The Frontenac Farmers’ Market held their annual Tomato Madness promotion last Saturday morning, with numerous varieties of sweet heritage tomatoes available for tasting inside the Donna Clark pavilion.

Tomatoes of all colours, shapes and sizes were also available for tasting and purchase at the booths, and in spite of threatening weather and the occasional shower, the market crowd was good.

In addition to tomatoes, the vendors had lots of corn and garlic for sale, as well as the first of the fresh spring lamb, summer and winter squash, onions, even peppers and first of the season salsa and beets.

One of the new vendors at the market this year, Suzanne Hussey from Wilton, took charge of the Tomato Madness. Suzanne also had an idea that she is testing out with Frontenac News readers. She has a theory that everyone has a tomato story in them, either a story about growing tomatoes, about eating tomatoes or about a tomato fight they were part of one time or another. To test this theory the Frontenac Farmers’ Market is sponsoring a Best Tomato Story contest. The winners will get their stories published in the Frontenac News and will win gift certificates redeemable at the market.

The entry rules are simple. The stories must be original, 500 words or less, and they must be submitted by September 10. They can be submitted electronically, preferably sent as email attachments in a word processing program to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or typed or handwritten on 8.5” x 11” white paper and mailed to Best Tomato Story contest, 3617 Desert Lake Road, Hartington ON K0H 1W0.

The prizes will be awarded on September 18 at 10am at the market, which is located at the Lions grounds on Sand Road in Verona (look for the signs).

The next big event at the market is the fourth annual Verona Garlic Festival, which runs from 9 am to 2 pm on September 4. Once again this year the festival will feature the Eastern Ontario Garlic Awards competition, with prizes for best single bulb, best grouping, best braid and best educational display. For garlic festival information, call John McDougall at 374-2516.

 

Martha Dunn (at left) takes over the reins at Bravo from Christos Lianos

The old adage, “If it ain't broke don't fix it” is the approach Martha Dunn is taking since she took over the reins at Bravo Restaurant in Verona on September 1. First and foremost Martha recognizes the value of preserving a good thing and is taking lessons from Christos Lianos, who along with his two sons Angelo and Spiros transformed Bravo Restaurant in just six short years into a busy Verona eatery, known most fondly for its authentic Greek fare.

In her determined effort to make the turnover as seamless as possible, Dunn has been working14-hour days behind the scenes in the kitchen, learning the ropes and recipes - and for good reason. She says, “I've spoken to many locals who have said, 'You aren't going to change it are you?'”

She is thrilled that the Lianos have agreed to stay on for as long as it takes for her to replicate the dishes that the Bravo clientele have come to know and love.

For 15 years Dunn has worked in a number of restaurants, the last being the Greek restaurant Mino's in Kingston, where she met Christos prior to his leaving to open Bravo. While the front end of the business is her forte, for now she is now focusing her attention on Bravo's kitchen. She said, “I need to know everything so that I can take over at a moment’s notice and be able to do absolutely everything.”

The day I met her Spiros was in the kitchen showing Dunn the ropes. He said, “She will always have our support and we will be here for as long as that takes. We really want her to succeed.”

Like the Lianos, Dunn will run Bravo as a family business. Joining her in her new venture will be her 20-year-old son Ben, who is eager to learn the ropes of the restaurant business and who she says will “be her right man”. Her three other children also plan to work when time allows them. Mark Siemons, her life partner, will advise her on the business side of things, and will also be around to lend a helping hand when she needs it.

Initially, Martha had made an offer on a different Kingston restaurant but it was turned down. That same day she got a call from a friend who had heard that Christos was thinking of selling Bravo. Martha recalled, “I called him that day; we worked out a deal in a few days’ time and after all of the legal stuff was done, here I am.”

Christos had decided to sell Bravo since he was looking to retire and also because his son Angelo, who was running Bravo, wanted to be in Kingston where he has a young family. Both also wanted to focus on their latest restaurant venture, Greek Town, which is primarily a takeout business.

Bravo customers can rest assured that the restaurant will keep its same hours and same menu. The one and only thing that Dunn anticipates may change may be the desserts. “Christos is a trained pastry chef and has been making the Greek desserts for years. I'll try my best to replicate them but I'm not guaranteeing I'll be able to do it like him - but I'll definitely try! ”

She says that the community has welcomed her with open arms. “People have introduced themselves to me, welcomed me and sent me cards. It's been just great.”

Christos appeared at the end of our interview, freshly baked chocolate cake in hand and joined us after sliding it into the dessert fridge.

He feels strongly that his Bravo baby is in good hands. “I feel very good and am very happy that the business is going to someone at its peak and also to someone who really knows the restaurant business”. He smiled and added, “And I also happen to know that she is very good baker.”

Bravo Restaurant is located at 6557 Road 38 in Verona and is open 7 days a week from 8AM-9PM(to 8PM in the winter months).

Mayoral Candidates

Gary Davison

When Gary Davison was running for mayor four years ago, he drew on his experience as a volunteer firefighter. He had been the fire chief for Loughborough District in the years following municipal amalgamation.

“There were four fire departments in South Frontenac and four part-time fire chiefs. We realised that we could not do the job that needed to be done. So Marty Olman from Storrington and myself got together and started pushing and scratching to get a full-time chief hired, and we finally succeeded. It took a while for there to be a buy in from all of the firefighters, but it made a lot of sense in the long run,” he said.

