Feature Article - August 14, 2008

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Feature Article - August 14, 2008 Epilepsy Kingston bringing services to Sharbot Lake, NorthbrookBy Jeff Green

Photo: Erin Daley at NFCS

Epilepsy Kingston was founded 23 years ago by Katherine Manley, the mother of an epileptic daughter, who became frustrated with the lack of information and support her family was receiving.

After spending years establishing support services in Kingston, Epilepsy Kingston has been developing outreach programs in the surrounding region, and has established service in Napanee and Brockville. The agency will now be having office hours in Sharbot Lake at the Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) office on the third Friday of each month, and in Northbrook at the Land O'Lakes Community Services (LOLCS) office on the 2nd Friday.

“We wanted to make ourselves more available,” said Erin Daley, who will be staffing the Sharbot Lake day while Angela Smith will be travelling to Northbrook. “People have been phoning and looking for support services and they are not able to get to Kingston or Napanee.”

Epilepsy Kingston provides counselling and referrals for more in depth counselling. They also do advocacy and human rights work, and are available to do presentations in different settings.

“We can go to elementary schools, daycares, the workplace, anywhere we are invited,” said Erin Daley. “We are also looking for members for our advisory committee from the north.”

One of the issues that is faced by epileptics and their families is widespread misunderstandings about the condition, which is described on the Epilepsy Kingston website as “not a disease or a mental illness, but a symptom originating in the brain” which causes different kinds of seizures. Information about epilepsy is available at the Epilepsy Kingston website, or by calling 1-866 epilepsy.

To make an appointment to see Erin in Sharbot Lake or Angie in Northbrook, call NFCS at 613-279-3151, or LOLCS at 613-336-8934, or drop by during office hours.

Feature Article - August 7, 2008

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Feature Article - July 31, 2008 Greater Bobs and Crow Lakes Association AGMBy Martin Yates

The keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Greater Bobs & Crow Lakes Association held on July 27 was Kyle Harris of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Kingston. Kyle described the extensive fisheries assessment being undertaken this year on Bobs and Crow Lakes to gauge the health of the various fisheries, especially lake trout.

The assessment will check the abundance and health of sport fish in the lakes, including lake trout, bass, walleye, northern pike, sunfish and bullheads. Depending on the results, the designations of Crow Lake and Green Bay (Bobs Lake) as Lake Trout Lakes may change.

In addition to this assessment, the association, MNR and Oceans and Fisheries plan to rehabilitate the Thompson Creek walleye-spawning site this year.

Fisheries is one of the key areas of focus coming out of the Lake Management Plan completed last year, and in his address, President Taro Alps summarized the other six areas, describing how the association is also focussing on safety – on and around the water – and staying in touch with the townships and other local authorities on key issues. President Taro mentioned waste disposal, back lot development in private lanes and restarting the clocking for severances, as well as the public boat ramp (now on the back burner) proposed for the south end of Bobs Lake.

John McCalla, president of the Bobs & Crow Lakes Foundation, told the meeting that the Foundation is raising money for an emergency response craft to be used by South Frontenac Emergency Services at the north end of the township. He made the point that a tragedy was narrowly averted this year when fire gutted a cottage on Goods Island on Bobs Lake. He commented that better access to emergency services is vital for safety on water-access properties. A fund-raising auction is being held on August 2 to raise money for this exciting project.

Members also heard an interesting presentation by Bill Fisher of National Geothermal Inc on geothermal heat pumps and how they can be over six times as efficient and cost effective as regular electric heating and have zero emissions into the environment. Installing one geothermal system is the equivalent to removing two cars off the road or planting one acre of trees in CO2 reductions.

Outgoing volunteers Mel Fleming (fisheries) and Don Jennings (water quality testing) and retiring directors Charlie Stewart and Keith Watson were recognized for their contributions to the association. Charlie has been a director for 13-years and was president for a 6-year term during which he initiated the Lake Plan. He has been key to keeping members informed of events and issues through his regular email updates.

