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For many years now, food bank volunteers have been joined by OPP auxiliary members and it’s been a mutually beneficial arrangement.

In Sydenham, Verona and Sharbot Lake (like last Saturday), auxiliary officers have brought a police vehicle to a local grocery store (like Mike Dean’s) and joined food bank volunteers to collect foodstuffs and cash donations. They call it Stuff the Cruiser.

“I’m local and my mom’s on the (food bank) committee,” said Aux. Const. Nicole Greenstreet, a veteran of a half-dozen or so Stuff the Cruiser campaigns. “So I know the need.

“Plus it’s a good organization to be supporting that’s vital to the community.”

“I just like to help out with the food drive,” said Aux. Const. Curtis Jacques, who was on his fourth Saturday. “There’s a need and it’s fun to meet people in the community.”

The new kid on the block this week was Steve Scantlebury, a “just retired a week or two ago” local whose wife Barb is also on the food bank committee and suggested he help out. He said he’d be back.

“Any donations of food and/or cash are useful,” said Barb, as the cruiser was starting to fill up. “It looks like we’ll have to take the cruiser over to the food bank and empty it out shortly.

“I just joined last year and we had one time when we had to empty the cruiser out twice.”

“We’ve been blessed with donations that keep us running,” said North Frontenac Food Bank Director Kim Pascal-Cucoch. “The auxiliary OPP officers have helped us collect a lot and they give us a presence.

“This is a wonderful community that supports us on an ongoing basis.”

The food bank, behind the St. Lawrence Employment Centre, accepts donations on a year-round basis.

In every basket they try to add tea bags, instant coffee, sleeve crackers, packaged pasta and jars/cans of sauce, boxed cereal, Kraft Dinner, peanut butter, jam, packaged rice and cans of beans, stew or chunky soup, salmon, tuna, soup, juice and tomatoes.

In baskets for families with children, they add snack pudding or apple sauce cups, fruit cups, granola bars, drink boxes, Rice Krispie squares, hot chocolate packages and canned pasta like Alphagetti or Zoodles.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 19 April 2017 14:16

5 Star Farm draws an Easter Crowd

5 star farm is located on Scanlan Road, and is easy to reach from either Road 38 or the Village of Sydenham. Curtis and Tracy, who run the farm with help from their children, bought the property in 2014. It is an older farm property with plenty of character, big barns and drive sheds, perfect for them to establish a demonstration farm where they raise a number of animals and organize fun educational events for families nearby to attend and get a taste of rural farm life.

They ran a number of events last year, and hosted parties, birthdays and other private functions as well. The most popular events last year were the Easter weekend open house, and a fall harvest event near Halloween. This year the focus will be on those two events as open public gatherings, with the possibility of some specialised workshops on specific themes.

Last Saturday, the Easter event they hosted was a smashing success.

“We had 5 volunteers in the parking area, and within 20 minutes of opening there were 300 cars there,” said Tracey Parker The crowds were very thick in the morning and lessened a bit when the weather turned rainy in the afternoon. All in all, however, over 1,500 people came to the farm.

What they saw were goats, pot bellied pigs, rabbits, ducks, a baby goat in the large barn, as well as horses and other farm animals. Plans to show off two sets of lamb twins in a small barn did not pan out because the ewe’s were not ready so it was more of a sheep maternity ward.

Outside there was a straw bale maze with balls hidden everywhere. Children made their way through the maze, and filled basket of balls to win a prize. There was also an opportunity to plant seeds, a craft table for kids, and entertainment by Kingston’s Fiddle Earth. Conboy’s Maple Syrup from Sharbot Lake and Dustica Design wood crafts and toys from Verona were also on hand.

“All in all, we seem to have developed a flow over the past year since we started doing these events, and we seem to be able to handle this kind of crowd pretty well. It helped that we had about 20 volunteers here and all the free labour from our family,” she said. “People are definitely interested in having fun and learning about how animals behave in a farm and what all farms were like in this area not that long ago.”

As for the future, as far as events for the general public the focus is going to be on the Easter and October events, and the hope is to develop the location as a venue for different kinds of events as it continues to be available for private functions.
For information about 5 Star Farms, go to Facebook or fivestarfarm.ca

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

South Frontenac Council granted Desert Lake Resort an exemption from its noise bylaw that will allow the resort to hold four concerts this summer at Council’s regular meeting this week in Sydenham.

