NIHI (No Internet Highspeed Insight), Ed Nowicki

Lions Vision Screening, Bill Robinson

Bear Shock, Andrea Dickinson

Re:  Letter “Patriot Missiles”, Chantell Nixon

NIHI (No Internet Highspeed Insight)

I can understand why North Frontenac wants out. South Frontenac keeps getting all the improvements in most all situations. High speed internet has been dangled in front of us internet users for years now and we are still being left out. 

If the latest promise from Barrett Xplore and Actionable Intelligence is to placate Arden and Kennebec Lake users with cheap satellite service (Highly Discounted), why not have satellite everywhere? The reason for going wireless was that satellite service was inferior and unstable as quoted in many public meetings, articles and township promises. The service will be as predictable as the weather. Bad weather = Bad service.

Now it seems it is North Frontenac Telephone Company who is to blame because they serviced Parham. It is a free market and if our leaders chose a company that cannot compete and offer affordable service, then maybe we should change that arrangement.

The reason for going with these people was because we were going to share wireless from north to south. It looks like this is another thing gone south. If we are making fair and equitable policies an issue in our region, then let us be fair and equitable.

Now we have a dangle of greatly discounted rates. No details have been provided and the fine print is nowhere in sight. My insight from years of use and working in the industry is that the prices are and will be an elaborate shell game; $49 per month is not a great price. What are the installation fees going to be?

Looks like Dial-Up is still the most reliable and cost efficient way to go. Maybe if all the township administrators had to use Dial-Up until the whole area was dealt with honourably, the results could be different.

My basic feeling is that we have been euchred again by bad deal-making and broken promises. The inability to deliver on promises by all involved is a shame. Not sticking to the plan is a failure in public administration and again an example of regional inequality. Talk about developing an election platform - looks like I have at least one issue. 

Maybe all those involved in this plan should have under-promised and hoped to have over-delivered as opposed to over-promised and under-delivered. Now I know the meaning of the word “scorned”. 

I hope someone steps up to the plate and rectifies this situation. I know living in the country has some disadvantages and realize this is not the most important thing on most people’s agenda. What bothers me is that it has been put on the agenda and not been dealt with properly, equally, fairly or honourably. It is how you do it and not what you do.

Ed Nowicki, Arden

Lions Vision Screening

Thanks for printing my article "Eye See so that Eye Can Learn". As an addendum to this article I am hoping you will let families know about the incredible support there already is in the area for children's eye health through the Lions Club.

I received a phone call from Dawn Hansen, the president of the Lions Club in Sharbot Lake, to let me know that their Lions Club has been involved in screening children for vision problems in Senior Kindergarten and Grade One since April 2005. Through their Vision Screen, they are able to red flag children who might otherwise be missed. Many children who need glasses or corrective measures through an optometrist have been caught through their program. Years ago Helen Keller inspired Lions Clubs across the province and around the world to be knights of the blind. The Lions Club in Sharbot Lake and surrounding area, in Kingston, Napanee, Tamworth and indeed many other parts of the province, are fulfilling this request with energy and enthusiasm through Vision Screen.

Families may contact Dawn Hansen to learn more about Vision Screen by calling 613-375-6318.

As well as initiating this and many other family-oriented programs in communities, some Lions Clubs are also involved in hearing screening at school entry. Locally, the Lions Club identifies children who need medic alert bracelets so that they can find support though the medic alert program.

Thanks for letting your readers know.

Susan Ramsay, Early Literacy Specialist,Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox & Addington

Bear Shock

I was shocked to see this bear hanging from a tree on Sunday afternoon. I am unclear as to the rules surrounding bear hunting or killing - and I am as nervous as anyone about running into a black bear on my daily walks in the woods. Our family and neighbours have taken steps to ensure we don't leave rotting garbage out in order not to attract them. I just want to know why this poor guy is hanging in a tree, gutted, right on County Road 38 for all to see. It just seems so disrespectful to nature.

Andrea Dickinson

Re:  “Patriot Missiles”

I can’t believe the council paid more attention to the style of Dave Winney’s letter rather than the content. After all, it was written by a resident of North Frontenac, and taxpayers have every right to comment on the state of their municipal government. Anyone reading both the initial letter and the responses from council members might deduce that council DOES NOT have taxpayers’ best interests at heart. Dave is concerned about what council isn’t doing for taxpayers, and he voiced his opinion…how is this threatening? This is, after all, a free country…thanks in huge part to the sacrifices made by people like Dave. In fact, he’s been to Afghanistan to work alongside our men and women who are fighting this war. And he was retired at the time! Nobody forced him to go; he did it willingly for his country, his family and his friends. How DARE Councilor Wayne Good threaten him for speaking his mind.

