Feature Article - September 14, 2006

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

Garrison Shores saga almost over?

byJeffGreen

Twenty-five years after a shady development deal left a group of would-be cottagers on tiny Garrison Lake , near Arden , owning properties that they could not get proper deeds for, their legal limbo seems to be coming to an end.

Central Frontenac Council passed an amendment to their Official Plan that will pave the way for the establishment of special zoning on Garrison Lake . This will enable Frontenac County to approve a condominium agreement at Garrison Shores , which will end the legal limbo for the land owners.

While the plan has the enthusiastic support of the Garrison Shores Association, which was expressed by their lawyer, Julian Walker, one Garrison Shores owner raised questions about the plan. Jeff Dubois argued that one particular change that is included in the plan shouldn’t be taking place. It provides that some of the lots will now become waterfront, where previously all the waterfront had been maintained as common land.

Paul Chaves, President of the Garrison Shores Association, pointed out that the condominium agreement will stipulate an 8 metre buffer zone or ‘ribbon of life’ around the water. “The owners cannot cut trees, cannot build boathouses or docks, cannot do anything within that buffer zone.”

Dubois said he has made some headway with his concerns in negotiations with the association and is hopeful all of his concerns will be met at an association meeting in early October. If not, he said he might appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, which would slow down the process considerably.

In the meantime, council passed the Official Plan amendment, which will be forwarded to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for approval.

Tryon Road Petition Glenys Wright and Philip Bender appeared before council, seeking work on the Tryon Road to improve sight lines around four dangerous curves that they identified for council’s benefit. They pointed out that a number of accidents have taken place on the road, which has increased in population over the past 10 years. Mayor MacDonald said staff would look at the road, but that it is only one of many roads in the township that are in need of repair, and will have to be considered along with all the rest.

Economic Development Committee frustrated Councillor Gutowksi brought back a report from the Economic Development Committee that was submitted to council in May. In it the committee made 21 recommendations for council action, and Gutowski said, “To say I am disappointed that four months have passed with no investigation being done on these recommendations by the staff would be an understatement.”

Given the omnibus nature of the recommendations, which are listed under the headings of Communication, Image, Infrastructure and Taxes, and range from “develop a communications plan to encourage more seniors and artists to take up permanent residents in the township” to “develop Trails” and “strive to upload the costs of Road 38, policing and ambulance service to the province …”, Councillor Logan Murray suggested that the suggestions be taken in chunks and considered by council over time. “That way we could ask staff for specific reports on matters, and then we could consider them and make decisions.” Council agreed with Murray , and passed a motion to that effect.

Cranberry Lake Bridge The low bidder for the Cranberry Lake Bridge reconstruction was $52,359 over the amount budgeted for the project. Since approvals from Quinte Conservation for the construction are still months away, Council decided to postpone construction and re-tender in the spring.

Arden Cenotaph Council approved a $2,650 expenditure to rehabilitate the Arden Cenotaph.

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

We won't get fooled again

The first day of school. At 7:15 a.m. three girls/young women appear in the kitchen, hair clean and combed, clothes matching and stylish (at least to me), ready to pack lunches into their school bags, ready to head off to the bus for another year of school.

For my wife and myself, our dread about another school year receded as we considered how easy this morning had been. We didn’t have to yank anyone from bed, and there was no bickering. They made their own lunches, or they would have had there had been any suitable school lunch food in the house.

But wait a minute... The same thing happened last year, and the year before. It’s no trick to be ready for the first day of school. Everyone is excited, there is no homework due, the teachers will be happy to see them.

What about tomorrow, when the novelty has worn off? What about November 18th, January 14th, or March 10th, when it is dark in the morning, and there is homework that is either not done, or lost, or both, and the girls/young women have been up half the night avoiding homework by messaging their friends instead?

No, we’re not going to be fooled. We know the school year is going to be a nightmare, we know all of the good intentions that are written over all of the September 4th faces will fade and be replaced by stubborn, tired ones. Reality will kick in, very soon. The co-operation of September 4th will turn into repetitive battles over nothing at all.

