Feature Article - July 27, 2006

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Feature Article - July 27, 2006

Private road residents open up dialogue with township

by JeffGreen

Michael Wise and John DuChene, who live on Blue Heron Ridge Road at Kennebec Lake near Arden , appeared before Central Frontenac Council this week seeking that council consider starting to provide support for residents on private roads within the township with their road maintenance costs.

They brought several documents with them, to support their request that council change the longstanding practice of leaving private road maintenance entirely in the hands of the people who own properties on those roads.

John DuChene acknowledged the first point council would make to this kind of request, saying, “We realise that when we bought our properties we knew that we lived on a private lane and we were responsible for maintaining our road, but over time, assessed values have increased significantly and it is reasonable for expectations to evolve as well. Perhaps the township, given the changes that have taken place, will feel the need to redistribute funds in a fair and equitable manner.”

Michael Wise said that the ratepayers on Blue Heron Ridge and the secondary Thrush Trail paid $138,000 in property tax last year, of which $83,000 was kept by Central Frontenac.

“You realise that all of that $83,000 did not go to road maintenance,” said Mayor Bill MacDonald.

“Certainly,” Wise replied, “we know how many services are financed with tax dollars, and we also have no desire for the character of our road to change, but we seek to enter into a dialogue with council based on the realisation that people on private roads are making a significant contribution to the township and some way of acknowledging that should be developed.

“Some kind of partnership where the municipality would supply a load of gravel, a culvert - is that what you are looking for?” said Councilor Frances Smith.

“We would be happy to discuss this with you,” said Michael Wise.

“The thing you have to keep in mind is that if we do for you, we have to do for others,” added Smith.

Wise nodded.

Councilor Bob Harvey was not so sympathetic. He said, “That road is your responsibility. Until it is brought up to our road standard there’s nothing that says we have any responsibility towards it.”

Within the documentation provided by the Blue Heron Ridge Association is a listing of private lanes, ranked by the total tax assessment they represent. Five hundred and forty seven properties are located on the first 13 lanes on the list, representing over $50 million in property assessment.

Council thanked Wise and Duchene for coming and committed to looking at entering into discussions with private lane dwellers about how they can be served by the township.

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Feature Article - July 27, 2006

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Feature Article - July 27, 2006

Sydenham Water: Liquid Gold?

Commentary by Wilma Kenny

As the new Sydenham water system comes online, residents continue to ask whether there might not have been better, less expensive ways to solve the problem. There have been some bad wells in the village for many years, but there are also many good ones. "I don’t plan to drink that stuff [the chlorinated water]," said one resident who intends to keep a separate line from his well to a tap in the kitchen, "and $10,000 seems a lot to pay for a soft water system."

By the time the bills are all in, most homeowners in Sydenham will owe $8,000 to $10,000 for a system many of them still insist they don’t want.

On July 25, South Frontenac Council held a requisite public meeting prior to passing the new water rates by-law. High levels of anger, anxiety and frustration were expressed by most of the forty people present. They questioned the bulk sales of water, and eventually council passed a resolution put forward by the Bedford Councillors, to refer the issue of bulk water sales to the water steering committee for their recommendations. CAO Gord Burns explained the intent was to cover one-time sales for cisterns and swimming pools, not for commercial sale of water, but council agreed that the wording in the by-law was unclear.

Two residents said they feared basement flooding from the water that entered their property trenches from the main line along the street, and Mayor Lake agreed to check that out.

Dwelling Unit Equivalents [DUEs] have been assigned to businesses, schools and apartments based on water usage in other areas: these may have to be adjusted to reflect actual use when the by-law comes up for renewal in December 2007.

In answer other questions, CAO Burns stated that no profit from the water system would go into general revenue: the water system would have a separate set of records.

Another public meeting will have to be held before the final bill for capital costs [related to property frontage] can be issued. Gord Burns said this would probably be in October. But beginning on September 1, all homeowners, whether or not hooked up to the system, will be charged a monthly rate of $41.76, to cover operating capital and consumption costs, and "to encourage them to hook up," said Gord Burns [No one will be forced to actually use the municipal water, as long as their plumbing is set up so there is no possibility of cross-contamination of municipal water by well water.]

