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Wednesday, 28 September 2016 23:35

Central Frontenac Council – Sep 27/16

OPP checks in

Staff Sergeant Sharron Brown, Detachment Commander for the OPP Frontenac Detachment, which has overseen the satellite detachment in Sharbot Lake since April 1, 2015, paid a visit to a meeting of Central Frontenac Council that was held at the Piccadilly Hall on Tuesday afternoon, September 27.

She apologised for not bringing information to the township more often, and encouraged the township to set up a Community Policing Advisory Council in order to facilitate more collaboration and information flow between the local police and the township.

She also presented two different sets of information, one concerning crime rates and other statistics over the last year and one about the complicated job of keeping the Sharbot Lake detachment at adequate levels of staffing.

The detachment, which provides service to both Central and North Frontenac, requires a staff complement of nine officers to be fully operational, and with transfers and promotions it has been difficult to get to that level over the last year or so.

Staff Sgt. Brown said that the complement now stands at seven, and two new recruits will be coming after they graduate on February 1, 2017. In the meantime officers from the Frontenac Detachment fill in when necessary.

In terms of crime rates, the numbers do not show a great amount of deviation over the last three years or so.

The most common crimes that the OPP investigate in the township are assaults, break and enters, and thefts.

In terms of traffic charges, there are four categories that are common: speeding, seat belt violations, impaired, and distracted driving. The most common by far is speeding.

Of the data that she provided, she said some of it is “hampered by the fact that I cannot separate out Central Frontenac from North Frontenac and Highway 7.”

Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald asked if, since South Frontenac has a formal contract with the OPP but Central and North Frontenac only use what is known as “status quo” policing, “would it be a good idea to negotiate a county-wide policing contract?”

“My short answer is to go for it if you want to,” said Brown, but she then said, “From my point of view there is very little difference between the two models any more except for the existence of a police board instead of a policing committee, and any enhancements that a municipality chooses to pay for.”

Until 2012, South Frontenac paid for a community officer as part of its contract, but that position was eliminated when policing costs went up dramatically. Currently there are no enhancements in the South Frontenac contract.

Councilor Victor Heese asked if, since North Frontenac already has a community policing committee in place, “could Central Frontenac combine with them instead of setting up a stand-alone committee?”

“The Policing Act allows for that option,” said Brown.

After she left, Council passed a motion asking staff to bring back options for a new committee.

Councilor Jamie Riddell said that instead of putting two members of council on the committee, it might be best to have one member of council and the fire chief or deputy fire chief.

A report will come to the next meeting on October 11.

Abundant Solar comes calling

Rob Hitchcock, from Abundant Solar, came looking for a motion of support for two 3-acre solar projects it is planning to launch bids for under the Feed-in-Tariff program of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) of Ontario. The sites are located near the Henderson Road mid-way between Kennebec Lake and the hamlet of Henderson. Township will look to a staff report before considering the applications.

An application by the Wintergreen Co-op will be dealt with in the same manner.  

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 28 September 2016 23:32

North Frontenac Council – Sept. 23, 2016

Township to host Ontario ATV Association AGM

In early June 2017, all available cottage, lodge, and Bed & Breakfast spaces in North Frontenac will be filled when 115 delegates and their families come to the township for the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario ATV Association.

Councilor Denis Bedard made the announcement at a meeting of North Frontenac Council last week. Securing the AGM for North Frontenac has been a project that Bedard, along with the Ottawa ATV Association, which manages the ATV trails in the area, have been working on for months.

“They are keen to come here because not only do they want to have a meeting, they want to ride as well. It will be a good opportunity to promote our trails, as each of the delegates represents many other riders,” said Bedard in making the announcement.

Bedard said that Darwin Sproule of Ompah has been co-ordinating accommodations for the delegates.

“There are quite a few lodges and cottages around, and Darwin is confident he will be able to find suitable accommodations for everyone with what we have here,” said Bedard.

The AGM is set for June 3 & 4, but Bedard said most delegates will arrive on Friday, the 2nd, or earlier in the week.

“Many of them want to come early to ride,” he said.

