Martha Steigman, a documentary film-maker from Halifax, will be presenting her film, Honour Your Word, at the United Church Hall in Sharbot Lake at 2 pm this Sunday (November 9). The title Honour Your Word is taken from a slogan that is used by residents at Barriere Lake, an Algonquin reserve that is one of the poorest in Canada. It asks the Province of Quebec and the Government of Canada to honour a conservation and resource-sharing agreement that was negotiated with them that was negotiated in 1991.

The film follows the lives of two young leaders: Marylynn Poucachice, a mother of five, and Norman Matchewan, the soft-spoken son and grandson of traditional chiefs. Both spent their childhoods on the logging blockades their parents set up to win a sustainable development plan protecting their land. Twenty years later, Norman and Marylynn took up the struggle of their youth, to force Canada and Quebec to honour their word.

The context for the barricades at Barriere Lake is familiar. The community was in disarray over leadership, and the Province of Quebec decided to move in and impose third party administration, angering both sides in the dispute.

Underlying the internal tension and anger over the imposition of governance, is the ever-present disconnect between the Algonquin community's connection to the vast tracts of land surrounding their tiny 59 acre reserve, and the arrangements that had been made between government and logging interests.

Director Martha Steigman spent four years shooting this documentary, which challenges stereotypes of “angry Indians.” Honour Your Word juxtaposes starkly contrasting landscapes - the majesty of the bush, a dramatic highway stand-off against a riot squad, and daily life within the confines of the reserve - to reveal the spirit of a people for whom blockading has become an unfortunate part of their way of life, a life rooted in the piece of Boreal Forest they are defending.

The film was released this past March, in the midst of many changes at Barriere Lake. There has been a recent Supreme Court ruling supporting the position of the current Band Council in its quest for land and resource rights outside of the context of the comprehensive land claims policy. A policy the federal government has been pursuing for 20 years that requires First Nations' Aboriginal rights to be extinguished with the signing of land claims agreements.

After the one-hour documentary is shown, Martha Steigman, Marylynn Poucaciche and up to three other Barriere Lake community members will be on hand to answer questions and share coffee and food with the audience.

The film is being presented by the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation in support of their sister community. Admission is free, and there will be an opportunity to donate to the community of Barriere Lake.

by Linda Zwier

Would you like to help local kids who have vision or hearing problems? Given the opportunity, wouldn’t you support people who may be blind, deaf, on dialysis or have diabetes? Would you say no to helping raise funds for the Food Bank, the Salvation Army Christmas Hampers, the CNIB or the Summer Swim Program?

The Sharbot Lake & District Lions Club has been serving this area for over 63 years. We are presently seeking community-minded people who want to make a difference in their own neighborhood or even half way around the world. Our official motto is simply “We Serve”. What better way to explain our mission? You can learn more about the Lions by attending our Information night on November 18 at 7 p.m. at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake. Check us out on Facebook or visit our websites: www.sharbotlions.com or www.lionsclubs.org .

Anyone 18 and over can become a Lion. In fact, we have several couples who enjoy Lionism as a rewarding family activity. Yes, we work hard but there is also a social aspect to membership. We enjoy many fun activities with the folks from other Lions clubs, especially those from nearby communities here in Eastern Ontario. Membership in a Lions Club provides people with the opportunity to meet and work with other individuals, striving toward the common goal of helping those in need. We enjoy the camaraderie of the group as we involve ourselves in club activities. The satisfaction gained by being a part of these efforts is one of the big rewards of being a Lion.

How do we serve? We are very proud of our “Vision Screening” program. For over 10 years we have been testing the eyesight of local kindergarten and grade one students. In October we visited the schools in Plevna and Mountain Grove, along with Granite Ridge and St. James Major schools in Sharbot Lake. We use equipment purchased with the monies we have collected through our various fundraising activities. A new piece of gear now allows us to test their hearing as well. And we continue to support a project called “No Child Without”. In this program, we work hand-in-hand with the Medic Alert Association to provide every child in our local schools with the Medic Alert bracelets they may need to keep them safe at school, at home and everywhere in between.

We also enjoy working with our senior citizens. In mid-June each year we go to a seniors’ home to barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs for the residents and their families. And each October for the past 38 years we have invited local seniors to spend a wonderful evening of entertainment, prizes and good things to eat. We even provide the buses to bring folks in from all over the district.

We are proud to support Adopt-A-Highway, our pavilion at Oso Beach, the Central Frontenac Summer Swim program and the parades at Christmas and Canada Day. Over the years we have purchased equipment for the Medical Centre, the playground at the beach and have provided financial support to the Dog Guides, the Salvation Army, the Canadian Diabetes Association, the Food Bank and many others, including people with specific needs within our own community. We could do none of this without the support of local folks like you! When a Lion asks you to buy a chocolate Easter bunny, a Christmas fruit cake or a raffle ticket on any of our great prizes, your money goes to support all of the above – and more!

