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Feature Article - March 15, 2007Verona's doctor search, Part 3byInie Platenius
“It
just doesn’t seem right somehow.” That’s a comment often heard in
conversations about finding money to entice doctors to practice in
rural areas – especially a rural area with all that Verona has to
offer. Shouldn’t doctors be delighted to settle here where we
have comparatively low housing costs, excellent recreational
possibilities, good schools and an easy commute to a major medical
teaching university? After all, we’ve had excellent doctoring
here for as long as we remember. Why can’t things just go on as
before?
There are many reasons why a community needs to become more active in finding good medical care. First of all, the entire province is short of family doctors. The reasons for this are tied to government funding policies, decisions about medical school enrolments, licensing of immigrant practitioners and the preferences of medical students – all things beyond the scope of local communities to directly change. But we can work to change the things that graduating family doctors find difficult to deal with – and many of these involve money in one way or another.
Doctors now come out school with student loan debts of $100,000 or more. Their contemporaries in the business world begin with a much smaller debt load and often begin earning a much higher wage. It isn’t helpful for us to say, “Well if you wanted to get rich, then you should have gone into business.” First of all, that doesn’t get us more doctors, but more to the point: when people choose medicine as a career, they’re opting to help people. It isn’t their intent to run a business, yet that’s what they often end up doing. Hiring nurses, nurse practitioners, secretaries and adjunct staff; managing the maze of government regulations around payment; keeping records and maintaining a physical plant are all things for which business people get good bucks, and these things have nothing to do with what family doctors want to be doing – diagnosing and treating kids and grandpas and young moms and dads. In a city, some of the business stuff is more easily dealt with by combining resources with other practioners or even hiring people who specialize in these things. In a rural setting, this is more difficult.
A committed community can help new doctors with any one or more of these factors, and many communities are already doing just that. Over this past year, the Verona Community Association has been planning with Dr. Laurel Dempsey from the Verona Medical Clinic and Dr. Lynn Wilson ,the Administrator of the Rural Kingston Primary Care Network, for the eventuality of Dr. Dempsey’s retirement. They have also spoken to many resource staff and community groups who are involved in similar searches to ours, and have formed the Verona and District Health Services Committee, to inform our community about what we have now, what we should be planning for in the future and what our community responsibilities will be over the next five years to ensure that our clinic has enough doctors. On Wednesday March 28 from 7 – 8:30 at the Lions Hall the committee will host a community gathering to discuss these issues. Speakers will include Louise Day, RN who along with husband Doctor Gordon Day was enticed to come here about 40 years ago by the work of a farsighted group of community people. Also speaking are Dr. Laurel Dempsey, who is actively recruiting doctors for a time when she will retire, Dr. Lynn Wilson, director of the Rural Kingston Primary Care Network, and Diana Bratina, manager of economic development for Frontenac County, who has studied the demographics of age and health issues which affect medical care in our area. Come out to learn what we have now in our Verona Clinic, what we should have now and will need in the years to come, and what our responsibilities will be to provide it.
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Feature Article - March 8, 2007Letters to the Editor - March 8/07
Zamboni
Thanks, Spencer - When I saw the article in the February 22 issue of the Frontenac News about Spencer Robinson, his Zamboni, and the rinks he had cleared on Sharbot Lake , it reminded me of all the skating we used to do on Sharbot when I was a youngster. I am sure it is at least 69-70 years since I first laced up my skates (maybe it was my Dad who did that) and started skating the whole upper end of the lake with my parents. It seems like there was always a rink at the beach and it was a beehive of activity day and night. Everybody who skated took a turn at keeping the snow cleared from the ice and we burned old tires for warmth. It seems that the ice was a lot better for skating than it has been in recent years.
After reading the article, I realized that I hadn't skated in 15 - 20 years. I searched and found my skates tucked away in a closet. The blades were sharp and the boots still fit. Frona and I checked out Spencer's rinks behind his parent's home and decided to do the unthinkable after all these years. We went to the rink, I laced up my skates while sitting on a bench supplied by Spencer, I assume, and with Frona's helping arm made my way to the good ice. I was shaky at first but soon got the hang of it again and found myself really enjoying the experience. The first day I skated only about 15 minutes and I left the ice with all my bones intact and no ensuing aches and pains, which was a bonus. It felt great, I have been back twice and I really appreciate the work done by Spencer to make my adventure possible. If the weather and the Zamboni cooperate, perhaps I will be back. I have checked the ice a few times during the day and haven't seen many skaters. I hope that will improve. So, once again, thank you, Spencer, for your time, your work and your sense of community mindedness.
- Francis Dowdall
Thank you, Sharbot Lake !
It takes a whole community to throw a successful event, and thanks to your wonderful community, February Fever was a huge success.
Special thanks to our hosts, Rodger and Sharon MacMunn of T.R. MacMunn & Sons. Hosting a meet involves a huge commitment of time and energy, and they were sogenerous with both. Thanks to Donna and Denis Larocque for sharing fabulous food in your gorgeous home.
