Feature Article - November 23, 2006

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Feature Article - November 23, 2006

Addington Highlands passes comprehensive Zoning Bylaw

by Jule Koch Brison

It’s been almost 6 years in the making but at their last meeting on Monday night, the outgoing council approved AH’s comprehensive Zoning Bylaw, which will now give teeth to the Official Plan in regulating the use of lands, and the character, location and use of buildings and structures in the township. After notification is given to the public, there will be a 20-day appeal period.

The process of adopting the bylaw began just after the year 2000, when Henry Hogg was Reeve of Addington Highlands. Hogg is the new reeve-elect.

“DON’T PULL THE FUNDING YET”: Reeve Ken Hook gave an update on AH’s joint attempt with North Frontenac Township to persuade a cell phone service provider to build two towers along Hwy 41. The townships are offering a $50,000 incentive, and Rogers had asked for an extension of the deadline for application, to November 20. The Prince Edward Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC), which is providing part of the funding, called Hook for an update. If the incentive is unsuccessful, PELA CFDC will retract the funding, but Hook asked them to wait until the end of November. “If this doesn’t work we’ll have to try going through political routes again. We’ve tried everything,” he said.

CHANGES TO AGGREGATE RESOURCES ACT: Changes to the Aggregate Resource Act should mean that municipalities will receive additional revenue from aggregate operations, but in fact the changes will cost the municipalities more money because they will drive the prices of the materials up, according to Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath. All pits will have to register under the new rules, and Rosenblath said that will drive small operators out of business so there will be fewer pits. The township will therefore have to transport the loads over greater distances,

MTO REFUSING TO PAY FIRE DEPT. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) is refusing to pay claims that the fire department has submitted for their work at incidents on the highway. In particular, the claim for the fire department’s work during and after the devastating storm on August 2this year, has been rejected. The claim is close to $12,000. The storm closed Hwy 41 and side roads for many hours, and for a long time Addington Highlands’ fire department and road crews were the only ones on site, clearing roads and checking on residents. Fire Chief Casey Cuddy said, “If we weren’t there cutting the trees up, it would have cost MTO a lot to do the work themselves. A lady was injured in Bon Echo – if we hadn’t opened the highway up, who would have been responsible?”

Cuddy said there is also $8-10,000 worth of claims from other calls that they can’t collect.

The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs is reviewing the matter, and in the meantime the fire department will send an invoice to Bell for the work they did repairing telephone lines.

Building Inspector Wayne Kivell asked council for a letter of support to present to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). Kivell wants the MNR to state more explicitly in the information they give to landowners that even though the MNR may not require them to get a permit when constructing boathouses and docks, they may still have to get a building permit from the municipality.

CHRISTMAS CHEER COMES TO COUNCIL: Council decided to reverse an earlier decision not to donate $200 to the Kaladar Santa Claus parade after a letter to the editor deploring the decision was published in the Frontenac News. “If we do it for one we’ll have to do it for all... what about the Northbrook parade,” said Councilor Louise Scott. “It’s for the children,” said Councilor Eythel Grant.

After more discussion council unanimously approved the $200 donation.

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Feature Article - November 16, 2006

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Feature Article - November 16, 2006

Lots of talk about change, but what does it all mean?

by Jeff Green

There will be new faces around council tables as the result of this week’s municipal elections. In our own readership area, through a combination of resignations, councillors running for head or deputy head of council, and incumbents being defeated, 16 of 27 councillors will be new.

Similarly, 4 of 6 heads of council have been replaced.

A number of veteran politicians have decided to move on, and the voters have made that same decision for several other veteran politicians.

A lot of the new people coming to councils will arrive with expectations that they can make dramatic changes and will find themselves constrained by the fiscal and political limitations that are common to all rural townships in this part of the world.

Half of council and the mayor in South Frontenac are new; five of nine councillors and the mayor in Central Frontenac are new; as are four of seven councillors in North Frontenac These large-scale changes on councils are unprecedented in the short history of these nine-year-old townships.

The pressure to make council effective will be particularly telling on the newly minted mayors in South and Central Frontenac.

