Diver/U of Ottawa anthropology grad student Kevin Brown didn’t pick the Mazinaw for his through-the-ice dive two weekends ago specifically because as the second deepest lake in Ontario excepting the Great Lakes (Lake Timiskaming is the deepest) the chance to set a record for the deepest under the ice dive ever was a possibility.

The biggest reason was to begin a series of dives (related to his Master’s thesis) looking for indigenous artifacts in the area.

But, since he was down there . . .

The previous world record was 72 metres (236 feet). Brown doubled that with a dive of 132 metres (434 feet).

“We decided to dive there because there was a lot of traffic in the area back in the pre-colonization days,” he said. “We didn’t find any artifacts but we decided to start at the deepest spot and we’ll move a bit to the right with subsequent dives.”

By “a bit to the right,” Brown means closer to Bon Echo Rock, where 260 pictographs attributed to First Nations artists from centuries ago can be found. The location of this dive, was a bit north and west of the rock itself.

“We don’t seek record-breaking, we seek exploration,” he said. “We weren’t really expecting to find anything but then at that depth, you can only spend about eight minutes exploring the bottom.”

What he did find was about an inch to an inch and a half of “fine, volatile silt,” he said. “It was a virgin destination that looked like landing on the moon.”

The dive itself took eight minutes for the descent and two hours for the ascent. Brown had six “emergency divers” helping but the deepest any of them got was 55 metres (180 feet).

Brown used a dual rebreather system for his dive, which he estimates cost around $30,000 US and that doesn’t include the gear for his safety divers.

“I’d like to emphasize that this was very much a team effort,” he said. “It’s like the Tour de France.

“You have a lot of team members contributing to that one guy who crosses the finish line first.

“The guys did all the work.

“I was just the guy who went down there.

“And, I’d like to mention my wife, Ayesha. She was very supportive and you need a lot of moral support for something like this.”

And speaking of going to the bottom, it’s cold down there, it’s dark and given the pressure of all that water above you, it doesn’t make for the greatest of working conditions. You don’t have the greatest manual dexterity and you move slowly.

“The pressure makes it hard to breathe and my face was swollen because of the cold water and decompression,” he said.

But fear didn’t enter into it.

“Frankly, I’m more afraid of answering reporters’ questions,” he said. “But any feelings of anxiety or anything like that was pretty much gone the night before the dive.

“You can’t let emotion enter into it - you have to focus.”

He was acutely aware that he was diving under ice however, and that’s why they drop down a line. You want to make sure you know where the hole in the ice is when you get back up. But there is one distinct advantage to an ice dive. It takes some serious gear to get down that deep and being able to load it all into the back of a few pickup trucks and driving out to the dive spot meant they didn’t need a boat big enough to haul it all as well as being able to stay in the same spot for hours.

Brown acknowledges that like the first people to climb Everest, curiosity was a big driver in this project.

“You don’t need to have a mission,” he said. “But there are still a lot of questions to be answered.”

And he plans to answer as many of them as he can. He does have some First Nations blood in him (“my great grandmother was Innu,” he said) and he very much wants to find some artifacts that might answer questions as to what life was like in the area 1,500 years ago.

To that end, he’d very much like to talk to anyone that might have some tips for him as to where to look and he’d like to make contact with First Nations groups to ensure that anything he does find is “displayed properly” with respect. Anyone who might be able to help can contact Brown through his Facebook page.

Hidden among the communications reports to South Frontenac Council this week was the quarterly report by one of the most active volunteers in the township, and likely one of the most active trail cyclists in the township, Robert Charest from the Perth Road area. Charest is a member of the township’s trail committee, and he reports on the upkeep of the trails to Council.

His interest in the trails started when he moved to the area in 2005, and finding that he lived right on the Cataraqui (Cat) Trail he took to trail cycling. Cycling, along with kayaking and skiing in the winter, has become a way of life for him. He uses the trails near his house often.

He has taken on responsibility for maintenance on some sections of the trail, including the picturesque section that’s runs northeast between Perth Road and Chaffey’s Locks just over the county line.