Meanwhile, hundreds of individual septic systems, most twenty or more years old, continue to discharge into the fractured limestone beneath the village, beside the lake.

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Feature Article - March 16, 2006

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Feature Article - July 27, 2006

Public meeting on ATV bylaw

by Jeff Green

A public meeting has been called for Wednesday, September 13th for residents of Central Frontenac to express their opinions concerning whether ATVs should be allowed to travel on public roads in Central Frontenac.

Last month, the Frontenac ATV Club made an appearance at Central Frontenac Council and urged the township to consider following the lead of North and South Frontenac in making the vehicles legal on public roads, provided they are approved single-seat three wheeled ATVs driven by licensed, helmeted drivers.

A staff report to council presented at this week’s meeting recommended that ATVs not be permitted on Road 38 or within villages and hamlets.

The report pointed out that the reconstruction of Road 38 will mean an increase in the paved width of the road and that “guiderail locations are within 1.4 metres of pavement edge, which would force these vehicles onto the paved shoulder in an erratic fashion.”

In recommending the prohibition within hamlets and villages, the report noted that the loudness of ATVs “may be in contravention of noise bylaw #1999-53”

Staff was prepared to prepare an ATV Bylaw for council’s consideration with these two prohibitions.

Council did not agree, however.

“It would be highly unsuitable to prepare a bylaw without a public meeting being held to air all concerns about this. I have received many calls in the past month about this, and just about everyone who has called me is against it,” said Councilor Logan Murray.

Several other councillors agreed that a public meeting should be held before a bylaw is proposed, and the meeting date was set.

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Feature Article - July 27, 2006

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Feature Article - March 16, 2006

Central Frontenac Council spends the big bucks

by Jeff Green

Central Frontenac Public Works Manager Bill Nicol has been busy lately, working on several high profile projects that are slated for completion this year.

Two major initiatives: the reconstruction of 36 km of Road 38, and a new fire hall to replace the crumbling hall in Sharbot Lake , were brought to council’s attention at their single July meeting this past Tuesday morning.

Nicol recommended that the tender for the project be awarded to Lafarge Paving Construction (Eastern) Limited, which was one of the three companies that ended up bidding on the job. (A total of eight companies contacted the township and received an information package and job specifications.) The contract with Lafarge Paving has an upset limit of $5,757,844.29 and the project as a whole, including engineering construction and applicable taxes is $6,034,806.

The township’s application for a COMRIF (Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund) was accepted this past spring, so the federal and provincial governments will each pay $2,011,602 towards the project, leaving the township on the hook for an identical amount.

In presenting his recommendation to council, Nicol acknowledged that a few items in the construction plans had been altered so the project will remain within the confines of the COMRIF grant ceiling, to prevent the township from having to pay 100% of any of the costs.

These items included a second coat of paint on the lines along the new highway, and interlocking paving on the island where the highway meets the Wagarville Road in Parham.

Although some councillors expressed the opinion that some of the extra items should be considered, Nicol’s recommendation was accepted unanimously as it stood.

“When do you think construction will start,” Mayor Bill MacDonald asked Nicol afterwards. “We have a meeting set for Monday, and they will go ahead after that,” Nicol replied.

Council opts for pre-engineered fire hall at Wagner Road

There was considerably more debate about a recommendation that the township pay $30,000 to J.L. Richards to put together a tender proposal package for a pre-engineered, 6-bay fire hall at the township works site at Wagner Road and Road 38, about 1.5 kilometres south of Sharbot Lake.

Three companies submitted proposals, ranging in price from $61,000 to $116,000, to do engineering work for a conventional fire hall building, which would be completed for a total price in the range of $1,000,000.

The pre-engineered building is expected to cost somewhere around $450,000 to build, with a total cost, including the engineering costs, coming in around the $500,000 mark. That is the amount council estimated for the fire hall in this year’s budget.

There was little said by councilors about the pre-engineered building option, but a debate over how the proposed location of the fire hall was determined, ensued.

Councilor Jack Nicolson said, “I think that a scattergram should be done to determine where the majority of calls to the Oso department come from before settling on Wagner Road . I don’t think this should take very long to complete, but before we commit to a location we should have this information.”

