Things somehow got a little out of hand at Loughborough Public School last Thursday, October 27, and it was all because some of the teachers at the school thought the students might respond to a little incentive during the annual Terry Fox fund raising campaign for cancer research.

The teachers said that if the students raised $800 they would all put on a crazy hair day, which they did. But then one of the teachers, Chris Chinook, said he would shave his head if $1,000 were reached. When the total went up to $1,200, more had to be done, so Alan Macdonald decided to join in.

When the big day arrived, the students arrived, sat quietly (or as quietly as can be reasonably expected under the circumstances) and waited as the teachers sat still and Robyn Lindsay from E-Clips quickly and methodically buzzed off their hair in a matter of a few short minutes. It was pandemonium while the hair buzzing was going on, with the students chanting out the last name of each victim, the noise increasing with the removal of each swath of hair.

Then, showing true leadership, school principal, Scott Morency, took the stage. He whispered into Robyn Lindsay's ear and took his seat. He did not lose all his hair, leaving about 1/8th of an inch, bald enough to bring more cheers and squeals from the crowd.

Then, as quickly as it had all started, it was over. The students lined up and exited the gym for lunch in an orderly fashion, then headed back to class after their lunch break and the school returned to normal.

You wouldn't know that anything had happened at LPS, except for the three bald men teaching there.

On Saturday October 22, the KFL&A Food Policy Council held an afternoon meeting at Grace Centre in Sydenham to discuss food-related issues. The overall focus was on food security, but underlying this were the stark statistics related to the other side of the coin, food insecurity:

“Food Insecurity: the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.” According to the Health Unit’s 2013 statistics, over 8% of households in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington area live with food insecurity, unsure whether there will be enough food to go around by the end of the week, or unable to serve fresh meat or fruit or vegetables because these things are too hard to get or too expensive.

David Townsend of South Frontenac Community Services, first of three speakers, compared rural conditions to city living. Rural access to food can be difficult to impossible without transportation: few rural residents have walking access to convenience stores, and there are only three supermarkets in all of South, Central and North Frontenac (Sydenham, Verona and Sharbot Lake.) The two food banks are in Sydenham and Sharbot Lake. One food bank coordinator notes that “hunting season noticeably helps (the food shortages).” Our statistical median income may look reasonable, but Townsend pointed out that it is greatly boosted by the higher incomes of lakeshore residents, especially around Sydenham and Loughborough lakes.

Ayla Fenton, president of the National Farm Youth, spoke on behalf of young farmers, many of whom have not had the experience of growing up on farms. While in 1930, 31% of the population farmed, that percentage has dropped to 1.2% today. One problem facing beginning farmers is lack of access to farmland, either owned or rented. Also, Fenton asked, “Where are the profits going? Cost of food is rising, but farm incomes remain unchanged.” Getting fresh produce from a small farm to market can also be a challenge.

Toni Picard spoke on behalf of the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) program which would ensure that everyone receives an income sufficient to meet basic needs and to live with dignity, regardless of work status. She described how such a program, which some dismiss as ‘too expensive’ has been proven to actually cut health care and other costs, improve levels of nutrition, education and mental health, and inject cash back into local economies.

Participants then divided into discussion groups, to talk about programs and policies that might be developed or expanded to improve food security in local communities. Many ideas were floated, no hard decisions made, but the afternoon succeeded in raising participants’ awareness of some serious close-to-home issues.  

Willowbank Subdivision

Inverary Council approved the amount of $3,364 for the required cash-in-lieu of parkland for Phase 1 of this subdivision which is located on Perth Road near Davison Road.

Right-of-Way Closure

Storrington In a close vote, Council agreed to reduce the costs for the sale of a portion of Township-owned road allowance to Ron Campbell, to match the selling price of a neighbouring piece. Deputy Mayor Sutherland objected, on the grounds that this seemed to amount to a double standard in regard to others who had been charged higher amounts. Sleeth referred to the property as “a worthless strip.” Vandewal reminded Council that the wording of the policy gives Council the option to reduce costs if deemed reasonable to do so.

Fence Viewers

Council agreed to appoint the two Township by-law officers as fence viewers, a role that is separate from their job in bylaw enforcement. Together with the currently available viewer, Tasha Lloyd, this will provide the three fence viewers needed by the planning department. The remuneration will be increased from $75. to $200. per day, and will include mileage.