In a recorded vote, Coun. Alan Revill and Ross Sutherland voted against the proposal.

The resort had been seeking permission to hold six concerts but many residents on the lake opposed the idea. However, after considerable discussions, most felt two concerts would be acceptable.

The final decision is not without restrictions. Concerts (which the resolution refers to as “amplified musical events”) can only be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the Township must be notified three weeks in advance of the date. Furthermore, of the four events, two can be held on holiday long weekends (Victoria Day and Canada Day most likely) and the other two are to be held on non-holiday weekends.

As this year is being thought of as a trial basis, Council asked that bylaw enforcement representatives be on the lake to observe and report back on noise levels.

“I think this is a reasonable compromise,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal. “I’m sure there are people in Havelock who don’t like the jamboree but we have to acknowledge that it’s an economy boost for that municipality and I certainly don’t have a problem with concerts on Canada Day because most people are celebrating then anyway.

“And to my knowledge, there’s never been a problem with the resort in the past. I don’t know of any time that bylaw enforcement has been called.”

Coun. Ross Sutherland said that he has heard of incidents when the OPP has been called and argued that one of the attractions of South Frontenac is peace and quiet.

“I would like to remind Council that we limit the number of days people can set off fireworks and we give very few exemptions to our noise bylaw,” Sutherland said. “The times we do grant exceptions are for special circumstances like the Canadian Guitar Festival or large weddings.”

Coun. Mark Schjerning said he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of bylaw officers being present on the lake for the event.

“Our policy has always been complaint driven,” he said.

“I know it sounds funny to have bylaw enforcement there,” said Vandewal. “But you know people are likely to complain anyway and it would be good to have an independent assessment of the noise levels around the lake.”

Road allowance closing
Council cleared up a somewhat long-standing issue by closing a road allowance off Atkins Lane in Storrington District.

Planner Lindsay Mills said that they had to re-advertise the proposal because an adjacent property owner, Lori Greenwood, hadn’t been properly notified. Greenwood’s access to her property is through the affected land.

However, Greenwood said at the meeting she wanted the measure to pass so that the owners could get on with their lives.

She did have one concern though.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this a year ago?” she said. “You seem to have no problem finding me with tax bills.”

Community grants
Council allocated $13,477 in grants to 11 community groups for various projects. The grantees include: Sydenham Lion’s Club - $1,842 for benches at The Point; Verona Community Association, $1,970 for a Flagpole with Canadian flag at the Verona Trailhead site; Frontenac Society of Model Engineers, $1,000 for safety repairs to locomotive for miniature railway; Frontenac Fury, $1,000 for girls hockey development; Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, $425 for waterproof two way radios; Verona Lion’s, $2,000 for a garbage container at Verona Trailhead site; Southern Frontenac Community Services, $2,000 for youth volunteer co-ordination; Frontenac ball hockey, $1,000 for the program; Sydenham Lakes and Trails Festival, $740 for flyers and a banner; and 4-H Sine Club, $1,500 to increase registration and promote swine farming.

$15,000 was allocated to the grant program in the 2017 budget, and requests were submitted for $16,477. All of the groups that applied received funding, but three of the groups, Frontenac Society of Model Engineers, Frontenac Fury, and Frontenac ball hockey, applied for $2,000 and received $1,000.

Building starts in normal range
Building permits for $2.077 million in construction were sold in the 1st quarter of 2017, down slightly  from $2.16 million in 2016. The total for all of 2016 was $29.3 million, up from $26.9 million in 2015. Permits for 4 new houses were issued in the first quarter of this year, which is normal for the time of year. The total number of new houses was 70 last year, a jump of 15 from the year before. The busiest quarter for new home permits last year was the 2nd quarter, when 30 were issued.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 12 April 2017 10:26

Guide & Pathfinder gently - used toy sale

Time to declutter those toy rooms (or add to them)!  

Come celebrate Earth Day at the Grace Centre on Saturday 22 April when the 1st Frontenac Guide & Pathfinder Unit will be hosting a ‘gently-used’ toy sale along with Cookie Day!  The 1st Frontenac Guide & Pathfinder Gently-Used Toy Sale is a great way to donate and/or buy gently-used children’s toys while supporting your local Food Bank and Girl Guide unit.  This event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, 22 April at the South Frontenac Community Services Centre (the Grace Centre) at 4295 Stage Coach Road in Sydenham.