In a way, the arrival of a full-time fire chief was the catalyst for Davison's own political career. In 2003, he resigned from the fire department after 40 years, a decision that he took partly in order to take himself out of the picture so the Loughborough crew would start looking at the South Frontenac Fire Chief as their chief.

“It was what I perceived as the best for everybody,” he said.

Working on bringing amalgamation to the fire service put Davison in front of South Frontenac Council a fair bit. He decided to run for council in 2003 and was elected as a councilor from Loughborough.

When he decided to run for mayor in 2006 the main thrust of his campaign was to bring full amalgamation to all of the services offered by South Frontenac Township, including waste management, roads, emergency services, and all budgeting.

“I was sitting on council when we had five budgets,” Davison said in explaining how the system used to work. “If a truck left the Sydenham Road station and was going to do a job in Bedford, maybe making a stop in Loughborough to do something first, they had to log it in two or three log books.

“Aside from being a bookkeeping mess, all this was doing was making the area councilors fight to protect their own domain, as the question for any job was always ‘Whose budget is this coming out of?' I didn't think this was a good business plan and I didn’t think it was in the best interest of our township and our road crews. I thought it was time to get on with our life, so I campaigned on that issue.”

With the sometimes reluctant support from council, this amalgamation project has been completed, and there is now a single South Frontenac road crew, a single fire department, waste management system, and budget. The 2010 election provides an opportunity for the electorate to pass judgement on how that process has been brought about.

“I did a lot of soul searching before deciding to run again,” Davison said, “and in the end I felt that we are doing a lot of good things in this township right now. I have learned a bit in one term and with some of the contacts with other levels of government, I think I have more to contribute.”

In addition to the amalgamation project, South Frontenac has doing a lot of building over the last few years, making use of infrastructure initiatives from the federal and provincial government.

“We've done lots of bridge work and road work. We've rehabilitated our Keeley Road works yard, and spent over $700,000 in road upgrades in each district last year,” Davison said. “All of that costs money, and while we try to keep tax increases to a minimum, there have been some modest increases, including 2% in 2010. I know people would like a 0% increase, but to think you can run a township like this with a 0% increase is unrealistic.”

Gary Davison is taking his turn serving as the warden of Frontenac County this year, and he acknowledges that many of the members of his own council do not like the way the county operates.

“They like to throw darts at the county,” he said, “but look at the ambulance base and the library that are being built in Sydenham. Those are county-funded projects, not township-funded projects.”

The expansion of Frontenac County Council from four to eight members (with an increase in voting power for South Frontenac because its mayor will have two votes) is not something that Gary Davison wanted to see. “I was not in favour of expanding county council. The decision making is going to be the same; it will just take longer to get there.”

That being said, Davison is concerned about the growing scope of the county.

“We have to be vigilant to prevent the county from growing back into what is was before amalgamation. A lot of good ideas come forward at the county, but they all cost money,” he said.

 

John Fillion

John Fillion has only served one term on South Frontenac Council but he has a long history of involvement in municipal politics through the ratepayers’ association he helped to start up in the 1980s.

“We formed the Storrington Ratepayers’ Association to hold the council’s feet to the fire,” he said. “They were not doing things quickly and efficiently enough and we had to push them a little bit.”

He said that the association was instrumental in getting subdivision approvals through Storrington Council in the 1990s, which improved the tax base for the then township. Storrington was amalgamated into South Frontenac in 1998.

John Fillion has a long background in the Inverary area. His family homesteaded there and he has been living there since he was 16. He was master plumber by trade, and built up a plumbing contracting business.

He describes himself as retired but he does keep a small septic and excavation business going, although his son does most of the work.

“I haven't done much in the last three or four years,” he said, “but I do run some rental properties.”

It is what he learned in the business world that provides a lot of the insight that John Fillion brought to municipal politics when he ran for council in 2006, and when he looks at South Frontenac Council from that point of view he still does not like what he sees.

“We didn't like the way things were shaping up on council. The Storrington representation we had seemed to side with the wrong bunch. One of the ratepayers said to me, 'Why don't you run?' so I did. We are very political in this area over here, and we like the best bang for our buck, so that's what I brought to South Frontenac Council.”

Since then, Fillion said it has been an uphill struggle trying to provide the kind of oversight of township spending that he came to council wanting to provide.

“This is what I’ve been battling,” he said. “How can I provide oversight if the facts aren't presented to council? They keep us in the dark. I electioneered last time about openness, to watch and respect your tax dollars, to try and save your money. I started on council with no support, and I managed to get three other members of council with me, and I almost got a fourth.”

In response to what he calls a 5-4 split on council, Fillion is seeking the mayor's position.

“I'm going to bring in accountability. There will be accountability to the mayor's office. Everyone will have to come forward to council and tell them what they are going to do and how much it is going to cost.

“We have a pretty good ship, here in South Frontenac, but there is a problem with the rudder. It is not the fault of staff; it is the fault of council, and that starts with the mayor.”

Fillion took a stand this year when the township budget was being debated. He argued that the overall budget should be brought it with 0% increase in the levy to ratepayers, instead of the 2% increase that was eventually approved. In the end he voted against the budget, and he has brought his budget fight to the election campaign.

“The mayor says that they need to keep all kinds of money in reserves, but the reserves themselves are a self-perpetuating thing. Any money that is left over goes into reserves, and it disappears there. We could have brought in a zero increase budget and kept millions in reserves at the same time,” he said.

