Back to HomeEditorial - May 21, 2009 Mining Act reform brings changes – but not enough for manyEditorial by Jeff Green

For some, the recent changes to the Ontario Mining Act marked the culmination of years of effort to address the conflicts between the interests of the mining industry and property owners’ rights, environmental concerns and Aboriginal rights.

The interests of property owners who own only surface rights to their property, which have been the subject of 10 years of lobbying successive provincial governments, are dealt with in the new mining act. They are no longer subject to staking.

So why are so many of the local activists still so upset? The reason is that while the surface-subsurface issue has been resolved in southern Ontario, the impact of mineral staking on Crown Land has not changed, and while for the first time there are provisions for “consultation” with Aboriginal peoples in the mining act, they will not satisfy all of the demands of certain Aboriginal communities.

Although the consultation protocols are not finalized, it is clear that they will not address the question of sovereignty over lands that are part of land claims processes or disputes.

During the consultation process that took place in the time period between the end of the Robertsville mine occupation in late 2007 and the court hearing in February 2008 that eventually led to the jailing of Bob Lovelace, there were three or four sessions that were open to the public. The meetings were between chiefs and senior council members from the Shabot Obaadjiwan and Ardoch Algonquins, and representatives from the ministries of Mines and Northern Development, and Aboriginal Affairs.

It was touted as a kind of pilot project for Aboriginal consultation. The issue that was at the forefront of the discussions, from the Aboriginal point of view, was simple: did the Aboriginal communities have the right to refuse mining exploration on their land claim territory? Ministry officials said this was not something they could consider. The consultations eventually failed.

Under the new mining act Aboriginal communities will still have no right of refusal, and the consultation process, although ill-defined as of yet, will not include any kind of veto. Sovereignty over Ontario lands rests with the Government of Ontario; of that there is no doubt.

The new mining act also does not grant even limited authority to municipalities. Throughout the long struggle over mining exploration on private lands in Southern Ontario as well as during the Robertsville dispute, municipal bylaws, official plans, council resolutions, etc. have had no impact on the implementation of the mining act.

The townships of South Frontenac and Tay Valley discouraged mining exploration in their official plans. About 15 eastern Ontario municipalities, ranging from rural municipalities to the cities of Ottawa and Kingston, passed resolutions calling for a moratorium on uranium exploration.

The mining act has always overridden municipal regulations, and there is no change in the new act. It represents no gain for municipalities.

Finally, on the matter of uranium itself, the act is silent. Activists have been saying that the environmental impacts of uranium exploration are such that it needs mention in the mining act, which is the only regulatory tool that kicks in for preliminary exploration, but the mining act takes the position the uranium is the same as any other mineral. For the purpose of exploration, uranium is treated in the same way as graphite, copper, or any other mineral.

Activists will have to look elsewhere for reform over the coming years as the mining act review is now complete. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - May 28, 2009 Frontenac County Council - May 20/09By Jeff Green

Consultant's governance plan rejected

The four township mayors who make up Frontenac County Council have heard their own councilors express the near unanimous opinion that a ward system for directly electing members of county council is not the solution they are looking for.

A $35,000 report by Doug Armstrong, which called for an expansion of the council to seven members, including three directly elected members, was thus jettisoned at a meeting of county council last week (May 20). No firm plan for proceeding on governance reform was established.

“The first thing I want to say is that I really hate the fact that we put out an RFP and hired a consultant, and then really don't act on it,” said South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison, “but I don't see how the recommendations that were brought forward can work.”

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire said that while County Council put forward the Armstrong proposals, they were “never something that the county was underwriting; it was never palatable from the start ... but it behoves the council to move forward, not to postpone this and leave it to another council.”

Maguire then put his support behind a proposal from South Frontenac Council, calling for an increase of county council to 8 or 9 members.

“I agree that each township should have two representatives and I agree with South Frontenac having an extra vote. I'm optimistic the townships would approve that,” he said.

Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek said he did “not think the $35,000 we spent on the Armstrong report was wasted; we certainly don't want to shelve it entirely, but I agree that the ward system will not fly.”

Vanden Hoek said the county does not have to hurry a decision along now that the ward system is off the table. “I don't sense there is a gun to our had in terms of timing here.”

Janet Gutowski, Central Frontenac mayor and current county warden, said she is “concerned about the lack of engagement of the public.”

A series of seven public meetings on county governance brought a total of 11 members of the public out, including eight at the final meeting on Howe Island.

“Do we need to make a decision right at this moment? I don't think so,” Gutowski said. “Perhaps we need a little more time to reflect on where the county is going. I don't see bringing anything forward today.”

The County Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) is due to be released in June, and Gutowski said that since the ICSP will have an impact on the future of the County and the process to develop it has had much public input, the governance issue should be held off until the ICSP has been launched.

In order for a change in council composition to take effect at the next municipal election in November of 2010, it would have to be approved by County Council and ratified by at least three member townships comprising a majority of the county population, before the end of the 2009 calendar year. 

Naturally Rich Frontenacs

Graham Halsall, the Sustainability Coordinator with Frontenac County, presented a report to Frontenac County Council that proposes the publication of a magazine-format booklet, “Naturally Rich Frontenacs”, to be spearheaded by the Frontenac Stewardship Council.