Official Plan down to the short strokes

Frontenac County Community Planner Reid Shepherd presented a draft version of the soon to be completed North Frontenac Official Plan update, which will be the subject of a Public Meeting in October. The goal is to adopt the plan before the end of the year.

There was little controversy over the draft plan, with the only item that generated any debate being the question of whether the minimum lot size of 2 acres and the minimum water frontage of 200 feet should remain in the Official Plan or be reserved for the Comprehensive Zoning bylaw, which will follow in the new year. A number of councilors wanted to see them in the zoning bylaw because that provides them with more flexibility.

Shepherd said he would take the comments into account when bringing back the final version.

Once Council has approved the plan it should have easy passage at Frontenac County because the same planners who are preparing the plan will be providing advice to the county over its final approval.

Cloth-backed or vinyl, should the decision be made by the SPCC?

The South Palmerston Community Centre Committee, which oversees the operations of the Snow Road Hall, has raised $2,800, which they propose to use for 70 new folding chairs at the hall.

Since the chairs will become township property, the township will have to buy them and be reimbursed by the SPCC.

Councilor Gerry Martin asked whether the committee is looking at vinyl or cloth-backed chairs.

“Cloth-backed chairs don't last as long and since they will become township property we will have to replace them eventually,” he said.

Corey Klatt, manager for Facilities and Recreation, said there are both vinyl and cloth-backed chairs at other halls, “and both kinds seem to be standing up pretty well.”

Gerry Lichty, from the SPCC, said he would take Martin's comments into account before making a final recommendation.  

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 28 September 2016 23:27

Frontenac CFDC seeking municipal support

The Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC), which is funded by Industry Canada, has been a source of grants and loans to businesses in Frontenac County for over a decade.

Now, for the first time, they are looking for some money to flow in from the local community.

Anne Prichard, the executive director of the FCFDC, has appeared before Frontenac County and South Frontenac Councils over the past week seeking financial support.

At her presentation to Frontenac County on September 21, she outlined how the agency had its operating funding cut by over $70,000 in 2012/2013, and as a result has had to cut one staff position.

At the same time, the loan portfolio of the FCFDC has increased by 41% since 2013.

“That has only accelerated in recent months” she said, “and while we are pleased with this success, it has placed stress on both our operational and investment funds.”

In 2015, in order to cover operating expenses, with the approval of its funder and its board of directors, the FCFDC diverted a small portion, $35,000 of its interest revenue to cover operating expenses.

The rest of the interest revenue is returned to the pool of funds that are available for loans.

“However, with the increasing demand for loans, in 2016 we need that money to lend out,” said Prichard.

The FCFDC is presenting two options for support to Frontenac County and also to the Township of South Frontenac.

Option one is for a grant of $35,000 to cover the shortfall in operating funding, and option 2 is for $30,000 to go directly to the Food and Beverage (FAB) region program.

The money would be used, in part, to participate in a number of trade shows that are coming up over the next six months. As an example of the impact of these shows, Prichard talked about one Frontenac County restaurant that the FCFDC works with, the Wolfe Island Grill.

“A spot opened up at a conference in Montreal, and we offered it up to Casey Fisher of the Wolfe Island Grill to bring a line of home meals he had developed. The contacts he made there changed his whole business outlook,” she said.

Prichard said that the funding model that is used for the community futures development corporations across the province makes it difficult for smaller, newer ones like Frontenac to operate and a new funding model is in the works, which should alleviate the financial issues in the future.

“In a sense, you are a victim of your own success,” said North Frontenac Councilor John Inglis at the presentation to Frontenac County on September 21. “But would not the CFDC be self-sustaining with a larger loan portfolio?”

“Yes, and that is the advantage that the larger, more established CFDCs have. For us, we would have to almost double our portfolio to get there,” said Prichard.

After delivering a similar presentation to South Frontenac Council, Councillor Ron Sleeth asked Anne Prichard how many businesses the FCFDC serves in a year.

“I can tell that since April 1st of this year we have made 26 loans. We give out from 50-95 grants each year and do about 150 consultations with businesses each year,” Prichard said.

South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal then said, “As everyone knows we are a very big part of he county as far as paying into the budget. I would like to see how this is played out there before we look at it for our own budget.”