We shouldn’t be too hard on the girls, however; they aren’t alone.

Plenty of others start with good intentions only to descend into bickering and pettiness.

A school classroom isn’t all that different from a township council chamber. At the beginning of their term councillors smile at each other and the public, they seem to like each other, and everyone hopes the new council will be different. Councillors express respect for the township staff and the public, and it seems that harmony will reign and old battles will be left to the past.

But now, with an election looming, township councillors are like students in May or early June of the school year, when the accumulated stresses and disputes of the school year have built up, and they are basically fed up with each other and with all the issues that hang around, like school assignments that didn’t get handed in on time.

This was the atmosphere at South Frontenac Council this week, when the issue of the K&P Trail returned. Councillors who fought about the trail six years ago, and three years ago, fought about the K&P trail again. And they said the same things. And the issue did not really get resolved.

The upcoming elections are like end of the year report cards. The voters will finally have their say, and they may remember everything that has happened since the last election.

After the election, council will re-convene. Most of the members will likely be the same, but there will be some new kids on the block. They will all commit themselves to getting along, and will be polite at the first meeting, and maybe at the second meeting as well.

And then someone will say something about the K&P, or Sydenham Water, (or Verona Water?), or the Mitchell Creek Bridge , or hazardous waste, and the sniping will start again.

I guess life never does really change, either in the school yard or in the council chamber. I’ll just have to enjoy my cheerful daughters while I can, and look forward to a pleasant “first day of school” atmosphere in the council chambers for a few weeks in November. -JG

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

South Frontenac to explore K&PTrail option

by Jeff Green

Last month Kingston City Council decided to make an offer of purchase to Nexacor (the real estate arm of Bell Canada ) for 15 km. of land for a non-motorised trail along the old K&P rail bed. That decision has rekindled interest in developing the K&P trail for most members of South Frontenac Council.

In a 7-2 vote at a meeting on Tuesday night, September 5, council passed the following resolution;

“That Council authorise the CAO [Chief Administrative Officer] to enter into discussions with the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority [CRCA] for the possible acquisition and management of the portion of the K&P Rail Line which passes through the Township of South Frontenac with final approval to be given by Council once a satisfactory agreement is arranged.”

The Conservation Authority has operated the Cataraqui Trail, an east-west nature trail, for 12 years. The first stretch of the old K&P line that would likely be developed into a trail in South Frontenac would be an 8 kilometre stretch between the proposed Kingston K&P, which ends at the border with South Frontenac at Murvale, and the Cataraqui trail at Harrowsmith.

A longer portion of trail would run north towards Sharbot Lake , where it could join up with the Trans Canada Trail that is already in place.

Councillor Bill Robinson, who represents the Portland District, where most of the trail would be located, was the major dissenting voice.

“I am not against trails,” he said, “but it is too much money. We’ve gone down this road before, and I don’t think it is the place of this council to be looking at spending $60,000, plus surveying costs, plus insurance, plus fencing, plus making the trail, which are all unknowns. This should be left to the new council. I don’t think that we, as grown up people, who are responsible for people’s money, should be talking about spending this kind of money for a walking trail.”

Bedford councillor David Hahn, who proposed the motion and has long advocated for the K&P trail, said “Nexacor and the city have agreed to a price of $2,000 an acre. I think in fact this is an opportunity to do something we need to do. The city has had this as a goal for a long time. They have negotiated a deal. What we are talking about here is beginning discussions.”

Hahn then talked about a potential source of money or the project.

“ Del [Bedford District Councillor Del Stowe] and I are willing to talk to the Bedford District Rec. Committee about spending some of the Bedford Parkland Reserve on this. As you know there is $300,000 in the parkland reserve fund … And if the trail becomes part of the Trans-Canada Trail, there is a $2,000 per kilometre grant that we can access as well.”

