On June 25, 2019 at 3:31 p.m. the Lennox and Addington County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a report of an assault at Bon Echo Park off County Rd 41 in Cloyne. 

Investigation revealed that a person was acting in an erratic manner by screaming and yelling. The person approached two other park users and threatened to hit one of them with a stick. The person followed through on the threat and was subsequently restrained by the victim's friend as well as an off-duty park warden until police arrived.  The victim received minor injuries

Police arrested 23 year old Armand Joshua GUANLAO of Scarborough for assault with a weapon contrary to the criminal code of Canada. GUANLAO will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Napanee on July 30, 2019

On June 3, 2019 shortly after 7:00pm, Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a traffic complaint from a concerned motorist about a person who was driving and was unlicensed.

The vehicle was located in Verona and as a result of the investigation, Frank Teal, a 27-year-old from Tichborne, Ontario, was charged with prohibited driving.

The motor vehicle was towed and impounded for 45 days. The accused was released on a promise to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston at a late date to answer to the charge.

Central Frontenac Township passed a bylaw reducing speed limits through the hamlet of Sharbot Lake at its regular meeting Tuesday night at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

Under the new regulations, Road 38 shall be 70 kph from Hwy 7 to 14551 (about the Child Centre) and 50 kph from there to 14000 Road 38 (about Brewer Road). The new regulations do not affect the school zone in front of GREC, which remains at 40 kph during school hours.

Also, the remaining roadways within the hamlet shall be reduced to 40 kph. These roadways include Elizabeth Street, Garrett Street, Robert Street, Mathew Street, Thomson Street, Cannon Road, Legion Road, Medical Centre Road and Wing Crescent.

Also, Council approved the purchase of a “solar-powered school zone device” for $12,652 plus HST.

Acting Public Works Manager David Armstrong said in his report concerns had been raised by the OPP and communicated to the Community Policing Advisory Committee over the number of differing speed zones along the 4.3 kilometre stretch of Road 38 where there were nine posted speed limit signs travelling south and eight posted speed limit signs travelling northbound.

“Sgt. (Buff) Chadwich based out of the Sharbot Lake OPP detachment brought forward some concerns regarding the posted speed limit signage on Road 38, specifically from Highway 7 to Brewer Road,” Armstrong said. “The message conveyed by the officer was that there were too many speed limit signs and there was no consistency, making it difficult for them to enforce.”

Stairs to cost more

Council approved an additional $1,237.60 for the stairs project at Oso Hall to deal with rotting sill plate discovered during the renovations. The additional costs will come from the 2019 budget.

Washroom woes

The washrooms at Oso Beach are temporarily out of order due to problems with auto-flush valves and water supply. Manager of Development Services Andy Dillon told Council that parts are on order (rubber seals) and that there is no evidence the damage is anything more than normal wear and tear.

In the meantime, two portable outdoor toilets have been installed at a cost of $90 for both plus a weekly fee of $65 each plus 8 per cent for sewage disposal. He said rates for for a minimum four-week rental which will allow them to be used for Canada Day.

Premium gas prevents wear and tear?

Dep. Mayor Victor Heese wanted to know why the Township uses premium gasoline in its fleet.

Acting Public Works Manager David Armstrong said that “it prevents wear and tear” and “that some people say it doesn’t.

“If Council wants us to switch to regular fuel, we can do that after this contract,” Armstrong said.

Palliative Care

Matt Walker of Compassionate Care and Sandy Whaley of South Frontenac Community Services addressed Council wanting to get their message out that palliative care services are now available in the area.

Walker said they have several goals including end-of-life care and support, creating access and capacity for a visiting hospice program, reducing social isolation and reducing emergency department visits and/or unnecessary hospitalization.

He said the area involved is more than 4,000 square kilometres with a very low population density, a higher percentage of people over 50 and over 65 than most of Ontario and a lower median income.

Whaley said that part of what they do is giving caregivers a break for a couple of hours or so.

“Our volunteers don’t come to entertain you or be entertained,” she said. “It can take a lot of energy to be social but you don’t know that until you have no energy,” she said.

On Saturday May 25, 2019 shortly before 12:00pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 15 near Washburn Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 54 kilometers over the speed limit.

The driver, a 21-year-old from Amherstview Ontario, was charged with stunt driving which resulted in the licence and vehicle being seized for seven days and the driver was given a summons to appear in Provincial Offences Court in Kingston at a future date to answer to the charge.

On Sunday, May 26, 2019 shortly after 7:00pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Perth Road near Davidson Side Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 30 kilometers over the speed limit.

