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North Frontenac Takes Stand on Uranium Miningby Jule Koch Brison
It came in spite of considerable opposition from Mayor Maguire, but late at Thursday night’s meeting in Harlowe, after almost all the audience had left, North Frontenac Council passed a resolution asking the Province of Ontario to declare a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining.Several people had attended the meeting in hopes of hearing from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) on the contentious issue of uranium mining. However, the ministry had sent a letter declining council’s invitation to attend the meeting. The letter stated, “Some of the questions [that council had submitted] bear directly on a matter that is before the court and therefore, it would be inappropriate for any party to comment on those.”Council had also received a letter from Mr. & Mrs. Earl Recoskie, property owners on Hwy. 509, next to a proposed uranium exploration and mining site, which said, “We, along with other residents of North Frontenac Township, are withholding our tax payment submissions until Your Honour and each council member makes a stand on whether you support uranium exploration and mining in our area or do not support uranium exploration and mining in our area”. The letter included a picture of the Stanrock Tailings Wall in the Elliot Lake area, and the dead trees close to it. The “wall” is a 30ft. high pile of millions of tons of radioactive mill waste.Mayor Maguire commented, “No taxpayers have the option of not paying taxes without being assessed a penalty... If 3 years pass, the property can be repossessed by the township.” He also said that the letter implied that council was being held to ransom, and, “This council will not be forced into making decisions at any time.”
Maguire was scheduled to give an update on the Ardoch Algonquin First Nations and Allies (AAFNA) later in the meeting, but beyond a comment that their recent Pow Wow was held at the Blues Skies grounds instead of in Plevna, he said he had nothing to report. At that point, most of the audience left.However, at the end of the meeting, after all of the items on the agenda had been dealt with, Councilor Wayne Good brought up the subject of uranium mining.Referring to an article in the Sept. 13 edition of the Frontenac News, which stated that Central Frontenac Council had joined with Lanark Highlands in calling for the Province of Ontario to declare a moratorium on uranium mining and exploration, he said, “It seems like we’re the only ones who aren’t doing anything about this. If everybody is prepared to take a stand, we should be doing something.” He went on to state that he was concerned about the effects of uranium exploration on subsurface water but he had seen no mention of that in any reports – “they just talk about global warming.” He said that although at first the idea of a mine bringing jobs into the area seemed attractive, he changed his mind because of concerns about the bad effects of uranium exploration and mining. He said he was hoping to get more information from the MNDM but guessed they had been told by their superiors not to come. “What are they hiding?” he asked.Councilor Wayne Cole said that he supported Wayne Good’s position. Cole said that while he didn’t support AAFNA’s occupation of private property [at the Robertsville Mine], he supported what they were trying to do in stopping uranium mining. He said that the issue should be resolved at the provincial government level, a comment that was later echoed by Deputy Mayor Jim Beam.
Mayor Maguire stated that it would be premature for council to take a position now and that if council wanted to vote on the issue he would abstain. He said that he has heard from a lot of people who feel that uranium mining is safe and it would be a good thing for the township, “We don’t have to rush to form an opinion until we have all the facts….We’re gathering facts”, he saidCouncilor Fred Perry said that with the information he has right now, he would vote against uranium mining.Councilor Bob Olmstead said that he was in favour of uranium mining, and was disappointed when Frontenac Ventures Corporation had to close down their plans for uranium exploration and send the students they had hired home.Deputy Mayor Beam and Councilor Good both expressed regret that they had not brought up the subject earlier in the meeting, when most of the audience was present.Reluctantly, Mayor Maguire then asked for a resolution to be drafted. It stated, “That the Council of the Township of North Frontenac petition the Province of Ontario to declare an immediate moratorium on Uranium Mineral Exploration and Mining”. In a 4 to 2 recorded vote, with Mayor Maguire and Councilor Olmstead voting nay, the motion was passed. Councilor Watkins was absent.
