Photo:Frontenac County CAO Elizabeth Savill receives input from Verona and area seniors in one of eight public meetings held across the county.

On March 14 close to 50 seniors from Verona and the surrounding area attended one of eight public consultation meetings organized by the County of Frontenac. The meetings were held to gain community input from seniors in order to identify a preferred seniors community housing project for the county.

County CAO Liz Savill led the meeting, which took place at the Verona Lions hall. Savill said the aim of the study is to “research the options currently in place, assess seniors’ needs, identify possible options based on county needs, recommend a preferred pilot project based on a ‘best fit’ location within the county and to come up with a plan for the development of a pilot project that will include a financial assessment identifying potential funding sources and anticipated costs”.

Savill pointed to some of the realities seniors in the county are facing. Their numbers are expected to increase in the next 25 years. The average household income in Frontenac County is lower than in Kingston and the province as a whole, and also, in Frontenac County, from 1996 to 2006 the proportion of seniors spending over 30% of their household income on housing increased.

Other statistics Savill cited show that 90.5% of dwellings in the county are owned. The rental market in 2006 offered a total of 970 units, with a low vacancy rate and average rents ranging from $500-$1200 per month. Current options for seniors, including retirement homes, seniors housing and long term care homes, are much more expensive, ranging in price from $1600 – $3500+ per month. The options range from independent, semi-independent to dependent living and offer differing levels of care and support.

The county has identified several major issues facing seniors’ housing: an increased demand over time for a range of options and support services; a gradual increase in population, predominately in South Frontenac; increased housing affordability issues for a large proportion of seniors; and the need for increased support services that enable seniors to remain in their own communities.

Savill then offered four existing models for comparison as possible options. The largest model is a non-profit facility that houses 3,400 residents in various-sized independent, private apartment units. Stonebridge offers numerous on-site services; residents pay a one-time entrance fee and then regular monthly services fees.

The second, the Adair model, one of which currently exists in Tamworth, is a smaller, privately owned facility that offers private rental suites with common dining and living areas. Meals are provided and other in-house services are available.

The third model is the Abbeyfield model, which is a non-profit international organization that currently has 30 homes across Canada, including one in Kingston. The homes are run by local volunteers and can house 10-12 residents in private rental bed/sitting units with common dining and living areas.

Last was the Sharbot Lake model, based on the existing model owned and managed by Central Frontenac Housing Corporation, which contains five private one-bedroom rental units for independent living. Following the presentation Savill opened up the meeting to discussion and attendees pinpointed what amenities they considered most important, what levels of privacy and independence they preferred, and whether they preferred to be located in a larger center or in a smaller settlement.

Though the feedback varied, it was generally agreed that a wide range of services should be available, pets should be welcome and safety concerns should be tantamount. It was also agreed that degrees of privacy and independence should to be geared to individual needs. There was also a general consensus that housing should be located in a larger center rather than a more isolated setting.

In a second discussion regarding the preference of renting or owning, it was determined that each would depend on individual cases. There was a general consensus on the need for more support services to be available to those wishing to remain in their own homes.

Dr. Lynn Wilson, administrator with the Rural Kingston Family Health Organization, attended the meeting and said she was hoping to see the seniors develop “a consistent notion of what will meet their needs” as they progress from being well and independent through the gradations of what it means to age.

“My particular interest is to ensure that we have an integrated set of health and social services that will support that, and that will not be easy in the face of the Drummond report, which is marginalizing everyone who has already been marginalized,” Wilson said. “The ministry has stripped out a huge number of clinical services between Highway 7 and the 401 right across the province, which abandons the farming population essentially. So my question is - why is the health of a senior or a child who lives in that area worth less than those who live in urban areas? And the answer to that is that it costs more to service them.”