As a result of the investigation, the 20-year-old driver, was charged with speeding, no insurance, cannabis accessible to the driver and a three-day licence suspension after registering a warning on the roadside alcohol screening device. The driver was given a summons to appear in Provincial Offences Court in Kingston at a future date to answer to the charges.

On Saturday May 25, 2019 just after 4:30pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 401 near Sydenham Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 38 kilometers over the speed limit.

As a result of the investigation, the 34-year-old driver from Glenburnie was charged with speeding and driving with a suspended licence.

On Sunday May 26, 2019 shortly after 3:00pm, the same officer was near the area of Highway 401 and Montreal Street and observed the same driver, operating the same vehicle as the day before.

As a result of the investigation, Lawrence Mc Ewen was charged with breach of probation, breach of a weapons prohibition, fail to comply with probation order, possession of a prohibited device and suspended driving. The accused was held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston.

Arrest results in weapons charges

On Saturday, May 25, 2019 shortly after 9:00pm, Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were patrolling the Kingston and Pembroke trail. The officers saw an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and spoke to the driver.
As a result of the investigation, the 21-year-old driver, John Badour of Central Frontenac Township, was arrested on warrants that had been issued by the Ontario Court of Justice. The accused was held for a bail hearing and was charged with possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and carrying a concealed weapon.

“Get out and do things with little ones,” said United Way representative Kim Hockey last Thursday at the South Frontenac garage on Keeley Road. “You don’t have to save for a trip to Disneyland every day.

“Take the time and make the moment matter.”

“It might even kick start a career,” said Tim Hockey.

The event, Touch the Truck, is part of the United Way’s Success By Six program and features trucks and equipment assembled together from South Frontenac Township, Frontenac OPP, South Frontenac Fire & Rescue and Frontenac Paramedic Services. The idea is for parents and grandparents to bring their little ones out to climb into cabs, and see just what all these big vehicles do.

It’s also family time in disguise.

“It shows the importance of early years,” Dickey said. “United Way has more than 120 activities throughout KFL&A but you don’t necessarily have to have an organized event for people to spend time together.

“It could be just having dinner together, reading a story or taking a walk.”

But this was an event and one that accomplished more than one goal. Getting together as families and a community is one of them, but it’s also a chance to let people see and hear about the various organizations at work in that community.

“Each of these organizations and vehicles play a huge role in our day to day lives,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “The support they provide to our community each and every day is outstanding.”

And it’s fun. That was plain to see on the faces of the kids, parents, grandparents and even on the firefighters, police officers and Township workers demonstrating equipment and explaining how it works.

In other words, the organization workers seemed to be having as much fun as the people who came out to see their gear.

Paramedic Lyanne Dickie had a huge smile on her face as she showed kids where things are stored in her ambulance.

“This is my first event of this type,” she said. “I’m really enjoying it.

“There are a lot more kids than I expected and the energy is vibrating off them.”

It’s probably fair to say the most controversial aspect of North Frontenac’s new Zoning Bylaw has been the inclusion of the Palmerston Lake ANSI (Area of Natural or Scientific Interest).

To that end, Mayor Ron Higgins has been corresponding with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) trying to get to the bottom of why it was established in the first place.

ANSIs in Ontario come in three flavours — Provincial, Regional and Proposed. In the Frontenac County Official Plan, Provincial and Regional ANSIs are recognized, including the Palmerston Lake one.

In a report to Council, Higgins wrote: “The MNRF has advised the Palmerston Lake ANSI is regional; however, the issue is that the current Council and staff has not been able to acquire the historical information and supporting documentation from MNRF to adequately address the concerns of our residents and the Township itself.

“Provincially and Regional significant ANSIs are treated the same in the County Official Plan, whereas MNRF does not have the same restrictions for regionally as Provincially designated ANSIs.”

Higgins went on to say “this issue is a concern for our Township and residents as many wee unaware of the Palmerston Lake ANSI designations due to the omission of this requirement in past Official Plans and residents stating they were never involved in any consultations by MNRF at the time (other ANSIs were shown on the 2003 Official Plan).”

“They (MNRF) haven’t provided their justification for designating,” said Coun. Vern Hermer.

“I suggest we delay the procedures until the MNRF responds,” said Coun. John Inglis.

“There are other aspects of the bylaw people need,” said Higgins.

“Perhaps some amendment where ANSIs can be revisited,” said Coun. Fred Fowler.

