Feature Article - June 14, 2007

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Feature Article - June 14, 2007

Sydenham Lake Canoe Club seeks sponsors

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Clubhas offeredthe sport of Sprint Canoe and Kayak racing to local kids and young adults for the past ten years. We’re located just behind the IGA store in Sydenham on the shore of Sydenham Lake. Just like hockey, and ball sports such as baseball and soccer, the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club depends on the generosity and community-mindedness of local individuals and businesses to help with sponsorship donations, much-needed money that helps with operational costs, equipment and uniforms. This year, Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is reaching out to the local communities in hopes of raising funds to support the club throughout the 2007 campaign.

This season Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is hosting two important regattas: on July 28 the Eastern Ontario Division Championships are being held and on August 19, the Cloverleaf Champions. The Cloverleaf event brings together clubs from both eastern and western Ontario as well as Quebec. We are expecting in excess of two thousand athletes and spectators at these events. Local businesses should see an increase in business during these times.

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is looking for teamand race sponsors for this year’s regattas. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor for the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is asked to contact Erik Miazga at 613-376-3654 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club thanks all those who have become sponsors and those who consider becoming sponsors for their generosity and sense of community spirit.

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Feature Article - March 8, 2007

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Feature Article - June 14, 2007

Quick fix: volunteers repair Sydenham Cemeteryby Wilma Kenny

"There are some great people living here,’ said South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison of the many volunteers who turned up to help repair the recent vandalism in Sydenham graveyard, "It’s encouraging to have something positive come out of so much negative."

Early in the week, Davison had priced repair materials at Leeder Monuments in Gananoque: on Tuesday morning, he was puzzled to see a group of men he didn’t recognize apparently righting some of the gravestones. He investigated, and learned that Leeder Monuments had directed a work crew to Sydenham cemetery, "to do what they could." By Saturday morning when over 40 local volunteers arrived, much of the work had already been done, and they made quick work of what remained. Davison, a retired stonemason, is planning to continue to work on some of the oldest stones, which have been badly shattered, and reports a few may be beyond repair.

According to Davison, police have charged two juveniles in regard to the incident, and are following several more leads concerning others.

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Feature Article - August 23, 2007

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Feature Article - August 30, 2007

Sydenham Lake Canoe Club Trillium Regatta

by Erik Miazga

On a day that started as overcast with clouds teasing the horizon over Sydenham Lake, the first annual Trillium Invitational Regatta made its debut. The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club hosted thirteen Ontario Canoe and Kayak Clubs in a day-long event at the Point. The championship event of the season for Bantam and Peewee level paddlers started off without a hitch. Teams from Toronto to Sudbury and Gananoque to North Bay competed for the newly cast Trillium medallions and a trip to the podium for gold, silver or bronze.

Highlights of the day featured the Bantam women’s C-4 crew of Robyn Miazga, Christina Grant, Erika Gibbons and Cia Myles-Gonzalez who took second place just behind a strong team from the Ottawa River club. The crew of three second-year and one first-year paddler showed just how much depth the Sydenham Club has in their young membership. Sydenham also took second place in their K-4 event, with paddlers Cia Myles-Gonzales, Christina Grant, Robyn Miazga and first year bantam Kristian Jones. C-1 paddler Christina Grant gave a gold medal performance in the two thousand meter event to round out the Sydenham Lake medal grab.

The Trillium regatta brought about fifteen hundred people to the Point; spectators, paddlers, boats and trailers filled the small park to capacity. The day started off with the traditional breakfast of Syd McMuffins and coffee, midday saw a BBQ, raffles and event t-shirt sales. Medal ceremonies took place at both lunchtime and after the evening’s races. The Trillium regatta was sponsored by local businesses, and in large part by the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation.

The final event of the season at Sydenham was a logistical challenge in which volunteers and family members took on unfamiliar roles and rose to the occasion with a great effort. Visiting clubs had nothing but positive comments re the event, the surroundings and Sydenham Lake in general. It is well known that Sydenham Lake boasts one of the best courses for competitive canoeing and kayaking in Canada.

Coaches and paddlers from the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club will be visiting local schools in the South Frontenac Township to give presentations on the club as well as the sport of Canoe/Kayak. Along with a Power Point presentation, the club will bring boats and equipment to the schools to introduce the sport to students. Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is looking to increase its membership in a big way next season and they invite all interested families with children seven years of age and older to become involved in this unique sport.

Even though the day started with a gloomy outlook, the weather broke and the sun shone for the rest of the day, proving once again, at least for the paddlers of the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, that every cloud does have a "Silver" lining!

Photos by Palmer Productions.