The sale is open to the public and will feature top quality / gently used children’s toys at discount prices.   As this is a first-ever used toy sale by your local Girl Guides, it is hoped that donations will be plentiful.  Please drop off your gently-used toys on Friday, April 21 between 3pm. and 7pm. at the Grace Centre. We ask that toys are clean, not broken and have no missing parts.
This is a great community initiative by the 1st Frontenac Guide & Pathfinder unit, who are asking family, friends and neighbours of our Sparks, Brownies, Guides and Pathfinders to please donate their gently-used toys locally, with proceeds helping out our South Frontenac community.   

“This winter, the closets and toy room needed major weeding out of toys that haven’t been used in a long time,” explained Guider Joanne McKinstry.   “My daughter Meghann, who is now a Pathfinder, suggested that her toys be donated to help others out, but instead of dropping off the toys at a thrift store in Kingston, just keep it local.  So, we approached the 1st Frontenac Guide & Pathfinder Leader, Kim Deline, and the idea to host the toy sale blossomed.”
Unsold items will be donated to a local thrift store.  Details are also posted on facebook as an event (1st Frontenac Guide & Pathfinder Gently-Used Toy Sale) on the Sydenham, Ontario page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1572382629715585/  For questions, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Please don’t forget to check out the Girl Guide Cookie table as well – the Spring cookies (chocolate/vanilla) are $5 per box, and they are expecting those to sell out very quickly.

No early birds please, and cash is preferred.  Come out and support your local food bank and Girl Guide/Pathfinder unit!  The success of this event is dependent on donations!

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 March 2017 13:52

OPP stuff the cruiser in Sydenham and Verona

Don’t be alarmed at the sight of OPP cruisers at Verona and Sydenham Foodland stores on April 1st – in fact, be sure to stop by and see how much food can fit into a police cruiser.

On Saturday, April 1, from 10:00am to 3:00pm, the OPP Auxiliary will be supporting the South Frontenac food bank by hosting their bi-annual “Stuff the Cruiser” event. In partnership with the Foodland stores in Verona and Sydenham, customers will be encouraged to make donations of non-perishable food, and stuff their donations in the OPP cruiser on site.

“The community was incredibly generous over the Christmas holiday season, and the food bank shelves were full and overflowing,” says food bank coordinator, Vicki England, “but as spring and summer approach, stocks begin to go down, particularly of certain items that are given out regularly” England states that the food bank is in need of certain items. “We are in need of cereal, small jars of peanut butter, chunky soup, pasta sauce, and canned fruit.”

England also states that the food bank is completely supported by donations, not only of food, but also of cash. “Many people don’t think of the food bank as needing money, but it needs to pay for operating expenses, and to buy fresh food like meats, dairy, and eggs.” Cash donations over $20 are eligible for a tax deductible receipt.

The food bank has one part-time staff member, and a dedicated team of twenty volunteers who receive and sort donations, and prepare and distribute food hampers to over 50 families – or about 80 people total – each month.

Adds Janet McComb, a food bank volunteer; “The Foodland stores are great, and put together packages of some of our most needed items. Then they sell these packages to customers at a significant price reduction.” Customers can choose to purchase a pre-packaged bag, or to donate whatever they would like.

“It’s always fun, and a great visual to see the OPP officers interacting with the public, and giving of their time to support our community,” says England.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 15 March 2017 12:51

South Frontenac seniors housing proposal

A report that explores options for a senior’s housing project in Sydenham came to Frontenac County council this week, and will soon go to South Frontenac Council.

The report, prepared by Re/Fact and SHS consulting makes a number of recommendation based on demographic research into South Frontenac which concludes that there is likely sufficient demand for self contained senior’s units on a single level at market or near market rental rates to fill 12 units in the Village of Sydenham. The consultants also looked at a number of potential building sites in the village, and talked to representatives from local agencies.

It concluded that a 12 unit complex, located on Stagecoach Road on a 1/7 acre parcel of land that is currently owned by Southern Frontenac Community Services would be the best location. It also proposes that Loughborough Not For Profit Housing, which manages two senior’s buildings in the core of the village, be approached to manage the new housing stock. Two options for the mix of housing are proposed. Under option 1, a grant from the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) capital funding progam would be sought to subsidise constructions for 6 one bedroom units in the complex. The rents in these units would therefore need to be set at 80% of market rent, in order to be eligible for $900,000 in grant money ($150,000 per unit). The other 6 units, which would have two bedrooms, would have their rent set at 90% of the average market value.