And then to everyone else who represented your community so well: Mayor Janet Gutowski; Paddy, the Town Crier; the wonderful people at all the community groups who fed us; the fabulous people who opened their homes to billets; the ladies of the Quilt Show; the friendly folks at the Volunteer Fair; the people who offered snowmachine rides and prepared the skating rink; all the friendly people who stopped by the hall to see our work; and to everyone else we met over the weekend.
Special thanks to Jule Koch Brison for sharing her lovely home with us, and to Marcel and Pam Giroux for being the best neighbours a billet could ask for.
Letterheads may be a hard group to describe, but we were all warmly welcomed.
We are looking forward to our next visit to Sharbot Lake .
- Murray and Debbie MacDonald, OldTime Signs, Kenora , ON
Signs of the Times
To be fair, this rant might have waited until spring, but circumstance has brought the matter to a head, and it’s a situation that’s been bothering me for a long, long time.
It’s about those signs with the moveable letters. You know the ones their rows of blocky black capitals with backwards N’s and S’s line our highways and loom over our shops and schools. Graceless and unsightly though they are, I watch for them every day because at least they are informative. And there’s the rub.
First of all, some information is more permanent than others, and for that information we should be making permanent signs. BINGO EVERY FRIDAY could be posted in a clever design with attractive font that actually serves to enhance the look of the town. So could DAILY LUNCH SPECIAL $4.99 or WE SELL SHOES. Imagine how much more interesting our villages would be if signs like these were creatively designed and hung. Think of the view!
Of course, some information is so changeable that an ugly box sign is really the only good option. So, fine, I can live with that - until the information is no longer useful. Lent is days away, so why am I still driving past signs that read HAPPY NEW YEAR and SALE ENDS DEC 24? This is one step beyond ugly. It screams that the sign owners couldn’t really care less about what information they feed us. Frankly, I’m not very interested in entering a place whose sign is weeks or months out of date.
I know, I know. It’s cold out there. And as someone who has had the unenviable job of rearranging those ugly block letters, I can sympathize with the frostbitten fingers and scraped knuckles. Still, if changing the letters causes too much hardship, just leave the sign blank. Better yet, don’t have the sign at all. Which brings me to why I am forced to write this screed in the coldest part of winter. A few weeks ago I passed Verona RONA Hardware one of our village’s most reliable sign changers, even though its signs are hung high above the store. Posted on the north sign was this message: MY BOSS TOLD ME TO CHANGE THE SIGN. SO I DID.
Inie Platenius
Re: Robert Lovelace’s letter of March 1st, 2007:
I found it very hard to take. He said the Algonquins have a higher level of enlistment than any other group of people in the last two world wars. My father was in World War I and lost his eyesight in both eyes due to the enemy’s gunshot. He was blind all his life. This event happened before Mr. Lovelace was born. I have nothing against the natives, but I pay taxes every year on my property. I think it is time there is one law for everyone over land, hunting, fishing, etc. We all fought both wars for this country, not just one particular group.
- Archie Meeks
Re:PineLake Project
In the March 1st Frontenac News,Lisa Goos andBob Lovelacerestate and clarify their groups' positions on the Pine Lake project. Such clarifications are necessary to help untangle the mess thisissue has become.
However, Mr. Lovelace's use of theterm "mob" just rips apartthat effortand stomps on it. Ifsome people aregoing to be foolish enough tocall "squatters"a term of "racial hatred", then there are plenty of others who will say the same of "mob" in this context. Both are uncalled-for andinsulting, but the first one springs from ignorance of the facts, while thesecondseems to me to besimply malicious. It certainly makes the mess even messier.
On the other hand, Ms. Goos's statement that"this is not about Native rights" shows that there is still plenty of misunderstanding about the basis of the dispute. The crux of the whole thing is the Algonquins' historical right to this land, which has never been ceded to the Crown. In this light, the term "squatter" looks rather different. But the Algonquins are not asking that we give back private land that webought in good faith. They are just pointing out that they have different rights than we doon the unpatented land known as "Crown".
"Equal" does not alwaysmean "the same". Ms Goos wants AAFNA's project to "be governed by the same health and safety regulations to which we are all subject." I disagree. But if she had said the project should "meet standards of health and safety equal to what we are required to meet", I would agree.
And in fact, I believe this is what is now in the works, in the process that the mayor was asked to facilitate. But I admit, it's hard to know. Openness and communication with the publicare not, shall we say,the mayor's strong points. On the other hand, he's not alone. Four of the six councilors sat through the entireFebruary 22nd discussion without uttering a single word about their opinions or feelings on this major issue. Thank goodness for councilors Olmstead and Cole, who, whether peoplelike what they said or not, at least had the courage to do what they were elected to do, and speak up.
Hiding behind a wall of silence doesn't cut it. Where there's talk, there's hope. Thanks to the News for providing a forum for intelligent and respectful discussion towards resolution everyone can live with.