How can you help? You could add your name to our list of community volunteers or you could become a full-fledged Lion. We are always seeking new members in our club. We need people who want to improve their community. You can email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613-539-8190 or 613-375-6318. WE SERVE!

In July of this year, the Lions Club held its 97th Annual International Convention in Toronto! The Lions Club is the biggest community service organization in the world with more than 1.6 million members and close to 20,000 of them came from around the world to attend the convention here in Canada. The eight delegates from Sharbot Lake were thrilled to watch as the Parade of Nations made its way, for over five hours, down University Avenue. That evening, delegates representing about 189 countries filled the Air Canada Centre to near capacity. Your eight local Lions came away with a renewed commitment to serve their community, their country and the world. Next year the International Convention will be held in Honolulu!

by Marily Seitz

Renowned Maritime guitarist, singer and songwriter JP Cormier will be presenting a guitar workshop in Sharbot Lake. He is the master of many instruments but is a genius on the guitar. His fingers fly with speed and precision and he leaves his audience awed by his talent. JP Cormier will be performing in the evening of November 15 at the Sharbot Lake Inn and will conduct his guitar workshop in the afternoon at the Oso Hall from 3:00 to 4:30.

Cormier’s workshops for festivals, small groups or companies are a whirlwind of information and technical delight. This master of the instrument takes the workshop audience on a journey through ‘all things guitar’. From purchase, technique and set up, to flat picking and finger-style, this workshop is an information bomb for players in any style or genre. It is for experienced guitarists with the prerequisite skills (ability to fluently play open chords, to use strumming patterns and to read guitar chord charts), who will be delighted with the content of the workshop.

Presented by Blue Skies in the Community, the JP Cormier guitar workshop will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 3 to 4:30pm at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake. Cost is $30 for adults or $20 for students. To register for the JP Cormier workshop, or for further information, contact Marily Seitz at 613-479-2855 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

by Nina Jenkins

Things are a-buzz on the stage at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as children and adults of North Frontenac Little Theatre prepare to stage their first production, Aladdin, in the new facility. Those involved are pleased to be working on a nicer, deeper stage and are getting used to working in the new space. Members of the theatre group are appreciative of the working relationship with the school administration and staff and the school board for allowing us to use the space to provide community entertainment to the surrounding areas.

Brian Robertson, who is directing this play, is pleased to have permission to include a stage extension to provide for scenes to be done in front of the curtain while a scene is being set up behind. Jeff Siamon assisted with installing it in the cafetorium.

For the first production at GREC, the theatre group has chosen the play Aladdin, a family type show with broad audience appeal, which involves young children, teens and adults. Robertson, who has directed many such plays while teaching at Land O' Lakes School, is very pleased with how rehearsals are going. The show has a lot of music and dance and so requires a good amount of practising “to get it right”.

Assisting Robertson is Andrea Dickinson who works with six of the youngest actors/dancers arranging choreography, practising lines and preparing costumes for them. Basically, she is responsible for the part of the show involving the young actors and it is amazing the progress these young people are making. Dickinson has been involved with a number of NFLT shows, most recently in My Narrator.

Also doing choreography with the other actors is Tim White who has a background in dance.

Jeff Siamon now has the theatre lights installed in the room and is grateful for the use of the “genie lift”, which allows him to reach the high ceiling to position and manipulate the lights. The process of setting up the lights to get them where you want them takes time and patience. Siamon has used a general placement of the lights which can be used not only for this play but for future plays and school activities with some minor adjustments. He is satisfied with the results and is now concentrating on fine tuning the lighting for this show.

We are happy that Andrea Jones, a newly retired elementary school teacher, is sharing her talents and is teaching the songs for the show. The songs are tricky with a lot of words and she is pleased with the progress of the actors, especially the young ones.

Rounding out the music for the show will be Gary Giller on Bass, Sandy Robertson on flute and John Inglis on piano.

Set design and construction is being done, once again, by Peter Platenius, Donna Larocque and Martina Field. Peter says that he is pleased with the space in the wings of the stage and is adjusting to the new space.

Sally Angle, house manager, is busy planning on how to set up the “house” and is planning for placement of the ticket table and refreshment site.

Costumes are being prepared by Peggy Muldoon who is busy finding the appropriate pieces, altering, tucking, embellishing and fitting them for each actor. John Pariselli and Nina Jenkins are co-producers for the show.

