Photo: WWll veteran Ted Lansdell lays a wreath in Sydenham

Hundreds gathered for the Remembrance Day Service held at the cenotaph in Sydenham led by Captain, the Reverend Judson Bridgewater, the Sydenham Legion’s Padre.

In a moving address Padre Bridgewater spoke of the difficulty of trying to “make sense of the hell we call war, where we tread a fine line between honoring our heroes and trying to avoid glorifying war. It's a difficult balancing act between condemning and condoning,” he said. He spoke of the confusion Remembrance Day can bring for all and the need in this war-torn world to avoid becoming cynical and indifferent. “How do you and I not give up on this world where people continue to suffer and where war continues despite the sacrifices made by so many. In a word, it’s hope, and it is my sincere hope that one day peace and love will prevail.”

Fraser Strong played the Last Post and Reveille and John Pickernell, president of the Sydenham Legion, read an address from Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Haley Caird gave an emotional reading of the poem “In Flanders Fields” followed by various members of the community who were invited by Valerie Ruttan to place wreaths.

One distinguished wreath layer was Verona resident and WWll veteran Ted Lansdell who, at 92 years of age, is the oldest veteran at Sydenham Legion.

Ted grew up in London, Ontario, where he received his army training. He served for five years in WWll, from 1940-1945. Two of those years were served in combat in the 1st Division of the Canadian Armed Forces, in postings in Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and North Africa.

Ted joined the army at the age of 21 in 1940 and served as a Mechanist Sergeant Major. He gave advanced workshops in repairing vehicles that were damaged in battle, usually by land mines. That work, he said, often put himself and his comrades in harm’s way. “We worked as close to the front as we could and would often set up the workshops that consisted of blacksmiths, carpenters - all of the trades - in locations pretty close to the front lines.”

In one instance in southern Italy in 1943, Lansdell recalled his troops working “with the German guns firing over our heads one way and our guns coming the other way and we being set up right there in the middle.” At one time he came to harm when shrapnel sprayed him in the chest. He recalled, “It didn't do too much damage though. It just hit the breast bone and they took me to the hospital, put me under and took it out.”

That being said, working so close to the front did take some getting used to. “The gunfire would go on all night and somehow you just got used to it and somehow we learned how to sleep with that going on around us,” Ted said. He also remembered sleeping under the olive trees in Italy with just a sleeping bag and a ground sheet and having to clear away the salamanders and scorpions before bedding down for the night.

Lansdell was in Holland when the war finally came to an end in 1945. He returned to Canada where he got a job as a mechanic and married his wife Irene in 1948. The couple moved to Verona in 1952 when Ted and a partner bought a dealership and opened Verona Motors Ltd. He and his wife had three children.

What does Ted take away from his war experience? “The memories are good and bad. It goes both ways. I saw a few dead bodies on the battlefield but it seems to me that when you're young you don't get as bothered by stuff. It's later when you get older that you tend to think of it differently.”

Asked about his feelings about war in general, he replied, “Unfortunately I think that we will always have war and rumors of war in some form or another.”

Remembrance Ceremonies in the Region

Top: The legion Colour Guard in Arden

Left: Sergeant Jordana Sproule visited Clarendon Central Public Scholl and brought along her grandmother Barb Sroule. Photo courtesy Rhona Watkins

Top Left: Land O'Lakes Publid School students presenting gifts for Armed Forces members after the Moountain Grove ceremony

Top Right: Student cadets assist with the North Addidngton Education Centre Remembrance Day assembly. Photo: Kayla Cuddy.

Right: Members of the Sharbot Lake High School Glee Club performed their version of John Lennon's song "Imagine".

Andrea Dingwall is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, where she completed a four-year course after doing her undergraduate work at Trent University. She will be accepting patients at a shared location with Chiropractor Sheldon Cook at 3161 Rutledge Road (next to Silverbrook Gardens).

Andrea Dingwall lives in a rural property near Moscow, where her carpenter husband is building a house, and she has been looking for a location to set up a practice. The clinic was a suitable location, and her services complement those offered by Sheldon Cook.

