Exempting_seasonal_residents
Feature article July 28, 2005
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What about exempting seasonal residents from education taxes?
by Jeff Green
Last week I wrote a column that spent some time considering the relationship between waterfront ratepayers and municipalities, specifically over the contentious issue of taxation in the era of increased market value assessment.
The column concluded by saying that relationships may be strained considerably next year as the escalating waterfront property market of the past two years translates into further increases in taxation for waterfront ratepayers.
This brings some urgency to efforts by WRAFT (The Waterfront Ratepayers Association for Fair Taxation) to convince the provincial government to cap assessment increases in a given year, or to establish a new category for taxation, waterfront residential, which would pay a lower rate of taxation than do residential taxpayers.
While these proposals have merit, and WRAFT makes a very credible argument that the burden of taxation has been unfairly shifted onto waterfront ratepayers because of the exploding value of waterfront properties relative to other properties, rural municipalities will likely oppose any attempt by the Province to erode their assessment base.
As has been pointed out again and again, rural municipalities have been undergoing a financial crunch since the downloading of services from the province that took place in the late 90s. There is limited commercial/ industrial assessment and virtually no growth in that area each year. As a result, even though municipal services dont compare at all with those in urban centres, the tax rate is much higher. The tax rate in Toronto is about $1,000 for every $100,000 of assessment, whereas it is over $1,500 in Central Frontenac.
So any move by the Province that would lead rural municipalities to be forced to increase the tax rate will lead to legitimate outrage by rural politicians, who have already been frustrated by the burden placed on the shoulders of all rural ratepayers.
Thats where Education taxes come in. They are about 21% of property taxes, and all of the money is transferred out of municipalities to the Province of Ontario. The majority of waterfront properties in rural Ontario are seasonal properties, so the owners are paying education taxes on their properties in the city as well as their vacation properties. If, for example, education taxes could only be levied once against a family, say on their property of greatest value, it would mean a considerable savings for the owners of seasonal properties without costing rural municipalities any money.
Another means of addressing the difficulties faced by low income waterfront property owners would be to boost the level of rebate they receive through their Ontario tax credits at income tax time.
Both of the above mentioned measures would cut property taxes from waterfront ratepayers without costing municipal governments anything. They would, however, cost the Provincial government, which is also facing a deficit.
The problem is, ultimately, that while no one seems to dispute that waterfront ratepayers are being overtaxed, no government wants to forego any revenue, and transferring the burden to another group or another form of taxation is not exactly desirable either.
Maybe thats why WRAFT has found little success with the Finance Department at Queens Park. JG
Naec_grad
Feature article August 4, 2005
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NAEC grad wins major scholarship
by Jeff Green
Andrew Defosse, who just graduated from North Addington Education Centre this past June, is one of only 6 winners from Ontario and 43 nationwide of the Gar?eld Weston Merit Scholarship for Colleges (GWM-SC) National Awards, which will cover the cost of his col-lege education to the tune of as much as $50,000 over three years.Andrew heard about the awards from his guidance Counsellor, Mr. Ryan, and ?lled out an application form.To be honest, I kind of forgot all about it until they phoned, he said from his family home this week When the Foundation phoned, they conducted a rela-tively short interview.They talked to me for about 10 minutes, Andrew De-fosse said, con?rming some of the things I had said on the application. At this point he had passed through the Provincial and Regional levels, guaranteeing him a scholarship of $4,000.He was then invited to Toronto for the ?nal interview process at Centennial College. Over the course of a long day, Andrew and the 80 or so other applicants were in-terviewed by four different people, culminating in four on one interview at the end of day.At about 9 oclock the next night, they phoned and said I had been successful, he said.The GWMSC awards are given out to students who have good academic grades, but the focus of the awards is on community involvement.You had to have either a 75 or 80 per cent average to apply, but that was the last time grades were mentioned, it was based on community volunteering, and future plans, Andrew Defosse said.What we are really looking for are outstanding stu-dents, who have made a strong commitment to their communities, and are embarking on a ?eld of study with a similar kind of commitment, said Nadira Ramharry, a spokesperson for the Foundation.Andrew Defosse has been an active community volun-teer throughout his High School years, coaching basket-ball and soccer, working on events at the Barrie Hall with the Cloyne Rec. Committee. At NAEC, he served on the student Council last year, and two years ago MCd the Remembrance Day Ceremony, and provided behind the scene support at an event organized to raise awareness about Violence against Women.He intends to work in policing, and he will be attend-ing Cambrian College in Sudbury this September to start a two year course in The Foundations of Polic-ing. If all goes well, he will then apply to go to Police College through the OPP and start a policing career. It is early days yet, but Andrew is interested in eventually join-ing a tactical po-licing squad of some sort.As an award recipient, he will be receiving $8,000 for living expenses this year, plus his tu-ition at Cambrian College. He will need to keep the Foundation apprised of his progress, and his continuing ?-nancial need after that, but the scholarship is good for up to 3 years. There are also possibilities for summer travel and education through the scholarship fund that Andrew might consider.