He spends some time each spring and autumn cutting up deadfall along the trail with a chain saw, He also takes the trail to go to Sydenham to buy groceries and rides regularly on the whole Frontenac County Trail system, including the new K&P sections.

In this month’s report he summarised some of his observations about the trail from the past year. The first point he made is that trail usage is up, both for cyclists and hikers, the busiest section being the Cat Trail section between Sydenham and Perth Road. He also made note of the improvement in the section that runs west from Harrowsmith to the Lennox and Addington County border, which was resurfaced using $17,500 in township funds.

“We have a nice trail surface from the Loughborough/Portland Boundary Road all the way to the Strathcona Paper Plant [near Napanee], a 30 kilometre stretch. The trail ends at the plant, and one of Charest’s wishes for 2018 is to see the trail extended another 12 or 13 kilometres into Napanee. On the other end of the trail, he would like to see a Cat Trail extension from Smiths Falls to Carleton Place, a 30 km stretch.

But along with those loftier goals he had some more specific recommendations that can be implemented more easily, and cheaply.

Those include, among others: new signage to mark the distance between hamlets of main roads; identifiable shirts for trail volunteers to make it easier for trail users to access information and assistance; picnic tables or benches and garbage cans at the parking lots on Road 38 and Perth Road; a large trail map in Sydenham, and resurfacing of a section of a small section of trail near Sydenham.

Finally, Charest thinks “South Frontenac should become an off-road cycling hub,” linking Kingston, Sharbot Lake, Napanee, and Carleton Place.

“Harrowsmith and Sydenham should ante up the offering of services and facilities to cater to all these cyclists,” he concluded.

Ask any ‘clogger’ and they’ll probably be adamant that clogging is not square dancing, or tap dancing or any other kind of dance. It’s clogging and that is an art form in itself.

The word ‘clog’ essentially is an old Gaelic term for ‘time.’ And that’s a big part of the dance with the heel keeping time.

While it has roots in European folk dance (Irish, Scottish, English and German), its deepest roots come from the Appalachian Mountains in the 1700s where all of these styles began to merge with elements of First Nations and African American dances to create a uniquely North American art form. At one time, industrial or wooden shoes were worn to provide a good clear beat but today oxfords with attached ‘double taps’ are generally worn to give a special sound.

But it’s not tap or step-dancing.

“Absolutely,” says Joyce Lemke, the driving force behind the Land O’ Lakes Cloggers, who meet at Clar-Mill Hall on Fridays to work on steps and routines. “It’s totally dancing and we do a lot of moving around.”

The LOL group consists of eight dancers, two of which travel all the way from the Merrickville area.

“That’s dedication,” said Lemke.

“Well, that’s not what some people say,” said Audrey Baker, one of the ‘commuters.’

But most are from the area.

Lemke lives just down the road and her two sisters, Elva Hamblin and Shirley Cuddy are also in the troupe.

“I grew up here, on McNeils Lake,” Lemke said. “I just couldn’t wait to get back to the place I just couldn’t wait to leave.”

They have many reasons why they dance in this style and are only too happy to extol its virtues.

“My husband Reuben and I square danced for year in Peterborough,” Lemke said. “Then one day I talked to a lady who said she clogged.

“She said ‘we have taps on our shoes’ and I said ‘I’m in.’”

She’s been doing it ever since, starting up the Plevna-based group in 2000.

“I like the people, the teacher (Lemke) and the music,” said Baker.

“I like the exercise,” said Cuddy.

“It’s a wonderful tension release,” said Lemke. “There’s a lot of memory involved.

“If you’re hear thinking about what step is next, you can’t worry about what’s going on in the office.

“I think it helps avoid Alzheimer’s.”

Essentially, they’re a performance group, doing shows all over the area at seniors residences and events like the Festival of Trees in Sharbot Lake.

“We do have some rules for shows,” Lemke said. “Everybody does the same step at the same time (and) I attempt to have everybody look and dress the same.

