Taxes jump by 6.7% in Addington Highlands

Addington Highlands Council will be increasing their net levy to ratepayers by $114,000 in 2010. In 2009 the total amount raised through taxation in the township was $1.68 million, whereas in 2010 it will be $1.79 million, an increase of about 6.7%

One of the major reasons for the increase, according to Reeve Henry Hogg, was a cut in a provincial transfer fund for municipal services. Payments to Addington Highlands from the Ontaro government under the Ontario Municipal Partnership fund (OMPF) decreased by $144,000 this year. “There was not much we could do,” said Henry Hogg, “we still have to cover all of our costs, even if the OMPF fund was cut back.”

The township will be completing work on the Denbigh garage and the Matawachan Road this year, both projects that were partially funded by grant money. A planned new fire hall in Northbrook will not go ahead this year, but money has been set aside for the construction in the future.

The extra levy will be covered by assessment increases that are being phased in over a four-year period.

Dump site to be mothballed? An inquiry has been received by the township about a small dump site that serves residents who live on Buckshot Lake. The localized dump, which is only active in the summer, does not receive recycling, only waste, and use is based on subscribers among members of the lake association. The complaint concerns maintenance of the dump.

According to Reeve Hogg, the site has been in existence since before amalgamation, and the Ministry of the Environment is aware of its existence. “I think this might mean that the site will have to be mothballed, and if it is we are going to have to pay the closure costs,” said Hogg, although as of yet the township has not been contacted by the Ministry of Environment about the Buckshot Lake dump.

“We would not consider that site for a transfer station if it were closed,” said Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath.

Although the matter was the subject of conversation, Council took no action on it. At this time, there are no plans to close the site.

LOLCS to pay for hall rentals – Land O'Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) requested a significant fee reduction for the use of township halls.

“What do they normally pay?” asked Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch.

“I think we normally waive the fees,” said Councilor Louise Scott.

“If we give them a very reduced rate, or free use of the halls, there is still the matter of the cost of cleanup,” said Treasurer Jack Pauhl. “But we do have a reduced rate for service groups.”

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch moved that the service group rate be applied to all use of halls by LOLCS, and Council agreed.

Tender for coverall at Flinton rink – The impact of the Harmonised Sales Tax on the project has made it difficult for the township to determine if the tenders they have received for the Flinton Rink Coverall will lead to a cost over run, but there is a possibility that there will be a $5,000 extra cost.

The Flinton Recreation Committee has committed $63,000 towards the $125,000 municipal cost of the project, and will be doing fundraising for the rest. An infrastructure grant is covering the other $250,000. Council agreed to cover the extra $5,000 cost, should it be necessary.

Internet voting returns – Council decided to engage Intellivote to run the 2010 Addington Highlands Election. Residents will receive a PIN number in the mail, which will enable them to vote over the telephone or through the world-wide web. The same company provided service for the 2006 election, and voting went off without a hitch. 

Editorial by Jeff Green

Note on budget reporting – Local councils will be finalizing their 2010 budgets over the next month.

Covering budget debates presents a challenge because the different townships have different ways of calculating their budgets. From the point of view of the public the main concern is, how much will we have to pay, and what are we getting for our money?

One of the things we can look at is the total amount a given township is planning to spend in 2010 as compared to 2009.

But total spending will alter if that township has received major grants from the province in one year and not in another year, so comparing total expenditures from one year to the next can be misleading, and it doesn't tell us how much we will have to pay in municipal taxes.

We could look at changes to the municipal tax rate, which is the amount that is charged to us for every $100,000 that our properties are assessed for. However this does not account for property assessment increases. The average property has had its assessment raised by 10% per year by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).

While some properties have greater increases than that and some less, on a global level if the local councils bring in budgets with a 0% assessment increase, they will actually be raising 10% more money from local taxes, and on average each taxpayer will be facing a 10% increase.

So, in our reporting of local budgets, the News has and will continue to focus on the “levy to ratepayers”, which is the total amount of money to be raised by taxation, as compared to 2009. So, if South Frontenac raised $10 million in 2009 for their own use, and will be levying $10.5 million in 2010, we can say that municipal taxes are up by 5%.

While this information, on its own, won't tell an individual reader exactly how much more they will have to pay, it will indicate if the individual townships are able to maintain an equilibrium between services delivered and the cost to deliver them.