“At the public meeting, the ANSIs will be on the map,” said Clerk-Planning Manager Tara Mieske. “But, it’s a draft.

“If, after the public meeting, Council decides to take the out, they can.”

Higgins said he’d work with the County to get its Official Plan amended.

Township to rescind firearms bylaw

Mayor Ron Higgins said he’d received two complaints concerning the discharge of firearms in the Township and so the Township’s firearms bylaw was on the table at Friday’s regular meeting in Plevna, complete with a series of amendments.

However, there didn’t seem to be much support for the way things were worded.

“It’s too encompassing, too broad a brush,” said Coun. Gerry Martin. “This is going to prevent people from hunting ducks on Malcolm Lake.

“We’re up here in hill country (and) we’re hillbillies.”

Coun. Fred Fowler, himself a retired police officer, said that any complaints should be investigated by OPP officers and perhaps the noise bylaw applied.

“If there are charges to be laid, they’ll lay them,” he said.

CAO Cheryl Robson agreed.

“Why do we even have this bylaw?” she said. “It’s all covered under the Criminal Code, the Hunting Regulations or it’s just not our jurisdiction.”

“I recommend we rescind the whole bylaw,” said Coun. Vern Hermer.

And that’s just what they decided to do.

Council asked staff to bring back a bylaw rescinding the firearms bylaw next meeting.

Good Roads report

Public Works Manager Darwyn Sproule’s trip to the Good Roads Conference was informative, he told Council.

“The age of the ‘expert’ is declining,” he said. “There is so much information available.”

But, with all the advancements in electronic communication and information, there is a bit of a downside, he said.

“Complaints are now easier to make,” he said. “And, with email, they can be made faster, which means people can complain while they’re still angry whereas in the past, they had to take time to write a letter, giving them an opportunity to calm down.”

Those who said that the Ford government in Ontario would bring in the kind of tumultuous era that came about when the Mike Harris government ruled the roost in the late 1990’s, might be saying I told you so about now.

Under Harris, the delivery of health, education, social and municipal services in Ontario all saw radical changes. Under Ford, the same thing is happening.

The 14 Local Health Integration Networks LHINS, which fund hospitals, homecare and other health services, are being folded into a single agency. That was not a huge shock to anyone. The LHIN’s, a Liberal government innovation, were never very popular and the Conservative Party said they would eliminate them while on the campaign trail last spring.

The subsequent plan to eliminate dozens of health care and community support agencies in order to set up single service providers for populations of 300,000 or so residents signaled the direction the government intends to take, across the spectrum of provincially delivered services.

This week, the true breadth of change is coming even more clear with the announcements that Public Health Units will be restructured. Thirty-two health units will be reduced to 10, each serving a million or so people.

Then, another shoe fell, when it was announced on Monday that 52 Paramedic Service Providers in the province will be restructured down to 10 as well.

As taxpayers, we should be able to hear from our politicians how these changes, with all the up-front costs they will bring, will improve service delivery and/or save money. Before disrupting operations that have been working to create efficiencies and trying to build effective corporate cultures around delivering public services, we all need to know that there is a coherent plan to actually make things work better.

But we have none of that. All we have is this suspiciously round number, 10. There are 14.8 million people living in Ontario, spread in a very uneven fashion over a 1.07 million square kilometre land mass. Somehow, it makes sense to have 10 (not 9, not 14, not 8) but exactly 10 Public Health organisations and the exact same number of Paramedic Service operators.

It might be a coincidence but it suggests that instead of a thoughtful consultative process aimed at determining the best way to deliver essential paramedic services, and promote and defend public health, a small group of political operatives sat around a table and thought 10 was a nice round number.

The Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, put out a statement on twitter on Tuesday, after the story came out, about the changes to Paramedic Services.

“As we modernize our health care system, we will empower paramedics to improve the already great emergency care they provide. We are working with frontline paramedics and our municipal partners to ensure emergency health services can better meet the needs of Ontario’s communities,” she said

The way this has been announced and the fact that no one involved in paramedic services had any idea this was coming, suggests that Elliott’s claim that “we are working with frontline paramedics and municipal partners” is false. If that claim is false, then why should Ontarians believe that the new emergency system will indeed “better meet the needs of Ontario’s communities”.

Later in the day, Premier Ford seemed to step back from what had been a definitive statement of the governments intent to make these changes, by saying “nothing is written in stone” and “we are looking at all options”. This only serves to indicate that this government is willing to make announcements first, and develop concrete policy later.