Quite apart from the costs of surveys, which may or may not be necessary for the entire length of the trail, and the rehabilitation costs along the length of the rail bed, the century-old Ontario Line Fences Act is a major obstacle to the development of the K&P trail, both in South and Central Frontenac. Central Frontenac would have to come on side in order for the dream of a Kingston/Frontenac leg of the Trans-Canada trail to be realised.

Section 20, subsection C of the Line Fences Act, clearly delineates the responsibility for fencing that municipalities incur when they purchase abandoned railway lines.

Any municipality or Crown agency that purchases an abandoned railroad right of way and does not own the abutting land is “responsible for constructing, keeping up and repairing the fences that mark the lateral boundaries of such land.” (sec. 20, subsection c, Ontario Line Fences Act)

In the early 1990s a so-called rails-to-trails movement took hold in Ontario , and municipalities throughout the province began purchasing and developing abandoned railroad rights of way as trails, under the assumption that the courts would not apply the Line Fences Act literally.

A couple of farmers in southwest Ontario, backed by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, changed that, and two cases went to the Supreme Court of Ontario, where the Line Fences Act was upheld and the municipalities were forced to pay for fencing.

Central Frontenac, which had purchased a section of the K&P line running north from Highway 7 several years ago, found themselves forced to do fencing by residents on the abutting land, and found the costs to be exorbitant, at well over $20,000 per kilometre.

In 2004, the last time South Frontenac Council addressed the K&P trail issue, a motion of interest was passed, with the proviso that the Line Fences Act must be changed before the township will proceed.

In 2006, the Line Fences Act remains the most difficult obstacle to developing the K&P trail, and although a report on changes to the act was prepared last year, legislated changes to the Act are not on the front burner at Queen’s Park.

Still, South Frontenac councillors are hoping that section 20 of the Act will be amended so that it only applies to active farms abutting railway beds, instead of all properties, as is still the case.

Another issue that is sure to complicate matters, even if the Line Fences Act is changed, is the use of ATVs on the trails. The Kingston and Cataraqui Trails do not permit ATVs and that is not likely to change, whereas the Trans-Canada Trail between Tweed and Sharbot Lake is managed by the Tweed-based Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance, which has ATV tourism as its primary focus.

There are many people in South Frontenac who oppose ATV use of trails, and there are others who argue that trails are not economically viable without 4-wheeler traffic.

These divisions exist on council as well.

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

South Frontenac to purchase two fire trucks

by Jeff Green

It all seemed so simple when South Frontenac Council approved the purchase of a new fire truck in their 2006 budget.

But Fire Chief Rick Cheseborough soon found out that fire truck manufacturers are no longer accepting payment on delivery as a norm. They wanted 20% down on order, and they don’t commit to delivering a vehicle for over a year after receiving the order for a truck.

Matters became more complicated in July when one of the Storrington trucks got into an accident and needed replacing. Fortunately the township’s insurance will cover the cost, less a $5,000 deductible.

Cheseborough outlined for council that he has now received three quotes on the two trucks, but only one of them, Pierce Inc., is willing to deliver a vehicle with no down payment, and also to provide a loaner pumper at no charge until the new one is delivered so the Storrington department will not be short one vehicle.

The cost for all of this is about $600,000 for the two vehicles, of which $273,885 will come from the insurance company. The rest will be paid by the township. Council set aside a little under $200,000 in their 2006 budget, and the rest will have to come out of the 2007 budget.

Council approved the purchases.

Staff seeks help in purchasing insurance Township Chief Administrative Officer Gord Burns made reference to fire trucks in asking that council approve a $6,000 contract to an insurance consultant to help the township negotiate their insurance policy for 2007.

After the accident, the township’s insurance company, Jardine, first said they were only required to pay about $2,000, the salvage value of the vehicle less a $5,000 deductible, rather than the replacement cost less a $5,000 deductible, which comes to almost $275,000.

Burns reported that the treasurer reviewed the policy, and appears to have been successful in convincing Jardine that the policy does, in fact, require them to pay the much higher amount.

“However, this pointed to a larger issue that insurance coverage is extremely important and extremely complex. None of the senior staff have the expertise to develop a request for proposal or review the market and proposals received to ensure we are receiving adequate and/or equivalent coverage,” he said in a report to council.