So, if a given township requires an extra 2%, or 5%, or 10% in taxpayers` money, the council of that township should be able to show why that is the case.

It could be that labour costs or material costs have gone up; it could be that costs related to satisfying provincial regulations have gone up; it could be that a piece of equipment needs to be purchased and the cost is higher than expected; it could be that the council of the township would like to extend their services in a certain direction, or improve the roads and bridges. There are many reasons why municipal budgets go up. As taxpayers it is probably not reasonable for us to demand that taxes never go up. But it is reasonable for the public to expect that their elected council can explain why this is happening.

A further complication for local municipalities is that the bill that we receive from them includes county taxes and education taxes as well as their own municipal levy.

The local municipalities use a little more than half of the money they collect from us; the rest is transferred on.

This year the education and county levels are pretty flat, and it is the local municipal levies that will determine whether taxes are going up.

It is worth noting that urban municipalities congratulate themselves when they keep tax increases to 5%, whereas the goal for our municipalities is closer to 0% or 2%.

However, urban municipalities deliver services rural municipalities could not afford to deliver, and they can do that partly because of economies of scale, and partly because they have significant levels of commercial taxation to draw upon, whereas our rural municipalities have very little in the way of commercial real estate.

Sixty members of the Sharbot Lake Property Owners’ Association (SLPOA) showed up for the association’s annual general meeting in Sharbot Lake last weekend. They heard an update from their president, Ken Waller, on the top three recommendations that resulted from the Lake Link seminar that was held in Perth in October of last year.

The recommendations were: the ensuring of properly functioning septic systems; the importance of maintaining a buffer strip known as a “ribbon of life” on shore lines; and aiming to keep as much property surrounding the lake undeveloped as possible.

The SLPOA's environmental issues coordinator Elaine Stillwell presented her report and in addition to asking for volunteers to collect water samples from the lake for the Lake Partners Program, she addressed septic re-inspection in detail.

She relayed how last fall Central Frontenac Council drafted a by-law for mandatory septic re-inspection but has delayed bringing it into force. This spring the township hired a student to locate and map out septic systems with a GPS on a voluntary basis.

Stillwell highlighted the findings of a report produced by the Frontenac Stewardship Council about septic pumping on island and other water-access only properties. She noted some complications that would have to be overcome for septic pumping to take place on the many islands on Sharbot Lake.

Either a barge with at least a 2000 gallon tank would be required or else one that could carry a small truck. On the east basin there is no public dock and the barge would have to be able to clear the bridge. A licensed operator would have to bring the effluent ashore and either remove it to their own site or a municipal site. At an estimated cost of $600-$700 per cottage, at least 40 property owners would have to participate to make it feasible.

On a lighter note, Greg Storring of Storring Septic Service did a presentation on the Swedish-designed Waterless Composting Toilets, and Ron Kortekaas of Eco Alternative Energy informed members of the services and equipment he offers for those considering solar and wind energy alternatives.

Central Frontenac CAO John Duchene was the guest speaker and he highlighted issues affecting property owners and gave updates on the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaws, waste management and the upcoming municipal elections.

Erik Kohlsmith of the Mississippi/Rideau Septic System Office spoke about a voluntary septic re-inspection program that will be booking appointments in Central Frontenac for the weeks of August 16-20 and August 23-27. Anyone interested can call 613-259-2421 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Anyone who missed the AGM can visit the SLPOA site at www.slpoa.ca. The SLPOA’s annual Fish Fry will take place July 24 at 5PM at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

GRAVEL CRUSHING PRICE DOWN – There were few bidders for the Addington Highlands gravel crushing tender this year, but one of them, from Danfords construction, was more than a third lower than the price the township paid past year.

The price submitted by Danfords was $3.90 a tonne. This is down from the $5.98 the township paid last year, a price that was in line with what the township has been paying in recent years.

MATAWATCHAN SPEED LIMIT TO GO DOWN – the construction company that is upgrading part of the Matawatchan Road in the northeast corner of the township has proposed that the speed limit on the new part be dropped to 60km/hr from 80 for insurance purposes. Council decided to drop the speed limit on the entire road to 60km/hr.