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Gray MerriamLegaleseGeneral information and opinion on legal topics by Rural Legal ServicesNature Reflectionsby Jean GriffinNight Skiesby Leo Enright
What do you do when your heart starts to pound?
Editorial by Ann Elvins
I looked at the 4 x 6 inch photograph. Everyone was smiling ~ let’s play ball. It was the summer of 2005 and the workers at the Saputo cheese factory in Harrowsmith had formed a baseball team. A mixture of guys and gals, arms slung casually over shoulders looked out at me from the photo. Even the plant manager was running the bases.
It was a good summer for all who worked at the cheese factory. Money was being invested. The plant continued to be upgraded. There seemed little reason for concern when the “big guys” arrived from Quebec for a plant meeting on October 12. Few of the 89 plant employees were aware that weeks earlier, on September 28, Saputo announced the closure of a cheese and by-product manufacturing plant in Whitehall, PA. This closure affected 115 employees of the largest dairy producer in Canada. With 45 plants across Canada, the USA and in Argentina Saputo was about to announce that they were giving up on Harrowsmith. The letter handed to each employee reads in part: “...after a lengthy review of the current situation and careful consideration of possible alternatives, a difficult decision was made to permanently close the Harrowsmith facility in phases from now, October 12 until June of 2006.”
So what do you do when your heart starts to pound, when your mind begins to race, when you hear the news that just 9 weeks before Christmas you are about to lose your job, your pay cheque?
For some of the younger workers it appears to be a window of opportunity. I have spoken with 3 employees who are thrilled that Saputo may find suitable positions for them in Burnaby, British Columbia. As well, the company has promised to do its best to find suitable positions for the older workers. I’m told there is a plant in Trenton. The details concerning these “possible” transfers are yet to be determined by the company. And, knowing that it will be impossible to incorporate all of the 89 workers into other plants Saputo has retained the services of Knightsbridge GSW, a career transition service from Toronto, to provide assistance to those employees who need “job search” guidance.
So it’s not like Saputo has simply walked away. Yet, what about the hard-working guy who in 33 years of employment at the cheese factory has only taken 4 sick days? What about the gal whose husband is disabled and she is the sole breadwinner? What about the guy with a grade 8 education who is 55 years old and according to one employee, “could run this plant with his eyes closed.” What will happen to these people? Job training, moving expenses, education programs are just empty words. And, what about Harrowsmith. Our sense of village.
We have been hit hard – right where it hurts the most. Last month the Anglican church gave up two churches; one in Verona the other in our village. Wycott’s the local pub and meeting place gone. M&J’s Eats and Treats, where you could get the best cup of coffee on Hwy #38 gone. What will follow now that that there are fewer people to rent videos at the local store, to buy pop and pizza. What about the schools that depended on Saputo for help with fund-raising. Every local organization with a good cause could count on the plant manager providing cheese baskets. Yes, the impact on this community is far reaching. If only we could back to the good old days when the plant was owned by a family. When you could walk in on a summer day and know that you were about the get a couple 3 dip ice-cream cones and a bag of cheese scraps for less than five bucks.
