly opposed.  Eventually Prime Minister Pearson appointed a committee to design a Canadian national flag that “could not be mistaken for the emblem of any other country and which would be a strong unifying force in our country”.   

It came down to three designs.  The so-called Pearson pennant had three joined red maple leaves on a white background with blue bars on either side, representing 'sea to sea'.  A second design was a single red maple leaf on a white background with red bars on either side, with the British and French flags on the two top corners. The third design was an early version of what we have today, a single red maple leaf with red borders. There were arguments for and against each design.  One of the deciding factors was the flag wave test.  When each design was flown, the triple maple leaves were unidentifiable.  However the single maple leaf was clearly identified in the wind.

On February 15, 1965 Canada’s new flag was raised on Parliament Hill.  Over time, those opposed to the new flag came to appreciate and approve of the new flag.  It has become a distinctive, easily recognizable symbol of our nation.  The Red Ensign is still used on occasions to denote membership in the Commonwealth.

Throughout the presentation, Cille wore her father's red cap with maple leaf.  Also on display was a red blanket with maple leaves.  Both were proudly used by her father until his death on April 6, 2014, at Lanark Lodge in Perth. Sadly, he knew nothing of the book or video honouring him.  Those in attendance left knowing more about and proud of the local connection to the Maple Leaf flag.

A dedicated crowd defied some rainy weather on Saturday to celebrate concurrent events, the ribbon cutting of a newly constructed rest stop in Ompah and the unveiling of 5 murals painted by North Frontenac artists Fred Fowler, Marlene Leeson, Cathy Owen, Linda Rush and Katie Ohlke.

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins, flanked by Council and resident members of the township economic development task force, welcomed everyone and presided over a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of a modern, aluminum enclosure that is one of the key elements to the rest stop, which also includes a porta-potty and a gravel parking lot.

The lot where the rest stop is located steeped in recent North Frontenac history as it was purchased by the township several years ago as the preferred location for a new township fire hall/Frontenac County ambulance base.

That project went to tender, but the projected price for the fire hall portion was higher than North Frontenac Council were prepared to go. The ambulance base was built at Robertsville, and a set of upgrades were done to the existing Ompah fire hall across the road. The towsnhip did have to invest more into what is now the rest stop lot because of soil contamination from a former gas station on the site.

As part of the ceremony, committee member Darwyn Sproule recalled the history of site, which was originally the location of a primary grade school which burned down, then a store and service station, which also burned.

“It’s a good thing the structure we put up here is made of metal,” Sproule said.

The project was completed with support from a number of groups, organizations, and businesses, including; Hydro One, the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, Francis Manion Construction, and West Palmerston Cottages, the Easter Ontario Trails Association, and the Ottawa Valley ATV club among others.

“Providing a welcome place to stop while driving along one of our scenic roads is part pf our economic development strategy,” said Higgins. “You can see how much community involvement it takes to make things happen.”

The second part of the ceremony was certainly more colourful, as the five murals, which were leaning against pickup turcks in the lot, were unveiled one by one by the artists who took up the challenge to crate them. Sgt. Sharron Brown, detachment commander of the Frontenac OPP supervised a lottery of sorts, as the location where each of the murals are being installed was determined by each artists pulling the name of a township hall out of a hat.

The results were as follows. The Fred Fowler mural is going to Snow Road, Marlene Leeson’s is already installed at the Ompah hall, Cathy Owen’s will go down the road to the Clar-Mill hall in Plevna, the Linda Rush’s is bound for the Barrie Hall, and the Harlow hall will be the home of the Katie Ohlke mural.

The murals will be installed on outside walls of the halls for maximum exposure to the viewing public.

The project was inspired by Arlene Uens of Mountain Grove who initiated and completed her own mural project, putting hers up on private property throughout Mountain Grove.

Uens was on hand at the unveiling and said is nice to see how North Frontenac Township has supported the local project.

With the work all done, the crowd headed over the hall for a free BBQ courtesy of the fire department, and cake and coffee in the hall.

In the 10 years the Ompah Community Association’s ATV ride has been running, it has grown by exponential levels.

From about 70 participants at the first one, it grew to just over 1,000 participants two years ago and featured a still-whopping 857 participants last Saturday.

“We’re getting people from all over, including the States,” said organizer Lindy Hay, who helped organize the first ride with Denis Bedard and Rose Boivin of the Double S Marina in Ompah. “I was talking recently to some people from B.C. and they said ‘oh, I know of that event.’”

Hay said they’ve seen the number of side-by-side ATVs increasing, primarily among seniors, who are using the ride to spend time with their grandchildren.

Proceeds from the event go to a number of causes, including the community hall, firehall, firefighters and others in need in the community (they even made a contribution to the outdoor rink fund in Sharbot Lake recently).

For the past five years, there’s also been another partner.

