On Monday night, July 20 in Flinton, Addington Highlands Council voted yes to signing a support agreement with Nextera and Renewable Energy Systems Canada (RES). Council's support will improve both companies' chances of securing contracts for wind turbine developments in the area from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

Reeve Henry Hogg, Councilor Helen Yanch, and Councilor Bill Cox all voted in support of the resolution. Councilors Tony Fritsch and Kirby Thompson voted against it on the basis that there hasn't been enough time to research the projects properly.

The meeting began in front of a packed crowd, with Councilor Yanch making a statement regarding recent accusations that she is in a conflict of interest because of the gravel pit she owns with her husband.

“I would like to set the record straight,” Yanch said. “We do not own a gravel supply company. We own a pit.”

She went on to state, “No materials from our pit will be used to construct wind turbines or access roads to the turbines in the Township of Addington Highlands.”

Following this, Tony Fleming, a lawyer with Cunningham Swan Lawyers out of Kingston, made a short presentation to council offering them some suggestions and guidance regarding Nextera and RES' community vibrancy fund offers.

Fleming, who has negotiated wind vibrancy agreements for other municipalities in the province, explained how Nextera's payment offers could play out for the township.

Currently, Addington Highlands doesn't know how many turbines will be installed or where the transmission lines will run. Fleming therefore used a hypothetical scenario wherein Addington Highlands had one transfer station built and 10km worth of transmission lines installed to illustrate to Council how much they could profit from the project. These projections were based on the proposed $3500/MW that Nextera and RES are offering the township.

“There are two scenarios for council's consideration...Council is looking at possibly $15.7 million over 20 years,” Fleming said. “Under the second scenario...you're looking about $2.6 million less over twenty years...but you're getting $2.15 million in year one.”

Fritsch raised concerns about some of the vague wording in the vibrancy agreements and pointed out that the Nextera agreement states the project is “expected to be rated at up to 200 megawatts... It depends on the approvals that they get from the province,” Fleming explained. “I think we can assume that if they're given 200MW they will do everything in their power to site and install 200MW of generating capacity.”

“If they don't know how many are going to go in and we're not going to know how many are going to go in until it's approved then how does that affect our vibrancy agreement...?” Councilor Cox asked.

Fleming explained that Nextera's vibrancy agreement awards the township a minimum of $500,000 regardless of the number of turbines installed.

Cox also asked, “What's the deadline for them telling the constituents and the council how many [turbines]...where they're going...when are we going to know that?

“I don't think that they can give that kind of information until after the procurement process and a supply contract has been awarded,” Fleming said.

Fleming explained that RES's vibrancy agreement is similar to the one Nextera put forth but that they are also offering a “balloon” payment of $595,000 to be paid after the contract is awarded but before construction begins, provided that RES wins the bid.

Fleming also spoke about light mitigation and Fritsch's concerns around the wording regarding it in the vibrancy agreement. The agreement states that Nextera will “use commercially reasonable efforts...” to mitigate wind turbine aviation safety lighting.

“At the end of the day if the federal government won't allow something that tall in this area without navigation lights on it (then) there really isn't anything that anyone can do about that,” Fleming said.

“I don't think you can say 'we must have it' because they [Nextera] can't say 'we'll absolutely provide it'..”

Fritsch wanted to know the “very last date” that they could submit their decision to Nextera and RES so that council could have more time to make an informed decision.

“I would suspect that they are anxious, obviously, to see if council will support,” Fleming said. “I believe they need some significant lead time to put their applications together...what the actual 'drop-dead' date is I really don't know.”

“If they need it for the first of August then we're looking at a week and a half to two weeks,” Fleming speculated.

“The province will do whatever the province is going to do,” Fleming said, regarding the small window for decision-making. “All you can try and do is what's in the public interest knowing that these things could be approved with or without you.”

“Is that a legal statement?” someone called out from the audience.

Tony Fritsch made a motion to postpone the vote on signing the support agreement until after agenda item #8 was read. Item #8 was a new resolution put forward by Fritsch asking Council not to sign the support agreement. Instead, the resolution would propose additional research and preparation for an anticipated wind project procurement in 2016. This would allow council a period of 10 months to evaluate the project and make an informed decision.

Reeve Hogg, Councillor Yanch, and Councillor Cox all voted against Fritsch's motion to review his new resolution prior to voting on the support agreement, defeating it 3-2.

Reeve Hogg then read aloud the resolution to support the turbine projects. After Cox quickly gave his “yea” to the resolution, Thompson spoke up.

“If we do this right now we don't have control. We don't get to say 'we want them a kilometre away, we want them this way...' Thompson said. “We've said repeatedly we don't have time to get this set up. We don't have time to negotiate these contracts. These companies will be here next year. There is another 300MW project being given for 2016 and 2017. They will come back again. They're not spending all this money up here and walking away.”

“If we have another 10 months to work on this and find out what we need to know...” Thompson said. “I just don't think we are prepared to do this right now. I think we are jumping the gun.”

At this point the crowd, made up predominantly of residents opposed to the current proposals, erupted into a long and loud applause.

“We need to take the time to do our homework,” Fritsch said. “We need to represent the people properly and do everyone justice.”

Again, a loud applause.

“It's not necessarily the developer's fault,” Fritsch said. “It's a terrible process. It puts everyone in an awkward position. It puts those developers in an awkward position. It puts our neighbours in an awkward position...and it puts the council in a terrible position.”

