Deputy Mayor Fred Perry made a suggestion at last month's special budget meeting regarding borrowing money from the Federal Gas Tax Reserve to help pay for the new municipal complex as opposed to taking out a loan on the full amount. This idea could save the Municipality over $100,000 over the course of the loan but would deplete the Townships reserve funds.

“I don't, personally, want to be depleting our reserves,” Councillor Wayne Good said. “If we start doing that here on this we'll have to start playing catch up.”

“As the Federal Gas Tax Reserve builds up at $186,000 a year is the plan to use that if there is a bridge failure?” Councillor John Inglis asked.

CAO Cheryl Robson explained that it could be used for bridges, road repairs, or other unforeseen expenses related to that infrastructure.

“It was an excellent suggestion by the Deputy Mayor,” Mayor Higgins said.

Council voted to transfer $250,000 from the Federal Gas Tax Reserve which lowers the total amount of the loan application to $704,244. They also opted for the 25-year serialized loan at 3.5% interest.

The construction on the complex is set to begin in April.

Council Composition Changes
Council voted to hold a public meeting regarding changing the composition of the council to reflect the population disparity between the current wards.

Currently, the Mayor is elected at large and 6 councillors are elected, 2 from each ward. The Deputy Mayor is then appointed by Council.

The proposal includes keeping Ward 1 as it is but combining Ward 2 and Ward 3 and having two Councillors represent that new amalgamated Ward. The Deputy Mayor would then be chosen by popular vote.

This proposal came out of a conversation started back in November of 2016 when Council was discussing how Wards 2 and 3 have almost the same amount of people as Ward 1.

If, following the public meeting, Council decided to move forward with the ward amalgamation then it would be effective for the 2018 election.

Insurance Coverage
Debra Murphy, a representative from the Frank Cowan Insurance Company, made a brief presentation to Council on Friday to explain some of the important parts of North Frontenac's insurance policy.

The Frank Cowan Insurance Company, a small, specialized firm, has a team that works only in municipal insurance.

“We are all about managing risks and keeping your claims under control,” Murphy said. “We are very well-versed in what's important in municipalities.”

The total limit of liability for the policy is set at $50,000,000 and the total annual premium is $72,633.

Mayor Ron Higgins asked whether Frank Cowan does risk management seminars for social media citing Donald Trump's tweets as an example.

“The more this (social media) gets used by municipalities the more risk there is,” Higgins said.

Murphy was unsure but was going to look into it.

Salvation Army Disaster Services
Mark Evans, a representative from the Salvation Army (SA), made a presentation to Council regarding their Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) and the 4 core functions the SA can provide in an emergency situation.

The EDS program is a modified version of what the SA does day to day but in an emergency context.

The program, funded primarily through unspecified general donations to the SA offers clothing and furniture vouchers at their stores, emotional and spiritual care, donation management, and a mass food service via their fleet of custom canteen vehicles when needed in an emergency situation. These services, excluding the canteen trucks, are free of charge to municipalities.

“We do endeavour to keep costs at a minimum when we're dealing with municipalities,” Evans said.

Evans would work with the Fire Chief to create a memorandum of understanding between the Salvation Army and the Municipality so costs of using the food truck would be known in advance.

The canteen truck, which has a kitchen and washroom on-board, can be used to keep emergency workers fed during an emergency response. Approximately 500 burgers were cooked up for emergency workers during the Parliament Hill shooting in 2014.

When the phone rings at the South Frontenac Township offices in Sydenham, chances are it could be John McEwen calling. And if it is, the staff or council member he is calling better be prepared to talk about the Canadian and Ontario Building Codes and the township’s responsibility to enforce provisions pertaining to damp proofing vs waterproofing walls that are below ground level.

McEwen runs a waterproofing business and, as he told the News again this week, “I have been trying to put myself out of business for years and years, but the township, the City of Kingston, no one will do what it takes to make my services redundant.”

McEwen’s name may be familiar to readers because he ran for Mayor of South Frontenac in the 2014 election and he used the campaign to advocate for enforcement of the Ontario Building code provisions regarding waterproofing when buildings are being constructed.

“It would add only a few thousand dollars to construction costs to insist that proper waterproof membranes are installed wherever the buildings are below grade, and then leaking basements and expensive retrofits, mold and mildew problems, would not be an issue two and five and fifteen years after buildings are built,” he said.

Recently McEwen’s focus has shifted to another substance that can seep in through unprotected basements; radon.

In June, McEwen appeared before Council. At that time he accused the township of failing to enforce the provisions of the Building Code Act and Building Code that is leading to 850 deaths annually due to radon gas infiltration into residential homes.