Members Bill Brink and Andrew Robb left the meeting with more than fond memories! By sitting on the lucky chair, Bill won a basket of environmentally friendly Lake & Septic Safe products donated by “Foodgifts” in Westport, and Andrew's name came out of the hat to win a fine wooden carved map of Bobs and Crow Lakes from “Lake Effects” in Westport.

For more information please go to the association's web site at www.bobsandcrowlakes.ca.

Sept 18/08 - Community Living: Dedicated to Service

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Feature Article - September 18, 2008 Community Living-NF:dedicated to serviceBy Julie Druker

Janet Barr and employee Bart Menard present Ann Howes of the Rising Bun Bakery in Sharbot Lake with the Employer Recognition Award.

Community Living North Frontenac, a service whose mandate is “to serve individuals with intellectual disabilities…one person at a time”, held their annual general meeting on September 10 in Sharbot Lake. Mayor Janet Gutowski, and newly elected member of the North Frontenac Council Elaine Gunsinger (whose portfolio includes community services), along with the CLNF board members, staff and individuals they serve from the community, filled the United Church hall.

Scott Gillam, Principal of Educational Services was guest speaker. He addressed the importance and availability of the “School to Community Services’, a program offered by the Limestone District School Board and available to “a diverse group of learners with developmental disabilities who may require support in the areas of communication, socialization, daily living skills, motor skills and behavior.”

Gillam said that the service is gaining in importance as the enrollment of special needs students is on the rise, although overall enrollment is on the decline.

The School to Community Services has both elementary and high school models in place, which allows for the inclusion of students with special needs into their local school programs. The service strives to develop for each student an “individual education plan” or IEP to support their individual needs.

As Gillam stated, “We aim to provide programming that is specifically designed for the individual student. School to community teachers, classroom teachers, parents and of course the child are all considered when deciding what the best program would be for a specific child.”

He stressed that “teachers are the most important educators in your child’s life…We are committed to training our teachers, specifically our School to Community teachers, to provide the best programming for the students in that classroom and that’s where the support begins.”

Gillam also stressed the importance of the approach being a “team effort”. Other important support staff in educational services that benefit various IEPs include speech and language pathologists, educational assistants, behavioral counsellors, an autism team, attendance counsellors and other specialized consultants.

He described current efforts being made to address the current lack of EAs available in the schools and how that issue is being addressed.

Currently there are 13 on-site schools that include School to Community teachers and 33 itinerant schools that School to Community teachers visit regularly.

Gillam also stressed the important input that parents, as well as teachers, have in each child’s individual program needs.

Following Gillam’s address was a report on recent changes to the CLNF board mandate, which included the extension of elected members to two-year instead of one-year terms, the inclusion of email as a necessary tool for communication, and the change in the wording of “developmentally challenged” to “intellectually disabled”.

Board member Patti Hallgren nominated Bob Miller to this year’s board, a motion that was accompanied by thunderous applause from the audience. He was voted in unanimously and was” happy to serve again”. Miller has 10+ years experience as a board member and past president.

Joe Clayton was voted in for a second term as Representative for the People Served and spoke of his appreciation of and dedication to the role.

The rest of the evening after a break for refreshments was taken up with awards.

Melissa Marshall was awarded for her outstanding contribution to CLNF.

Dean Walsh, Patti Nedow, Barb Matson and Faye Putnam received awards in recognition of their many years of service. Volunteer Appreciation awards were given to Tom Ham, Judy Raymo and Gail Gillett. Anne Howes, owner and operator of the Rising Bun Bakery in Sharbot Lake, was presented with the Employer Recognition Award.

What an exciting start to a new year for CLNF!