Sydenham Walking Tour to Go Online Soon

Council made a motion to ask the County’s mapping services to develop a digitalized version of the self-guided historical walking tour of Sydenham, which was published several years ago. It could then be placed on the County and Township websites so it will be readily available to cellphone users.

Park Model Trailers

Councillor Revill introduced a motion to to request a report from the Planning Department confirming amendments required to the Zoning By-law to prohibit park model units in the Recreational Resort Commercial Zone. These park model units do not conform in size and construction to the intent of trailers being either transient or seasonal.

Financial Policy:

Budget Management Since May, the CAO, Treasurer, Public Works Manager and supervisors have been meeting monthly to review year-to-date financials. Council approved a formal policy for continuing this process, with the goal of “addressing the need for flexibility to respond to unforeseen demands or unexpected opportunities, while balancing the need to ensure that budgets are adhered to and the direction of Council is not altered.”

Glendower Hall, Front Entrance

Council agreed to release $5,000 from the capital budget for the design and engineering of a new accessible front entrance for Glendower Hall, in Bedford.

Community Caring: Quietly Effective

Commenting on Community Caring’s annual financial report, Council Liaison John McDougall called them “A quiet group that goes about the job with no fuss.” Run by volunteers, the group rents space in the Princess Anne Building from the Township for $2400 a year. They collect, sort and sell donated clothing and small household items for $5.00 a large plastic bag, thus providing many customers with good affordable clothing, and donating their profits back into the community. Last year, they gave almost $30,000 to a variety of social service related groups. ($9,000 went to SFCSC, $7,000 to the South Frontenac food bank, $4,000 to New Leaf Link, $4,000 to Almost Home, $2,000 to Interval House.)  

CFB BORDEN, Ont. - Over 300 sea, army and air cadets from across Eastern Ontario competed in the Central Region Orienteering Competition Series at the Gould Lake Conservation Area north of Sydenham on October 15, 2016.

Central Region is broken up into four main areas (Western, Eastern, Northern and Central Ontario), each area is conducting a tri-service orienteering competition this fall to determine the top cadet orienteers in Central Region. Top cadets in each area will then go on to compete against each other in the Regional Championship, which will be held on October 29 and 30 in Borden, Ontario.

Orienteering is often referred to as the “thinking sport” because it involves map reading, problem solving, and decision-making under physically demanding conditions. These are important skills that the youth can easily transfer into adulthood and which prove advantageous as they become community leaders.

Orienteering is a thrilling cross-country sport full of physical and mental challenges that can be adapted to just about any geographical location and every age, skill and fitness level. With the involvement of the Gator Orienteering Club, who assist in running the competitions for the Cadet Program in Ontario, the youth are provided with an experience that is dynamic, fun, challenging, and community-based.

The aim of Cadet Program is to develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship, leadership and promote physical fitness. The skills learned by the cadets participating in this event are transferable, career-enhancing skills that will last a life time. At the same time participants were able to have fun and building lasting friendships with their teammates and fellow competitors.

For more information about the Cadet Program, visit www.cadets.ca

To see what other activities cadets are doing in Ontario, please visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/CentralRegionCadets

Waterfront property owners in this region have seen their property values decrease ever so slightly since 2012, but there is another category of rural property that has seen an increase - farmland.

According to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), the value of farmland in Ontario has increased by 16% since 2012. MPAC provides property assessment to municipalities in Ontario, which are then used to determine how much tax each property owner must pay.

This contrasts sharply with other categories in the region. In Frontenac County, residential properties are up an average of 1% or less and waterfront properties are down by less than 1%.

The new assessments will be implemented over the next four years. They were mailed out on the week that started on October 10, and arrived at most farm properties late last week.

MPP Randy Hillier has received about a half a dozen complaints from farmers in Frontenac and Lanark County since then about the assessments going up by large amounts, 50% or more in a couple of cases, according to his executive assistant, David Shostal.

“MPAC says these increases are the result of market trends, but I’m not aware of any trends that warrant spikes like we’re seeing,” Hillier said in a release that came out over the weekend. “You can appeal your assessment,” he added, “but there is a deadline for filing a Request for Reconsideration (RfR), so if you want to appeal, you need to get your RfR application in to MPAC as soon as you can.”

One of the farm owners who contacted Hillier was Steve Leonard from Hartington.

“The farm part of my property has gone from $171,600 in 2012 to $347,700 in 2016,” he said in a phone interview on Monday night, October 24.

