On December 6, Pastor Vernon Scott of the Sydenham Holiness Church introduced the Kingston Capital Men's Chorus to a large and enthusiastic crowd at a special holiday concert at the Southern Frontenac Community Services' Grace Centre in Sydenham. The free concert was sponsored by the church, with free will offerings supporting the Loughborough Christmas and Emergency Relief Committee (LC&ERC).

Sue Clinton, who chairs the committee, explained to the audience that the LC&ERC uses the donations to support those in need in the community through their annual Christmas basket program and year-round emergency relief funding.

The chorus, which is comprised of 35 male singers, was started seven years ago by conductor Ian Juby and John Cheesman and it was the choir's second concert at the center with Juby leading the group. Juby said that the Grace Centre has incredible acoustics and is the perfect venue for this kind of vocal group. “The high ceilings, wooden floor and the huge space here are great acoustically and we just love performing here”, he said when I spoke to him at the intermission.

The four-part choir, made up of first and second tenors, baritones and basses, is an accomplished vocal group who perform mainly in the Kingston area. They sing regularly at Hospice Kingston, at various retirement homes and at their annual spring concert at the Chalmers church in Kingston. Their Grace Centre program was diverse and impressive, opening with “Stars I Shall Find”, based on a poem written by Sarah Teasdale with music arranged and composed by Victor Young. They also sang many modern tunes including Gordon Lightfoot's “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”; Simon and Garfunkel's “The Sounds of Silence”; and one that they regularly perform at their Mother Day's concert, a tune called “I Think My Love So Fair”, written by modern composer Laura Farnell.

The group also sang a number of favorite Christmas carols like “We Three Kings”, “Away in a Manger” and “The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth”, made famous decades ago by singers Bing Crosby and David Bowie. The gospel-based spiritual titled “Mary Had a Baby” amazed listeners with its huge moving and emotional ending.

The choir was accompanied by music teacher and pianist, Scott Pavey, who invited five of his students up to the stage to perform “Christmas in the Trenches “ a moving song that focuses on the soldiers who fought on opposing sides during World War 1, but who one Christmas were inspired to lay down their guns and join their voices together in song. A number of soloists also had their chance to shine in the group version of Josh Groban's tune “You Raise Me Up” with tenor singers John, Daryl and Lou taking the tenor leads throughout.

The audience was delighted to have a chance to join their voices to this accomplished group of singers and Juby is correct - the Grace Centre is the perfect venue to hear them celebrate the holiday season.

Travis Babcock, a 12-year-old grade 7 student at Loughborough Public School in Sydenham and an avid hockey player, tragically died in a car accident on November 1. A special fundraising event for his family, which was sponsored by the Frontenac Minor Hockey Association (FMHA), took place at the Frontenac Community Arena on December 12 and attracted over 1000 people. By the end of the day just over $10,000 had been raised for the family.

The event was held to support Travis' parents, Jamie and Leanne, and sister Kaitlyn, and it included a barbeque, a silent auction, a 50/50 draw and an evening skate-a-thon event at the arena.

Al Pixley, president of the FMHA, organized the event. He said that Travis had so many friends in the association that the executive, members and players wanted to do what they could to support the family. “We just really wanted to reach out to the family and to all of our members as well, who have been affected by this tragic loss,” he said.

Pixley has a son the same age as Travis, who is also an avid hockey player, and a Boston and Bobby Orr fan. He said the loss has really hit home for him. Rob Edmunds, a registrar, executive member and a manager with the FMHA's novice rep team, was also helping out at the fundraiser and said that he was overwhelmed by the turnout. “We are just blown away by the support that this community has shown to the family.”

Travis' family were also in attendance on Saturday. Edmunds said that it was a very emotional day for them and that they were equally overwhelmed by the support that the community has shown them. Nicholas Baker, a good friend of Travis, who plays with the Frontenac Flyers and is a fellow student at LPS, was helping out at the event serving up hamburgers. He said that he also just wanted to support the family in any way that he could. Following the special day, Edmunds said that the donations are still coming in, and anyone who would like to donate can still do so by contacting Rob Edmunds at 613-375-6596 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Land Rezoning: Bedford and Storrington Applications

Planner Mills brought an application for a zoning by-law amendment which would create three new waterfront residential lots and a lot addition, in part of lot 21, Concession XI, Bedford District. All but one of the lots will require a 40 meter set-back from the shore as requested by the RV Conservation authority, and the large remaining property will continue to be zoned RRC (Recreational Resort Commercial) to accommodate an existing five tourist cabins and single detached dwelling. There were no comments from the public. Council passed the by-law.