Councillor John McDougall from South Frontenac weighed in with his hopes for the future pilot project. “From a county perspective, we realize that there is a real need for people to find alternatives to living in their own homes when it comes to that certain point in their lives and that there will be different needs for different communities. What we need to do is build a model that will demonstrate the variety of those needs that will serve them best.”

Following the series of eight meetings, county staff will be looking over the information gained and will be coming up with a proposed pilot location for seniors housing that will offer the supports and amenities pinpointed by the seniors in the county.

By Jeff Green & Julie Druker

CF Council unanimously passes Comprehensive Zoning By-Law

by Julie Druker

“It was an onerous task,” Mayor Gutowski said about the work that went into preparing the second version of a Comprehensive Zoning By-Law for Central Frontenac.

“I'd say it took about three years. It was an interesting process with a few hiccups along the way but a lot of consultations and public meetings took place and I hope the public feels that we have done a good job”, she said.

Prior to the bylaw’s passing, Councilor Purdon was presented with a complete consolidated version of both the Official Plan and the new bylaw by Glenn Tunnock, the township’s planning consultant.

“This is for all of your effort,” Tunnock said.

Purdon thanked Tunnock and agreed to withhold any further suggestions he might have, “for the moment.”

“Planning is the key and it is certainly important in a community - and it also never ends as we evolve and change,” said Mayor Gutowski just before the vote on the bylaw was called.

Two public meetings offer no objections to zoning amendments

Glenn Tunnock and his assistant David Welwood made back-to-back presentations regarding two separate zoning amendments. Both received no objections or questions either from council or members of the public who were in attendance. The amendments concerned lands at Kirk Kove on Big Gull Lake in Kennebec and the MacDonald property on Kellar Lake in Olden. Both reports were accepted by council for information and in both cases staff was directed to prepare the amended by-laws for the next council meeting on Nov. 8.

Novatech rep addresses council re drive-thrus

Prior to the passing of the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law, Adam Thompson of Novatech Engineering of Ottawa, representing members of the Ontario Restaurant and Hotel Association, which include Tim Hortons, Wendys, A&W and McDonalds, invited council to consider their Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw to ensure that the proper zoning be in place to accommodate drive-thru restaurant facilities. Thompson asked that drive-thru lanes be permitted anywhere there is a restaurant in the township.

Councilor Guntensperger said, “Frankly my response to your statement 'anywhere a restaurant is’, is that it is not appropriate in certain circumstances, like at Oso beach for example. That would just not work.”

Glenn Tunnock addressed the issue later and said that the new bylaw allows for that kind of development but common sense says it would most likely occur along the Highway 7 corridor, where those kinds of places would fit it. He added that site controls would determine where those developments might be located and that each one would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Communications problem solved

by Jeff Green

Members of the Central Frontenac Fire Department have been using satellite radios that were managed and controlled by an outside company. Now, after five years of effort and delays, the township has full control over its own communications, using a tower that is located just off Highway 7 near Mountain Grove.

“We now have four ways to get hold of our members, including through their cell phones, which is much easier for members to carry than the radio pager when they are out working,” said Fire Chief Mark MacDonald.

Then new system, which is integrated with the fire dispatch service out of Kingston, also enables independent internal communication among fire department members, as well as the township roads department and even members of Council.

“Having control of our own communications was very important to us,” said MacDonald, “and the system is working really well. We have already seen our numbers growing during calls because of the cell phone application.”

Councilor Jeff Matson, who was chairing the Council meeting on Tuesday, October 25 when MacDonald made his announcement, and who is also a volunteer firefighter, said that he finds it much easier to carry his cell phone, “particularly when I am out working on a loader.”

“That reminds me of another advantage. We won’t have to replace as many radios because they have been run over by loaders,” said Mark MacDonald.

No tax break for seniors’ housing project

On the recommendation of the Finance Department, Council rejected a request for five years of tax relief from the Central Frontenac Housing Corporation, which built and manages a five-unit seniors’ complex off Clement Road near Sharbot Lake.

