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
North Frontenac Futuristic Plans
On July 13’th Craig Bakay of Frontenac News wrote about my plan for trying to resurrect North Frontenac’s economic viability. The article, titled “NF Mayor “two months” away from a futuristic plan for community development” generated a concern by our Council that the article seemed to portray it is endorsed… READ MORE
Recycling - Why bother
(Editors note - The path forward for our waste systems in Eastern Ontario has become identified as a long term issue by Frontenac County Council, and Addington Highlands Council as well. Here Gray Merriam takes a look at recycling in terms of environmental impactgs, in contrast to the incineration option)… READ MORE
Local groups love Canada 150, but the Feds not so much
Those of us who are over 55, have some memory of Canada's Centennial year. I happened to be a kid living in Montreal in 1967, and as part of their efforts to make the World's Fair, Expo '67, a crowd pleasing success and to make it accessible to Montrealers, there… READ MORE
The debate that rages on as no one pays attention
There is a debate raging in the pages of Canada’s major old school media outlets, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC, etc., all Toronto based bastions of the written word. The rest of the world is preoccupied with other matters: melting ice caps, bombings in England, and the idea… READ MORE
Final thoughts on the Srigley inquest
The coroners inquest into the death of Robert Srigley took place two weeks ago in Sharbot Lake. It finally revealing some of the details around the sequence of events that led to his death. The jury that heard all the evidence will be submitting its report, with recommendations aimed at… READ MORE
Unanswered questions in the Srigley case
It’s been almost 4 years since Bob Srigley was shot by police on the porch of his trailer on Arden Road. We know a few things about what happened, but only a few. He was armed with what the Special Investigations Unit report into his death described as a weapon… READ MORE
Big Pot, and big taxes, will rule the day
When I plant a garden each year, I am free to grow as much lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, squash, peas, beans, or potatoes as I am able to. Sometimes I grow extra and give some away. If I grow more squash than I can eat and my neighbour grows more beans,… READ MORE
Septic debate reveals the gap between economic classes
Septic systems are as much of a defining characteristic of rural areas as pickup trucks, fishing rods, beaver dams, and rubber boots in the springtime. Urban residents can remain blissfully unaware of what happens once everything is flushed down the toilet or the sink, but not so in the countryside.… READ MORE
Septic system maintenance and assessment program explained
“Do no harm.” That’s how Craig Bakay started his article in opposition to the Central Frontenac Septic System Maintenance and Assessment Program passed by Council. Do no harm. That is exactly what a septic system is supposed to do. It takes potentially dangerous waste, neutralizes it and returns it back… READ MORE
Central Frontenac to Police Septic Systems
Primum non nocere . . . “First do no harm.” It is indeed a pity that committees of council have no form of Hippocratic oath to adhere to. Rather, they are free to focus with tunnel vision on one particular dogma without need to consider the law of unintended consequences.… READ MORE
Opportunity Knocks?
It’s safe to say that a company of the size and wealth of Feihe International has never expressed an interest in doing business in Frontenac County before. As we saw from the census just last week population growth in Frontenacs not only lags badly behind the rest of the country,… READ MORE
MP Bossio on Electoral Reform
There are a lot of things that could, and have, been written about last week’s revelation that the Trudeau Liberals will not reform the electoral system even though Mr. Trudeau himself repeatedly promised they would before and after his party took power. But let’s look at what a Liberal MP… READ MORE
South Frontenac Wastes an Opportunity
A number of well-meaning and reasonable letters have come in to the paper over the last few months about the decision South Frontenac Council made to change the way they charge residents for waste management. Instead of charging $125 per household as had been the practice, the cost of waste… READ MORE
Cheery Thoughts on a Winters Day
South Frontenac and Frontenac County have both completed their budgets for 2017. While it may not have been a picnic for either of them, they were both at a significant advantage when compared to what politicians in smaller, more remote townships will be facing over the next few weeks. Take… READ MORE
Sydenham to Sharbot Lake in Only Two and a Half Hours
Was anybody else stupid enough to be out driving around Tuesday night? I don’t usually write in the first person but for this brief report, I don’t have much else. Tuesday night was committee of the whole for South Frontenac Council. It was a productive meeting, a little long-winded for… READ MORE