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Addington Highlands Council, Sept. 17by Jule Koch Brison
While other municipalities are watching the available space in their waste sites shrink, Addington Highlands has been working towards a tenfold expansion of the Denbigh Waste Site. The plans for the expansion have been drawn up and were on display at Monday night’s council meeting. It has taken about 60 years of operation to fill up the site’s 3000 cubic metres. The expansion “will give us 30,000 cubic metres of additional space”, said Township Clerk Jack Pauhl. It was also pointed out that the township now has recycling, and that should grant even more years to the site.
Councilor Eythel Grant asked if the township would wait to get approval from the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) or go ahead and buy the properties around the site. Jack Pauhl replied that the site needs buffers anyway, whether the approval is granted or not.
Council will draw up the application to the MoE.
The skatepark in Northbrook is almost completed. The last of the concrete was poured on Monday.
Among the changes to the Municipal Act will take effect on January 1, 2008, is the requirement for municipalities to hire a Closed Meeting Investigator. This would permit any person to request an investigation of a session or part of a session that was closed to the public. Brian Donaldson of Kingston has submitted the most reasonable quote for the work and at the next meeting, council will pass a bylaw to hire him.
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Feature Article - September 13, 2007Portable Concrete is Coming to Central Frontenacby Jeff Green
A beleaguered Robert Castle, the owner of Thousand Islands Concrete of Brockville, appeared once again before a meeting of Central Frontenac Council this week, seeking a zoning amendment in order to open a satellite location for his ready-mix concrete business on Highway 7 near Arden.
This time he went away happy, after the bylaw approving the zoning received third reading. Concerns about the operation from a property owner living across the highway, 1.8 km from the site where the portable operation will be based, and from the Kennebec Lake Association, led council to ask for a stringent site plan agreement to be developed.
The site plan agreement is yet to be signed, but Thousand Islands presented council with a detailed sketch of the operation that will form the basis of the agreement. One of the key elements to the planned operation is that all water used will be kept on site.
“It will be a closed water system,” Castle told council.
“Mr. Castle, I think this is a Cadillac of a site plan you have provided here,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski after council unanimously approved the zoning bylaw amendment.
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Feature Article - September 6, 2007Addington Highlands Council breaks even
by Jeff Green
$250 Out: Herbert Clos appeared before Addington Highlands Council in search of a refund. Four years ago he paid a $250 fee as part of the process of closing a road allowance at Skootamatta Lake. The neighbouring property has sold in that time, and the new owner would not agree to the closure, leaving Clos out $250, which he asked council to refund.
“We don’t usually refund fees, and wouldn’t want to set any kind of precedent,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.
Township Clerk Jack Pauhl said that the money is not normally refunded if the road closure does not go through, but that the application says people can apply directly to council for a refund.
Not having a strong reason to refuse his request, Council allowed the $250 refund.
$250 In: Reeve Hogg told council that he has been approached by North Frontenac Township, who have expressed interest in an old cardboard crusher that is stored at one of Addington Highland’s waste sites.
“North Frontenac is hauling their own recycling, and they think they can make use of the old crusher,” Hogg said.
“It needs work,” said Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath. “I told them we would want about $500 for it, and they said they only wanted to pay $250.”
Council agreed to accept $250.
Letter of support: Council agreed to provide a letter of support for AFAR (Addington Frontenac Area Radio) which will be used by the committee working to bring about the station in their attempt to get some seed money from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation.
O’Donnel Road - Shirley Wagar talked to Council about the O’Donnel Road, which runs parallel to Highway 41. Traffic was re-routed to the O’Donnel Road after the tragic accident on August 5 that took the life of firefighter Bill Salmond, and Wager said it was not in good enough repair for that use.
Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch concurred with Shirley Wagar’s assertion that O’Donnel Road is not in good condition, and was unable to handle the traffic on August 5.
“We have a road needs study coming up this fall,” said Reeve Hogg in response.
Pumper approved Council approved the budgeted purchase of a new pumper for the Denbigh fire hall, at a cost of $189,000. The pumper it is replacing is being sold for $1,000 to the Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan fire department.