Radon and water leakage are by no means identical issues, but McEwen says that if foundations are properly constructed on clean stone and all below grade walls are protected by a seamless membrane, water will not be a problem, and in most cases will provide a diversionary path around the house for radon gas that might be present unless the levels are very high.

As well, he pointed out that some of the methods people use to remediate for water leakage into basements actually increase the potential for radon infiltration.

“Some systems involve digging trenches and drilling holes in the foundation to release water from the basement, and that is a bad idea for many reasons, but also can provide a conduit for more radon to be pulled into the house,” MaEwen said.

Township building departments have shied away from dealing with both waterproofing issues as identified by McEwen, or radon gas infiltration. McEwen has been pressing South Frontenac to adopt new practices for years and did so again last summer, when he appeared before a meeting of the Committee of the Whole in late June.

Last Friday (January 27), South Frontenac provided a written response to the concerns McEwen expressed last summer. The letter, which was signed by Mayor Vandewal and Councilors John McDougall and Alan Revill (himself a former Chief Building Official in the township), deals with both the water proofing and radon issues, which it says are distinct.

As far as the radon issue is concerned, the letter it asserts that the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) are not particularly susceptible to high radon levels. This is certainly the case when compared to areas such as Elliott Lake, Bancroft, or the Sudbury region, which the letter said are also places where there are higher levels of uranium in the rock.

The letter refers to a Health Canada report from 2012 that said that of 99 surveys done in KFL&A, 11 homes tested above the legal threshold of 200Bq/cubic metre.

“This would suggest that building officials in South Frontenac ought to gather some further information regarding levels of radon gas in single family dwellings to determine their appropriate level of enforcement. If there are no known readings above the threshold, no further action would be required, …”  the letter said.

Brooks Gee tests and mitigates for radon in homes throughout Frontenac County and Kingston. He works out of Verona with a company called Mr. Radon under the local name Safe Air Solutions.

In a telephone interview this week he said that a house cannot be tested for radon until it is occupied but that since there have been so many cases of radon poisoning in Ontario,  in the near future building departments may be called upon to do a final inspection for radon once a home is completed and occupied.

The cost of radon mitigation is about $2,600 although the price varies for homes that are larger or situations that are more complicated.

Tarion, the company which ensures most new construction in Ontario, will cover the cost of radon mitigation where necessary within 7 years of a new home being built.

Gee said that the assertion by the township that the local region, and South Frontenac in particular, has relatively low instances of radon in homes is simply not true.

“I see many homes with high levels of radon, up to 1,000, on the limestone in South Frontenac,” he said.

He added that in his experience there is less of a correlation between “uranium concentrations underground and radon in homes than one would expect.”

Many people think that only those homeowners who use their basements as living spaces need to worry about radon because it is exposure over time that causes problems and people who only go to the basement to check the furnace, put away a box or do laundry don’t spend enough time to be affected. But this is not always the case, according to Gee.

“While levels decrease the higher up in the house you go, when radon levels are very high in the basement they can be well above safe levels on the main floor,” Gee said. He tests for radon on the lowest level of the house that is occupied. Home radon metres, which are similar to carbon monoxide metres, are not yet available in stores in Canada (they can be ordered online) but that will change in the not too distant future.

Gee agrees with McEwen that townships will likely have to face up to their responsibilities under the building code where radon is concerned.

“The danger posed by radon is so great that it is not something anyone should ignore,” he said.

Mr. Radon runs a foundation which covers the cost of remediation for lung cancer patients and some low income families as well.

Gee will be making a presentation to local fire departments and other township officials in March.

Meanwhile the township is continuing to take a wait and see approach, as evidenced by the concluding paragraph of the letter from last week:

“While inspectors have the right to enforce any provisions of the code, it is impractical to be present for all areas of building construction. If it turns out that there are widespread areas in the Township where Radon gas exceeds the threshold, interior renovations that increase openings in the floor slab, could well contribute to higher radon infiltration but other components of radon control were likely dealt with in the original construction. Certainly the building department can support radon control through the preparation of a fact sheet and other general information sharing with homeowners and builders.”

Council worked through their 2017 budget on Thursday last week and ended up with a 2.39% increase in dollars to be raised through taxation, or $134,331.

Major increases were seen in the creation of a winter road maintenance reserve fund for $50,000, the rising OPP policing costs at $175,225, and an increase in fire costs at $49,608.

The fire budget saw increases in consulting and training fees as well as a $15,350 increase in the dry hydrant program and a $6,800 increase in building maintenance for the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Hall.

This increase led Council into a discussion on the efficiency of the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Hall and a frustrated Mayor Ron Higgins requesting a review of the joint Kaladar-Barrie Fire Hall agreement.