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

Rob Hitchcock, from Abundant Solar, brought mapping which showed that the true location of a proposed solar project near Flinton is in a dormant field at the rear of Lot 20, Con. 5, Flinton.

The previous presentation had shown the project location in the front of the lot, in a field that is in agricultural production, within close proximity to three houses on the same lot and three more across the road.

The new location is in a dormant field and is much easier to block using existing tree cover. It is also located further from neighbouring property owners.

Councilor Bill Cox, who lives on the same lot, had expressed concerns about the initial site. He was concerned about how the view from his own and his neighbours’ homes would be affected by a project that was to be located about 150 metres from his front door. He asked for a deferral of a motion of municipal support for the project when it was presented to Council earlier in the month.

At that time he was looking for more information about plans for berms and tree cover.

“This location does not impact any of the neighbours in the same way, and when I talked to the neighbour who has leased the land for the project, he said the project was always set for the site at the back of the lot. It was a mistake by the people who were preparing the presentation that led to the confusion,” said Cox when contacted this week.

When the motion of support was brought back to the floor at the Addington Council meeting on Monday night (September 19) in Denbigh, it was passed unanimously.

There was talk before the vote about conflict of interest. However, since Bill Cox has no financial interest in the project, and courts have upheld the position of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation that Green Energy projects do not impact property values, Cox did not declare a conflict and voted in favour of the motion.

The project will now go the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) “Feed in Tariff” procurement bidding process. Approval for all projects under this round of procurement will be announced early in 2017.

Organisational review to be the subject of special meeting

A special meeting will be held in Flinton next Monday, September 26 at 10 am to discuss implementation of the Organisational Review that was presented to Council earlier this year.

The review was the subject of a letter from Jim Laginski, a representative from IUOE (Independent Union of Operating Engineers) Local 793. The IUOE represents workers in Addington Highlands, including Roads Superintendent Rosenblath. The union is concerned about the creation of a new tier of management, which has been proposed in the review. The managers would not be part of the union.

Reeve Hogg said, in an interview after this week's meeting, that he is concerned that the changes called for in the review will result in higher administration costs because of new management positions being created.

“I want to see a costing before I can support this,” he said.

Denbigh waste site

The township has been attempting get approval from the Ministry of the Environment to re-open the Denbigh waste site. This process has been ongoing for a number of years.

This week the township received a letter from the MoE, which said that the township is required to place clean fill at certain locations at the site. Council is hopeful that once this is done, the MoE will re-open the site, perhaps over the next six months.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 21 September 2016 16:03

Central Frontenac to look at chip trucks

At the very end of the September 13 meeting of Central Frontenac Council, Councilor Cindy Kelsey put forward a notice of motion to discuss portable food trucks.

Recently, a food truck that had been open variously at two different locations on Highway 7 was shut down after a resident complained to the bylaw officer.

It turns out that the township's comprehensive zoning bylaw does not permit any food trucks within its borders. The bylaw, which was passed in 2011, includes “licensed refreshment sales vehicles” in its definitions, but in the rest of the document these kinds of establishments are not listed as permitted within any of the township's building zones.

There are at least two such establishments in permanent locations in the township, one on Highway 7 at Sharbot Lake and one on Road 38 at Godfrey and there is at least one other business that provides catering out of a truck.

South Frontenac has a provision for and permitting “licensed refreshment sales vehicles” in commercial zones within the township, under a set of criteria that includes separation distance from other food establishments. Central Frontenac may be looking at a similar provision in their own bylaw.

“That is my intention,” said Cindy Kelsey, when contacted this week, “to bring in an amendment to the bylaw so we can regulate and permit these kinds of businesses. Right now they are in limbo. Anyone can call a bylaw officer to shut them down, which is not fair, and they do not pay any fees, while restaurants pay property taxes, which is not fair either.”

Kelsey's notice of motion asked staff to prepare a report outlining how the township can proceed on the matter.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

by Jeff Green

Among the recommendations in phase 1 of an operational review of fire and emergency services in Central Frontenac Township is the creation of a full-time fire chief position.