Let me outline some points of interest, using as little humour as possible so council members can understand:

1) Why does the Township of North Frontenac have so many FULL TIME employees when Addington Highlands can function with only a "skeleton crew"? We already know that North Frontenac wants to build a new municipal building to house all those “necessary” employees…where is that money going to come from?  I bet they could find a few employees that aren’t really necessary.  After all, if Addington Highlands can run a township with a handful of people, I bet North Frontenac could do it with half the number they have now.

2) Electric fencing to keep bears out of the dump? The bears help reduce the garbage by eating whatever is edible. Dump employees can carry bells, whistles, pepper spray, rifles, etc. as protection. If you keep bears out of the dump, they will eventually go in search of other options…such as people’s homes and cottages. There have already been more bear sightings on private property since they erected the bear fencing. The township will have to lay off all their employees when they’re sued for bear attacks on their taxpayers. In addition, the fencing will require continued maintenance…another expense for the taxpayer.

3) Clear plastic bags? They already offer incentives for recycling (one bag of recycling = one free bag of garbage). Anybody interested in saving money should be recycling. If you make it more difficult for people to dispose of their refuse, they will stop trying. I’ve noticed the garbage along our roadways is much worse than previous years and it’s always in non-clear plastic bags. If council is truly concerned about the environment, they should be lobbying the federal government to come up with affordable alternatives to plastic garbage bags, and then giving taxpayers incentives to buy and use them.

When is council going to address the CONTENT of Dave’s letter? Perhaps that’s the real “threat”…they don’t want to deal with the suggestions, which he clearly outlined at the end of his letter. I think, with elections coming next year, council members may want to keep in mind that it’s taxpayers who elect them…they need to listen & respond to the voters.

Chantel Nixon, Seasonal & Concerned Resident

 

A New Littering By-law Proposed

Paul Fodden, on behalf of South Frontenac Natural Environment Committee, made a brief presentation to council, recommending council consider developing a stand-alone littering by-law. Although as several councilors pointed out, littering is already illegal in the township, Fodden suggested that it was buried in the legislation, and a separate by-law would gain more attention. He provided an example of such a document, and noted that it would have to be supported by other means of lessening litter, such as more waste bins in public places, and continuation of the annual pitch-in program. Del Stowe showed examples of anti-littering signs, which could be posted at entrances to the township.

Mayor Davison suggested that once they got further information on how such a by-law would differ from the present legislation, both in content and effect, the issue should come back to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion.

Inspection of Private Sewage Systems

The KFL&A Health Unit has advised the township that they intend to withdraw from their contract to assume responsibility for the inspection and approval of private sewage systems under the Building Code Act. The

municipality will need alternate plans for inspection in time for the spring building season. The Health Unit has offered to help with training and orientation.

This inspection program is self-funded through the fees charged, and would require a full-time staff person for at least eight months of the year.

The township has several alternatives, including assuming the responsibility, or contracting the service out to another agency or to a private firm. There was some discussion as to the degree of liability the township might be assuming: (Stowe said there would be liability, Fillion disagreed.) The township’s CAO Wayne Orr was directed to prepare a full background report, for discussion at a future COW.

2010 Budget Cycle

A report from CAO Orr noted that 2010 was a milestone budget, as it will be South Frontenac's first fully amalgamated budget. Some of the challenges council faces include: rising pension and benefit costs, rising costs of salt and fuel, lower interest revenues, higher proposed Conservation levies, and expectations of a continued high level of roads work. These will lead either to higher taxes, or reduction of construction, maintenance and service levels across all districts and departments. Council agreed with the proposed schedule of budget deliberations at Committee of the Whole meetings in the new year, with the goal of achieving budget approval in mid-March. They also agreed that these deliberations would not be postponed due to the absence of individual councillors, though the full council will need to be present for the final acceptance of the budget.

Water Treatment Plant Update:

Councilors received a summary of Technical Memo #1, presented by XCG Engineering, which has been peer reviewed. The full 50-page report is available at the township office. It speaks to the process of evaluating and monitoring the baseline of raw water quality, and outlines potential solutions and the testing used to support the preferred solution. XCG recommends using a combination of Ultraviolet and Chloramination to treat the water. Because of the rather long lead time for the manufacturing of the specialized ultraviolet equipment, it will need to be ordered as soon as possible. XCG has gone to five vendors who have expertise in the specified equipment, and will assess the responses both technically and in terms of delivery and cost. A recommendation will come to Council on December 15, to proceed with the ordering of the UV equipment (cost estimated to be $50,000,) prior to the rest of the project going to tender, so it will be available when needed. 