“I'd like to review the agreement plus other options,” Mayor Higgins said. “I'm getting tired of this agreement.”

“The other option would be to consider separating and doing away with the agreement,” Councillor Dennis Bedard said.

There was an increase in the waste management budget at $13,448, which included increases in casual labour as well as $14,000 for the creation of a re-use centre, built out of two shipping containers, at the 506 waste site. These waste budget increases were partially offset by an increase in user fees and a decrease in consulting and maintenance fees for 2017.

Changes to the road budget ($110,423) came in increases to gravel roads, rising fuel costs, and the $50,000 being set aside for a winter maintenance reserve fund.

The decision to install an accessible playground to replace the old one at the Cloyne ball diamond was delayed with plans to be re-evaluated later in the year. This playground was estimated at $65,500.

The Municipality has a 20% decrease in their 2017 insurance costs thanks to a joint RFP they did in 2016 with Central Frontenac and their payroll is up 3.73%.

Potential Changes to Tipping Fees
Council have given authorization to Jim Phillips, the Public Works Manager, to draft a new waste disposal by-law and present the changes in a public meeting for feedback.

Phillips initial proposal includes increases in tipping fees for fridges, freezers, mattresses, sofas, and other household items as well as changes to how the bag tag incentive works.

Currently, North Frontenac residents receive free bag tags for bringing in more recycling than garbage bags and they're using them to pay for other items like bulky waste and construction garbage.

Phillips estimates the Township pays between $10,000 and $12,000 to Kimco, a waste removal company, to haul away waste that is covered by these free bag tags.

The proposal Phillips is making would prevent residents from being able to pay for bulky items or construction garbage with the free bag tags.

Canonto Lake Denied Dock Funding
The Canonto Lake Property Owners Association made a request to Council for $2500 to cover expenses related to constructing a floating dock on the lake.

Council denied the funding proposal reasoning that the dock would only be reachable by boat and therefore not accessible by constituents.

“When we spend public tax dollars it needs to be accessible by the general public,” Mayor Ron Higgins said.

Council to consider funding renovation of township office through reserves, 25 year loan
The good news is that the renovation project to bring the township office in line with health and safety standards and improve its functionality will cost just a hair over a million dollars. That is less than anticipated. The bad news is that the township needs to raise a million dollars to complete the project and only has about $50,000 set aside. The township did not receive any grant support from the project, applications to the Trillium Foundation and the Canada 150 infrastructure fund were both unsuccessful. At their regular meeting on Friday council will consider a staff recommendation to allocate $250,000 from an annual provincial grant, the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, to the project instead of spending that money on Road 506. Road 506 improvements will go ahead, however, funded by draining some federal gas tax rebate money. This will leave the township with $700,000 to raise through a loan, and staff are recommending a 25 year diminishing payment loan from Infrastructure Ontario. This will cost over $50,000 in the first year and a little less every year until the final payment of $28,000 in 2042.

At that same meeting council will be considering a recommendation by the Mayor to combine wards 2 and 3 (Palmerston Canonto and Clarendon and Miller) for the next election, thus cutting council from 7 to 5 members.

A number of well-meaning and reasonable letters have come in to the paper over the last few months about the decision South Frontenac Council made to change the way they charge residents for waste management. Instead of charging $125 per household as had been the practice, the cost of waste management is now being folded in with all other costs and applied to the tax rate. This makes the tax system simpler,  but it shifts the burden of paying for waste management to the higher valued properties.

Owners of a home valued $100,000, if there are any left in South Frontenac at that value, used to pay the same amount for waste management as owners of homes valued at $400,000. Now they are paying 25% as much. Since property values do not determine how much garbage people throw in the dump, opponents of the change say it is unfair, and contrary to the idea of user pay for waste management services.

In fact the impact on most ratepayers will be minimal, because the closer their property value is to the norm in the township the less the change will impact them. But those who argue that owners of waterfront properties are being over-burdened once again by a tax system that is skewed against them do have a point.

But the real point to make is that waste management should indeed have a large user pay element and South Frontenac continues to miss the mark by continuing to supply 50 free bag tags to residents. When the township eliminated the $125 charge, which was really a fee of $2.50 for each bag tag, they did not take the logical step of ending the free bag tag program. In most other townships there are no free bag tags, in fact in many cases there are no tags anymore either. The townships sell clear garbage bags with the township logo printed on them for a price, $1 or $2 and not only must those bags be used for waste, they can only be used for true waste. The clear bag reveals when recyclables are in the bag and dump attendants or roadside garbage pickup workers are expected to refuse those bags.