The not-for-profit housing corporation faced cost overruns when building the complex, some of which came about due to complications in the planning process overseen by the township. A gap in the township’s Official Plan forced an Official Plan amendment in addition to a zoning bylaw amendment before construction could begin. The situation was further exacerbated when a group of residents took the township to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) over their decision to allow the project to proceed. Although the township covered the housing corporation’s legal costs at the OMB hearing, which went the township’s way, construction delays pushed the price of the building up.

In reviewing the request for tax relief, township Deputy Treasurer Christine Beaushaw said, “We calculate that this rebate would amount to over $23,000 over five years and it would have to be calculated into each year’s budget as an added expense to other tax payers. This will increase the burden of taxes on other taxpayers within the same property class, and we do not recommend that Council do this.”

Mayor Janet Gutowski, a long-time supporter of the project, said she has “mixed emotions about this report. On the one hand I am proud that we have stepped in and supported this project by helping out with development fees, and I would like to see us continue to support it because it is in the interest of our township to improve the stock of affordable seniors’ housing. However, this is an unbudgeted ask that we were not counting on and we have to be concerned about how other not-for-profits might see this. I will reluctantly be supporting this staff recommendation, but I do feel we need to some more thinking about how we address this property.”

Councilor Bill Snyder said that he has visited the property, and noted that the driveway and the area in front of the building have not been completed.

“Maybe we could have our public works department at least grade the driveway,” he said.

Council rejected the request for tax relief, and passed a further motion asking the staff and board of Central Frontenac Housing to meet with staff and council to consider further assistance from the township.

Mayor Gutowski thanked Christine Beaushaw for her service to the township, as she will be leaving her position in the finance department before the next council meeting.

Township all a-twitter: Among upgrades outlined in report by Charlene Godfrey, were a subscription email service that will enable subscribers to keep up to date with township new bulletins, and a Twitter account for the township, which is now up and running.

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t be the first ‘follower’ of the Central Frontenac twitter feed,” said Mayor Gutowski, “when I went to register I found that Alan McPhail, a township councilor in South Frontenac, was already listed as a ‘follower’.”

Affordable Housing post 2011

A presentation was made by Chris Laundry, a social housing consultant working for Lennox and Addington, about the future of the affordable housing sector in the county.

He provided an overview of the way provincial and federal governments have developed the current stock of rent geared to income and low-rent housing since the 1950s, and focussed on the most recent initiatives.

The main reason for his visit, however, was to talk about some of the implications of Bill 140, which was passed at Queen's Park in May. The major impacts of Bill 140 will come clear once some of the major provisions are enacted later this year.

“One of the major outcomes of the legislation will be to clarify the role of the consolidate service managers (CSM) and to streamline applications for affordable housing,” Laundry said.

Lennox and Addington County is a CSM and it operates about 350 housing units in Napanee and throughout the countryside, including some in Flinton.

Laundry said there will be changes that Lennox and Addington will have to deal with, and there may also be opportunities to add new kinds of housing as the result of the new legislation.

Denbigh Community Centre – Councilor Tony Fritsch presented a number of requests from the group working on bringing the Denbigh Community Centre project to completion. He divided the requests into items that need addressing now; items that need addressing in the near future; and “a list of additional projects for investigation.” Of immediate concern are the purchase and installation of a chimney liner ($2,800) and a minor roof repair ($1,500 or less). These were approved.

Northbrook fire hall and township office – Council established a committee that includes Reeve Henry Hogg, Deputy Reeve Bill Cox, Fire Chief Casey Cuddy, Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath, and Clerk/Treasurer Jack Pauhl to consider a design/build project for a new combined fire hall and township office on a piece of land the township has purchased on Highway 41 south of Northbrook. A house located on the property is being demolished and the project is now ready to be looked at in more detail.

Roads – Royce Rosenblath reported that dust suppression is now being applied to gravel roads within the township. A tender was also awarded for gravel crushing to Genware for $86,000.