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Feature Article - September 6, 2007 Mountain Grove fire hall approved.by Jeff Green
Central Frontenac Council has approved the construction of a fire hall in Mountain Grove.
In a unanimous vote at a special council meeting in Mountain Grove, council granted the tender for the building to Wemp and Smith of Kingston, for a cost not to exceed $509,000. With other fees, the project will come in at $532,000, $67,000 more than had originally been budgeted.
At this point, council is looking to leave the shortfall to be made up in the 2008 budget, but if there are surpluses, they may be applied to it.
The new fire hall will be substantially different than the one recently constructed near Sharbot Lake. It will be a wood frame building (the Sharbot Lake hall is entirely of steel construction) and contains added features such as higher levels of insulation and radiant floor heating.
Key members of the Olden Fire Department attended the meeting, sitting quietly at the back of the hall.
“That only took five years of work to get approved,” said a happy Deputy Chief Cowdy after the vote was taken.
At the special meeting, council also approved road construction for a portion of the Oak Flats Road in the south end of the township, at a cost of $302,000, $52,000 over the revised budgeted cost of $250,000.
While the fire hall was approved in a unanimous vote, there was one dissenting vote for the Oak Flats Road project. Councilor Frances Smith questioned why council was spending “three quarters of our road construction budget on one single road. We’d be better off doing more in the way of maintenance on all of the roads in the township.”
Councilor Bob Harvey voted in favour of the Oak Flats Road construction, but said, “I hope I never have to hear about Oak Flats Road ever again.”
Both projects are expected to commence within two weeks.
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Feature Article - September 6, 2007 South Frontenac Township Council September 4thby Wilma Kenny
2006 Financial Statements in Good Order
According to Vicky Leaky, auditor with KPMG, South Frontenac passed its 2006 audit with flying colours and "good solid reserves," up $3 million from the previous year, to $8.8 million. The largest financial issue to be carried over to 2007 was the Sydenham water treatment program, which still awaits final grants and homeowners’ payments. These cannot be finalized until all outstanding issues regarding the satisfactory completion of the water treatment plant have been resolved.
New Public Works Manager to be sought
Council directed CAO Burns to begin the process for hiring a replacement for Bill Blum, who will be retiring in December. Blum introduced his new Technical Assistant, Randy Ferguson, to council.
Control of Mineral Rights
Many private landowners in Ontario have surface-rights only (SRO) to their property, leaving them vulnerable to mining activity on their land, which can cause considerable property damage, and can legally proceed with no authorization from the landowner, municipality, or conservation authority, and with no environmental review. Council passed a resolution supporting the Tay Valley Township’s request for a petition to the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Northern Development and Mines to reunite surface and mining rights on SRO properties when requested by the SRO owner or the municipality.
Bedford District Rezoning
Council approved the rezoning of a 204-acre tract fronting on Canoe Lake Road from Rural to special institutional zone (Community Facility). This will allow property owner Rena Upitis to construct four cabins, three studios, a lodge and storage sheds on the property, respecting all the requirements for setbacks and septic systems. Upitis plans to establish a community centre for adult educational workshops in the arts and the environment. She reports that most of the buildings will be straw bale construction, and hopes the first part of the facility will open in 2008.
Official Plan Revision
Council has set aside the Committee of the Whole meeting on Sept 25 for further discussion of the pending Official Plan Revision. At that time, they hope to be able to set a date for an open house to solicit public comment. Councillor Fillion expressed doubt that one meeting would be enough for council to resolve their issues around private road development. The Sept. 25 meeting is open to the public for observation, but not comment.
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Editorial - September 6, 2007It’s only moneyby Jeff Green
Persistence has finally paid off for Central Frontenac Deputy Mayor Bill Snyder. Last week council approved road construction on the Oak Flats Road, which Snyder has been pushing ever since Hinchinbrooke Township was amalgamated into Central Frontenac Township some 10 years ago.
Bill Snyder has argued that most of the Oak Flats Road was repaired in the mid-nineties, and the final section had been scheduled for an upgrade when amalgamation took place. Other priorities dominated the new township council, and every year the Oak Flats Road has been put aside.