Well, those days are gone for this village.
Groenewegen
Feature Article
February 23, 2006
Former GoldenEagle leads GoldenGaels
by Jeff Green
Once
upon a time Molly Groenewegen was a young girl learning the rudiments
of hockey at North Frontenac Arena as an 11-year-old Frontenac Flyer.
She was then attending St. Patrick’s
Catholic
School
in Harrowsmith. Although many young hockey players grow up and out of
the sport, Molly has kept on playing, for the Sydenham High School
Golden Eagles, and finally for the Queen’s Golden Gaels Women’s team.
Now in her fifth and final year at Queen’s, Molly, who plays forward, is the captain of the Golden Gaels and will be leading the team when it plays at the Ontario University Athletic Association Tournament in St.Catherine's at BrockUniversity in early March.
Molly wants to bring her hockey experience back home when she graduates. As a concurrent education student, she studied Geography and Math for four years, making the dean’s list upon graduation. This year, she is completing her education degree, which includes month-long placements in local schools. In the first term she did a placement at Sydenham High School, and she is now placed at Loughborough Public School with the grade 7 Challenge Program.
“I’m hoping to do some coaching when I graduate, either for a high school or at the local level,” she said in an interview earlier this week. She hopes to get a job teaching at Sydenham High School eventually.
She has little time these days to think that far ahead, however, as she works her way through what she describes as her toughest year at Queen’s and looks forward to the upcoming hockey tournaments.
“The biggest thing for us this year has been finishing ahead of Toronto, who have been our main rivals for as long as I’ve been playing for Queen’s.”
As the second place team in the Ontario League, behind Wilfrid Laurier, the Golden Gaels have earned a bye into the semi-finals, where they expect to meet their historic rivals from the University of Toronto .
“We are feeling good about playing Toronto because we beat them each time we played them this year,” Molly said.
The winner of the semi-final will not only play in the League Final against either Wilfrid Laurier, Brock or Guelph , and they will also earn a berth in the Canadian University Championships, to be hosted by St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia .
While
Molly Groenewegen has not found the on-ice role of being captain of the
Golden Gaels too difficult, since the team has “really good chemistry
and there are no real issues with the players”, she has had to find
extra time for community events this year. As captain, she has been
involved in fundraising activities for the Boys and Girls Club of
Kingston, including a skills competition with members of the armed
forces, the Kingston Police, and Penitentiary. There will also be a
Kids for Kids hockey tournament later in March to the benefit of the
neo-natal cancer program at The Eastern Ontario Cancer Centre.
For the next two weeks, however, apart from the students at Loughborough Public School , Molly Groenewegen will be concentrating on the final hockey games of her university career.
Meanwhile, at a dairy farm near Harrowsmith, her proud family will be waiting to hear of her success.
Education_taxes
Feature Article
March 2, 2006
Education taxes frozenby Jeff Green
At their meeting this week, Central Frontenac Council received some good news from the Ontario Ministry of Finance. Education taxes, which account for almost of the municipal budget, will not rise in 2006.
In fact, the education rate will be adjusted down to reflect property assessment increases.
“The government is again holding the line on education taxes, ensuring that, on average, homeowners and businesses will not see an increase in the education portion of their tax bills. The uniform residential education tax rate will be lowered to offset the average increase in assessed values across the province,” wrote Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.
Residents of Frontenac County may pay more than other parts of the province, however, because assessment increases in the county averaged 22% this year, higher than the provincial average.