Terry Gervais, formerly of the Napanee Fire Department, made 11 recommendations in the report he delivered to a regular meeting of Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday afternoon (September 13).

Of those, a number dealt with health and safety measures, and others with the way the township makes incident reports to the Province of Ontario for every call that the department goes out on.

The final section of the report is about the position of fire chief, whether to maintain the status quo, with Fire Chief Bill Young and Deputy Fire Chief Art Cowdy both putting in 16 hours, or two days a week; to increase Young's hours to a larger part-time position; or in the words of the report, to “hire a full-time chief.”

Gervais said that the status quo option is not advisable because the township is already falling behind in its legislative reporting and other requirements.

Option 2, to increase the hours, would not be sufficient, in Gervais' view, partly because, as he said, “The fire chief already works more than 16 hours so that option is already in place and it is not enough. It is my recommendation that the township hire a full-time person.”

For comparative purposes, he looked at neighboring townships and found that of nine he looked at, six have full-time fire chiefs; one shares a full-time chief, and only two have part-time chiefs, one of those being Central Frontenac. In Frontenac County, not only does the largest township, South Frontenac, have a full-time chief, but North Frontenac, with half the full-time population of Central Frontenac, also has a full-time chief.

Mayor Frances Smith thanked Gervais for his report and said that council will look at the recommendations in the coming weeks or months.

Although the report called for a new position to be created, it was silent on how that position should be filled, not saying if the job should be offered to Young or filled through an open hiring process.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Thursday, 15 September 2016 00:25

Central Frontenac Council – Sep 13/16

VIA Rail wants to build a service along Highway 7

At the start of the Central Frontenac Council meeting this week (Tuesday September 13), Mayor Frances Smith presented a document she has received from Jacques Fauteux, Director, government and community relations with VIA rail.

The VIA Dedicated Tracks project proposes to use a new, more efficient diesel-electric hybrid fleet to deliver passenger service in the Quebec City to Windsor corridor.

An adjunct to that project, according to the document, “includes the Shining Waterways Railway Plan, which aims to provide passenger service from Toronto to Havelock, and its extension all the way to Ottawa, using existing tracks or discontinued railway rights of way.”

The service would have many benefits including: local train service to Toronto and Ottawa, shorter trip times than using a car, regional economic development, etc.

Basic inspections are to take place on former railway beds and infrastructure that are under consideration for the project in the region over the coming weeks.

The former rail line from Havelock to Ottawa is currently part of the Trans-Canada Trail. It follows Highway 7 as it heads from Kaladar to Ottawa, but in Central Frontenac it pushes to the south of the highway at Elm Tree, passes below Big Clear Lake in Arden and over to Mountain Grove, eventually following the southern shore of the west basin of Sharbot Lake at Brewer Road, before passing through the hamlet at the medical center, past the beach and then the township office.

Until last year it then went under a bridge at Road 38, but that bridge was removed last year and the trail now passes over the road as it heads back towards Fall River Road, where it again follows Highway 7 towards Perth.

Building report shows solid year

Chief Building Officer Jeremy Neven presented the year-to-date building permit figures, and the total for the year as of the end of August 2016 is up by $300,000 over 2015. Permits for 14 new homes have been purchased, which Neven described as being comparable to other years in recent times. He said that activity has continued to be brisk into September.

When Councilor Cindy Kelsey asked if, as she has seen in her day job at the Arden Post Office, there are many conversions of seasonal cottages to year-round dwellings in the township, Neven said, “Do you think you can get me the names of those people?”

On a more serious note, he said that when seasonal cottages become year-round residences, even if there are no renovations done for that purpose, the requirements for air flow and insulation change and a permit should be taken out.

“A lot of people aren't aware of this, but they should contact us when they become permanent residents so we can ensure the building is suitable for year-round living,” he said.

Facilities report

Neven, in his role as manager of Development Services, reported that work on a number of projects has been proceeding. The new Olden ball field is about to have lights and fencing put in, and the field itself is expected to be completed in time for the 2017 season. The Big Gull Lake boat ramp should be completed this month; a new range hood has been installed at the Kennebec Hall; and shelving has been installed at the Parham library. Work at the Parham fair grounds is expected to be completed this fall as well.