Sept 25/08 - Transportation hits snag

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Feature Article - September 25, 2008 Transportation plan hits a snag By Jeff Green

For the past four months a dedicated group of service providers with an interest in developing a transportation system for Frontenac County has been meeting with consultant Rob Wood in an attempt to put together a comprehensive plan for transportation in the county.

Rural Routes, a program of Northern Frontenac Community Services, and the transportation program of the Rural VISIONS Centre in Sydenham, both co-ordinate volunteer drivers to help get children, seniors, and people who receive social assistance to medical services, daycare, and other appointments.

Other agencies such as Community Living – North Frontenac, the South East Ontario Integrated Health Network, the Victorian Order of Nurses and even Land O’Lakes Community Services from Addington Highlands have been involved as well, as has Frontenac County, in trying to put together a comprehensive, efficient service.

“We have made great progress working to find the best way to bring all the interests together to develop a county-wide plan,” said Rob Wood, the consultant who was hired by Frontenac County to help develop a co-ordinated service.

The County of Frontenac has provided administrative funding for Rural Routes this year and last, and has funded rides for both Rural VISIONS and the Child Centre in Sharbot Lake for several years. The county wanted to see that there were no overlaps between services and that a level of co-operation between agencies be fostered before committing to funding the system for future years.

They were also considering seeking provincial funds to augment the service.

Rob Wood said that everything was moving forward, and the boards of both Rural VISIONS and Northern Frontenac Community Services had made commitments to collaborate on transportation, and a funding model was being developed.

Then he found out that the provincial funds were not going to be available.

“The money we were seeking was from gas tax rebate funds that are earmarked for municipal transportation by the Province of Ontario, and in August I found out that only fully accessible vehicles were eligible for support. All of the agencies in Frontenac County use volunteer drivers, who don’t have fully accessible vehicles, so we won’t be eligible for funding,” Wood said in a phone interview this week, “so we will have to go back to work on the funding.”

A preliminary presentation went to a joint meeting of Frontenac County last week, and a final plan, including funding requirements, is expected to be ready by the County Council meeting on October 15.

Feature Article - August 7, 2008

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Feature Article - July 31, 2008 Greater Bobs and Crow Lakes Association AGMBy Martin Yates

The keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Greater Bobs & Crow Lakes Association held on July 27 was Kyle Harris of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Kingston. Kyle described the extensive fisheries assessment being undertaken this year on Bobs and Crow Lakes to gauge the health of the various fisheries, especially lake trout.

The assessment will check the abundance and health of sport fish in the lakes, including lake trout, bass, walleye, northern pike, sunfish and bullheads. Depending on the results, the designations of Crow Lake and Green Bay (Bobs Lake) as Lake Trout Lakes may change.

In addition to this assessment, the association, MNR and Oceans and Fisheries plan to rehabilitate the Thompson Creek walleye-spawning site this year.

Fisheries is one of the key areas of focus coming out of the Lake Management Plan completed last year, and in his address, President Taro Alps summarized the other six areas, describing how the association is also focussing on safety – on and around the water – and staying in touch with the townships and other local authorities on key issues. President Taro mentioned waste disposal, back lot development in private lanes and restarting the clocking for severances, as well as the public boat ramp (now on the back burner) proposed for the south end of Bobs Lake.

John McCalla, president of the Bobs & Crow Lakes Foundation, told the meeting that the Foundation is raising money for an emergency response craft to be used by South Frontenac Emergency Services at the north end of the township. He made the point that a tragedy was narrowly averted this year when fire gutted a cottage on Goods Island on Bobs Lake. He commented that better access to emergency services is vital for safety on water-access properties. A fund-raising auction is being held on August 2 to raise money for this exciting project.

Members also heard an interesting presentation by Bill Fisher of National Geothermal Inc on geothermal heat pumps and how they can be over six times as efficient and cost effective as regular electric heating and have zero emissions into the environment. Installing one geothermal system is the equivalent to removing two cars off the road or planting one acre of trees in CO2 reductions.