Councilor Janet Gutowski concurred with Nicolson. “I really feel Councilor Nicolson is right,” she said, “we are planning for the next 50 years. I think it would be valuable to have something on the record.”

“What other land does the township own that would be suitable for a fire hall?” asked Councilor Frances Smith.

“I’ve not had one firefighter, not a single one, contact me, as mayor, to tell me they don’t think the Wagner Road site is suitable,” said Mayor Bill MacDonald, “and the fire chief has said Wagner Road would work as the fire hall.”

“I have also talked to the fire chief,” said Councilor Gutowski, “and he said Wagner Road was suitable, but I think we need something on the public record to support this.”

Councilor Logan Murray brought another issue to the table, reiterating his previously held proposals. “I think we should look at design and build on two buildings, for Oso and Olden,” he said.

Township Clerk-Administrator Heather Fox then informed council that the purchase of land in Mountain Grove for the Olden Fire Hall, which at this point is not slated to be built this year, has not yet been completed.

“We could put a hold on that purchase,” she said, “because if we are going to do something for one fire hall we should do the same thing for the other.”

In the end, the proposal to pay $30,000 to prepare a tender for a pre-engineered building at the Wagner Road township works site was approved, with Councilors Gutowski and Murray voting against it.

Grader, plow, and new heating system

Council wasn’t finished spending money just yet. For $164,975.34 a new plow truck will be purchased from Kingston Truck Centre. The 2006 budget includes $195,000 for a new truck.

Bill Nicol also recommended that council purchase a new grader, at a cost of $234,400. There was $100,000 put into reserves for a grader this year, and in 2004 $50,000 was put into a reserve for a grader, but Bill Nicol said that two of the three graders that council currently owns are 1991 models which are at the end of their projected useful life spans. In his written report, he said “Currently we are experiencing more down time than usual, which is putting us behind in our maintenance of gravel surface roads.”

It was proposed that the new grader be purchased and that an extra $100,000 be taken from general reserves and put back in when the 2007 budget is done.

Councilor Bill Snyder asked when the new grader would be delivered, and Bill Nicol said it would be September.

“September could turn into October,” Snyder replied, “and we don’t use the graders in the winter. Why don’t we wait until next year and get by with what we have until then?”

The new grader purchase was approved, with Bill Snyder casting the only dissenting vote.

Council approved buying a new propane heating system to replace the antiquated electric heaters in the Soldiers Memorial Hall (Oso) at a cost of $11,682 for the new system and $500 for the removal of the old heaters from Octagon Heating Services. There was $15,000 budgeted for such purposes in the 2006 budget.

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006n

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Addington Highlands wonders about COMRIF

by JeffGreen

As Addington Highlands considers what to do about the third and final application deadline for the COMRIF (Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund), Road Superintendent Royce Rosenblath informed council that he has been in contact with an engineering firm that is offering to prepare the necessary engineering study and application form for COMRIF at a price of $5,000.

Addington Highlands was unsuccessful in its application to rebuild the Skootamatta Lake Road/Hughes Landing Road intersection in the first go- around after spending $7,000 in consulting fees for the application. Council then decided to re-submit the same application for round 2, even though they had been informed that a $21,000 engineering report was required.

“Five thousand dollars sounds a lot better than $21,000” said Mayor Ken Hook when the matter came up at an Addington Highlands Council meeting this week.

“I’m just wondering about spending another $5,000 when I’ve already spent $7,000, and I might still have the toothache, if you know what I mean,” said Councillor Bill Cox.

“Leona Dombrowsky said she could give us some phone numbers to call to try and put some pressure on. Apparently that was successful for Central Frontenac,” said Reeve Hook.

Council passed a motion giving Royce Rosenblath leave to pursue the matter further, ensuring that he obtains more than one quote for the work.

The Skootamatta Road, which was identified as the township’s number one road priority in a road needs study, is a boundary road with North Frontenac, and Addington Highlands had approached North Frontenac Council about submitting a joint application in the first instance, but North Frontenac decided to try and get funding to widen the Mississippi bridge instead, and has failed to secure funding for that project on two occasions.