He also said he would be willing to take on the County of Frontenac over spending. “I don't see why the county council needs more people on it. I put the blame for the way the county operates squarely on the shoulders of the four mayors. With more people on the county it will just get worse. The county is already out of control.

“They are always increasing staff; the pressure will continue to be there to hire more staff and to build a new room for meetings. And we know this is not sustainable,” he said.

In seeking the mayor's position, John Fillion points to his own business experience.

“I've been through four recessions in my life. I'm still here and I've never gone bankrupt,” he said. “The province is bankrupt and they are going to try and do more downloading to cover their deficit. We need to be able to fight them.”

 

 

School Trustee

BARB MCLAREN

Barb McLaren has lived in Sydenham for 21 years.

As a Limestone School Board Trustee for four years she has been an advocate for expanded French immersion. She comes by her interest in French education from her own background.

She took a French degree in university but neglected to complete her Bachelor of Education. She worked as a manager at Sears for a time, then took an extended leave from the work force to raise eight children.

“When my youngest children were toddlers I was asked to teach French in a number of private schools, and I then did some teaching in the Limestone Board,” she said, “ending with a contract position doing Core French at North Addington.”

She left active teaching to take an online Master’s Course in education and was elected as trustee in 2006. “The experience as a trustee has been great, and I have developed a real appreciation of the responsiveness of the senior staff of the board,” she said.

One of the roles of a trustee is to help shepherd concerned parents through the system to deal with problems their children are having.

Barb McLaren served as the chairperson for the Program and Accommodation Review Committee for North and Central Frontenac and came out of that experience impressed as well with how the senior staff responded to public concerns. “The parents made it very clear they wanted us to keep Land O'Lakes Public School open, and instead of saying there was no way to do it, the staff worked really hard to find the money that was needed,” she said.

If re-elected, McLaren said she would continue to pursue improvements to French instruction in the Limestone Board.

“My thing is pushing French into the primary grades. If they started in grade one the kids could learn the language, but starting in grade 4 kills the program,” she said.

SUZANNE RUTTAN

Suzanne Ruttan, who lives on Buck Lake, brings a wealth of experience to her campaign for the Limestone District School Board Trustee position, for South Frontenac Township. She has worked for 5 different school boards over a period of 17 years, in various aspects of education.

As a trustee, Suzanne would promote all South Frontenac students having the same educational opportunities regardless of the school they attend; this would be accomplished by requesting equitable resources for all South Frontenac schools. As well, she would “make sure” that the schools have a variety of ways to hear their community’s wants and needs. To assist with this, Suzanne has a dedicated website and e-mail and will respond to all education based inquiries within a 24 hour time frame. Among other goals, she would like parents to be welcomed into all South Frontenac schools, so that they can support their children’s progress any way they can.

Suzanne moved to the township in 2000 from Toronto when her husband Randy, a lifelong South Frontenac resident, got a job with the Upper Canada District School Board as the principal at Gananoque Secondary School (he is now the principal at Thousand Island Secondary School in Brockville)

Both Randy and Suzanne were working with the East York Board of Education in Toronto when it was amalgamated into the Toronto District School Board, the largest in Canada, so she is familiar with the kinds of growing pains that boards like the Limestone Board have lived through.

She is currently working as an agent of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, administering nutrition programs for students in 51 schools and community agencies in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

As well, Suzanne is the chief governing officer for Limestone Advisory for Child Care Programs and the Ontario Early Years Centre in Kingston. She also volunteers two days a month in her son's classroom.

Suzanne believes that everybody must work together to deliver the best possible education to every child in every school.”

Bedford District

PAT BARR

Pat Barr is making her first run at Council this time around, but she has an indirect history in Bedford politics, having heard all about them from her father Carl, who was a councilor and reeve in Bedford in pre-amalgamation days.

Pat moved back to her family home from Ottawa 11 years ago to look after her father. She started working in Kingston at that time.

She has a geography degree from Guelph University and went to Kemptville college as well, where she studied agriculture. However, she always found herself working in some aspect of horticulture, from greenhouses to florist shops and has worked in that field over the years.

In this election she is hearing a lot about waste management as she talks to people because of the curbside pickup that has came in last month in Bedford.

“The people on private lanes are not getting the service. Some feel they can’t put their garbage out at the ends of their lanes without a bin, even though they can put it out without a bin on garbage day. I think the real issue is with the dumps and the costs,” she said.

In preparing to run for council, Pat Barr has attended a number of council meetings, and she has found a lot of time is wasted when councilors argue with each other.

“I hope that whoever gets in will start to work together more harmoniously than the council that is in there,” she said.

Barr was appointed to the South Frontenac Recreation Committee last year, which she said might provide a model of cooperation for council.

“We all put forward an effort to make things happen. We put forward the idea to hire a facilitator, and that seems to be going well. I think the people on the committee generally trust each other,” she said.

Issues that Pat Barr sees coming to council this next term include roads budgeting and planning matters, as well as taxes.

“Road 38 is going to need major work and council is going to have to put aside its petty differences to be able to approach other levels of government for grants to do that job,” she said.

 

DEL STOWE

Del Stowe first became acquainted with South Frontenac Council as an employee. He moved to Bedford from Kingston in the late 1990s and worked as the Chief Building Official for the township. When he took a job in the building department at the City of Kingston, he was freed up to run for council. He sought and won a council position for Bedford in 2000 and was re-elected in 2003 and 2006.