 

Lake planning coming to Addington Highlands

Rosemary Teed, representing the Skootamatta, Sheldrake and Pringle Lake Management Plan steering committee, made a presentation to Addington Highlands Council on Monday October 5. Other members of the committee that is working on the plan accompanied her, including Terry Murphy, the General Manager of Quinte Conservation.

“What a lake plan will do is identify and protect lake characteristics that are valued by our community, promote community discussion, education and action, and recommend land use objectives for the protection and enhancement of the lake,” Teed told council.

Pringle Lake is a smaller lake that feeds into Skootamatta Lake by way of Wolf Creek. Sheldrake Lake is located very close to Skootamatta, and water quality and development issues are shared by residents on all three lakes, so it made sense for them to work on the lake plan together, according to Rosemary Teed.

The lakes are also a major source of water for the Moira River system, which feeds into the Bay of Quinte.

“We want to assure council that our goal is not to stop economic development; it is a matter of making sure that the development that we have is balanced with the preservation of our environment for ongoing community enjoyment,” Rosemary Teed said.

The steering committee wanted to make a presentation to Council at this early stage in the project for a few reasons, the primary one being that any lake plan will have to be developed to work with the township’s Official Plan, so the township will have to be involved. As well, Rosemary Teed said the committee would like to establish a contact person on council, and they also were looking for a nominal donation, $500, towards the cost of the plan.

Reeve Henry Hogg said he would be willing to be the contact person for council for the next year. “I can only commit to a year because there will be an election next November, and we don’t know who will be representing Council after then,” he said.

As far as the $500 is concerned, Hogg said that it would have to wait until the 2010 budget deliberations take place in February.

The lake planning process will include various other community partners in addition to council.

There are two “r”s in Deerrock – Deputy Mayor Helen Yanch couldn’t help but ask Quinte Conservation General Manger Terry Murphy to change the sign on the Deerrock road. (Quinte manages that road). It is not Deer ock,” she said. “It is Deerrock with two ‘r’s”.

Murphy said he would look into installing a new sign.

AFAR pull back – Councilor Louise Scott reported that AFAR (the Addington Frontenac Area Radio) has done some more detailed engineering work and has now determined that the 500-watt transmission signal that they hope to send from the TVO tower north of Bon Echo will not likely reach listeners to the east of Plevna, or as far to the southeast as Sharbot Lake.

The problem is that a 3500-watt signal station based in Gatineau uses the same signal that has been assigned to AFAR, and the Gatineau signal will push AFAR back.

The current plan is to serve Addington Highlands and the western parts of North and Central Frontenac in phase 1 of the project, and to work on a second phase later on to expand the reach of the signal to Sharbot Lake and the Ompah/Snow Road area.

This still requires negotiating an affordable deal for use of the TVO Tower. AFAR has enlisted the support of Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky, who will be contacting Education Minister Kathleen Wynne (whose ministry oversees TVO) on behalf of AFAR.

Tender price beats estimate – The tenders for the rebuild of the Matawatchan Road came in much lower than anticipated. The winning bid, by Dunford Construction, was $757,418.30.

The project is being supported by a federal/provincial infrastructure fund that is slated to provide 2/3 of the cost of a $1.35 million estimate on the work, so Council decided to extend the amount of road to be rebuilt in order to make full use of the grant money. The township’s share of the costs is covered in the 2009 budget.

Bridge almost complete, but funding? – Road Superintendent Royce Rosenblath reported that the Wagers bridge repair is almost complete. Unfortunately, the federal grant supporting the project has not been delivered, with the province asking about an environmental assessment for the project.

“There never was a requirement when the work was initiated,” said Reeve Hogg, “but now they seem to be holding back the money.”

Staff will look into the matter.

Opposition mounts to Woodcrest expansion

Woodcrest Resort has room for 94 campsites (suitable for trailers) on a 40-acre site on Mitchell Bay, Kashwakamak Lake in North Frontenac, and the resort owners have applied to expand their operation by adding 200 more sites, to be located further from the water than the existing sites.

Early this past spring, in line with a report from planning consultant Glenn Tunnock, council informed Woodcrest's owners, the Colton family, that a site plan agreement, including detailed drawings outlining the location of the sites and the septic system, etc. would be required before the township would approve the expansion.

Since then, opposition to the plan has been brewing, and last week council received a letter from Kashwakamak Lake Association President Mary Larson requesting that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be done before approval is granted.

The letter pointed out there are already “approximately 100 family cottages on the bay” in addition to 94 trailers, “and with 200 more campsites proposed and the corresponding increase in boat traffic and noise pollution, we believe that a broader and more thorough lake impact assessment is warranted before a planning decision is made.”