Fire – There were six bids received for a new tanker for the Denbigh station. The lowest was $179,739, below the $185,000 budgeted for the tanker. Council gave Fire Chief Cuddy the authority to award the tender, provided he is satisfied that the bidder has met all the requirements in the request for proposal that the township had set out. Cuddy also said he wanted to check with some other fire services to see if they have had a good experience with the company that provided the lowest bid, because they have not been a supplier to Addington Highlands in the past.

Denbigh Ambulance Network – Alice Madigan, the chair of the ambulance network, made a short presentation to Council, imploring council to “do everything in their power to help the community of Denbigh and surrounding neighbours retain the Denbigh ambulance base.”

“I want to point out that both the Denbigh and Northbrook ambulances were out on call the other night and a call came in from Skootamatta. It took over an hour for a response from Marmora. That's the kind of thing we are looking at if the Denbigh base closes. We are on your side,” said Reeve Hogg, who will preside of the debate at Lennox and Addington County Council on ambulance services in his role of County Warden.

Photo: Sandra Weston

On Saturday, Loughborough Housing Corporation held a farewell event for Sandra Weston, who had been housing manager for 28 years. Sandra was hired by the housing corporation before its first building, Meadowbrook, was opened, and she helped with the initial application interviews. Geared-to-income and low market rent apartments for seniors were new in Ontario at the time, and no one was completely sure what the manager’s job would entail, other than collecting the rent. By the time Maple Ridge came on stream a few years later, bringing the total apartment units up to 55, Sandra was demonstrating a wide range of skills that included bookkeeping, handywoman, counsellor, gardener, diplomat and government liaison.

One speaker noted that Sandra even built her own office furniture (definitely not part of the job description!) She was instrumental in the development of the Eastern Ontario Housing Association, which helped develop communication between similar rural housing projects. Over the years Sandra handled countless challenges with grace, humour and competence.

Deputy Mayor Mark Tinlin brought best wishes from the Township of South Frontenac and the Province of Ontario as well.. Claude Silver and Wilma Kenny, both members of the original housing board, also spoke. On behalf of the board, President David Borrowman presented Sandra with a gift certificate to a nursery and a commemorative plaque to put in her garden with her choice of tree or shrub. 

Photo: David Buckley and Cam Allen inf front the the new seniors housing project.

A construction project that has seen its share of controversy will be home for five individual seniors or couples later this spring.

Construction crews started work on the project early last fall, after the Central Frontenac Not-For-Profit Housing Corporation had to wait about 15 months for the project to work its way through the administrative hoops that were required because of zoning issues.

These included an Ontario Municipal Board hearing challenging the zoning bylaw and Official Plan amendments that were approved by Central Frontenac Township for the project, and an organized public opposition campaign that characterized the building as a seniors’ home located deep “in the forest”.

Cam Allen of the All-Tech Construction Group has a different way of characterizing the project. He calls it the “the first Greenhouse Certified townhouse project in Canada. And it is right here in Frontenac County.”

Greenhouse Certification is a new construction industry standard that has been developed by the Ener-quality Group. It is similar in a number of ways to the LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] building standards that were developed a couple of years ago, but does not require the builder to pay certification fees, as LEED does.

The project has been used as a sort of demonstration project for the All-Tech Construction Management Group, which in addition to Cam Allen, includes Buckley Construction, Frontenac Roofing, and Phase 1 Electric.

“In terms of water use, energy efficiency, use of materials - even the recycling of construction waste - we are only interested in green building practices,” said Allen.

Not all of the practices add expense to a project. The Clement Road townhouse project is oriented so as to maximize passive solar capture for heat and light, and has an overhang on the south of the building for cooling in the summer.

It is also built to a high air-tight standard and has enhanced insulation properties to keep heating costs low.