Stowe talks about his experience as a volunteer firefighter when he first came to the township to illustrate what has been accomplished in that time.

“We had a gas can on the hood of the pumper attached to the carburetor so the truck would keep running, and off we went to fight fires. Now we have a full-time chief, a vehicle replacement plan, and real training standards.”

“I'm kind of inquisitive and I've always been interested in grass root politics,” he said of his continuing interest in sitting on council. “We've done some good things since I've been on council, such as amalgamating our operations, bringing in septic re-inspection, the Private Lane Upgrade Program adopted by South Frontenac (originally introduced to Bedford District as one of my election platform issues in this term of council) and more, but now I think it's time for us to really decide what we really want this township to be.”

To that end, Stowe thinks the township is ready to look seriously at some long-term goals for itself.

“Every large business has a set of values and goals,” he said, “we have nothing like that. I'd like to see us have some direction; I'd like to go to the public and see where the people want us to go. Do we want development? What kind? These are questions we haven't asked.”

As a member of council for ten years, Del Stowe stands by the decisions that council has made, including the changes in waste management that have been somewhat controversial in Bedford district.

“I stand by what we've done by amalgamating waste. In Bedford we had $28,000 in reserve funds for closing all our waste sites. Now the township has taken that on. I think we did well and I have no trouble supporting it,” he said.

 

MARK TINLIN

Mark Tinlin and his wife Beverly purchased property on Bob Lake in the 1980s, and when Mark retired from Carleton University in 2005 from the position of Director of Public Safety, they became full-time residents at their waterfront property.

Mark Tinlin comes to municipal politics with a wealth of management experience. Before working at Carleton for 15 years, he held a similar post at Western University in London, and before that he worked as a commercial crime investigator for the RCMP for seven years. Prior to that he was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, where he reached the rank of major. He also held a senior management position with St. John's Ambulance.

He said he is interested in “trying to preserve the quality of life we have in South Frontenac, and in working on long-term plans to both protect the environment and foster growth.”

In campaigning over the summer, Tinlin has been faced with public concerns over waste management, as Bedford has been transitioning into a curbside pickup system on township roads. “Eighty percent of the people I talked to were unhappy about it,” Mark Tinlin said, “they did not think it would work and were concerned about the cost. The system does not adequately address the issue for many residents.  Bedford is very different from the other districts - approximately 80% of its residents live on private lanes.  The township should have considered a waste management approach based on the model used by Tay Valley Township, which could work quite nicely for Bedford.  The new garbage pickup service is an example where the township failed to communicate appropriately and in a timely manner, which left residents confused and frustrated." he said.

Tinlin said another major issue that concerns people is maintenance on gravel roads. “People don’t want four-lane highways, but they want their roads maintained.”

As the Bedford representative, he said he would see it as his job to make sure that the concerns of Bedford residents do not get lost at the township level. “Bedford residents sometimes think they are considered the 'poor cousin' of South Frontenac, and I think two-way communication will help to deal with that.” he said.

Finally, Mark Tinlin said he would like to address concerns around the fire service in parts of Bedford.

 

Louborough District

RANDY FERGUSON

Randy Ferguson traces his local family roots back to a family farm that was founded in 1850 on the north shore of Loughborough Lake, not too far from where he lives now at Perth Road Village.

Randy Ferguson runs the Kingston office for Jewell Engineering, a company that provides engineering and project management for a lot of major municipal building projects, including a number in South Frontenac. He has never run for council before, but he has a long standing interest in municipal politics and a set of skills that would be useful at the council table.

“I was thinking about running the last two times, but I was just too busy to commit the time.” he said. “I feel all my public works experience and the fact that I deal with councils all the time in my work will make me an asset to the township.”

Ferguson has been extremely busy over the last couple of years on the job, because of the large number of infrastructure projects that have been approved.

“In the last 2 ½ years, we have done over $80 million in work,” he said, “including the Loughborough Lake Bridge in South Frontenac, and the public works site at Keeley Road.”

One of the projects that Randy Ferguson is supervising is the rebuilding of Highway 41 between Tamworth and Highway 7 in Lennox and Addington, a job that is similar to one that South Frontenac could be looking at in the coming years.

He thinks that what is lacking in South Frontenac is public input into decision making; a serious look at the viability of waste sites; and comprehensive recycling and hazardous waste policies.

“In terms of development I take a common sense approach. The township should provide more support for small business as well. I'm 100% in favour of anything that can encourage small business, for sure,” he said.

 

ALLAN MCPHAIL

Allan McPhail has been a member of council since 2006, after running unsuccessfully in both 2000 and 2003 (he also ran provincially for the NDP in 1999).

Before joining council he served on the board of what is now known as Southern Frontenac Community Services for six years, including taking on the role of Board chair for two years.

He is one of the founding members of the Sydenham Lions Club and has served as the club’s secretary throughout its six-year existence.

He moved to Kingston in 1982 to take a job as an electronic technician at Queen's, moved to Sydenham in 1987 with his wife and children, and retired from Queen's in 2008.

“I originally moved to Sydenham for the rural atmosphere, and have found it to be a great community. I have always had an interest in volunteering and in politics, so all of my various activities have come about from that,” he said.

“I think the latest council has certainly looked after the regular business of the township well. We have developed a few common concerns, and made good strides in improving roads, and in terms of amalgamation,” McPhail said.

