Frances Smith hosted the Frontenac County wardens' dinner last week at the St. James Catholic Church Hall in her home township of Central Frontenac. The meal was also locally catered by Tim Cota of Cota's Mobile Catering of Tichborne.

The evening provided an opportunity for politicians from Frontenac and surrounding municipalities, volunteer committee members, and leaders from groups and associations to get together over a meal. It was a chance to reminisce about the previous year, and talk about the future.

For Frances Smith it marked one of the final acts of her year as warden. It is the second time she has served in that office, the last time being 20 years earlier in 1996, when she was the reeve of Oso Township.

Isabel Turner served as warden while she was the reeve of the former Kingston Township, and later served as mayor of Kingston between 2000 and 2003, after Kingston Township was amalgamated into the City of Kingston. When she found out that Don Lee, the 97-year-old former warden from the former Hinchinbrooke Township was also at the dinner, she and her husband John bolted from their chairs and went to find him and have a chat.

When it came time to gather all the former wardens for a photo, they all gathered around Turner and Lee, who were still deep in conversation.

The old Train Whistle Blues haunt Central Frontenac Council

“In my 30 years on council, this is the first time anyone has brought the train whistle at Crow Lake to the township's attention,” said Mayor Frances Smith in the face of a request by Cecilia and Donald Lafleur of Anderson Road that the township explore the possibility of requesting CP Rail to stop its trains from whistling as they cross Crow Lake Road near Crow Lake Village.

Lafleur sent the township a copy of the petition he has been circulating among neighbours, along with a document that outlines the procedure that a municipality can follow for “eliminating whistling at public grade crossings”.

The document says that a municipal council can issue a public notice of its intention and then consult with the railroad operator to determine if a “cessation of whistling” can be accomplished within the regulations that govern safety at rail crossings. If that can be done, the township can pass a resolution banning the whistle, and the railroad would then have 30 days to provide for alternate safety measures, such as lights, bells and/or gates. Then the whistling would stop.

Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald said the “first question here is, do we agree that the whistling should stop, and I don't agree that the whistling should stop.”

Other members of council were worried about the potential liability that could accrue to the township if there were an accident at the crossing after whistling had ceased.

“I wouldn't want to do anything that can create even the impression that safety was compromised,” said Councilor Jamie Riddell.

“The process is laid out in the document,” said Councilor Sherry Whan. “It really wouldn't be up to us.”

“The train has been whistling at that crossing for a long time,” said Councilor Brent Cameron.

Mayor Smith said that she did not know how often the train passes through the crossing and speculated that a staff member might be given the task of monitoring the crossing over a 36-hour period.

But it did not come to that, as Council, having exhausted the topic, voted to simply receive the correspondence from the Lafleurs without taking any action.

Icarus Power turned away

Perhaps it was an omen that the Oso hall, where Tuesday afternoon's Central Frontenac Council meeting took place, had lost power due to an isolated outage that hit only one block in Sharbot Lake.

Representatives from Icarus Power intended to ask for municipal support for five Micro-Fit solar projects in Hinchinbrooke District. However, since they were not listed as a delegation on the agenda for the meeting, Council had the option of hearing them or not. A vote to accept a delegation on the spot required a 2/3 majority vote.

Mayor Smith was about to call a vote on the matter, when Councilor Victor Heese interjected.

“I don't see how we can act on whatever they are going to request of us without a staff report,” he said. “I suggest they go to staff first and then we can hear the presentation once.”

A discussion ensued and eventually the vote to accept the delegation was defeated.

As they left the building, the representatives from Icarus said they were disappointed because the window for provincial approval for these small hydro generation projects opens on October 31, and the first projects that are submitted have an advantage over those that are submitted afterwards.

“Municipal support is very important,” one of them said, adding that although Icarus was late in approaching the township they did contact staff a week before the meeting. He said they had met with all the neighbours, who had signed petitions supporting the projects as well.

A number of Micro-Fit projects, proposed by Abundant Solar, were supported by motions of Council earlier this month.

“Cautiously optimistic” says McGovern about 'budget to actuals' for 2016

Treasurer Michael McGovern said that even though a lot of information is still coming in, he is optimistic that township spending in 2016 will fit within the confines of the township's budget for the year.