“The only thing we have control of is time,” Fritsch said. “It's up to the council. They can make the decision to take the time... I beg the council to make that right decision.”

Hogg quickly asked for a recorded vote once the applause died down and Bill Cox, Helen Yanch, and Reeve Henry Hogg all voted in favour of signing the support agreement, beating out Kirby Thompson and Tony Fritsch's “nay” votes 3-2.

When asked why council put the vote through so quickly, Reeve Hogg replied, “We do have correspondence saying that they're not going to wait. If they don't get a decision from us they're going to proceed without us.” Hogg explained, but was unable to specify whether a clear deadline had been provided.

“We have to decide some time.”

Council compensation study reveals “poor cousins” standing

At Frontenac County's regular council meeting, which took place in Sydenham on July 15, council discussed a council compensation study prepared by Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Kelly Pender and Treasurer Marian VanBruinessen.

The study addressed market equity and compensation policy objectives for the county, and compared Frontenac with nine counties in Eastern Ontario: Prince Edward, Brant, Perth, Lennox and Addington, Elgin, Dufferin, Lanark, Peterborough, and the united counties of Prescott and Russell. Council directed staff to undertake the study because council's expenses have not been reviewed since it was expanded to eight members in 2010.

The study resulted in 10 recommendations. The findings were surprising given the fact that even though Frontenac County Council’s size at eight members is below the median of 11 in the study, each councilor in Frontenac County on average represents 2304 dwellings versus the median of 1699. The study found that the current compensation for Frontenac's County warden at $17,000 is well below the median of $40,400, and that the current compensation for Frontenac County councilors at $7,400 is below the median of $17,400. One of the recommendations is to compensate councilors and the warden at the medians mentioned above, and that the deputy warden receive compensation at 20% above that of the councilors.

Further, the study showed that the current per diem for a councilor at $75/day is below the median of $150/day and another recommendation was that council adopt the per diem median of $150/day. This would be applied only to non-regularly scheduled council and council committee meetings. The study also reported that five of the nine counties in the comparator group provide an annual training/seminar allowance to councilors ranging from $2,250 to $6,500 and averaging $4,000 as the median allowance. The study recommended adopting such an allowance, the amount of which would be determined at a later date.

The study also looked at determining what kinds of duties fall under “base” compensation and which are eligible for per diem pay. It suggested that all regular council, budget meetings, meetings associated with a position appointed by council, and ceremonial functions be covered by base pay and that any special meetings, conferences, and group/agency meetings wherein the group agency does not pay a per diem, that the per diem pay be included.

The study recommends that all expenses and per diems require the submission of an expense claim for expenses with an approved policy and that the current practice of receiving council approval for attendance at conferences be replaced with an expense budget that can be utilized at the discretion of a council member, with regular reporting to council and citizens.

While the study recommended implementing the increases in compensation over a four-year period, it also included the financial implications for implementing them in 2015. The report adds that a 2015 implementation would result in a deficit position for the council budget for 2015.

Council had a lengthy discussion regarding the results of the study and its recommendations, with Frontenac Islands mayor and county warden, Dennis Doyle, stating that these increases seem reasonable and that implementation need not be delayed for four years.

South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal said he could not support these increases. He deemed them “unjustifiable” and said he was “unsure if the study was comparing “apples with apples”.

Councilor John McDougall supported the base pay concept proposed in the study since it would make a councilor’s job of keeping track of expenses more straightforward.

Deputy Warden Frances Smith showed her support stating, “I think that people have elected us because of our talents and abilities and the amount of time we spend on council business and these recommendations show the real cost of us doing business every day. We need an increase and this is the time to do it. I believe that the public will respect that.”

Councilor Inglis stated that the meat of the study shows that “We are the poor cousins in Eastern Ontario here” though he felt the percentage increase seemed “too huge at roughly 150%”. He wondered how taxpayers would feel about it.

North Frontenac mayor, Ron Higgins, agreed with Inglis and wondered why council was looking at “implementing this now instead of at budget time”. Councilor Vandewal reiterated that the only thing he could support at this time is the pay per diem, adding that the rest of the recommendations should be deferred since they pose budget implications.

In the end council deferred the motion to their regular meeting in October 2015.

Management/non-Union Compensation Study

A second report to council prepared by CAO Kelly Pender, which came about when the county identified how its “compensation practices and legislative requirements for the management and/non-union group of employees were deficient and placed the municipality at risk”, resulted in a number of recommendations to council. These included that the 2015 Ladder Chart and Pay Bands be implemented in October 2015 at a cost of $7,241 and that future cost implications be included in base budgets as approved by council. It further recommended that staff be directed to prepare and finalize a pay equity plan for management/non-union group in accordance with Pay Bands as required in the Pay Equity Act. Currently the County has total of 24 management/non-union positions and the study and the recommendations are intended to limit existing corporate risk related to issues of pay equity, market equity, service delivery and organization review and internal equity. Council overwhelmingly agreed to the recommendations. South Frontenac mayor, Ron Vandewal, was the one council member opposed, stating, “It goes too fast for my liking though I do support pay equity”. Vandewal requested a recorded vote for a motion supporting the recommendations, which was passed with Vandewal being the only council member voting against it.