Feature Article - March 8, 2007

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Feature Article - July 12, 2007

South Frontenac looks to revamp office space, build library

byJeff Green

South Frontenac Council has taken another step towards consolidating the township’s administrative operations at the township office in Sydenham, and exploring the possibility of building a brand new library at the same time.

The architectural firm of Shoalts and Zaback from Kingston will be looking at the township-owned property at the rear of the existing township offices. The property extends beyond a fence at the back of the current parking lot all the way past the Sydenham football field.

They will be determining whether there is sufficient space available to build a new, larger library to serve the needs of Sydenham and the surrounding region.

“We have identified that it would benefit the township if our administration was centralized here in Sydenham,” said South Frontenac Chief Administrative Officer Gord Burns.

Currently there are six administrators, including the public works manager, working out of the township public works garage at Keeley Road, southwest of the village of Sydenham, and the easiest way to find space for those people at the township office would be to appropriate the space now occupied by the Sydenham branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

In 2004, a services review report from the library called for an expansion of the Sydenham library to at least 5,000 square feet, and an increase in its hours of operation.

“In the end it will up to the township to pay for a new library, and we will have to decide how large a building we can fit in the space that is available and how much we can afford to spend on it,” said Burns.

The report to be prepared by Shoalts and Zaback will cost he township between $3,000 and $5,000.

Feature Article - March 8, 2007

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Feature Article - July 12, 2007

Sydenham Lake Canoe Club opens regatte season

On Saturday, July 7 the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club competed in its first Regatta of the season at Gananoque. On a day with mixed weather, Sydenham Lake paddlers took to the course in fine fashion. The competition hosted by the Gananoque Canoe Club for Bantam, Pee Wee and Atom class paddlers went off without a hitch. Gananoque Commodore Lloyd Emmerson and his staff of volunteers put together a great day of events, an onsite BBQ and contests to round out the day. Sydenham paddlers fared well in the competition, taking home ribbons in most events. Individual boats as well as crew boats competed well against the bigger clubs of Rideau, Carleton Place and North Bay. Sydenham Lake paddlers were awarded ribbons in the following catagories.

Cia Myles-Gonzalez, First Place Bantam Girls K1 (B final); Robyn Miazga, Second Place Bantam Girls K1 (A final); Christina Grant, First Place Bantam Girls C1 (D final);

Oliver Pontbriand, Evan Jackson, Fourth Place Atom Boys K2; Erika Gibbons, Christina Grant, Second Place Bantam Girls K2; Robyn Miazga, Cia Myles-Gonzalez, Erika Gibbons, Christina Grant, Second Place Bantam Girls C4Sydenham Lake will now prepare for their next Regatta in Carleton Place on July 21, followed by North Bay on August 4. Sydenham Lake Canoe Club is also hosting the First Annual Trillium Invitational Championship Regatta in Sydenham on August 19. Clubs from all over Ontario as well as from Quebec and the Maritimes are invited to compete in this Bantam and Pee Wee class event. Sydenham Lake would like to invite everyone to come out and enjoy the day of great Sprint Canoe and Kayak racing on one of South Frontenacs most beautiful lakes. We invite parents to bring out their kids to the event to experience the days activities and to see what a unique sport Sprint Canoe and Kayak racing really is. Anyone wanting more information concerning our events or our sport is invited to contact: Erik Miazga at (613) 376-3654.

Feature Article - March 8, 2007

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Feature Article - July 5, 2007

SouthFrontenac Council - July 3, 2007by Wilma Kenny

WASTE MANAGEMENT: Council approved terms of reference to provide guidance and direction to Guy Laporte of TSH, who has been retained to undertake a Waste Management Master Plan Study. It is intended that this study consider waste management both from the perspective of how it is presently being handled on an area rated basis and how it could be managed were the responsibility for waste management to rest with the Township as a whole, and make recommendations for long term planning. An earlier draft of these terms of reference had been rejected by Council, on the grounds that the question of bag tags was not being addressed in sufficient detail.

BRIDGE TENDERS: Tender was awarded to O. Bettschen Construction, a local firm and the lowest bidder, for Mitchell Creek Bridge: $346,843. CEO Burns was authorized to approve the tender award for Rutledge Road bridge, if necessary to expedite the construction process, as Council meets only once a month during summer. Tender will not be called until the environmental assessment is completed.

DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL OFFICE/LIBRARY

Council approved the hiring of the firm of Shoalts & Zaback Architects to carry out a site plan review at 4432 George Street to determine the feasibility of consolidating Township offices in Sydenham and providing increased space for the Sydenham Library.