Treasure Trunk moving; asks township to place bin in parking lot.

The Treasure Trunk will be moving its not-for-profit used clothing, household items and furniture store out of Sharbot Lake to a new, larger location on Road 38 south of Sharbot Lake in late November. Janet Barr, the store manager, requested that the township allow a bin to be placed at the corner of its parking lot to hold donations. She said that the bin would be emptied on a daily basis.

The township approved the request and Mayor Smith said staff from the township and Community Living, the agency that runs the store, will work to make sure the location of the bin is appropriate.

Accessibility Advisory Committee

Janette Amini, the clerk and manager of Legislative Services for Frontenac County, made a presentation to Council about the activities of the Accessibility Advisory Committee of Frontenac County in 2016.

The committee, which includes Kurt Halliday as a citizen representative from Central Frontenac, along with Councilor Tom Dewey, has been involved in a county effort to obtain a grant for the development of an Age-Friendly Community Action Plan this year. They also provided input regarding changes to the county policy on customer service and other legislated requirements; and provided input and recommendations on public parks, chip trucks, accessible parking and boat ramps.

In Central Frontenac, the staff co-ordinator for accessibility, Donna Longmire, reported that accessibility played a role in the development of the library and fire hall in Parham, which was constructed level with the ground; in the installation of accessible playground equipment at the Parham fair grounds; and in the plans, as yet not acted upon, for an accessibility upgrade to the township office.

Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) has embarked on an exploration of the needs and desires of seniors in North and Central and parts of South Frontenac.

An online survey has been posted on the agency’s website (NFCS.ca) and will also be available at local libraries, churches, township offices, medical centers, and at the NFCS Adult Services office in Sharbot Lake.

The survey has two purposes, according to NFCS manager of adult services, Catherine Tysick.

“We are looking to see how well the senior population is aware of the services we provide,” she said, “and with a new generation of seniors moving in we would like to know what kinds of programs they are interested in.”

NFCS offers a range of programs for children, adults, families and seniors. Among the programs for seniors that are currently delivered directly by NFCS and through its affiliated agencies are counselling, mental health service, monthly Diners clubs, Meals on Wheels, housekeeping support, personal support, Lifeline, Adult Day Program and others.

Tysick also meets monthly with members of different seniors’ groups in Frontenac County, and in recent times she has noticed that as members of the groups age, the younger seniors who are retiring and those who are moving in to the area are not as interested in joining those groups.

“We are looking to find out what people are interested in seeing in their communities to help us design programs for the next 10 or 15 years,” she said.

The survey, which takes only minutes to fill out, includes an opportunity to enter a draw. Three of the people who fill it out will receive a $50 gift certificate to be used at a local business.

Anyone who is 55 or older can fill out the survey, which will be available throughout the month of November.

A project funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, “Alleviating Social Isolation Through Technology”, (ASITT) is well underway. Connections Adult Learning is using the funding to help run digital skills workshops and to provide access to digital equipment and internet connections. The objective is to help people in the northern rural areas of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington to better enjoy the benefits of the digital age.

The first phase of this project has now been completed. This phase involved three main activities. The first of these was establishing two community advisory committees, one each for the Frontenac and Lennox and Addington areas. Local volunteers representing various groups in the community make up the committees, which are already providing ideas, guidance and suggestions about the project’s objectives (e.g. workshops, events and drop-in centres).

The second activity was purchasing digital equipment. Hardware purchased for the project includes seven tablets (2 iPads, 4 androids, 1 Windows10 Tablet), four laptops, two printers, four smart phones, two digital cameras and two cellular wi-fi hubs to provide connectivity for activities in locations were wi-fi is not available. Connections has also recruited an initial group of ten Digital Coaches. These coaches have volunteered their services to staff digital drop-in centres, assist with workshops, and provide other support such as photography, administration, etc.

The next phase of the project involves providing a number of free digital services to the numerous communities in the area. Connections has already started on this by offering two six-week-long workshops at each of their two sites, Sharbot Lake and Northbrook. These trainings are helping people use smart phones, tablets and Windows 10 computers.

As the first group of workshops end, new series will be offered. For example, the Connections’ Sharbot Lake office will be presenting a “Digital Gifts” workshop series, on Wednesday mornings beginning November 16. There will be more series starting in November. Connections Adult Learning suggests you check their Facebook page or their website www.connectionsadultlearning.ca for upcoming events.