Mayor Smith wondered why the range hood for the Kennebec Hall cost $20,000.

“That's a lot of money for a range hood,” she said.

“It's a very extensive range hood for a very busy kitchen,” said Clerk-Administrator Cathy MacMunn.

“I'll have to go see it then,” said Smith.

KPMG to audit for two more years

Treasurer Michael McGovern proposed that the firm KPMG have their contract extended for two more years for providing auditing services. At that time the township will be participating in a joint procurement process with Frontenac County and the other three Frontenac townships in the hopes of achieving efficiency and cost savings. Council agreed.

Library addition to Mountain Grove fire hall

Fire Chief Bill Young presented the results of a tender for the construction of a 1,000 square foot addition to the Mountain Grove fire hall to accommodate a new library branch. The lowest bid was from Guy Saumure and Sons for $254,600 plus taxes. The budgeted price for the project was $220,000, including a $32,000 engineering fee, and the township received a $110,000 matching grant from the Government of Canada under the Canada 150 Infrastructure Program to cover the costs.

With the engineering added in, the project is now $66,600 over budget, money that will come from savings elsewhere in 2016 township operations if they can be found, or through a loan.

The Saumure bid was over $100,000 lower than two of the other bids and $15,000 lower than the second lowest bid, which was from the Anglin Group Ltd.

Fire dispatch returns to Kingston

When the City of Kingston Fire Service increased its price for providing dispatch services to the township's fire department last year, Chief Young recommended shifting to Smiths Falls, who offered to provide the service for $13,500.

However, Young has now proposed, and Council accepted, that the township return to Kingston Dispatch, as they have revised their price down to $13,500 to match Smiths Falls.

“They seem a lot more interested in our needs now than they were a year ago, and it makes more sense to work with Kingston, which is where the other Frontenac townships get their dispatch as well,” he said.

Signage plan to come forward

Councilor Jamie Riddell, representing the Economic Development Committee, said that now that the Frontenac County branding exercise is complete, the committee will be making a proposal for highway signs at all entrances to the township. This will include corridors such as Highway 7, Roads 38 and 509 and the Arden/Tamworth Road, as well as the Henderson, Crow Lake, and Fifth Lake roads.

“We have been working well with the County on this project, and the work they have done with the new county brand will dovetail really well with what we are doing,” Riddell said.

A report, including costing options, will be presented to Council in time for 2017 budget deliberations.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Thursday, 15 September 2016 00:22

South Frontenac Council - Sep 13/16

Budget confusion but treasurer gets direction for an increase

South Frontenac Treasurer Louise Fragnito initiated Council into the 2017 budget process with a report outlining the direction that staff would like to take in regard to the target numbers.

Because South Frontenac is committed to long-term budgeting, the 2017 numbers will set in motion spending over a long period, up to 25 years.

In order to maintain and even increase the level of reserve funds over the next 10 years and continue the aggressive road rehabilitation and upgrade program that the township has undertaken, Fragnito asked that the target of a 2% increase in the impact of the budget on the average ratepayer be increased to 2.2% this year.

The change reflects a proposal from the Public Works department for an expensive upgrade to the Sunbury Road, from a surface-treated (tar and chip) road to an asphalt road with a paved shoulder. The upgrade would reflect the amount of use the road receives on a daily basis, and its role as a detour from Highway 401 from time to time. A similar proposal for the Westport Road will be considered for 2018.

“The use of these roads has changed since the original long-term roads plan was developed” said Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth, who added that the township has been attempting for a number of years to obtain a grant to upgrade the Sunbury Road, without success. The proposal, as it currently stands, would be financed through a loan of $11 million, to be paid off over 20 years, with interest pegged at about 2.5%

The budget direction that Fragnito was seeking included annual loan payments to cover the additional projects. The direction, which projects budget increases over 25 years, also included a host of projects, including building a new $2.25 million fire hall every three years starting in 2020 until all the township fire halls are replaced.

Council had a lot to say about the proposals.

“I need more information about how all these numbers fit together,” said Councilor Alan Revill. “We see projections over a long period of time and we will have to then focus on 2017.”