Salt shed tender accepted – Only one tender was received after a tender call for the construction of a salt shed in Denbigh. The same company that built a salt shed for the township last year submitted a bid of $237,231, about $7,000 more than last year’s shed cost. Construction is slated for completion in September.

High Speed Internet – Council agreed to support the efforts of Terry Shea of the Land o’ Lakes Tourist Association to secure high speed internet and cell phone service for the region. Shea has written to MPP Leona Dombrowsky, who forwarded his letter, accompanied with a supporting letter of her own, to the appropriate federal and provincial ministers.

In describing the need for such service, Shea concluded “When we have lobbied web providers and cell phone companies, we were told our region does not have sufficient year-round population to justify the technical support. Cell pones and high-speed internet access need to be considered essential, especially in rural areas that are located within a few hours drive from major centres.”

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Ardoch Algonquins level ground at Pine Lake for community centre and PowWow grounds

by JeffGreen

Last Friday, the early morning quiet at Pine Lake was disturbed when a transport trailer backed carefully off of the Ardoch Road onto a single-lane dirt road leading to a Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) boat launch. The transport trailer dropped off a yellow bulldozer, and for the rest of the morning chainsaws buzzed through small and larger trees, clearing sites on both sides of the road as the bulldozer pushed fallen logs away.

The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) had begun site preparation for a community centre and Pow Wow grounds. The land they are using is what they call “ Algonquin Land ”. The Ontario ministry of Natural Resources calls the land “ Crown Land ” and is responsible for the administration of such lands.

Members of AAFNA met with MNR officials at the site two weeks earlier, on June 27th.

According to an AAFNA press statement by Robert Lovelace, co-chief and communication team leader for AAFNA, the “MNR requested that we apply for permission to construct the Algonquin Cultural Centre on Crown Land . Band council members explained that the land for the proposed building was Algonquin Land , protected for them by the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Band council members suggested that if Ontario or Canada had a ‘bill of sale’ or a treaty that conveyed the land to the Crown then they would follow the suggested requirements.”

The news attempted to contact the MNR officials who were present at the June 27th meeting, but our enquiry was referred to Barry Radford, an MNR communications officer from Toronto .

Radford said that the MNR has been informed that work has begun at the site, but would only say, “I can’t speculate on what the MNR’s next steps will be. The situation is fairly sensitive and rather complicated.”

Radford said he was aware of the June meeting but did not know what was said by either side.

He did say, “ Ontario considers that the land at issue is Crown Land , and we are the agency that administers Crown Land . We have a set process, requiring a land use permit before land can be developed in any way. We review several matters, including public safety before a Land Use Permit is issued.”

As to when the MNR might act on the matter, Radford said, “Again, I wouldn’t speculate on that.”

North Frontenac Township was informed on June 8th that AAFNA was panning to begin site preparation on “Algonquin” or “Crown” Land. At a council meeting on June 22nd, Mayor Maguire was appointed as the liaison between the township and AAFNA. At the same meeting, council passed a four-point motion outlining, in general terms, their position as regards the issue.

The resolution states that: 1. Land ownership is unclear; 2. There are members of the community with apparently unresolved land claims; 3. Council encourages the resolution of the issue (and offers to facilitate); and 4. Council is sympathetic with the situation.

Maguire, along with Deputy Mayor Gleva Lemke and Councillor Bud Clayton, attended an AAFNA meeting in Ardoch on June 24th. After the meeting they were brought to the Pine Lake site.

“They showed us the entire point of land,” Maguire recalls, “and they told us that they were always going to make the cottagers feel welcome and would maintain public access to the boat launch.”

Now that site preparation has been undertaken, Maguire says that he “does not condone what they are doing. At the same time I know what it means to them.”

AAFNA sent out a letter to all residents on Pine Lake on the day they began clearing the site, enlisting their support for their project. The letter reads, in part, “It is our hope that our neighbours on Pine Lake will welcome the development of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Cultural Centre.”

(For more on this story, see If a Tree Falls.

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Feature Article - July 13, 2006

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Feature Article - July 13, 2006

MacDonald leaning towards running for re-election

by ChavaField-Green

Bill MacDonald, the only mayor Central Frontenac has ever had, said he is leaning towards running in this fall’s municipal election against declared candidate Janet Gutowski.