Outgoing volunteers Mel Fleming (fisheries) and Don Jennings (water quality testing) and retiring directors Charlie Stewart and Keith Watson were recognized for their contributions to the association. Charlie has been a director for 13-years and was president for a 6-year term during which he initiated the Lake Plan. He has been key to keeping members informed of events and issues through his regular email updates.

Members Bill Brink and Andrew Robb left the meeting with more than fond memories! By sitting on the lucky chair, Bill won a basket of environmentally friendly Lake & Septic Safe products donated by “Foodgifts” in Westport, and Andrew's name came out of the hat to win a fine wooden carved map of Bobs and Crow Lakes from “Lake Effects” in Westport.

For more information please go to the association's web site at www.bobsandcrowlakes.ca.

Back to HomeLetters - December 3, 2009Letters: December 3

Re: Help & Support for Diabetics, Anne MacDonald and Maureen Pickering

Re: Minister Pours Cold Water on NF Sucession, Paul Isaacs

CF Septic Maintenace Program, Steve Giles

Re: Help & Support for Diabetics

I am writing in response to the article, Help and support for diabetics at Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, by Jeff Green (Frontenac News, Nov. 12, 2009). I was pleased to see the information provided about diabetes management just prior to World Diabetes Day.

I wish to comment on two inaccurate statements made regarding diabetes education services available in Frontenac County: "For patients in the southern parts of Frontenac County, such service is offered only at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston" and "They [i.e., Sharbot Lake] are the only diabetes education team working in central Frontenac County."

In fact, since 2002 the Frontenac Diabetes Education Program (FDEP), supported by the Diabetes Education & Management Centre at Hotel Dieu, has been providing diabetes education programs-both group and individual sessions-to individuals with diabetes in the Sydenham, Verona and Sharbot Lake communities.

While the FDEP no longer provides education for the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team (it hired a full-time dietitian in July 2009), it continues to educate in other parts of the county. Together, a Registered Dietitian (also a Certified Diabetes Educator) and a Nurse Practitioner present helpful group classes for individuals managing Type 2 diabetes.

FDEP provides a range of services in the areas of preventing and managing diabetes such as individual counselling, group education, community presentations and grocery store tours. Workshops to address such topics as weight control, meal planning, budgeting and low salt eating to manage hypertension are being planned for next year.

For additional information about the Frontenac Diabetes Education Program or to register for classes, please call at (613)544-3400 ext 3589. 

Anne MacDonald, B.A.Sc., RD, CDE,Coordinator, Frontenac Diabetes Education Program

Maureen Pickering, Program Manager Diabetes Education & Management Centre, Hotel Dieu Hospital

Re: Minister pours cold water on NF Succession (Nov. 26, 2009)

Apathetic? Small wonder.

A democracy, by definition, comes to its judgments based on everyone's voice. Why would any supposedly democratic jurisdiction prohibit elected representatives from discerning their electorate's voice - by referendum or otherwise? A vibrant democracy cannot exist with its voices muzzled.

The restriction cited by the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is a Regulation. Regulations are generated because the controlling Legislation, the Municipal Elections

Act in this case, so permits. However, Regulations are intended to allow adjustments to be made without the need to return to the House and revise the controlling Legislation. Regulations can be created and changed at the minister's whim.

Regulations are a sensible means to make minor changes to the way Legislation functions. However, they are also profoundly undemocratic and an enormous loophole and are, as evidenced by this case, badly abused. Regulation 425/00 is an egregious fundamental affront to democracy itself. The minister should be thoroughly ashamed of it. He should use his ministerial prerogative and abolish it.

The minister would also do well to remember that in the not too distant past the province itself undertook the "extremely complex and important undertaking" of "restructuring" municipalities - all of them - at once. The job was rushed, ill-considered and totally without regard for history, tradition and civic pride. That the minister should now, in the wake of the mess the province created, chastise North Frontenac for attempting to clean things up is simply insulting.