“Nobody stands out, we’re a team.”

They don’t charge for shows, letting the enjoyment of the audience be their reward.

“We’re actually just getting back into performing,” she said. “We’ve done nine or so in a month and a half.

“We’ll do fundraisers, like for Pine Meadows or with Fiddlers & Friends.

“We’ll do some for kids with mostly pop music and a lot of jumping around but we’re mostly old school, dancing for seniors who relate to songs like Maple Sugar and usually a gospel song or two.

“When we’ve gone to places, faces light up.”

They’re not averse to new members but they’d prefer people who’ve clogged before (“It’s surprising how many people have clogged”). However, Lemke does work with beginners sometimes and is starting a new group in MacDonald’s Corners.

“If I can get 10-12 people . . .” Lemke said.

Call 613 479-2967 if you have 10-12 people and would be interested in starting a new clogging group.

49 year old Debra Anne Hill (Teal) was found by her son in-law Owen Young early on Saturday morning outside of her home on Steele Road near Tichborne, and was declared deceased by Emergency Srevices personnel a short time later. As reported in the OPP and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) releases reprinted below, there had been unusual circumstances late on the evening before she died.

A query by The News to the SIU regarding cause of death after a post-mortem reportedly took place on Monday, led to the following response from Monica Hudon, Communications co-ordinator with the SIU: “The results of a post-mortem are considered evidence. The SIU does not comment on, confirm, or share any specific evidence the Unit may have gathered during the course of its investigation until the investigation is completed.”

There is no information available about how long that investigation will take.

Here is the OPP release from Saturday.

OPP Investigate Death - SIU Invoke Mandate

Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Frontenac Detachment, along with the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), are currently investigating the death of a 49-year-old female in South Frontenac Township.

In the early morning hours of January 13, 2018, officers had provided assistance to this female. Shortly before 9 a.m., Emergency Medical Services contacted the OPP for assistance for a sudden death in South Frontenac Township.

The OPP has notified the province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) which has invoked its mandate. As a result the OPP will not be able to provide any further information.

The Special Investigation Unit then put out the following release on Sunday, January 14.

At approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2018, Ontario Provincial Police officers came across a suspicious vehicle in the Frontenac area. The driver fled on foot, but police encountered a woman outside of the vehicle. The officers transported her to her residence and left.

At approximately 5:30 a.m., emergency responders attended the woman’s residence. She was found deceased.

At this time, two investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to this incident. The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must

• consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation.
• depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate, or close the file without any charges being laid.
• report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.

In the meantime, Debra Teal’s husband Kevin and three children, Jesse, Chantel and Frank, as well as father in law Levi, have organised a celebration of her life is set for the Oso Hall on Saturday from noon to 3pm.

Debbie Teal will be missed by the local community and in nearby Sharbot Lake, where she worked for a number of years at the Sharbot Lake Senior’s Home before it closed. She then took a job with the Rainbow Valley Group Home. She also provided care for ailing family members.

Related: Rampant vandalism on Bob’s Lake.

When Council reconvened from a closed session for their regular meeting, CAO Orr announced that they had just accepted Fire Chief Rick Chesebrough’s resignation; after more than 14 years of service for the township, Chesebrough will be leaving at the end of this week.

Later, Orr said this did not come as a surprise; “It’s been in the works for some time now: he did the math, and realized he was eligible.”

On behalf of Council, Mayor Vandewal congratulated Chesebrough, wishing him “many years of health and happiness.”

Council then passed a motion to appoint Terry Gervais as acting fire chief.

Support for Seniors Active Living Centre
Following last week’s presentation by David Townsend of SFCSC, Council moved to allocate 20% of the net annual operating costs to support SFCSC’s proposed Seniors Active Living Centre funding application, to a maximum of $12,000 annually over the next three years in a combination of cash and in-kind services to be negotiated annually with the Township.”

It has been suggested that with the ongoing support of the township, the SFCSC Board may wish to consider inviting a member of Council to sit on their Board.