Aladdin will be presented at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Thursday, November 27, Friday, Nov. 28, Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 1:30. So pick a date, get on your “magic carpet” and join us for an entertaining evening or afternoon. Tickets will be on sale soon at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy and Sharbot Lake Dollar Store. Watch for future ads in this paper and for posters in the surrounding area businesses.

Mike Procter, adult protective services worker at Northern Frontenac Community Services in Sharbot Lake, was all smiles following a celebration on October 15 marking the 18th year of the weekly Wednesday drop-in lunch, which has grown markedly over close to two decades.

In 1996, the Province of Ontario closed the Adult Rehabilitation Centre Industries (ARCs), which brought an end to one of the sheltered workshop adult day programs that ran in Mountain Grove and was geared to community members with developmental disabilities.

Mike Procter founded the weekly drop-ins as a response to the closures. He said, "When that happened there was not much for our clients to do in the community so I decided to start this weekly lunch as a way for people to get together, enjoy some food, socialize and get a chance to develop friendships.”

Procter got the necessary agencies together, acquired the initial letters of support and the necessary funding, and through a partnership with Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS), Community Living-North Frontenac and the Northern Connections Literacy Centre, the weekly lunches were initiated. The agencies each put in a bit of money to buy the first meal and on its first day in 1996, 13 people showed up. On October 15, 32 people attended and on average 25 people come every week to enjoy the lunches, which take place Wednesdays at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Sharbot Lake from 10am until 2pm. The meetings include a hot, home-made healthy meal, juice, coffee, dessert - all for only $4. Procter usually cooks the meal but often volunteers also offer him a hand. “If for some reason I cannot be here the program stills runs by itself,” which Proctor said is a good thing. “I will not be here for ever so it is nice to know that the program will be able to continue.” When the event began, it attracted mostly clients from NFCS but Proctor said that that has changed. “Now about 25% of our guests are members of the community at large.” Proctor also stressed that the meetings are much more about socializing than just about having a meal. “People come early and some often stay all day. For many people it is the highlight of their week and when a regular visitor is missing, others notice immediately and will often check up on that person to make sure that he or she is okay.”

The $4 cost covers the expense of the food and renting the hall. For attendees without transportation guests will often carpool. Those wishing to attend the Wednesday drop in but who do not have transportation can contact Mike Procter at 613-279-3151. The monthly menus are posted on Facebook at What's Happening Central Frontenac.

by Elizabeth Steele-Drew

Granite Ridge Education Centre celebrated the accomplishments of the grade 9 -11 students from the 2013-2014 school year on October 15 at our annual Academic Awards Assembly. Congratulations to all Gryphons from last year on their excellent academic achievements. Students received subject awards for earning the highest mark in a class; honour pins for earning an 80% or more average; a Provincial Standard Award for reaching the Provincial Standard average of 70%; a Gryphon of Extraordinary Excellence award for earning Excellent in all 6 learning skills in 6 subjects as well as special awards generously donated by community members. As well, proficiency trophies for earning the highest academic average in a grade were awarded to Alison Maddison (Grade 11 with an 89%), Riley Teal (Grade 10 with a 91%) and Brianna Drew (Grade 9 with a 92%). Seventy-five percent of last year’s grade 9 class, seventy-eight percent of the grade 10s and eighty-three percent of the grade 11s from the last school year were recognized for their incredible academic accomplishments. The staff of Granite Ridge Education Centre would like to thank the parents/guardians who attended. We appreciate the partnership that we have developed to support our students as they learn and grow.

 The event is just one of three United Way fundraisers that happen annually at the school every year. Local area high school students can also support the KFLA United Way at their upcoming Starlight Film Festival event, which takes place in Kingston at the Cineplex Odeon on Gardiners Road from 12:30AM-6:30 AM on Saturday, November 8 (Friday night to Saturday morning). Five PG-rated movies will be shown: Anchorman 2, Despicable Me, Pacific Rim, Pitch Perfect and X-Men: First Class. Tickets are $20 (cash only) and include free arcade games, unlimited popcorn, a drink and a free hot dog. The event is only for high school students and is a non-smoking event. Valid student ID is required. Doors open at 12:30 AM and close at 1:30AM. For more information contact the KFLA United Way at 613-542-2674 or visit www.unitedwaykfla.ca

Sharbot Lake will have a new housing option for seniors next year.

Hands have been wringing up and down Frontenac County ever since the Sharbot Lake Seniors' Home closed early in the summer of 2013.

Seniors' housing is a community priority in Central Frontenac and a key component of the new Frontenac County Strategic Plan, and having a 30-bed facility closed and sitting on the real estate market belied the effectiveness of those efforts.