While there have been a number of contentious issues before council that have led to rifts between its members, he said, “I have try to work with all members of council and try to facilitate communications between them - not always successfully I'm afraid. But I think there may be more opportunities for an improved atmosphere after the election, no matter how it turns out.”

During the next term, Allan McPhail said council would be facing issues such as “doing the groundwork to provide the financial planning that is needed to re-surface Road 38 in the next 10 years. I also think we need to bring together the various committees of the council itself to better reflect one township.”

 

RON VANDEWAL

Ron Vandewal ran for council one time before winning a seat in 2003, making him the third member of his family to serve on municipal council (his father and brother were both on Loughborough Council)

As a rookie councilor in December of 2003, the first item on the agenda of the first meeting Vandewal attended was the approval of the Sydenham water project. “I'm glad the decisions we've had to make since then haven't been quite as contentious,” he said.

He was one of the councilors who supported the amalgamation project that the township has embarked upon, and said that in most cases it has been a smoother process than he thought it would be.

“Everyone wondered what would happen when we amalgamated the fire department, and put all the budgets together, but we did and nothing terrible happened. The same has held true for the other departments,” he said.

But for Vandewal, the next step in amalgamation will only come when the members of council “stop being protectionist about their own districts and work towards what is best for South Frontenac as a whole while representing their districts.”

Another point he made about the way council operates is the attitude of mistrust that council has for staff, particularly senior staff. “We hire these people, and we want them to do a job, but we don't trust them to do it,” he said.

Should he be re-elected again, another matter that Ron Vandewal will be bringing to the new council is a “realistic” long-term plan for fire hall improvements. “We received a plan which called for us to replace seven of our nine fire halls at a huge cost. I think we should start looking at why we have nine fire halls; which ones can be repaired; whether we can build one fire hall in a new place and close two down; and how to fund this capital cost, etc.”

He also thinks the township needs to take a hard look at the way its landfill sites are operated to achieve a higher level of recycling.

 

FRAN WILLES

Fran Willes is no stranger to Loughborough and South Frontenac politics, although she has been off council for seven years. She sat on council in Loughborough between 1988 and 1997 as a councilor and deputy reeve, and also as a member of county council. Between 2001 and 2003 she served on South Frontenac Council and in 2003 she took an unsuccessful run for mayor against then incumbent Bill Lake.

“I did not run in the last election,” she said, “because I was pursuing university studies. I am now in the process of completing a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Queen’s University. This time many people asked me to run again, and I now have the time to do so.”

Her studies may also be of use to council as well because they have forced her to take a close look at the way small townships operate in the current environment. “Much of my planning degree program includes planning for smaller municipalities,” she said.

Fran Willes said she has a number of concerns about the stance this latest council has taken with respect to long-range planning and the effect this will have on our lakes. “There are new technologies in sewage treatment that are not recognized by council,” she said.

She is also anxious to see the ‘books,’ noting that she is concerned that the township may be going over budget this year. “Council announced at a recent council meeting, that $8 million had already been spent by the end of August of a $10 million budget. With four months remaining in the year, that needs to be looked at,” she said.

Willes would also like to see the establishment of a Planning Advisory Committee as used in the past that would be distinct from the township’s Committee of Adjustment. “People who are considering land development could then come before the Committee and discuss their planning issues before making a formal application to the Committee of Adjustment. A Planning Advisory Committee would make it easier for all concerned, including staff,” she said.

 

Portland District

JIM HICKS

Jim Hicks can tell you about the incident that sparked his interest in South Frontenac Council.

It was in 2004. He had applied to the township’s committee of adjustment for a severance, and even though his application was complete and the request fit into the spirit of the township’s Official Plan, the severance was not granted.

“It was unfair,” he said, “so I took them to the Ontario Municipal Board and I won. The township's lawyer even agreed with me.”

Since then, Hicks has continued to monitor the committee of adjustment, and in 2006 he ran for council in Portland and won. He was not chosen as the Portland council rep to the committee of adjustment but he still attends all the meetings, and pays particular attention when planning matters come to council. He does not always like what he sees.

“Some of them seem to think they can pick and choose which projects should get the go-ahead. We have a professional planner, but they seem to want to play favourites anyway,” he said.

Jim Hicks has also looked at some township operations where he has found some wasteful spending. “We were paying for 10 phone lines at one location, $6,000 a year, but there were only seven phones there and they only needed five. It took me six months to get them to look at it, but finally it got changed. We save about $4,000 each year now,” he said.

He also has questions about some of the contracts for snow clearing at township fire halls. “Last winter there was a hall that was sanded and ploughed 3 times. It was an easy winter, but another one was sanded and ploughed 61 times. Something is wrong there,” Hicks said.

In the coming term, Jim Hicks would like to continue to monitor spending and waste, and he also would like to see the township partner with the Limestone School Board to improve its recycling practices.

“They have an excellent program at Sydenham High School,” he said, “and the township would do well to learn from the students and staff there.”

 

DOUG LOVEGROVE

Doug Lovegrove and his wife Deb were both members of the Canadian military when they moved to Verona 28 years ago. They had hoped Verona would be their retirement posting, but they were sent to Calgary for four years.

They made their way back to Verona when they both finally retired from the military. Their two children were born in Verona and they returned because they wanted to raise them in Verona.

Doug has worked in the computer business since then. He now operates a website management company and does some teaching.