Leonard owns a 94-acre farm, which happens to be located next to the grant subdivision proposal that has been the centre of controversy within the hamlet and is going to a hearing of the Ontario Municipal Board in May.

The land has been in the Leonard family since the 1840s. Leonard, who is a mason by trade, used to run a cow/calf operation on the property, but now uses his land for hay production (30 acres) and for a small hog farming operation. He recently began growing strawberries and raspberries but did not get a crop this year due to lack of rain.

Although his farmland is ranked as Class 1, he does not see how the increased assessment can be justified based on the productive value of his property.

“They said in my assessment notice that the assessment was based on sales of comparable properties, but when I looked it up I didn't find any examples of sales, so I can't see where they got the value they used,” he said.

Farm properties pay a tax rate that is 25% of the residential rate, so the $370,600 farm property will pay the same tax as an $85,150 valued home, which will be in addition to the tax Leonard pays for his house and 1 acre of land that is taxed at the residential rate. All in all he is looking at a major increase this year, since the assessed value of his house went up as well.

“Farming is hard enough without this kind of stuff,” he said.

Leonard said that he intends to appeal his assessment.

There is another option that is available, and that is to lobby the local government.

The Township of South Frontenac and/or Frontenac County, which both collect taxes on farm property, have the discretionary authority to charge less than 25% of the residential rate to farm properties within their jurisdiction.

Steve Leonard said his first idea is to challenge the value that MPAC has placed on his 94-acre farm.

New Planning Fees Proposed

Planner Lindsay Mills presented the committee a proposal for a revised fee structure for planning applications. The intent is to bring these fees more into line with the actual cost of processing applications for development-related services such as Zoning and Official Plan amendments, site plan agreements, etc. Council showed general acceptance of the proposal: it will come before next week’s Council meeting for official approval.

Fence Viewers: where are they when we need them??

Every new Council appoints three official Township “fence viewers”. South Frontenac’s current fence viewers were appointed in 2015. Their role is to resolve line fencing disputes between neighbours regarding who pays for what, and what kind of fencing material should be used. They do not resolve property boundary issues; those are the responsibility of the property owners. Lindsay Mills reported that he has had to call on the fence viewers’ services only three times in the past 13 years. Until recently. With a deadline of thirty days to resolve an evidently tense fence-related standoff in the Township, Mills is becoming desperate. Only one of the SF viewers has agreed to step up. Mills needs three. He has contacted all appointed viewers in Central and North Frontenac, but none of them are available. Mills said he has heard “the full range of excuses.” “Perhaps,” he suggested, “seventy-five dollars a day is no longer enough.” He suggested Council consider increasing compensation, and perhaps appointing a couple of staff members (without remuneration) to the office. Mayor Vandewal said it wasn’t healthy for staff to get involved in this sort of dispute between neighbours, and suggested that it might be more appropriate to use by-law officers for the job. There was general agreement around the table, but no specific direction to Mills concerning the current problem.

Public Works 2017 BudgetPublic Works Manager Segsworth presented the proposed 2017 budget for his department, under the headings of: Facilities ($1,287,512); Transportation ($970,000); Equipment Replacement ($538,500); Environmental Services ($145,000) and Roads and Bridges ($10,000,000). Nearly half of this last figure is earmarked for the Sunbury Road, which is an emergency detour route for the 401. It’s hoped that provincial or federal funding may be available to help with this project, though so far the Township grant applications have been unsuccessful. There was considerable discussion about ways Council might bring this issue more strongly to the attention of the upper levels of government.

Budgeting for the Next Steps of Organizational Review

Mayor Vandewal recommended not budgeting for the Clerk/CAO position split in the coming year, to give two new staff members (soon to be announced) time to settle in.

“These two positions should change the workload greatly.”

Councilor McDougall suggested setting aside a three or six-month budget line for the new Clerk position in 2017.

Councilor Schjerning said perhaps the Fire Prevention/Education Officer positioncould be moved up into next year’s budget. There was general agreement about going ahead to establish a Development Services Committee.

2017 budget discussions will be a primary feature of the November Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.

Harrowsmith Community Improvement Plan

Council passed two by-laws necessary to formally approve the Harrowsmith Community Improvement Plan (CIP).