The ASITT project will be offering some short, one-time workshops, too. For instance, David Elyea of Frontenac Computers will present a free workshop on “Data usage and How to Read Your Bill” on November 10 from 12:30 to 3:30 pm at the Kennebec Community Hall in Arden. Connections’ staff say they are looking for suggestions for future topics.

An important part of this project is running Community Digital Drop-in Centres. These will be places where people may go to “get connected” with wi-fi and to use or try-out digital equipment such as computers, smart phones, digital cameras and ipads and other tablets. Volunteer Digital Coaches or Project Staff will be available to provide some advice, brief training and to help solve minor problems. The first of these Digital Drop-ins will be starting in November. Times and places are provided in the Northern Happenings and in a chart in this paper. Schedules will also be on Facebook or Connections Adult Learning’s website.

To help make the project happen, Connections has been connecting with local service clubs organizations, businesses and municipalities, to help establish the drop-in centres, one-day workshops, and social events. Those contacted so far have been very open to Connections’ requests for space, use of Wi-Fi, and ideas for joint events.

If your local service group or organization is looking for a way to help increase traffic through the doors, help your participants or to do a good turn for the community, you can contact Connections to discuss what digital service or event you could host.

Excited by how the project is going so far, Connections is eager to coordinate more events but say they need you. Why not attend training sessions, share your digital talents as a digital coach or convince your organization or business to donate space or plan a digital event?

And, remember to keep checking Northern Happenings in this paper to learn about additional drop-ins, upcoming training sessions and digital social events.

On a normal Wednesday, at least for 50 or so weeks a year, there is a boisterous gathering at St. Andrew's Church hall in Sharbot Lake at noon.

Twenty to 30 people gather to share lunch and help clean up afterwards. They laugh and eat and visit and clean up and then they are on their way.

Last week on October 12, the Community Drop-in celebrated 20 years and about 1,000 lunches, and while people have come and gone over that time there has been one constant, Mike Procter.

Procter runs the Adult Protective Services worker program at Northern Frontenac Community Services, and when he started the Community Drop-In his idea was to move beyond his own agency, to work with local churches and other agencies to develop a Drop-In for the entire community.

Procter works with a vulnerable clientele, many of whom are developmentally disabled, and works in concert with Community Living North Frontenac, a key partner in the Drop-In to this day.

However, it was important to him that the the Drop-In was welcoming to the entire community.

Twenty years later about a quarter of the people who come to the Drop-In are from the general public and the rest are clients of one of the local agencies.

“While I have been a constant, everyone who comes to the Drop-In is a volunteer. We plan meals together; we cook and clean up together. The people who attend decide what we eat, what kinds of activities people want to engage in,” he said.

Last Wednesday, to mark the 20th anniversary, over 55 people came to the Drop-In, packing the hall and eating a special pulled pork dinner prepared by guest chef Tim Cota.

“We needed to get Tim here this week, because we can't serve 55 people,” said Procter.

Procter said that the secret to the Drop-In's success, in his view, has to do with its outreach to the community at large. “There are other people in my position who started to hold weekly lunches, but none have lasted as long as the Drop-in”. Mike Procter thinks that is because they were limited only to the clientele of the agency that was putting them on.

“We have had so many people come to the Drop-In for a year or two after a partner has died or to get themselves out of the house after an illness, and then they move away or stop coming for some reason, but there is always someone else coming in afterwards,” he said.

The Drop-in operates using some of Mike Procter's work time and support from Community Living-North Frontenac, but the major source of funds to buy the food, coffee and tea that is served comes from the $5 cost of the meal.

“We don't have a lot of money to spend, but since the hall is donated and there are volunteers working here each week, including students from the high school, hundreds over the years, the Drop-In has been able to thrive,” he said.

The Community Drop-in takes place every Wednesday at noon. Lunch costs $5 including coffee and dessert, and all are welcome.  

Embrace the Present; Reconnect with the Past; Look to the Future

Some readers might remember Centennial year in 1967. Those who don’t remember can Google it. Regardless of what memory bank you search, your own or the web’s, you’ll learn that 1967 launched one of the greatest periods of national unity Canada had ever known – and it lasted a long time. Not to suggest that we have a unity problem today but a little more togetherness never hurt anyone. And togetherness is something Canada 150 can deliver.