I might be proved wrong, but I expect that services to more remote regions of our area, such as Denbigh and Robertsville in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington, will face closure when a single service provider, with no local oversight, is responsible for all of Eastern Ontario, from Cobourg to Cornwall in the South and Pembroke to Huntsville in the North.

The implications of this will hit Frontenac County more than just about any other jurisdiction, since losing the Paramedic Services will cut out over 40% of its operating budget.

What this does, as well, is leave municipal politicians to wonder what comes next. The changes to Paramedic Services and Public Health reveal that the provincial government is more than willing to radically change services, that are financed with both provincial and municipal dollars, and operated by municipalities. And in doing so, they will effectively be taking over the services.

There is an example of how this works, the operation of the OPP. Municipal ratepayers pay for the service through property taxes, but municipal councils have no say in either the operation of the service or how much it costs their ratepayers. All of the control rests with the Province.

It is becoming more and more evident, that the next change that is coming will involve a restructuring of Ontario municipalities themselves.

Should we be getting prepared for the 10 municipalities solution in Ontario?

The Hawkins-Gignac Foundation for CO Education has donated 50 carbon monoxide and 20 smoke alarms to the Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue to assist with the department’s ongoing public safety and awareness campaigns. Alarms will be distributed by fire crews to local individuals identified as requiring the safety devices, on an as-needed basis.

“I’m very pleased to provide these life-saving alarms to Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue and to support its department’s community safety programs,” said John Gignac, a veteran firefighter and Executive Director of the Hawkins-Gignac Foundation for CO Education. “I applaud the department’s efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of fire and carbon monoxide (CO), and to highlight the preventative measures local residents can take to enhance their own safety.”

“When we find a home that requires a carbon monoxide alarm and it doesn’t have one, we make sure one is installed before we leave. This means we need a supply on hand at all times, and that is costly for small rural municipalities,” said Fire Chief, Greg Robinson. “We are very appreciative for this donation and recognition of our home safety initiative.”

Mr. Gignac founded the charitable foundation after his niece, Laurie Hawkins, an OPP officer from Woodstock, her husband, Richard, and their two children, Cassandra and Jordan, all died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2008. A blocked chimney vent from their gas fireplace forced the deadly gas back into their home. The family did not have a carbon monoxide alarm.

“It’s been 10 years since the accident. We can’t change the past and bring them back, but we can make sure that this never happens to another family,” Mr. Gignac said. “Please protect yourself and your family today. Have a licensed technician inspect your fuel-burning appliances annually, and install at least one CO alarm in your residence. Don’t wait for tragedy to strike.”

Carbon monoxide is called the “Silent Killer” because it is colourless, odorless and tasteless. The only safe way to detect the poisonous gas is with a working carbon monoxide alarm. Ontario law requires that at least one working carbon monoxide alarm be installed outside all sleeping areas in every home that has an attached garage, wood or gas fireplace, or any other gas or fuel-burning appliances. The law also calls for CO alarms to be replaced within the timeframe indicated by manufacturers (7 to 10 years).

For further information, contact: Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue (613-279-2935, www.centralfrontenac.com/en/living-here/carbon-monoxide.aspx )

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) of the Frontenac Detachment has recovered stolen property from a residence in South Frontenac Township.

The items include hand tools and power tools such as cordless drills and impact drills, a job site radio and commercial copper wiring. The power tools have initials written in black marker on some of the items.

If anyone has any information regarding the recovered property, please contact the Frontenac OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or anonymously online at tipsubmit.com.

The Frontenac Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning the public after several people have been contacted in neighbouring counties regarding a new phone scam that has surfaced in Ontario.

The scheme involves the victim receiving a phone call from someone posing as a retailer and alerting them that their credit card account has been compromised. The victim is then told to call 911, as well as their financial institution, to report the fraud but when they hang up, the person is unaware the call is not disconnected. Police said the victims are then led to believe they make an outgoing call and are speaking to au thorities but in fact the original call was never disconnected. The victims are then told to go to their banking institution to transfer funds into a different account which is supposedly intended to safeguard their funds. The victim has in fact received these instructions from the original fraudster.

Protect yourself from this and other frauds and scams. Don't give out personal financial details or information over the phone. Don't believe callers who say they are from your bank or credit card company, if you have a concern go to your bank personally. Educate yourself about banking practices. Banks would never advise you to transfer funds to another outside account to protect your funds. More information on frauds and scams and how to protect yourself can be found online at

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Consumer Protection Ontario

Canadian Bankers Association

Ontario Provincial Police