“I really like Sydenham, and this location is ideal for me,” she said.

She will be offering the kinds of assessment and diagnosis services that people often receive from primary care physicians but with a focus on lifestyle changes, the use of supplements, botanicals and acupuncture treatments.

“One of the big differences between what a doctor does and what I do relates to the amount of time I can spend with patients, and the relationships that develop,” she said.

Diet is a major factor in people’s health and is a treatment option, according to Andrea Dingwall. She can supervise patients in using a number of diets to improve patient health.

Among the kinds of issues she deals with on a regular basis are gastrointestinal issues, women specific problems, hormonal conditions, weight loss, pain and nerve problems, and more.

She does not see her practice as a challenge to the medical establishment, and said that over the years the practice of medicine and naturopathy have moved closer to each other.

“Diet and lifestyle are taken more into account than they were in the past and Naturopathy has become more oriented to evidence-based treatments at the same time,” she said.

As she starts up her practice Andrea Dingwall is offering a free 15-minute meeting for patients (normally her rates are $40 for 15 minutes). A first session usually lasts about an hour and subsequent sessions are shorter.

Details about the service offered are available at the website natural-route.com.

In addition to accepting new patients, Andrea Dingwall will be conducting free talks about health care issues.

The first one that she has scheduled is coming up on November 22 at her clinic. It is called “Avoiding the Cold and Flu - Naturally” and will focus on how to avoid getting sick this year, touching on diet, lifestyle, the flu vaccine, supplements to take and supplements to avoid.

To contact Andrea Dingwall, call 613-876-2855.

New & Improved

In order to further streamline council agendas, CAO Orr recommended that the Public Works Manager be given authority to approve routine temporary boat ramp and road closures for parades, festivals and community events. Council agreed, though Councillor Vandewal made it clear that Councillors will need to be kept informed of these closures.

The necessary road closures were approved for the Sydenham (Sat Nov 26, 10 am) and Harrowsmith (Sat Dec 3, 10 am) Santa parades.

Procurement Policy

Council approved a new procurement by-law which simplifies policy goals and clarifies the process of purchasing materials, supplies and services for the township. New limits are established: a)purchases up to a value of $150. are exempt from the policy, b) Purchases up to $5000 may be purchased from a Vendor of Record (VOR), or if there is none, from the lowest of three quotes., c) purchases between $5,000 and $25,000 may be made from a VOR or a through request for quotes, and d) purchases exceeding $25,000 shall require a request for tender or proposal. Details of this nine-page policy may be viewed on the township’s website.

Drinking Water Source Protection

Council received draft policies from the three Conservation Authorities that cover the township: Cataraqui Region, Rideau Valley and Quinte. Township Planner Lindsay Mills pointed out that the township had no aquifers that qualified as “highly vulnerable’, and therefore posing significant threats to the quality of drinking water. He went on to say that although the proposed policies and programs are all good ones, they would require a great amount of staff time and municipal expense to implement. He asked Council to provide guidance. In general, the main threats to drinking water aquifers are road salts and septic systems.

Sydenham Subdivision Nearing Final Stages

Mills reported that RKR Landholdings are working to get final approval to proceed with ‘Valleyview Estates’, off Rutledge Road in the village of Sydenham. The township is preparing to enter into a pre-service agreement, as the next stage of the process.

Donations to Firefighters’ Associations

Portland District Community Caring, a small non-profit group that accepts donations of clothing,household items, etc, and resells them for very modest amounts, has donated $2,000 to be shared equally between the Firefighters Associations of Loughborough and Portland, for the purchase of uniforms, batteries, flashlights, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Pumper Truck Damaged

Mayor Davison reported that a South Frontenac pumper truck had recently been forced off the road and damaged. The vehicle is being transported to Winnipeg for repairs, and a temporary replacement has been found. As the accident was not the fault of the township, full costs of the repair have been covered by insurance.