South Frontenac residents may not want to see their garbage bags still sitting on the curb in front of their house after garbage pickup day because they contained cans or plastic bottles, but if that happened on the next week those items would be certainly be in the recycling bin, and would be picked up for free. If the township is serious about diverting waste and extending the life of its landfill sites, the dual impact of making residents pay directly for every bit of waste that goes into landfill and blocking them from being lazy and slipping recyclables into the waste cycle are the best way to do that.

Clear bags always raise an uproar when they are introduced, but then people get used to them, and they make a difference.

The alternate solution to clear bags is to up the financial incentive to divert waste. Perhaps if the bag tags cost $5 each then it will make people think twice about paying to dump a plastic bottle instead of placing it in a blue box and shipping it off for free.

No one likes buying bag tags or clear bags from the township, but it is not an overwhelming burden. It is a way to encourage recycling and make those who produce more garbage pay for the privilege of producing garbage. Anyone can alter the way they handle waste in their own home, and minimise how much goes in the waste site.

Those residents who do not use their 50 bags each year won't have to pay for them anymore and those who use more will pay more.

The only major drawback is that it can be a burden on the young in favour of the old as larger households produce more waste, but since there are opportunities to minimise waste that anyone can take advantage of if they make an effort. Even a family with young kids can make changes, and with a bit of planning, keep their garbage to under a bag a week if they compost and practice diversion.

Waste management will continue to cost more than a $2 bag tag or clear bag will ever cover, but South Frontenac Council missed an opportunity when they reformed the way it is paid for by residents.

They knew people would be upset, and they might as well have gone all the way and upset people once. Now, they will only cause more upset when they decide to stop supplying bag tags at all, which is the next logical step

A coalition of waterfront residents have had their day in front of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) delayed. The group is appealing a change to South Frontenac Township’s Official Plan that they say will unfairly limit their ability to improve their properties.

Last summer, at the behest of Planner Lindsay Mills, Council passed an amendment that limited the ability of so called grandfathered properties to obtain permits for work on their buildings. These properties contain buildings that are located within 30 metres of the high water mark on township lakes, the minimum setback for buildings according to the townships Official Plan (OP) which was established in 2002. At the time it was one of the most restrictive plans in the Province, and since then the 30 metre setback has become a provincial standard. Properties with buildings already in place when the Official Plan was enacted are considered “legal non-conforming” or “grandfathered”. They are legal because they were legal when built, but could not have been built under the current OP. As these buildings age, owners seek to keep them viable by working on them, and that is why new restrictions on the ability to improve these buildings have sparked an appeal to the OMB.

When introducing the change, Mills told Council that he did not see a huge issue, since residents will be able to seek a minor variance to get a building permit, and the Committee of Adjustment has a history of working with residents to allow for any reasonable proposal to get the go ahead. Opponents worry, however, that this might change in the future and would prefer clear rules about what is permitted and what is prohibited.

In announcing the delay in the appeal hearing, which was set to start today (February 2) the OMB gave no explanation as to why the hearing has been adjourned at this late date. In an email to members of the group and supporters, group member Jeff Peck said he “does not have all the information as this time, however, I have been led to believe that the delay is the result of SFT [South Frontenac Township] not meeting some notice requirements.”

Peck added that he is disappointed because the group was “excited to finally get the opportunity to present our case. More on this story as it develops.

Central Frontenac Council held a short in camera session at the end of their regular meeting on Tuesday afternoon (January 24) and then emerged to pass a motion to enter into a contract with Bradley Thake.  After the motion passed Mayor Frances Smith announced that Brad Thake will begin work in the township on March 13. In a release accompanying the hiring, Smith said: “Mr. Thake has many years of supervisory experience in municipal/highway road maintenance. With his extensive road maintenance, contract management and public relations experience in both the private and municipal settings, he will be an asset to Central Frontenac. We look forward to welcoming Brad as an integral part of our administration.”

Mr. Thake is originally from the Westport area where the Thake family name is very well known.

Central Frontenac has been looking for a full time public works manager since early last summer. In the interim former Public Works Manager Mike Richardson has been working at the township on an part time basis. When Thake comes on Richardson will retire from the township for the third time. He helped out when his first replacement did not work out.

Road to close for emergency construction
Mike Richardson appeared before Council to present a report on plans to replace a large culvert. The culvert is located on Fourth Lake Road in the southwest portion of the township, in the vicinity of Wagarville, 5th Lake and Echo Lake roads. In order to do the work the road will need to be closed for 3 weeks, between February 6 and 27.

Richardson said that closure signs will go up this week in advance of the road closing so people who use the road regularly will have advance notice.