Of course the minister might also worry that the instability of the County of Frontenac is a potential municipal governance nightmare and

that slapping down some municipal councillors is a regrettable necessity in order to keep the lid on.

It would be my hope that, if the councillors of North Frontenac believe that municipal governance is an issue that they should pursue on behalf of their constituents, they will request that the minister simply abolish Regulation 425/00 in order to allow democracy to take its proper course.

Paul Isaacs

Re: Central Frontenac Septic System Maintenance Program, Frontenac News, Nov. 5/09

In last week’s edition, Jeff Green reported on Central Frontenac's proposal for a new bylaw requiring property owners to pump out their septic tanks every five years and submit a certificate of inspection of the system to the township. While I am not a property owner in Central Frontenac, council should be aware that many systems have been installed lawfully in locations where pump-outs are impossible either due to no road access or uneven road surface. Barge pump-out services are not yet available. Most pump-out services are now using large capacity trucks and trailers which cannot travel on the small cottage roads. In time, more services will be available if the demand is driven by mandatory pump-outs, but in the meantime, property owners in remote areas will have to be exempted from the bylaw.Personally, I have to question the necessity to pump out a septic tank every five years. New septic tanks are equipped with an effluent filter, which prevents waste from plugging the septic bed which can lead to leakage from the bed. Another objection I have to forced maintenance is the fact that there are sections in the building code dealing with outhouses which are not being inspected, leading to discriminatory enforcement. What about all the toilets in cottages hooked up by a pipe to outhouses? I believe that any enforcement program that doesn't inspect all properties is unfair and could be challenged in court.

Steve Giles

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 3, 2009Seniors Advisory Committee formed in Addington Highlandsby Shirley Sedore

The Seniors Advisory Committee was formed recently to help identify the needs of seniors living in Addington Highlands. We are a sub-committee of Land O’ Lakes Community Services Management Committee who are governed by the Board of Directors.

We have two main objectives. The first is to ensure that people are aware of the services that already exist, how to access them and eligibility for them. The second is to gather information on what services seniors feel are missing, look at ways to provide them and help provide advocacy for them.

One of the steps we have decided might help us achieve our goals is to find out more about the present services so that we can help make the general public more aware of them. We also hope to meet with the Senior Advisory Committee from North Frontenac to look at ways we might collaborate and to learn from their experience.

In the spring we are planning an open forum to identify and understand the community's needs from their own perspective.

Land O' Lakes Community Services is looking at putting in a proposal to supply homemaking services that the Community Care Access Centre does not supply. This needs to be a community effort. If you feel this service is needed, there is a binder at our office to sign to show your support.

Current members include: Mary McKinnon - Denbigh; Elizabeth Bass - Denbigh; Linda Armstrong – Northbrook; Connie Lessard –Northbrook; Shirley Sedore – Flinton.

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 3, 2009SFCSC’s 20th anniversary auction:a high class affairBy Julie Druker

Dave Linton tickled the ivories and guests sipped sparkling wine, nibbled cake and gathered at the chocolate fountain prior to assessing the goods to be auctioned off at the South Frontenac Community Services’ 20th anniversary and auction fundraiser.

It is their biggest fundraiser of the year and organizer Jennifer Linton, who is the fundraising chair, wanted to celebrate the 20-year history of serving the community.

“We wanted to increase the crowds so we held the event at the Golden Links Hall and included entertainment and food to try to get more people out.”

Those who came had a wide range of items to bid on including numerous gift baskets and gift certificates, hotel, restaurant and golf club packages and a wide range of items including a stationary bicycle, a Yamaha keyboard and original artworks plus a whole lot more.

Van of Van’s Auction services in Elginburg held court and the event included for the first time a silent auction as well.

This event is the SFCSC's fourth fundraiser since May and the event hoped to attract 70 plus bidders to assist in raising a fraction of the $30,000 that the corporation must raise annually to continue offering services to the community. It is an ongoing challenge in the current economic climate.