Joint CAOs' policing report unveiled at County

The report, which will be circulated to all Frontenac member councils for their consideration, was prepared by a joint committee of chief administrative officers (CAOs) in the four municipalities, and was undertaken with the hopes of finding ways to reduce the costs of police services in the county. Currently, all four municipalities in the county receive their policing services through the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). While the report states that “the viability of establishing an independent force is cost prohibitive, with the geography of the county making any other model difficult to implement”, the study aims to centralize services by investigating a more regional approach with the goal of reducing costs and creating more effective service delivery.

There are four policing models utilized in Ontario: 1) by contract with the OPP; 2) a single stand-alone service for an entire municipality; 3) service procurement whereby the municipality purchases all or a portion of services from a neighbouring municipality; 4) or lastly, forming a stand-alone regional service.

The study resulted from changes in 2015 to the OPP funding model for municipalities, wherein individual pricing was replaced with a fixed OPP formula plus level of service model that has eliminated all price negotiations between the OPP and municipalities. Table 2 in the report shows a summary of OPP policing costs from 2009-2019 in all four municipalities and shows that total costs in the county from 2009-2019 are expected to increase 81.6%, with Frontenac Islands and North Frontenac having the biggest increases, 222.8% and 326.4% respectively, over the same time period.

A third table in the report shows a summary of police costs for 2013 per household in the County, with the costs for Frontenac Islands, South Frontenac, Central Frontenac and North Frontenac listed as $64, $234, $188 and $57 per household respectively. Those costs are expected to rise considerably by 2019, with the overall average in the county estimated at $281 per household.

The report does state that due to the new OPP funding model, “cost projections become more difficult to compare.” The report goes on to confirm that the Town of Perth, which had its own police force until 2014, projects to save $900,000 by moving to an OPP contract, whereas the Town of Gananoque rejected an OPP costing option for 2013.

The report also mentions that the City of Kingston, as well as the counties of Chatham-Kent, Kawartha Lakes, Stirling-Rawdon have their own forces, with the latter now looking at OPP costing.

The report mentions that in 2011 South Frontenac held discussions with the City of Kingston re sharing services but were advised that the city could not beat the OPP’s cost per household for South Frontenac.

More recently the City of Lanark held discussions with the City of Ottawa, though no conclusive results were available at the time of the study.

The report says that the requirement for shared services can and must only be from abutting jurisdictions, which limits Frontenac County to just three options, one of which is to receive services from the City of Kingston. For this case, the report notes that should one municipality in Frontenac opt out, another municipality would likely not be able to receive services. So, for example if Central Frontenac opted out of receiving police services from Kingston, then North Frontenac would likely not be able to receive Kingston services even if it opted in.

The report also suggests that while the Town of Gananoque might service Frontenac islands, perhaps a case could be made for extending those services throughout the county. The City of Ottawa was also noted as an option but only if Lanark was serviced as well.

The report concludes that any study of the options for policing in the Frontenacs would involve discussions with neighbouring municipalities and their police service boards.

The report recommended that, “No action be taken at this time but rather options continue to be evaluated in light of the work of the Association of Municipalities”.

Mention of the AMO elicited frustration from a number of members of council, with Deputy Warden Frances Smith saying, “ I suggest that we just keep saying to the province 'Take it back; take it back; take it back.'”

South Frontenac mayor, Ron Vandewal, said that policing costs should “not just be the AMO's job but it should also come from the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus”.

CAO Kelly Pender stated that Ontario is one of the highest policing costs jurisdictions in North America and said that the AMO is looking at new policing models that use less expensive people when possible and their position is more about policing reform.

CAO Pender suggested that a member from the AMO could be invited to give a presentation to council to explain how the county can become more involved in police reforms through the AMO. Council passed a motion accepting the policing report for information, with an amendment inviting the AMO to county council to do a presentation in the fall.

Mayor Higgins encouraging early talk with solar company

Mayor Higgins has been in discussion with U.S solar company SunEdison regarding the possibility of installing solar farms in North Frontenac.

“They are very interested in coming to North Frontenac,” Higgins said.

A representative from SunEdison explained to the Mayor that there is another Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) that will be up for grabs next year and the company is interested in visiting the area to do an assessment of the feasibility of such a project in North Frontenac.

Council voted to invite the representative from the solar company to make a presentation to council at the next meeting.

“I'm interested because it's another alternative green energy [to] the wind turbines,” Higgins said. “And it would show that we're not against them, at the provincial level, and that we may accept other options for green energy.”

“We have lots of Crown Land here that we can hide these things on...it wouldn't be an impact to lakes people,” the mayor said, “and it would allow us to get a vibrancy fund.”

The mayor hoped that they could do a lot of the groundwork before the LRP even comes out so that they are prepared for next year's bid.

Recently, SunEdison decided to pull two of their three proposed solar farms out of South Frontenac due to local resistance and a concern by residents that there would be stray voltage from the lines.

Councilor Inglis was concerned about forests being cleared for solar farms. “I'd have problems accepting it,” Inglis said. “I'd find it more acceptable to put it on land that was formerly cleared or land that is not suitable for agriculture.”

Higgins pointed out that they could possibly be installed on old decommissioned landfill sites or gravel pits.

Amendment to the Official Plan

A by-law was passed during Monday's council meeting to amend North Frontenac's Official Plan (OP) incorporating updates to their Community Improvement Plan (CIP).