An application to permit a secondary dwelling within an existing house on Ormsby Road, Storrington, was postponed until the Health Unit could clarify its decision about whether or not the existing septic system is large enough to accommodate one more bedroom.

2015 Private Lane Report

Public Works Manager Segsworth reported that the Private Lane Upgrading program was more successful than ever this past year. For several years, Council has budgeted money to be used to subsidize up to 50% of eligible expenses incurred by residents who upgrade their private lane to Township standards.This year, 27 lane groups applied for a total of over $95,000. “We have achieved significant strides in improving access for emergency vehicles (through this program),” said Segsworth.

Harrowsmith to get CIP Funding in ’16

Council approved the community of Harrowsmith as the next location for Community Improvement Plan funding. The County will facilitate the process of creating the program design with the input of Harrowsmith residents, and is prepared to commit $75,000 toward the project over a 5-year period.

Management Compensation

In keeping with the established practice of following the percentage change negotiated with the CUPE bargaining unit for unionized workers, Council approved a 1% adjustment to the Management salary grid for 2016. This same rate will be applied to all members of Council.

Year End Review

CAO Orr presented a list of highlights from 2015 which included: enhanced focus on community engagement through public meetings and open houses on a variety of issues, implementation of online agendas and meeting minutes, revised procedural by-law, strategic plan adopted, official plan updated and submitted for provincial approval, and reconstruction of Bellrock village. Congratulations were offered to staff, community volunteers, and fellow council members for a busy and productive year.

Frontenac Community Arena

Councillor Revill, as one of the two South Frontenac council reps on the arena board, reported that this year there has been a push to modernize the ice plant and operation to comply with Ministry of Labour standards. Plans for 2016 include replacement of both ammonia compressors, replacement of ice surface lighting and new spectator heaters. The arena has about $233,000 in reserve for capital replacements.

The Arena Board plans to reduce energy usage in all parts of the operation through energy-efficient equipment upgrades. Their goal is to provide good ice and an attractive setting that will draw in more users.

Meeting Schedule

This was the final 2015 Council meeting: COW will be Jan 12, and the next Council meeting will be Jan 19.

Sydenham Women’s Institute’s Christmas meeting this week was a lively, interesting evening with food, crafts, conversation and lots of laughter.

Member Linda Bates set up festive tables for a delicious potluck turkey dinner that included a great variety of desserts. (Nobody cooks better than the Institute!)

The tables were quickly cleared, and Jane Goodberry handed out pre-assembled kits, each with a styrofoam ball, many tiny squares of red and green cloth, and a lot of straight pins. Then Jane showed us how to fold and pin this unlikely assortment into an intricate tree ornament that looked many times more complicated than it actually was. She was an excellent teacher, patiently encouraging even the most uncrafty of us, so that each one was pleased by the result of her work.

Best of the whole evening was the welcoming warmth and friendliness of the group.

The Women’s Institute is an international non-profit organization that originated in Ontario in1897. Independent of either religious or political affiliations, the WI was started to provide rural and small-town women educational opportunities and a voice to advocate more effectively on a broad spectrum of issues.

Sydenham’s WI, which began in the early 1900s, helped purchase The Point, a popular but privately owned picnic site and swimming hole, so people could be assured public access to Sydenham Lake. They have provided many scholarships; initiated and supported the Sydenham swim lesson program; preserved local history; and continue to contribute in many quiet ways to the well-being of local residents.

They welcome new members at any time. If you’re curious or new to the area, drop in to one of their meetings. They get together once a month on Mondays, and their programs feature speakers on a wide range of topics. They meet in the community room at the Sydenham Library, starting at 6:30 p.m. The next meetings in the new year are: January 11, February 8 and March 14.

Economic Development in South Frontenac

Katie Nolan, an Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Officer who is based in Kemptville, gave a brief but detailed description of the programs, resources and tools her department could offer if Council chooses to undertake economic development planning and implementation for the township.

Nolan listed a wide range of activities that could be called economic development, including community revitalization, investment attraction, business development, and planning and infrastructure development. She outlined the steps that could go into the four stages of the process: preparation, analysis, formulation of goals and action plans, and implementation and assessment. Nolan also cautioned that any such project should be undertaken in a scale appropriate to the size of the community: “Don’t bite off more than you can chew; follow the steps and have a strong plan.”