Bill Snyder has become more and more frustrated as the Oak Flats Road was bypassed for construction year after year, losing his cool at budget time on several occasions. “It’s a matter of fairness,” has become his constant refrain.
Last week council approved the Oak Flats Road project, which includes a significant amount of blasting, at a cost of $302,000. Only one contractor, Crains’ Construction, answered a tender for the project, and it took some negotiating with township staff to bring the tender price down to $302,000, as it had originally been about $30,000 higher.
At budget time in March the project was estimated at $185,000, and was one of nine road and bridge projects to be done in 2007, at a projected total cost of $535,000. But the budget was done using questionable old consultant data, and in May when public works staff considered the actual projects, they came back with different information. It would take twice as much money to complete all of the projects that were planned, and the Oak Flats Road was now budgeted at $250,000.
Council cut the list of projects from 9 to 3. One of them, the Cranberry Lake bridge in Kennebec Ward, had already been completed for $115,000, and the cost of paving the Arden road was pegged at $165,000, leaving $250,000 in the budget for Oak Flats.
Now, that $250,000 has turned into $302,000, fully 60% of the entire road and bridge work to be done by the township this year.
With 577.3 kilometres of roads to maintain, spending 60% of the construction on a single, non-arterial road seems to be a foolish way to spend limited resources.
I can understand why Bill Snyder supports spending the money; he considers that it is overdue. When the final decision was being made last week, he said, “It wouldn’t have cost as much if it was done 5 years ago.”
But for the rest of council to support this road, when they were elected to oversee all of the infrastructure needs of the township, is hard to accept.
Did the Olden councilors, who have been pushing their own project, the Olden Fire Hall, which was also approved last week at what looks like a bargain price of $532,000 compared to the Oak Flats Road, support Oak Flats in exchange for the Hinchinbrooke councilors’ support of the Olden fire hall?
Did the Kennebec councilors support both projects in exchange for support of the Arden road re-paving?
Are we being governed by brokered deals instead of considerations of the needs of the entire township?
This kind of thing might work at levels of government where there is money to go around, but a poor township must be frugal, and council should make decisions based on information provided to them by staff.
Is council acting prudently in our interest, or are they playing “Let’s make a deal”? - JG
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Addington Highlands Council - Oct. 15by Jule Koch Brison
At the Flinton meeting on Oct 1, 2007, Cross Lake Road resident Norine Traynor had brought a petition to council, asking for council’s help in stopping the closure of her road. At the Oct 15 meeting in Denbigh, Reeve Henry Hogg gave an update to council on the situation, saying that the township has put several loads of gravel on the nearby Addington Road, “so that they would have some access if the road is closed on Oct 16”. (Note: According to Norine Traynor, the road was indeed closed on Oct. 16. she had sent a lawyer’s letter to the property owner saying she would take him to court if he closed the road)
Jim Fraser of Fraser Haulage wrote a letter to council expressing “the frustration we have experienced in trying to get your township to consider a more efficient method of handling your recycling”. The letter says that the township does not have enough bins at the site and the company has been using their own bins. The company’s offer was to provide the township with 3 packer units and one power unit and pick up all the recycling at the Kaladar site for $2080 per month.
Councilor Eythel Grant said that in 2006 the township had paid Fraser Haulage $16,000. However, Reeve Hogg pointed out, “If we’re faced with buying new bins you have to factor that in.”
Council decided to enter into a 3-year contract with Fraser Haulage, but to try to negotiate a better price.
Council discussed a draft report for the expansion of the Denbigh Waste Site from Quinte Eco. Township Clerk/CAO Jack Pauhl pinpointed some things that the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) might object to, such as the plan for only applying cover once a week. He also wondered if the waste site attendant would be able to keep up with the exact record keeping required – the attendant must log the date, quantity, source, vehicle licence plate and type of waste brought in.
Councilor Helen Yanch suggested that a gate be put in at the site so that only one car could go through at a time.