Central Frontenac is a community of communities. Its population is spread across four former townships and ten to twelve villages and hamlets – each of which has, to some degree, maintained its own identity. The year-round population has older families, many with First Nations ties, plus newer people, many retired, who have chosen to build a life here. The summer population is spread across five or six larger lakes and many smaller ones. Again, each has its own identity and character.

Bridging these cultures is a community development exercise. It will be achieved through the programs that are planned for Canada 150 and the partnerships that are built in the process of hosting them. The bridge between old families and new will be built through activities with heritage education elements. The bridge to our First Nations community will be built through education programs in the schools and Shabot Obaadjiwan events open to the wider community. The Parham Fair will, as it has in the past, do much to bridge the urban-rural gap. Festive events will build bridges between local and cottage populations and the young-old gap will be bridged by music. The partnerships established are reflected in letters of support for a Canada 150 provincial grant. They came from service clubs, heritage groups, First Nations leaders, schools and agricultural societies.

Canada 150 projects proposed so far come in a range of sizes, shapes, weights and colours. A very large, public project is completion of the K&P trail. A very small private one is Mr. Virgil Garrett’s open house displaying his collection of grandfather clocks. Virgil has already had more than 70 visitors. The year’s social calendar is book-ended by Legion events – a New Year’s Day levee in Arden to see the year in and a New Year’s Eve ball in Sharbot Lake to see it out. Our spiritual needs will be addressed through a sacred fire and sharing circle, through an open service sponsored by the area churches and by an “old-fashioned hymn sing” in Parham United Church. Heritage elements include the Kennebec Heritage Garden in Arden and several proposed exercises to capture our history in print.

A number of things which have become a standard part of our social year will take on a special Canada 150 flavor. It will be a focal point for this year’s Frontenac Heritage Festival including the display of 150 quilts. It will be the theme of the 2017 Christmas Festival of Trees. The Parham Fair committee is planning special activities this year as it is also their 125th anniversary. And the Canada Day celebrations will be bigger and better than ever. Even the lake activities will be special with fireworks on the lakes and some lakes, Crotch and Horseshoe for one, planning a celebratory flotilla.

Our expectation is that 2017 will be a fun-filled year but that means a very busy one for our traditional army of volunteers - the recreation committees, the fire fighters, the Lions, Legions and fraternal organizations to name but a few. The challenge for the township’s Canada 150 committee is to help these groups publicize their own Canada 150 projects while they organize to support each other. The focus right now is to fix dates in time to have things included in the 2017 event calendar and to publicize through the media we’ve established – link through the Central Frontenac web site or visit our Facebook page at Canada 150 in Central Frontenac. If you want to be actively involved, call Bill Bowick at 613 279-3341 (e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). We’ll value your assistance on either the Canada 150 committee or with one of the groups organizing a project.

Watch for events as they’re posted and enjoy them as they occur. It should be a great year for everyone.

Central Frontenac to hire full-time fire chief

After receiving a consultant's report on the operations of the township fire department last month, Central Frontenac decided to move on two of the key recommendations at their meeting on Tuesday afternoon, October 11.

The first was to manage all IT functions of the fire department, including software, at the township office instead of within the fire station

The second proposal they acted on was to hire a full-time chief. This was also accepted by Council with little debate. The only question raised was over a third recommendation, to turn the two-day a week admin support position at the township office into a full-time position.

“Could we just hire the fire chief and let them tell us what we should do about admin support? The thinking is that it is easier to add a position than to take it away,” said Councilor Victor Heese.

Donna Longmire, who provides admin support to the fire department as part of her job in the admin team, and who also happens to take minutes at council meetings, was asked to comment.

“I do work that Bill [current fire chief Bill Young] asks me to do when he comes into the office, but if the fire chief was in working 35 hours instead of 16, I expect they might do a lot of that work. But really I don't know what is going to happen with a full-time chief,” she said.

Council approved the new hire and passed the matter over to the hiring committee to oversee the process.