In his report, Halsall wrote that the booklet would be “a voyage through a sampling of the great wealth of Frontenac County – natural resources, human resources, stories of good stewardship of the land, the evolution of creative activities, and new forms of sustainable activities growing out of the same natural resources that sustained pioneer communities.”

The proposal called for a $9,100 expenditure from Frontenac County towards the $42,000 project, with the Stewardship Council putting in about the same amount in cash and $4,000 worth of labour as an in-kind contribution. The rest of the cost, about $20,000 towards an intern, would be covered through a grant from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, for which proponents of the project are planning to apply.

Gray Merriam, chair of the FSC, and Chris Raffael, resource person, appeared before Council to answer questions about the booklet.

Raffael passed out a couple of examples of magazines that have been produced through similar partnerships, including a 134-page booklet about Lanark County and a smaller one done in Renfrew County that focuses on privately owned forests.

“We see considerable economic benefits that could come from this project. Future economic development is going to link natural and human riches, maximize economic yield and minimize impacts on future economic yield,” said Merriam.

Merriam also said that the stewardship council has been faced with a similar problem that Frontenac County Council has faced, bridging the north-south gap of Frontenac County, and said the booklet would go some ways to doing that for both organisations.

Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek said, “Nobody is disputing the riches of the Frontenacs; but I can't resist asking something. I have yet to talk to someone from a wildlife service that has any interest in the constraints faced by municipal politicians, and they are often very skilled, more skilled than proponents of developments, in the political process. I know the types of individuals that go on your boards. How do I get some comfort that this won't turn out to be something that ends up coming back at us in our planning or political process?”

“I can give you a bit of comfort,” said Merriam, “we don’t do advocacy. I'll give you an example from Wolfe Island. We have spent a lot of money supporting the Big Sandy Bay rehabilitation. That's not a political issue.”

Warden Janet Gutowski said, “I’m going to support this project. It's really difficult to find promotional tools that identify to the rest of the world who we are. I think this could be a very valuable tool.”

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison said, “I feel that promoting the Frontenac brand is a great thing. I worry about this turning into another level of objection for development. We feel that our Official Plan, which has been recognised throughout the province, is sufficient. We already have the conservation authorities, the ministry of the environment, and all the rest; we don’t need another layer. That's the only thing that gives me a bit of a twinge.”

Despite some of these misgivings, council approved the expenditure, which will be taken from the county portion of Federal Gas Tax Rebate money. 

The Frontenac Stewardship Council is a community-based group, affiliated with Ontario Stewardship, a program of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The local stewardship council operates independently of the ministry, which provides a resource person and $9,000 per year in seed money.

With that money as a base, the FSC seeks other funding and provides support for stewardship projects undertaken by individuals and groups within Frontenac County.

Efforts supported by the stewardship council include a tree-planting program, wetland rehabilitation projects, support for the butternut and bald eagle recovery programs, and support for landowners and lake associations wishing to develop stewardship plans for their properties.

The council also sponsors talks, including one on Fishers last year, and a heavily-attended talk on Coyotes this past winter. In late June a day of events about Loons is planned for Sharbot Lake. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - May 28, 2009 Central Frontenac Council - May 26/09By Jeff Green

Township wins at OMB

An Official Plan amendment, which Council approved last year in order to allow zoning for a portable cement operation on Hwy. 7 near Arden, has survived an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Bob Castle, of Thousand Islands Concrete, purchased the property that formerly housed the Arden Station restaurant and gas bar after a fire destroyed the business. He proposed establishing a depot there for the cement operation.

After first saying a zoning amendment was required, Central Frontenac determined that an Official Plan amendment was necessary as well and one was prepared and approved by council.

Meanwhile there were those who complained that the concrete depot was not a desired use for the property because it is in the vicinity of cottage country. David Dashkiewicz lives on a property located 1.3 kilometres from the site in question. He hopes to establish a bed and breakfast on his property, and brought the matter before the OMB.

In his decision N.C. Jackson of the OMB concluded: “Planning on this site will not leave a blotch on tourism, such as what may have been the case of the fire swept former structure and the remaining three large fuel tanks stored on site. The result is, the board finds, good planning.”

The OMB decision remains in draft form until the township and Thousand Islands Concrete satisfy some conditions that were outlined at the end of the decision.

Township CAO John Duchene said township staff has started work on satisfying the OMB requirements, but the time frame for a final OMB approval is not yet known.

Tower meeting deferred – An advertised public meeting on behalf of Barret xplornet, a company that with funding support from Frontenac County is planning to erect four towers in Central Frontenac for wireless internet service, had been scheduled for June 8.

However, the company informed the township that they are making changes to the location of the proposed tower in the Arden area, and further that no one from the company will be available on that date.

The June 8 meeting will be cancelled and a tentative alternative date of July 8, at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake, has been proposed.

Legions get tax break for 10 years – In line with past practice, Council formally approved a motion to exempt the Sharbot Lake and Arden Legions from township property taxes. By the rules of the Ontario Municipal Act, the exemption cannot be extended for longer than 10 years.