Deborah Andrews, Executive Director of the SFCSC, said “This year we have seen the demand on our services increase double. Typically we see 20 families relying on our services in any given month; this year we are now serving roughly 50 families monthly and that is a direct reflection of the economic climate that people are faced with. People often don’t anticipate having to call us and we tend to be an agency of last resort.”

Andrews is happy with the work that has been taking place on renovating the St. Paul’s manse in Harrowsmith. SFCSC will be using the manse for their food bank program and as a Seniors Centre, where they plan to offer an Adult Day program along with other seniors programming. Brenda Crawford secured a donation of laminate flooring and Dawn Sieben of Harrowsmith recently laid it down so that seniors can soon start using the building.

Andrews expects that beginning in January an arthritis exercise class will be offered to local seniors in the community. There are also plans to develop a steering committee, made of up seniors from the community, who will plan the programs and services that they want to see offered at the centre in the future.

Andrews explained “We’ve been soliciting feedback from seniors at our lunch programs and for example, they have requested access to computers so that they can email their grandkids.”

The SFCSC has already begun applying for funding to assist in the development of programs at the manse and grant applications have been made to the Watkins Fund through the United Church of Canada and to the New Horizons fund through HRDC with the help of Reverend Lynda Price.

In these tough economic times organizations that rely on fundraising as part of their budget are feeling the crunch but that has not deterred Andrews, who said, "We are always looking for new opportunities to support our programs."

The auction fundraiser raised $4,000. Anyone who missed the auction and who would still like to contribute or volunteer can visit the SFCSC’s website at www.ruralvisionscentre.org or can contact Kate Lett or Deborah Andrews at 613-376-6477

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 17, 2009 Northbrook Medical Centre gets family health team designationBy Jeff Green

“It is good news, very good news,” said Dr. Tobia of the announcement last Friday that his Northbrook medical clinic will be one of 19 new Family Health Teams (FHT) in Ontario. “It’s going to ensure medical services in this region for generations to come.”

When the announcement came it did not include any detail about services that will be offered at the Lakeland Family Health Team, which is what the clinic will be called, but Doctor Tobia said the application that was made by the clinic in conjunction with a dedicated community healthcare committee, included building, and staffing with a nurse practitioner, and satellite clinics in Denbigh and Plevna.

“But we really won’t know for up to six months what will be included in the funding,” he said.

According to the media release that accompanied the announcement, “The new Family Health Teams will include family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers and dieticians.

“Family Health Teams deliver comprehensive health care services and offer additional programs tailored to the needs of their communities, including seeing patients who do not have a family doctor. They will support increasing chronic disease management and prevention including Ontario's Diabetes Strategy.”

The Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, which was one of the first wave of FHTs that were established by the province, offers a basket of services and includes a Registered Nurse, a Nurse Practitioner, a Diabetes Nurse, a Dietitian, and ancillary mental health, social work and psychiatric services at their Sharbot Lake location.

For the village of Northbrook, the FHT will make recruiting new health care professionals to work out of Northbrook an easier task, because it will make it a more attractive place to work.

“We have been trying to recruit another doctor for 13 years without success,” said Doctor Tobia, “this will make it that much easier to find one.”

As part of the process, Addington Highlands Township will be purchasing the medical clinic and then working out a long-term arrangement with the Ministry of Health.

“We knew that purchasing the building would be necessary in the long run anyway but now we will have support,” said Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg.

“I was almost surprised when I heard that the Family Health Team application had come through,” he added,” because many communities have had to apply two or three times before being successful and this was our first try.”

Hogg said that credit for the success of the application should go to the two people who did all the work preparing the application, “Dr. Tobia and Janice Powell from Denbigh.”

Henry Hogg said that Janice Powell is a retired nurse who recently moved back to Denbigh, where she came from originally, and came forward to help out with the committee.

