Amelia Redmond. Photo courtesy of Amelia Redmond.

Seventeen-year-old Amelia Redmond of Sharbot Lake was thrilled when she recently found out she was awarded a two-year scholarship to attend the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia.

Nestled on the Pacific Ocean near Peddar Bay, the college - named after Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson - offers pre-university students an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, an internationally accepted qualification for university. The mission of the college is to “make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future” and its specialized curriculum aims to “educate the whole person and work towards peace, compassion and understanding between peoples.”

Redmond is one of just 200 students from over 100 countries worldwide to be offered the scholarship, which will pay her tuition, room and board over two years.

Students are selected “based on promise and potential regardless of race, religion, politics and financial means.

Redmond is currently finishing up grade 11 at KCVI in Kingston and when asked why she feels she was chosen, she said that although good grades are a definite “must”, her numerous extra curricular activities went a long way towards her selection as one of the three Ontario students chosen. There were 65 applicants from Ontario alone.

Amelia has been a member of the Student Association during her two years at KCVI and has been active in fundraising events there. At just 12 years of age she was a page in the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park, an experience that developed in her a love for politics. She not only does ballet but is also a well-rounded musician and plays ukulele and piano. She is a long-time member of the Cantabile Choir of Kingston and is also one half of the contemporary folk duo “Sara and Amelia", which performs live shows in Kingston. Acting is an ongoing pursuit; she has performed various roles in a number of local NFLT productions. If that is not enough, she also speaks French and Spanish.

Amelia admits that the application process was rigorous and she was required to write numerous essays about her suitability as a prospective student. Redmond says that though at 17 she is not 100% certain of what career she will pursue, she is looking forward to the challenges offered at the college.

“The program promotes cultural understanding by living and studying with people from other cultures, which makes perfect sense, and I’m really looking forward to the curriculum which allows us to delve deeply into a number of different subjects. I also really enjoy immersing myself in new environments and meeting new people and I feel extremely comfortable when having to adapt to new situations.”

Amelia is also well aware of the opportunities that will come her way as a graduate of the program, since many prominent schools around the world offer scholarships specifically to graduates of the college. There are a few general goals that she is setting her sights on: “I am hoping the course will secure me the kind of future that I want - which is to be successful by doing things that will benefit not just me, but the greater world. I definitely want to be able to make a difference.”

For Amelia’s parents, her acceptance to the program is bitter sweet. While they share her excitement, they understandably become emotional when discussing her imminent departure. “I’m so excited for her," said her mom, Rosanna, “and I rest assured knowing that every person I have spoken to who has attended the school has said it was the best thing that ever happened to them.”

Amelia and her parents will be making the trip out west in mid-August when her job at the Silver Lake campground finishes at the end of the summer.

Youngsters learned a few pointers and received treats from Deputy Chief Bill Young from Central Frontenac Fire and Rescue

Maribeth Scott, manager of the Ontario Early Years Centre in Sharbot Lake, was pleased with the close to 200 children and families who came out for a day of family fun on June 5 at the Sharbot Lake High School. “Our goal is to promote healthy living in the Sharbot Lake area; part of the grant we received from the Ministry of Health Promotion Grant was to educate the public on preventable addictions so we are showing kids and their families other healthy ways to be active and have fun,” she said. Don Amos, executive director of the centre, was equally pleased and added, “It’s been a great day and the staff have done a great job organizing the day’s events.” Both thanked Success by Six and the Northern Rural Youth Partnership, who contributed to the day’s events.

Scott informed me that a recent grant from the United Way will allow the centre to expand their summer camp services to children ages six through nine. With that in mind, the centre is planning a number of upcoming summer dances, the first of which will be held at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake on June 18 from 6 to 9PM for children in grades four through eight; there will be a professional DJ, light show and a canteen as well. Tickets are $6 and are available at the door. Funds raised at the dances will be put towards youth programming at the Ontario Early Years Centre.

For more information on the new United Way funded summer camp for children aged 6-9, call Charity Garey at 613-279-2244.