National Ride Captain Byron Smith, who along with Garry Janz co-founded the Telus Ride For Dad program 17 years ago, said that since the Ride started adding ATV, snowmobile and watercraft runs from the original motorcycle ride, the partnership with the Ompah run has been an excellent relationship.

“We’ve been doing this as a fundraising partnership for about five years now when Denis Bedard invited us,” Smith said. “For us, we have other ATV rides but a lot of bikes come through here.”

Smith said the Ride For Dad program began when Janz was diagnosed with prostrate cancer and decided to do a little research.

“Prostrate cancer is 80 per cent curable when detected early,” Smith said. “We’ve now raised more than $23 million for research, are in 40 cities and partnered with Telus.

“This ride is the right demographics for us and helps get the word out.”

Smith said there’s another reason he likes to come here.

“It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, they still go,” he said. “These guys don’t care.

“I can’t say enough about these guys.”

Despite freezing rain Saturday morning, a full house turned out in Ompah to discuss proposed changes to North Frontenac Township’s Official Plan.

Many of those in attendance were from lake associations and there was one proposed change they were all glad to hear — larger minimum lot sizes and setbacks — even if the proposed changes don’t go as far as some would like.

Many of the comments were like this from Jim Holton, past-president of the Canonto Lake Association.

“We’ve been arguing for larger lots for years,” Holton said. “Water quality is not just about phosphorus.”

“Our available lakefront properties are getting scarce,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “For example, Mazinaw Lake is at capacity.

“But I think the (County) private roads study will be good for us (and) we’re creating a best-in-class Official Plan here.”

Higgins said he’s pleased with some of the proposed changes that should encourage more affordable housing.

Planner Joe Gallivan said the proposed 250-ft frontage and 2-acre lot size with a 100-ft setback (up from 1 acre and 150-ft frontage) is “a good start” even though it’s smaller than the 1-hectare (2.2 acres) and 300-foot frontage required in South and Central Frontenac.

“It’s protecting the lake better than it is now,” Gallivan said. “(But), there’s more to it than just lot size.

“There are things like is there room for septic, how big can a boat house be, how big can a bunkie be?”

Gallivan is also including changes that will better accommodate the ‘live/work’ building where residents can set up a business in their home and sections to encourage smaller homes.

“There are now 350-square-foot homes that cost $60,000,” he said. “When I retire, that’s what I want to have.”

Gallivan said they’re also working on communal septic and water systems which would require smaller lot sizes to work efficiently.

He said after all the feedback has been considered, he expects to have a plan ready for adoption by the end of the summer.

“Council seems to like the plan so far,” he said.

On September 9 the Ompah Community Centre was filled with folks interested in local history. Linda Rush welcomed the crowd. The evening came together because Bruce Moore, Marily Seitz and Linda wanted to have a discussion event (or events) where we could learn more about differing topics. They decided that the history of the settlement of Ompah would be a good topic with which to start.

Bruce Moore spoke of the meaning of the name Ompah. In Algonquin it means 'long step' which, while a long walk, was also the shortest portage between the Madawaska River system and the Mississippi River system. It was in this period that the Algonquin began interacting with Europeans who used these two rivers to transport furs to trading posts. As the demand for fur in Europe declined, the demand for timber increased. Then when the timber trade declined the government wanted to settle the land and offered free land to those who would clear twelve (12) acres and stay for a minimum of four (4) years.

Linda Rush then introduced LeeAnn White and asked her to tell about her ancestors’ arrival and how they lived. Her great great grandmother died at sea but the rest of the family moved to Donaldson then Plevna before finally settling in Ompah. One hundred and one-year-old LeeAnn had many stories to tell of the hard work but also of great fun. Young folk in the area would often walk to Folger to dance the night away then walk back and work all the next day. Marily Seitz often found herself forgetting her note-taking duties as she laughed along with the audience to LeeAnn's humorous tales.

Murray Elliott then took over the podium. He was born in Kingston and came home as a baby on the K&P Railroad. He spoke about living in and off the bush. Folks sold beaver pelts, bags of wool, cream and handmade products. They had cows, chickens, pigs, a horse or two and a big garden. Murray echoed LeeAnn's words of the hard work but also the fun of living with a large family in the bush.

Barbara Sproule then told of the history of the townships. 1738 saw the construction of Fort Frontenac in Upper Canada. In 1798 Lt. Governor Simcoe authorized a survey, which established lots of 100 or 200 acres. Logging was a big part of the economy. 1865 saw the opening of the first post office in Ompah. Palmerston and South Canonto Township was established in 1868, and two years later North Canonto was added to the township. Barbara told of a pair of settlers who arrived in the area in late fall with no home to go to. They built a brush shelter with a dirt floor and stayed for the winter. As Barbara tells the tale, the wife cried for two months.

