Reader supported news
When the North Frontenac News was established as a not-for-profit enterprise in 1971, its stated purpose was to knit the small isolated communities together north of Verona. There were other information sources about the world ‘out there’ but none that focused on local issues and celebrated the joys and quirks… READ MORE
Can you compare taxes between Frontenac municipalities? Maybe.
I have often wondered why the tax rates in the Frontenac townships vary so much, and why it is that residents living in my own township, Central Frontenac, pay a much higher tax rate than anyone else. It should be easy to compare tax rates in neighbouring townships in the… READ MORE
Election Year
The last time we all went to the polls was for the Federal election way back in the fall of 2015, when the 10 year old Steven Harper led Conservative government was tossed out in favour of the Liberals under Justin Trudeau. This year the 14.5 year run of the… READ MORE
2017, a year to be remembered — for me at least
It’s generally a good sign when you manage to last an entire year with any organization. This is particularly true in the news business. Last year at this time, I was just preparing to give notice at The Frontenac Gazette. It wasn’t any specific incident, just that things weren’t the… READ MORE
Mixed emotions over the demise of an old foe
On Monday afternoon, I heard that the Frontenac Gazette/Kingston Heritage had shut down. Soon after, I found out that the entire newspaper landscape in Ontario has been dealt a blow. The two major players in the market had agreed to cease competing with each other in a bid to make… READ MORE
Fun with numbers again
Readers who get their news from sources other than this one and who have a keen eye for numbers, may notice that we are reporting an increase of 4.5% in the Frontenac County budget, while official releases from the County itself and reports in other papers will peg the increase… READ MORE
Remembrance Day
For years I attended, and covered, Remembrance Day events. I always feel the emotions, the weight of loss, but never thought much about the political implications of the ceremonies. To me, we paid homage to the old soldiers who fought on our behalf in the wars of the distant past,… READ MORE
Council makes generous donation, with our money
Frontenac County Council has approved, in principle, a plan to donate $55,061 each year for the next ten years to the University Hospitals Foundation of Kingston, the fundraising arm of the Kingston General, Hotel Dieu, and Providence Care hospitals.This decision came about after two presentations by board members of the… READ MORE
On the Scott Reid exercise in direct democracy
Most readers of this paper received MP Scott Reid’s Constituency Referendum in the mail last week.* Mr. Reid, long an advocate for legalising cannabis, is placing his vote on Bill-C45 - the Cannabis Act, in the hands of the registered voters living in the riding of Lanark – Frontenac –… READ MORE
It is time to leave the monarchy behind
I happened to be driving while the ceremonial investiture of Julie Payette as Governor General of Canada was taking place late on Monday morning. The CBC Radio 1 commentators were talking in breathless tones about the spectacle, making it all sound like the Grey Cup or Rose Bowl Parade. The… READ MORE
Minimum wage and income tax
Like many very small business owners I was wary when I read about increases opf the minimum wage to $14 in January and $15 a year later. It is a big jump from where it is now, big enough that it will affect the entire labour market over the next… READ MORE
Controversy free planning for development on lakes? – never
A lot of people who live in rural areas value their privacy. For those living on lakes, privacy is hard to come by. That view of the water brings a view of other people with it. There are next door neighbours, across the bay neighbours, and boaters and fishers buzzing… READ MORE
Sir John A MacDonald: Hero or Villian?
When the Central Frontenac planning committee were putting their agenda for the year together they came up with the idea of a John A. Macdonald Ball in October, to celebrate the local heritage of the countries’ first prime minister. Macdonald invested in both Perth Road and the K&P railway, and… READ MORE
It's time to start loving the K&P Trail
It’s been a long haul for the development of the K&P Trail in Frontenac County, and as was pointed out at the Grand Opening of the Trail in Sharbot Lake last Saturday, the trail is not quite complete even yet. In fact, even though a Trans-Canada Trail official told CBC… READ MORE
NF Mayor is taking a risk by acting as promoter
North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins is a retired consultant who ran for the position of Mayor when a vacuum was created in North Frontenac politics after the sudden death of former Mayor Bud Clayton. None of the people who were on council at the time, and no former members of… READ MORE
Sharbot Lake slated as a stop on the Shining Waters line
Last year then Frontenac County Warden Frances Smith met with representatives from Via Rail who were working on developing a business case for the Shining Waters Railway line, a fast rail that if built, will bring passenger rail from Toronto to Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. They met with… READ MORE