“There seems to be a larger opposition to this than I can remember when we were reviewing this,” said Mayor Ron Maguire.

“As is set out in the Tunnock report, according to the existing Official Plan we have covered all the bases. There are certain criteria that must be met for us to order an EIA because the proposal is for lands that are located behind the setback,” said Clerk/Planning Co-ordinator Brenda Defosse.

“The fact that it is not required does not mean that we cannot require it,” said Deputy Mayor Jim Beam. “I see from the letter about this written by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority that they recommend an impact study as part of the site plan.”

Defosse reported that Tunnock has gotten back to the Coltons, asking for more information, but has not received a response, nor has there been a site plan submitted.

“As yet, we have nothing to consider,” Defosse said. “We have not heard from them since April, and what they brought to Glenn Tunnock at that time was not complete.”

“So there is nothing for us to do until we hear back,” said Maguire.

“Looking at dots on a map will not show you what is really at stake,” said Kashwakamak Association former President Alma McLachlan, who was in attendance and was given leave to address council. “I think council should visit the site.”

Councilor Fred Perry, who said he is familiar with the location, agreed. “I know that spot because I fished there as a kid. We should all go and take a look,” he said.

Other items from Council – Mary Kirkham and her brother Tom Millar addressed council concerning their family property, the Millar farm near Snow Road, next to the Snow Road Snowmobile Club.

Their mother Margaret died earlier this year. Ownership of the 600-acre family farm, which was established by the family around 1850 and has passed from father to son until now, is being established through a probate process. After that it is the family’s intention to sell.

Mary Kirkham came to council because it turns out that the Gemmill Road, a township road that passes through the property, has never been deeded to the township.

Officially the road ends at one end of the property and starts up again at the other end. The road is also very narrow at points, as narrow as 34 feet in one spot.

Mary Kirkham proposed an arrangement. If the township will kick in some money towards the required $4,500 survey, the family will agree to a 66-foot road allowance, using the most suitable pathway for a road among the granite outcroppings at the location, and give it to the township. The road issue needs to be settled before the historic property can be sold.

Council seemed amenable, but the matter was referred to staff for comment.

County council composition questions deferred – Council discussed a questionnaire about County Council composition from Warden Janet Gutowski.

“I can't see how this can work; it will lead to four new proposals. I urged the warden to appoint a committee with representation from each of the townships; at least a single proposal could come forward for consideration, but that was dismissed out of hand,” said Mayor Maguire.

A meeting with the lower-tier municipalities in Frontenac County was scheduled for later the same afternoon (see “Joint Council Meeting” on page ???) and council decided to wait until their first October meeting, which precedes the next county council meeting, before answering the questions.

Award for Robson – CAO/Treasurer Cheryl Robson has been acknowledged by the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario for her contribution to the profession over 20 years, and she was congratulated by Council.

AAFNA - Mayor Maguire said that he received a call from David Hill, who has been appointed by the Family Heads Council of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) as their liaison with the township.

Hill informed Maguire that AAFNA is planning to put a portable office near the Pine Lake boat launch, where a land use permit has been issued to AAFNA by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

“They plan to get on with building a Cultural Centre across the road,” Maguire said. Maguire also said that AAFNA was receptive to an offer of office space in the proposed multiuse building the township would like to construct in Plevna.

MVCA office decision finally coming – Deputy Mayor Jim Beam, the township representative to the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), said that a facilitated session is set for October 9 to finalise a decision on the location of a new office. The current office in the Village of Lanark is too small. There is pressure to move the office closer to Ottawa.

“I had suggested they move it to North Frontenac, where the headwaters are, but with the City of Ottawa paying 95% of the budget, they weren't that receptive,” Beam said. 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - October 1, 2009 Central Frontenac Council, Sep. 29/09By Jeff Green

McIntosh Perry wants to develop Baker Valley property 

The engineering and development company McIntosh Perry has purchased the Baker Valley property that runs from Highway 7 to Kennebec Lake near Arden, with plans to develop cottage lots on the one mile of shoreline.

The company sent a letter to Central Frontenac introducing the project to Central Frontenac Council. The letter says a purchase agreement for the 200-acre property has been reached and is in “a period of due diligence to determine the viability of development.”

The company has been in touch with township staff and is planning a meeting with the Kennebec Lake Association. It is anticipated that a lengthy planning process, including an Official Plan amendment and a plan of subdivision, will be required.

“I’m pleased that we have a heads up,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski, “Let’s do this and do it right. That’s what’s important, doing this correctly.

Seniors’ housing project headed for OMB

The North Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing Corporation was granted $2,700 from the township in compensation for planning fees that have been levied for a zoning bylaw amendment, an Official Plan amendment, and a severance application that were necessary for the corporation to construct a five-unit seniors’ complex that is planned for Clement Road near Sharbot Lake.