Tax Sale Policy
Council approved a revised tax sale policy which incorporates the legislative changes from Bill 68. Two related by-laws authorized the treasurer to enter into extension agreements and provided for an administration fee to be charged once the tax sale process is undertaken.

Details about the sale of properties in tax arrears and a flow chart describing the process are available on the Township website, or at the Township office.

Township Granted $80,882 for Commuter Cycling Program
The township’s application through the Public Works department for funding from the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Program has been successful: it will be applied to one of two projects planned for this coming year: fully paved bike lanes between Harrowsmith and Sydenham, or a bike lane adjoining a pedestrian sidewalk along the south side Bedford Road between the end of George Street and Alton Road in Sydenham. Public Works Manager Segsworth also plans to fit in a bike lane on the north side of Bedford; Mayor Vandewal questioned whether this might narrow a busy stretch of road too much. Segsworth replied that because of the busyness of the road, it was also a very dangerous stretch for bicycles.

Storrington Centre Upgrades
Council directed staff to issue an RFP for improvements to the Storrington Centre, to include a new optic system, accessible washrooms and entrances, kitchen upgrades and a new folding wall. $333,000 has been approved in the 2018 capital budget, for this. Councillor Sleeth thanked the Township’s Public Works staff and the Storrington Recreation Committee for all their help in planning the project.

Back-up Generator for OPP Station
Council has approved purchase of a backup generator to provide overall backup power for the OPP building at Hartington. This had been held up when Councillor Revill questioned whether a second generator was needed. Further investigation showed that the existing generator on site at the OPP station only provides fire pump back-up power for the sprinkler system.

Briefly
On the recommendation of Corporate Services Committee, Council agreed to extend the contract with Frontenac Municipal Law Enforcement Inc. for a further two years from March 1, 2018 to Feb 28, 2020.

The 2018 members to serve on the Committee of Adjustment will be: Al Revill, Ross Sutherland, Brad Barbeau and Ron Sleeth.

There being no further questions for the planner, Council approved the zoning of a new waterfront lot on South Basin of Buck Lake, Loughborough district.

Council adopted the Corporate Services Committee’s recommendation to maintain the Township’s current investment strategy and to issue an RFP for investment advisory services.

A proposed by-law to amend speed limits on Rutledge Road was, on Councillor Revill’s recommendation, referred to the Public Works Committee for discussion.

When you think ‘martial arts,’ chances are your thoughts tend towards the Orient. When weapons are concerned, in particular, swords, the long, curved, slashing blade of the samurai — the katana — usually comes to mind, doesn’t it?

However, there is a long-standing tradition of European martial arts as well and Enterprise’s Robert MacLeod is dedicated to preserving and promoting that tradition.

MacLeod, an anthropologist by trade who teaches at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, is also head instructor at Ironwood Sword School. He runs several classes and is currently beginning an eight-week session at the Bellrock Hall in German Longsword for youths ages 10 and up on Saturday mornings with the motto “Strength, Flexibility, Growth.”

For those unfamiliar with the German martial art, it is a combat system taught during the 1300s by Johannes Liechtenauer.

“There were two schools of longsword, the other being Italian,” MacLeod said. “Actually there was also an English tradition but that wasn’t written down.

“And a big part of what we do is teaching the techniques that come from Liechtenauer and a number of his students. We try to stay close to the historical manuscripts.”

In addition to longsword techniques, MacLeod also includes dagger and wrestling in the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) tradition.

“Knives were actually my first love, I started collecting them when I was younger, and then in university I joined the fencing club and started doing sabre,” he said. “But soon after I joined, it went electric and good, clean cuts became flicks in order to score.”

As a young boy, he had taken judo classes and so returned to the Eastern martial arts traditions to study tae-kwon do for several years.

“But then, my son bought a collectable sword and my wife said ‘if he’s going to have it, he should know how to use it,’” MacLeod said. “So, in 2008, we found a group of guys in the park playing with swords and we discovered HEMA.”

That led him to join a local study group working in the German longsword tradition and he was hooked.