Central Frontenac Mayor Bill MacDonald informed council that county taxes, which make up another of the municipal levy to taxpayers, “will have an increase under 10% this year, according to the preliminary budget.” County council meets this week to work through the budget. “I have my own ideas about where I would like to see the county budget end up,” said MacDonald, implying that the county budget increase can be lowered somewhat.
Central Frontenac Council will meet in late March to begin their own budgeting exercise.
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Feature Article - May 7, 2006LOLCS-- Community Support Program
by Cheryl Hartwick
Last week’s article covered our dedicated volunteers because it was National Volunteer week. This week we address the programs. Pam Lemke coordinates Adult Drop-In, Caregiver Support & Counselling, Palliative Care, Education & Training, Friendly Visiting & Telephone Reassurance and Social Recreation. Volunteer Peggy Rahm coordinates the Community Bus and Tuesday night Euchres.
Adult Drop-In, a huge success, is held every Tuesday at the Lions’ Hall in Northbrook . The success is due, in part, to it being participant driven. They decide what they want and Pam ensures that it happens ( by providing the necessary tools). Volunteers are crucial - planning, preparing, serving meals, setting tables and doing dishes. On average, 50+ people regularly come out to enjoy a great social time. Some of the activities include exercises (led by certified instructors), games, bingo and square dancing. All enjoy visiting or participating in activities, and some like just to sit and read, enjoying the sounds around them. There is no cost for the activities but there is a small fee for lunch.
Our Caregiver Support Program provides counselling to caregivers and/or family members who are providing care to others. A trained counsellor, Pam delivers the counselling portion of the service and trained volunteers offer some of the support services. This program is client driven and targeted to meet the caregiver’s needs.
Coinciding with the Caregiver Support Program is the Palliative/Hospice Program. The volunteers in this program compliment and enhance family and professional care for those persons who choose to die at home. Trained volunteers assist & supplement (not replace) the family. A palliative care volunteer can provide much-needed respite time to the caregiver. Having a volunteer come in may allow the caregiver the opportunity to go shopping, go to an appointment or maybe just have a relaxing bath without worrying. Referrals for these services can come from other service providers such as Community Care Access Centre, Pine Meadow Nursing Home and local area physicians; self-referrals are also welcome.
Pam, a certified adult education teacher, provides education and training by offering specific and general training to our volunteers, community members and other service providers. Education components contain current information on topics that pertain to volunteer positions, family situations, and/or specific disease and illness issues.
Peggy Rahm, a dedicated volunteer, coordinates two other successful parts of the program, the bus trips and weekly euchre games. The bus trips are scheduled at least once a month (sometimes more), traveling to urban centres for shopping. Peggy also organizes special day trips to casinos, plays, flower shows and many other special outings. She also organizes euchre every Tuesday night at the Lions’ Hall in Northbrook . Euchre begins at 7 p.m. and a light lunch is provided by volunteers each week.
If you are interested in any of the programs mentioned, either as a participant or to volunteer your time, please call LOLCS at 613-336-8934. If you would like to use the community bus or get more details about the euchres, please call Peggy at 336-8765.
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Feature Article - July 20, 2006Employment readiness inConstruction trades wins award
The Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation is pleased to announce that the Employment Readiness in Construction Trades project has been awarded the 2006 Youth Initiative Award by from the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporation (OACFDC).
Employment Readiness in Construction Trades was a new initiative undertaken by the Frontenac CFDC and St. Lawrence College in partnership with Northern Connections, the Sharbot Lake High School , and Frontenac Telephone Company. Training Consultant, Bob McCallum from St. Lawrence created an 8-week training course to introduce participants to the construction trades and to prepare them for entry-level positions in the field. Its main focus featured hands-on carpentry experiences, but it also covered trade theory and safety as well as rumwriting and other related training in employment-readiness skills.
The course was designed so its graduates would qualify to start the challenging three-year provincial apprenticeship training program that leads to the qualification of Certified General Carpenter or other apprenticable trades. And it succeeded. A local construction company accepted and employed two of the graduates as carpenter apprentices. Five others found employment in the construction field and another two graduates found new directions and went back to school.