CHILD & YOUTH TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM UPDATE: Wow! Summer is almost over and our new program has been up and running for almost 8 months. We have had a very busy and successful summer with the program getting more use and with a very successful fundraising dinner/silent auction in August. We would like to thank to the volunteers, donors and the community for making it a huge success.

We started with an unbelievable donation from Murray’s Music (Murray Northey) and the Flinton Recreation Committee of $626.00. This money came from ticket sales for a fiddle at the Flinton Jamboree. Thanks to Murray and the Flinton Rec. Committee and to everyone at the Jamboree who bought tickets. All of the money donated and raised at the fundraiser will go into our subsidy fund to help with the costs to families using the transportation program.

Some ways the program is being used so far:

Weekly transportation to a focus group for youth (month of July); Medical transportation; Dental appointments; Helping to get parents to work and kids to daycare.

With school starting, there are many more uses for the program such as, after-school programs, and getting to co-op placements. Parents who are already transporting their own child(ren) to and from school events may want to consider becoming a volunteer driver to help other children be able to participate as well. Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer of the program can contact Cheryl Hartwick or Pat Vlasic at 613-336-8934.

We are looking forward to an incredible fall and hoping to see the program grow. Helping our children, youth and their families will help us grow strong, vibrant communities.

GRIEF SUPPORT PROGRAM: "Grief is like peeling off the layers of an onion." Grief presents itself often and must be dealt with one layer at a time. Land O' Lakes Community Services and Maschke Funeral Home is offering, free of charge, an aftercare program "Navigating the Maze". The group will meet weekly at first, move to bi-weekly and then monthly for 2 hours per session, eginning Sept. 16 and ending Dec 23, at the LOLCS Board Room. Space is limited, for more information or to register, please call Pam at 336-8934 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Derek at 336-6873 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

FALLS PREVENTION WORKSHOP: Land O' Lakes Community Services is hosting a "Stay On Your Feet" falls prevention program in conjunction with the KFL&A Health Unit. Research shows that most falls are predictable and preventable. Falls are the leading cause of hospital admissions due to injuries. One in three seniors 65 and older fall each year. One of the greatest costs to an individual is loss of independence. Please join us on Sept. 21 at the Northbrook Lions Hall for a free, one-hour presentation on Fall Prevention. For more information please call Pam Lemke at LOLCS 613-336-8934 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Photo: Outgoing Reverend Will Keller and his wife Connie in the new gymnasium at the Harrrowsmith Free Methodist Church

Members of the public were invited to the new 5000 square foot gymnasium at the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church on September 26 to celebrate the church’s Gymnasium Expansion Project, which is nearing completion. The project, initiated in 2005, has more than doubled the indoor space from roughly 10,000 to 20,000 square feet.

A number of church and community representatives, along with dignitaries from the community, attended the official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony. Bishop Keith Elford of Mississauga made the ceremonial dedication.

Estimated at a total cost of approximately $1.2 million, the project includes a 5000 square foot double gymnasium equipped with a full stage, an attached servery/kitchen facility, additional bathrooms and hallways, storage space and extra outdoor parking. In 2005 after the initial plans had been drawn up and a few upgrades were made, the foundation was laid. There was then a hiatus and work did not begin again until October last year, when the project was restarted. Most of it was completed in mid-July of this year.

A number of final installations are still needed: the laying of the floors, additional plumbing and cabinetry work in the servery, the removal of a wall to join the new building to the existing one, and the installation of the gym stage, which includes a drop down curtain that will allow the gym to be divided in two.According to the Reverend Keller, the facility will be used primarily by various church youth groups and children’s ministries within the church itself but it will also be open for use by various community groups who have shown support for the project along the way. “There is a lot of interest being shown in the new facility and just recently we’ve been approached by one organization who would like to use it for a trade show. Others groups have asked to use it for various sporting events.” The facility will also be available for rent.Funds for the project were raised solely by the church, which, to date, has paid for roughly half of the costs; ongoing fundraising is planned to cover the remaining costs.For Reverend Will Keller, who has been at the church for 15 years, the project represents the realization of a dream and a goal of the church since the original building was constructed in 1991. “At that time we had always intended to build a gym facility to accommodate youth groups, which until now have had to run their programs at other locations. Now we have a facility that can keep our programs here at home, which is great.”