Doug became involved in the Verona Business Association when he first came to Verona. “It seemed a lot of establishments were going out of business at the time. That's why I was part of the start of the association. Eventually we became the VCA (Verona Community Association)”

The VCA established the Verona Festival, the Christmas Tree Festival and other events, “making Verona the most vibrant community in our township,” Lovegrove said.

He said he has not been hearing too many complaints from people as he campaigns for council. “I'm not seeing major problems, only minor problems, with the biggest thing being council not getting together. One of my goals is to be active in getting the councilors to work together,” he said.

Among the initiatives Doug Lovegrove would like to see done by council are some small items that might make a difference. “If we even had a brochure to promote small business, with information about services that are available, regulations that need to be followed, things like that, it would be a help,” he said. “Right now, there is no such thing as a checklist to open a business in South Frontenac.”

If elected to council, Lovegrove said he would make sure he does his homework so that he understands the issues before “spouting off an opinion,”

“The basic thing is using logic and common sense,” he said. “They are not problems that we deal with, they are solutions that have not been found yet.”

 

JOHN MCDOUGALL

John McDougall has a long history of community involvement since he came to the Verona area in 1976 to become the music teacher in what is now Central and North Frontenac. He eventually became a school principal and worked at schools in Frontenac County and Kingston until his retirement in 1995.

He has taken leadership roles with the Verona Lions Club and the Verona Festival, and more recently has spearheaded the Verona Find-a-Doc campaign.

As a community activist, McDougall has rubbed shoulders with local politicians at various times, most recently as the chair of the Sydenham Library task force, and through the Find-a-Doc campaign, since the township is being asked to take ownership of the Verona Medical Centre.

He traces his motivation to seek a council seat to a long-standing concern about how the McMullen Manor in Verona lost its status as a seniors' facility and became part of the Kingston/Frontenac social housing stock.

“When McMullen Manor was sold to the township the family had an agreement that it would be a seniors' home. There was a real resentment in the village when that changed. The decision might have been the right decision at the time, but it has always felt like the community was left out of the process,” he said.

Another issue of concern was the decision by the Frontenac Land Ambulance service to locate the South Frontenac base in Sydenham.

“The original planning had it going to Harrowsmith, but that changed without any community involvement,” John McDougall said.

He is also interested in making sure community improvement plans find their way into the township’s official plan, and would like to see further efforts made to determine whether plans for an office building in South Frontenac can be pushed forward if that is what the residents want to see.

“There are lots of other issues to be examined,” he said, “from broadband to finding municipal alternatives to fossil fuel. But we have never had an opportunity for the communities to sit down together and make some decisions about the future.”

 

BILL ROBINSON

Bill Robinson moved to Harrowsmith when he left the armed forces in 1969. He purchased the Supertest Service Centre at that time and ran it for five years while working in the penitentiary service. He retired from Collins Bay Pen in 1988. Since then he has been working for his wife at the Verona waste disposal site, for which she has the management contract.

In the year 2000 he sought a seat on council in Portland District and was successful. He has been a member of council ever since and is seeking his fourth mandate this month.

He said he is motivated to run this time around partly to break up the 4-5 split that council has been enduring on a lot of major votes, but interests of Portland district residents will remain his central concern.

“My main focus as a councilor of the future is my district of Portland. First and foremost is my duty to look after the district of Portland,” he said.

He is also concerned about operational matters, both in South Frontenac Township and at the County of Frontenac. “There is a lot of duplication of effort between the two, and they both waste a lot of money hiring consultants to do studies that no one needs,” he said.

“You look at Frontenac County. They spent $35,000 to bring that Mr. Armstrong down from Peterborough for a governance study that went straight under the table. What a waste. Even in South Frontenac we hire consultants for engineering when we have an engineer ourselves.”

He is also committed to ensuring that a full inventory of equipment in the township is completed. “We've never had an inventory of our equipment done. Can you imagine an outfit this big with no inventory?” he said.

Although amalgamating South Frontenac services is now “a done deal”, Bill Robinson is not convinced it is bringing improvements. “You know the big promises of amalgamation were all a bunch of hooey,” he said. “On council they say a lot of things, but I listen to what my constituents tell me more than anything else. That's whom we work for.”

 

 

Photo: L-r: Keigan Chadwick (Frontenac Fury player), Bazil Gillespie, Buzz Chadwick (Frontenac Fury coach), John McDougall (President Verona Lions), Judy Conway (Fund Chair), Jamie Hitchcock (Frontenac Fury player). Absent from photo Jim Lansdell (Verona Lions committee member). Photo by Louise Day

The Verona Lions Club (Donna Clarke Children’s Fund) donated $5,000 to the Frontenac Girls’ Hockey Association at the Lions’ general meeting on October 26. Over the last five to six years, the association has worked diligently in the advancement of girls’ hockey in our area. Formerly known as the Flyers, the girls now have a new name, new colours, new jerseys, new equipment and a new winning attitude: welcome The Frontenac Fury!

During the 2009 – 2010 season, the Midget C Team qualified for the Provincial Championships and represented Eastern Ontario last April. Three years ago the association also established the Atom Team (8 to 10 years old).

Money from the Verona Lions Club donation will be used to secure goalie instruction, power skating instructions, player and coach development and provide equipment at reduced cost to girls within the organization who could not play hockey without a little support.

The girls are at the Frontenac Community Area every Sunday afternoon from 2:30 to 6:30 P.M.

Though often a topic that we prefer not to discuss, the truth is that many rural women are currently living with domestic violence.