STUDY OF HOMELESSNESS IN FRONTENAC COUNTY

This summer Jeff Wood, a consultant for the United Way, is undertaking a study of homelessness in Frontenac County. He wants to talk to anyone who has ideas, suggestions, interests, or problems relating to the availability of safe, clean, affordable accommodation. A series of public meetings is being planned for mid-summer, but Jeff can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (all branches of the public library have public access computers) or by leaving a message for him at your nearest township office.

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Feature Article - August 9, 2007

Letters to the Editor

I feel many things for our North Frontenac council, none of them positive or polite. Currently as a township, we are going through much upheaval regarding the potential of a uranium mine. Some folks are for it many against, and then there is council who seem to be sitting on the fence and waiting for “something” to happen. When “something” does happen, I hope they don’t think that their lack of action will garner them my vote at the next election. Meantime, even the rumour of a mine has decreased our property values in excess of 1/3. Many people are having their water tested so as to have a benchmark for future potential contamination. Meanwhile life seems to be continuing for council taxes collected on homes which could have little re-sale value; septics inspected to ensure no harm comes to the aquifer due to leakage; rumour of wells requiring meters so the government can collect user fees and, of course, ensuring our trash is properly sorted.

Would council react if I paid taxes on my home based on its current value? Would council supply us with bottled water when our well testing comes back positive for radiation and is no longer safe to drink? Will council react when any of the small organic farmers in our area are no longer deemed organic due to contamination? Will council react when tourists no longer return to the area to fish, camp, rent cottages or shop? Perhaps council will react if one of their properties is staked by Frontenac Ventures.

There are always two sides to every issue and we must respect that sitting on the fence is not a side.

- Mavis Wade

Like many in the area I do not want to see uranium mining happening. We have a new smoke shop along Hwy. 7 displaying a sign advocating no mine. This to me is the ultimate paradox. Topping the list of cancer causing agents is tobacco smoke as well as an array of other diseases from same. The tip of the iceberg may be all that's been touched by medical research into the devastating side effects of both first-hand and second- hand cigarette smoke. You are not doing anyone around you or your environment any favours when yousmoke inside or outside. The epitome of evil is represented by the tobacco companiesand their practices, yet I see no encampments blocking their facilities. I also notice no demonstrations in front of this local smoke shop selling what I assume are cheap cigarettes which would entice new addictsas well as maintaining those already addicted.

Greg Morris

North Frontenac and Lanark Highlands areas are facing a mining corporation wishing to begin exploration by drilling core samples, which may then lead to a full-blown uranium mining operation. There are hot deposits along a 20 mile long, one mile wide corridor through these lands. Exploration entails removing forest and trenching thousands of tonnes of rock. It would be open pit mining all the way. 30,000 acres of private property and Crown lands (which have never been surrendered or sold to the government by Algonquin First Nations peoples) have been staked.

The Mining Act allows prospectors to come on your land and stake it without your permission then clear your land and tear it up without any compensation or restoration to its original state.

Uranium mining leaves behind damage for thousands of years. Radio-active air to breath, radio-active dust on our gardens and forests, and radio-active toxic waste with sulfuric acid to leach into our lakes, rivers, streams, wells, marshes and wetlands.

The mining companies are bound by law to be stewards of the land and end-tailings forever, so they just go bankrupt and change their company name to get out of it. Elliot Lake mining companies have already done this. Elliot Lake end-tailings are leaching into Lake Huron from the toxic dump they have provided - the Serpent River! To date there is not one proven safe end-tailings containment system in the world - all so far have been breached,

whether it be a dam or cemented cylinders.

A small earthquake rupture, sabotage, a pressure rupture? Remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. There are many safe, clean alternatives

to nuclear power. Ontario needs a complete moratorium on Uranium mining such as Nova Scotia has. Mr. McGuinty has said his government wants to protect ecological and environmentally sensitive areas. I hope he believes the Mississippi and Ottawa River watersheds are in his plans. There are many waterways leading to these rivers right from North

Frontenac and Lanark rivers and lakes. We need a moratorium that would last forever and be bound by all future governments via the Constitution.