Budget Deliberations

On Saturday Nov 10, council met for five hours to review the preliminary 2013 budget. As presented, both capital and operating budgets were up, reserves were to be drawn down $1,269,681, and there remained the assumption that $600,000 would continue to come from the City of Kingston: “talks are underway.” The bottom line was a projected increase of 4.78% in property taxes. Assessment phase in is expected to show an increase of 6.5%, down from the past three years of over 8%, as projected growth has slowed to just 1.96%. CAO Orr drew Council’s attention to nine major expansion initiatives that are proposed for 2013: roads construction, contracted roadside brushing, bridge maintenance, topsoil and seeding, mowing to fence line, pavement preservation, expanded dust control, consulting in human relations, workplace safety and technology, and updating civic numbering.

The day proceeded with questions, discussion, and requests for more information. There was general concern about drawing too heavily from reserves.

In summary, Mayor Davison directed staff to come back with two options: a budget proposal with a tax increase “modestly above 3%”, and one with the increase “modestly below 3%.” Orr agreed to bring an updated budget package, with highlighted changes, to Council on December 4.

Sydenham Water Costs Still Not Resolved

The upgrade to the Sydenham Water Works had a capital cost of $1,435,000. Federal/provincial grants covered $946,666 of this, but the municipal portion of $488,336 remains unfinanced. As well, increasing operating costs have resulted in reserves that are well below the funding needed to cover depreciation /replacement costs.

The treasurer’s report states: “The Sustainable Water and Sewage System Act requires municipalities that provide water and sewage services to the public to implement full cost accounting and full cost recovery including operating, financing, replacement and improvement costs. The Act seeks to introduce the principle that having consumers pay the full cost of providing water...will promote water conservation and greater awareness of water and environmental protection.”

Treasurer Fragnito presented this report for information: it will be brought back for further discussion in January.

Council Composition

In response to an earlier recommendation from Council, Orr presented a summary of possible changes to the composition of Council, details of council composition in 15 neighbouring townships, and a framework for the public consultation process that would be required before making any changes. The seven alternatives included increasing or decreasing the size of Council, electing councilors by district, or from the township at large, and electing a deputy mayor as a separate position. Councilors expressed a range of ideas, finally agreeing to keep the status quo for now, but directing Orr to develop a question about council composition that might be proposed to the public, possibly at the time of the next election.

Footnote:

South Frontenac Council held a regular meeting, and two Committee of the Whole meetings, one of them on a Saturday, during the local deer hunting season and all members were present for all three meetings. This may well be a first.

Sydenham Water Treatment: Finally Running Well

Kevin Riley, PUC Kingston, and manager of the Sydenham water plant, gave Council a verbal summary of the 2011 annual Sydenham water report. He said that, after some initial ‘tweaking,’ the renewed system is working at its optimal level. Trihalomethanes, undesirable chemicals which had resulted from the combination of chlorine with organic residue in the lake water, have now been reduced to levels “well below the province’s compliance levels.” This improvement is the result of switching to a treatment called ”chloramination’ combined with charcoal filtering. The flavour of the water is also improved. However, there have been no further residential hook-ups added to the system this year. The complete report, which includes a detailed chemical analysis of the Sydenham water, is available on the Kingston PUC’s website, or at the Sydenham library.

Waste Site Issues

Guy LaPorte, of AECOM, presented the annual review of the township’s waste sites. He noted that in spite of the population growth having been slower than projected, the volume of waste being dumped last year in the Portland site had increased 30 to 40% over the previous year. Councillor Bill Robinson said he thought this was a result of more waste coming from the other districts, but Councillor Ron Vandewal pointed out that the volumes at the other township landfills had not decreased. LaPorte said that it was important to find out where the additional waste was coming from. He also said that, due to rising construction and trucking costs, the price of digging and trucking the clay needed to close a waste site has risen 30 to 40% since last year.