Council decided that Waste Management Committee would discuss the report at the committee’s next meeting on Nov. 1.
Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath reported that this winter the Flinton garage would not be heated and would be used only for storage.
In a letter to council, the Lake Weslemkoon Conservation Association expressed several concerns, including a request for increased hours of operation at the waste site, and a request that the township improves its recycling efficiency. Council decided to invite the association to bring their suggestions to the Nov.1 meeting of the Waste Management Committee.
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Not without trepidation, members of Frontenac County Council approved the establishment of a trail planning committee to prepare a draft master plan for the trail system in Frontenac County.
Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski brought the concerns of her own council to the county table, and asked that the planning committee “include a representative from the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance (EOTA), who have expertise in trail management.”
“That would be appropriate,’ said Dianna Bratina, the County Manager of Economic Development, who had proposed that the committee be set up, “My report on this was meant as a starting point to try and get this moving.”
Frontenac County has become involved in the often thorny issue of trails in applying for and receiving a rural infrastructure grant of $298,000, dedicated to purchasing former K&P trail lands from Bell Canada. The incentive to do this came from South Frontenac Township, which intends to establish a non-motorised trail running roughly parallel to Highway 38 in order to join the K&P Trail coming out of Kingston with the Cataraqui Trail. The trail would then run north to the boundary with Central Frontenac. South Frontenac intends to have the Cataraqui Trail Foundation, which owns the Cataraqui Trail, manage South Frontenac’s portion of the K&P Trail as well.
The infrastructure grant also covers the cost of purchasing the former railway lands in Central Frontenac, from Piccadilly to Tichborne, which the county will hold in trust until Central Frontenac Council decides to get involved in a north-south trail.
Although the county’s focus is on the K&P Trail, “the committee will be charged with developing a ‘Master Plan’ for all trails in the county,” Gutowski said.
Central Frontenac owns the K&P Trail running north from Sharbot Lake, and has been involved in the purchase of the east-west Trans-Canada Trail, which runs parallel to Highway 7. Those trails are motorised trails, where ATV traffic is common, and they are managed by EOTA.
“South and Central Frontenac both allow them [ATV’s] to run the roads, and we are not going to allow them on the trails. Cataraqui runs non-motorised trails, and EOTA runs motorised trails, so I don’t know how this is going to work,” said South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison.
With an EOTA representative, the committee will include up to 9 members, including representatives from the county, the two municipalities, the tourism industry, the Frontenac Stewardship Council, and others.
“We are in danger of establishing a committee that is so large that it won’t be able to get anything done,” Davison said.
The committee, which received approval from county council, will have a broad range of topics to look at, including: users and activities, design standards and guidelines, amenities, fees, funding sources, and a trail name. Perhaps the most important two issues they will look at are an implementation plan, which will include the cost of initial upgrades and ongoing maintenance costs, and trail management. The committee will present a draft plan for presentation to the public.
Other council items:
Council roles changing – County council recognises that Frontenac County has a limited profile in the province, and decided to encourage council members and staff to attend more meetings and seek appointments to boards and committees with a provincial profile.
The initiative for this came from Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek, who was recently appointed to the County Caucus of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In order to secure the appointment, Vanden Hoek told council that he needed to do some campaigning, which led to out of pocket expenses.
Council approved a new policy, which called for reimbursing Vanden Hoek for some of his costs, subject to review by the county treasurer.
According to the staff report that was accepted by council, the county will pay the conference fees and other expenses of both staff and council members for attendance at “meetings that might be seen to be focused more on the county’s profile … Overall in its 2008 budget, council might be considering a financial commitment to improving the governance and government of its constituents ranging from $30,000 to $40,000”.
Budget direction - In response to the news that the Province of Ontario is planning to upload the costs of the Ontario Disability Support Program from municipal ratepayers, Mayor Vanden Hoek asked that as staff prepares a draft budget for 2008, “Any resulting savings from the uploading of costs are devoted to a tax decrease rather than to program spending increases.”