Peter Young and Anne Marie Young, from the offices of the County of Frontenac, made a presentation at the meeting on Monday regarding the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and what is required by the Township to activate their CIP.

If the amendment is approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) then Council can implement their CIP. This proposed amendment adds an incentive program offering grants to new and existing local businesses for facade improvement, commercial space funding, accessibility enhancements for people with disabilities, and to help subsidize municipal fees such as building permits and site plan approvals.

Up to $2500 is available per business, per property, for facade improvements, commercial space funding, and accessibility upgrades, and an extra $2000 is available in funding to help minimize municipal fees.

North Frontenac currently has $70,000 in their budget for this program, once it's approved by the MMAH. Any remaining monies, if not used by local businesses, could be used by the township to make improvements as well.

There will be an opportunity for the public to review the plan and consult council before the CIP is implemented.

150th Anniversary Celebration set for County of Frontenac

The 150th anniversary celebration for the County of Frontenac is set for August 28-30th 2015 at the Harrowsmith Centennial Park and will feature live music, BBQ, midway rides, fireworks, and a group of actors performing historical re-enactments involving an antique cannon.

The opening ceremony begins at 5:30pm on Friday night and the first day of the celebration will conclude that night with a large fireworks display. Saturday morning begins with a parade at 10am followed by a plowing match on a neighbouring field. As well, there will be a play area for kids featuring train rides, bouncy castles, and mini-putt.

After The News, Abby Stewart, and Rob Carnegie are just a few of the musical acts set to play throughout the festival.

There will be a beer tent on site for the entire weekend as well as a canteen and BBQ and the County expects to see upwards of 10,000 people over the course of the festival weekend.

The main event is a heritage costume ball which is happening on the Saturday night at the Golden Links Hall from 9pm-1am. Attendees are encouraged to arrive in period costume (1850-present) and the band Soul Survivors will be providing live music. There will also be a late night buffet and prizes. Tickets are available for $20. For more information you can visit www.frontenaccounty.ca

It was a year ago when Brian Skillen came to Central Frontenac Council to fight for the right to keep his two miniature horses, Tommy and Teddy, on his Clarke Road property near Arden.

The horses are well known in the Arden/Tamworth/Tweed corridor through their appearances at public events, and their visits to seniors' homes.

However, they ran afoul of the township because Skillen's residential lot is under the 10 acre minimum for housing livestock, and a complaint, lodged by his neighbour, brought this to the attention of the township and its bylaw officer.

Skillen was ordered to move Tommy and Teddy at that time, but council relented and an accommodation was found. The Ministry of the Environment determined there was no impact of the horses on wells or groundwater, which was the neighbour's concern, and the township held the bylaw enforcement at bay as it considered fine tuning the bylaw.

Fine tuning the bylaw is not likely to take place soon, however, since the township is waiting for Frontenac County to finalize its Official Plan before starting to update its own, a process that will likely take another year or two.

Earlier this spring, a complaint was lodged against a family in Mountain Grove who were raising pigs at a property within the hamlet, bringing the issue of the 10 acre minimum lot size for livestock back before Council.

On June 9, then CAO Jim Zimmerman gave a report to council asking that the township either “adopt a consistent, fair and objective enforcement of the existing by-law, or instruct staff to not enforce the existing by-law under any circumstances ... “

Council chose to enforce the existing bylaw, which meant that not only did the Mountain Grove pigs need to be moved, but the Skillen horses, as well as four goats at a property outside of Mountain Grove, were also to be revisited.

According to Central Frontenac Clerk Cathy MacMunn, the situation with the pigs has been resolved, and a solution for the goats “is being worked on”.

As far as Timmy and Tommy are concerned however, the jig seems to be up.

“Here it is,” said Brian Skillen, as he produced a document signed by Ken Gilpin, the township's bylaw officer, ordering the horses off the property by July 20.

“I'm pretty fed up with the township,” he said. “Nothing has changed since last year when the Ministry of the Environment and the Health Unit and all the rest of them came here and said they weren't causing any problems, but now they want them gone.”

Unlike last year, Skillen is not planning to go before Council to ask for a reprieve.

“I'm not going back to them,” he said, pointing to a For Sale sign in front of his house. “I'm trying to sell the property anyway, not because of the township, but they don't help matters much, I can tell you that. All I want is for them to let me keep the horses here until I sell.”

Skillen said that he is concerned that if Tommy and Teddy are taken away they will not survive the ordeal.

“They need specific care because they are miniature horses,” he said. “If you put them on grass they wouldn't survive very long. One way or another I'll make sure they are cared for.”

Septic Re-inspection

Although no hard numbers have been determined as yet regarding the potential cost to homeowners resulting from the soon to be finalized septic re-inspection program, Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven stressed the fact that if a system fails it will definitely have to be replaced.

Neven made the statement when pressed by Councilor Brent Cameron, who reiterated his long time concern about affordability issues for low-income residents whose systems fail.

“I just want to make sure that when you are recommending that staff include associated costs in the committee’s report, that staff will also be looking into possible funding options that might be made available to help those who can't afford to replace their systems,” said Cameron

Neven recommended that township staff prepare a draft licensing by-law for septic pumpers and haulers with associated schedules, along with a draft of a proposed reporting format.

A communication plan to inform the public and receive their input on the proposed program is also recommended. Council also instructed the septic re-inspection committee to investigate all associated costs and implementation requirements before bringing the plan back to council.