Grading every two to three weeks – Roads Supervisor Matt Macdonald updated Council on some of the activities of the roads department. Macdonald said that by dividing the township up into quadrants, and keeping track of the progress of the township’s four graders, residents who live on gravel roads in the township can expect their roads to be graded every two to three weeks throughout the summer.

Speed sign bylaw not ready yet -

Councilor John Purdon said, “I was pleased to see the speed sign bylaw on the agenda, but I was less pleased when I read through some of the items, which need to be changed. For those reasons and others I move that we defer the bylaw.”

The bylaw includes a short list of roads to be designated as 40 km zones, a longer list of roads to be designated as 50 km zones, and a short list of roads, (Fall River, Mary Moore, McQuaid, Wilkinson and Zealand) to be designated as 60 km zones.

It also includes a long list, 68 roads, that are small and dead end roads. These roads are classified as “Do Not Post”

“Does that mean the speed limit on those roads is 80? You can’t make 80 on most of those roads,” said Frances Smith.

“Underlying it all is that you are supposed to drive at the appropriate speed. You are not required to drive at the speed limit,” said Duchene.

Purdon's motion to defer was accepted.

“I hope this does not mean we will have to wait another year,” said Purdon.

“It will come back in June,” said Duchene.

CF councilors won't say die on county governance

Mayor Janet Gutowski brought her council up to speed on the fact that Frontenac County Council is “stalled” on the issue of governance. (“See County Governance” on page ?)

“If there is another resolution, we would have to go to a new round of public meetings, and we just went through public meetings that were very poorly attended already,” said Gutowski, “I'm not sure if we will move forward.”

Councilor Norm Guntensperger said, “We do have the South Frontenac resolution, which seems possible at this point. Perhaps we can prod the county council to acquiesce to democracy. I would like to make a motion that Central Frontenac support the identical resolution that South Frontenac approved.”

“I would second that. It satisfies all the requirements that we came up with at the joint council meeting on May 12,” said Councilor Purdon.

Everyone on Council expressed support, leading Mayor Gutowksi to say, with a smile, “Look at that. I seem to have built a consensus here.”

Gutowski, who did not vote on the motion, then said, “I still can't get my head around this, but we'll see.”

The so-called South Frontenac proposal would see a nine-member county council, with two members from each township, including the mayor, and a third member from South Frontenac Township. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 9, 2009 Addington Highlands Council – April 6, 2009By Jeff Green

Clear bags to come Aug. 1 – A plan to replace bag tags with clear bags that contain the township logo has been approved by Addington Highlands Council. Clear bags will be available from the township for $2 each, to be sold in the same way that bag tags are currently sold.

“If you open up 10 bags of garbage and look at what's in them, you still find over half of the volume is made up of recyclable material,” said Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath.

This is the case, even though Addington Highlands has a relatively aggressive incentive system in place to encourage recycling. Bag tags cost $2 each in the township, but not only is recycling free; a free bag tag is given for each bag of recycling. Effectively, any ratepayer who recycles 50% of the material they bring to the dump enjoys free dumping. The provincial target for recycling is 60%.

The clear bag will allow the township to audit what goes into the dump, and potentially refuse bags that contain recyclable material that can be diverted from entering the waste stream.

As of August 1, only clear bags will be accepted at township dumps; however people will have the option, for a time, of using clear bags they have purchased themselves so long as a bag tag is affixed to it. The township will also exchange bag tags for clear bags. Within the next year or so bag tags will be phased out.

Later in the meeting, Council received a report from Rosenblath concerning recycling totals for the past two years. It showed that after an initial increase in recycling, due in part to the recycling incentives put in place a few years ago, totals have settled at about 130 tons per year in the township.

In 2008, 48.6 tons of tin/plastic/aluminium, 10.4 tons of mixed glass, and 73.3 tons of fibres, for a total of 132 tons were recycled. The total for 2007 was 130.5 tons.

The clear bag system will be in place at all township dump sites, including the Cloyne waste transfer station, which is operated by North Frontenac Township. North Frontenac is instituting clear bags in May. (Note: The Cloyne site will be open from 10 am - 6pm on Sundays this summer, instead of 9am -1 pm as it was last year. Summer dump hours for all locations are posted on the townships’ websites.)

Despite procedural bylaw, June 14-20 declared Pine Meadow golf week – Len Tufford from the Pine Meadow Classic Golf Tournament, accompanied by Nancy Potyok, requested that council declare June 14-20 Pine Meadow Golf week, as part of increased promotion for the Pine Meadow Golf Tournament, which will take place on June 20 this year at Hunter's Creek. The tournament has grossed over $100,000 in its eight-year history, most of it from sponsorships from up to 35 local businesses each year, and in the past 5 years has netted over $12,000 each year, which has been spent on special needs at the 60-bed home.

The Pine Meadow Golf Week concept will have a commercial element, as the sponsoring businesses will put on special promotions that week. Len Tufford told council that the Pine Meadow Committee hopes the public will show their support for the businesses and the home by doing a little more local shopping from June 14 to 20.

Before council could vote on a motion to endorse the golf committee's proposal, Clerk Jack Pauhl pointed out that the township’s procedural bylaw precludes accepting requests from the public to name days, weeks or months; however, it is able to entertain requests directly from council members. Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch made a motion that June 14-20 be named Pine Meadow Golf Week and that motion was approved.