Later in the meeting, Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth said that the Public Services Committee had deferred their work on the waste disposal sites operational review, in order to concentrate on developing an action plan for the Portland site. However, he is recommending that e-waste be accepted only at the Keeley Road Hazardous Waste Facility, where Stewardship Ontario has agreed to dispose of it free of charge. (The Township has to pay to dispose of any e-waste left at the Portland or Loughborough sites.) Segsworth also hopes to present Council with a proposed reduced operating schedule for township waste sites, now that all households have access to weekly pick-up. He says this should reduce costs, as well as increase recycling.

Budget Update

Treasurer Louise Fragnito brought good news about the federal gas tax funding to come from the County: during budgeting, Council had made a conservative estimate that they might receive $100,000 allocation from the county. However, the county has recently notified South Frontenac that they will get $357,098. This money can be used only for ‘environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure projects’ within set categories. Any not used in 2012 will remain in the township’s gas tax reserves.

As well, both the county and the education tax rates have decreased from 2011 to 2012. Discussion followed on whether this was an opportunity to add a one-time project to this year’s township budget. Treasurer Fragnito has been asked to prepare more information for discussion at a COW meeting.

Is That a Three-legged Loon?

Councilor Tinlin showed Council a sketch of the proposed new township coat of arms, and explained the meaning of each separate feature. The designer had studied the quilted logos of each of the districts, and the result promises to be rich with references to the township, both current and historical. Deputy Mayor McDougall asked whether the four colours of the First Nations could be included, and Mayor Davison suggested a fishing line could be deleted. All agreed that there was an unfortunate juxtaposition of a loon above three griffin claws from Count Frontenac’s arms. Quipped Councillor Vandewal: “Looks as if that loon’s been nesting at the toe of the Portland landfill.” Council will review one more sketch before making their final decision. There were 32 logo submissions for the banner at the bottom of the coat of arms: the chosen one will be announced at the May 1 Council meeting.

Based on standardised testing results, the Fraser Institute published “A Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools” last week.

But this is one report card that parents should not pay much attention to, according to Limestone School Board Director of Education, Brenda Hunter.

“Limestone does not use the Fraser Institute Report in school improvement planning,” Hunter said in an email to the News. “We do not believe in ranking schools, as it does not support or improve student learning. The Fraser Institute report offers an incomplete, skewed picture of school performance and is based on faulty assumptions that do not take into account a number of demographic factors, such as English as a second language populations, students with special education needs, or social risk factors.”

Secondary schools in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties finished in the middle of the pack. Of the 718 schools in the study, Sharbot Lake High School, with a 6.8/10 score, is ranked in 253rd place, while Sydenham High School, with a score of 5.9/10 is ranked 422nd, and nearby Ernestown High School, at 5/8/10, is ranked 452nd. North Addington Education Centre, because its sample size is too small, is not ranked by the study.

The report card ranks schools based on six different criteria, but it only uses the results from two sets of tests: the math proficiency assessments that grade 9 students complete, and grade 10 literacy test results. Both of these tests are administered under the auspices of the Ontario Education and Accountablity Office (EQAO)

In the preamble to the Fraser Institute report card, the authors claim it can be a valuable tool for parents who are looking to choose the high school they should send their children to.

“Where parents can choose among several schools for their children, the Report Card provides a valuable tool for making a decision. Because it makes comparisons easy, it alerts parents to those nearby schools that appear to have more effective academic programs. Parents can also determine whether schools of interest are improving over time. By first studying the Report Card, parents will be better prepared to ask relevant questions when they visit schools under consideration and speak with the staff.”

However, before parents from South Frontenac pull their kids out of Sydenham High School and start demanding bussing up to Sharbot Lake or down to KCVI in Kingston (which the report card ranked the highest among Kingston schools) some of the idiosyncrasies of the report might be considered.