Wanda Recoskie

I have a comment to make arising from the spring issue of “The Frontenacs”, published by the County of Frontenac. The phrase “We told you so” comes to mind. This stems from the articles regarding water safety, and in particular, the situation that has occurred in the village of Sydenham. I imagine most of the readers are aware of the raw deal the residents received and how the views of over 90% of the population were ignored in spite of evidence and petitions presented to council. It should be noted also that the figure of contaminated wells in Sydenham was very much exaggerated, as was shown by private, town-wide testing. Many felt this incongruity was the fault of the engineering company in charge. But, recriminations are useless now. It does seem that the province has come around to our way of thinking, as shown in the newer regulations coming forth. It is interesting to read that the results of studies show that a municipal water system is not sustainable in a population of less than 3000 people. Then, on the back page there is a small quote stating there are no communities larger than 1,500 residents in the County of Frontenac. In Sydenham there were only 273 households. The Province is also putting forth several alternative solutions for providing safe water, which were suggested to the South Frontenac Council numerous times by the Sydenham Safe Water Association. It has already cost my family $5000 to have the water brought from the road to the house, which we are obliged to do by law.We do not use the water, but must still pay a minimum monthly fee.The last estimate of our share of the frontage costs of the system itself was $10,000, but the long overdue bill for that has not yet arrived. Waiting for that demand for such a huge sum of money is not a very pleasant prospect for a senior and a single parent living on a disability pension.Bureaucracy rains supreme!

- Rosalie Knights

Feature Article - September 27, 2007 Feature Article - September 27, 2007

South Frontenac Committee of the Wholeby Wilma Kenny

After three hours discussing proposed revisions to the Township’s Official Plan, Council sent several items back for further information, and agreed to defer making any recommendations until the October 23 Committee of the Whole.

At that time, they hope to have either attendance or written representation from the Cataraqui Conservation Authority, Public Health and the Township’s lawyer. Items still under consideration include questions relating to back-lot development on private lanes, ‘Fractional Ownership’ (cottage time-shares), clarification of the boundaries of the hamlet of Sydenham that may feasibly be serviced by municipal water, designation and mapping of wetlands and the difference between the terms ‘Environmental Protection’ and ‘Environmental Sensitivity’. No date has been set for a public meeting to review proposed changes to the plan.

In regard to Mitchell Creek Bridge, CAO Burns reported the project is on target for time, and noted that the platform necessary to support the crane has to be particularly wide, but is temporary

Due to high winds, there was considerable paint over spray on the centre line of the newly constructed portion of Sydenham Road: Burns reported that the company that did the painting will try to scrub off some of the excess paint.

Mayor Davison said he couldn’t attend the October 23 COW meeting, because he would be "participating in a wildlife management program in Northern Ontario" at that time.

Letters - December 13, 2007 Back toHome Letters - December 13, 2007 Letters November 29Sydenham Water: The Crux of the Problem, Cathie WaughSydenham Water: the crux of the problem

Small rural municipalities simply can’t manage and can’t afford the province’s demands for water and sewage. Both South Frontenac Township and the province need to re-think how much the people of Sydenham should be paying for a system fraught with problems and for which the province now says is not financially sustainable for less than 3,000 users. Sydenham has 274.

When the province downloaded water and sewage on municipalities they didn’t consider that small rural municipalities often lack the technical or business skills available to manage complex projects. This seems to be the case for South Frontenac Township. There was no municipal representative with skills in water/sewage infrastructure that could oversee implementing the Sydenham water system. The responsibility was handed over to the consulting engineering firm with no one in the municipality capable of scrutinizing their work.

So the people gave it a shot, and found numerous discrepancies that seemed to skew the conclusions of the environmental assessment in favour of the water system. But when the people presented over 60 concerns to the township, they asked the consultant that made the errors to evaluate our concerns! And when we brought our concerns to the province, they deferred to the township since municipalities were deemed responsible for the project. Clearly, the people were hitting a wall.

Less deferring and more direction from the province would have been warranted. A simple guideline for using two different consultants, one for recommending a solution and one for building the solution, potentially could have eliminated a lot of problems for Sydenham.

Unfortunately these problems continue to haunt us. It’s now public knowledge that the water has been exceeding the provincial drinking water standards for trihalomethanes (potential carcinogens) since it started running. What’s interesting is that it appears no seasonal composite water testing was done prior to determining the water treatment process. And no one in the municipality identified this as a potential problem. Perhaps this was not a concern since the contract signed between the municipality and the consultant didn’t seem to address water quality. Normally contracts with consultants outline the expected results, how they are to be measured and consequences if the results are not achieved. Did we really pay $8 million for a water system and forget to ask that it produce quality water?

Both the South Frontenac council and the province should be taking responsibility for the sloppy management of this system; after all, the people’s concerns were well known. The province should be giving additional funding for a water plant they approved but didn’t scrutinize and now say is not affordable. And the municipality should be spreading the costs over the township since representatives from all the districts took responsibility when they voted for it. This won’t change the questionable need for the water plant, but it could be an important step for improving community relations.

Cathie Waugh, Sydenham

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Letters - November 29, 2007

Letters

November 29Follow Up to "Are Drinking Water Standards Negotiable?", Julie DoyleUnconviced by Medical Officer's Letter Regarding THM Levels, Rosalie KnightsFollow Up to "Are Drinking Water Standards Negotiable?"