Residents of Verona, Sharbot Lake and North Frontenac will already be familiar with CIPs, which make it possible for the County to provide financial assistance in the form of grants and loans for property improvement projects. A maximum of $70,000 will be available over the course of four years. During this time, the township roads department will be redesigning the “scramble intersection” in the middle of the village to improve both pedestrian and vehicle safety. A full copy of the detailed plan is available on the township's website.

Solar Projects Supported

Council agreed to support 15 proposed small solar projects under the FIT5.0 program. These would be located on: Wolfe Lake Rd, Buck Bay Rd, Wallace Road, Davidson Side Rd, Sands Rd, Round Lake Rd, Henderson Rd and Peters Rd.

Accounting for Carbon Tax Money

Deputy Mayor Sutherland brought notice of motion that: a) a portion of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account money collected under the provincial cap & trade program be allocated to each municipal council, according to their population, to be spent on new carbon reduction initiatives; and that

b) the provincial government be asked for an accounting of how that money is spent in each municipality. Councillor McDougall said he agreed, based on his sense that a disproportionate amount of money raised in province-wide programs like this gets channeled to large municipalities. The motion passed.

MNRF and Johnston Point

(Note: Johnston Point is a recently approved subdivision on the north-east shore of Loughborough Lake) Emphasizing that he intends no criticism of the MNRF (Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries), Deputy Mayor Sutherland brought a motion directing the township to write to the MNRF to ask that species at risk habitat be preserved, rather than be destroyed in a trade-off, and that the township (and the Battersea-Loughborough Lake Association) be kept informed of any ongoing negotiations between the developer and the MNFR. Sutherland noted that the township is responsible, once the development is completed, for making sure the site plan requirements have all been met.

Councillor McDougall said he was uncomfortable with the term ‘trade-off’, but no satisfactory alternative could be agreed upon. The motion passed.

Industrial Storage Yard: Site Plan The Council agreed to enter into a site plan for a proposed industrial storage yard on Lambert Road.

Bedford Road Rehabilitation Public Works Manager Segsworth asked Council’s endorsement of the Bedford Road rehabilitation project as the township’s submission for Ontario infrastructure top-up funding. This funding is targeted toward projects with a strong health and safety component. The township has budgeted $1 million toward rebuilding Bedford Road from the Sydenham dam to Alton Road. Currently this is a narrow, heavily used strip of road with no safe space for pedestrians or cyclists. Plans are to run Bell and Hydro underground, and construct storm sewers, sidewalks and a bicycle path.

After a brief discussion, Council agreed to apply for 90% of eligible costs, which is the maximum allowable.

Humane Society Contract Renewed

Council agreed to a three-year renewal of their contract with the Kingston Humane Society for the provision of pound services, at a 5% per year rate increase. This increase is estimated, based on the last 18 months of service, to amount to approximately $175 per year.

More than 8% of households in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area live with food insecurity. That's one in 12 households who do not know if there will be enough food next week or next month (from the 2016 Vital Signs report of the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area).

To address this issue, a “Food matters” event will be held at the Grace Centre, 4295 Stage Coach Road, Sydenham, from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, October 22. People are invited to arrive between 12:30 and 1 pm, to meet and network with others. There is no charge and light refreshments will be served.

"Statistics about personal or family food insecurity in our region show the urgency for us to improve the food security situation here," says Dianne Dowling, a member of the Food Policy Council (FPC) for KFL&A. "That's why the FPC is holding Food Matters -- Connecting the Roots of Food Security in KFL&A, to bring people together to develop ideas for programs and policies to increase food security. Food security includes personal or family food security, as well as community food security -- the ability of the region to grow, process, store and distribute its own food. We want to help create networks of people involved in activities that relate to food and farming in KFL&A. Everyone is welcome to attend -- including community members, staff and volunteers in community organizations, elected officials, municipal staff members."

There will be panel presentations by Ayla Fenton, a young farmer; Toni Pickard from the Kingston Action Group for the Basic Income Guarantee; and David Townsend, executive director of Southern Frontenac Community Services, followed by group discussions on topics chosen by the participants. Recommendations for steps to increase food security will be collected from the groups and shared in the community.

Sponsors for Food Matters include: the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, City of Kingston, County of Frontenac, Kingston Community Health Centres, Loving Spoonful, National Farmers Union Local 316, Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, and Southern Frontenac Community Services.

The Food Policy Council for KFL&A formed in 2012 to work toward the creation of a more secure, accessible and sustainable food system in our region.