The project includes a number of other environmental features. Some are deceptively simple, such as the inclusion of three small sun domes in each unit for added light in darker areas, reducing the need for artificial light. There is also a shut-off switch in the main room of each unit that will enable tenants to cut the power to some, but not all, of the electrical outlets in the room. This will make it easy to shut off the power to appliances, such as TV and stereo units, which use up power even when they are off, and to leave others, such as alarm clocks, running all the time,

The building also includes a six-panel thermal solar system that will provide a solar “top up” for the water heating system, and will cover about 50-70% of the complex's hot water needs. In-floor heating is another feature of the construction.

The plumbing and appliances were all purchased with energy efficiency and safety issues for seniors in mind.

David Buckley, of Buckley Construction out of Inverary, is one of the All-Tech partners. He said that it is important for him to walk away from a project like this with a sense of pride.

“You can do things quickly, but in the end it's better to do things right,” he said.

“I'm extremely pleased with the way the construction has been completed. I think the units will be well used by the tenants and the efficiency of the building will really pay off,” said Jane Drew, the director of the housing corporation.

An Open House will be held at the seniors’ townhouse project, which is located at 1096 Clement Road, on Friday, March 4 between 1 and 5 pm, and Saturday, March 5 between 10 am and 3 pm.

The rent is geared to income and units will be available for the price of $625 per month inclusive, for families with an income under $30,000 per year.

(Jeff Green is the Publisher of the Frontenac News. He is also a volunteer board member for Central Frontenac Not-For-Profit Housing)

Sydenham traffic woes

“My attention soon shifted from our wounded pet to concern for the safety of the vet, his assistant and my husband. The passing cars were so close they splashed us with our dog’s blood, and none of the traffic even slowed down.” Christine Sinclair, who lives with her husband and three small children on Rutledge Road just west of Sydenham, made a powerful plea for council to address the issue of speeding along Rutledge Road.

Both she and one of her neighbours have had crashed vehicles land on their front lawns: “We don’t allow the children to play in front of the house any more.” Sinclair herself had her vehicle struck from behind while she was stopped, waiting to turn into her drive: the other driver admitted he had been speeding, and had not seen her car. “Why is such speeding going unchallenged?” she asked. Admitting she had no answers to the problem, Sinclair asked Council to give serious consideration to possible options, such as: lowering the speed limit, better enforcement, education, or traffic calming devices. She gave council a list of concerned neighbours.

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth confirmed that traffic and speeding is a problem throughout the township: he gets complaints every week.

Earlier in the meeting, Joe Galloway, planner for Frontenac County, had summarized a recent study, which projected population and housing growth over the next 25 years. In brief, he confirmed that South Frontenac’s growth rate was greater than either Kingston or the province, and is projected to remain so. He also noted that the majority of housing development continued to be outside the existing hamlets, with the majority of residents commuting to Kingston for work. The study’s parameters did not include corresponding traffic increases. (The entire report can be downloaded from the website: directionsforourfuture.ca. )

Segsworth hopes to bring a report to the August council meeting, addressing some of the township’s traffic issues and concerns.

What’s a Hamlet?

Mark Segsworth reported that the CFCDC has provided funding for a village beautification project again this summer. The township has hired a student for eight weeks, to paint, plant and clear weeds in Harrowsmith, Sydenham and Battersea. This service is available to businesses that are willing to provide paint and materials.

Discussion of this program and Verona’s Community Improvement Plan proved too much for Councilor Del Stowe, who plaintively asked why “Bustling Burridge” was not included in the list of township hamlets. CAO Orr said it was not presently recognized in the official plan as a hamlet, but council could choose to pass an amendment. Deputy Mayor Tinlin said that one definition of hamlet (British) was “a community without a church.” Further research suggests that in Canada, a hamlet is “an unincorporated community within a larger municipality.” Councilor Ron Vandewal asked whether a hamlet could ever lose its status. No one seemed willing to address this.