In South Frontenac Gary Davison campaigned on a platform of change. He wants to see the township move towards amalgamating all of the assets and services in each district.

On any other issue a mayor only has to cobble together a simple majority in order to push through even a large initiative; but in order to make amalgamation happen, Davison will probably have to convince each and every councillor to move in that direction, because at this time each and every councillor has a measure of authority over the budgets in their own districts.

If, to pick a thorny example, the mayor and the councillors from three districts were to agree that the Portland dump should serve the entire township, it would not just be a matter of passing a motion, winning it by a 7-2 margin, and assimilating the dump.

Somehow or other, the people of Portland district, as represented by their two councillors, would have to agree before this could happen. They wouldn’t have to like it, but they would have to agree.

This is why amalgamation is a long way off, and we will have to wait and see if Gary Davison can bring about the strategic plan that he says will be the precursor to the amalgamation plans that he campaigned on.

In terms of staff relations, Davison wants to see less, not more meddling in staff matters by council.

He notes that council has had to make changes in administrative staffing in the past term, which he said was “a tough thing to do, but it was necessary.” But he thinks those decisions are behind council now.

“If anything, we need to not interfere as much in the business of staff. We haven’t always let them do the job we hire them to do. I don’t think we have to look over them for every nickel and dime,” he said in an interview after the election. “After all, what did we hire them for?”

Unlike Davison in South Frontenac, Mayor-elect Janet Gutowski in Central Frontenac has made it clear that she is concerned with the way staff and council interact.

As a councillor, she was often critical of decisions made by staff - decisions that she said should not have been made without direction from council.

“We’ve had staff making policy decisions. Council needs to address that. As mayor I’ll be open to discussing things with staff to clarify whose role is what. But I’m not after the individuals. They’re the experts and I am not seeking to replace anybody,” she said in a post-election interview.

“There may be those who make those kinds of decisions for themselves,” she added.

Gutowski’s immediate plans are to make sure that there is “a good orientation for council, so councillors are well grounded in reality”. She also will be asking council to change the procedural bylaw, so there is more flexibility about meeting times and access to council for the public.

Janet Gutowski and Gary Davison are very different types of politicians and they have different goals for their townships and their councils.

But they each have lofty ambitions - each wants to change the way their townships do things.

At the same time they should keep in mind that change is important only insofar as it means the ultimate improvement of the delivery of services to the ratepayers.

Ratepayers don’t really care about the workings of council, about amalgamation or about process.

But we do want our roads improved. And one more thing, we want our taxes to go down, not up.

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Feature Article - November 16, 2006

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Feature Article - November 16, 2006

Nothing underhanded about heliport, Maguire says

by Jeff Green

At the final North Frontenac Council meeting before this week’s election results were announced, Mayor Ron Maguire took the opportunity to report to council about what he called “controversy over the Ompah helipad”, a matter which could not ultimately be dealt with in open council session.

The controversy stems from the possibility that the helipad might be taken out of service, and the township might enter into an agreement to use the Tomvale Airport on Road 506 as a helicopter landing site for emergency services, some 20 km. from Ompah.

As Maguire pointed out, members of the Emergency First Response team at Ompah put in many volunteer hours to build the helipad years ago and are alarmed about the possibility this service will no longer be available at Ompah.

The problem arose, Maguire explained, because visibility at the site is compromised by some tall trees on a neighbouring piece of land. This has led helicopter pilots to refuse to land at the site at night on a few occasions because they could not see all of the reflective markings at the pad. Some were blocked by leaves from the trees.

The township has been unable to negotiate an arrangement with the adjacent landowner, who owns the trees, and thus has been negotiating with the operators of the Tomvale airport for a permanent solution.

“There was never anything sinister on the part of the township. It is simply a matter of air ambulance pilots no being able to land there (at Ompah),” said Maguire in summing up the situation

The issue is expected to be the subject of a public meeting at Ompah sometime this week.

What’s black and white and pretty near impassable? Nellie Hobbs , a waterfront resident from Barrie ward, addressed council concerning the state of repair of Blacks and Whites Road . Hobbs said that the roads are sand covered and flood periodically, making them very difficult to use. She noted that $10,000 had been set aside each year for the past two years for repairs to the roads, but little had been done concerning the condition of the surface.