“Continuity is very important in this position.” MacDonald told the News this week. “A lack of experience on county council will not benefit the county and especially not Central Frontenac. As well, there are always things left undone at the township level, such as a much-needed upgrade to Highway 7.”

Councilor Janet Gutowski, who previously sat on council in Thorold , Ontario , has emphasized economic development during her three-year tenure on council and will bring that perspective to the mayoralty race.

Who’s In? Who’s Out? And Who Can’t Decide?

Over the past week, the News has been attempting to contact incumbent councilors in all of the townships where the paper is distributed to see what their plans are for the coming election. We also contacted other people who we were told were thinking about running. This week we will look at Addington Highlands , and North and Central Frontenac. Next week we will look at South Frontenac, where a number of candidates have already registered.

Although the candidates do not have to register until September 29th, the sooner their official papers are filed, the sooner the candidates can campaign.

“The law is that before the candidates register, they cannot make expenditures or campaign”, says Heather Fox, Clerk Administrator for Central Frontenac Township .

This might be relevant for some candidates, since a large percentage of voters in all districts are seasonal residents who are only available in the summer months.

Addington Highlands:

Reeve Ken Hook is not planning to run for re-election.

In Ward 1, Councilor and Deputy Mayor Loraine Berger is not running and Councilor Ethyl Grant is undecided.

In Ward 2 both Louise Scott and Bill Cox said they are running again, and Bill Cox said he might run for Reeve.

North Frontenac:

In North Frontenac, Ron Maguire is planning to run for re-election for Mayor, and he might be opposed by Councillor Bud Clayton, who said he is planning to run again, but has not decided if he will run for council in Ward 2 or for mayor.

In Ward 1, (Barrie), incumbents Fred Perry and Wayne Good are undecided.

In Ward 2, (Clarendon and Miller) apart from Bud Clayton, Betty Hunter is undecided

Finally, in Ward 3 (Palmerston, Canonto); Dave Smith is undecided, and long time Councillor and current Deputy Mayor Gleva Lemke said she is not planning to run at all.

Central Frontenac:

In District one, ( Kennebec ) incumbent Logan Murray is running again and Jack Nicholson is undecided. Potential newcomer, Jeff Matson, is also undecided.

District 2 (Olden) has councilor Faye Putnam undecided while Bill Guigue said he is planning to run for re-election. Potential newcomer John Purdon said he is considering running

In District 3 (Oso) both Bob Harvey and Frances Smith are running for re-election and newcomer Ed Beattie is contemplating running.

Finally District 4 (Hinchinbrooke) sees Councilor Bill Snyder undecided while Janet Gutowski will vacate her seat by running for mayor

Ann Goodfellow is running for Limestone District School Board Representative in North and Central Frontenac.

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Better late than a high rate -- North Frontenac approves 2006 budget

by JeffGreen

The North Frontenac Township Council approved their 2006 budget last week, one day before the mid-point of the year, but township ratepayers will be pleased to know that the township has kept their levy increase to 3%, roughly the rate of inflation.

In response to an unprecedented increase in property assessments in the township (the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation informed the township that assessments rose by an average of almost 22% in North Frontenac for 2006), council decided to lower the tax rate.

In a report to council that accompanied the budget bylaw, Township Treasurer/CAO Cheryl Robson wrote, “Council felt that the Township of North Frontenac should decrease the tax rate to recognise the increase in assessment, but still allow for a 3% increase in Municipal Dollars to be collected”. The report said the increase is needed to cover rising fuel, insurance and utility costs.

The impact of this budget on individual ratepayers will vary widely, depending on their latest property assessment.

For example, the owner of a residential property that had been assessed at $100,000 for 2005 taxes and did not have its assessment altered this year, will see a healthy tax decrease of $215 this year, from $1,406 in 2005 to $1191 in 2006.

However, a property that had been assessed at $100,000 for 2005 taxes but had its assessment increased by the township average of 22%, to $122,000, will see its taxes go from $1406 in 2005 to $1453 in 2006.

The township has been under pressure, mainly from waterfront ratepayers’ groups such as the Mazinaw Lake Property Owners’ Association, to show restraint in the face of large property assessment increases on waterfront properties. However, no amount of restraint on the part of municipal politicians will reverse the trend towards an increasing tax burden on waterfront ratepayers as compared to everyone else.