In debating the matter, Councilor John Purdon said some of the fees would never have had to be levied but for a historic oversight on the township’s part. “In terms of zoning I believe that is something that should have been taken care of years ago for the four-plex that already exists on the site. Theoretically the OP amendment and the zoning would not have been required if we had done the work when the four-plex was built,” he said

“I think that council and staff missed something when we were doing our Official Plan, and that part is our fault and not the applicant’s,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

The decision to grant back the $2,700 charged in fees came about as the housing corporation, and the township, have learned that the severance that was granted by the township for the project has been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Township CAO John Duchene told Council that another appeal to the municipal board is expected if and when the Ministry of Municipal Affairs approves an Official Plan amendment, which council passed for the same project. That approval is not expected until mid-October at the earliest.

“The history with the OMB is that they only want to hold one hearing, so they will wait to schedule one until after the Official Plan Amendment is finalised.”

As far as covering the costs associated with the OMB hearing, Frances Smith said, “I think they will have to pay those costs themselves. We should cut them loose after this.”

“Even though it is the township’s decision that is being appealed to the OMB, the applicant [North Frontenac Not-For-Profit Housing] signed an indemnification agreement saying they would cover all costs related to our decision, as all applicants do,” said CAO Duchene.

New committees struck

Council will be changing the way they do their business. Starting on October 13, meetings will be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake at 7:00 pm.

At 4:00 pm on the meeting days, committee meetings will be held to allow for fuller debate and for more complete staff interaction with council on issues. The 4:00 pm meetings will be divided up into four areas, each of which will be chaired by a different member of council.

Councilor Bob Harvey will chair discussions regarding Planning and Building; Councilor Jeff Matson will chair Public Works/Waste Management; Fire and Emergency Services will be chaired by Councilor John Purdon, and Corporate and Financial Services by current Deputy Mayor Gary Smith.

County governance – Mayor Gutowski relinquished the chair to Frances Smith for a debate on county governance. The debate was short-lived, however, because a proposal to ignore a request to answer seven questions by the county and instead reiterate Central Frontenac Council’s support for a county council with nine votes, three for South Frontenac and two for each of the other townships, proved very popular.

Mayor Gutowski, who in her role as warden has overseen the debate at the county, voiced her support for the nine-member proposal. “I support this resolution; I think it’s quite appropriate,” she said.

Whether the county will effectively address the county composition issue in time for a new structure to be adopted for the municipal election next November, is still unclear

A statement that Mayor Gutowski made to the Whig Standard alludes to her own indecision about where the debate will go at the county level. "I think [county governance] is really up in the air.” She is quoted as saying. “The issue is not going to go away; we have to be thinking longer term rather than making rash decisions on emotion. It might not be bad if it takes another four years [to resolve] because someone will likely have to live with it for the next 20 years at least."

Gas tax money – Central Frontenac has received $18,473 as their share of $119,000 in county gas tax money that has been divvied up by the lower-tier townships. The money will go towards overruns on a salt dome project that is already underway.

“The only issue that I see is that the salt dome is costing $250,000 and we are getting $18,000, but it helps a bit,” said Frances Smith. 

Sydenham WI Presentation

Carol Faires, speaking on behalf of the Sydenham Women’s Institute, presented Council with photo portraits of South Frontenac Township’s first three mayors. In her introduction, Ms. Faires listed some of the WI’s many contributions to the Sydenham community since the group began in the village in 1919.

Proving the power of imagination, determination and bake sales, they have supported numerous educational projects, including public speaking in the schools, swimming lessons, scholarships and the collecting and preserving of local historical records. They have served dinners for seniors, organized community Hallowe’en parties, provided furnishings for public buildings and hospitals, donated the oak entrance doors to the township hall, and for many years, contributed to the upkeep of the hall itself. Together with the then Board of Trade, the WI purchased the property now popularly known as The Point, to be a living memorial to the local people who fought in the two world wars.

In thanking the group, Mayor Davison asked Ms. Faires to introduce the several members who were present.

Sustainable Energy Project

Steve Lapp, a local resident and coordinator of the St Lawrence Energy Systems Engineering Technology program introduced the student team of Andrew Jones and Ian Rowberry, who as a term project, have offered to produce a study and recommendations to the township on an energy-related issue. Council accepted their (free) offer: they will work in consultation with Chief Building Official Alan Revil, to develop a project of interest to the township. Councilor McPhail later asked if he could act as a council liaison. Councillors agreed, as long as they were all kept informed.