Building report: another million dollar month

Building permits for $1.14 million in construction were taken out in Central Frontenac in September, almost double the amount in 2015 and five times the amount in 2014. That brings the yearly total to $6.4 million so far this year, up from $5.6 million at the same time last year.

Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven said that judging from the pile on his desk, October will be another good month. Permits for three new residential units were taken out last month, for a total of 13 this year.

Property Standards bylaw coming to Frontenac

CBO Neven reported that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs will no longer be providing inspection services for rental properties under the Residential Tenancies Act, as of July 1, 2018.

Neven said this will not be a financial hit to the township because it pays the ministry for this service and can contract the service to Frontenac Bylaw Enforcement, the company that enforces all township bylaws including the township's Safe Properties Bylaw, which covers the exterior of township homes and the surrounding properties.

However, the change will have legislative implications for the township. While more than half the municipalities in Ontario have property standards bylaws in place, Central Frontenac, along with both North and South Frontenac, does not.

The Central Frontenac Safe Properties Bylaw contains many elements that are commonly found in property standards bylaws.

In announcing it is getting out of the enforcement business, the ministry recommended two options for townships in the position that Central Frontenac finds itself.

They could simply enforce the standards that the ministry enforces now, or they can enact a property standards bylaw and bring external and internal standards into one bylaw. The advantage of this option is that it allows for a locally run appeals process.

Neven recommends that Central Frontenac rescind its Safe Properties Bylaw and enact a single property standards bylaw. He also said that since he is also the CBO for North Frontenac and the acting CBO for South Frontenac, he will be recommending that all three townships work together to see if a single bylaw can be enacted.

“I know what people say about property standards bylaws. For the record let me say this: I hate government, and I don't like the idea of government or anyone enforcing aesthetic standards on property owners. But we do have the opportunity of designing our own standards and making them reasonable for our residents while making sure our buildings are safe,” he said.

Members of Council were split on the matter. While Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald said, “I don't see a choice”, Councilor Brent Cameron said he preferred to keep things as they are as much as possible, a position that was shared by Councilor Jamie Riddell.

For her part, Mayor Frances Smith was not ready for the municipality to take on more of a role dealing with issues that are often centered on disputes between neighbors, as enforcement of bylaws of this sort are only triggered by complaints.

“I don't think we should give up on the province providing this service, because if it becomes local the number of complaints will only go up. We need to keep lobbying.”

Six Feed-in-Tariff solar projects receive municipal support

With the intake period for FIT (Feed-In-Tariff) coming up at the end of October, six projects from two different companies – Abundant Solar and the Wintergreen Co-op in association with Soventix Corporation - were presented to council hoping for a motion of municipal support.

Four of the projects are 250 kw projects, and the other two are 500 kw projects. If built, the 250 watt projects will take up three acres, and the 500 watt ones about five acres. The ground-mounted solar fields would all be located within relatively large two to three hundred acre properties and would be set back from neighbors. Provincial guidelines also require that they are hidden from view by berms of plantings.

Councilor Victor Heese asked if the proponents have informed or consulted with neighbors, and Rob Hitchcock of Abundant Solar said that the small FIT programs, unlike the larger LRP (Large Renewal Procurement) projects, do not require consultation.

“But really, there is no impact on neighbours from these,” he said.

“But you could consult even though you don't have to,” said Heese, and Hitchcock agreed.

Brent Cameron said the township should establish a policy insisting on consultation before it grants municipal support.

“I will support these because there isn't much time, but we should do something in the future so companies know they must consult to get our support,” Cameron said.

The motion of support was approved, although Councilor Heese voted against it. The proponents will find out if their projects have been approved in the coming months.

Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald said he recently was part of a phone call with Premier Kathleen Wynne as part of his role with the Provincial Liberal Party (he was twice a candidate in Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington) and he asked if the FIT program is on the chopping block in the wake of the cancellation of the LRP program last month.

“She said it was not, and I expect we will see hundreds and hundreds of these small projects now that the large ones are not happening,” he said.

Heat to be pulled from Hinchinbrooke School

Council followed the recommendation of Jeremy Neven to disconnect the water in the former Hinchinbrooke school in order to avoid having to put new heating tanks in. The cost will be $500 to $2,000 but will be more than offset by the savings in fuel oil. He described the risk of the building heaving and damaging its foundation as the result of frost as minimal.