For Keller the completion of the project comes at a time when his work at the church is wrapping up. “After 15 years I feel I have completed the work that I needed to do here and I feel that I am ready to do something else, though I am not sure yet what that might be. However, it will be ministry-related.”

Intentional interim Carl Bull will take over beginning on October 4 until a new minister can be found. Anyone interested in making a donation to the project can contact the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church office at 613 372-1238.

Photo: Skills Link youth participants at the Sharbot Lake car wash Sat. Oct. 2

A long list of odd jobs are being crossed off the lists of various organizations and groups in and around the Sharbot Lake community thanks to the help of 10 participants of the Sharbot Lake Skills Link Program, a life skills pilot program that is run through the YAK (Youth Action Committee) Youth Centre in Perth. The program is running for the very first time in Sharbot Lake and began on August 30.

The program is designed to assist youth ages 16-30 by promoting healthy living, community participation and employment opportunities and will run for six months. Participants work 35 hours a week and receive a stipend of $340 per week.

The program has two main components, with the youth attending various workshops while also working at various hands-on jobs in and around the community.

To date the youth have participated in workshops that have included a Banking 101 workshop presented by BMO Perth, a Personality Dimension workshop that helps participants to identify their personality traits, and a workshop about summer job opportunities. They also participated in a TYPS Town Youth Participation Strategies) workshop that focuses on time management skills and setting goals.

Job shadowing is also an important part of the program and occurs once a month. Participants are assigned to various locations in the community. Robyn Laurie Stephanie Kelly, and Kalita McEwen recently shadowed teachers at local area schools. Stephanie particularly enjoyed her stint at Land O' Lakes Public school. “Teaching is something that I would definitely like to do and the experience has shown me exactly what is involved, which is great and I love it.”

Jobs in and around the community so far have included preparing the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society’s caboose for a paint job, and running a car wash in Sharbot Lake that raised approximately $250 worth of canned goods for the Sharbot Lake Food Bank.

Sally Angle, chair of the railway heritage society, helped prepare the youth workers on Sept. 29 as they mounted ladders and donned plastic gloves prior to cleaning the caboose. “They are doing us a great service and can get up on the ladders, which is something a lot or our members are grateful for.”

A future job for the group is the design and construction of an outdoor storage shed at the Treasure Trunk. The group has also discussed their own long-term project - to organize and run the Skidoo Snow Drags in Sharbot Lake in February. The Snow Drags were held annually for a few years in the village

Dave Hitchcock is the program coordinator and said, “The hope is to get these kids involved in the community, learn new skills and prepare them for future work.”

So far their efforts are making a big difference in the community. Anyone who feels they might have a suitable project for these eager youth can contact Dave Hitchcock at 613-279-2700.

For almost two years now, Land O’ Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) has operated a Child and Youth Transportation Program. A Trillium Foundation grant, as well as the combined effort of various agencies in Lennox and Addington, made the program possible.

“Now that the Trillium grant is about to run out, the Child & Youth Transportation Program is in danger of becoming extinct. The grant from the Trillium Foundation will be finished as of January 2012 and there are currently no funding options to staff the coordinator position,” said Cheryl Hartwick, the chairperson of the Child and Youth Committee, which oversees the program.

While the transportation programme raises funds to pay for rides through various activities, it needs to find some core funding to keep an office, phone, and part-time co-ordinator in place.

Becky Kavanaugh coordinates volunteers and drives for the children and youth in the area. Since January, there have been 73 drives at a total of 5,838 kilometres. The program currently has four volunteer drivers (and sometimes borrows from the seniors’ transportation program when necessary).

“Although 73 drives may not seem like a lot to most people, to the kids (and their families) who have been able to participate in community events and to get to appointments, it is amazing. If we cannot find sustainable funding for the staffing position, the program will end and that would be devastating to the people who utilize it,” Hartwick said.