Oso dump to close in two years – closure plan coming into effect
With the Oso dump, which is located off Crow Lake Road, set to close in as little as two years, Richardson was contacted by the ministry to begin the work of putting together a closure plan.
A Ministry of the Environment and Climate change official met Richardson at the site on November 3 and requested that a written plan be submitted. Richardson said he communicated with the offical this week and it turns out the township has some time to complete a plan. The consulting company Golder will work in 2017 to put a closure plan in place.

Central Recreation committee resurrected.
Lesley Merrigan, chair of the District 3 (Oso) Recreation Committee submitted a grant application to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation on behalf of Central Frontenac Recreation to purchase portable sporting equipment for residents of the township. Before submitting the grant she asked for input from the three other committees in order to come up with a preliminary list and used pricing from a Toronto based online sporting goods retailer The grant came through for $25,000, and in order to decide exactly what to buy, where to locate it and how to make it available to township residents, Council decided to resurrect a committee that has existed in name only for almost a decade. The Central Recreation Committee was set up in 2003 with a view towards establishing township wide recreation, but it was never effective and had not met for years as each of the 4 district committees have  carried on with their own activities. Council appointed Councillors Victor Heese and Bill MacDonald to the committee. Also invited to attend will be the four district committee chairs; Merrigan (Oso), Cory Thompson (Olden), Bob Teal (Hinchinbrooke), and Wanda Harrison (Kennebec). Mayor Smith will sit as an ex-officio member. The committee will meet to deal with the grant.

“Good luck to you” Councillor Riddell said to the two members of council who were named to the committee, in reference to the committees’ underwhelming history.

“This has been a difficult group to get together,” said Frances Smith, “but it is time.”

Fire department to deploy Narcan – Councillor Riddell announced that the Fire department will be adding Narcan to its tool kit for emergency first response. Narcan is the drug that is used for poeole suffering from overdoses of opioids, particularly Fentanyl and Carfentanil, which can be deadly even in minuscule doses.

Pigs on the beach
Council approved a proposal to bring the popular Victoria Day weekend Day of the Pig event to the Sharbot Lake beach this year. The event has until now been presented by Seed to Sausage at their facility on Road 38 near the Oconto cemetery, but the site is small and is adjacent to a major road. Mike McKenzie of Seed to Sausage will work with the Oso Rec Committee to co-ordinate the event at the new site and they will deal with logistical problems that may arise. It is not guaranteed that all the bureaucratic hurdles will be cleared to bring the event to a public space, but Council support was necessary to move it forward. The Day of the Pig draws food enthusiasts from as far away as Toronto and Ottawa and provides an opportunity for local specialty food producers to show off and sell their products.

“I say bring it on,” said Councillor Bill Macdonald. “This will be good for everyone.”

New chair of Arena Board
Deputy Mayor Brent Cameron announced that he has been replaced as the chair of the Frontenac Arena Board by Councillor Sherry Whan. Cameron remains on the board along with two members of South Frontenac Council.

The province will be requiring Frontenac municipalities to put new policies into their Official Plans concerning private (cottage) roads.  This will affect South Frontenac more than any other township, county planner Joe Gallivan told a South Frontenac committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday night (January 24) in Sydenham.

“You have the most private roads,” he said. “There are 981 private lanes in Frontenac County and more than half of them (545) are in South Frontenac.”

That represents 373 of the 769 kilometres of private roads in the County, he said.

“The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will require you to have a policy on how these roads are developed,” he said. “That’s why we had this study (Frontenac Private Lanes Study) done.

“It will help.”

Gallivan said South already has 2,774 dwellings and $1.8 billion in assessment.

Gallivan said there is a growing trend towards converting cottages into year round home and many of these are on private lanes. South Frontenac also has 40.8 per cent of the private lots available in Frontenac County with 241of 590.

There are 178 vacant lots in North Frontenac (30.2 per cent), 111 in Central Frontenac (18.8 per cent) and 60 in Frontenac Islands (10.2 per cent).

He said the townships will all have to develop policies for private roads, including standards for construction and maintenance, but South is ahead in that department because it already specifies a high minimum standard.

“The next steps are training your committee of adjustment, which will take at least an hour, and then we’ll have to do an Official Plan review,” Gallivan said.

“Even though we trust our committee of adjustment, if we have this meeting, I’d like all of our councilors to hear it, because eventually it will come before all of us,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.

New County ED manager comes calling
Richard Allen, the new economic development manager at Frontenac County, outlined his department’s projects and priorities for Council.