“It seems like a lot of money,” he said in defending the $6,000 expenditure, “but both Treasurer Bracken and myself are uncomfortable with negotiating a $250,000 contract when we don’t know enough about insurance policies. If we miss something, it will cost the township a lot more than $6,000.”

Not all of the councillors were convinced the $6,000 contract was necessary.

“How many insurance companies will likely respond to an RFP,” asked Councillor Peter Roos.

“Two”, replied Burns

“If there are only two companies that will bid on it, get a bid from each and let the consultant check them over,” Roos said.

“We want the consultant to prepare the RFP in the first place,” said Burns.

“If Deb Bracken is recommending this, and she’s pretty cheap, I mean she doesn’t spend our money easily, then I support it,” said Councillor Del Stowe.

The proposal was approved in an 8-1 vote, with Peter Roos casting the dissenting vote.

Formal approval for plastic pipes in Sydenham Council approved a motion allowing the use of plastic water pipe as an alternative material for the water hook-up to buildings in connecting to the Sydenham Water treatment plant.

Bag tag woes Councillor Bill Robinson pointed out that many people misunderstood the dates on the new bag tags, which are active from Sept.1, 2006 until August 31st, 2007, and thus brought into the dump or put out at the corner, garbage bags with outdated tags.

“The bags didn’t get picked up; then they did get picked up, the whole thing is a terrible mess,” he said, “what’s going to be done about this?”

Councillors traded stories about how disfunctional the system is and how many phone calls they have received, but no resolution was brought forward and the discussion ended.

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

AddingtonHighlands wants neighbours to work out noise problem

by Jeff Green

Fritz and Ursula Nussberger attended council in response to comments at the previous meeting concerning a motocross and snowmobile track that they built on their property, and noise complaints from neighbours.

“I’m not sure what council is looking for?” Fritz Nussberger asked.

Council wanted to know who was using the track, how often, and if there were large races taking place on the track.

“The track is used for practice only, by our family and some friends of my wife,” Nussberger replied.

“There have been noise complaints from neighbours,” Reeve Hook said, “but at this point there has been no directive from council on this matter. What council would like is some sort of common sense approach. We just hope that you can work it out with your neighbours, one of whom is ill, as I understand it. Perhaps you can come to an agreement concerning the times when you use the track. We would much prefer not to have to step in at all.”

“Have you received any complaints lately?” Ursula Nussberger asked, and Hook said he had not, and reiterated that he hoped the matter could be resolved without council getting involved.

Mazinaw Boat Launch John MacDonald and Roger Snider, from Mazinaw Lake , came to address the bottleneck at the Tappin’s Bay boat launch, which is the only public access point for many boat access residents on Mazinaw.

“Tappin’s Bay is located in North Frontenac, and most of the residents on the lake actually live in Addington Highlands, yet there is no public access in Addington Highlands,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said he has looked around and found some land off the old upper Mazinaw Heights Road that might be owned by the township, which could provide an extra boat launch and parking for the lake.

“I’m here to find out who owns the land, and where we can go from here,” MacDonald said.

Apparently the land is Crown land, and the possibility of entering into a land use permit for a boat launch and parking lot might exist.

“The MNR should know if the land belongs to them,” said Clerk/Treasurer Jack Pauhl, and he suggested that Mitch Close from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources be contacted to confirm if it is Crown land.

Grant application for cell phone tower incentive program Council agreed to submit an application for a $25,000 Community Capacity Building grant under the Eastern Ontario Development Program. The grant would fund half of the AH’s $50,000 incentive program, which is aimed at enticing one of the three cell phone providers to build two towers on Hwy. 41.

The idea for the incentive came out of the township’s economic development committee, and was approved in principle last month.

Council sought advice from the township solicitor as to the legality of such an incentive, and according to Reeve Hook, “Our solicitor said it appears to be legal”.