In his presentation, Len Tufford let it be known that the 9th Pine Meadow tournament will feature the permanent naming of the winner's trophy as the Bill Salmond trophy.

Bill Salmond was the Addington Highands deputy fire chief who lost his life in July 2007. He had a long-term association with both Pine Meadow and Hunter’s Creek. (There will be more on this in the coming months)

OPP report – Inspector Pat Finnegan from the Napanee OPP made a presentation concerning activities of the Kaladar detachment in the first two months of the year. He reported that things have been quiet in the township so far this year, with only one or two property crimes per month. At the beginning of his presentation, council went into a 30-minute closed session to discuss a recent traffic fatality, with the OPP, Fire Chief Casey Cuddy and Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath remaining in the room.

Budget almost set – Reeve Henry Hogg reports that the township is waiting for some final information before completing their budget for 2009, which will be approved in early May. The township portion of the budget levy will remain about the same in 2009 as it was in 2008, but there will likely be a small increase in the overall levy due to an increase in county taxes. 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 9, 2009 Central Frontenac BudgetBy Jeff Green

Central Frontenac Council received some good news at the beginning of a five-hour budget session earlier this week. A projected $800,000 increase in the amount to be raised through local taxes in 2009 was down to about $400,000, thanks to some cuts that each department had made after the previous meeting on April 1.

Treasurer Judy Gray also informed council that there is $219,000 left over from a one-time grant for infrastructure that the township received from the province last year. This money can be used for new projects, or it can be applied to building projects already in the budget, resulting in savings to taxpayers.

In considering the public works budget, which took council several hours, a long debate took place over a proposal by Public Works Manager John Simcock to make four casual employees who have been working full-time hours into full-time township employees. The township would then have a 22-member public works department, with three managers and 19 operators/labourers.

Currently the township employs three managers and 15 full-time operators/labourers as well as up to 10 casual employees.

Several councilors were concerned about the $255,000 cost that was attached to the proposal, and several different options were considered, but none received majority support. In the end, savings associated with limiting the number of new full-time employees to two, or even zero, did not amount to more than $15,000 or $20,000, unless council decided to cut the amount of hours of work, no matter what category of employee carries it out.

Limitations on the public works department have already been felt, according to John Simcock.

“I can give you an example of the kind of impacts we are talking about,” Simcock said. “Last weekend there were a number of roads that were washed out throughout the township, but we are under orders to avoid overtime, and all but two workers had reached 40 hours. So, we did work on two roads that had to be kept clear, but we left the others until Monday”.

In the end, despite concerns that the township might be stuck with full-time employees in a time when there is no money for public works projects to proceed, but not wanting to tie the public works manager’s hand, the $255,000 was left in the budget, but the decision about full-time versus casual employees was deferred.

Deputy Mayor Gary Smith expressed a concern that although the base public works budget has ballooned by about a million dollars in 2009, there is a dearth of capital projects planned. “I prefer to spend money on the point end of the stick,” he said, a metaphor that he has repeated throughout the budget process. “That way people can see a direct benefit from their township tax dollar”.

It was proposed, and accepted for the time being, that $100,000 from the $219,000 left over infrastructure grant be set aside for “village rehabilitation”, which could include work on the deteriorated sidewalks in Arden, or on the drainage problem across from the library in Sharbot Lake.

As well, $40,000 was set aside to pave 1.3 kilometres on the Oak Flats road, to complete a major project that was undertaken last year. This is the only paving project that is included in the budget.

“We should send an email to Bill Snyder first thing tomorrow morning; it might cheer him up,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

Smith, who supported the motion enthusiastically, has sparred with Bill Snyder over the need to repair the Oak Flats road for many years. Snyder, who has been away from Council for several weeks after having major surgery, has been advocating for the Oak Flats Road repair since the township was created in 1998.

Eleven years later, barring any last minute budget changes, the project will finally be completed.

After hearing from the public works manager, Fire Chief Mark MacDonald faced council with his budget, and there were about $70,000 in savings that were found, in additions to cuts MacDonald had already made on his own.

Council will have one more session on the budget, before their regular meeting next Tuesday evening. They will look at the administration budget at that time.

Before that, they will have a chance to see the outcome of the budget deliberations thus far.

Treasurer Judy Gray will be calculating the outcome this week, and the numbers were not available on Tuesday (April 7) but Township CAO John Duchene said the township is looking at this point at a budget with about a 10% increase in the local levy to taxpayers.

Municipal taxes are made up of three components: township taxes, county taxes, and education taxes. As the result of the Frontenac County budget, which saw a 3% increase to the levy, and the flat rate education levy, at this point Central Frontenac ratepayers are facing about a 6-7% increase, on average, in their taxes for 2009. That is, unless changes are made at the final budget meeting next week.

The impact on the budget on ratepayers will vary, however. Properties throughout Ontario were reassessed last year, and in Central Frontenac the average property received a 40% increase in their assessed value, to be phased in at 10% per year for four years. Properties that fall below the average will see a lower tax increase this year, and properties with higher assessment increases will see a higher tax increase this year.

Central Frontenac is slated to approve their budget on April 21, at 9:30 am at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake. 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 30, 2009 North Frontenac Council – April 23by Jeff Green

North Frontenac Council will be making a single application for funding under the new Federal Infrastructure Stimulus Fund and the Build Canada Funds.