2009 Property Tax Breakdown

Following a request from the last committee of the whole, CAO Orr gave a summary report on where the property taxes go. On average across the entire Township, for a property with an assessment of $150,000 the tax is $1687. Of this amount, 23% goes to the County, 22% to education, and 55% stays in South Frontenac.

The 55% is disbursed as follows: 62% of that 55% goes to roads; 15% to Police; 9% to General Government services; 7% to Fire; 2% to Environmental Services (waste collection and disposal), 2% to Recreation, and 1% to each of Planning, Conservation Authorities and Protective Inspections. 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - October 16, 2009 Central Frontenac CouncilBy Jeff Green

Central Frontenac Council tries a new format

Central Frontenac Council held their first Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday October 13 in Sharbot Lake, and then held a council meeting early in the evening.

All council meetings are now being held in Sharbot Lake.

The Committee of the Whole meetings are split into four sections, and at the first meeting each month, Public Works and Waste Management (chaired by Councilor Jeff Matson) and Fire and Emergency Services (chaired by Councilor John Purdon) are set for discussion.

The discussion of public works and waste management was rather broad.

Councilor Norm Guntensperger suggested that a small shelter be put up at waste sites for items that still work but are no longer wanted by their owners.

Mayor Janet Gutowski and Councilor John Purdon both said it is more complicated than it would appear for a re-use centre to be set up at a waste site.

PUBLIC WORKS – Rain, rain, rain has led to complaints from residents about potholes on roads. With sun coming later this week, Public Works Manager Mike Richardson said that grading would be taking place on many of the gravel roads.

In response to a question from Councilor Bill Snyder, it was revealed that brush cutting never got done in the summer. “Dead in the water is what I've heard about the vehicle we had for brush cutting. I will make a recommendation about a new vehicle for next year’s budget,” said Mike Richardson.

Richardson also brought up Council's decision to not allow any employee to take a township vehicle home at the end of the working day. “That raises a problem for me, particularly in terms of winter maintenance when people are on call. Without changing the policy I would like to be able to send people home, at my request, to be available for work in the most efficient manner.”

“Would that be between November 15 and April 15?” asked Councilor Frances Smith.

“Yes,” replied Mike Richardson.

“We need to ensure,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski “that there is some sort of record of vehicles going home to ensure they are not seen to be used for personal use. Our policy was very liberal in the past, and people called us about it.”

“We had a change in policy, not too long ago, because of gross abuses - people taking vehicles to Toronto, to the liquor store; spouses driving vehicles. We need some sort of blend, to be clear that non-official use is not to be tolerated,” added Deputy Mayor Gary Smith.

“I've already assigned one person to take a vehicle home tonight to check ice on the road at 4:00 in the morning. I just wanted council to know that the policy does not meet with the needs,” said Richardson.

It was agreed that for now Richardson could use his discretion in assigning vehicles to be taken home by employees and council would consider revising the policy at a later date.

Supervisory Position Not To Be Filled – Mike Richardson reported that he does not think it is necessary to fill the operations supervisor position. Instead, he feels the job can be handled by the construction supervisor and himself.

He also said he would prefer to keep an internal person dealing with operations, especially in terms of winter maintenance, rather than hiring a new person. Steve Reynolds, who is currently the construction manager, will handle the operations duties through the winter, and the matter can be reconsidered in the spring.

FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES –A lease has now been signed with Ockham Communications regarding the Piccadilly Tower, which will provide communications service for the fire department and high speed internet to the public,

Activity report – Fire Chief Mark MacDonald presented an Activities Summary report for September.

It noted 150 total person hours, including 5 fire calls, 3 alarm calls, 3 complaint investigations, 3 medical assists, 3 vehicle assists, and 4 items listed as “other assistance”.

Councilor Norm Guntensperger said, “I would like to see more detail in the monthly activity reports. I had been hoping that by having a monthly report from the Fire Chief to the Committee Of The Whole we could have more opportunity to oversee the operations of the fire department.”

“I don't want to see us micromanage the fire department. This is exactly the kind of report I would like to see. We have a part-time fire chief and I don't think we should shoulder him with more than is reasonable,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

Deputy Mayor Gary Smith expressed interest in receiving the minutes from fire department meetings, but Fire Chief MacDonald said department meetings often concern themselves with sensitive personnel matters.

Council came to a consensus that they would like to see more about the department’s ongoing goals and issues during the monthly committee meetings, and it was left to the fire chief to develop that kind of information package. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - October 16, 2009 North Frontenac CouncilBy Jeff Green

Shrinking Broadband Budget

North Frontenac Township is still in negotiations with Omniglobe Corporation over the delivery of broadband internet service in North Frontenac Township, the News has learned.