On Sept. 22, members of the Granite Ridge Education Centre Parents’ Council joined with administrative staff at the school to celebrate the end of a successful fundraising campaign. The parents’ council made a commitment to raise $22,000 to go along with an $11,000 commitment from the Limestone Board for an electronic sign at the front of the school.

It took 26 months to raise the money. Parents’ council members raised money at their Ladies’ Night events, through tea and coffee sales, Nevada funds, and through their share of proceeds from the annual Polar Plunge at the Frontenac Heritage Festival.

The sign provides a public face for the school and informs the school and local communities about upcoming events.

The Treasure Trunk and Community Living-North Frontenac held a very successful fundraising ball tournament on Oct 1 at the Parham ballfield. The tournament and raffles raised $2000. They would like to thank everyone who participated and helped out. Congratulations to the Kurt Thompson team for winning the tournament. Special thanks to those who donated items to raffle including Godfrey General Store, The Pine Tree Hill, Deb's Delights, Bakers Cakes & Crafts, Sharbot Lake Petro-Canada; also thanks to District 4 Rec. Committee for donating their time and running the canteen. The 50/50 winner was Tracy Sands. Raffle winners were: Gwen England, Amanda Young, Bonnie Beattie, Laurie Love, Stephanie Thompson, Garnet Hartwick, Amy Gibson and Jen McPherson.

OPP checks in

Staff Sergeant Sharron Brown, Detachment Commander for the OPP Frontenac Detachment, which has overseen the satellite detachment in Sharbot Lake since April 1, 2015, paid a visit to a meeting of Central Frontenac Council that was held at the Piccadilly Hall on Tuesday afternoon, September 27.

She apologised for not bringing information to the township more often, and encouraged the township to set up a Community Policing Advisory Council in order to facilitate more collaboration and information flow between the local police and the township.

She also presented two different sets of information, one concerning crime rates and other statistics over the last year and one about the complicated job of keeping the Sharbot Lake detachment at adequate levels of staffing.

The detachment, which provides service to both Central and North Frontenac, requires a staff complement of nine officers to be fully operational, and with transfers and promotions it has been difficult to get to that level over the last year or so.

Staff Sgt. Brown said that the complement now stands at seven, and two new recruits will be coming after they graduate on February 1, 2017. In the meantime officers from the Frontenac Detachment fill in when necessary.

In terms of crime rates, the numbers do not show a great amount of deviation over the last three years or so.

The most common crimes that the OPP investigate in the township are assaults, break and enters, and thefts.

In terms of traffic charges, there are four categories that are common: speeding, seat belt violations, impaired, and distracted driving. The most common by far is speeding.

Of the data that she provided, she said some of it is “hampered by the fact that I cannot separate out Central Frontenac from North Frontenac and Highway 7.”

Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald asked if, since South Frontenac has a formal contract with the OPP but Central and North Frontenac only use what is known as “status quo” policing, “would it be a good idea to negotiate a county-wide policing contract?”

“My short answer is to go for it if you want to,” said Brown, but she then said, “From my point of view there is very little difference between the two models any more except for the existence of a police board instead of a policing committee, and any enhancements that a municipality chooses to pay for.”

Until 2012, South Frontenac paid for a community officer as part of its contract, but that position was eliminated when policing costs went up dramatically. Currently there are no enhancements in the South Frontenac contract.

Councilor Victor Heese asked if, since North Frontenac already has a community policing committee in place, “could Central Frontenac combine with them instead of setting up a stand-alone committee?”

“The Policing Act allows for that option,” said Brown.

After she left, Council passed a motion asking staff to bring back options for a new committee.

Councilor Jamie Riddell said that instead of putting two members of council on the committee, it might be best to have one member of council and the fire chief or deputy fire chief.

A report will come to the next meeting on October 11.

Abundant Solar comes calling

Rob Hitchcock, from Abundant Solar, came looking for a motion of support for two 3-acre solar projects it is planning to launch bids for under the Feed-in-Tariff program of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) of Ontario. The sites are located near the Henderson Road mid-way between Kennebec Lake and the hamlet of Henderson. Township will look to a staff report before considering the applications.

An application by the Wintergreen Co-op will be dealt with in the same manner.