- Helen Forsey
Re:PineLake
After reading Mr. Lovelace's letter to the editor March 1, 2007 I can't help but wonder which AAFNA he speaks for. Is it the AAFNA represented by co-chief Randy Cota who said in the December 16, 2006 Kingston Whig Standard that AAFNA would not agree to an Environmental Assessment at Pine Lake? Is that the same Randy Cota that said on February 18, 2006 (by email) that AAFNA "...will not attend any meeting involving Pine Lake with local Municipal Council, and MNR" and..."This formally ends all communication at this level of Government including Municipal, and Local Ministry of Natural Resources (sic)"? Is it the same AAFNA that said that any attempts by the Pine Lake Association to communicate with it would be seen as harassment? Is that the same AAFNA that sends its email correspondence to the Pine Lake Association to the OPP?
When Mr. Lovelace insists that AAFNA has listened to its neighbours, I have to wonder which AAFNA he is referring to. The AAFNA I'm talking about has refused to meet its neighbours on Pine Lake , and refused to answer our specific questions about safety and environmental concerns.Its only reply to us since the summerhas been nasty, vicious, and distasteful name calling.So, Mr. Lovelace, which AAFNA are you speaking for?
David Rose, Pine Lake Property Owners Association
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Feature Article - March 8, 2007The legacy of St.Patrick
by Rev. Jean Brown
St. Patrick’s Day, which in Ireland is both a holy day and a national holiday, honours St. Patrick the patron saint of Ireland and the person who brought the Christian faith to the Irish. According to legend, Saint Patrick used a green shamrock to explain the Trinity, since the shamrock, which looks like clover, has three leaves on each stem. Saint Patrick told the people that the shamrock was like the idea of the Trinity that in the one God there are three divine beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Another tale about Patrick is that he drove the snakes from Ireland . Different versions of the story, tell of him standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from Ireland .
Patrick’s early years featured some hardships that drew him closer to God. In his teenage years, he was captured by Niall of the Nine Hostages who was to become a King of all Ireland . He was sold into slavery in Ireland and put to work as a shepherd. He worked in terrible conditions for six years, drawing comfort in the Christian faith that so many of his people had abandoned under Roman rule. Patrick had a dream inspired by God, that encouraged him to flee his captivity and to head South where a ship was to be waiting for him. He travelled over 200 miles from his Northern captivity to Wexford town where, sure enough, a ship was waiting to enable his escape. Upon arrival in England he was captured by brigands and returned to slavery. He escaped after two months and spent the next seven years travelling Europe seeking his destiny. During this time he furthered his education and studied Christianity in the Lerin Monastery in France . He returned to England as a priest, but became convinced that God was calling him to return to Ireland to share the Christian faith in his homeland. Patrick was made a Bishop by Pope Celestine in the year 432 and, together with a small band of followers, traveled to Ireland to commence the conversion. Patrick shared the Christian faith in Ireland until his death at the age of 76. His influence is still felt to this day as nations the world over commemorate him on March 17 of every year.
St. Patrick's Breastplate
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
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Feature Article - March 8, 2007Relay for Life:Survivor activities
by Mike Procter
The Relay for Life is a celebration of survival, a tribute to the lives of loved ones and a night of fun, fellowship and fundraising to beat cancer. The Relay for Life involves teams of 10 people who participate in an overnight non-competitive relay. Participants take turns walking, running or strolling around a track from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Survivors, people who are living with cancer or have previously been diagnosed with cancer, are invited to walk the first lap of the track at 7 p.m. - the Victory Lap - to acknowledge and celebrate their courage in their struggle with the disease. Watching dozens of survivors walk proudly around the track is inspiring and touching. Survivors are treated as guests of honour and all Survivors receive a free Relay For Life Survivor T-shirt. Following the Victory Lap, survivors are free to return home or stay throughout the evening and join in the fun and celebrations. Survivors can register for the Victory Lap by contacting one of the following Survivor Committee members: Joyce Lewis at 613-375-6770; Mary Chiarot at 613-279-2620 or Mike Procter at 613-279-2572. For more information on Survivor Activities and the Relay for Life event planned for June 1 at the Parham Ballfield, check out the website at www.cancer.ca.
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Feature Article - March 1, 2007Frontenac Heritage Festival deemed a success
by Jeff Green
When Janet Gutowski called the first meeting for the Frontenac Heritage Festival sometime last spring, she was a first-term councillor in Central Frontenac, fighting an uphill battle to become mayor. There was every chance that she would have had lots of time after November to work on the festival.
That all changed when she became Mayor Janet and assumed numerous new duties. Luckily, a strong committee was in place by that time, and although there were a few glitches, the first ever Frontenac Heritage Festival drew good crowds to most of its events on a sunny winter weekend in Sharbot Lake and environs.
The festival was built around a gathering of 30 sign makers from across the country, who descended on the Oso Hall early in the week, and in short order completed two massive murals, all the while participating with students from Sharbot Lake High School in their winter carnival events.