Bud Clayton dedication

Mayor Frances Smith made council and guests aware of an upcoming special events day hosted by the Township of North Frontenac, which will take place on August 22 at the Clar-Mill Hall in Plevna. The event will include a memorial dedication to former North Frontenac mayor and county warden, Bud Clayton, who passed away last year.

New building inspector in CF

Council passed a motion appointing Scott Richardson as a township building inspector. Richardson will be undertaking the role in an “as needed basis” as defined under the agreement between North and Central Frontenac's Shared Building Services Department. Under that same agreement, Jeremy Neven has been appointed chief building official for both townships.

New load restrictions on the Oclean Lane bridge

In the wake of Raymo Road bridge collapse, council passed a motion limiting the maximum load on a little used bridge near Tichborne. The maximum load has been limited to 5 tonnes per axle with a maximum of three axles.

New Stop Signs

Council supported a request by Public Works Coordinator Kyle Labbett to install a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Anderson Road North and Old Anderson Road in Crow Lake. A second stop sign was approved and will be installed at the exit of the Recreation Park in Arden where that road exits at Queen and Bridge streets.

Full time position approved for public works staff

Council passed a motion recommended by Kyle Labbett to change one public works staff's position from a part-time contract position to a full-time one. Labbett said that the increase would enable staff to “maintain their expected level of service” and would “allow for continuous and ongoing maintenance in specific areas while also balancing out the work force at the township’s two garages.” 

Procurement Policy tabled

Councilor Victor Heese raised concerns about approving council’s new procurement policy as prepared by treasurer J. Michael McGovern. Heese cited his reasoning as “not because I am opposed to the by-law, but rather, that it needs some clarification.”

Because council currently has no CAO, Heese sees a need to have the wording made more precise so there is no confusion. Council tabled the by-law, giving staff more time to fine tune it.

Construction numbers up

In his report to council, CBO Jeremy Neven said this year is looking very good, with June's construction value numbers sitting at a robust $1,235,300, the best June in three years. Neven said that the numbers could continue to rise. The number of permits issued in June was 17, which matches last year’s total. So far this year, permits for eight new residential units have been taken out.

Upcoming Hazardous Waste Day - Saturday, July 18

Staff and members of council will be running a free household hazardous waste day at the intersection of Road 38 and Highway 7 on Saturday, July 18 from 9a.m. – 2p.m. Residents are encouraged to drop off all of their hazardous waste so that it can be safely disposed of.

Delegations

Anne Marie Young, Manager of Sustainability at the County of Frontenac, outlined for council the county's 150th celebrations that will be taking place at Harrowsmith's Centennial Park on the weekend of August 28, 29 and 30. Organizers have been planning the event for the last four years and events will include a plowing match, parades, live music, historical displays, numerous food and craft vendors, a costume ball, various fun activities for children of all ages, magic shows, a full midway with Ferris wheel and carousel and more.

A-60 person re-enactment crew will be firing off cannons and re-enacting a number of historic battle scenes over the three-day weekend event. Organizers are encouraging visitors to bring along family and friends for what will be one very special summer weekend to remember.

Arden delegations

Arden residents took advantage of council meeting at their hall and three delegations were made by local residents. They included a presentation by Wanda Harrison, chair of the District 1 Recreation Committee, who outlined the programs they offer and their hopes for the future.

A second presentation was made by Peggy Breihaupt, who spoke on behalf of the Arden Seniors Happy Gang about their programming, and a final presentation was made by Terry Kennedy of the Friends of Arden group, who spoke of the group’s history and their many accomplishments since they formed.

Following the delegations, council and attendees were treated to a delicious dinner courtesy of the Friends of Arden and the Arden volunteer firefighters.

An emergency council meeting took place on July 9, at Oso Hall, members of Central Frontenac Council first considered a temporary fix for the Raymo Road bridge collapse that occurred on June 16.

Following the bridge’s partial collapse, township staff looked into installing a walking path along the west edge of the road to allow for the safe passage of pedestrian traffic. However, a further collapse at the site on June 18 put a halt to that first plan, with staff deciding that a temporary walking path would be unsafe.

The township has since posted signs closing the section of road to all foot and vehicular traffic, though it appears that some local residents are continuing to cross the affected area regardless of the signs.

As a solution to the problem, Public Works Manager Kyle Labbett made a number of presentations to council. The first concerned installing a temporary system of docks on the upstream side of the culverts across the waterway at the site. This was deemed to be the most cost-effective temporary fix and would allow for foot traffic until the bridge is permanently fixed. The plan was to build two 20-foot docks from both sides of the shoreline with an additional 60-foot middle section connecting the two.

With an estimated cost of $20,000 - $ 25,000 it did not take long for council to quash the proposed temporary fix, deeming it too expensive for such a short term. When Mayor Frances Smith asked the five affected residents at the meeting (who it appears are continuing to use the walkway despite the signs instructing them not to do so) for a straw vote on the matter, all five said no to it.

The report on a permanent solution, which was prepared by engineers Greer Galloway, addressed soil and water tests that were done at the site. Based on the report, Labbett recommended that council approve the purchase of two pieces of structural steel, (zz1220) elliptical galvanized pipes each with a wall thickness of 5mm from Armtec Limited Partner Corporation at a cost of just over $80,000. Council approved the motion.