Deputy Mayor Ross Sutherland said he was ok with the 2.2% proposal, but wanted to use reserves to finance the new roads projects instead of bank loans.

While other members of Council also expressed a need for more explanation of the numbers, Mayor Vandewal knew what he wanted to see: smaller numbers and less spending.

“To me this is a wish list: new fire halls, road upgrades, and on and on. We aren't going to do all this. We need to look at things we can afford, not the warm and fuzzy things that we would like to see. Even if you say this is just direction and we will make decisions as we go along, once it is down on paper it will be hard to stop, so I would like to slow down,” he said.

Vandewal also said he campaigned on 2% increases, so he wants to stick with that.

Nonetheless the majority of Council indicated comfort with Fragnito's suggested 2.2% increase.

[Editor's note – Treasurer Fragnito uses a calculation that includes projected increases in tax assessment due to new construction and overall growth as well as phased-in assessment for existing properties when calculating a 2% or 2.2% increase in the impact of the budget on the average property in the township.

In our reporting of budgets at the Frontenac News, we look only at the total amount of money the township levies to ratepayers. For example, the levy increase we reported for South Frontenac in 2016 was 6.66%, an increase from $15.5 million in 2015 to $16.5 million in 2016. Looking back in time, the total levy in 2010 was $10.3 million, so it has therefore gone up by 60% so far this decade.

Looking forward, South Frontenac is on track to increase the levy to about $30 million per year by 2025.]

Application for funding for The Point

Council accepted a Public Works proposal to apply for a $77,500 matching grant from the Ontario 150 fund. If the application is successful, new fully accessible washrooms, a new sports pad, playground equipment, new fencing and a paved walkway will be put in. The township's share of the cost will come from Parkland Reserve funds.

While indicating that she will vote in favour of the proposal, Councilor Pat Barr, her voice betraying underlying frustration with the amount of attention the Point Park has received from Council in recent years, said, “I will vote for this as long as it is the last time I have to hear a request for money to fix up The Point for the rest of my life.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 07 September 2016 18:39

South Frontenac Council - Sep 6/16

Former Harrowsmith cheese factory site to be re-zoned

There was no opposition to a proposal to re-zone the Sapputo property in Harrowsmith to permit commercial car sales and other urban uses. Planner Mills noted that much of the 4.4 hectare lot is wetland, and will remain under wetland protection. Commercial use will be restricted to the higher land at the northwest corner of the property. The public works manager has advised that a traffic study may be necessary.

Mica Lake re-zoning

Darryl Silver’s application to re-zone two waterfront lots on Mica Lake from Rural to Waterfront Residential was passed. This is possible because both severed and retained lots have frontage on Little Long Lake Road, which has recently been categorized as a fully maintained public road.

Subdivision monitoring proposal

Councillor Sleeth brought a notice of motion that Council consider the hiring of a consultant on a monthly basis to monitor the status and development of existing subdivisions, saying that Council lacks the manpower to do this.

Deputy Mayor Sutherland agreed: “There is clearly an appetite in the community for appropriate monitoring and enforcement.” He described this as an interim measure until a planning manager is hired.

Mayor Vandewal and Councillor McDougall disagreed, on the grounds that the proposal was too open-ended, and the new position had already been agreed upon. The motion was deferred.

Recent Sydenham parking appalls public works manager

“It looks like we’re not going to get there with moral suasion; we’ll have to resort to enforcement. It’s absurd anyone would be boneheaded enough to park in the high school crosswalk, but they did.” Segsworth reported that in spite of signage, and discussion with the high school principal and Tri-Board Bus Line, illegal parking in front of the high school is seriously compromising accessibility to the school, pedestrian safety and sight lines at the corner of Wheatley and Rutledge roads. Also, parking on the sidewalk in front of the village post office seems to have resumed. More signs will be added to clearly delineate parking stalls in front of the high school, and their message will be enforced.

Lukewarm reception to county proposal

Council received, but did not endorse a shared communications proposal from the County. Councillor Revill asked if there was interest from any of the other townships.