Option 2 differs from option 1 by not including any of the IAH funds. In this case, rent for the 6 one bedroom units would be set at the market rate, and the rent for the 6 two bedroom units would be set at 90% of the market rate.

Frontenac County has provide $350,000 in seed money for the project, and under each scenario the total estimated building costs are almost $3 million. Under option 1, the proponent of the project (ie the township) will need to invest $350,000 and under option 2 the estimated investment is about $1.1 million.

According to the business plans, once built the buildings should be self sufficient, generating enough money to cover mortgage, maintenance and upkeep cost in addition to a surplus of about $10,000 a year to go towards unexpected costs.

Four years ago, each of the Frontenac Townships made a commitment to work towards constructing a senior’s housing project within their boundaries, and $350,000 was set aside in a reserve fund managed by Frontenac County for each of the builds. For the South Frontenac project to come to fruition the Township of South Frontenac would have to take it on as a township project.

The consultant presentation to Frontenac County, which took place on Wednesday morning at the monthly Frontenac County meeting, was not expected to result in much debate. The rubber hits the road, however, when South Frontenac council looks at the report in early April as they will need to find the money to build it.

Because the proposed location for the housing project is within the boundaries of the Sydenham municipal water service, it can be a 12 unit project, and can even perhaps be added on to in the future. While it will require a large septic system, and the purchase of an additional 0.9 acre  of land adjacent to the 1.7 acres owned by Southern Frontenac Community Services will likely be necessary, it will not require its own water system.

Under provincial regulations, any building project over 5 units on a single parcel of land must be serviced by an expensive to build and maintain drinking water system. That is why the project being proposed for Marysville on Wolfe Islands and future projects in North and Central Frontenac will be limited to 5 units, a restriction that does not apply in Sydenham but would apply anywhere else in South Frontenac.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

South Frontenac Council instructed staff and the Planning Department to look into regulating outdoor solid fuel combustion appliances (ie outdoor wood-burning furnaces) following a report from Fire Chief Rick Chesebrough at its regular meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

In his report, Chesebrough cited an incident Feb. 13 where his department along with the CAO, Chief Building Official and the Ministry of the Environment all received calls from a Portland resident complaining of smoke from a neighbour’s outdoor furnace entering the resident’s house.

Subsequent similar calls were received on Feb. 14 and 15.

Chesebrough said that on the evening of Feb. 15, “a 911 call was placed stating ‘house full of smoke, occupant having difficulty breathing’; the fire department responded and provided first aid and notified ambulance to respond.

“There were zero readings in the house, however there was a smell of smoke.”

Chesebrough said the owner of the furnace has installed an extension on the chimney of the furnace in an effort to alleviate the problem and a meeting between the MOE and township staff has been scheduled for Feb. 24 to further discuss the issue.

He said that under the laws governing fire departments, there isn’t much he can do as the furnace was installed legally and to the manufacturer’s specifications.

“I’m recommending the Planning Department draft a bylaw to regulate how these appliances are used and the Building Department create a permit system similar to the wood stove permit system to incorporate into our existing fees bylaw,” Chesebrough said.

“I don’t remember many of these incidents coming up but they’re not unique,” said Coun. John McDougall, adding that he was familiar with the houses in question. “I support the idea of a bylaw but it won’t be retroactive so it doesn’t rectify this situation.”

“I wonder if there isn’t a bigger issue as to these (furnaces) being installed at all,” said Coun. Brad Barbeau. “What with the price of oil, gas, and heating in general, perhaps some provincial lobbying might be in order.”

In response to a question from Coun. Mark Schjerning, Chesebrough said the MOE indicated that they did have some powers in these matters. He added that this particular unit was also used to heat water and that these systems in general can cost $10,000-$20,000 with $1,000 for copper piping alone.

Mayor Ron Vandewal said “we’ve been through this before and a lot of regulations have been suggested, like set backs which meant I couldn’t have one of these on my 100-acre farm.

“If you’re going to restrict these units then you’ll have to look at bungalows that have wood stoves because some of them don’t have chimneys higher than 10 feet.”

Solar panels at arena
Council gave its approval for staff and the arena committee to look at the possibility of solar installations at the arena, following a notice of motion from Coun. Ross Sutherland.

Sutherland said the idea of whether it would be a rooftop installation or a ground installation hasn’t been determined as yet.

“Just keep in mind that roof is 40 years old,” said Dep. Mayor Norm Roberts.