Seniors' housing report draws mixed reactions at county

At one point during a comprehensive report on the prospects for a county-sponsored seniors' housing pilot project in Frontenac County, Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle presaged the ultimate response from Council, when he interrupted the presentation briefly, saying, “Excuse me, but how much longer is this going to go on?”

When the presentation did end, Doyle was quick to condemn it for being focused on one part of the County. “We have a Highway 38-centric proposal in front of us. I'd suggest we've got a project here that South and Central Frontenac should get together and decide what to do with,” he said.

The final report by SHS and ReFact Consulting is the culmination of a 6-month-long study whose goal was to analyse the housing needs of seniors in Frontenac County, and to propose and provide costing for a pilot project that the county could bring to fruition.

Social housing in Frontenac County is administered by the housing department of the City of Kingston according to a local services realignment agreement that was reached at the time of municipal amalgamation in 1998.

A portion of municipal taxes are paid by the county to the city, and the city provides funding support to not-for profit corporations in the county, such as the Loughborough Housing Corporation (Sydenham) and North Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing (Sharbot Lake).

This latest study was intended to add to the stock of lower cost housing for seniors in Frontenac County. Recent census information has again confirmed that the population of Frontenac County is ageing faster than the provincial average (the senior population was 15.6% in 2006 and is projected to reach 27.1% by 2036)

There is also a relatively large number of poorer seniors in Frontenac County. Fifteen percent of county residents who were 75 years or older and 10% of seniors between 65 and 75 had an income of under $18,200 per year.

These factors, and others related to ageing, have rendered the stock of housing in the county insufficient for the needs of many of the current and future seniors in the county.

When they were asked as part of the study, a large proportion of seniors expressed a desire to remain living in rural locations as they aged, rather than moving to an urban centre.

Before discussing models for a pilot project, the study concluded that for more remote areas of the county, such as North Frontenac and parts of Central and South Frontenac, “a bricks and mortar solution may not be sustainable at this time” and proposed instead that the county advocate for an expansion to homecare services and to home adaptation and retrofit programs “to assist in addressing the needs of seniors to age in place in more remote areas of the county.”

In presenting the study, the consultants acknowledged that ageing at home supports are provided by the Southeast Local Health Integration Network (LHINS) and the county can do no more than lobby for more services.

The study then provided costing information for three different kinds of housing pilot projects, identifying three communities as likely locations for such projects: Sydenham, Verona and Sharbot Lake.

Model One is a new 20-unit single-storey affordable rent project. The estimated up front costing for this proposal is $3.8 million.

Model Two is a 20-unit conversion or renovation of an existing building (i.e. a surplus school). The estimated cost for this model is $2.2 million.

Model Three is for an assisted living facility that provides independent living but also meals and housekeeping services for residents. For an 8-unit facility the estimated cost for construction is $1.4 million

The study proposes that the county form a task force or committee to explore what kind of project the county would like to bring to fruition, and what role the county would like to play.

The county role could range from providing waivers/reductions in building fees and development charges, reducing taxes, contributing municipal land or surplus buildings, providing low interest loans, or direct capital funding.

While Frontenac Islands Mayor Doyle was clearly unhappy with the report, saying it excluded Frontenac Islands and North Frontenac, Warden Gutowski called the study “extensive and complete” and said it “provided something for everyone”.

The report was received for information and a decision on future steps may come as part of budget deliberations for the 2013 county budget, which begin this month. 

Photo: Non-Profit Housing manager Jane Drew with some of the items for auction at the fundraiser.

Central Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing and the Azheimer's Society are putting on a unique event next month.

Where else can you listen to a great Canadian singer-songwriter while placing a bid on a discount load of gravel as you sip Prince Edward County wine?

On October 12 at St. James Catholic Church in Sharbot Lake, the doors will open at 6:30 in the church hall, where wine and cheese will be served and auction items will be on display.