The outline of her presentation is on the township website, as part of the Dec 08 Committee of the Whole agenda.

Request to Purchase Municipal Property

Planner Mills asked Council to consider a request by Doug Amey to purchase a vacant 100 acre lot of township property on Concession IX, Bedford, which adjoins a similar sized lot belonging to Amey. This came to Council a year ago, and is still unresolved.

Mills listed several complications: both properties are landlocked and accessible only by 1.2 km of unopened road allowance that runs from Canoe Lake Road through wetland and a small waterbody; a portion of this road allowance near the township road has several of the neighbour’s farm buildings located on it; recent investigation shows an unrecorded barn and other buildings located on the township property. The issue was returned to Mills for further information.

Notice of Pending Subdivision Application

Mills advised Council that a new subdivision application was being processed at the County level, and would be coming before Council some time in the New Year. This would be for an eventual 51 residential estate lots on Collins Lake, part lots 25 to 30, concession VII, Storrington District (first phase).

Johnston Point OMB Appeal

In regard to last week’s impasse regarding approval of draft plan approval, CAO Orr announced that Council had provided direction to their lawyer in a closed session prior to tonight’s open meeting.

Township Organizational Review

The 2016 budget includes up to $45,000 for the completion of a comprehensive organizational review. Orr presented a suggested outline of the scope of such a review for Council’s comments before issuing an RFP.

The outline included a stipulation that interviews take place with all members of Council and all managers, supervisors, lead hands, office staff and the union president on how the township is run. It will review how council operates, how all departments are run and will look for efficiencies, savings, and the potential for contracting out some functions, shared service models with other township's, and much more. Comparisons with 3-5 similar sized municipalities will also be required.

Councillors’ comments of “interesting”, “exhaustive” and “comprehensive” all verged on understatement.

Applewood Dock

Representatives of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) inspected the recently installed Applewood dock (East end, Loughborough Lake) following a thoroughly documented letter of complaint from local resident Matt Rennie. They found that the dock was considerably larger than the permit had specified, but have chosen to not enforce their stipulations.

Councillor Schjerning said he found this lack of follow-up and enforcement to be troubling, asking what Council could do about it.

The CRCA will be invited to explain their decision at the January 12 Committee meeting.  

No less than five generations of the Halligan family gathered to enjoy Sydenham’s Santa Claus parade on November 28. Great great grandparents Bill and Edna Halligan had front row seats. Hundreds of parade goers lined the streets to take in the colorful floats and costumed participants, which also included a number of four-legged friends dressed up in celebration. More pictures from the parade will be included in our upcoming Christmas issue.

Frontenac Park and the surrounding area, including the Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre (EEEC), are in the process of being designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) because they are the summer home to 400 to 500 pairs of Cerulean Warblers, the largest concentration of the blue birds in Canada.

According to the profile of the warbler on the Government of Canada Species at Risk registry, there are between 500 and 1000 nesting pairs of Ceruleans in Canada, which underscores how important the Frontenac County population is.

Ceruleans are a small bird shaped much like the common Chickadee. Their total body length is 10 to 12.5 centimetres and they weigh 8 to 10 grams. The males are a deep blue colour with a blue-black band across the throat, and the bird gets its name from the coloration of the male. Females are blue-green, with yellow-white eyebrows.

Ceruleans winter in a narrow range in the foothills of the Andes in Columbia and Ecuador, and scatter in the summer through the Eastern seabord of the United States, with southern Ontario and Quebec being the north end of their range.

Deciduous forests with rich undergrowth and mixed hardwoods such as Hemlock, Oak, and Maple are the ideal summer habitat for them. They tend to nest high up in hidden nooks on the tallest trees in the forest.

The major threat to the Cerulean, and other warblers, is habitat loss in their wintering grounds.

In Canada, the major concern is maintaining large tracts of forests and minimizing the amount of fragmentation in the forest cover because Ceruleans are more vulnerable in forest edge habitat.

Mike Burrell is the Important Bird Areas (IBA) co-ordinator with Bird Studies Canada, a national organization based at Long Point on Lake Erie. He works, however, out of his home near Sunbury, and made a presentation to the Frontenac Stewardship Council Environmental Forum in Verona on Thursday, November 26.