Maureen O'Higgins from Actionable Intelligence, the consultants that are handling the project for the township, has been in negotiations with Omniglobe.

Originally, towers were planned for the Village of Ompah and Gull Lake as well as repeater towers at Canonto, Mosque and Shabomeka Lakes, in addition to an upgrade to the service provided for the village of Cloyne.

“Omniglobe is trying to downscale the project from what it was originally planned to be,” said North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “With the economy being what it is they have not had the uptake from seasonal residents that they had originally foreseen.”

The issue was discussed at an in camera council meeting in late September.

There are no details available as to which regions Omniglobe is still interested in and which regions they want to avoid.

Deputy Mayor Beam did say that a CRTC ruling in September might lead Bell Canada to reconsider its rural broadband service and begin to add service in communities such as Ompah within the next year.

“The situation is still in flux,” Beam said, “we are relying on Maureen O'Higgins to work this out with Omniglobe and we will go from there.” 

Ragged Chutes Road joins the queue

Beverley Elliott, who has a seasonal residence at 1460 Ragged Chutes Lane, appeared before North Frontenac Council last week (October 8), seeking “grading once a year and gravelling of surface and repair of washouts, etc. as required.”

The township provides maintenance on Ragged Chutes Road, but, as a road sign indicates, when Ragged Chutes Road ends and Ragged Chutes Lane begins, the township trucks turn around.

A previous written request by Beverley and Murray Mitchell in 2008 yielded the following explanation: “ ... Ragged Chutes Road and Ragged Chutes Lane is a municipal road allowance, however the reason for the 'split' is the 'Road section' is maintained and always has been and the 'Lane Section' is not and never has been maintained.”

However, according to Beverley Elliott, the Lane section was maintained up until 2002, when that maintenance stopped. “According to Courtland Kelford, who was working for the municipality, that road was maintained before amalgamation and for four years afterwards. He said it was not graded as often as the other part, but he did grade it once a year. Now we are left with .8 kilometre of road to maintain, and a lot of people use that road to get to the Ragged Chutes.”

“We have no record of maintenance on that section,” said Public Works Manager John Ibey. “That doesn't mean none was ever done, but we have no record of any work.”

There was a washout on Ragged Chutes Lane, and when the Mitchells requested that the township repair it, the request was denied.

“I don't feel that the Elliott family should maintain .8 kilometres of that road going into the Ragged Chutes,” said Councilor Bob Olmstead. “People go in there and have picnics; they camp in there. Why should the Elliotts be responsible?”

“It falls in the same category as private lanes,” said Councilor Wayne Good. “We've had a lot of people come here asking for help in Private Lanes. It would break us if we started to maintain these roads.”

“It is not a private lane, it is a township road allowance and it was maintained until 2002,” Beverley Elliott reiterated.

“There were things going on in the first two or three years of amalgamation that I wasn't aware of,” said John Ibey.

Deputy Mayor Jim Beam, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Mayor Maguire, said he would like to see something in writing from Courtland Kelford confirming that the road was at one time a township maintained road.

“I don't think it matters if someone maintained the road,” said Wayne Good. “He may have taken it on himself, but we need to see if there was any direction from council”.

“Still, I'd like to keep this request on file until we see something in writing from Kelford,” said Jim Beam.

“Patriot missile” letter misses the mark with Council 

Council did not look kindly at a letter that they received from Dave Winney. The satirical letter, entitled “Patriot Missiles in North Frontenac”, contains a suggestion that anti-personnel mines be used to prevent bears from accessing township dumpsites, and that patriot missiles be used on turkey vultures. It goes on to complain about the clear garbage bag rule that is now in place at all township dump sites. Mr. Winney writes that he has purchased boxes containing hundreds of green garbage bags he can no longer use because the new rule was brought in too quickly.

Council did not find the letter amusing.

“The letter is offensive and threatening and does not deserve a response,” said Deputy Mayor Beam.

“Maybe it should be passed to the OPP because it is a threatening letter,” said Councilor Wayne Good.

(Note: the Winney letter was submitted to the Frontenac News several weeks ago, but was not published, primarily because of its length. (Click here to read letter)

Pandemic Plan - North Frontenac has completed a Pandemic plan. Jenny Duhamel, who prepared the plan, will be meeting with all members of township staff to go over the protocol that will be in place should the H1N1 flu strain become a major problem in the township. (North Frontenac is the only jurisdiction in Frontenac County to have a plan in place thus far)

County – In response to a questionnaire on Frontenac County Governance, North Frontenac Council decided to re-state its position endorsing a nine-vote council as an alternative to the current four-vote council.

Deputy Mayor Beam reported that the matter may be discussed at a county meeting on October 21, but no vote can be taken because South Frontenac Mayor Davison will not be at the meeting.