The Heritage Festival was kicked off on Thursday at a ceremony featuring the Native Women’s Drum at the North Frontenac Telephone company, which had been turned into a veritable museum display by Cheryl Matson using antique furniture and quilts, most of which were lent to the festival by Dr. Peter Bell.
Other highlights of the festival included a square dance, a kitchen party at Sunsets Restaurant, a volunteer fair and First Nations food event, and an ATV and Snowmobile event called the Safe and Sober Alliance Snow Rodeo, which was held at the new fire hall in the village.
Even as the closing ceremonies were taking place on Sunday in front of the newly completed murals, and a beaming Mayor Janet said that she estimated about 800 people attended the festival events, 150 people were out on the rink at Tichborne, holding a winter family fun day as an impromptu part of the festival.
The Festival Committee will meet next week to start planning the second annual event.
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Feature Article - March 1, 2007Verona's doctor search
by Inie Platenius
In the next many months, a group of interested Verona community members will start to lay the groundwork for a serious initiative to attract new medical practitioners to the Verona area in preparation for the time when Doctors Dempsey and Townsend retire (several years hence). This is the first of a series of articles about the things the community needs to consider in their quest for continued excellence of care.When Floyd Deyo was about 14 years old, his cousin did a side cast off their fishing boat and Floyd caught a double hooked fishing plug in both his cheek and earlobe. He trudged up from the lake to Doc Goodfellow’s place (now Korner Kastle B & B) to get it looked after. “What, could you not find the lake?” was the doctor’s greeting. He then told Floyd to run across the street to Revell’s for a pair of side cutters, which the doctor then used to snip off the hook in his ear. But the cheek was another job altogether. After looking the situation over for a minute, the doctor whipped the hook out of Floyd’s cheek while simultaneously intoning, “Now this is going to hurt, didn’t it?”
That story says a lot about what medical care was like 50 or so years ago. First of all, there was no question but that Floyd would head straight to the local doctor. A trip to Kingston would have been out of the question. And there was probably no question in Doc Goodfellow’s mind that he was going to do whatever necessary to fix the situation. Government regulations and patient lawsuits were a world away. Like today, the doctor of a 100 years ago may well have been a respected, even revered member of the community, but he (and it was almost certainly a he) carried with him a different set of community expectations. He was more likely to have grown up in the area. At least one former local doctor grew up down the road, went to Queen’s and then came home to practice. He was expected to be on call day and night, but on the other hand, people were less likely to call him than they now are to go to an ER or all night clinic. We have come to expect that just about anything that goes wrong with us can be put right, and we resent waiting for that to happen. But even 60 years ago, going to Kingston for care was a rare enough event that today people still talk about the time when they put grandma on the train to town, where a horse and buggy transported her to hospital. People got their care here in their own community, and what they couldn’t get, they pretty much lived with or died from.Yesterday’s patients paid for their doctoring not much by our standards; a doctor’s standard of living was frequently no higher than any other educated community member and quite a bit less than many. But the cost of care came from patients’ own pockets (or henhouses and hog butcheries, as was sometimes the payment). One ledger from a local doc, now long gone to his heavenly reward, shows fees of 50 cents here and 75 cents there. And the ledger sometimes reads “no charge” probably because the doc knew the family circumstances. Today, we are so far from paying out of pocket for our general doctoring, that most of us forget that anyone ever did. A doctor used to set up practice from his home. Today, that’s nearly unheard of. Where would she put all the diagnostic equipment? She needs a separate room for the communications and record keeping alone! By 1960 it was clear that Verona could no longer wait for a young graduate to set up practice in the front parlour, so a group of far-sighted Veronites met the challenge of changing medical practice by forming “an altruistic society for the express purpose of attracting to …the Village of Verona , a qualified medical practitioner…” To that end, they contributed $14,000 to build a suitable residence “which residence was considered an essential by the association to attract a well-qualified medical practitioner to the community.” (As a comparison, 10 years later in 1969 a farm with outbuildings and 180 acres sold for $14,000 15,000.) That building became the Verona Medical Centre and it was that building and the support of the community behind it that in 1963 attracted Dr. Gord Day and his wife Louise. The group of 14 held the mortgage, managed the property, advertised for and found the young doctor who would commit to staying in Verona for ten years. The Verona Lions Club offered to pay their moving expenses and to donate a stretcher and several wheelchairs they had on hand. Today we face a similar challenge. Hundreds of communities across Ontario are under-served, but thanks to the foresight of those 14 people and of Gord and Louise Day, we are among the fortunate communities with consistent and caring practitioners. But for that situation to continue, another group must step forward to take up the cause. On March 28 at the Lions Hall there’ll be a meeting of the Verona & District Health Services Committee to explain the steps in the process. We should show up and find out what’s going on. We owe it to our children and to all those who cared enough in the past to provide for us.
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Feature Article - March 1, 2007Letters to the Editor
Signs of the Times
To be fair, this rant might have waited until spring, but circumstance has brought the matter to a head, and it’s a situation that’s been bothering me for a long, long time.