St. Lawrence College received a cheque for $350. Wanda Williams, Director of Student Services, Continuing Education & Contract Training from St. Lawrence College, announced that these funds would be used for a new continuing education bursary, available to a part-time student working toward a certificate or diploma. Applicants must be residents of Frontenac County , including the Townships of Frontenac Islands, South Frontenac, Central Frontenac and North Frontenac. Applicants must demonstrate financial need.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedGranite Ridge: Students offer tours of new school
Judging by the enthusiasm of the students offering visitors tours of the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake on January 29, it looks as though both staff and students have taken a liking to their new home and home of the newly named Granite Ridge Gryphons.
Grade ten students Aadan Kempe and Riley Teal took me on a tour of the new building, which boasts a three-storey main foyer atrium; huge glass windows in every classroom; an expansive gym with freshly painted logos of the Gryphon team name; a large cafeteria equipped with a huge stage; plus a brand new library on the main floor.
Aadan and Randy pointed out some of the students' favorite hangouts, like the Gryphons' Grotto located in a smaller room on the main floor. They each are fans of their new school for different reasons. Riley, who plays a lot of sports, said he is especially pleased with the school new gym and Aadan said he was fond of the fact that there are white boards in every classroom.
Asked how they enjoy having younger students around, Aadan said it's nice because he knows many of them. The younger students use different entrances into the building so their paths don't often cross with the older students.
Staff also seem to be settling in to their new digs. Grade 8 teacher Julie Schall was busy in her class after hours and said she was pleased with her spacious new classroom. “I love the space and the students enjoy it as well and love the fact that they can rearrange their desks when they are working in groups. They also seem really pleased to be a part of something bigger and also to have the opportunity to volunteer to help out in the kindergarten classes. Because of the presence of the younger students in the school the older students seem to be much more aware of the impact that their actions are having on others,” Schall said.
I met two women also on a tour, one of whom was Cheryl Allen, chair of the school council at GREC, who has a daughter in grade 12 at the school. “I love all of the light, the brightness and the colours and the great new gym,” she said when I met her on the third floor. Allen was part of the PARC and design committee for GREC and she said that seeing the new school finished and being used was a great opportunity to see the whole process come together.
School Principal Heather Highet said she was pleased with all the space available to both students and staff. “We love it and the nice thing is that not only are all of the new classrooms great teaching spaces but they are also a lot of creative learning spaces that can be used by students and teachers throughout the building." She said the new gym is a special bonus especially for kindergarten to grade 8 students, who now have a chance to use the gym every day. “A huge vinyl curtain can come down, dividing the gym in two so that both the elementary and older students can be using the gym at the same time.”
Highet said there a few finishing touches that still need doing, like repairing a few cracked windows that were damaged during construction, and putting a final coat of varnish on the gym floor, which will happen over the March break.
Yet to be operational are the water fountains. Culligan water coolers are presently being used by staff and students as they await the water filtration system being up and running. Highet assured me that the water has been tested and is fine and that is just a matter of the system needing to cycle through a number of times before it becomes operational, likely this month. Highet said the new cafeteria and stage will probably be available for public use by next fall.
Asked if she thinks the demolition of the old school will have any negative effects on the day-to-day operations at the new school, Highet said that she is not expecting any disruptions. The demolition will begin on the March break at the south end of the old school.
Legalese_07-10
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Legalese - March 15, 2007 Age Based Legislative Changes bySusan Irwin, Lawyer/Executive Director December 2006 witnessed a number of changes to provincial legislation that will have significant implications for both young and old in Ontario. Heralded with much fanfare were changes to the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Employment Standards Act that eliminated mandatory retirement for persons aged 65. As of December 12, 2006, citizens of Ontario were given the right and the freedom to decide for themselves whether or not to continue working past the age of 65. Prior to these amendments it was lawful in Ontario for an employer to force an employee to retire when they turned 65.At the other end of the age spectrum, amendments to Ontario’s Education Act now require young people to attend school until the age of 18 or until graduation. Previously, school attendance was only compulsory to age sixteen.