“The designation of Frontenac Park and the Elbow Lake Environmental Centre as an IBA comes about as the result of the efforts of a number of groups and individuals,” he said, when interviewed later over the phone. “Among those are Steve Lougheed at Queens; the Frontenac Bird Studies, a group led by Dan Darbyshire that studies bird populations in the Frontenac Arch area; the staff at Frontenac Park; and others”.

Ever since the Cerulean warbler was updated from a 'species of concern' to an 'endangered species' in 2011, efforts have been made to determine how many and how widespread they are in Frontenac County. There used to be a population in south-western Ontario, but a lack of uninterrupted forest cover has decimated that population, and according to the Canadian Bird Atlas the species has been declining by a rate of 17% per decade since the 1960s.

Since 2011, local groups have been working to determine how plentiful the warblers are in Frontenac County.

“They are a small bird, and they nest high up in the trees, so the best way to identify them, as with most birds, is by their song. Each warbler has a distinctive song, and it does not take too long for someone to learn how to identify the Ceruleans’ song,” said Steve Burrell.

By listening at intervals, it is possible to determine the location of a range for a nesting pair, and by tracking this information over time, Burrell said that researchers are able to determine the number of nesting pairs in a region with confidence.

Among the impacts of determining an IBA for Cerulean Warblers, aside from suggesting ways to ensure the continued viability of species in the area, are the educational and public relations potential.

“It shows how the habitat in the Frontenac Arch is rich in ways that we are only learning about over time,” said Burrell, “And helps to highlight all the species that depend on the habitat in the arch, particularly in protected areas such as Frontenac Park and Elbow Lake.”

According to COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) the government body responsible for designating species at risk, the future prospects for the Cerulean Warbler in Canada are not bright.

“The Canadian population is estimated to be 433-543 pairs (866-1086 mature individuals), most of which are found in the Frontenac Axis region of south-eastern Ontario ... In Quebec, Cerulean Warblers have disappeared from five of six known sites occupied since the 1960s. Overall, the Canadian population has declined by at least 16% over the past 10 years. The potential for rescue is believed to be low, owing to ongoing population declines in the U.S.,” said COSEWIC in 2010.

The fact there are 800-1000 Ceruleans in Frontenac County five years later, and the IBA designation, may give hope that the warbler population will be maintained in southern Canada for some time to come.

On November 21, several friends got together at the Sydenham Legion for a family and friends event, calling it “Keeping it Local”. Proceeds from the event, totalling $630 were presented to the SFCSC Food Bank from the event organizers, Nicki Mundell and Ashley Reynolds. A total of seven families were instrumental in organizing the event and wanting to support local agencies helping local residents. Many thanks to Nicki Mundell & Andrew Watson, Ashley & Kyle Reynolds, Shannon & Chris Bowes, Josh & Nicole Revell, Farrah and Adam Heska, Felicia & Matt Dowker and Lisa & Jordan Livermore.

Southern Frontenac Community Services held an open house on December 1, to kick off a month-long fund raising campaign for its food bank, which serves South Frontenac and rural Kingston (south to the 401). Their goal for December is $25,000.  

Over 25 volunteers of all ages transformed the Southern Frontenac Community Services’ (SFCS) Grace Centre in Sydenham into one gigantic restaurant/cafeteria in preparation for the annual Vision Soup fundraiser that took place there on November 28. Organizers were expecting over 200 diners to arrive, who for $20 per person could choose from an assortment of hundreds of hand made ceramic bowls, all generously donated to the event by members of the Kingston Potters Guild. The guests then filled the empty bowls with home-made soup, choosing from close to 20 different types, all donated by businesses from the local and surrounding communities. The soups included a leek and bacon from Pan Chancho in Kingston; cauliflower curry from Martha's; and an exotic Thai soup from Sydenham Pet and Farm Supply; plus many, many more. Diners also enjoyed buns and butter, hot and cold beverages and a wide assortment of home-made sweet treats.

Leslie Reade of Sydenham, who heads up the event along with Josey Steel, said the fundraiser helps to support many people in need in the local area. The proceeds go to support SFCS, as well as to the local Christmas Food Basket Campaign, which is run by the Loughborough Christmas and Emergency Relief Committee. The Vision Soup event has been happening for the last 10 years in Sydenham and Reade said that for her and Steel, who both own their own businesses in the area, organizing the fundraiser is “our way of giving back to community.” Reade co-owns the Sydenham Veterinary Clinic and Steel owns the Chiropractic Life Centre. Many of the guests who attended the event also made cash and food donations to the SFCS food bank.