If council receives the grant from the Eastern Ontario Development Program, $25,000 will be raised by a special, refundable levy to taxpayers. An overture to North Frontenac Council to participate in the incentive program was sent out last month, but there has been no response thus far.

Fire department wants satellite phones Fire Chief Casey Cuddy sought approval to resubmit an application for federal funding under the JEPP (Joint Emergency Preparedness Program).

The same application was rejected last year, with the explanation being that there were too many applications, and Cuddy thought AH will have a better chance this year because they did not receive funding last year. Two phones would cost $6,102, with the township having to pay $3,356, and the feds $2,745. The cost of operating the phones is in excess of $1,200 per year, but they would replace cell phones, which cost $840 a year to operate.

“And the cell phones don’t work anywhere north of Hwy. 7 anyway,” said Chief Cuddy.

Council approved submitting the application.

Capital projects Road Superintendent Royce Rosenblath reported that the sand dome at Denbigh is under construction. Cement will be poured on Friday, and the roof is scheduled to go up on Saturday. About 1 kilometre of the Hughes Landing Road is being reconstructed, and the application for funding to reconstruct the Skootamatta Lake Road under the COMRIF program will be submitted next week.

Canteen- Council granted permission to the Flinton Recreation Club to renovate and expand the canteen outside the Flinton Recreation Centre.

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

Recycling issues are everywhere

byJeffGreen

Ontario ’s recycling program has long been the subject of controversy over costs, difficulties in finding markets, and complications over collection times.

Frontenac County has been not been immune from these issues, and they have come to the fore recently.

In South Frontenac, residents have expressed anger over changes to the recycling pick up schedule that came about when the township entered into a contract for recycling with Kingston Area Recycling Centre.

The previous contractor had informed the township that they were no longer available, and the new contract is more cost effective than the previous contract, but it has meant that the bi-weekly recycling pickup in Loughborough and Portland Districts has changed.

Now, one day each month, cardboard and glass are picked up, and one day each month, fibres, plastic and cans are picked up. Previously all recyclable materials were picked up twice a month.

South Frontenac Council has received many phone calls and several letters complaining about this change.

“I just received my new rules for our recycling and I am not happy. Do you realise that since today was a pick up day we won’t have another pick up for a month? This is a step backward not a step forward. … I trust you will start looking for a better system,” wrote Bob and Louise Ruttan, in a letter that was typical of the kinds of feedback the township has received.

In Central and North Frontenac, there is no garbage pickup. Residents deliver their own recycling, and garbage, to dump sites. Over the past two summers, the contractor that both townships had hired to pick up the recycling from the dump sites, has fallen way behind the summer influx of recyclables, and dutiful recyclers have been greeted with overflowing bins of glass, cans and plastic, and large amounts of material strewn about the yard.

Last month, Central Frontenac council’s Public Works Manager, Bill Nicol, prepared a short report on the issue for council.

“For the past three years we have encountered a failure to perform by our recycling contractor. Because of our seasonal population the emptying out of recyclables goes from 12 to 15 bins per month in the off season, to 40 to 50 bins per month in the peak summer months. Each year we threaten the contractor that we will terminate the agreement, and each year in the fall the problem gets resolved,” Nicol wrote.

Central Frontenac spends $45,000 each year for recycling, and Nicol reported that changing contractors will likely mean an increase. If the township decides to truck the recyclables themselves, perhaps to KARC, Nicol wrote that it would require purchasing 20 new bins at a cost of $5,000 each. Council has assigned Nicol the task of investigating other options for recycling and report back to Council in December or January, recommending steps that should be taken to rectify the present situation.

For all Frontenac County townships, recycling is something that must be addressed for at least two reasons. Firstly, the provincial government has set aggressive targets for recycling, which municipalities feel pressured to meet.

More crucially, dump sites are filling up everywhere, (sites have closed within the past year in all three townships) and there are no prospects that new sites will be approved anywhere in the county. Diversion from the waste stream to the recycling stream is the only means available to delay a garbage crunch in most areas.