“The road itself is nothing but sand, with exposed rock in places,” Hobbs said.

Cheryl Robson, the township CAO/treasurer, speaking on behalf of Public Works Manager John Ibey, outlined the road construction expenditures on the road over the past two years. The work that has been done has been mainly blasting and ditching work at the side of the road, and the surface of the road has not received significant attention. Hobbs asked that this aspect of the situation be addressed.

“Could you give me an idea what’s going to happen?” Hobbs wanted to know.

Repairs to Clar/Mill Hall The public works department issued a report containing a request for council’s approval to complete $14,000 worth of repairs to the Clar/Mill Hall. The work, which is to be done this month, includes the removal of an existing concrete slab at the entrance to the building in order to correct a drainage problem. The slab is sloped towards the building and water runs off of it under the building.

The proposed work includes replacing the slab with one that slopes away from the building.

The report also talks about what might be found once the slab is removed. Under the heading “Repair damage to foundation”, the report says, “unknown until the slab is removed, but the foundation and/or timbers will need to be repaired before the slab is built.”

This, along with the nearness of winter, led some councillors to question if removing the slab at this time will not lead to unexpected complications, but the recommendation of the public works department was accepted. The project is being funded out of Ward 2 Special Parks reserve funds.

No humbug from NF Council In contrast to their neighbours to the west, North Frontenac is supporting the Santa Claus parades in Ompah/Plevna and the parade in Kaladar with $200 donations.

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

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Feature Article - November 16, 2006, 2006 Rough night for incumbents

by Jeff Green

MacDonald defeated by Gutowski in Central Frontenac

Maguire re-elected in North Frontenac

Hogg makes a comeback in Addington Highlands

Lake loses to Davison in South Frontenac

McDermott ousted by Fletcher in Lanark Highlands

There will be a new look to the councils in all of the landlocked Frontenac townships, Addington Highlands and Lanark Highlands after the votes were counted on Monday night.

This was clear within minutes of the close of voting at 8:00 p.m. on Monday night. In South Frontenac, almost 8,000 electronic votes were tabulated quickly. By 8:20 the results were posted at the Town Hall in Sydenham, and the first incumbent mayor in the region had gone down to defeat. One-term councillor Gary Davison defeated incumbent Mayor Bill Lake by a margin of 199 votes. Gary Davison received 4005 votes to Bill Lake ’s 3806.

Davison will lead an eight-member council which will have four new faces.

In Storrington District, the only incumbent running, Peter Roos, was bested by two newcomers. Larry York received 1,229 votes, John Fillion received 1,032, and Roos finished third with 925. Norm Roberts finished fourth with 765 votes. The other Storrington incumbent, Jack Barr, ran in Bedford District this time around.

In Loughborough, the sole incumbent running was Ron Vandewal (the other incumbent is mayor-elect Davison). Vandewal was easily re-elected with 1,525 votes, and it was third time lucky for candidate Alan McPhail, who won a council seat with 1,434 votes. Tedd Hosler finished third with 632 votes.

In Portland , incumbent Don Smith did not seek re-election. Bill Robinson, the other incumbent, easily won re-election with 1,001 votes, and he will be joined by new councillor Jim Hicks, who garnered 728 votes. Of the four other candidates running for council in Portland , Tom Addison received 600 votes, Rob Tapscott 496, Doug Lovegrove 441, and Mike Cope 360.

Finally, Bedford is the only district that will send two incumbents back to Sydenham. Del Stowe received the most number of votes, 718, followed closely by David Hahn, 714, with Jack Barr falling short at 600 votes and Randy McConnell receiving 352.

One more sitting representative went down to defeat in South Frontenac, where Ken Gilpin lost out to Barb McLaren for Public School Board Trustee by a vote of 4,038 tao 2,562.

The overall turnout in South Frontenac is not yet finalised, but returning officer (and CAO) Gord Burns estimates that it was about 43%, down from 50% in 2003. The highest percentage of voters came from Storrington (46.46%) and the lowest number came from Bedford (30.48%), suggesting that seasonal residents are still less likely to vote than permanent residents.