It’s about those signs with the moveable letters. You know the ones their rows of blocky black capitals with backwards N’s and S’s line our highways and loom over our shops and schools. Graceless and unsightly though they are, I watch for them every day because at least they are informative. And there’s the rub.
First of all, some information is more permanent than others, and for that information we should be making permanent signs. BINGO EVERY FRIDAY could be posted in a clever design with attractive font that actually serves to enhance the look of the town. So could DAILY LUNCH SPECIAL $4.99 or WE SELL SHOES. Imagine how much more interesting our villages would be if signs like these were creatively designed and hung. Think of the view!
Of course, some information is so changeable that an ugly box sign is really the only good option. So, fine, I can live with that - until the information is no longer useful. Lent is days away, so why am I still driving past signs that read HAPPY NEW YEAR and SALE ENDS DEC 24? This is one step beyond ugly. It screams that the sign owners couldn’t really care less about what information they feed us. Frankly, I’m not very interested in entering a place whose sign is weeks or months out of date.
I know, I know. It’s cold out there. And as someone who has had the unenviable job of rearranging those ugly block letters, I can sympathize with the frostbitten fingers and scraped knuckles. Still, if changing the letters causes too much hardship, just leave the sign blank. Better yet, don’t have the sign at all. Which brings me to why I am forced to write this screed in the coldest part of winter. A couple of days ago I passed Verona RONA Hardware one of our village’s most reliable sign changers, even though its signs are hung high above the store. Posted on the north sign was this message: MY BOSS TOLD ME TO CHANGE THE SIGN. SO I DID.
Inie Platenius
To Central Frontenac Council: I wish to draw to YOUR attention Hydro One's intentions for their high voltage power line. Unless we stop them they will be spraying herbicide SOON. People that suppose this is harmless have yet to examine the 50 + year NON-Growth where the line crosses my property. Nor have they listened to Dr. Cathy Vikil ("Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment") explain linkage from 2, 4-D to leukemia and lymphona cancer. If Council cares about the health of those persons (like me) living on the Wheeler - Depot Lakes- Napanee River watershed, this is the time for you to act. Let's get with it! Call Wayne Preston, Area Forestry Technician 1-877-236-4111 X1. NOTE : South Frontenac acted last October to stop them spraying along roadways. They have a committee examining herbicide use near lakefronts. Jerry Ackerman
Kwey Kwey Neighbours, On February 26, at the regular monthly meeting of the traditional Family Heads Council of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation I was asked to write this letter concerning recent articles in the Frontenac News. This letter represents the views expressed by consensus of our Council. First of all we want to say how much we respect Ron Maguire for his honesty in the face of ridiculous criticism and his unselfish attempts to steer the Township of North Frontenac toward a responsible position regarding the Algonquin Cultural Centre development at Pine Lake . Mr. Green's article in the February 15, 2007 issue of the News really shocked members of AAFNA Council. Our Council was surprised to see that Mr. Wayne Cole, a North Frontenac councilor, was so ready for "confrontation" over an issue that Mayor Maguire has already made substantial efforts at resolving. We don't understand how Mr. Cole would undermine what Mayor Maguire had worked so hard to achieve over the last year. Mr. Cole is wrong in saying that Algonquins are "squatters".The Ottawa Valley is the homeland of the Algonquin people and has been since time immemorial.Algonquins have historically been military allies of the Crown and had a higher level of enlistment than any other group of people in the last two world wars.Algonquins have suffered the destruction of their environment and way of life as early loggers and miners pillaged the Ottawa Valley for its resources. If Mr. Cole was inclined to educate himself with real historical records he would discover that Algonquins petitioned the Crown for the protection of their homelands for over 150 years and were met only with apathy by government officials.In the face of racism, discrimination, and harassment, Algonquin people have survived.They have maintained the dream of using the land in a respectful way and in sharing the land and the prosperity it offers with those who have come here in the recent past.Mr. Cole's comment, as reported in your newspaper, is derogatory because it is founded in base ignorance. Ignorance of history is one thing; ignorance of the law is another.Mayor Maguire knows the law and is willing to respect it whether it serves his own interests or not.This is what is meant by "respecting the rule of law".Mayor Maguire is a courageous man and deserves our respect.In the Algonquin homeland the rule of law has been ignored for a very long time by both Ontario and Canada because these governments have profited by the exploitation of the Algonquin homeland.If Mr. Cole will read the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Constitution Act of 1982, sections 25 and 35, and then ask whether Canada has acquired a legal transfer of Algonquin land to the Crown he will find that he is wrong. He talks, as quoted in your newspaper article, of being willing to lead his mob into a "confrontation", but he is misleading them by refusing to respect or even acknowledge the rule of law. Ontario and Canada have all but washed their hands of our development at Pine Lake because they know that they do not have a legal disagreement with Algonquins taking possession of their own lands.Over the past 25 years the courts of Canada have struck down the old racist policies that undermined Aboriginal peoples' rights and land tenure. What has