All that changed late last week, when realtor Alison Robinson of Lake District Realty put up a "Sold" sign on the building. The really big news as far as she is concerned - and in this matter she speaks for herself and the building's soon to be former owner, Dr. Peter Bell - is that it will continue to serve the ageing population in Sharbot Lake and vicinity.

“We really wanted to sell this property to someone who was not going to re-purpose the building, and even though all the big developers we talked to said that we would have to accept that, we are happy to say it will remain a residence for the senior population,” Robinson said after the sale was announced.

Details about the nature of the new use for the home will be forthcoming later. The new owner, who is remaining anonymous for the time being, released the following statement:

“Sharbot Lake Retirement (and Retreat) Ltd., is the operating entity that will be taking over the facility. We are currently in the renovation planning stages and will begin working on the facility soon. Once we have our vision and plan worked out, we will gladly release more information when it is appropriate to do so. We look forward to a happy and long community presence and want to thank everyone we have already met and those we will meet, for the warm and wonderful welcome to the community.”

According to Robinson, the timelines that the new owner is working with are aggressive, the hope being to open in the spring or summer of 2015.

After over a year of work trying to find a buyer, and a number of near misses, there was a hint of chance in the way the sale came about.

“The daughter of the buyer's Toronto agent drove by the building. She knew her father had a client who was interested in a retirement home, so she phoned him. He gave me a call and we began the long process that led to the sale,” said Robinson.

In the run-up to the Central Frontenac election, the successful sale of the seniors' home was drafted into the pitches of some of the candidates at an all- candidates meeting in Sharbot Lake on Monday night.

For the final market day of the season on Oct. 11, vendors at the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market offered up some tasty treats to their loyal customers as a way to thank them for their ongoing patronage. Given that this summer was considerably wetter and colder than most, assistant market manager Francis Wooby said that every week he was thrilled to see customers still “waiting patiently for any little slice of sun and heat on Saturday morning to get them out to the local market to get their weekly shopping done.”

A number of vendors reported that their sales this year have been noticeably consistent, likely in large part because of a number of regular returning shoppers. “Local residents and cottagers know that we are here and are now making the market part of their regular Saturday shopping routine, which has been great to see,” Wooby said.

On Saturday market goers enjoyed maple biscuits slathered with maple butter, bite-sized pieces of fresh baked corn bread, spoonfuls of fresh cranberry sauce, slices of pickled egg, cups of home made squash soup and fresh hummus. The event wrapped up another great year at the market, which since its inception continues to grow a hearty core group of loyal shoppers.

The market will be back on Victoria Day weekend in May 2015; however it will not run at Oso Hall this year during the winter months as it has in the past. Market vendor Mary DeBassecourt said that on average the market attracts upwards of 400 visitors each week and that this year the number of regular shoppers increased. While the growing season was a slower one for many farmers, Tom Waller of Elm Tree Farm near Arden said that overall it was a good year. “The heat lovers like tomatoes, peppers, squash were not terribly impressed and were not as prolific as usual and in general were slower to ripen due to the lack of heat but all in all it was good year. One nice thing was that with all of the rain we didn't have to water as much and watering can be really labour intensive. The greens did really well and by far it was the best year ever for cucumbers."

Candidates for the mayoral race in central and north Frontenac took to the stage at the Granite Ridge Education Centre cafetorium on October 14 as part of the school's Student Vote program.

The program, which has been running at the school since 2003, is being headed up this year by Mr. McVety's grade 12 history class. Since 2003 students at the school have been involved through the program in all of the municipal, provincial and federal elections except for ones that took place during the summer months.

On Tuesday the four mayoral candidates, who included Frances Smith and incumbent Janet Gutowski from Central Frontenac, and Claudio Valentini and Ron Higgins from North Frontenac, took to the stage, each advocating why they are the best choice for mayor.

The assembly was mediated by senior students Josh Keefe and Brandy Armstrong and the candidates were timed by Caleb Poirier and Geoff Dewar. Students from grades 7 through 12 listened first to the introductions, after which a number of students posed direct questions to the candidates.

The questions from students included:

1) What issues does each candidate feel are the most important in the community?

2) How is he or she going to help youth in the community? and

3) Why they feel that they are the best choice for the job.

Later in the week students will vote for the candidates and the winners will be announced at a later date. The aim of the Student Vote program is to engage youth about politics and the issues that directly effect them. Randy McVety said that he wanted to “engage students, especially at the municipal level of government, which is the one closest to them and the one that is most likely to impact their lives.” McVety also cited “the abysmally low level of voter turn out at all government elections”. He hopes that getting youth involved will encourage them to remain engaged in the political process once they graduate from school.

McVety was grateful to the four candidates, who took the time to come out and speak to the students.