Kerr and Freeman re-elected in Tay Valley

Tay Valley Township , which also employed internet voting, had early results as well, but in Tay Valley incumbents fared quite well. By 8:30, incumbent Reeve Keith Kerr had been re-elected over former Reeve Mike Mosher, by a decisive margin of 2149 to 843. Of particular interest to Maberly residents, Susan Freeman defeated Mark Burnham in the Deputy Reeve race by a vote of 1887 to 1082. The two councillors in Sherbrooke ward, Sylvia Bumstead and Roxanne Darling, were acclaimed.

Voter turnout was 40% in Tay Valley, down from 47% in 2003.

Hogg makes comeback in Addington Highlands

Addington Highlands, which also employed electronic voting, was a bit slow to report, but only because the auditor who had to confirm the votes took a while to arrive at the township office in Flinton.

By 9:15, however, Henry Hogg, who had served as Reeve between 2001 and 2003, before sitting out this latest term, was elected with 1005 votes, defeating sitting Ward 2 councillor Bill Cox, who was supported by 583 voters.

Hogg will lead a council that is split between incumbents and new councillors.

In Ward 1, incumbent Eythel Grant was re-elected with 422 votes. Grant will be joined by Janice Kerr, with 418 votes. Faye Mieske received 311 votes.

In Ward 2, newcomer Helen Yanch received the most votes, 425, while incumbent Louise Scott was re-elected with 357 votes. Larry Pealow, 256, finished third, followed by Ibra Cuddy, 205, Tommy Thompson, 182, and Charles Snider, 148.

Voter turnout in Addington Highlands was 32%, down from 38% in 2003.

Cameron, McDermott out in Lanark Highlands

Big changes took place in Lanark Highlands, where long-time incumbent Mayor Larry McDermott was defeated by Bob Fletcher by a slim margin, 1796 to 1772, with Russell Hillier finishing with 383 votes.

McDermott was not the only disappointed incumbent in Lanark Highlands. Two incumbents were acclaimed, but three of the four incumbents who were contested went down to defeat. Of interest to readers in the McDonalds Corner’s area, Hazel Cameron was one of the incumbents who lost. The only Ward 6 seat went to Brian Stewart, who received 382 votes, to Cameron’s 308. Don Rennick received 77 votes, and Tanya Stone, who pulled out of the race but was too late to have her name removed from the candidates’ list, received 16 votes.

Gutowski defeats McDonald

It took a lot longer for the results of the mail-in vote to be counted in Central Frontenac. In fact the Sydenham council chambers were dark and the Sydenham Legion was full before the first results were posted at the township hall in Sharbot Lake. However, the later results did not save the incumbent mayor from the trend towards change. When all of the results came in, just before midnight, Janet Gutowski had received 1596 votes to Bill MacDonald’s 1364, with Doug Bearance finishing in third place with 883 votes.

Janet Gutowski, a one-term councillor who has lived in the township for only four years, has spent a full year on the campaign trail, and it paid off with a 232 vote margin of victory over the long-serving MacDonald, who until now has been the only mayor in the 9-year history of Central Frontenac.

Incumbent councillors were not safe from the mood for change either, as two went down to defeat; Councillors

Logan Murray and Bill Guigue.

Kennebec District was the first to produce final results, with newcomer Gary Smith outpolling all voters with 572 votes to win a seat. The second Kennebec seat was won by Jeff Matson with 386 votes, just two more than incumbent Logan Murray at 364. Tom Dewey polled 285 votes, and Donna Easton, 118.

Olden district came next, with newcomers Norman Guntensperger, 365, and John Purdon, 364, winning seats. Former councillor Elva Price, fell short in her comeback attempt with 285 votes, while incumbent Bill Guigue received 275 votes, and 122 people voted for Justin Gray.

Oso district was the only one in the township that saw no change. Frances Smith once again outpolled all candidates with 844 votes, with Bob Harvey keeping his seat with 543 votes, and Ed Beattie receiving 420 votes to finish third.