Items include: Golf for four with cart at Rivendell; an intimate dinner for four prepared by bon vivant and chef extra-ordinaire Wayne Robinson; studio time at Waters Edge Pottery on Long Lake; a ½ ton truckload of wood; a load of gravel (the wood and gravel will not be on display but they will be delivered to the home of the highest bidder); original artwork by Kim Ondaatje, Martina Field and others; a Ziebart gift certificate; a WETT certification – TSSA inspection, chimney cleaning package; 9 holes of golf for two with cart at Hunter’s Creek; a Maple Leafs Jersey signed by the 2011 team members; and a number of other items.

Some of the items will be auctioned off at a live auction starting at 7:00 while others will remain open for bids in a silent auction.

Toronto-based Oh Suzanna is much in demand these days. She toured Holland in early September and will be touring Ontario in November, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom in early December, so it is a coup to have been able to book her for Sharbot Lake.

For 15 years Oh Suzanna’s fans have been rewarded with a new collection of songs just about every second year. While each recording marks a certain kind of departure, her voice and some of the themes she explores have remained constant throughout.

The first verse of the title tune to her latest release, “Oh the Birds”, goes “Soon the birds will be flying away, Over hills of snow and grey, they’ve come to carry you away, But they’ll be back for me one day”. It is a fitting example of the fact that joy and loss are never too far from the surface in her music.

That is not to say there is anything depressing about Oh Suzanna’s performances; it’s just that as a songwriter and a performer the truth about life’s fleeting nature is not swept under the carpet.

Her voice and instrumentation will be well served by the acoustics at St. James Catholic Church, which will make this show join with some of the great performances of the past in the church over the years, such as ones by the Barra McNeils and Tafelmusik

Tickets for the concert and auction cost $20, and are available at Gray’s Grocery, Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, Village Hair in Verona or through the Central Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing Office at 613-279-3322.

On May 16, Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner of Community Services for the City of Kingston, and Housing Department Director Sheldon Laidman, gave a presentation to Frontenac County on social housing programs offered by the city, which is the consolidated service manager for housing programs for Frontenac County as well.

Hurdle described a continuum of housing needs, ranging from the extreme situation faced by people who make use of emergency shelters, to rent supplemented and affordable housing, up to the affordable home ownership program that has been recently launched.

Sheldon Laidman, who has only been working for the City for six months, has been involved in the development of a municipal housing strategy. Of the 40 recommendations for implementation of the strategy, Laidman said, “Thirteen are specific to the county.”

Some of those recommendations deal with improved co-ordination and communication between the city and the county, and others deal with streamlining planning to make it easier to improve the social housing stock in the county.

While the recommendations don’t carry any commitment for new money to county-based housing initiatives, they at least demonstrate that the county may be getting more attention from the city as far as housing and homelessness is concerned.

Unlike other services that the City of Kingston has been providing to residents of Frontenac County ever since municipal amalgamation took place in 1998, such as Ontario Works and Childcare, the housing needs of Frontenac County residents have not been high on the city’s agenda

It took several interventions by Frontenac County Council and staff to secure a county component to a recently completed homelessness study that the city undertook. Securing a position for a member of Frontenac County Council on the Kingston Housing and Homelessness sub-committee also required some lobbying of Kingston City Council, and only members of Kingston City Council and appointees who are Kingston residents are permitted to sit on the Board of Directors of the Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation.

John McDougall is the county council representative to the Housing and Homelessness Committee.

“I find that it is a lonely task sitting on the housing and homelessness committee. I wish another resident of the county was on the committee,” he said at last week’s meeting of Frontenac County Council.

The presentation by Hurdle and Laidman, who both are relatively new to their positions, demonstrated on at least one instance that the city is not completely up to speed on the realities of public housing and housing supports in Frontenac County.

As was pointed out by county council member John Purdon, the presentation included an inventory of social housing units in Frontenac County, coming up with a total of 161. However, 60 of those are at Country Pines in Glenburnie, which is located in the City of Kingston, and they are managed by Town Homes Kingston.