The entire council agreed to apply for funding to rehabilitate sections of the Ardoch road, at a cost of $750,000, 2/3 which will be paid for by the Ontario and Canadian governments if the townships funding application is accepted.

According to the latest road and bridge study the township has done, the two bridge projects that are the highest priority are a bridge on Folgers road in the north end of the township, and a bridge on Robertsville road.

The two projects would cost in the neighborhood of $750,000 each, with the township being on the hook for $250,000.

Works manager John Ibey said there might be a cheaper repair possible for the Robertsville Road bridge, using culverts.

“The Folger road is rarely used,” said Ibey.

“The two bridges are small bridges with little real use, and our cost would be a half a million, which we might be stuck paying off over ten years. I don't see it,” said Mayor Ron Maguire.

While there was little appetite on council for the bridge projects, the same cannot be said for the Ompah fire hall.

Council has agreed in principle to building a new fire hall in Ompah, has purchased land in the village for a fire hall and put money aside each year towards a fire hall. However, the questions of how big the hall should be and whether the hall will include space for an ambulance base have not been resolved.

“To commit to the Ompah fire hall is committing to something we are not ready for,” said Maguire, “it is not the kind of shovel ready project that they want to see, and it would get us tied into something that is not really what we need. It requires further study. There's a consensus here for Ardoch road. There's no consensus for anything else.

A motion to apply for funding for a fire hall in Ompah was put forward, by Deputy Mayor Jim Beam.

The motion was defeated, with Jim Beam and Bob Olmstead being the only members of council who supported it. Councilor Lonnie Wadkins was absent from the meeting.

ATV proposal – Chris Murphy from the Ontario Federation of ATV clubs (OFATV), which has 21 member clubs, including the Ottawa Valley ATV club, made a presentation to Council. Aside from describing his organisation, Murphy asked that passes to use Crown Land roads in North Frontenac be folded into a province wide ATV trail pass that is administered by the OFATV.

“This is a really, big, really growing sport. We are trying to build a province wide trail system, with insured trails, proper signage and maintenance, everything. The snowmobile association is the model for what we are trying to create.”

“I have apprehensions about this,” said Deputy Mayor Beam, “our situation is unique.”

“Our crown land roads are not trails,” said Mayor Maguire, “and our roads are not ... our roads even. Any talk about maintaining those roads would have to involve the MNR [Ministry of Natural Resources]. We can't entertain that at all.”

MVFN on Climate Change - Howard Robinson, a resident of Clayton who has a cottage on Buckshot Lake, made a presentation to council on behalf of the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MVFN), of which he is a member.

The MVFN held a two-day workshop in Almonte in 2007 on the potential impacts of climate change on the land and waters of the Mississippi, and have released a paper and web version of the report that came out of that workshop.

“From Impacts to Adaptation – Mississippi Watershed in a changing climate”. Based on data from the past 40 years, the report shows an increase in the average temperature in the region of 1 degree Celsius, which might not seem like that much, but it has already had an impact on the length of the growing season, adding 15 days. Climate change could continue on a slow track, which would see average temperatures rising by another degree by 2050, on a medium track, which would see a rise of 2 degrees in that same time-frame, or on an accelerated track, up 4 degrees by 2050.

The report talks about potential impacts on the water and water levels and the flora and fauna and on infrastructure in the region under these scenarios.

The impacts could be rather severe, but by taking certain measures such as maintaining forest cover in the vicinity of the Mississippi river, the impacts will be mitigated.

The report proposes that planning begin on a municipal level to adjust to the changes that are coming.

Out of the Almonte conference the following communiqué was adopted:

“Many important economic and social decisions are being made today on long term projects and activities in our watershed based on the assumption that past climate data are a reliable guide to the future. This is no longer a good assumption. We believe that all levels of government are key players in this issue and must raise awareness and incorporate climate change into planning, decision making and leadership”

The MVFN has forged a partnership with the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) of which North Frontenac is a member and a funding municipality.

“I'm the Council representative on the MVCA,” said Jim Beam, “and we are well aware of the report. We've talked about water temperature, which could have huge effect in this area, less trout and more pickerel for example.”

“Humans are good at adapting,” said Howard Robinson, “but we can do it in a planned rather than a relative way.”

As a first step, Robinson proposed that as the township’s official plan is reviewed this year, language about climate change adaptation be added, in line with what the City of Toronto has done.

“We will consider this as a submission to our Official Plan review process and work it in that way,” said Mayor Maguire.

Location of Plevna Library branch – Council has authorized staff member Cory Klatt to proceed with site preparation at the former MNR site on Buckshot Lake road for the establishment of a replacement for the Plevna branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library in a donated portable classroom.

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 23, 2009 Frontenac County CouncilBy Jeff Green

Harsh words for gentle care

Members of Frontenac County Council have been waiting since last November for senior staff at the county-owned Fairmount Home for the Aged to respond to a consultant’s report that praised the home’s operations but questioned their cost.

When the response came to council last week, in the form of an outline of the home’s “gentle care” philosophy delivered by the homes’ chief administrator Julie Shillington and director of care Mary Lake, along with a plan to consider costing over the next four months, it was not enough for at least one member of council.