Those include: the brand ambassador project, completion of the K & P Trail, a new web portal, a Business Resources and Directory in conjunction with The Frontenac News, a commercial land inventory, and an accommodation review in conjunction with the food and beverage policy. There are also opportunities for agriculture growth, including the potential for a partnership with a Chinese baby formula company that’s interested in goats’ milk as a premium baby formula.

He also said they’re looking to continue working in conjunction with the Frontenac Community Futures Corporation, something that struck a chord with Mayor Ron Vandewal.

“I compliment you for working with the CFDC,” Vandewal said. “That’s something that needs to be a strong relationship.”

Coun. Alan Revill asked about the Business Directory and how it could updated regularly.

“We’re working with The Frontenac News on this and they have people out in the country contacting businesses all the time,” Allen said. “We will work with them to keep it up to date.”

“I know the County strategy of food and beverage but there are also welding shops out there,” said Vandewal.

Coun. Ross Sutherland brought up retention and attraction of small businesses and services, especially in the settlement areas.

“We’ve lost a beer store and restaurants and other services that are really important to our hamlets,” Sutherland said. “Nobody is going into our businesses saying ‘what can we do to help?’ before they get into trouble.”

“Signage, especially along the 401 should help to lure people in,” said Allen. “Letting people know we exist.

“And, we’ll try to encourage shopping locally, help with zoning issues and the CFDC is holding seminars on social media training.”

Parkland value
Planner Lindsay Mills briefed Council on the current policies of how the Township calculates the value of parkland where it concerns developments.

Essentially, Council agreed on two things: the need for two separate assessments and more study on who pays for what.

It was not exactly a barn burner of a meeting when Frontenac County Council held their monthly meeting last Wednesday (January 18).

Council received a presentation from Mark Segsworth, who sits at a planning table with industry, municipal and provincial officials that is looking to develop a new waste diversion system for Ontario. The goal is to achieve 80% diversion rates from landfill in Ontario by 2050. Currently, even relatively successful diversion programs in rural areas, such as the one in North Frontenac, have reached the peak of their success. North Frontenac diverts over 50% of consumer waste when calculated by volume. However, when calculated by weight, the way provincial bodies do, the diversion rate is much lower.

“The only way to attain these goals is for changes in the way goods are produced.  As responsibility for waste diversion shifts in the direction of producers, they are looking at taking over waste management in the future,” said Segsworth, but he added that “this whole planning process will take a long time to come about, and what will happen in rural areas is not clear at all. Except for me, everyone at the table looks at waste from their urban reality, as an industrial problem.”

Segsworth added that even if all waste management is privatized in cities, municipalities may still have a role to play in rural areas. Waste management is one of the largest expenses that rural municipalities face, and there are no likely scenarios to replace landfill sites when they are full.

Councilor John Inglis pointed out that “preparing for post-landfill future was one of the goals that we identified in our strategic plan, but nothing has really happened with that goal. We were going to work through the Eastern Ontario Warden's Caucus (EOWC), but I have not heard that they are taking this on. Do we know anything about that?”

Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle said that the EOWC “has a lot on its agenda and tends to focus on one or two items at a time. Other things end up at the bottom of the pile.”

Pender sees budget pressures coming
In his monthly briefing to Council, Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender provided a report card of sorts on how the county has responded to a set of recommendations that were adopted several years ago following a report by the management consulting firm KPMG. In most cases, he said the objectives have either been accomplished or are being worked on.

He also pointed to a number of costs that will put significant pressure on budgets and ultimately taxation both at the county and township levels over the next five years. The most pressing is the diminishing financial role on the part of federal and provincial governments in support of social housing. As mortgages for housing units built in the early 1990's run out, so will subsidy dollars from those levels of government, but rents must remain on the geared to income scale for most social housing units. Keeping them in operation will cost more money for the county over the next two to five years. Frontenac county is responsible for 55 senior's units in the Maple Ridge and Meadowbrook buildings in Sydenham that are operated by Loughborough Not For Profit Housing, for McMullen Manor in Verona which is operated by the Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation, and for 19 houses in the vicinity of Sharbot Lake which are managed by North Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing.

Pender also reported that costs from the Kingston Frontenac Library, Public Health, and Social Services are all rising faster than the rate of inflation, which is the counties' target for budget increases. The potential for downloading from the province may increase substantially after the next election, he said, and increased costs due to new regulations are also likely. Wage settlements through negotiation or arbitration will also push the budget, and the cost of providing long term care is rising faster than increases in provincial grants as well.

“We have been able to cut costs through finding efficiencies and we will continue on that track, but that can only take us so far,” he said.

All this indicates that the 4.15% increase in the county levy for 2017 (mitigated to 3.15% based on a calculation for growth) may be a harbinger of further and higher increases in the future.