“A lot of people really don’t know the longsword,” he said. “It’s a lot lighter than you might think — less than three pounds and just under three feet (blade).

“And it’s a cutting weapon a lot more like a katana than it is like a club, which it often portrayed as in movies.”

MacLeod said he has no problem teaching beginners and has all the equipment needed for novice level students. All the beginners have to have is loose, comfortable clothes (no shorts), flat-soled, non-marking shoes and a pair of thin leather gloves.

The Bellrock classes begin this Saturday (there was actually a class last Saturday but he’s prepared to start again because of the weather issues last week). It’s $100 for an eight-week term, which should take most students through the novice rank to the scholar rank.

While the Bellrock classes are specifically for youths, MacLeod said he’s happy to start a class for adults anywhere in the area if there are four willing students.

Contact MacLeod at 613-358-9642 or www.irnwood.ca for more information.

“Swords are cool,” he said.

Robert MacLeod runs Benjamin and Anna Tucker through a series of thrusts and parries at the Bellrock Hall, as part of his ongoing series of German longsword classes. Photo/Craig Bakay

When you think ‘martial arts,’ chances are your thoughts tend towards the Orient. When weapons are concerned, in particular, swords, the long, curved, slashing blade of the samurai — the katana — usually comes to mind, doesn’t it?

However, there is a long-standing tradition of European martial arts as well and Enterprise’s Robert MacLeod is dedicated to preserving and promoting that tradition.

MacLeod, an anthropologist by trade who teaches at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, is also head instructor at Ironwood Sword School. He runs several classes and is currently beginning an eight-week session at the Bellrock Hall in German Longsword for youths ages 10 and up on Saturday mornings with the motto “Strength, Flexibility, Growth.”

For those unfamiliar with the German martial art, it is a combat system taught during the 1300s by Johannes Liechtenauer.

“There were two schools of longsword, the other being Italian,” MacLeod said. “Actually there was also an English tradition but that wasn’t written down.

“And a big part of what we do is teaching the techniques that come from Liechtenauer and a number of his students. We try to stay close to the historical manuscripts.”

In addition to longsword techniques, MacLeod also includes dagger and wrestling in the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) tradition.

“Knives were actually my first love, I started collecting them when I was younger, and then in university I joined the fencing club and started doing sabre,” he said. “But soon after I joined, it went electric and good, clean cuts became flicks in order to score.”

As a young boy, he had taken judo classes and so returned to the Eastern martial arts traditions to study tae-kwon do for several years.

“But then, my son bought a collectable sword and my wife said ‘if he’s going to have it, he should know how to use it,’” MacLeod said. “So, in 2008, we found a group of guys in the park playing with swords and we discovered HEMA.”

That led him to join a local study group working in the German longsword tradition and he was hooked.

“A lot of people really don’t know the longsword,” he said. “It’s a lot lighter than you might think — less than three pounds and just under three feet (blade).

“And it’s a cutting weapon a lot more like a katana than it is like a club, which it often portrayed as in movies.”

MacLeod said he has no problem teaching beginners and has all the equipment needed for novice level students. All the beginners have to have is loose, comfortable clothes (no shorts), flat-soled, non-marking shoes and a pair of thin leather gloves.

The Bellrock classes begin this Saturday (there was actually a class last Saturday but he’s prepared to start again because of the weather issues last week). It’s $100 for an eight-week term, which should take most students through the novice rank to the scholar rank.

While the Bellrock classes are specifically for youths, MacLeod said he’s happy to start a class for adults anywhere in the area if there are four willing students.

Contact MacLeod at 613-358-9642 or www.irnwood.ca for more information.

“Swords are cool,” he said.

Robert MacLeod runs Benjamin and Anna Tucker through a series of thrusts and parries at the Bellrock Hall, as part of his ongoing series of German longsword classes. Photo/Craig Bakay

It was 20 years ago today . . . when the skies turned an eerie gray . . .

With apologies to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it was 20 years ago that Eastern Ontario was hit with a devastating weather phenomenon — the Ice Storm of 1998.