For example, in comparing Sharbot Lake and Sydenham high schools, Sharbot Lake grade 9 students had higher math test results, a 3.0 average in both academic and applied level math scores as compared to 2.9 (academic) and 2.4 (applied) at SHS (the provincial standard is 3). However, 79.2% of SHS grade 10 students passed their grade 10 literacy test as compared to 74.5% of Sharbot Lake High School students. The Fraser Institute also does a gender gap analysis, with the ideal being a 0 gap. The grade 10 Sydenham High girls had better literacy scores than the boys, a gap of 13 in the Fraser calculations, and this hurt the school’s final score. Sharbot Lake High School had too small a sample for the gap to be statistically significant, so it was not calculated.

One clear limitation of the report card is that any of the efforts made by teachers and students in areas other than math and literacy, and in all areas after grade 10, are not captured in the report card at all.

Nonetheless, the institute is confident that the report card results are something that parents and educators should heed. Again, from the preamble to the report:

“There is great benefit in identifying schools that are particularly effective. By studying the techniques used in schools where students are successful, less effective schools may find ways to improve. Comparisons are at the heart of improvement: making comparisons among schools is made simpler and more meaningful by the Report Card’s indicators, ratings, and rankings.”

For her part, although she rejects the Fraser Institute report out of hand, Brenda Hunter said that the EQAO results, upon which it was based, are valued.

“We use EQAO provincial assessment results (which are shared with parents and publicly on our website) to help inform and improve our learning programs. It is unfair and misleading, however, to compare schools based solely on these scores, as the Fraser Institute report does. We use several tools to help inform our practices including individual student achievement results, school-based assessments and a host of other indicators,” said Hunter.

At one time David Graham was a pharmacist/manager at a Shopper's Drug Mart in Calgary. He returned to Kingston, where his family is from, and was doing relief work at local pharmacies when he was approached by the Jetha family to manage their pharmacy in Sydenham.

“One of the things they were trying to do with the store was to expand its services to other areas of health care, to move beyond filling prescriptions and selling retail items,” he said. “And for me it brings an opportunity to evolve in what I do, to have less of technical workload and do more on the clinical side, to make the pharmacy more of a wellness centre.”

It's easy to see why this would be a way forward for a small, rural chain of pharmacies such as the Jethas have been building. Rather than competing with super-pharmacies such as Shoppers and Guardian, Sydenham Drugsmart has been working on providing the kinds of patient care that is only possible in a community setting.

David Graham is one of a few pharmacists in Ontario who has been trained as a diabetic specialist, and he has forged relationships with the Sydenham and Verona medical clinics. As well, Drugsmart has developed a smoking cessation program for patients who are trying to quit smoking.

The pharmacy has been renovated to create some clinic space at the rear of the building, and that has enabled Registered Physiotherapist Curtis Murray-Watters to bring the services of Limestone Health Physiotherapy to Sydenham. At the clinic, Murray-Watters provides manual therapy, a number of modalities for pain amelioration, home exercise programs, taping techniques, patient education and other services. He is also available for a free 15-minute consultation to help patients decide on a course of treatment.

“This is a great environment for me to work in,” Curtis said. “Since I started working here in September it has been very easy to get to know people in the community, and to start helping people with pain prevention and pain management, and promote fitness and wellness through activity.”

The physiotherapy services are often covered through insurance or workplace health plans.

Katie Casselman, a Registered Massage Therapist, also provides service at Sydenham Drugsmart through Limestone Health.

With the new services being offered at Sydenham Drugsmart, Sydenham now has a wide range of medical services available to serve the South Frontenac community, including the Sydenham Medical Centre, and the chiropractic and naturopath services that are also available.

“In the time that I've been working here I've learned that this is a close-knit community,” said David Graham. “There are also some issues around it being an ageing community, around osteoporosis and the need to stay active. Our goal is to make the services we offer fit the needs that people have. This is the future of the practice of pharmacy, to work with patients, to work with Limestone Health and others. We handle people’s pharmaceutical needs of course, but there is now a lot more to what we do than that. It's an exciting time.”

For more information call the pharmacy at 613-376-3842, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or physiotherapy at 613-376-1073; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photo: Jason Silver, Sam Forderer, Lucas Silver and Sebastian Back.