Following the presentations, questions were asked by the audience. Some folks shared stories of the arrival of their ancestors as well. Leonard Emery set up a log on saw horses and invited folks to try out the two-person saw to see just how much effort was required to cut timber, the primary source of income before the settlement period.

Many folks stayed afterwards to chat, ask questions, share memories and make suggestions for other topics to be explored in the future.

Saturday, July 23 was a first for the Ompah Community Centre Association. President Marily Seitz welcomed members to the first ever Annual General Meeting. The usual AGM reports were made along with reports from the committees: Communications, Birthday Bash Benevolent Fund and Wall of Memories. Then the members present voted to accept and approve the new by-laws. Previously there were no written rules governing the operation of the community centre but under the new by-laws there are now clear and transparent procedures in place.

With the passage of the by-laws, two new executive positions were created: vice-president and director-at-large. These positions are to be elected on even years. The remaining three executives (president, secretary and treasurer) will be elected on odd years. Linda Rush, returning officer, took over the meeting for the election of officers. By acclamation Rob Harris, vice-president and Stacey Couture, director-at-large were welcomed to the executive of the Ompah Community Association.

Upon receipt and approval of the financial statement, treasurer Edith Beaulieu announced that she would be resigning the position of treasurer due to health reasons. President Marily Seitz reluctantly accepted Edith's resignation and thanked her for her many years of dedication and service to the community and community centre. Secretary Betty Kelford presented a thank you gift and a dozen red roses to Edith, accompanied by a rousing round of cheers and clapping. According to the new by-laws, the executive will appoint an interim treasurer to fulfil the remainder of the term (one year).

An enthusiastic gathering of committed community members then went to work brainstorming ideas to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. Under the guidance of Cille Harris, an exciting and wide range of activities and events were suggested. Many names were collected of folks interested in helping plan and carry out events. The meeting was adjourned on time but members stayed around to chat, share refreshments and clean up together.   

The Ompah Community Library has been operating for three years now, and while well patronized by summer visitors and its faithful Ompah readers, it would love to have more visitors. Operated completely by volunteers, it provides a little bit of a different experience than the public library that it has replaced. No membership is required; no overdue notices will ever be sent out. Everyone is simply invited to choose whatever books, DVDs or audiobooks they might fancy, and bring them back whenever they are done with them. Although the space is small, anyone wishing for a comfortable place to sit and explore some of the collection will find what they are looking for. There is a comprehensive collection, with Mystery, Fiction, Science Fiction, and Non-Fiction sections all well stocked, and all from donated materials. Continuing donations ensure that new materials are constantly available. Only new-ish (not more than 5 years old) and excellent condition donated materials are accepted. There is a computer available if you need one, and wifi connection is being improved so that this link will also be possible. So come on in and enjoy! It’s Local, it’s Free and it’s Easy! Summer hours are Fri, 10–12, Sat 12-2 and Wed 10-12.

Fiddlers and Friends have filled the Ompah Community Centre several times in the last few years and the appreciative audience left wanting more. In fact the audience joined in whenever the opportunity arose and felt that they were part of the concert too. The band has always talked about the great audience and all fun they had. They are delighted to have the chance to return to play in Ompah.

Fiddlers and Friends love to entertain by sharing their joy of music and zany sense of fun. They play a cheerful set of old-time fiddle tunes that has the audience clapping, toe-tapping and singing along. Fiddlers are joined by keyboard, double bass, and cello. The irrepressible Lois Webster who makes many of her own percussion instruments and costumes, dances and keeps everyone guessing what she will do next.

Mark Thursday, July 21 at 7pm on your calendar. Admission is $10 at the door. Following the concert, musicians and audience can mingle over refreshments. For further information, contact Marily Seitz, 613-479-2855.

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.

Last year at about this time, a very successful “Fire Extinguisher Day” was held at the Ompah Community Centre. Glenna Shanks from Perth Fire Extinguisher Service was there to inspect home and cottage owners’ fire extinguishers, and to service them if necessary. In addition, the North Frontenac Fire Department was present with fire prevention information. They also provided an opportunity for people to try out using fire extinguishers on a real fire. Lots of people took advantage of the day and came from far and wide to do so.

May 21 will see a similar event at the Ompah Community Centre this year. According to Rick and Debbie Morey, who organize the day, quite a number of people who attended last year were surprised to learn that their extinguishers were either completely non-functional, or needed recharging. Even if your extinguisher indicates that it is fully charged, this is not always the case. Lots of people also discovered that they didn’t really know how to use a fire extinguisher. Even if they could get it to discharge its foam, how to apply this foam to a real fire was not as straightforward as they had believed. Being able to try out an extinguisher on a real fire was an eye-opening experience that many appreciated.

So, come out on May 21, between 9 and 12, to take advantage of this chance to make your home or cottage much safer in the case of a fire. A small fee will be charged for the inspection. If you have any questions give Rick or Debbie a call at 613-701-3648.