For more information about the FPC and about the Food Matters event, and to register for the event, go to foodpolicykfla.ca

Fermoy Hall request well received

Donna Garland appeared before the committee on behalf of a group of Fermoy Hall supporters who have been meeting this summer to talk about bringing the hall back into use.

The Fermoy Hall is located at the top of Fermoy Hill on Westport Road, just west of the point where the road hugs Wolfe Lake, one of the most picturesque, and potentially dangerous stretches of road in the entire township.

The hall was built 150 years ago in 1866, making it one of, if not the oldest public building in the township. It has been used as a council chamber, an Orange Lodge meeting place, and for dances and other purposes over the years. At one time Fermoy was a town with two stores, a post office, a hotel, a blacksmith and a sawmill but now it is a small collection of houses on four corners.

The hall has been renovated on the outside and money was set aside last year by the township to upgrade the inside.

As Garland pointed out to Council, the operating principle of the group that has been meeting is the MVP Principle, which stands for Minimum investment for Value testing a Product.

As such the group is asking that the township invest $15,000 to $20,000 of the $30,000 that has been set aside. Garland said the money would be used for “required changes to make the hall presentable and usable”. It includes some electrical work to install safe and working lights, patching holes in ceiling and walls, painting the interior, finishing the bare wood floor, installing and servicing two accessible port-a-potties, Internet and Wi-Fi, tables and chairs, and a facility sign.

The intention is to make the hall available in May of 2017 and see if it gets used as a meeting hall, for classes, musical events, etc.

Garland said that she is interested in doing some digital coaching in the hall. As well, someone else has been talking about fitness classes; lake associations would like a place to hold meetings, etc.

Mayor Vandewal said he “would like to congratulate all those who brought a realistic approach to using the hall. If you can bring it back to usable state I have no problem with it. I commend you for coming with this approach.”

Councilor Pat Barr, who represents Bedford District and has been working with the group, said, “Thank you Mayor, it's great to know we are getting along. As you say, the estimates are reasonable and hopefully this will get people coming to Fermoy.”

FIT, FIT and maybe FIT

Rob Hitchcock from Abundant Solar, David Hahn from the Wintergreen Co-op and Vincent Malik from Solar Providor Group all came to council seeking municipal support for multiple Feed-in-Tariff projects in the township.

While few questions were asked of Abundant Solar or the Wintergreen Co-op, Vincent Malik was given a bit of a rougher ride. That is partly because one of the projects he is proposing, located on Rutledge Road at Sydenham Road, was the only one of 17 that came forward for the last FIT intake a year ago that was not supported by the township. That was because some neighbouring property owners were concerned about setbacks. As Malik explained, in most cases Solar Providor is seeking to build two 250 kilowatt projects on single properties because there is only capacity for 250 kw hookups to adjacent hydro lines, but the sites are large enough for 500 kw projects, which take up about five acres each.

Council was concerned about setbacks for all the Solar Providor projects, which are located in more populated areas of the township than the other proposals. A number of suggestions were made by Council for assurances that Malik could incorporate into the proposals to help council look favorably on his requests, including limiting the Rutledge Road Project to 250 kw. He said he will make the changes.

All of the proposals will come before Council next week.

Capital budget for administration, recreation and fire department

Treasurer Louise Fragnito brought forward budget requests from the fire and admin departments and the Central Recreation Committee.

These include requests for a pickup for the building department, and a 1/2 ton and a pumper for the fire department, all of which would come from vehicle replacement reserve funds that are in place. The fire department is also asking for $35,000 for new bunker gear and a wash station for Station 8, and $60,000 for pagers and gear for 30 new recruits.

Under Recreation there are 13 requests of various sizes, from $5,000 for new swings at Tett Park to $500,000 for a major upgrade to the Storrington Hall. There is a request for $155,000 for more work at the Point Park, including an accessible pathway, washroom and building upgrades, a tennis court and more. There is also a $50,000 request to purchase land adjacent to Centennial Park in Harrowsmith.

Council did not cut or trim any projects at this point. However, if they accept all the requests the total cost would be $1,065,000 for these projects alone, which would help push the whole capital budget to $10,790,000. The target for the budget is $9,500,000.

“That's only a million and a quarter over,” said Mayor Vandewal, “a bit more than a 1% increase. However it's only a number at this point.”

Council will be receiving various pieces of the budget over the next few weeks and will be debating the entire package in November.