Legal matters – county to stand pat
Finally, there were two legal matters discussed, and in both cases county lawyers recommended that Council not take any action at all.

Council received a report from Wayne Fairbrother of  the law firm of Templeman Menninga. As reported in the News last week, Erik Gillespie, a lawyer representing the  Hartington Community Association (HCA) sent an email to the county on December 6 which contained allegations of breach of confidentiality and conflict of interest on the part of two members of council, John McDougall and Ron Vandewal. Fairbrother prepared a report for the county in response which said the allegations were groundless. Council passed a motion receiving Fairbrother's report and directing “staff to advise Mr. Eric K. Gillespie that the County of Frontenac will take no further action related to his correspondence dated December 6, 2016”.

County lawyer Tony Fleming presented his opinion regarding a policy change that has been controversial on Howe Island.  A long standing policy of restricting the use of the Howe Islands Ferry to passenger vehicles during the morning and afternoon rush hours has been reversed by Frontenac Islands Council. This was done at the request of farmers on the island who use the ferry to bring supplies on to the islands and to deliver products to markets. Residents who say this hinders their ability to get to work and appointments on time appealed to the county to bring back the restrictions. Fleming reported that the restrictions were never legal in the first place and recommended that the county not intervene in any way. Council took Fleming’s advice, to the chagrin of some Howe Island residents who were in attendance.

Eric Kohlsmith, from the Mississippi Rideau Septic System Office (MRSSO) made a presentation to Council on Friday regarding the results of their 2016 Sewage System Re-inspections.

The MRSSO made 67 voluntary re-inspections in North Frontenac in 2016. 90% of the inspections were cottages and almost 2/3's of the inspections were done on Kashwakamak and Missassagagon Lakes.

The MRSSO had planned on inspecting the North Frontenac Parklands campsites as well but were thwarted by low-water and drought conditions.

“The past year our response rate has increased,” Kohlsmith said. “The protocol is looking at systems that are 10 years or older and haven't been re-inspected in the past.”

“The goal of it is education,” Kolhsmith said. “We're looking to make sure the system is operating properly, not necessarily meeting today's standards.”

The MRSSO reports that 62% of the systems they inspected were septic tanks with leaching beds. Earth pits, composting toilets, and privies, were the second most inspected systems at 25%.

The report also detailed distances that septic systems exist to surface water. Just under half of the systems inspected were at least 30M away from water. The other half were somewhere between 15M and 30M, which meets the Ontario Building Code, yet doesn't meet zoning by-law requirements.

The report also revealed that 78% of the septic tanks they inspected were made of concrete.

Kohlsmith's report showed 55% of the systems they inspected needed remedial work done on them. This could include something as simple as the system needing a pump out or as intensive as baffles inside the tank needing replacement or repair. The MRSSO recommended replacement for 3% of the systems they inspected.

The program will be continuing into 2017.

Palmerston Beach Enhancement
Cille Harris and Steve Sunderland, members of the Palmerston Beach Community Organizing Committee, made a presentation to Council regarding restoring the Northern part of Palmerston Beach.

The proposal they made includes 3 phases over 3 years and would eventually replace the staircase, install accessible picnic tables, and pave the parking lot.

The committee looks at the enhancement of the beach as a great opportunity to boost tourism and build a new place for community to meet.

Sunderland, a former landscape architect who has designed over 200 parks, brought a detailed drawing to Council to help them envision what the committee has in mind for the area.

Harris said that the re-opening of the trails in the area has been an extraordinary success and “being an active group we'd like to do something else.”

The staircase leading down to the beach is currently in disrepair and the beach is covered with gravel that has eroded from the driveway into the parking area and beach.

“You'd need a backhoe to build a sandcastle on that beach,” Sunderland said.

The group is hoping that in 2017 they could start phase one, which would include an engineering assessment, beach sand, some landscaping, gravel on the driveway, parking lot, and pathways, and 3 picnic tables.

The community contribution for phase one is estimated at $19,000 and the committee is looking for the Township to remove the stairs and pave the entry, which they currently say is a safety concern for cars trying to exit the parking lot. This contribution from the Township is estimated at $8,800.

Phase two of the project, slotted for 2018, would include a 50M stone retaining wall, a concrete and stone stairway, 3 accessible picnic tables, and an accessible pathway to the beach. The community contribution for this would be approximately $22,200 and the Townships contribution would be $10,000.

Phase three, in 2019, would include installing a wooden sun shelter, 3 more picnic tables, storm drainage, paving the parking lot and access road, and upgrading the washroom facilities. This stage they've estimated will cost them $13,400 and the Township $44,200.