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Central Frontenac Council - Oct. 23by Jeff Green
No singing after 11pm, no barking at all: Central Frontenac considers noise bylaw
“This is a complaint-based bylaw” said Central Frontenac Clerk-Administrator John DuChene after several councillors expressed their concerns about some of the provisions in a proposed noise bylaw under preliminary consideration by council, “It is only when someone has a problem with a certain behaviour that it comes into play.”
The proposed bylaw was brought forward because a persistent dispute over noise this past summer revealed gaps in the existing bylaw. The issue that could not be resolved through negotiation concerned a generator, which someone was running all day and night, to the dismay of a neighbour.
“Our bylaw officer, who works for several municipalities, recommended this bylaw, which is almost identical to the one that is in place in South Frontenac. He says it works well,” DuChene added.
“My own business is at odds with this,” said Councilor Jeff Matson, “It says construction equipment can’t be operated before 7:00 in the morning, but we start at 6:00.”
“A lot of things are prohibited on Sunday,” said Councilor Gary Smith, “which seems rather outdated.”
“No person shall emit, cause, or permit the emission of noise resulting from an act listed herein, and which noise is clearly audible at the point of reception” the bylaw says under the heading General Prohibitions. Among the acts listed under this heading are (h) the selling or advertising by shouting, or loud speaking, and I) the keeping of any animal or bird.
In Schedule 1 of the bylaw, acts which are prohibited at certain times includes “yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing” which is prohibited between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am, except on Sunday, when is prohibited until 9:00 am.
Council decided to forward the bylaw to its lawyer for comment.
Two CF Council decisions appealed to OMB
The Ontario Municipal Board will hear appeals of two recent decisions by Central Frontenac Council.
The Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendment that was approved for the ill-fated Garrison Shores development will be the subject of one appeal. The harshest critic of council’s decision, Jeff Dubois, told council back in March that he would take them to the OMB, and it appears he has.
The other decision being appealed is the one to grant re-zoning on a property on Highway 7 to allow Thousand Islands Concrete to set up a portable concrete facility.
The hearings are expected in January or February. Thousand Islands Concrete and the Garrison Shores Property Owners’ Association will cover the cost of defending the decisions.
Snow plow tender process fails to yield competition
Last year when Central Frontenac put out a tender for a snowplowing tender on back roads, three companies submitted bids, but they each bid on different roads.
In an effort to solicit competitive bids, the township public works department split up the roads into three areas, and put a three-year plowing contract to tender.
“Six tender packages were picked up,” said township Public Works Consultant Bryon Dawn, “but in the end only three bids were received, and they each bid on a different area, so we didn’t get any competitive bids after all”.
G.E. Matson and Sons received the contract for Area 1 –West, Scott’s Snowplowing and Grass Cutting for Area 2 – Central, and Scott’s Snow Removal and Lawn Maintenance for Area 3 – East.
Councilor Jeff Matson declared a conflict and left the room while the contract was being awarded.
Speed limit signs – Recently, speed limit signs have been posted throughout the township in accordance with a bylaw that was passed several years ago, but until now had not been acted upon. Several complaints have come into the township office that the signs are inappropriate in some cases - 60km signs on roads where 40km or 50km would be more appropriate, for example.
A list of suggested speed limits was presented for council’s consideration. (the list is posted at centralfrontenac.com/yc/township/council/agenda/Scan3699.pdf)
Councilor Frances Smith said she was concerned that if a lower speed is posted on a road, the road will drop to a lower class and will therefore receive less maintenance, particularly winter clearing. Councilor John Purdon said that according to the information he dug up from the Ministry of Transportation “road class is determined by the daily traffic counts on the road, not the speed limit”
“I still think that people know how fast they can go on the roads, or else they end up in the ditch,” Smith said.
“It is always safer to have a speed limit posted that is appropriate,” said Mayor Gutowski.
Many of the smaller roads in the township are not slated to receive speed limit signs, because they are dead end roads, but they might instead be posted with “no exit” signs.
Council decided to circulate the list and consider whether all of the roads are appropriately listed before acting.