The increase in the school-leaving age to 18 is only one part of the Liberal government’s touted Student Success Strategy. According to a recent government news release, further innovative initiatives that have been passed through amendments to the Education Act (but not yet proclaimed in force), will make the education system more responsive to student needs and help students feel more “engaged”. For example, in addition to attending regular high school, students will have the opportunity to participate in programs of “equivalent learning” that are to be developed and offered by school boards in partnership with community groups, the business community, training centres and post secondary institutions. Students will also have the opportunity to acquire two compulsory high school credits through hands on work experience (co-op) and to earn dual credits (i.e. earn credits and put them towards both their high school diploma and their post-secondary diploma, degree or apprenticeship certification).
While these success programming measures are intended to encourage voluntary high school attendance until age 18 or graduation, the government is also targeting measures to ensure compliance. An amendment to the Highway Traffic Act will authorize the making of regulations requiring that 16 to 17 year olds provide evidence that they are at school or excused from school attendance under the Education Act before applying for a G-1 driver’s licence or progressing to a G-2 or full G licence. As in a number of American states, the courts will also be able to suspend a young person’s driving privileges for habitual absenteeism. Increased fines ($1,000 up from $200) and terms of probation may also be ordered by the Court.
A person can be excused from school attendance under the Education Act for a number of reasons including:
receiving satisfactory instruction at home, sickness or other unavoidable cause, expulsion or exclusion from school, or having obtained a secondary school education diploma or completed a course that gives equivalent standing.In the absence of a recognized excuse for not attending school, students and their parents can be held accountable. A parent or guardian will not be responsible if their child is at least 16 years old and has withdrawn from their control.
Please note however, the assurances of the Ontario government that its proposed driver’s licence sanctions (referred to above), as well as the increased fines for non-attendance or habitual absenteeism from school, levied against the student and/or parent, will not be implemented by the government until it is satisfied that its success programming is sufficiently in place. How that will be determined is not yet clear, but as I and others will be able to continue to work after age 65 I’m sure someone will have the time to figure it out and get it right.
In the meantime, if you have a question about compulsory school attendance or the end of mandatory retirement, please feel free to contact Rural Legal Services, your MPP, or the Ontario government for more information.
Legalese is a column of general information and opinion on legal topics by the lawyers of Rural Legal Services, Box 359, Sharbot Lake, ON, K0H2P0, 613-279-3252, or 1-888-777-8916. This column is not intended to provide legal advice. You should contact a lawyer to determine your legal rights and obligations.Afghanistan
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Feature Article - April 26, 2007Supporting girls inAfghanistan
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 57% of marriages that take place in Afghanistan today involve girls below the age of 16. In spite of legislation passed in March 2007, this will continue to be the common practice in much of the country. However, when a young girl can simply write her own name, she becomes less desirable as a child bride. The education of girls (4% now attending school) continues to be a priority for the local group, Canadians for Women in Afghanistan, coordinated by Parham resident Madeleine Tarasick. The local chapter has raised $40 000 to date, while all the Canadian chapters have collectively sent 50 000 girls to school over the past decade. We are pleased to announce our next annual gala to raise funds for girls’ education and other projects (shelter, orphanage, resource centres). Because all our members are volunteers, our organization has no overhead costs and 100% of donations go directly to our projects. This year’s gala takes place on Monday, May 14th at the Kingston Gospel Temple, 6 - 9 p.m. It features Georgette Fry’s choir, Shout Sister, followed by special guest speaker Omar Samad, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada - “Afghanistan - Why Does it Matter?” Silent Auction, Afghan snacks and sale items.
Tickets are $30, available at the Limestone District School Board reception desk, or from Madeleine Tarasick, 613 375-8290 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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