By the time the site is engineered and the culverts installed, the project will cost $250,000 to $300,000 or more.

Council passed a motion deferring the planned rehabilitation of two bridges on Burke Settlement Road as well as the removal of one abandoned bridge on Crow Lake Road from the 2015 capital budget, deferring both to the 2016 capital budget. Those measures freed up $230,000, which will go towards the Raymo Road fix.

Labbett stated that the pipes could take three to five weeks to arrive and in the meantime the engineers will finalize their plans so that staff can prepare the tenders. Because the township will be putting out an invitation to tender, the turnaround time will be lessened, though Labbett added that the awarding of the contract could still take anywhere from a month to five weeks.

Labbett did say that in the meantime staff could start preparing the site for the new pipes so that when they arrive work can proceed without delay.

The five affected residents who attended the emergency meeting said that they are frustrated since they feel that township staff are continuing to excavate at the site, thereby making passage across it more and more difficult.

Labbett said he had no choice but to construct berms at both ends of the affected section of road because it appeared that ATVs were still crossing it in spite of the signs. “We have no choice, due to liability, to impede all traffic crossing there because it is not safe and that is why we built up the berms to prevent people and vehicles from crossing.”

While council is addressing the issue in due time, it looks as though the permanent fix will not get underway for at least another month’s time.

The controversial extra charge of $25 a month for residents of Sydenham who have not hooked up to the Sydenham water system has been revoked by Council. Residents who are not hooked up will continue to pay for the water that they don't use, as they have all along, but they will no longer pay an extra fee for not using the water they pay for.

Although Council revoked the fee at their meeting in Sydenham last week (July 7), they stopped short of rebating the money that has already been collected since the “non-usage fee” was instituted a year ago.

“I know Council is removing this charge and I know why, but the fact is that it is the only thing we have done that has resulted in people actually hooking up to Sydenham water, which is what we want,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.

In a report to Council about the matter, Treasurer Louise Fragnito wrote that since the extra charge was introduced, 34 households hooked up to the system, a 22% increase. “At a minimum, 18 of those accounts can be correlated to the non-usage fee,” she wrote.

She also said that in the absence of the fee “consideration must be given to a mechanism to continue to encourage non-using accounts to begin to use the water system.”

The township has the authority to enter the lot of someone who refuses to hook up, and connect the building at the owner's expense, and use all methods to receive payment up to and including placing a lien on the property.

“We've never done that, and I don't see us doing it anytime soon,” said Vandewal.

On June 23, Council asked staff to prepare a revision to the Sydenham water bylaw to eliminate the extraordinary fees, citing their punitive nature.

Since June of 2014, the township has collected over $22,000 in “non-usage fees” $20 monthly per household before January of 2015, and $25 monthly from January to June.

Members of South Frontenac Council have been asked about their stance on it for years. There have been meetings between neighbours, presentations at Council meeting, whisperings about too much water on the site, drainage, loss of rural character and more.

All of this was before a parcel on a long, narrow swath of land just west of Road 38 between Petworth and Boyce Road had ever come to Council as a proposed 47-lot subdivision.

That ended on Tuesday night, July 7, when Mike Keene of Fotenn Planning brought the subdivision proposal before a public meeting at South Frontenac Council, one of the formal steps in the process that will eventually lead to Frontenac County, which approves subdivision agreements, and perhaps a date with the Ontario Municipal Board at the end of the day.

The proposal that Keene described features two rows of lots running along the property with a road running through the middle. There are 47 0.8 hectare (2 acre) lots, each with 46 metre (150 foot) road frontages. The 46 metres is significant because minimum road frontage in the township for new lots is 76 metres (250 feet)

Keene said that the 150 foot frontages are “consistent with other subdivisions in the township and are supported by the studies that have been done.”

He also talked about some extensive hydrogeological studies that have been done at the site, and said that even as the lots are developed, further studies can be done as wells are dug at each lot to ensure there is no draw down of wells in the vicinity.

When he presented his own planning report in relation to the plan of subdivision, South Frontenac Township Planner Lindsay Mills said he did not think the 150 foot frontages were appropriate, but said “something under 250 foot frontages are supportable” although he did not say what that number should be.

A string of neighbouring property owners, seven in total, made 10-minute presentations to Council in opposition to the subdivision in front of an overflow, sign-carrying crowd at the council chambers in Sydenham. Opponents said that test wells that have been dug at the site have affected their own water supply, both in terms of quality and quantity. A farmer who lives near the site said his ability to farm will be affected by the subdivision, saying “people who live in urban subdivisions are not friends of farmers”.

Others attacked the location for being located, for the most part, outside of the designated Hartington hamlet, where they said subdivisions should be confined. Still others attacked the project on the grounds that it did not live up to the principles of sustainable development.

A number of councilors joined in, calling the development ill-conceived, inconsistent with the rural nature of the area, and more. Councilor Ross Sutherland even attacked the shape of the road. “If it was serpentine instead of straight it would fit in better with the surrounding landscape,” he said.

Other concerns were raised about increases to traffic flow on Road 38. Later, members of the audience asked further questions about drainage and more.

In the end, a motion to forward the planning report by Lindsay Mills, which outlined the project but did not make a recommendation as to whether it should be adopted, in addition to all the comments and presentations by council and the public, was not fowarded to Frontenac County for consideration by the planning department, which has the authority to approve plans of subdivision.