“I was thrilled to hear that it had come through,” said Fred Perry, the North Frontenac Council representative to the Committee. “A lot of people helped to prepare the application for this, and they deserve credit for all the work they did. Our own council has made a commitment to find a suitable location for a clinic in Plevna, and we will be glad to be held to that. If it comes through it will bring medical services to North Frontenac for the first time. This is a really good thing for the entire region.” 

Sue Leslie, Jane Drew, Deborah Andrews, and Dean Walsh slipped quietly into the back of the room at a Frontenac Council meeting a week or so ago (October 27).

They were a bit nervous, and they had every reason to be. Sue Leslie, Executive Director of Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS), and Deborah Andrews, Executive Director of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCS), represent social service agencies that have stretched their finances to the limit in 2009 by funding transportation costs for clients. Jane Drew is the director of Rural Routes Transportation Services, and Dean Walsh works for Community Living – North Frontenac.

The 2009 Frontenac County budget included $80,000 for transportation, but the money had been held back until the two agencies, along with partners such as Community Living - North Frontenac could come up with a business plan to provide integrated transportation services throughout the county.

With the business plan having been submitted earlier in the month, it was a mere formality for the 2009 funds to be released, and when that happened a collective sigh of relief could be heard from the back of the hall.

But the future of transportation in Frontenac County is by no means secure.

The Frontenac Transportation Collaborative Business plan, which includes an $80,000 annual contribution from Frontenac County, has been received but not accepted by county council, and on November 18, Leslie, Andrews et al will be front and centre as council considers formally accepting the plan.

Essentially, the business plan involves spinning off Rural Routes Transportation Services, which is currently the part of NFCS that provides rides for agency clients and others for a fee, into an independent entity that will serve North, South, and Central Frontenac.

SFCS, which is based in Sydenham, will drive clients over 100,000 kilometres this year and Rural Routes about 400,000. Most of those ½ million kilometres constitute rides for children or adults to medical services or services provided by the two agencies. The rides are funded in most cases by social service agencies such as Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Services, and are delivered by volunteer drivers who receive payment for mileage.

But the task of putting drivers together with clients is as onerous and expensive as it is necessary.

“In order to provide a range of services in a rural context we need to help people get to them,” said Sue Leslie, “so whether we like it or not we are in the transportation business.”

This led NFCS to set up Rural Routes three years ago, and while a Trillium grant helped get the agency up and running, ongoing operations required municipal support, leading to an appeal to Frontenac County.

While the county has supported Rural Routes for the past three years, it has always been as a project, and county councilors have been careful not to commit any funds for future years.

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison has been particularly wary of the potential costs of a transportation program, and he has been pushing for a program that covers the entire county. Rural Routes has been primarily covering the region from Verona to the north, the catchment area for NFCS, while SFCS provides their own, more limited service, for clients in the south. Putting the two services together has been a condition for ongoing county support.

The Frontenac Transportation Services Collaborative Business Plan is an attempt to do just that. It calls for Rural Routes to be spun off from NFCS and for the SFCS transportation to be dispatched through Rural Routes. Driver training, safety procedures, and the cost of transportation will be the same throughout the county, and in time a seamless service is to be developed.

For 2010, the plan calls for an $80,000 grant from the county, to cover about 27% of the costs of the service. $17,500 is slated for NFCS and SFCS - $15,000 to cover fees for rides that each agency funds, and $2,500 for their administrative costs - and $55,000 is slated to go directly to Rural Routes for operating costs, training and dispatch.

The business plan outlines several steps that will need to be completed in order for Rural Routes (or a re-named entity) to become an independent transportation service.

The county will likely have a presence on the Rural Routes Board, as will SFCS and NFCS, along with client representatives and other county agencies.

The reception the business plan receives at Frontenac county council on November 18 will likely determine the future prospects for Rural Routes.