A feasibility study for a small-scale incineration unit to serve North Frontenac and Addington Highlands came to the conclusion that it would be a prohibitively expensive solution for small townships, and the study concluded that in the near future the townships will likely have to consider shipping garbage elsewhere to go into landfill or large-scale incineration facilities.

There has been good news for municipalities in recent weeks regarding recycling. After years of pressure, it appears a deposit-return system for wine and spirits will be established this winter. A press release from the Ministry of the Environment, released on September 10th, said, in part, “Starting February 1, 2007, Ontario consumers will pay a deposit on all wine and spirit containers purchased in Ontario at the LCBO, agency stores, and winery and distillery retail stores … Consumers will be able to return empty wine and spirit containers to The Beer Store for a full refund.”

This measure alone could eliminate 83% of the coloured glass that is handled by Ontario municipalities.

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

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Feature Article - September 7, 2006

Letters to the Editor

Re: Burglarized again

I find it strange for the District 4 Recreation Committee to take the stand they have, for something they could have prevented. What happened to the old adage, “Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”. They should have removed the chocolate bars from the premises after the second robbery, but to allow no less than SIX robberies to occur seems foolish.

Scott Cox

Re: South Frontenac to explore K&P trail option

In the August 31 Frontenac News, Mayor Lake didn’t see the trail issue coming back to the council table right now. A week later, as reported in the September 7 News, council passes a resolution to explore the purchase of said trail. Are we wishy-washy or what?

Let’s do a reality check: South Frontenac cannot provide a continuous trail link within its boundary, let alone a link to the Trans Canada Trail. Central Frontenac Township , which is not interested in abandoned rail line purchase (Sept.7 News), prevents this from happening.

If Kingston is going to develop a non-motorized trail, is South Frontenac planning the same? Shall we take a walk on the K&P trail to the Cataraqui or Trans Canada Trail?

The suggested trail is redundant. Recreational vehicles are allowed on township roads. This provides links with the Cataraqui trail, and all township borders.

If Bell did not respond to a motion of interest in 2004, why would it be expected now?

It is good to see two members of council have the common sense to vote against this.

Councilor Robinson speaks with wisdom on this issue. Let’s listen.

Bedford district should consider directing their reserve for road improvement for recreational vehicle travel.

Did the village of Sydenham have “Water Scam”? Will this be “Trail Scam”?

- Robert Fish

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

Central Frontenac Council

by Jule Koch Brison

Central Frontenac Council will be going right down to the wire next month with their Official Plan.

As requested, Planner Glenn Tunnock had prepared several amendments to the plan that were worked out over a five-year review, and brought those back to council on Monday for approval.

However, further changes were requested by council, the main one being in connection to site rehabilitation after mining.

In discussing the relationship of the Mining Act to the Planning Act, Tunnock said that the Mining Act takes precedence over the Planning Act in the exploration stages, but that it would not be easy to actually open a mine; that the Planning Act would take precedence.

Councilor Logan Murray asked if there was anything that could be put into the Official Plan to give the township site alteration control, to force mining companies to rehabilitate sites. Tunnock said that he could raise the question with the ministry; that the township could just enact a site alteration bylaw, but it would be wise to have policy direction in the plan.

With the election and a new council looming, Mayor Bill MacDonald consulted Township Clerk Heather Fox on whether it was advisable for council to adopt the prepared amendments right then and work in the further changes later. She replied she would prefer that council not do that, and several councilors concurred.

November 28 is the last date that the present council can approve the amendments to the Official Plan and they deferred the matter until then.

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

Is amalgamation on the table in SouthFrontenac?

by JeffGreen

Gary Davison has placed amalgamation at the centre of his campaign to replace Bill Lake as mayor of South Frontenac. But even he says that any change in the way three key services - road maintenance, waste management, and recreation - are funded in South Frontenac is several years off, at least.

If Bill Lake is re-elected, it might be longer still.

“Go slow, do it right, don’t mess it up,” is what Bill Lake said to sum up his attitude towards amalgamating all of the services and assets in the township when interviewed on the topic this week.

“Other townships amalgamated completely nine years ago,” Davison countered, “and the world has not ended. Nobody has lost out.”