Sometimes, attendees at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham would comment to their minister, The Rev. Judson Bridgewater, that it's difficult to get to church on a Sunday morning.

And musician Jason Silver, who attends the church, had always wanted to have a different kind of service, a more relaxed worship service with contemporary Christian music.

The two things were put together and "The Crossing: Heavenly Rock" was born. For several weeks this special service has been taking place every Saturday night at St. Paul's. The church doors are left open for the music to liven up the streets of Sydenham and the event has been drawing people from the community and other churches, and even some regulars from as far as Kingston.

Different bands have been playing at each service, with a mixture of youth, adult and adult/youth bands taking turns. And while attendance has been good, drummer Lucas Silver, who was playing last Saturday night, March 10, said, "It's not about the turnout." His father Jason agreed, "For us it's a way to come and enjoy church and to worship God; it's also a way of getting to know your neighbors."

Rev. Bridgewater agrees that the contemporary worship is a way of connecting with a different group of people. It's also a different way of experiencing God that has enabled him to appreciate the traditional Sunday morning worship even more.

He said he's been surprised and very pleased with how eager the musicians are to participate. He said, "Normally it's difficult to draw on volunteers, but the musicians are all excited to come and play - they really enjoy participating in the services."

Jason Silver announced that next Saturday night, March 17, will be an "Irish" service, with penny whistles, etc. in honor of St. Patrick's Day. He invited anyone who plays Celtic music to join them.

Originally the services were being held later in the evening, but after some attendees said they would prefer an earlier service, the time was changed to 6pm. Goodies, coffee and fellowship are enjoyed after the music and everyone - young, old and in between - is welcome to attend. For more information call 613-376-3003 or visit www.southfrontenacanglican.ca

Coming up this fall is the centenary anniversary of St. Paul's. There are actually two anniversaries - the first Anglican church in Sydenham was built in 1837. In 1912 the church was moved stone by stone to its present site and was re-consecrated in September of that year. More details will follow.

Action needed on Portland Waste Disposal Site

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth reported that township staff met last week with representatives of the Ministry of the Environment to discuss the Portland Waste site. An action plan must be submitted at once, identifying contingency measures that might be taken to mitigate the impact that the site is having on the surrounding wetland.

Segsworth recommended that Council agree to contract with the firm AECOM to undertake a preliminary evaluation of the following five alternatives:

1. Partial capping of the site

2. Water level management

3. Onsite treatment

4. Restricting use of site, either to collection vehicles or to the public

5. Site closure.

Questions to be addressed include: What impact would each of these actions have on the environment and the economy? How would the cost of implementation compare to the cost of exporting waste out of the township?

Segsworth added that throughout the course of discussion with the MOE, it has become evident that the hydrology and flow regime of the wetland surrounding the site is not well understood. There seems to be some uncertainty about the direction of water flow away from the site, and a lack of historical record of water quality in the surrounding/upstream area. Recent beaver activity may have enlarged the apparent wetland area. The Quinte Conservation Authority has been supportive of staff in trying to address these issues.

In summary, Segsworth noted: "We have been emphasizing that the township’s approach to sustainability requires a balance of social, economic and environmental perspectives. Any reduction in (the site’s) capacity as a result of implementing any of the contingencies will result in residuals (being) exported out of the township for disposal beyond the short term."

It appears that the present crisis has been precipitated by the MOE having recently changed the site’s certificate of approval from measuring the water quality at the boundary of the property (where there is no contamination) to the toe of the slope.

Councilor Bill Robinson expressed frustration at the situation, saying that he felt it had been largely caused by permitting the other districts to use the Portland site. Councilor Vandewal disagreed, saying that there had not been enough transfer of materials to have made much difference.

Should county’s oversight cost township $20,523?