SKATEBOARD PARK CLEAN UP – The roads department has done some maintenance work at the skateboard park in Northbrook, including filling in an old well that was a safety hazard, and has come up with a plan and some staffing to keep the Northbrook skateboard park clean. Works Manager Royce Rosenblath reported that the roof of the canteen at the park needs replacing. It was suggested that the township might supply the labour to replace it if the materials can be provided through fundraising.

REEVE STEELS HIMSELF FOR WESLEMKOON ASSOCIATION -

A seemingly routine invitation to the Weslemkoon Cottage Association Annual meeting, this year being advanced to “all those that are running in the upcoming municipal election”, brought a resigned response from Reeve Henry Hogg. “It says here 'they will have questions to be answered', and I'm sure they will,” said Hogg. “I hope everyone is up for a grilling.”

The meeting is scheduled for July 31.

COUNTY WANTS IN ON MUNICIPAL COMPLEX – Reeve Hogg reported that the Chief Executive Officer from Lennox and Addington County, Larry Keech, had approached him about the proposed new location for the Addington Highlands township offices and Northbrook Fire Hall, and asked if the county might piggyback on the project and put a new ambulance base there as well. “I told him there were no plans to proceed on that this year,” said Hogg, “but we should send them a letter asking for input.”

The township has purchased land on Highway 41 south of Northbrook for a new municipal complex but no money has yet been budgeted for construction.

JOINT COUNCIL MEETING - A joint Council meeting between Addington Highlands and North Frontenac is scheduled for later this month.

A five-unit affordable living housing project on Clement Road in Central Frontenac got the green light in the form of a building permit last week.

“We are pleased to have the building permit in place,” said Jane Drew, the general manager for North Frontenac Not-for Profit Housing, which is sponsoring the project. “It has been a long slog getting to this point.”

The project received provincial funding support through the housing office of the City of Kingston about 14 months ago, but has been mired in zoning delays and a hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board, as well as a last-minute issue around compliance with a site plan agreement with the township’s planning department.

The site plan agreement between North Frontenac Not-For-Profit Housing and the Township of Central Frontenac stipulated that the building must be located 30 metres or more from some low ground that has been identified as a wetland by Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC).

A group of neighbours, who have been actively opposing the project from the start and who took the zoning approval to the Ontario Municipal Board last year, also contested the assertions about setbacks in the surveyor sketch that was submitted to the township by the housing corporation.

“We are convinced that as per the municipal board hearings that the setback of 30 metres from the wetland is undo-able,” said Roy Sepa, who owns the adjacent property to the new development and is a member of the group opposing it.

Earlier this month the group approached the township and asked them not to issue a building permit. They also approached MVC.

Staff members from MVC and the township met on the site on August 3 last week. “We are here only as a commenting agency, at the request of the township. We are not here as a regulatory agency” said Diane Reid of MVC.

A biologist from MVC found that the edge of the wetland was at approximately the same location as indicated by the surveyor, but there was a question about the high water mark.

The next morning, Reid was on site again, along with the surveyor. After that meeting, a building permit was issued.

For her part, Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski said she is supportive of the project and is pleased that the project will now be going ahead. In her re-election website both “development of housing geared for seniors” and “sound municipal planning” are listed as ideas that Gutowski actively supports. “I believe this project is a step forward for our township,” she said. “It will only provide housing for a few seniors, but it is a start.

When contacted on Monday August 9 this week, Roy Sepa said he had not yet heard back from Mississippi Valley Conservation, but even the issuance of a building permit will not spell the end of the group’s determination to stop the project.

“We are still solid in our opposition, and we want to ensure that the right things are done, that all of the rules are followed. We are not done with this at all.”

When asked what their next move might be, Sepa said, “Just watch us.”

South Sherbrooke

MARK BURNHAM

Mark Burnham served for three terms as councilor on Tay Valley Council between 1998 and 2006. He sought the position of deputy reeve in 2006 and lost the election to Susan Freeman.

Even though he has not been a member of council for the last four years, Mark Burnham has not really retreated from township politics. He has remained as the Tay Valley representative to the board of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, and he has been the chair of that board for five years. He has also remained active on township committees, including the mining committee and others.

“The only difference not being on council was that I did not have to go to meetings on Tuesday nights,” he said.

From his experience on previous Tay Valley councils and what he knows of this latest council, Mark Burnham has found that the council has generally been “pretty reasonable and sensible in its approach to issues, and there are not a lot of divisions on council.”