Beginning in the evening of Jan. 4, 1998, low pressure, warm air currents from the Gulf of Mexico met high-pressure, cold currents from the Arctic. When the two systems collided, the warm air rose above the cold. Precipitation fell as rain, but as it reached lower altitudes or hit the ground — it froze.

And it continued for six days.

Coincidentally, January 1998 was significant for another reason. Most of the municipalities in Eastern Ontario had just gone through a restructuring process. Everything was new, the power was out and all hell was breaking loose.

“I had yet to be sworn into office,” said Bill MacDonald, who had been elected Mayor of the newly-created Central Frontenac Township. “I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of tree limbs cracking throughout the sugar bush behind my house.

“I had a tough time just getting out of my driveway.”

Arriving at the Township office, MacDonald learned communications were sketchy at best.

“Not knowing the extent of it all, I told (clerk) Heather Fox and (roads superintendent) Ivan Duffy ‘I think we’ve got something we can’t handle,’” MacDonald said. “I declared a state of emergency.”

Further south, in the newly-formed South Frontenac Township, new Mayor Phil Leonard was in a similar boat. For Leonard though, things were even worse because as Warden (actually Chair of the new Frontenac Management Board), he was responsible for the entire County.

“When it started, we had the trucks out right away,” Leonard said. “But it just kept coming and coming.

“We didn’t have an emergency plan for the Township yet, but Portland Township (Leonard had been Reeve when Portland merged with Loughborough, Bedford and Storrington) was the only one of the four previous townships that did have one.

“I read the first page and immediately declared a state of emergency — which gave me more authority than I wanted.”

The Canadian military put a helicopter at Leonard’s disposal.

“They picked me up at the Keeley Road offices,” Leonard said. “(CBC reporter) Adrienne Arsenault was already on board.”

Their first destination was Camden East to see the western end of the devastation, Leonard said. The second stop was Tichborne, then Plevna, then back to South Frontenac where they landed at the Burridge Firehall.

“While we were there, a 911 call came in,” Leonard said. “An elderly gentleman had had a heart attack and they used the helicopter to airlift him to KGH.

“He survived but I had to hitch a ride back to Sydenham.”

Meanwhile, back in Central Frontenac, things were going from bad to worse.

“It seemed like all the roads were impassible,” MacDonald said. “You’d get a road cleared and next thing you’d know, it would be blocked by fallen branches again.”

But, Central did have a few things going for it.

First of all, like South, one of the former townships (Oso) did have an emergency plan and they wasted no time putting that into action.

Second, the Road 38 corridor still had power.

“It went from three-phase to two-phase but at least the high school had power and served as a shelter,” MacDonald said. “And we had the Township Hall as a command centre and the gas stations.

“That was a Godsend.”

And they had another resource to draw on — the people.

“I know it’s a bit of a cliché but we do have the pioneer spirit here,” MacDonald said. “I always thank the service clubs, the high school, the fire department — everybody.”

By way of example, MacDonald used this anecdote.

“Lindsay Burke lived at the end of Burke Settlement Road,” MacDonald said. “He needed medicine so Vern Crawford set off to get it to him.

“Vern was only able to drive partway down the road, so he walked the rest of the way to get Lindsay his medicine.”

Leonard echoed MacDonald’s sentiments.

“Ten minutes after I declared the state of emergency, the OPP came through the door saying ‘whatever you need, just tell us,’” Leonard said. “I can’t say enough good things about those people and especially Dave Willis.”

And even though South was up to its neck in ice, they still managed to send help to their neighbours.

“We had more big trucks than Central and we sent what we could spare up there,” he said. “We also arranged for help for Frontenac Islands and Kingston stood up to help there.

“Luckily, North Frontenac wasn’t hit as hard (essentially just the Snow Road area was hit bad) but keep in mind, when the power went out, everybody lost the electric pumps for the wells and so had no water.”

Luckily, Leonard knew Loblaw’s chief Galen Weston, having worked for him in the past.