“The level of care at Fairmount is in direct proportion to the number of staff,” said Frontenac Islands Mayor Vanden Hoek. “We’ve been adding positions as we saw the need, as we listened to you, and we’ve kept adding positions since the rebuild of the home. Every time a program has come out we’ve said ‘we are going to do that.’ Meanwhile the levy for Fairmount has gone up and up and up and it can’t continue to do that. I think council has to give directives, whether we do it by giving you a percentage decrease to aim for or some other kind of instruction. But we should say something as council to give you direction in terms of what we expect to happen.”

The Fairmount Home’s operating budget in 2007 was $8.9 million. In 2008 the operating budget was $9.3 million and the 2009 budget is $9.8 million.

County ratepayers, the City of Kingston, and the Province of Ontario all pay into the Fairmount budget. In 2009, Frontenac County ratepayers will pay $824,359, up over 13% from 2008, when the levy was $727,445.

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison noted that the consultant’s report found that Fairmount was costly to operate compared to other similarly classed homes.

“We are in the top percentile in terms of staffing and costs, and we were compared with 10 other homes. If others can be approved with less staffing, we should be able to do it as well,” he said.

“To be honest,” said Julie Shillington, “that’s why we are looking at the financial piece. How you decide to give us directions will drive what we do.”

Vanden Hoek did not want to leave it at that.

“I have a feeling that gentle care has significant cost implications. I’m reluctant to endorse gentle care until I see a piece of paper from the treasurer. I think we need to have a real strong debate about that, and I need to have that debate before I endorse gentle care,” he said.

A motion to endorse the work plan proposed by Fairmount Senior staff was rejected in a tied vote, with Mayor’s Vanden Hoek and Davison voting against it.

This led County CAO Liz Savill to question how the review of operations could be completed without council’s endorsement of the process, so a motion endorsing a review of costs at the home was proposed, and accepted by council. 

County governance to go public

Although there are 18 months to go before the next municipal election, Frontenac County Council is under the gun over governance.

Last year, when Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek was the warden, he made a commitment that the four-member county council would look seriously at options for increasing the number of members on council in time for the next election.

A consultant was hired, to the tune of $35,000, to consider options, and a report was presented last month. The preferred option it presented was a seven-member council.

Any changes do not need to be approved until the end of 2009 to take effect in time for the election in November of 2010. But five to six months need to be set aside before that to allow for possible appeals to the province by members of the public.

Based on the statements from the four current members at the last week's county meeting, the consultant’s report has not yielded much agreement on what council should look like.

The consultant, Doug Armstrong, proposed a seven-member council, comprised of the four mayors, and three members to be elected at large, two from the southern ward (Frontenac Islands, South Frontenac and Hinchinbrooke District), and one from a northern ward (¾ of Central Frontenac and North Frontenac).

North Frontenac Council proposed a 13-member county council: mayors and one other member from each township, plus three elected members from the southern ward that Doug Armstrong proposed, and two from the northern ward.

Central Frontenac Council did not like the ward system at all. They proposed a council comprised of the mayors and another member from each township, and an extra member from South Frontenac Council. The extra councilor would assure a majority result for each vote, and would recognise the fact that South Frontenac includes 58% of the residents in the county.

At their meeting last week, South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison thought that both North and Central Frontenac had jumped the gun by making proposals before the consultant’s report had been hashed out at the county table.

“I'm seeing reports from two of our districts,” he said. “To me it’s premature to have discussion on the lower level before it is discussed here. South Frontenac’s position is that smaller is better. A large council would probably require another staff member just to deal with everybody”.

Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek thought the Armstrong plan had some merit.

“I happen to be passionate about one or two issues at the county level, but there are many issues that we deal with and I think we need more bodies around the table to bring more insight to our discussions. I'm prepared to go to seven and watch the discussion go forward”.

Central Frontenac Mayor, and current County Warden, Janet Gutowski, said, “There was a comfort level on our council about deputy mayors, but there was concern about the wards, partly because they don't conform to township lines”.

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire said, “I feel that some change is better than no change. It was unfortunate that there was no time to discuss this when it was brought forward last month, but our council took this seriously and came up with our own proposal”.

In order to move the process forward, county council agreed to present the seven-member council proposal to public meetings throughout the county over the next two weeks.

Frontenac County CAO Elizabeth Savill explained that “a triple majority” would be required for any new governance model to take effect. Once the public meetings are over, county council and a majority of the township councils must approve a model. That majority must also include South Frontenac, however, because a majority of the electorate must be included as well. Because 58% of county residents live in South Frontenac, its council plus two others need to approve any plan before it can go forward.

Public meetings will take place over the next two weeks. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday, April 28 at the Clar-Mil Hall in Plevna (7:00 - 8:00 pm), Thursday April, 30 on Wolfe Island (7:00 - 800 pm), Thursday May 7 at the South Frontenac Township Office in Sydenham (5:30 pm – 6:30 pm) and Thursday May 7 at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake (7:30 to 8:30 pm).

Public meetings set for K&P Trail

Debates about the K&P trail have been coming in waves for the past 8 or 9 years, and the latest initiative, which is backed by Frontenac County and its member townships, will be seeking public input next week.