“I’ll support it because I notice the word ‘consider’ is in there,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal. “We’ve ‘considered’ it before and there’s still nothing there.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 15 February 2017 21:02

Segsworth on Zero Waste

The goals of Bill 151, The Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 are a “wonderful, noble objective but there are significant problems with blue box funding,” South Frontenac Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth told Council at its regular meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

Segsworth is a rare rural representative on the Ontario Waste Management Association board.

“I wouldn’t say I’m that active (on the board) as it’s mostly City of Toronto and big waste company representatives,” he said.

But while the idea of having absolutely no waste and 100 per cent recycling is admirable, there are many roadblocks that must be solved before it could ever become reality, he said.

“For one thing, it’s time we let producers be 100 per cent responsible for the products they produce,” he said. “My fridge was only 13 years old when it needed replacing and people said ‘wow, you got 13 years out of it.’

“That thinking has to change.”

And manufacturers are responsible for 50 per cent of blue box recycling programs, but don’t often make that goal. Segsworth said that has to be closer to 100 per cent for zero waste to have a chance.

“We’ve all heard the arguments for less packaging,” he said. “When is that going to take place.”

And it’s one thing to ban organics from land fills, but, he said:

“it would be great, we wouldn’t have garbage if we eliminated the organics but where is that going to go?

“I don’t think anybody has it figured out.”

He said the City of Vancouver has a private firm doing its blue box program but doesn’t see that as an option for rural municipalities because of volume.

However, he does see changes coming whatever they might be and as such has recommended Council try to extend its contract with existing waste contractors for three years (in order to buy some time) rather than negotiate new seven year contracts which they might end up having to pay for but not using. And too, it might mean that the existing contractors would be in a situation where they bought equipment that wouldn’t be needed.

“That’s the kind of challenges we face,” he said.

One thing Segsworth would like to see is waste management becoming a County wide contract.

“I’m led to believe that everybody believes zero waste is a good idea,” he said. “But a lot of it is coming out of the GTA, especially the demand to recycle organics.

“We need a solution that works in rural areas.”

In the meantime, Segsworth said that for organic waste: “We sell backyard composters for $33 each and that price hasn’t changed in years.”

The goals of Bill 151, The Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016
are a “wonderful, noble objective but there are significant
problems with blue box funding,” South Frontenac Public
Works Manager Mark Segsworth told Council at its regular
meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.
Segsworth is a rare rural representative on the Ontario
Waste Management Association board.
“I wouldn’t say I’m that active (on the board) as it’s mostly
City of Toronto and big waste company representatives,” he
said.
But while the idea of having absolutely no waste and 100
per cent recycling is admirable, there are many roadblocks
that must be solved before it could ever become reality, he
said.
“For one thing, it’s time we let producers be 100 per cent
responsible for the products they produce,” he said. “My
fridge was only 13 years old when it needed replacing and
people said ‘wow, you got 13 years out of it.’
“That thinking has to change.”
And manufacturers are responsible for 50 per cent of blue
box recycling programs, but don’t often make that goal. Segsworth
said that has to be closer to 100 per cent for zero
waste to have a chance.
“We’ve all heard the arguments for less packaging,” he
said. “When is that going to take place.”
And it’s one thing to ban organics from land fills, but, he
said: “it would be great, we wouldn’t have garbage if we
eliminated the organics but where is that going to go?
“I don’t think anybody has it figured out.”
He said the City of Vancouver has a private firm doing its
blue box program but doesn’t see that as an option for rural
municipalities because of volume.
However, he does see changes coming whatever they
might be and as such has recommended Council try to extend
its contract with existing waste contractors for three
years (in order to buy some time) rather than negotiate new
seven year contracts which they might end up having to pay
for but not using. And too, it might mean that the existing
contractors would be in a situation where they bought equipment
that wouldn’t be needed.
“That’s the kind of challenges we face,” he said.
One thing Segsworth would like to see is waste management
becoming a County wide contract.
“I’m led to believe that everybody believes zero waste is a
good idea,” he said. “But a lot of it is coming out of the GTA,
especially the demand to recycle organics.
“We need a solution that works in rural areas.”
In the meantime, Segsworth said that for organic waste:
“We sell backyard composters for $33 each and that price
hasn’t changed in years.”
Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 15 February 2017 20:42

Retro-Reflectivity and Signs

Coun. John McDougall wanted to know why South Frontenac wasn’t fully compliant with the Province’s Minimum Maintenance Standards for Retro-Reflectivity and signage and so he filed a notice of motion for a report on the subject.