In Hinchinbrooke, Bill Snyder was re-elected with 595 votes, and Phillip Smith won the second seat, (vacated by mayor-elect Gutowski), with 553 votes. Former councillor Boyce Peters was unsuccessful in a comeback attempt, receiving 362 votes. Dave Hoover, 163, Wayne Bush, 116, and Danka Brewer, 60, rounded out the field.

The voter turnout in Central Frontenac was 51.6%, almost the same as it had been in 2003.

It was past midnight by the time final results were available in North Frontenac, but that didn’t bother incumbent Mayor Ron Maguire too much. He held on to the mayor’s job. In fact it was the first time he has won an election in North Frontenac, after losing the mayoralty race to Stan Johnston in 2000 and being acclaimed to the mayor’s post in 2003.

Maguire will be leading four brand new councillors when the new council is sworn in December. That reality is partly the result of the mayoralty election itself, which saw Maguire, with 1137 votes, defeat sitting Clarendon and Miller councillors Bud Clayton, who received 747 votes, and Betty Hunter, who received 638.

The only returning councillors will be Fred Perry and Wayne Good, both of whom had been appointed to council during this past term and were acclaimed in Barrie ward this time around.

In the wide open race in Clarendon and Miller, Lonnie Watkins received the most votes, 509, and he will be joined on council by Wayne Cole, with 506 votes. Former councillor Elaine Churchill received 290 votes, with Carol Hiller receiving 235 and Ken Cox, 183.

Challengers Jim Beam, with 349 votes, and Bob Olmstead, with 315, defeated incumbent David Smith in Palmerston/Canonto. Smith received 240 votes. Councillor Gleva Lemke did not seek re-election.

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Feature Article - December 2006

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December 2006

A New Look for South Frontenac Council

by Wilma Kenny -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

South Frontenac began its next four years with four new Councillors, a new Mayor, new chairs, nameplates and carpeting, and a new seating order around the table. In his opening remarks, Mayor Davison urged councillors to do their homework by reading agendas and coming to meetings well informed. He listed amalgamation, roads and waste diversion as three of the major challenges facing the Township. "We must go forward together into amalgamation, recognizing there are many issues to be resolved, and assets to be protected." The first challenge to amalgamation came later in the evening, when some councillors protested the new seating order. Councillors York, Fillion and Robinson all said they would prefer to be seated beside the member from their own district. In the end, Council agreed to retain the alphabetical seating order.

Further jostling came over the order in which Del Stowe, Bill Robinson, Larry York, and Ron Vandewal would serve as Deputy Mayor (each of them having received the highest number of votes in their respective districts): the order listed above was finally agreed upon by consensus between the four candidates. Del Stowe will be the Deputy Mayor in 2007.

MitchellCreekBridge

Ross Sutherland, speaking on behalf of the Friends of Mitchell Creek Bridge, asked that Council send a letter to the Ministry of Transport, asking that the bridge be repaired in the manner originally planned. This would mean replacing girders, planks and rails, a much cheaper solution which would preserve the environmental and social status quo of the area. Sutherland suggested that since the Governmental approval process seemed to be stalled, this might be a good time for the Township to propose an alternate which has strong community support. Council agreed to write the letter as requested, though Councillor Vandewal said the MitchellCreek issue had already cost the Township a lot of money, and he didn’t want to risk initiating further expensive delays and studies.

Sydenham Lakeshore Severances

Wilfred VanLuven’s application for a zone amendment that would allow him to sever three lots on the south shore of Sydenham Lake elicited a flurry of protest letters, mostly from residents on the north shore across from the proposed development. Concerns centred on the potential for erosion, should any of the trees on the steep shoreline be cut. Council passed the amendment with the reminder that the by-law forbidding shoreline clearance could only be enforced if violations were reported to the Township. "We don’t have a squad of tree police," commented the Mayor.

DesertLake Campground

Council passed a zoning amendment to allow Sally and Brett Colman, new owners of Desert Lake Campground to service 50 existing non-serviced tent and trailer sites with water and electricity. The newly-formed Desert Lake Property Owners Association had asked that the decision be deferred until it could be considered in the light of the developing Lake Management Plan.