In an effort to serve and support them, a partnership has been set up between the Women’s Program at the Kingston Community Counseling Centres (K3C) and the Verona Medical Clinic. K3C provides one day a week of counseling to women at the Verona Medical Clinic.

Donna Forster, the program co-ordinator with K3C, said that the service is benefiting rural women who often face challenges that might make them unable to get the help and support that they need.

“My job is to make sure that there is awareness in the community of this important service that we offer,' she said. “The difficulty for women in rural areas is that they tend to be isolated geographically, and to lack funds and the necessary transportation. Our service strives to support and encourage these women as they understand their options and learn more about the resources that are available to help them”.

Manijeh Moghisi is the K3C counselor who is counseling women at the Verona Clinic weekly on Tuesday mornings. She is a registered social worker and has been working with K3C for 19 years. She acquired a BSW from McGill University in Montreal and is currently studying for her Masters in Social Work at Carleton University.

“The service is geared to women who have been in or who are currently in abusive relationships. These women can often have a tendency to become depressed and not understand why. Through counseling, they come to understand the reasons why. Whether they choose to leave or to continue in the relationship, my goal is always to support their choice,” said Manijeh, who has been providing this service in Verona for four years.

For women who are struggling right now and are not sure what to do, Manijeh had this to say: “You are not alone, help is available and you deserve to be healthy and happy”.

The free service is funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services and serves a catchment area that includes the Road 38 corridor between Murvale in the south through to and including Cole Lake just north of Godfrey.

Residents in this area can call the Verona Medical Clinic at 613-374-3311 to set up an appointment. Residents outside of this area can call the K3C office at 613-549-7850 in Kingston to inquire about the services at other locations.

 

One of the goals that was identified by the Frontenac County Integrated Community Sustainability Plan last year was the improvement of the economic viability of some of the larger population centres in the county.

The Ontario Planning Act makes provisions for Community Improvement Plans (CIP), which, when completed, can enable municipalities to provide financial assistance in a variety of ways to help communities achieve the goals that are identified in the plans.

This past summer, FoTenn Consultants of Ottawa were chosen by Frontenac County to look at the communities in the county, and to recommend one community to have the first plan prepared for it.

“We needed to find one place that had the best chance for success to start off with,” FoTenn’s Mike Keene told Frontenac County Council last week. “Verona had that mix, and it has a fair number of businesses that were responsive when we did our consultations.”

FoTenn considered a number of communities for the pilot project, including Marysville (Wolfe Island) Inverary, Sydenham, Bellrock, Verona, Sharbot Lake, Arden, Parham, Mountain Grove and Plevna.

In the report that accompanied the FoTenn recommendation, all of the communities were analysed, but only Marysville, Harrowsmith, Sydenham, Sharbot Lake and Verona “have the attributes that make them plausible candidates for the pilot project,” according to Frontenac County sustainability planner Joe Gallivan. That is because they have distinct commercial, institutional, public and residential activities.

According to Mike Keene, the other communities that were identified “can still benefit from a CIP, but likely one that is focussed on municipal improvement projects such as unique signage and other infrastructure improvements.

“Verona offers the most diverse and unique commercial base while still being located on a single road. Verona contains the most households and acts as a hub for the surrounding rural area. The Farmers’ Market is unique to Verona, drawing people from the greater community and Verona contains one of the largest employers in the county,” Keene said.

Because Verona is built around one street (Main Street) the Verona plan will be transferable to other communities.

Municipal initiatives that can result from a Community Improvement plan include – street infrastructure and streetscapes, green energy, land assembly, park improvement, and affordable housing. Incentives for private sector projects can also result, in areas such as: façade improvement, feasibility/design sturdy grants, building interior improvements, heritage grants, reduced municipal fees, Brownfield incentives, property tax reductions and tax increment financing.

“I’ll admit that I’m a bit jealous that Verona has been chosen,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski, “but I see from all the analysis that has been done that it is a good fit for a pilot project, and I think it will be very interesting to see how the plan develops and how it can be adapted for other communities.”

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire addressed Mike Keene, saying, “I too think Verona is a good choice. I see that Plevna was rejected as too small and divided, suggesting that a township-wide plan might be more in order. Do you plan to pursue that?”

“There is an entire set of communities that I would classify as small communities that have excellent community support but not a lot of businesses. One of my recommendations as this project continues is to look at plans that take on broader regions,” Keene responded.

South Frontenac Township will have to agree to participate in the plan, and an amendment to the South Frontenac Official Plan will be necessary in order for the Verona CIP to be able to generate municipal funding and/or incentives.

 

Photo: (l-r) Auxiliary Constable Sylvain Belisle, Auxiliary Constable Brent Reynolds, and Auxiliary Staff Sergeant Bill Anderson in Verona

Auxiliary staff from the OPP were out in full force in Sydenham and Verona on December 4 in support of two local food banks and other community relief services to help fill the gap for those in need over the holiday season. Cash and food donations were split between the Southern Frontenac Community Services Food Bank and the Loughborough Christmas and Emergency Relief Fund.

The two-stop fundraising event was the brainchild of Constable Jeremy Saunders, who organized the drive, which took place for the first time this year in South Frontenac. Every auxiliary unit across the entire province, in celebration of the auxiliary staff’s 50th anniversary, organized and held community fundraising events as a means of benefiting their local communities. Auxiliary Staff Sergeant Bill Anderson said that this particular area fundraiser will become a regular annual event in the future. Many thanks to Logan Saunders and the other students at Perth Road Public School and Prince Charles Public School who created the posters for the event.