Public meetings leading to the development of a county trails master plan are set for the Verona Lion’s Hall on Tuesday April 28th from 4:30 to 6:30 and Thursday April 30th at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. (see ad below).

The plan concerns trails throughout the County, but its major focus is the contentious north south trail between South and Central Frontenac on the old K&P rail line.

Bell Canada has had ownership of the line, but Frontenac County applied for and received a grant to purchase he Bell lands for the purpose of establishing a trail that will eventually join up the Cataraqui Trail north of Kingston with the Trans Canada trail that runs parallel to Highway 7, passing though Sharbot Lake.

But there are some portions of the K&P rail lands. located between the Bradshaw Road and Sharbot Lake, that were sold off by Bell to the adjacent landowners, which could mean the trail will have to find a bypass in that stretch.

Concerns have also been expressed by adjacent landowners all along the trail over a variety of issues, including: noise, privacy, speed, garbage, fencing, late-night use, property damage, trespassing, cost, access to property, liability and continuity.

Meetings have already been held with adjacent landowners from the entire run of the rail line, in an effort to alleviate some of these concerns.

At the public meetings five options for trail uses will be presented. Option 1 is for a non-motorized multi-use trail (walking/hiking, cycling, cross country skiing, and equestrian. Option 2 is for a motorized, multi-use trail, which includes all the uses of option 1 and snowmobiles as well. Option 3 is a transition model. The trail would be non-motorized at the southern end, and would transition to a motorized trail at Harrowsmith or Verona. Finally, option 4 is for a multi use, motorized trail, including snowmobiles and ATV’s, for the entire length of the trail.

Whateverr option is ultimately chosen by the trail committee after public input, it will have to conform to the vision statement that they all have agreed to.

The K&P trail will promote sustainable and healthy communities by encouraging residents and visitors to get active while appreciating the natural beauty and rich heritage of Frontenac County.

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 23, 2009 South Frontenac Councilby Wilma Kenny

Commercial Development In Township

Council approved a zoning by-law change to permit the development of a 3 acre lot south of Harrowsmith on Road 38. This will permit Larry Redden to draw up a site plan for a proposed retail building with three attached greenhouses, for a total size of over 13,000 square feet. There was no comment or objection from the public.

Sally Gordon’s proposal for the 2-stage development of 16 acres on the northeast portion of Moon’s Corners (Sydenham & Rutledge Roads) drew comments from neighbours on both sides. Concern centred on the wide range of allowable uses of the property, under the proposed zoning. Ms Gordon’s present plans are for a gas station, convenience store and storage facility, possibly to be expanded at a later date to include office and retail space. However, the permitted uses under Rural Commercial zone include kennels, farm implement dealership, and hotel. After considerable discussion, Council voted to defer the zone change until the list of possible uses had been narrowed down.

Building Canada – Community Funding Grants

On Wednesday April 15, the federal government announced it was accepting applications for project funding, but set a tight two-week deadline of May 1st. CAO Burns recommended Council ask Frontenac County to submit an application on behalf of the Sydenham branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Burns has approached the County about this, and as they have no other submissions planned, Burns suggested there might be a greater chance of success, and that would also allow the Township to make the maximum allowable number of applications for roadwork projects.

Accordingly, Council approved in principle an application for 2/3 funding of a proposed $1.8 million Sydenham Library project on the understanding the project will only proceed if funding is granted. Prior to the motion, discussion revealed the township had adequate reserve funds earmarked for administrative and cultural projects to cover the remaining 1/3.

Works Manager Mark Segsworth was given approval to submit grant applications on behalf of the Township for Loughborough Lake Bridge, and 6 km of roadwork on each of Desert Lake, Battersea and Canoe Lake roads. Burns said grant approval decisions were expected to be published in early June.

Loughborough Grounds Maintenance

Council agreed to extend Percy Snider’s contracts for grass cutting and maintenance of Sydenham Cemetery and several other district properties. Snider’s present contracts with the townships had clauses providing for 2-year extensions, dependant on successful negotiations.

Bedford Road Reconstruction

Tender for this project was awarded to O. Bettschen Construction, the low bidder, and the company that had satisfactorily completed last year’s phase of the project. Segsworth reported that interest was high, with the township receiving 9 bids.

Prison Farm Closure

Council endorsed a letter from the Frontenac Cattlemen’s Association opposing the closing of the farm operations at Frontenac and Pittsburg Institutions. Copies of this motion will be sent to neighbouring municipalities, asking for their support.

No Green Energy for Biosphere Reserve?

Councillor Hahn expressed concern that the Association of Ontario Municipalities was recommending that the province not permit any of the renewable energy projects promoted by the Green Energy Act to be developed within the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve. This would prevent development of any green energy projects in South Frontenac. The Biosphere Reserve has also protested this on the grounds that one of their mandates is to encourage sustainable development. Council agreed to send their objections to AMO and Ontario Sustainable Energy.