When South Frontenac was created, the four townships that were coming together brought different assets with them.

For example, in terms of dump site capacity, Portland township has a dump site with decades of life left in it, while Storrington was about to lose its dump entirely.

The political arrangement made at the time was that each district would keep its key assets, roads, dumps, fire equipment, and recreational facilities, and the councillors from each district would make up a budget for their own district, while the council as a whole would make up a budget for shared services, such as downloaded roads, policing, etc.

With the exception of the fire service, which has now been amalgamated and is headed up by a full time fire chief, everything has basically remained the same after nine years.

This does not sit right with Gary Davison.

“There has been no talk on this at all for nine years,” he said. “What I’m saying is we need to do a review and we need to develop a strategic plan.

“One of the first things I would like to know is where we can-be, what our vision will be in 10 years. This is a long-term plan that will require public input every step of the way, and it will have to be done without creating winners and losers. But, at some point, we should stop making our staff mess around with five budgets.”

“Mr. Davison knows about parliamentary procedures,” Bill Lake responds. “He would surely know that he could make a resolution to discuss amalgamation. In three years on council it never came. Now, during an election, he wants to talk about it.”

(Bill Lake and Gary Davison will be participating in an all-candidates meeting tonight at the Verona Lions Hall, along with the six candidates for Portland Councillor and two candidates for school board trustee. The meeting starts at 7 pm. Watch for further coverage of the municipal election in next week’s Frontenac News, including profiles of the candidates in Bedford, Portland, and Loughborough districts)

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Feature Article - October 12, 2006

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Feature Article - October 12, 2006

Update on herbicides and hydro

by Jeff Green

John Bowen knows a lot about Garlon 4, and he hopes to bring that knowledge to South Frontenac some time soon.

Last week, South Frontenac Council decided to rescind their permission for Hydro One to spray Garlon 4 on hydro lines that are located on township rights-of-way. They did so in response to citizen concerns after a group of Loughborough Lake residents organised a protest at the Loughborough Lake boat launch on Perth Road .

The News sought comment from Hydro One in preparing an article on the issue for last week’s edition, “ Loughborough Lake residents oppose Hydro One herbicide spraying”, but did not receive a response before the paper went to press.

Later in the week, John Bowen, a program officer with Hydro One based in south western Ontario , phoned the News with information about the company’s herbicide spraying program.

According to Bowen, Hydro One does not spray on private property without the express consent of the landowner. They do spray on municipal lands that are adjacent to private property with the consent of the municipality. So, once Hydro One was informed of South Frontenac Council’s decision, no more municipal land was sprayed in South Frontenac.

Bowen said that the company was still seeking permission to spray on private land in the township.

As far as the protocol the company uses in spraying the herbicide Garlon 4, Bowen said that any spraying that does not conform to the stipulations on the product label would be illegal, and Hydro One wouldn’t do it.

Garlon 4 breaks down quickly into organic compounds and is not a threat to well water, Bowen said.

When applying Garlon 4 under delivery lines, Hydro One uses a setback requirement of three metres from any open water. The spraying program in South Frontenac was being done in conjunction with a brush cutting program. The entire patch was not sprayed; the Garlon 4 was only sprayed on specific fast-growing tree species, such as poplar and ash, to suppress suckering. The herbicide is not used on low growing species, such as sumac, raspberry and juniper.

Bowen said that Hydro One will be approaching South Frontenac Council about bringing a slide show presentation to council in the new year. The show is to bring information to the new council’s attention in the hope that they will reconsider their opposition to Garlon 4 spraying, which Bowen says has undergone a comprehensive testing regime over a long period of time and has been shown to be safe and effective.

“It can be sprayed on a colony of bees, and will not harm them,” Bowen concluded.

(After reading the Frontenac News’ article from last week, John Bowen phoned back to point out that for spraying by hand in the concentrations used by Hydro One, Garlon 4 is not prohibited from use in any jurisdiction in North America. Only when used in another form is it prohibited in the state of California )

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