Photo: students from HPS, l-r, Adam Nash, Jennifer Wheeler, Bella Greastrom, Maggie Gordon, Jordyn Holley and Tristin Horton with HPS Principal Valerie Arsenault and Revell's marketing manager Rob Fenwick

A small group of students, staff and parents gathered in the showroom of Revell Ford Lincoln in Verona on December 11, where they delivered a considerable shipment of donated food items that the students of Harrowsmith Public School (HPS) had collected from the community in their annual Jingle Bell Run Food Drive, which was held at the school on December 7. Students on that day were asked to bring to school one non-perishable food item for which they received a jingle bell that they were invited to wear and ring around the school. Parents and community members also joined in for the event.

HPS principal Valerie Arsenault explained that for a number of years students and the HPS parent council have partnered together with Revell's of Verona as a way to collect a sizable holiday food donation for local residents in need. Grade 4 student Jordyn Holley from Miss Thayer's class said that her class was in charge of sorting out the food and putting it into boxes. “It is nice to be able to give food to people in the area who might not have enough to eat at this time of the year," Jordyn said.

Grade 8 student Tristin Horton, who is also the school's ambassador, said that he was pleased with the donations this year and proud to be able to help out others in the community. “People were very generous and this donation can really help families who do not have enough money to buy food because of the economy nowadays,” he said.

Rob Fenwick of Revell's was equally pleased. “The Revell family have been doing this for years and they are very happy to be able to help out the community in this way.” The donations will be handed over to the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church, who will be distributing the food to members of the community in need.

Both Revell's, the Harrowsmith Parent Council, and The Boy's and Girl's Club will also be partnering together to present the upcoming Festival of Trees at Harrowsmith Public School on Tuesday December 18 at 6:30 PM (or in case of school closure, on December 19). Revell's will be donating the two special adult and child gift trees that will be raffled off at the event. The evening will include a visit from Santa, crafts for children of all ages and cookie decorating. Harrowsmith Public School is located at 4121 Colebrooke Road. Thanks also to the moms who helped out with transportation of the food donations - Frankie Horton and Jennifer Greastrex

 

Photo: Kielo Carlson sorts and organizes clothes a Style Revival.

A year and half after moving to the Verona area, Kielo Carlson has decided to start something new in her church and her community. She has gathered high quality, gently used clothing from friends in the local area and further away, and has set up a free boutique in the basement of the Verona Free Methodist Church.

The "Style Revival" boutique looks and feels like a small store in larger centre, but the difference is that the clothes and accessories are free.

“I would like people to treat the boutique a bit like a store. We have limited quantities, so I'm asking people to take only what they need, and what looks good on them. If people will take one or two pairs of shoes instead of five or six, there will be more available for the next person,” said Kielo Carlson at the grand opening of the homey store on November 21. The store opened without any marketing, but there was still a steady stream of customers on opening day. “Style Revival” is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 1 pm.

“I think I can handle those hours,” said Kielo, who is planning to oversee the store though the winter with the help of volunteers. She vets all the clothes herself to ensure quality. For further information and to donate clothes, accessories, or jewelry, contact Kielo at 613-374-5289 or Verona Free Methodist Church at 613-374-1232.

 

Photo: Erin Wong and her band entertained at the Sisters by Heart's “A Cup of Christmas” event at the VFMC on December 3.

As a special treat for their regular Christmas gathering, the Sisters by Heart group of Verona offered up women of all ages in the community an evening of holiday cheer and entertainment on December 3 at the Verona Free Methodist Church.

Sisters by Heart is a local community-based women’s group with six committee members, which runs out of the Verona Free Methodist Church. The group was started up nine years ago by Evelyn Snider, who regularly organizes and emcees the events, which cost just $5 to attend. She was inspired by the former VFM Church pastor and his wife, David and Linda Rigby, who had started a similar group at their church in Florida. The group puts on four events each year and the proceeds help to support various services and community groups in the community. Proceeds from Monday night’s event will help support the Verona Community Association's Christmas for Kids, a campaign that collects funds to buy Christmas gifts for children in need in the local community.

The evening opened with a special performance by the Harrowsmith Bell Ringers (photo right), a group of 13 youngsters from the local community under the direction of Karen Snider, who performed two selections of bell ringing carols.

The featured entertainment was singer and speaker Erin Wong and her band The Citadel Worship Team, who come from the Kingston Citadel Salvation Army church in Kingston. Erin and her group have been playing together for close to 10 years and their highly polished sound filled the fellowship hall with inspiring Christian-themed tunes. They received a warm and enthusiastic reception from listeners. The players included Erin singing lead vocals, Josh Wilkins on guitar, Les Carr on keyboards and back up vocals and Sarah McCourt playing cello. The group has recently put out their first CD titled “Adoration” and proceeds from its sales will go towards supporting the Laurie Fund, which helps send Kingston children in need to sports camp. Erin’s talk, which she titled “A Cup of Christmas”, focused on the true meaning of Christmas and the benefits of striving to keep an abundantly overflowing cup of Christmas. She read a definition by an unknown author of the word “peace”, which said that peace “does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work, but rather to be in the midst of these things and still be calm in your heart.” This was Erin's second visit to Sisters by Heart and judging by the quality of her performance and her warm reception, it won’t be her last.