Council suggested that the committee have a conversation with the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) regarding the project as the beach is on MVCA property.

Corey Klatt, the Manager of Community Development, raised a few concerns about the project.

“You have to consider there are 4 other beaches,” Klatt said to Council. “They're great projects. They're enhancements. But there will be increased costs for the Council to take on in the future.”

“I can see us fixing up the stairs if they're a safety hazard, and the erosion of the road, but I can't see us investing in this project when there are other beaches,” Councillor Wayne Good told Council.

Council was going to discuss the item further once the committee spoke with the MVCA regarding the project.

Northern Exposure Revisited
Janice Powell, Chief Administrative Officer for the Lakelands Family Health Team, made a request to Council for $75,000, paid in 5 instalments of $15,000 per year for the next 5 years, to be used for doctor recruitment.

It is hoped that Addington Highlands will, again, contribute to the fund as well push the incentive up to $30,000 per year for a doctor to join the health team.

This incentive agreement would be similar to the one signed by Dr. Matt Dumas in 2015.

Powell explained to the Council that there is “fierce competition for physicians right now” and that it creates a struggle to recruit a doctor for the area.

The recent departure of Dr. Anne Wilson has left a hole in the Lakelands team and Powell expressed concern that, even with the incentive, finding the right doctor could take some time.

There wasn't much discussion from Council surrounding the decision.

“It's the most important,” Mayor Higgins said.

Council approved, in principle, the request for $75,000 to be used for a third medical agreement.

South Frontenac Council opted for a 2 per cent tax increase for 2017, in passing the 2017 budget at its regular meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

The vote was 4-3 with Mayor Ron Vandewal, and Coun. John McDougall, Alan Revill and Ross Sutherland voting in favour (Dep. Mayor Norm Roberts was absent because of two deaths in the family).

Treasurer Louise Fragnito presented Council with four options. The one they chose accommodated the Mayor’s request that any increase be limited to 2 per cent. This option also did away with the $120 solid waste charge, which was rolled into the levy.

CAO/Clerk Wayne Orr said that residents will continue to receive 50 bag tags per residence. However, owners of property without buildings on them will not receive bag tags for those properties.

“Anyone who received bag tags before will continue to receive them,” he said.

Fragnito said in order to get to 2 per cent (the previously voted down budget featured a 2.2 per cent increase) an adjustment of $37,822 would be required and this was achieved by reducing the Working Funds transfer to $9,220 from $47,042.

The 2 per cent increase represents an increase of $29.37 for the average taxpayer, she said.

Vandewal was pleased with the result, despite several councilors and one delegation urging retention of the solid waste tax line.

“I wanted to keep the increase to 2 per cent,” Vandewal said. “I don’t think this change to garbage fees will affect anybody’s recycling habits.”

Coun. Pat Barr and Ron Sleeth, who both voted against the budget, said they wanted to take a longer look at the solid waste fee in light of expected new provincial legislation.

“$120 might not be the right number,” said Sleeth.

Brad Barbeau named to vacant Council seat
South Frontenac Council named Harrowsmith’s Brad Barbeau, who came in third in the last election in Portland District, to take the Council seat left vacant when Bill Robinson died late last year.

In nominating Barbeau, Coun. John McDougall noted that Barbeau still received a sizable number of votes, 793 (Robinson got 872) and is well known in the community, including being the organist at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Sydenham.

Barbeau is currently assistant director of IT operations at the Queen’s University School of Business.

In response to a question from the gallery citing a rumour floating around Harrowsmith that Barbeau had already been offered the position, CAO/Clerk Wayne Orr said that Barbeau had only been asked if he would be available should Council opt for that option.

“Coun. McDougall was told specifically not to talk to him (Barbeau) about it,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.

A municipal council has several options when replacing a council member including naming the candidate with the next most votes, naming a former politician or prominent community member, soliciting nominations from the public or holding a bi-election.

When Mark Tinlin resigned during the previous Council, Pat Barr, who came in third in the previous election, was asked to take the seat.

Paperless Election
Council voted to go completely paperless for the 2018 election, opting for telephone and/or internet voting only.

Council immediately started making suggestions as to how things should go, such as traveling remote voting stations and such.

However, CAO/Clerk Wayne Orr had to remind them that while Council decides what kind of voting procedures will take place, under the Elections Act, the Clerk is the one who must decide the actual operations of the vote.

“This is to distance the politics from it, but I will take your suggestions under advisement,” Orr said, with the slightest of grins.

Pricey Salt
As the meeting was coming to a close, Mayor Ron Vandewal lamented the fact that there was still more freezing rain in the forecast.

“We’ve already spent $100,000 on salt so far this year,” he said.