Budget Cut

Heated debate followed Councillor Fillion’s motion to cut the township budget (not the four district budgets) by $80,000, in order to lower that portion of the budget by 2%. "That’s a hollow flag," declared Mayor Davison, "It would amount to about $8.00 a resident: one pack of cigarettes." "I don’t smoke," countered Fillion. "We owe the people: it’s time we did something for the people," said Councillor Robinson. Councillors Stowe, Hahn and McPhail objected to having to draw $80,000 from reserves to cover the shortfall. "It’ll just cost us twice as much next year, or else we’ll be creating a mess for the next council," said Stowe. Council voted 5-4 in favour of Fillion’s motion. Council will vote on the overall budget at the May 5 meeting.

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 23, 2009 Central Frontenac Works Manager resigns

John Simcock, the outspoken Public Works Manager for Central Frontenac Township, will resign on May 2nd, after just under one year on the job. He reportedly has taken a job in Prince Edward County.

“We were informed about it yesterday,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowksi. “It really was a family thing for him. His partner’s parents live in Prince Edward County and they have health issues, so when a job opening came he took it”

Simcock’s career in Central Frontenac was certainly colourful. At his first meeting with Council he stressed that the workers under him would have to be trained and certified in short order.

“In a year and a half, the people that are still here will deliver a lot of service,” he told Council at the time.

John Simcock was integrally involved in the implementation of an organisational review and restructured the public works department during his short tenure. He also brought in five and ten year roads capital improvement plans to try to rationalize road construction work in Central Frontenac and remove it from an overly political process wherein Councillors from each district have been known to battle it out each year for their share of road improvements.

But there was a bit of controversy recently when Simcock brought in a public works budget that was $1 million higher than the 2008 budget, with most of the extra cost being related to increased staffing and to improved, more expensive winter maintenance.

Although his budget was not cut when he met with Council to defend it, it was subsequently cut by $200,000 just before the budget received final approval. Simcock will not be around to institute those cuts.

Mayor Gutowski said that one of the things she appreciated most about what Simcock has done in his year on the job was the way “he raised the bar for our employees in terms of health and safety issues. He really rose to the challenge and did a tremendous amount of work. We will miss him.”

John Simcock will stay in Central Frontenac long enough to be involved in a major grant application however. The federal infrastructure stimulus program which will pay for 2/3 of the cost of approved projects, has just been announced and applications are due on May 1st.

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 2, 2009 north Frontenac CouncilBy Jeff Green

Frontenac County governance report

At their council meeting on March 26 last week, they considered a recommendation by the Armstrong group that the county be overseen by a seven-member council, with a proposal of their own.

They passed a resolution calling for a 13-member council, to be made up of the mayors of the four constituent townships, plus another member of each council to be appointed for a four-year term. In addition to these eight people, the resolution calls for three directly elected members from the southern ward of the county and two from the northern ward.

The proposed wards were a part of the Armstrong report. The southern ward includes Frontenac Islands, South Frontenac, and Hinchinbrooke District of Central Frontenac. The northern ward includes the remaining three districts of Central Frontenac as well as North Frontenac township.

The North Frontenac proposal also calls for the county warden to be elected for four years by a vote of the 13-member council, and the warden must be a member of one of the constituents’ councils.

The proposal has been circulated to the other townships, and Mayor Maguire told the News it has already received an enthusiastic response from current County Warden Janet Gutowski from Central Frontenac.

“She sent back an email saying she liked the proposal and she was glad to have something on the table when the county looks at this,” Maguire told the News.

Any change to the makeup of county council must be approved this year in advance of municipal elections in November of 2010.

Council cuts local levy increase from 16% to 6% after all-day session

North Frontenac Council is set to finalise their 2009 budget at the council meeting next Thursday, April 9, and they will have a few different scenarios to look at.

At their final major budget session last week they cut over $450,000 from the amount the township will have to raise from taxpayers by over $450,000, bringing the increase from $660,000 to just over $200,000.

The cuts came from all departments, including a planned $50,000 contribution to a building fund for a new Ompah fire hall (cut to $25,000) and a reduction in the budget for improvements on River Road by almost $50,000. A planned paving program has been reduced to ditching and widening.

Other cuts include a major reduction in the monies allocated to repairs at the Ompah and Clar-Mill halls, from $135,000 to just $10,000. No one managed to avoid council's attention, however; even a proposed grant to the Cloyne & District Historical Society to support the 150th anniversary celebrations for the Village of Cloyne has been cut in half, from $2,000 to $1,000.

When council meets to finalise their budget next week, they will be looking at the impact of the 2009 budget on council reserve funds. Treasurer Cheryl Robson will provide information on how much money the township has in its various reserve funds, and will be presenting budgetary scenarios that include an increase of $50,000 and $100,000 to the funds.

She will also present a scenario that includes the purchase of a trash compactor, a float trailer, and an operator, which would cost $93,000. The budget currently has devoted $10,000 to renting a compactor on two or three occasions this year.

The impact of the budget increase will vary among ratepayers, because 2008 was an assessment year. As usual waterfront dwellers received larger assessment increases than the average ratepayer, they will be faced with a larger tax increase.

A public meeting on the budget is scheduled for 1:00 at the Clar-Mill Fire Hall mezzanine on April 9.

Ambulance base proposal – In response to another Frontenac County consultant’s report, North Frontenac Council has responded with a proposal that the current ambulance base, located at Lavant Road and Hwy. 509, could be combined with a proposed Ompah fire hall, for which the township has already purchased property in the village of Ompah.