He is happy with the direction the township has been taking by paving many of the side roads, and will encourage that to continue. “Once the roads are paved they are cheaper to maintain,” he said.

Another project that Mark Burnham was happy to see started is the new fire hall that is being built in Maberly.

Looking forward, he sees some problems ahead for council in terms of indirect obligations coming down from other levels of government, which will lead to tax increases. He cited an example from the Conservation Authority (CA).

“The province gave the CA the responsibility for mapping, without any funding, so that cost ends up being passed down to the municipalities. These kinds of costs can come from a lot of directions, and they impact on taxes,” he said.

DAVE CAMPBELL

Dave Campbell's family has been farming in Lanark County since 1816.

He was raised in the Balderson area, where his cousin still owns the family farm, and he has been a dairy farmer in Maberly for many years.

Because of “bad knees, a back back, and aches and pains,” Dave Campbell sold his dairy quota a few years ago and has been raising a variety of livestock ever since, including keeping a few cows, some pigs and goats. He is now looking into raising rabbits for sale.

Over the years he has been very involved with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and is a past president and active member of the Lanark Federation.

“The OFA just got permission to hold another lobby day at Parliament Hill in April, so I will be busy all winter organizing that. It takes a lot of work,” he said.

This is the first time he has sought municipal office.

“I've always followed politics and farm politics, and I thought at my age it would be interesting to do my bit for my fellow citizens in the ward. My philosophy is that whatever is good for the membership is good for me too,” he said.

He also said he would like to see some better representation from South Sherbrooke ward on council. “I think a member of council should be out and about in the community, at events, church suppers, that sort of thing. I think people want that.”

He notes there are a lot of farmers in Tay Valley.

“There's one other farmer on the council so if there are two of us it would make it a little better for agricultural stuff. It is a big industry in our county, and a strong agricultural point of view on the township would be a good thing,” he said.

Dave Campbell said that he knows there are going to be a lot of issues in front of council and he would take them on if elected in the same way he takes on all challenges.

“I'm a very positive person and I will try to take on council politics that way,” he said.

ROXANNE DARLING

Roxanne Darling grew up in Kingston, and moved to the Burridge area in the early 1980s. She lived in Burridge and worked in marketing and advertising in Kingston for 17 years.

During that time she developed an interest in municipal politics and was a member of council in Bedford for two terms.

She now helps run her family’s small business on Bobs Lake and is committed to economic growth and local employment. “I originally ran for council in Bedford because I wanted to get more involved in the community. I jumped in with both feet. I wanted to do the same thing in Tay Valley. There is no better way to get to know your municipality than sitting on council,” she said.

Roxanne Darling was acclaimed to her position last time, so this is her first contested election in the township.

“I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my last four years on council. There is a great diversity on this council and I'm amazed at just about every meeting at the insight that my fellow councilors bring to the issues. We don't always agree but we listen to each other and come up with good decisions. This has been a real growing experience for me,” she said.

In terms of issues that are facing the new council, Darling is concerned that a lot of new regulations and responsibilities are coming down from the province that could affect municipal funding. “It all leads to more pressure on taxes, and until we find a new mechanism for our assessment taxes will keep going up. I know what it’s like to live on a lake,” she said.

While high taxes are a problem for all waterfront property owners, Darling said, “It is those who are on a fixed income that I really worry about. I don't know that the answer is for this, but I'd like to be given another chance for four years to work on it.”

Among other issues that are important to Darling are the expansion of municipal involvement in local economical growth, as she would like to give their children a reason to stay and live in this area; enhancement of all municipal processes to make them more user friendly; and improvement of transparency and easy access to council.

Drainage Issues in (not-so?) Happy Valley

In response to Councillor Bill Robinson’s previously expressed concerns about the clogged state of a municipal drain in the Petworth Road/Happy Valley area, Alan Revill, the Township Drainage Superintendent, reported to Council that the drain did indeed need to be cleaned out. Since the drain was dug in 1985, it has had only one clean out. At the time of construction, the engineer’s report had contained two basic restrictions for the landowners: that there be no cultivation within 3 meters of the top of the ditch, and that cattle be kept out of the drain.