LOLCS is currently seeking a way to maintain the program and any ideas would be welcome.

“Please contact Becky at 613-336-8934 if you can help in any way or have any thoughts on how to keep this valuable program operating,” Hartwick said.

NFCS report

Don Amos and May Beth Scott of Northern Frontenac Community Services presented a summary of how the $10,000 funding they received from the township was spent over the past year.

The funds were spread between at Amos described as a number of successful NFCS programs that included the Teen Centre at The Sharbot Lake Medical Centre, after school programs at three area schools, youth dances and family movie nights, the GO Guys and Go Girls programs, a video dance that attracted over 90 youth from the surrounding area, the summer boys camp program that ran for the first time this year and the publication of the annual Recreation Guide.

He explained how by partnering with the township NFCS has been successful in receiving a number of grants this past year: an $86,000 Trillium grant, a $15,000 grant from the United Church of Canada and a $18,000 grant form the United Way which will be used to higher three new staff members to their team.

“There is definitely more work that needs to be done but we are confident that by partnering with the township will help continue to move forward by providing more opportunities our youth in the area,” he said.

Cameras roll for Friends of Arden

Terry Kennedy and David Daski updated their groups work to date, all the while being filmed by independent film makers who are making a film titled Lost Highway. The film is about the stretch of Highway 7 that includes Arden.

David Daski reviewed the results from the First Impressions findings after which Kennedy provided council with a detailed list of the 21 projects, some of which have been completed and others that they group aim to complete in the near future. Other ideas the group are considering include the relocation of the entrance to Recreation Park, constructing a bandshell type of structure at the park, forming a working events group, mobilizing the over 30 independent businesses in the area and more.

Kennedy finished the presentation by making four requests ofcouncil: 1.the opportunity to discuss with council Township plans for maintaining and improving infrastructure in the Arden area over the next 3-5 years; 2. Council’s permission for the Friends of Arden to do some work on their own, including putting up signage to as part of their the trails initiatives across township lands; 3. The provision of gravel to stabilize the new access to the Look Out from recreation park and lastly, a partnering relationship in the groups application for funding opportunities.

Arden Playground

Construction of a new playground for Arden is underway and an additional $10,000 grant was received from Ontario Hydro for the project bringing the total cost to $30,000. The new playground which will include a extensive climbing structure is set to be completed by May 2012.

Campground owners call NF Council 'anti-business' 

Rob Gentile, a consultant and part owner of Bon Echo Campground, made a submission to North Frontenac Council on behalf of a group of 11 campground owners in North Frontenac.

He read out a shortened version of a longer submission he had sent to council, in which he talked about a number of concerns the campground owners have with existing and proposed restrictions on campgrounds in the township's Official Plan.

He said that for a variety of reasons, the number of campgrounds has dropped from 24 to 16 over the past 20 years. He also talked about some of the grievances that private campground owners have faced in the past in dealing with the township. He zeroed in on some of the actions that staff have taken and on the work of the township lawyers, Cunningham and Swan, and Glenn Tunnock, the township's planning consultant.

Gentile made reference to two developments from recent years, those at Woodcrest and Frontenac Shores resorts. He said that not only the developers of those projects, but other professional planners as well, have raised questions about the work of Glenn Tunnock.

“Other professional planners have been consulted with respect to the Frontenac Shores and Woodcrest developments. These experts confirmed our suspicions that what they were put through at the hands of Tunnock Consulting was both unnecessary and punitive. Such ordeals may allow the official planner to increase its billing hours, but serves to discourage others from visiting here,” Gentile said.

When asked later to identify the professional planners who had been consulted, Gentile would not do so, saying they did not want to go on the record with any comments about Tunnock's work.

Gentile went on to say that “many believe the township has been unduly influenced by its official planner and attorneys.”

In concluding his remarks, Gentile said that he does not mean his remarks to be “an attack on Council or its staff.” He then said: “We've talked about what we perceive to be an anti-business environment. Maybe our perception is wrong. We'd love to be shown otherwise. This is your chance. But in the absence of such evidence, we tend to believe the overwhelming common experiences business owners have had with the township.”