Within Frontenac County, there are 28 units at McMullen Manor in Verona; 55 units of seniors housing run by the Loughborough Housing Corporation in Sydenham (Maple Ridge and Meadowbrook); and 18 units in and around Sharbot Lake that are managed by the North Frontenac Not For Profit Housing Corporation, for a total of 101 units.

As to services in the county, Southern Frontenac Community Services manages both a rent bank and utility bank program to which all county residents may apply for emergency support.

While most of the proposed initiatives in the upcoming Investment in Affordable Housing Program are geared to new construction in the city, the Ontario Renovates program is going to be geared to low-income rural homeowners, and Sheldon Laidman said he anticipated that the majority of Ontario Renovated projects would be in the county.

In response to the presentation, Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle asked why no projects have ever been located on Wolfe or Howe Island.

“I don’t think we’ve communicated very well to the general public,” said Laidman. “Construction for units is often done by individuals or community groups, not necessarily municipalities.”

Warden Janet Gutowski said that, “with a number of recommendations in the new housing strategy referencing the county, we are now on the right track going forward but we still have communication challenges.”

Last Friday, July 26, on one of those rare Goldilocks summer afternoons, the Strong Women Drum kicked off a short ceremony to mark the spot where in the next few months the first Habitat for Humanity House in Frontenac County will be going up.

The Kingston/Frontenac chapter of Habitat for Humanity Canada has built 11 homes thus far. The first 10 were in the City of Kingston, and the 11th was in the village of Bath.

The move into the surrounding rural areas from the organization’s base in Kingston is the fulfilment of one of the goals of the chapter to expand into the entire region. According to interim CEO Tim Jamieson, it is also based on the reality that “it is becoming harder and harder to find affordable land in the city itself.”

Since the organisation is entirely supported by donations of labour, materials and cash, the cost of land is a major concern.

“We were fortunate that Rick and Cathy Goodfellow offered up a building lot in Tichborne to us at a very reasonable price,” said Jamieson, “and since we know there is a need in Central Frontenac, it was great fit.”

The project will be built with the assistance of Kingston’s prison population. Corrections Canada is one of Habitat’s partners in Kingston, and through an inmate training program in the construction trades, the outer shell of the house will be built in Kingston and shipped in two pieces to the site in Tichborne. A couple of weeks before that happens, another crew of inmates will travel up to the site and will help put the cement foundation in.

“Somewhere around the beginning of October, the building will arrive and the rest of the work on the house will begin, with help from local volunteers and others,” said Jamieson.

The site already has a well and septic system in place, thanks to the efforts of Davy Well Drilling and Nedow Construction and the on-site construction phase will be supervised by Tarasick Construction.

The family selection is slated for this month, and although the criteria for eligible families is rather strict, (the family income level must be over $29,000 but under $59,000 and the family must not already own a home) there are three local families who are still in consideration for selection.

The family that is selected will be obligated to provide 200 hours worth of labour to the project. When the home is completed they will purchase it and take on a mortgage, but the difference between the Habitat home and others is that no down payment will be required and the mortgage will be interest-free.

“The goal for this project is to provide a family a way out of the renting cycle. For what it is costing them now to rent, they will be able to purchase their own home and provide the level of security to their children that comes with home ownership,” said Jamieson.

The ground breaking marks a new kick start for the Tichborne build. It had been panned for May, but the CEO of Habitat Greater Kingston and Frontenac left his job abruptly in early May for personal reasons. With a vacuum at the top of the small organization it was necessary to take a step back.

“There was also a problem with financing at the time, which has since been worked out with the bank,” said Tim Jamieson, who is the Vice-President of the Habitat Kingston Board and has stepped in as CEO until a permanent individual is hired, which is expected to happen within a month.

The Tichborne Habitat home should be ready for occupancy in the early part of 2014.