“He delivered whatever I asked for.”

Leonard had praise for his constituents as well.

“Everybody helped out,” he said. “We created a system whereby if you needed help, you put something hanging out of your mailbox and we patrolled the roads with snowmobiles,” he said. “John Shabot of Hydro One was excellent, those people didn’t walk, they ran.

“Gary Davison was the fire chief in Loughborough and worked 24/7, Kingston helped out and Dupont gave us 20 5,500 watt generators that ended up all over the County.

“I can’t say enough about how everybody came together.”

It took a good month before things were returning to normal and the damage could be assessed.

“We did $5.3 million in repairs, most of which was paid by provincial and federal help,” said MacDonald.

“Our entire construction budget that year was ice-storm related,” said Leonard. “In one sense, it was a great time because of how everybody helped one another but it was the worst time in my 24 years in government.”

“I was a baptism under fire,” said MacDonald. “But I still believe from the bottom of my heart that because people in rural communities are used to doing for themselves, that set us up well.”

In October 2017, the Frontenac Detachment Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Crime Unit commenced an investigation into an incident that took place in September 2015.

As a result of the investigation, 40 year old Charles Percy KENNEDY of South Frontenac Township has been charged with:

• One (1) count of attempt to commit murder, contrary to section 239 (1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada. (CC)
• Two (2) counts of attempt to choke, suffocate or strangle an other person, contrary to section 246(a) CC
• Three (3) counts of forcible confinement, contrary to section 279 (2) CC
• Four (4) counts of assault, contrary to section 266 CC

The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston on January 4, 2018.

The Frontenac Detachment OPP Crime Unit is continuing with the investigation. Anyone with information about this investigation or information about other crimes is asked to contact the Frontenac Detachment at 613-372-1932 or 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous online message at www.helpsolvecrime.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.

Contact: Provincial Constable Roop Sandhu

Phone: 613-532-0247

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fifty years from now, on Canada Day, South Frontenac residents will gather at Centennial Park in Harrowsmith to dig up a piece of their past.

Actually, what they’ll be digging up is a squat metal cylinder. And in that cylinder will be messages and memorabilia from 50 years in the past, ie 2017.

Yes, the cylinder is a time capsule, the brainchild of Amanda Pantrey, a summer student the South Frontenac Rec department.

“This is just my little idea to celebrate Canada 150,” she said. “It will be buried in Centennial Park, which was built for Canada’s 100th birthday.

“The capsule is being buried for Canada’s 150th birthday and it will be opened on Canada’s 200th birthday.”

The capsule itself was constructed by D. M. Welding in Inverary. The official deadline for submissions is Dec. 21 but it won’t be sealed until after something from the New Year’s Eve celebration is added.

And while they haven’t quite finished inventorying everything that’s going into the capsule, Pantrey said the idea is to show “what life was like in South Frontenac in 2017 and how much pride we have in our community.”

For example, she said, the rec committees have each submitted something, as did the 150 Road Rally and other events such as the Battersea Pumpkin Festival (of which Pantrey is the chair). Mayor Ron Vandewal is writing a letter to his counterpart in 2067 and each of the schools combined to send a special greeting.

“Students at each of the six elementary schools formed a letter in the word ‘Canada,’” she said. “Then we got an aerial drone to photograph it.

“Then, the high school spelled out ‘150.’

“It’s really cool.”

Even South Frontenac Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth is getting in on the act.

“What we have here is a map of the various districts showing the first curbside garbage pickup routes,” Segsworth said. “And we have plastic bag tags, which were the first ones we used.

“Each district had a different coloured plastic tag and we had to change the colours every year because the tags were only good for the year they were issued.

“Who knows what they’ll be doing with their waste in 2067?”

Pantrey said her job was relatively easy because the community rallied around the project.

“People are in good spirits about it,” she said.

She said she really hasn’t had time to think about when the capsule is opened or even what she might personally put in it.

“I think I may put in my turkey (hunting) tag from this year,” she said. “The one I didn’t fill.”