been lacking are politicians who will express leadership in explaining this to their constituents.Lack of political leadership perpetuates ignorance and is what leads to confrontation. The Algonquin Heritage Centre will be built at Pine Lake and people will come from far and near to enjoy what it will offer.Neither Canada nor Ontario can stop it from being built because they do not have legal title to the land.This does not mean that the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation will not respect the legitimate and constructive concerns of neighbours. We have listened to our neighbours.AAFNA has hired a Biologist to conduct a thorough Environmental Assessment which will include community input.We have retained an Architect and Engineer to design the Heritage Centre so that it will be safe and accommodate environmental concerns.It has been Mayor Maguire's honest recognition of Algonquin rights that has helped move this process along in a good way.Mr. Cole has had really nothing to offer toward a positive resolution. There are those who say that the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation should be taking part in the Algonquins of Golden Lake Land Surrender if we want our rights recognised. AAFNA has rejected the present "Land Claim" as just another effort to steal land and pay off those who would sell their birthright.AAFNA has determined that there is no future in selling the land or compromising what people have suffered so long to preserve. Ignorant politicians have been bashing Algonquins for a long time claiming that it is unfair for Aboriginal people to have rights beyond those of ordinary Canadians.We have studied this issue for a long time and arrived at the conclusion that ordinary Canadians really don't have many rights.Just stop paying taxes and see if you really own your century farm or your cottage. Try to protect your land from a multi-national company that is staking your property for uranium mining.Try to protect clean water, fish or plant species. Try to protect local game from sport hunters. Ask local politicians where Ontario spends the royalties acquired from local resource extraction.In the future, Algonquin rights will be what protect our environment and everyone's interests as well as keeping revenues obtained from resource development local.The emphasis should not be on limiting Algonquin rights but in extending the rights of Canadians to insure that they can live as human beings.We would suggest that if Mr. Cole truly wants to be a "leader of the people", that he share in the courage that Mayor Maguire exhibits in facing the future instead of playing on the old fears of some folks. Written by Robert Lovelace on behalf of and approved by the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, traditional Heads of Family Council.
Re: Pine Lake
In recent articles regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding AAFNA’s planned development at Pine Lake , it has been stated that the Pine Lake residents’ association is opposed to the development. As this situation continues to escalate, needlessly and inappropriately I might add, it is important to reiterate that all the residents of Pine Lake have ever asked for, and continue to seek, are assurances that the development will be governed by the same health and safety regulations to which we are all subject. The residents of Pine Lake have done their best to clearly articulate our concerns and engage all interested parties in meaningful dialogue.Our continued efforts in this regard have been met with silence from the mayor and a vicious letter alleging racial hatred from AAFNA. This, after we were assured AAFNA “wanted to be good neighbours” (Residents’ Association Meeting, August 2006). This is not about Native rights.To turn this, which is a community discussion, into such would be a very misleading and mendacious step. Our argument is now, and has always been, about unregulated, unsafe development in our township. Lisa Goos, Pine Lake
Dear Editor,
I amsaddened by what I saw and heardfrom the North Frontenac Council at its meeting last Thursday in regard to the Pine Lake situation.At various pointsand fromvariousseats at the table,I saw examples of ill will, ignorance, insensitivity and cowardice - all in petty doses, but all adding fuel to an already smouldering fire.
Probably the worstpart was the mayor's unnecessaryreference toan apparent complaint to police.Whoever instigated that foolishness,and whoever gives it legitimacy by repeating it, should be ashamed of themselves.
None of this isa matter of criminality. It is a matter of a failure - so far - bya lot of people with different histories and concerns tolistento each other, communicate respectfully, and problem-solve together.
I think there are alsopeopleinvolved who aretrying to resolve things in a caring way, andthey deserve recognition and support. But Iam very disappointed in council and inwhoever else is contributing to making this situation evenmore tangled and painful.
There's no question of giving up. I urge everyone involved to try again, and possiblymembers of ourcouncil could try offering humane and sensible leadership this time.
Helen Forsey
Pine Meadow undertaking enhancement projects
About 5 years ago, Pine Meadow Nursing Home in Northbrook embarked on a plan of expansion. The home is now nearly 14 years old. In the original plans, facilities like a chapel and increased storage and administrative spaces had been cut out, because of financial constraints. The Administration and Management Committee felt that the time had come to address these shortages, as well as to add a very modest number of beds to prepare for the rapidly Increasing elderly population,
Although the first 5 years of the nursing home had been very difficult financially, because of a
large mortgage burden, a $1.6 million grant in 1998 from the Ontario government eased the situation and allowed an era of financial stability to begin. By this time as well, the home had begun to bloom into an exemplary faculty, unrivalled by any In Eastern Ontario.