Recreation committees’ amalgamation encouraged

Several motions from area recreation committees were shelved, pending the September 27 release of the township recreation survey. Also, Deputy Mayor Sutherland and Mayor Vandewal reminded Council that it was not appropriate for motions to come directly to Council from district recreation committees. These are to be forwarded to the South Frontenac Recreation Committee, which will in turn bring proposals to Council.

Fire ban report requested

Deputy Mayor Sutherland suggested that Council should ask for a brief written report from Fire Chief Chesebrough clarifying his timing of the fire ban this summer. Council agreed.  

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 07 September 2016 18:36

North Frontenac Council - Sep 2/16

County makes branding presentation to North Frontenac

Anne Marie Young, manager of Economic Development for the County of Frontenac, and Alison Vandervelde, the Community Development officer, made a presentation to Council on September 2 to explain their process of implementing new branding for the County.

“We started this from the ground up,” Young told Council. She said that she hopes the new logo will attract “adventure seekers, potential investors, and business owners.”

“It looks like a girl guide badge or a boy scout badge,” Vandervelde said in explaining how the concept came together. “The crest inspires that kind of adventure.”

Along with the logo, the branding company RedTrain came up with the tagline “In Frontenac” to be used with promotional material and online.

“The tagline is really the beautiful part as it is what we make it,” Vandervelde said.

They explained to Council how people have started implementing the “In Frontenac” tagline on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and how it starts to build a story of what Frontenac is.

“It's a good measurement for us too to see how many people are using it,” Vandervelde told Council. She said that people have been tagging photos of themselves paddling, camping and eating in the area with the hashtag #infrontenac.

“Is there funding available for us to implement this new branding in our township?” North Frontenac CAO Cheryl Robson asked.

Young said that the County has received funding for rolling out the new brand but she couldn't elaborate yet on what that funding is or how much.

“I'm excited about it because it's a whole new exercise,” Councilor John Inglis said. “It [the County] has been more or less invisible.”

Malcolm and Ardoch lake plans presented to Council

Brenda Martin, chair of the Malcolm & Ardoch Lake Stewardship Committee (MALSC), Glen Fowler, president of the Malcolm and Ardoch Lakes Landowners' Association (MALLA), and Mary Gessner from MALSC, presented the summary of their lake stewardship plan for both Malcolm and Ardoch lakes to council.

They explained to Council that their priorities on the lakes are water quality and water levels, land use development, and fisheries and fish habitat.

Martin said that the water quality and water levels are presently in a “good state” and that MALLA has done additional sampling on the lakes to recognize any changes. She said they continue to educate their members on water issues.

Martin also told Council that the Ardoch condominium proposal is what prompted MALLA and MALSC to develop the thorough report on their lakes, and that their approach was more reactive than proactive.

“This Council is a safety net for North Frontenac,” Fowler said. “It's the most rural and undisturbed part of Frontenac County. If you're promoting economic development through that [new] logo then North Frontenac needs to be very protective of what goes on here. Our lake plan tries to be that reference document just for our views and we hope it's consulted when changes are about to take place.”

“We've seen the mistakes made in the past and we don't want to see them in the future,” Deputy mayor Fred Perry said. “I have ownership here. I live here.”

Another priority for MALLA and MALSC is the fishing habitat; in particular they are concerned about over-fishing of the lakes.

“Is there anything that Council can do to put a word into the ministry to have some presence periodically up here?” Gessner asked. “Ours are pretty small lakes and the public access can lead to some issues we're seeing now, like some abuse.”

MALLA told Council they had reached out to both the OPP and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in regards to one individual that they claimed has been over-fishing “for a couple of seasons.”

“He fishes from 4am till 10am in the morning...” Mayor Ron Higgins told Council. “...dumping fish in his livewell. Whether he is transporting or keeping them for his own use we don't know. I called the TIPS hotline and they said they'd be out there in three days. By then the perpetrator is already gone.”

“Every morning I make my coffee and there he is in front of my house,” Councilor Gerry Martin said.

“It's very stressful and very upsetting,” Martin said. “All the good you do for your shoal enhancement and fish habitats can be ruined in one fell swoop.”

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC
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With the participation of the Government of Canada