In 2006, North Frontenac will carry out road work on Gull Lake Road , Robertsville Road , Myers Cave Road , Boundary Road , Shabomeka Lake Road , River road, Whites Road , Sand Lake Road , and Cruise Road .

Other highlights from the budget include $113,000 to complete the Clar/Mill fire hall project. A used tanker truck will be purchased for the Plevna station as well, replacing a tanker that was built in 1971. The roads department will be getting a new backhoe, and the purchase of an excavator and hammer will be completed. Monies were also set aside for capping the former dump at Ompah, and for the closure of the Cloyne dump, and each of the five community halls has been allocated $5,000.

Infrastructure money that the township is receiving from the province through the MOVE Ontario grant is being placed in a roads reserve fund.

“I must say that this is a splendid document, it is very thorough and well put together,” said Mayor Ron Maguire of the budget document.

Still, not all councillors voted to support the budget. Although he did not request a recorded vote, Councillor Bud Clayton refrained from voting on the budget bylaw.

“I had some difficulty with parts of the budget, particularly using money from the sale of shoreline road allowances to subsidise the township’s Crown Land Stewardship program. I don’t think that is right; those monies should go for recreation, not to subsidise a program like that,” Clayton said when contacted by the News.

“I also disagree with the practice of including large capital purchases in a budget process rather than bringing them up for council consideration on their own. In this budget there are purchases of a backhoe and a fire truck. These should have been brought forward by the department heads in an administrative report and we could have discussed them on their own merits. When we are doing our budget there is too much to get through to give these items the attention they deserve.”

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Waterfront zoning issues dominate meeting

by JeffGreen

Manuel Stevens of Parks Canada presented a proposal requesting South Frontenac’s participation in an environmental management study of the Rideau Canal , which would include areas in Storrington District bordering the canal. The study would be done by Queen’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, and would cost the Township up to $1,000. Councillors questioned the value of such a study, but agreed to consider the proposal and prepare a reply in the next week or two. Mr Stevens commented that South Frontenac presently has very progressive waterfront land use policies to protect environmental quality.

Zoning amendment - Council approved the Chubaty/Reade Application for a zoning amendment to allow severance of a lot on Sydenham Lake into two, one of 2.5 acres, the other 3 acres, both with waterfronts of 285 feet. According to the Township Plan, as a rule, minimum lot size is 2.5 acres, with 250 feet of frontage on a public road and 300 feet of waterfront but the municipality may consider reductions provided the overall intent of the plan is maintained. The lot to be severed is located among a number of very small lots (some smaller than 3/4 acre, with waterfronts less than 90 feet). Thus, the much larger severed lots could be considered appropriate within the context of the surrounding development. Also, the two new lots will be required to share a common water access point which is high exposed rock. The remainder of the shoreline is to be re-naturalized and reforested, to protect adjacent wetlands.

There was acrimonious discussion, and Council remains divided on the question of how best to measure frontage on water. June 20, Council had voted that as policy, they would not use the sentence in the Comprehensive Zoning By-law stating: "in the case of a waterfront lot on a private lane, the lot frontage will be measured perpendicular to the side lot lines in a straight line between the two said side lot lines at a point where the side lot lines intersect with the high water line." They felt this did not give clear direction, and could lead to distorted lot shapes. One member of Council suggested that the sentence should be replaced by the policy that "waterfront lot frontage be the shortest distance between the two side lot lines within 30 metres of the waterfront." However, this was seen to be too much of a departure from the by-law wording to be inserted as a policy change. Eventually Council decided to keep the June 20 resolution unaltered, and address any clarification of the zoning by-law at a later date, as part of a ‘housekeeping’ by-law.

Old Canoe Lake Road

Bedford district councillors indicated an interest in closing a small portion of the old Canoe Lake Road , currently a seasonally maintained road, used as a short-cut by some residents. Divesting the Township of this road would eliminate responsibility and liability, as well as any potential pressure to maintain it at a higher standard. CAO Burns noted that this road closure had been overlooked for several years, and confirmed that none of the adjacent residents were asking for this to be done. Councillor Barr objected that this amounted to giving the road allowance away. Councillor Hahn countered that the road would cost the Township much more, if any of the adjacent landowners pressed for winter maintenance of the road. Much discussion ensued, with the eventual agreement that as long as there was no cost to the township, the road could be closed.