The time was thus opportune. The Ministry of Health had acknowledged that Eastern Ontario
needed more Long Term Care (LTC) beds, and our MPP was a cabinet minister. Plans were drawn up which would have included a physiotherapy department, a kidney dialysis unit and transitional accommodation for elderly residents who could no longer live In their own homes but did not need the full care of the nursing home. These were all Initiatives which would have greatly benefited the local population. The projected cost was estimated at $2.5 million.
While these plans had very positive verbal responses from various governmental people, including ministers, and other health and social service agencies, the end result has been disappointing. In two rounds of bed-allotments from the Ministry of Health in 2006, Pine Meadow was not granted any LTC beds, nor any financial assistance for capital Improvements.
After much discussion, the Management Committee and the Board of Land o' Lakes Community Services, which holds the license for Pine Meadow, have opted to go to Plan B. This will entail building a chapel for the spiritual needs of residents and their families and increasing the storage space for products and necessary equipment. It is estimated that the cost of such developments will be approximately $500,000, to be financed through savings, re-mortgaging, and a local fund raising drive.
As we continue to plan, we will keep the community Informed through our local media.
Ernest Lapchinski
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Feature Article - March 1, 2007Who's afraid of Randy Hillier?
Editorial by Jeff Green
When a candidate comes forward to run for the candidacy of a political party in a rural riding, it might attract minor attention in some of the local papers, but it is usually a less than riveting story. Most of us are content to let the local riding association sweat out their choice for a candidate, and only a couple of weeks before the election do we begin to pay attention to who the candidate is and what they stand for.
So, it’s more than a bit unusual when a candidacy se-lection race in what in provincial terms is an obscure rural riding, Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington, engenders not only comments from senior ministers of the governing party but editorial comment in daily newspapers in Toronto and Ottawa .
But then, Randy Hillier is no ordinary candidate.
As the founding president of the Lanark and Ontario Landowners Associations, Hillier has received media at-tention by organising large scale tractor convoys to Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park. The slogan “Back off government, get off my land” has exemplied the self styled “rural revolution” that the Landowners advocate in rela-tion to a host of government regulations that they see as contrary to the interests of rural Ontario . The Lanark Landowners Association (now the Ontario Landowners Association) has borrowed tactics from such unlikely sources as the peace, the anti-nuclear and the civil rights movements. They have been modern advocates of non-violent direct action, physically blocking government ofcials who they argue are persecuting law abiding landowners.
The difference between the Landowners and ‘60s peace protesters, is that the Landowners tend to stand in the way of Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) or Minis-try of the Environment (MoE) bureaucrats, as opposed to the police or the army. They also carry themselves with considerable bravado. Randy Hillier does not wear owers in his hair.
But he makes for a good interview, and the media likes that about him. During an interview with the News last week, Hillier said “Trudeau said that government does not belong in the bedrooms of the nation, and I say that should be extended to the kitchens and the garages of the nation.
”Early in January, Randy Hillier resigned as president of the Ontario Landowners Association, and in early February he declared his intention to seek the Conservative nomination for next fall’s provincial election.
But how can an ardent critic of government intervention become a member of government? Even though Randy Hillier has been associated with federal Conservative MP Scott Reid, and some blue provincial Tories such as Frank Klees, he holds several Ontario ministries, most notably the MNR and the MoE, in utter contempt.Quite apart from which party is in power, these minis-tries are arms of government. The Nutrient Management Act, which has been ridiculed by the Landowners Association, was an initiative of the former Ontario Conservatives, and the water regulations that Hillier has also mocked were also initiated by the former Ontario Conservative government. Yet, Randy Hillier now seeks to represent that very party, not only in this riding, but throughout rural Ontario . In his newly minted website, Hillier says “though [I seek] to represent the people of LFL&A, it is abundantly clear that [my] constituency is broad based and encompasses all of rural Ontario .
”This is an important issue for the Conservative Party. On one hand they would love to have the support of the Ontario Landowners in some of the rural ridings they need to win in order to close the electoral gap with the Liberals. On the other hand, Hillier is a wild card. He could cost the Conservatives more votes than he gains for them, even in Rural Ontario.
He comes into politics with a clearly stated set of convictions, all centred around rural people’s rights to the enjoyment and use of their property. This is all well and good, until such time as his convictions come into conict with party policy.
When asked what would happen if he came into conict with the agenda of party leader John Tory, Hillier said “that really is a theoretical question,” saying that he “thinks John Tory is a good leader and I will follow him”.
The probability exists, however, that Hillier’s property rights convictions and his opposition to environmental policies that are popular in urban Ontario will put him into conict with the party.
Whatever feelings people might have about Randy Hillier, his issues are current in rural Ontario , much more so than in the city. The Toronto media, led by the CBC, for whom Randy Hillier has expressed particular disdain, don’t like him in the least, and the Liberal Party is sure to try and paint the Conservative party as a redneck party if he is a candidate under their banner.