After Gentile had finished, Mayor Bud Clayton said, “As members of Council we are sworn to uphold the laws of Ontario. Anything that has been done in the past has been done under our zoning bylaw. That bylaw has been reviewed and there were several public meetings held for comment, and none of the campground owners came to any of those meetings. The bylaw is now being submitted for provincial approval. You are coming here not at the 11th hour but at the 11th hour and 59 minutes.”

After reading some of the specific concerns from Mr. Gentile before the Council meeting, township staff had prepared a resolution for Council to consider, but that resolution has not yet been vetted by the township's lawyer.

The resolution deals with two specific issues that concerned a number of campground owners. One had to do with the status of existing trailer sites, which are considered legal because they were in place before rules restricting development to 30 metres from the water had been established.

Currently, if a trailer is moved off one of those sites, no new trailer can replace it, but staff proposed that new trailers be allowed on existing trailer sites.

The second issue concerns the fact that a number of campgrounds contain buildings and hydro infrastructure on lands that are technically owned by the township because they are part of shoreline road allowances. Staff proposed a mechanism to transfer those road allowances to the campground owners.

After the meeting Robert Gentile said the campground owners were happy with the resolution that Council passed.

“I only hope that it gets by the township's lawyer,” he said.

Editor's Note: We contacted Glenn Tunnock to get his reaction to Robert Gentile's remarks. Tunnock said that his philosophy “has always been to see if there is a way for people to achieve their dreams, but I also have professional obligations to abide by. Perhaps this is a case of people blaming the messenger.”

Youth programming – Don Amos and Mary Beth Scott from Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) made a short presentation to council outlining the services the agency provides to youth in North Frontenac.

An after school program at Clarendon Central is attended by over 80% of the grade 4-8 students in the school; movie and event nights have been held in the township and the agency provides transportation for events outside of North Frontenac. As well, a Recreation Guide is produced and delivered to all North Frontenac residents. Amos said that NFCS will be providing Aboriginal programming in the township this year thanks to a grant from the United Church. The agency received $5,500 from North Frontenac Council to provide youth programming.

“Our goal is to keep them active and living in the community,” Amos said.

Young firefighters - In dealing with membership requests from the fire department for two 16-year-olds, members of council expressed a concern about the prospect of under-aged people dealing with dangerous and traumatic situations.

“It see nothing wrong with that,” said Councilor Lonnie Watkins, “the young members only do training, cleaning trucks, rolling out hoses, and that sort of thing. They don't even get their bunker gear for at least a year. How are they going to learn if they can't even join the department?”

Council accepted the 16-year-old members into the department, but said they cannot “attend any incident” until they turn 19.

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..

For almost two years now, Land O’ Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) has operated a Child and Youth Transportation Program. A Trillium Foundation grant, as well as the combined effort of various agencies in Lennox and Addington, made the program possible.

“Now that the Trillium grant is about to run out, the Child & Youth Transportation Program is in danger of becoming extinct. The grant from the Trillium Foundation will be finished as of January 2012 and there are currently no funding options to staff the coordinator position,” said Cheryl Hartwick, the chairperson of the Child and Youth Committee, which oversees the program.

While the transportation programme raises funds to pay for rides through various activities, it needs to find some core funding to keep an office, phone, and part-time co-ordinator in place.

Becky Kavanaugh coordinates volunteers and drives for the children and youth in the area. Since January, there have been 73 drives at a total of 5,838 kilometres. The program currently has four volunteer drivers (and sometimes borrows from the seniors’ transportation program when necessary).

“Although 73 drives may not seem like a lot to most people, to the kids (and their families) who have been able to participate in community events and to get to appointments, it is amazing. If we cannot find sustainable funding for the staffing position, the program will end and that would be devastating to the people who utilize it,” Hartwick said.

LOLCS is currently seeking a way to maintain the program and any ideas would be welcome.

“Please contact Becky at 613-336-8934 if you can help in any way or have any thoughts on how to keep this valuable program operating,” Hartwick said.