“One member of council is going away so the council can't discuss something; that's exactly why they need to make a change,” said Councilor Lonnie Watkins.

“I think they are just delaying,” said Councilor Wayne Good. “The mayors don't want to forfeit some of their power.”

Task forces disbanded – Now that a long-term waste management plan has been completed, the waste management task force has been disbanded. Another task force, which has been dealing with roads, has completed a report, but it has not come to council because it must first be vetted by the township’s solicitor. Nonetheless, its work now completed, the roads task force has also been disbanded.

Back to HomeFeature Article - October 22, 2009 Addington Highlands Council –Oct 19, 2009By Jule Koch Brison

This Saturday October 24, the Denbigh Recreation Committee will be holding an Open House and Trillium Grant Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Denbigh Hall at 1pm.

The township has been approved for Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RinC) funding to install a roof over the Flinton Outdoor Rink. Projected costs are $372,000 and the financial assistance available from RinC is $248,000. The Flinton Recreation Club is spearheading the project and is in the process of raising the funds for the municipality’s portion of the project. Council passed a bylaw at the meeting, authorizing the township’s signing officers for the project.

Reeve Henry Hogg gave council a heads-up that an agreement would soon be ratified to unionize the volunteer ambulance service in the north. Over a period of time the service will be changed to full and part-time service, the same as it is in the south end of the county. He said the change would add over $1 million to the cost of ambulance services for the north.

The KFL&A Health Unit has notified the township that it will no longer be performing inspections for septic approvals. The health unit receives a fee for the inspections, but does not have enough personnel to carry out the inspections plus do all the other tasks it is responsible for, such as overseeing the Safe Drinking Water Act. The decision will affect the requests for initiating septic re-inspection programs that the township has received from several lake associations. The township will ask the building inspector to perform the inspections.

From January to June 2009, 45 building permits were issued. New construction value was $762,900 and additions & renovations were $391,640, for a total construction value of $1,160,540. Permit fees were $12,064

A bylaw to declare the Line Fences Act no longer in effect in the municipality was discussed. Under the proposed amendment the township’s bylaw enforcement officer would be responsible for fences. Reeve Hogg said it had been a long time since the township had appointed fence viewers. The bylaw was deferred pending further consideration.

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch and Councilor Louise Scott both reported receiving several phone calls about potholes on various roads. Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath said that road grading and maintenance is on a schedule but the rain has made it difficult to keep to the schedule.

Back to HomeLetters - October 22, 2009Letters: October 22

Re – Patriot Missiles in North Frontenac, Dave Winney

Re – Patriot Missiles in North Frontenac

What a huge divergence of perspectives between the mayor & his council. Mr. Maguire gets it!  At the time I wrote the letter (Patriot Missiles), I didn't realize that the mayor was leaving on a prolonged vacation or I would have asked that he highlight the salient points from my letter for Mr. Beam and Mr. Good, or, at least go over the big words with them to ensure they understood the content of my message.

I must say I'm being unfair with Jim Beam because I know he is an intelligent man who has done much for the municipality; however, he's going to have to highlight for me the part of my letter that is "threatening". I've tried but I simply can't find it. I know that at one point, in the letter, I suggest that some of our taxpayers may have some specific suggestions as to what council can do with the excess green plastic bags. The veiled thought is that they can shove them where the sun don't shine but you have to look deeply to even find that thought. If that's a veiled threat, it's very subtle. Mr. Good and his suggestion to call in the OPP is something else again. 

Mr. Good needs to know that as a soldier, I've served this country in places he couldn't find with both hands, a globe and a flashlight including Syria, Bosnia, Yugoslavia (twice) Kosovo, Afghanistan (twice) not to mention a few months spent as the unwilling guest of my old friend Saddam Hussein in pre-war Iraq. Mr. Good cannot imagine how deeply affected and fearful I am as a result of his impotent threats.  You might say he's wasting his time; I've been threatened before...by professionals. 

As I read the mayor's comments, I'm not certain that consultations with restaurants and resorts were ever initiated by council even though he admits that some input from these businesses had been constructive. I know for a fact that in spite of the specific unfair instance I mentioned in my letter, (Marble Lake Lodge), no effort was ever made by the municipality to contact the lodge and work something out.

Council also made no attempt to respond to any of the points I made in my letter (assuming they recognized them all) choosing instead to threaten me, in other words, the "good defence is a good offence" approach. They really only needed to address the three listed suggestions I had that could have been phoned in by any irate taxpayer. Their choice: they can deal with my humour or they can deal with me as an irate taxpayer. That's not a threat!  That's a right! 

Dave Winney

See North Frontenac Councils' response