Instead, it will come back to South Frontenac Council for further consideration.

It is a bit unclear how long the township has to go over the proposal before it will have been longer than is prescribed, leaving the applicant with grounds to appeal the slow progress to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Solar approval – A 500 kw micro-fit project at 300 Hinchinbrooke Road received a motion of support from council, one of many from the township that will go forward to a competitive bidding process under the Independent Energy Systems Operator (IESO) for consideration this fall.

Council also approved a framework for “facility agreement requirements” for large scale solar projects. A proposal to provide a motion of support to Sun Edison if and when a community vibrancy agreement (in the form of an annual payment to the township) is signed, was deferred until the August meeting. The main reason noted was that Council had already been in session for over four hours at that point and were too tired to make a good decision.

AH Council rejects “unwilling host” motion

In the end, Tony Fritsch was able to buy time, but he did not win the vote that counted the most.

In front of a crowd of over 100 loud supporters in the normally quiet confines of Addington Highlands Council, Fritsch read out both a motion and a postion paper supporting it.

The upshot was a proposal that would have pre-empted the debate over whether to consider requests for support from from NextEra or RES-Canada for wind turbine projects in Addington Highlands.

“Now therefore be it resolved that the Council of The Corporation of the Township of Addington Highlands will not provide a Municipal Support Resolution for any Industrial Wind Turbine Project; and that Council declares the Township of Addington Highlands as ‘Not a Willing Host’ for Industrial Wind Turbine projects,” read the operative clause in the motion.

Councillor Kirby Thompson seconded the motion, and then said that “he has thought long and hard about the matter” and has come to the conclusion that the position taken by opponents to the proposals “is convincing and I feel that wind projects are not appropriate for our township.

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch said that she has been accused by people who oppose turbines in the township of having a conflict of interest and should not vote on the matter. She co-owns, with her husband, a gravel pit in the township, and since wind projects lead to road construction which will require gravel, she has a conflict of interest.

“All I can say is that this is ridiculous, and I will not recuse myself from this vote,” she said. The township has sought legal advice on the matter as well, the News has learned, which concluded that there is no “pecuniary interest” in Yanch owning a gravel pit and voting on the turbine issue.

In a recorded vote. Councillor Bill Cox, Deputy Reeve Yanch and Reeve Hogg voted against the motion, Councillor's Fritsch and Thompson in favour, and the motion was declared defeated by Clerk Christine Reed.

What followed was a chorus of boos and shouts, leading to a five minute recess being called. Three OPP officers, who had been at the back of the hall, took positions at the front. It took about ten minutes for the meeting to re-start.

Addington Highlands neighbour, North Frontenac, which was approached by NextEra, one of the companies that is making a proposal in Addington Highlands, declared itself an “unwilling host” for wind projects last month. North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins, as well as Councillor Vernon Hermer, were in the audience at the meeting.

They, along with most of the audience, left during the recess.

After the recess, a motion to provide “support in principle” for the two wind turbine projects that re before Addington Highlands Council was read into the record. NextEra is proposing a 77 turbine |(up to 200 megawatt) project in the township, and RES-Canada has a 40-60 turbine (up to 170 megawatt) project in the works.

Before the motion could be debated, Tony Fritsch moved that it be deferred. Kirby Thompson said that he “was a bit too overwhelmed right now with all that has happened to concentrate on this”, and supported the idea of a deferral. The other three members of Council agreed and it was decided that a special meeting to consider the “support in prinicpal” motion be held on July 20th at 9:00 am, in Flinton at the Recreation Centre.

If approved on the 20th, support 'in principle' would give the township and each of the companies 6 weeks to complete negotiations and finalize “Community Vibrancy Agreements”, so that a final motion of support can be passed before the companies submit their bids to Ontario's IESO (Independent Electrical Service Operator)

Bids that include a motion of support from the local municipality will receive added points when the IESO opens the bids.

After a set of public negotiations last month, Res and NextEra have both offered over $10 million in direct compensation to the township over the 20 year life of the projects if they win the bid and end up building in the township.

Interestingly enough, the member of Council whose intervention can be most credited with doubling the offers from what was initially on the table from both companies, is Councillor Tony Fritsch. It was on his recommendation that the council asked each of the companies to for twice as much as they had initially offered. And they each complied with the request.

However, if Addington Highlands does support one or both of the projects, they will be turning their backs on another economic development offer. This one was proposed by a relatively new township resident, Scott Annan, at the start of Monday's meeting.

Annan is an Ottawa-based IT entrepreneur who founded Mercury Grove, a software company and startup incubator, guides.co, a website for lifestyle guides, and an active leader in the Ottawa technology sector, who has been a seasonal resident on Ashby Lake since 2013.

Saying that the township should not be trapped into looking at an either-or scenario, with one side being preservation of the environment and the other one being economic development via wind-turbines. He proposed a third option. Through a special tax levy, whereby residents will pay between $40 and $100 extra on their tax bills over a 5 year period, he said the township can raise its own “community vibrancy fund”. This fund, coupled with $5 million in investment dollars from Ottawa based entrepreneurs that Annan said has already been committed, and more to come, the township will be in a position to foster its own economic development.