Revill noted that one landowner was allowing cattle to wander in the drain, thus contributing to erosion: the landowner said he was unaware of the provision to keep them out of it. The combination of gentle grades, build up of sediment, and heavy grass growth was significantly impeding water flow in the drain, leading to long periods of standing water, particularly after heavy rains. Although landowners are encouraged to cut the grass in the drains, not all have the appropriate equipment for the job, so it is not mandatory.

Council voted in favour of the recommendation that cleanout of 1200 feet of drain be undertaken under the supervision of the municipality, extending upstream from a point 100 feet south of the Petworth Road. The Municipal Drainage Act states that maintenance work such as this is to be paid for by the upstream owners (who benefit from the drainage of their properties), and can be done by a private contractor. Robinson objected, saying that this seemed unfair to the landowners, since this was a municipal drain, and asked for a recorded vote. All but Robinson and Fillion supported the motion: Robinson voted against it, and after some hesitation, Fillion abstained, saying he didn’t want the upstream landowners having to pay.

Building Report

The end-of-September building report showed value of construction in the Township for the first nine months of 2010 surpasses the total value of 2009 construction. “I thought this was supposed to be one of those fear-mongering (construction’s dropping) years,” commented Councillor Stowe, “But I guess not!”

Voting Registration Issues

There was inconclusive discussion about whether the township offices should be open Saturday morning, to provide PIN numbers to those who are not on the voters list, and to offer assistance to voters who are uncertain about voting by telephone or computer. CAO Orr reminded Council that running an election was not a political process, but an administrative responsibility.

He added that the offices have remained open until 7 pm, the last two Wednesdays: they have served a total of eight individuals on these two evenings. Residents who have any questions about the voting process are encouraged to telephone the Township offices. 

Photo: Grade 5 students on the campaign trail at Prince Charles PS in Verona

Students at Prince Charles Public School in Verona had their say and cast their votes in a parallel mock municipal election that took place in schools province-wide this last week.

A program called Student Vote, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works with educators in 1500 schools in Ontario, representing 255 municipalities, partnered with Local Government Week and the Ministry of Education this year and brought municipal politics into classrooms across the province. The aim of the program is to engage youngsters in the democratic process, inform them of the roles of municipal government and school boards and give them an opportunity to investigate their local candidates and local issues

Ms. Janet Revell, Grade 5 teacher at PCPS, was the Student Vote Team Leader at PCPS, and she and her class facilitated the program at the school where students from grades one through eight had a chance to vote.

Student Vote provides the team leader with all of the necessary education tools and information, including lesson plans designed to teach students the democratic process, and other exercises that build critical thinking and decision-making skills.

In mid-October Ms. Revell invited the four candidates running for council in South Frontenac's Ward 1: Bill Robinson, Jim Hicks, Doug Lovegrove and John McDougall, to speak to students in her class about their reasons for running, their related experience and their views on local issues. Students then could either choose to represent those or other candidates, or become officially involved in other election-related roles and tasks. After the visit students interviewed the candidates, and prepared speeches, which they presented to each class in the school.

I spoke to a few of the students involved and asked each what they learned. Destiny Ritchie, who chose to represent Councilor Bill Robinson said,“ I learned about the councilors’ personal histories which was really cool... like the fact that Bill Robinson was in the war.”

Sara Fitzgerald, who acted as the official announcer, introducing the school candidates to the other classes and explaining the voting process to them, said, “You have to know a lot about leadership and what people want and you have to learn how to communicate with people.”

Max Orser, who acted as the returning officer looking after the ballots said, “I learned that taxes are really important and that the government involves much more than just one person.”

Asked if any might consider running as candidates in the future Destiny replied, “Yes but first I want to be a teacher, so maybe after I retire.” Max said, “It depends what the issues are and why you are wanting to run. That changes all of the time.” Sara said, “I might, but it’s something I would not consider doing without learning more about it.”

Dalton, who ran as mayoral candidate John Fillion, said, “I might consider it. You need to know a lot but I might want to take a shot at it because it might be fun.”

The Student Vote program at PCPS proved to be popular and engaging - so much so that Ms. Revell definitely plans to run it again. “It was a great experience for the students. They were all extremely keen and interested and all did really well. Many of them even ended up attending the actual candidates’ meetings that took place.”