But the Toronto media doesn’t understand Randy Hillier’s appeal in rural Ontario . This appeal is based on the fact that under Hillier, the Ontario Landowners Association has made it their business to stand up for a variety of people, from organic egg farmers and raw milk producers, to sawmill operators and cattle farmers, to land-owners whose properties have been staked by mining interests, when no one else has done so. He also represents rural Ontarians who are convinced that politicians in Ontario have quietly come to the conclusion that rural Ontario is expendable, that sooner or later we will all fade away or come to our senses and move to the city.
The more hated Hillier is by the urban media and politicians, the more popular he may become in rural Ontario . People like the fact that he refuses to be subservient to urban politicians, even to urban conservative politicians.
So, who’s afraid of Randy Hillier? Maybe it’s the Ontario Conservative Party. JG
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Feature Article - April 12, 2007Keep your well caps well in sight
By Mary Jane Conboy, PhD., P.Geo Hydrogeologist, Well Wise
We all understand that we need to do a bit of maintenance on our car in order to keep it running properly, but most people don’t recognize that their water well also needs regular maintenance.
It has been shown that 89% of wells across Ontario are in need of repair. Wells in Ontario are aging; there are 10, 000 20,000 new wells installed every year, but the majority of homeowners have wells that were installed before provincial standards were put in place.
Well owners need to understand what to do to keep their wells in good working order and how to ensure that their water is safe and sustainable.
Wells should be finished above ground to keep surface water and debris from entering through the top of the well. The area around the well needs to be managed to protect the structure and the water supply. Many people don’t like the look of their well so they try to disguise the well by putting a structure over it, by altering the well or by growing gardens or bushes around the well. Once the licensed well contractor leaves the site, there is often very little direction given to homeowners on how to protect their water supply. Wells inspected through the audit process of the Healthy Futures Upgrade and Decommissioning Program showed that within a year, clients used spray paint on the cap and casing; built elaborate wooden structures to encase the well head; built raised gardens; cut the casing to below ground level; loosened the cap for easy access (for excessive chlorination); backed up into it with a vehicle; and placed many other makeshift structures over the well for either protective function or decorative purposes. The Well Aware Guided Self Assessments (GSA) found roughly 20% of the wells observed were obscured by gardens or deep-rooted plants that could impact the integrity of the well seal. The connection between these alterations and the quality of the water is not made by many of the clients. The responsibility of well owners through Regulation 903 to keep their well accessible at all times for cleaning, treatment, repair and visual inspection is not understood. All wells require regular maintenance to enhance their performance It is really important to recognize that there is a connection between the well itself and the water quality that you can expect. Many times I have removed structures or tarps placed around wells only to find that mice, snakes or other little critters have made their homes on top of or adjacent to the well.
If you have an old well on your property, you need to have a licensed contractor plug and seal the well. Wells must be maintained or properly decommissioned. Well contractors use special sealants and machinery to ensure that the old well will no longer be a structural risk or a conduit that could impact the quality of groundwater.
For more information on how to care for your well, visit www.wellwise.ca, where you can order a copy of “Well Wise: A comprehensive consumer’s guide for private
water wells”.
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Feature Article - April 12, 2007101 Blood Donations
by Jeff Green
Dave McCourt is about as enthusiastic an advocate for blood donation as there is.
He began donating blood when he was a 16-year-old high school student, and kept on donating throughout his teaching career in Scarborough, taking necessary breaks as the result of trips he made to Africa over the years.
When he retired to Arden with his wife Sheila six years ago, he began donating on a more regimented basis in Kingston, every 55 days or so. This week he came up to donation number 100, which he made at a blood donor clinic at St. James Church in Sharbot Lake in order to encourage his friends and neighbours to begin donating blood.
In honour of Dave’s 100th donation, his wife Sheila made her first donation on the same day.
“It’s important to be socially responsible and get involved in community,” Dave McCourt said has he prepared for his needle, “It’s easy to make a donation.”
Giving blood has changed since Dave McCourt first donated 45 years ago. “It used to be the Red Cross, and now it’s Canadian Blood Services who deal with donations,” Dave said, “blood is tested and there is a questionnaire that has to be filled out. There are questions about sexual behaviour that are pretty explicit, but they are necessary because of AIDS and other diseases. I have no problem with them because I’m used to them. I just fill the form out and off I go.”
Donors are also interviewed by a nurse before they donate to ensure they are not at risk of contracting AIDS or hepatitis
It is not as easy for women to give blood than it is for men, because blood is tested for iron levels before people can donate, and women tend more towards anemia. This has stopped Sheila McCourt from giving blood in the past, but on this occasion her iron level was high enough, and as Dave gave his 100th pint, she was able to give her first, as planned.
The community blood donor clinic in Sharbot Lake has been up and running for a few years now, and the bulk of the donors book their time in advance. This past Monday, the late winter storm that caused white outs in the morning had abated by the time the clinic was set up at 3:00, and most of the 36 people who had reserved a time arrived to make their donations.
The local Lions Club has been supporting blood donations and helping with promotion, and Lions members were on hand to give juice and drinks to the donors.
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