After Tuesday night’s regular Council meeting in Sydenham, he’s still waiting.Council passed a motion to refer the matter to the public works committee for further discussion.

“I don’t understand why it sits and we don’t do anything,” McDougall said. “Looking at compliance issues, we should at least have a plan.”

Coun. Alan Revill sort of put the matter into perspective, however.

“I’m struggling to support this not because I think we shouldn’t comply but because I also believe we should have some sense of priorities,” Revill said. “In all our public works issues, I’m not sure this is the highest priority.”

Coun. Ross Sutherland agreed with Revill.

“I’m tending to agree with Coun. Revill,” Sutherland said. “We do have some compliance issues and we need to have a plan.

“(But) the ditching’s much better than it was and lights are going up . . .”

Coun. Mark Schjerning also agreed with Revill, pointing out that compliance with all regulations is a challenge for all aspects of municipal service, including his own field, paramedics. “The issue was raised very early in the term and we have yet to get a report,” he said. “(But) full regulatory compliance is a very lofty goal but (still) we need to work towards it.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

South Frontenac Council opted for a 2 per cent tax increase for 2017, in passing the 2017 budget at its regular meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

The vote was 4-3 with Mayor Ron Vandewal, and Coun. John McDougall, Alan Revill and Ross Sutherland voting in favour (Dep. Mayor Norm Roberts was absent because of two deaths in the family).

Treasurer Louise Fragnito presented Council with four options. The one they chose accommodated the Mayor’s request that any increase be limited to 2 per cent. This option also did away with the $120 solid waste charge, which was rolled into the levy.

CAO/Clerk Wayne Orr said that residents will continue to receive 50 bag tags per residence. However, owners of property without buildings on them will not receive bag tags for those properties.

“Anyone who received bag tags before will continue to receive them,” he said.

Fragnito said in order to get to 2 per cent (the previously voted down budget featured a 2.2 per cent increase) an adjustment of $37,822 would be required and this was achieved by reducing the Working Funds transfer to $9,220 from $47,042.

The 2 per cent increase represents an increase of $29.37 for the average taxpayer, she said.

Vandewal was pleased with the result, despite several councilors and one delegation urging retention of the solid waste tax line.

“I wanted to keep the increase to 2 per cent,” Vandewal said. “I don’t think this change to garbage fees will affect anybody’s recycling habits.”

Coun. Pat Barr and Ron Sleeth, who both voted against the budget, said they wanted to take a longer look at the solid waste fee in light of expected new provincial legislation.

“$120 might not be the right number,” said Sleeth.

Brad Barbeau named to vacant Council seat
South Frontenac Council named Harrowsmith’s Brad Barbeau, who came in third in the last election in Portland District, to take the Council seat left vacant when Bill Robinson died late last year.

In nominating Barbeau, Coun. John McDougall noted that Barbeau still received a sizable number of votes, 793 (Robinson got 872) and is well known in the community, including being the organist at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Sydenham.

Barbeau is currently assistant director of IT operations at the Queen’s University School of Business.

In response to a question from the gallery citing a rumour floating around Harrowsmith that Barbeau had already been offered the position, CAO/Clerk Wayne Orr said that Barbeau had only been asked if he would be available should Council opt for that option.

“Coun. McDougall was told specifically not to talk to him (Barbeau) about it,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.

A municipal council has several options when replacing a council member including naming the candidate with the next most votes, naming a former politician or prominent community member, soliciting nominations from the public or holding a bi-election.

When Mark Tinlin resigned during the previous Council, Pat Barr, who came in third in the previous election, was asked to take the seat.

Paperless Election
Council voted to go completely paperless for the 2018 election, opting for telephone and/or internet voting only.

Council immediately started making suggestions as to how things should go, such as traveling remote voting stations and such.

However, CAO/Clerk Wayne Orr had to remind them that while Council decides what kind of voting procedures will take place, under the Elections Act, the Clerk is the one who must decide the actual operations of the vote.

“This is to distance the politics from it, but I will take your suggestions under advisement,” Orr said, with the slightest of grins.

Pricey Salt
As the meeting was coming to a close, Mayor Ron Vandewal lamented the fact that there was still more freezing rain in the forecast.

“We’ve already spent $100,000 on salt so far this year,” he said.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Page 10 of 59
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