Council balks at Campground Proposal

The owner of Skycroft, a 65-site campground on Opinicon Lake in the north-eastern corner of South Frontenac (Bedford District) is seeking re-zoning in order to build a new campground on a lot that borders his existing campground.

The proposal calls for 170 sites on the new property, some of which would be in-ground so-called “cave houses with circular entrances that resemble hobbit houses”, and the rest trailer sites.

In his report on the-rezoning application, township planner Lindsay Mills said that all campgrounds in South Frontenac have their own specific zoning and a site plan that specifies in detail the number and size of the sites.

“For a proposal of this size, the septic approval is done by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and will require an engineering report on sewage treatment that satisfies the ministry. It is expected that the ministry approval will determine the number of lots that are permitted.”

Mills said that it will be important for the township to ensure that the new campground is completely distinct from the existing one in order to give it approval.

“This needs to be a new development unconnected to Skycroft. It is feasible that some of the usage of the new lot will access the lake. We have to be very sure that this is a completely separate business in order to approve the zoning. At this point I would recommend that we receive this report but take no position on approving it until we hear comment from the MoE and the conservation authority,” he said.

One by one, council members said they did not believe that those who use the new campground would not have access to the docking facilities and beach at Skycroft.

“I think it would be very naive to think that the two are in fact gong to be distinct,” said Councilor Mark Schjerning.

Deputy Mayor Sutherland said the township should seek legal advice.

“I would like to know if we can legally say we are looking at this one waterfront campground and refuse it entirely on those grounds. I'd like us to look at that,” said Sutherland.

Chief Administrative Officer Wayne Orr said staff would take that request as a directive from Council.

Neighbouring property owners were out in full force, expressing similar concerns as members of Council.

Many of them said their families have been using their Opinicon Lake properties for generation and always had good relations with the original owners of the campground and with David Hillhorst, the current owner as well, but the expansion would change the character of the landscape and the lake itself.

One of the added wrinkles to the situation is that the existing and proposed campgrounds abut land that is owned by Queen's University and used as a biological research station.

Skycroft operates some campsites on the Queen's property under an agreement with the university. Queen's Professor Steve Lougheed spoke at the meeting. He said the Queen's property was originally owned by the former owners of Skycroft. They built trails on the property and eventually donated it to Queen's as a research station.

“We have maintained an excellent working relationship with David, and residents of his campsites use our trails under an agreement with us.”

For his part, Hilhorst said he has always run a family campground, and “I have made the road and my beach and docks available to all the neighbors at no charge. I don't plan to cut trees or change the land when I build, just to create a rustic environment and expand my business to accommodate the demand I see in the market.”

The matter will come back to council in the coming months.

Harrowsmith Community Improvement Plan

The plan, which was discussed by Council at a Committee of the Whole meeting on September 27, was the subject of a public meeting, and received minimal comment. It will proceed to the Official Plan amendment stage under the expectation that it will be approved in short order. Businesses and residents in Harrowsmith will be eligible for grants and loans for projects aimed at creating a more attractive retail environment. The plan comes at a time of change in Harrowsmith, as road work to improve traffic flow and bring more visibility to the trail-head at the foot of the village is scheduled for next year as well.

Injunction sought to prohibit unlicensed events at Vezeau property on Sydenham Lake

Council passed a motion authorizing staff to seek a court injunction prohibiting unsanctioned events from taking place at the Vezeau property, the home of the Canadian Guitar Festival. While the guitar festival has been sanctioned by the township every year and the township noise bylaw has been suspended for the weekend-long event, other events at the property have not been sanctioned but have been held anyway. While the motion does not refer specifically to the guitar festival, Council indicated at Committee of the Whole that they are not likely to be willing to sanction even that event because the property owner has defied their bylaws at other times.

Road Rally to work in conjunction with Parks Canada Rideau Canal celebration.

The Harrowsmith Social & Athletic Club is taking the lead in organizing a road rally throughout the township in September next year to mark Canada's 150th anniversary. The club will be working with recreation committees and South Frontenac Cycles to get the event up and running. Parks Canada has contacted the township to say they are planning a musical event at around the same time and want to include the section of the canal that runs through the township in their planning, and the road rally organizers would like to co-ordinate efforts so the two events may be able to work together. Upper Brewers Lock on Canal Road is the proposed location for a concert as part of the festivities.