I seem to have stepped on some toes at the MOE and KFLA Health Unit. I have no wish to enter into a debate with either. I just have more questions!

Dr Gemmill, the Medical Officer of Health, claims we would be drinking safe water with trihalomethane (THM) concentration as high as 200 micrograms per litre. Why should we have to? Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards dictate that the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) for THM is 100 micrograms per litre. In fact Ontario is phasing in a new more stringent MAC of 80 micrograms per litre. It seems an odd statement for Dr Gemmill to make and an odd time to be making it.

Dr Gemmill’s office sent a fact sheet suggesting we install in-house water treatment at our taps if we wanted to remove the THMs from our municipal water. OUCH!! Didn’t we just spend $8 million on a water plant designed (supposedly) to match the water conditions in Sydenham Lake?

Why isn’t this plant capable of producing a quality product? Is the design of the plant flawed? Has the lake water changed due to some environmental disaster? (Please don’t compare our lake to far north black water.) Testing frequency would suggest that the powers that be knew there was a problem from the get-go.

John Steele from the MOE says we will have to comply with the Ontario drinking water standards eventually. Is this because failure to meet the standard makes the plant ‘Noncompliant with the terms and conditions of the Certificate of Approval’?

Dare I ask if this failure to produce a product that meets minimum standards is the reason why our frontage bills are so tardy? I mean if you hire a roofer to replace a roof and the new one leaks, do you cut him a cheque? In the meantime Sydenham receives water of a quality far inferior to Bath, Odessa, Gananoque and Amherstview. (All are less than 50 micrograms per litre!)

So the answer to my original question seems to be “YES, the Ontario drinking water standards are negotiable!”

Oh, and please stop telling us to drink more water to make the problem go away. If the THMs were controlled properly in the plant, then there would be no problem with them at the tap!

Julie Doyle, Sydenham

Unconvinced By Medical Officer's Letter Regarding THM Levels

More contradictions abound in the continuing saga of the ill-fated, ill-conceived Sydenham Water System. Sydenham householders have received a belated letter from the local Medical Officer of Health, attempting to alert us and allay fears about the possible carcinogenic Trihalomethanes found in our municipal water. But I find that the information given therein does not allay the concern that I, and many others, have with the current situation.

The letter says that harm from ingesting and inhaling the THM-affected water is only a concern on a long-term basis and that in the short term we have nothing to worry about. I suppose this means that us old folks can breathe easy, but what about the hundreds of kids in our two schools? There are apparently no definitive results from studies as yet, but since the studies are being undertaken, then there must be some evidence of an existing problem. From my reading found on the Health Canada website, there is also concern about THMs and pregnancy. In these cases all precautions should be taken NOW. Isn’t it better to err on the safe side? The province has set the maximum limit of THMs at l00mg/L. So why is it acceptable to have double that amount appearing in our drinking water? Included with the letter from the MOH is information stating that the province is now seriously considering LOWERING the maximum to .80mg/L. This would seem to demonstrate that there is definitely an ongoing concern.

Regarding the statement about kidney stones, I don’t believe it was ever suggested that they could be caused by THMs. However, there is strong anecdotal evidence of a sudden rise locally in this condition, which may be yet another harmful result of drinking the water.

It would appear that a lot of the warnings that the people of Sydenham tried to express before and during the planning process of this water system are unfortunately coming true. The councils of the time, especially the first one that passed the actual by-law, were oblivious to any voices except those of the engineering company, who were obviously bent on gaining the lucrative contract by any means. It was too large a project for such a small population, as the province has since recognized. There are too many issues to go into now, but it has been a worry for many people and continues to be, since we are still waiting for the “big bill” for the building of the system and wondering why the delay. The last estimate for our share was over $10,000, which is a lot of money for two seniors and a single mom to find, plus the monthly bill for water we neither wanted nor intend to use.

I note from an article in the Gazette that there are to be funds available for certain dwellings near the water intake pipe to update septic systems etc. in order to protect the water quality in the lake. Was the location of the water intake another mistake in the plant design?

Perhaps there could be funds to dredge the weeds that bring about the THM problem as well!

In conclusion, THMs ARE a concern, whether it’s for long or short term and the people using this water should have been notified immediately. Council should have published these results months ago and then residents could make their own decision whether or not to use the water until the THM issue is resolved. In fact, one wonders if the belated letter would have been written at all were it not for members of the SSWA working behind the scenes and a very vocal citizen who did some research and then confronted the powers-that-be.

Rosalie Knights