He proposed that the initiative be anchored by a $40 million lodge and conference centre to kick start a 4 season tourism sector. Further initiatives “could include micro-breweries, artists, agri-food, tech & research “field offices”, accommodation & tourism-based businesses,” he said in a Power Point Presentation.

A preliminary meeting regarding this initiative was held two weeks ago at Hunter's Creek golf course, which was attended by MPP Randy Hillier and North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins as well as community members. Invitations to the meeting were sent by email to the Reeve and Council members from Addington Highlands, but at the last minute, for which Annan apologized to Council.

Although it was not stated in Annan's presentation, he confirmed to the News, via email, that at least as far as his participation in the initiative is concerned, support by the township for the current wind turbines projects is not compatible.

“Unlike some other proponents for economic development, neither I or other members of interest want to dictate terms - we want to work collaboratively with town council and all stakeholders,” he wrote in reference to the two companies. “Having said that, if they refuse to collaborate and sign agreements that result in over 100 industrial wind turbines to the area against the communities wishes, it doesn't make sense to continue the plan or to invest time and money in the region,” he added.

Other delegates before Council included Dan Carruthers and Charles Birchall. Carruthers is also an Ashby Lake resident who has been active in both BEARAT (Bon Echo Area Resients Against Turbines) and the economic development initiative that was outlined by Annan. He spoke briefly about the pitfalls of the projects and then introduced Birchall, who is the lawyer that BEARAT has retained to fight the projects.

Birchall outlined the steps that the projects would have to undergo if they win the IESO bid. These include a number of environmental assessments, and potential avenues.

“Wind projects tend to lead to litigation” said Birchall, referring to the case that he is closely identifies with, the Ostrander Point project near Picton that recently had its environmental approval revoked over impacts that a service road would have on a local population of Blanding's turtles, which are on the “Species at Risk” list in Ontario.

Solar project proposals abundant in the Frontenacs

Rob Hitchcock, a representative from Abundant Solar Energy Incorporated (ASEI), made a presentation to North Frontenac Council on June 29. Two sites were proposed for solar farms in North Frontenac that would be built under the FIT program being offered by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

ASEI is a 100% Canadian-owned company with its headquarters in York, Ontario. They finance and engineer solar farms, and contract out the construction stage.

“Every site that we develop...we use as much local material and labour,” Hitchcock said, referring mostly to excavation, electricians, and general labour.

Hitchcock explained how previous solar farms, such as the ones near Kingston and Westport, were installed when renewable energy building regulations in Ontario were much more lax. Times have changed, and the IESO now requires that companies awarded contracts under the FIT program follow strict guidelines as far as visibility from dwellings and points of interest, as well as incorporate green space setbacks into their plans.

Unlike certain recently proposed wind turbine projects, electricity that is generated by these panels is fed back into the local grid, rather than being exported outside the province.

ASEI is bankrolled by a solar flow-through fund (SFF) which offers investors a tax break on money invested into alternative energy, using a similar model to tax breaks passed on to investors in the oil and mineral sectors.

In this North Frontenac proposal, ASEI is planning two separate panel arrays on neighbouring lots, both located along the Mississippi River, near Farm Lake, which are accessed via Gutheinz Road. Hitchcock explained that they typically overbuild their systems by 20% to make sure they are always generating the maximum electricity they are allowed to feed into the grid, within the regulations of the FIT program.

“We're very involved in the communities we do business in,” Hitchcock explained. “The term of the contract is twenty years.”

Mayor Ron Higgins confirmed with Hitchcock that the ASEI would be responsible for repairing potential damage to public roads as a result of their activities.

The procurement process for solar projects, through this IESO program, works similarly to the wind turbine application process that North Frontenac has recently faced. ASEI are awarded points for having the municipality on board with the project. Their bid will become more competitive with a letter of support from the township.

Dam leaks!

Mayor Higgins and Councilor Gerry Martin recently took members of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) on a tour of some of the lakes and rivers in North Frontenac that are connected with the Mississippi River water system.

Martin reported to council that the Kashawakamak Lake Dam is leaking and that the MVCA will be fixing the dam by pumping liquid cement “into the surrounding hillside” to hopefully stop the flow.

“It was a pretty productive day,” Martin said. “North Frontenac Township was really highlighted...” He said that he has “got a lot of comments back...congratulating us on what we're doing up here and our countryside.”

The Kashawakamak Lake Dam is at the east end of the lake and helps regulate the water flow of the Mississippi River.

Linda's Loop

Linda and Bruce Sterling recently sent a letter to North Frontenac Council asking for help organizing maintenance on Linda's Loop, a 20-km trail network built by the Sterlings many years ago, that winds along Crotch Lake.

Historically, the trail has been maintained by the Sterlings and other local volunteers but they've found it difficult keeping the trail in good shape these last few years. They are requesting help in clearing brush, marking trails, and some chainsaw work and are hoping that the Township can help co-ordinate the maintenance. In October 2014 they built a 40 foot bridge on the trail with help from the Rideau Trails Association.

“The township has much to gain by maintaining these trails and expanding them,” the Sterlings said, and suggested that North Frontenac could gain revenue as well as boost local business.

“A lot of people use it...it's an advantage to the whole area,” a lady in the audience said. “She [Linda] has maps. They've done a lot of work on it and it would be a shame to let it go back. I hope they'll get some support from Council.”

Mayor Higgins responded by saying that the idea will be given to the economic development task force to look into.