Hazardous Waste

July 15 has been confirmed as the Township’s second Hazardous Waste Day, at the Township barns on Keeley Road . Cost of the first day has risen to $26,000: staff are looking for a less expensive contractor, and hope to be permitted to use the township’s oil cans for the oil waste, to help cut back on costs. Objecting to the expense, Councillors Robinson, Smith and Barr voted against holding the July 15 collection day. Robinson suggested it would have been cheaper to subsidize residents to use the Kingston HW facility. Others argued that most of the 300 cars had brought in waste from several households. Councillor Stowe pointed out that an enormous amount of toxic material had been diverted from our landfills.

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Press ReleaseJuly 4, 2006Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Cultural CentreDevelopment

On July 6th, 2006 the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) will begin the initial stages of building an Algonquin Cultural Centre on traditional Algonquin land near Ardoch , Ontario . Men and women from this small non-status Algonquin community will begin clearing land and preparing the site for construction. The Ardoch Community has been raising money for this project for over five years.

A month ago, Ardoch Algonquin First Nation representatives met with the Township of North Frontenac to advise them of the project. Band Council members and Township Council agreed the project would be beneficial to both native and non-native residents of the area. Both parties understood that the new construction would be on Algonquin land and the jurisdiction of building permits and regulation would rest with the First Nation. The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Band Council confirmed that construction and site preparation would meet or exceed the provisions of the Municipal Building Code and Official Plan. Municipal and Band Council members met on the proposed site several weeks ago to confirm the location and agreed to be mutually supportive in this endeavour.

On June 27th representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) met with Band Council members on the proposed site. The MNR requested that the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation apply for permission to construct the Algonquin Cultural Centre on Crown Land . Band Council members explained that the land for the proposed building was Algonquin Land , protected for them by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and reaffirmed in the Constitution Act of Canada 1982. Band Council members suggested that if Ontario or Canada had a “bill of sale” or a treaty that conveyed the land to the Crown then they would follow the suggested requirements. Band Council members reminded the MNR

Representatives that the Premier had, a week earlier, requested all parties adhere to the “rule of law” and that is exactly what the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) is doing. Elders explained to the MNR representatives that “times have changed” and that Indian people no longer were going to “knuckle under” to the Province when it denied history and the “rule of law”. The Elders reminded the MNR representatives that Algonquin men from this community had fought in past Wars for the Crown and Algonquins had been allies of the Crown. The Elders asked the MNR to work with them on this project and not demand that they bow to Ontario for the right to build on their own land.

Chief Randy Cota asked the MNR representatives directly to give him assurance that the Province would not act violently against the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation when they began the land clearing operation. The MNR representatives refused to say whether the Province would order action against the Band once they began site preparation.

The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation is an Anishncommunity with a membership of just over 700. The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation receives no support from Canada and is not controlled by the Indian Act. Algonquin communities have not signed treaties and therefore retain all of their Aboriginal rights and title. The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation is not a participant in the Algonquins of Golden Lake Land Claim and dismisses it as corrupt and ill-conceived.

Twenty-five years ago the small Algonquin Community at Ardoch was the scene of one of the most dramatic struggles for Aboriginal rights in Canada . In August and September of 1981 the people of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and their allies from Alderville, Tyendenaga, Curve Lake and Hiawatha fought a 27-day stand-off against Ontario to protect their jurisdiction and responsibility for the manomin (wild rice) which grows in the Mississippi River near Ardoch. The wild rice at Ardoch has been shared for over a hundred and thirty years with pickers from Alderville and Curve Lake . It is the manomin that was preserved from Rice Lake when the construction of the Trent Canal destroyed its habitat there. In 1982, Alan Pope the Minister of Natural Resources at the time, admitted that there was an unsettled question of Aboriginal jurisdiction and that Ontario had no right to impose its authority over the manomin. No subsequent Provincial government has threatened to lay claim to the rice.

For further information please contact:

Robert LovelaceCommunications Team This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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