Treasurer Louise Fragnito presented the final reconciliation of the Sydenham Library project. In order to qualify for partial financing through the Build Canada Fund, the County had applied for the project funding on the township’s behalf. The County agreed to pay the invoices related to the project and then process the claims to receive reimbursement for all eligible expenses from the Build Canada Fund. The township accepted responsibility for expenses over the original budgeted amount.

However, Fragnito reported that the County had failed to submit the final project invoices prior to closing the project, and as a direct result was asking South Frontenac to cover a funding shortfall of $20,523. "We did our part; they did not do theirs," said Councilor Ron Vandewal. "They should pay for their errors." Council’s agreement was unanimous.

Cemeteries in South Frontenac

Acting Recreation Coordinator Angela Maddocks reported on her intent to review and compile information on the processes and record keeping of township cemeteries in order to better provide information to residents.

Three districts, Storrington, Portland and Loughborough have township cemeteries. (Two others, Wilmer and St Patrick’s, are independently owned and managed.) Each has a cemetery board, and each is governed by a separate by-law, with different fee rates for burial plots and related services. Council has directed Maddox to meet with the three committees to discuss developing a common set of fees. She will be asked to report back at the May meeting. Vandewal said that issues related to cremation needed to be addressed: very few use the vault in wintertime. Also, he mentioned that the fees for non-residents might need to be reviewed in relation to prices in neighbouring areas.

Sydenham Lake Association:

Jeff Peck, speaking on behalf of the Sydenham Lake Association, came to seek council’s feedback on the association’s plans to develop a lake capacity study, which could be useful to the township as a decision-making instrument. He noted that much of the necessary information already existed but needed to be brought together.

Peck reviewed the association’s three guiding objectives: community building, lake advocacy and environmental stewardship. "We’re not here to set rules, or take boats off the lake." he said. With over 100 members and solid funding, both private and from the FCFDC, (Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation) the association can be a useful township resource. Council was supportive, while reminding Peck that they had several lake associations in the township: they asked him to stay in communication through CAO Orr. 

Photo: Medal Winner Kayleen Lambert at the Ontario Trillium

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club will be hosting an Open House AGM on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Sydenham Town Hall. Interested paddlers, ages 8 to adult, will have the opportunity to speak to board members and parent volunteers to learn about the club’s activities. Come try out an ergonometric paddling machine, view a slide show and enjoy some free warm seasonal refreshments.

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club has been in existence for almost 15 years. It was founded by George Jones, an Olympic qualifying athlete in sprint canoeing and kayaking, with the help of his wife Sue Bayly. They wanted their own children, Devon and Jordon to have the opportunity to paddle competitively close to home. And paddle they did! Devon went on to paddle in the National Division and eventually became the 2011 club’s coach, along with Natasha Ostopovitch, another well known competitive paddler and rower from Sydenham. Both coaches are regarded in paddling circles to be tough, but fair, expecting a standard of excellence rarely seen in Ontario’s smaller clubs.

“Now that the club is on firm ground, we plan to head into the future with a new sense of conviction. In the 2012 season, with strong local support and a solid board of directors, the club intends to become more competitive, expanding its membership to allow more youth and adults to participate in regattas held throughout Ontario and Canada,” says Commodore George Jones. “To present, we have had participation from youth at the provincial and national level, but very little participation from adult Masters Paddlers. The club would like to change that by starting adult and youth competitive training earlier in the season, in mid-May rather than July. This summer, successful competitors will have the opportunity to compete in Provincials in Ottawa and Nationals in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.”

“Paddling has a lot going for it as it is carbon neutral because the paddlers provide the power,” says Roger L’Abbe, the club’s maintenance officer and parent of youth paddlers Genevieve and Sebastien. “There is also little chance of head injury as it is a non-contact individual sport providing many opportunities to achieve personal bests. It is a relatively inexpensive social sport that the whole family can participate in, either on or off the water. I recommend it to any parent as it keeps my children active, and I don’t have to worry about ‘warming the benches’, as sitting in the sunshine by the lakeside watching them compete in regattas is definitely no hardship!”

For more information, please contact Helen Parfitt at 613-376-6613, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..