South Frontenac approves 2016 budget

Council spent little time approving the 2016 budget document, which they have looked over on several previous occasions, including an all day session in mid-November. The township will spend over $28 million in 2016 on operations and capital projects, an increase of $750,000 over 2015. Of those expenditures $11.5 million will be covered by grants from other levels of government and reserve funds, and $16.5 million will come from South Frontenac ratepayers.

The $16.5 million levy represents a 6.66% increase over the $15.5 million levy to ratepayers in 2015, but thanks to a healthy increase in new assessment (4.4%), the impact on the average ratepayer will be an increase of only 2.0% in taxation. According to the budget report by Treasurer Louise Fragnito, “the township share of taxation on a $228,223 property [the township average] will increase by 2%, which equals $26.22.” Fragnito made a number of adjustments to the document after the last budget session.

“The impact of all these adjustments aligns with Council’s direction,” she said.

(see editorial – The 2% budget)

“A Very Unusual Situation”

Not even the CAO could see a clear way through this quandary.

In a closed session after the regular Nov. 17 Council meeting, staff had been directed to draw up a settlement proposal for conditions of draft plan approval for the Johnson Point condominium plan. (Loughborough Lake east.) These conditions were brought forward for approval, along with maps and details of some boundary adjustments.

Newly appointed Deputy Mayor Sutherland then proposed an amendment to the plan, which would remove lot 15 from the plan, making it a ’common element open space’. This would bring the plan back to the original number of proposed units, reversing the decisions taken by Council on November 17th. Sutherland said that many local residents were very unhappy about the density of development that was being permitted on what he said is an already heavily developed lake.

Councilor John McDougall said he appreciated Sutherlands position, but felt such an amendment would be “returning to square one.” The township lawyer had approved it, he said, and this was the time “to settle, not support.”

Councilor Ron Sleeth said he was disappointed in ‘the lack of teeth’ shown by the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans and their representing agencies, and he would support the amendment.

Sutherland’s amendment passed.

Mayor Vandewal withdrew from the chair, to propose another amendment deferring the vote until the solicitor could be consulted, because in his opinion Sutherland’s amendment was contrary to what had been put forward by all of Council, and meant that the township has not been negotiating in good faith.

Vandewal’s amendment was defeated, then the original (amended) motion was brought forward, and it was also defeated.

In response to a question from the floor at the end of the meeting, Orr said “We’ll have to figure out how to move forward: I will consult our solicitor.”

A notice of motion for reconsideration would require 2/3 support to pass, and no one offered to make one.

James Campbell/ Public Beach on Canoe Lake

Wayne Orr read a motion that the Township “secure a clear public access point to Canoe Lake on James Wilson Road at the west end of the causeway between Canoe Lake and Eel Lake in the severance process of the adjoining land through the road widening, in line with the survey from J. Kennedy of Nov 30, 2015 on the road widening, and showing the high water and that the photo from Councillor Revill be included as part of the record and that cash in lieu of parkland be taken.”

This motion represented a solution, worked out between Mr. Campbell and Councilor Revill which seems to be acceptable to both Campbell and the Canoe Lake residents who have used that location for swimming for many years.

Ross Sutherland congratulated Revill and Campbell on having worked out a solution, and thanked Campbell. The motion passed with no further comment.

Sydenham Water Plant Contract Extended

Public Works Manager Segsworth recommended that Kingston Utilities’ contract for operation and maintenance of the Sydenham Water System be extended to the end of 2016, and the Public Services Committee tasked with developing a longer-term arrangement for the plant. Segsworth said the Utilities have provided ‘good and timely service’. Passed without discussion.

Community Project Grant Program

Council approved a staff proposal that the third year Community Project Grant Program be expanded to $15,000 by adding $5,000 from fees raised for the endorsement of solar projects. The maximum grant for this increasingly popular program will be raised to $2,000.

Support for Cycling Workshop

Council endorsed a Share The Roads Workshop sponsored by the Frontenac Rides Committee by committing $500 toward this event which is aimed at creating a clear work plan to help the Township become a more cycle friendly community.

Peer Review Policy

Council approved a peer review policy for planning matters, listing the circumstances under which a technical peer review would be mandatory or when it might be optional.

RED Grant Endorsement

Council endorsed a Rural Economic Development Grant application through the County of Frontenac and in partnership with the other Frontenacs to the limit of $8,000.