This was Janet's first year facilitating the program and she is already thinking of how she might do it differently. “Next time I think I would invite the candidates to come to the school at the same time and have a bit of a debate. I would also invite more students from the school to sit in so that they are more aware of the real people that the students from the school are representing.”

For the record, after all the students’ votes were tallied at Prince Charles, John Hicks and John McDougall won the day as councilors, beating out Doug Lovegrove and Bill Robinson, and John Fillion was elected mayor with Suzanne Ruttan voted in as school trustee.

The County of Frontenac wishes to invite community members to our second phase public consultations on the Municipal Housing Strategy currently under joint development by the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac.

The Municipal Housing Strategy is being developed in three phases to help guide future housing programs, policies, and initiatives in the region. Once in place, the Strategy will implement minimum targets for the provision of affordable housing.

First phase public consultations took place in early October of 2010 and compiled community perspectives on regional housing needs and issues. During second phase public consultations, officials will share their findings from the first phase public consultations and discuss strategies for overcoming identified obstacles. Based on your input, the Municipal Housing Strategy will present community-based solutions to address specific housing challenges raised during public consultations.

Second phase public consultations have been scheduled in Sharbot Lake and Kingston for November 18 at:

Oso Community Hall, Sharbot Lake, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. , and

Portsmouth Olympic Harbour (Sail Room), Kingston, 7 to 9 p.m.

People interested in attending should contact Hollis Amey by November 15. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-546-2695, extension 4973.

One of the goals that was identified by the Frontenac County Integrated Community Sustainability Plan last year was the improvement of the economic viability of some of the larger population centres in the county.

The Ontario Planning Act makes provisions for Community Improvement Plans (CIP), which, when completed, can enable municipalities to provide financial assistance in a variety of ways to help communities achieve the goals that are identified in the plans.

This past summer, FoTenn Consultants of Ottawa were chosen by Frontenac County to look at the communities in the county, and to recommend one community to have the first plan prepared for it.

“We needed to find one place that had the best chance for success to start off with,” FoTenn’s Mike Keene told Frontenac County Council last week. “Verona had that mix, and it has a fair number of businesses that were responsive when we did our consultations.”

FoTenn considered a number of communities for the pilot project, including Marysville (Wolfe Island) Inverary, Sydenham, Bellrock, Verona, Sharbot Lake, Arden, Parham, Mountain Grove and Plevna.

In the report that accompanied the FoTenn recommendation, all of the communities were analysed, but only Marysville, Harrowsmith, Sydenham, Sharbot Lake and Verona “have the attributes that make them plausible candidates for the pilot project,” according to Frontenac County sustainability planner Joe Gallivan. That is because they have distinct commercial, institutional, public and residential activities.

According to Mike Keene, the other communities that were identified “can still benefit from a CIP, but likely one that is focussed on municipal improvement projects such as unique signage and other infrastructure improvements.

“Verona offers the most diverse and unique commercial base while still being located on a single road. Verona contains the most households and acts as a hub for the surrounding rural area. The Farmers’ Market is unique to Verona, drawing people from the greater community and Verona contains one of the largest employers in the county,” Keene said.

Because Verona is built around one street (Main Street) the Verona plan will be transferable to other communities.

Municipal initiatives that can result from a Community Improvement plan include – street infrastructure and streetscapes, green energy, land assembly, park improvement, and affordable housing. Incentives for private sector projects can also result, in areas such as: façade improvement, feasibility/design sturdy grants, building interior improvements, heritage grants, reduced municipal fees, Brownfield incentives, property tax reductions and tax increment financing.

“I’ll admit that I’m a bit jealous that Verona has been chosen,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski, “but I see from all the analysis that has been done that it is a good fit for a pilot project, and I think it will be very interesting to see how the plan develops and how it can be adapted for other communities.”

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire addressed Mike Keene, saying, “I too think Verona is a good choice. I see that Plevna was rejected as too small and divided, suggesting that a township-wide plan might be more in order. Do you plan to pursue that?”

“There is an entire set of communities that I would classify as small communities that have excellent community support but not a lot of businesses. One of my recommendations as this project continues is to look at plans that take on broader regions,” Keene responded.

South Frontenac Township will have to agree to participate in the plan, and an amendment to the South Frontenac Official Plan will be necessary in order for the Verona CIP to be able to generate municipal funding and/or incentives.