Several Councillors did ask whether there was adequate control of greywater disposal for the 145 trailer/camp sites at the resort. Another concern was possible increase in pedestrian traffic across the Desert Lake Road since the 50 sites in question are located on the south side of DesertLake road. Brett Colman said the resort was planning to duplicate services on both sides so there would be less need to cross the road. However, the resorts main attractions, the beach and lake are on the north side of the road.

Staff Change

CAO Gord Burns welcomed Angela Maddocks as the Township’s new Confidential Secretary. Burns noted that Ms Maddocks had recently coped exceedingly well with the demands of her dual roles of Acting Secretary and Municipal Election Assistant. Former secretary Dierdre Babcock is now working for the OPP Detachment in Hartington.

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Feature Article - November 30, 2006

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December 2006

Letters

Re: “More meetings at PineLake”

Your report of a deal regarding the AAFNA’s usage of the boat launch on PineLake is troubling. The residents and cottagers of PineLake were the first stakeholders to raise issue about the proposed development at a public meeting August 12, 2006 a meeting attended by Mayor Maguire - in Ompah. At that meeting, which was reported by your newspaper, many valid concerns were aired. These included safety concerns over the proposal to have pedestrians cross Ardoch Road to access the site, environmental concerns due to lack of planning and space for proper septic systems, lack of planning for fire suppression and rescue, and lack of commitment to follow building code processes and set back rules. It was also emphasized at that meeting that AAFNA seemed more interested in making press headlines than with consulting with us as stakeholders at PineLake. To make matters even worse, AAFNA’s current occupation of the boat launch at PineLake has already required environmental remediation. It is not off to a good start.

It now appears that a deal has been struck without consultation with the individuals who will take office on December 14, 2006. In the recent municipal election, Ward 2 (which includes PineLake) elected 2 new councilors, Messrs Cole and Watkins. Any deal struck on November 23, 2006 could not have included a vote at council including our newly elected representatives. Needless to say, neither the Mayor, nor MNR, nor AAFNA, saw fit to advise anyone from PineLake that a deal was even in the works. AAFNA was invited to speak to the Pine Lake Owners Association Executive on Thanksgiving weekend at Ompah to address the concerns we have raised with them. They did not even reply to the invitation. We can only conclude that AAFNA has no interest in meeting the people of PineLake. The proposed deal answers none of the rational, obvious concerns raised about the development. To make matters worse, Mayor Maguire was questioned at successive council meetings in the lead up to the election and then stated, again reported in the Frontenac News, that there will be no development at PineLake without a building permit. That was then. This is now.

Lastly, AAFNA will not publicly denounce any intention to take the rest of the undeveloped shore of PineLake. This shoreline is over several thousand feet of pristine forest, and is currently titled to the Crown. When will AAFNA publicly denounce any intention to take the rest of PineLake in similar fashion?

I ask Mayor Maguire, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and AAFNA, when will the people of PineLake get a say in your deal?

David Rose PineLake Association

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An open letter to Deborah Defoe, Chief Librarian and CEO of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

As a long-time supporter and user of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, I was dismayed to read of the petty dealings regarding Ruth Pearce's "Happy retirement". Is it not the dominant idea of the library system to provide good quality information to the public? With the actual changes being made that remove the requirement of mandatory retirement of employees, I would think that you, Ms. Defoe, would capitalize on the opportunity to keep someone of Mrs. Pearce's training in your service.

If it is not your intention to appear inflexible and irrational, you might wish to justify your actions more fully to the reading public of the SharbotLake area. - Edith Cairns

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Re: Ruth Pearce

I enjoyed Jeff Green's articleconcerning Ruth Pearce and the actions of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

It is disappointing that the union representing Ruth seems willing to accept the argument that it is up to the employee to know she is expected to retire at sixty-five. Was the employer not expected to know when employees reached the age of mandatory retirement? It is interesting to note that had Ruth not inadvertentlybrought it to their attention, they might not yet have realizedtheir oversight.

It makes one wonder whether this over-reaction on the part of the chief librarian might not be an effort to punish Ruth for making library management appear negligent in the performance of their job.

I think it is absurd and insulting to try and rectify the library's oversight in view of thefact that mandatory retirement will no longer be applicable as of December 12th and the fact that Ruth has, since, been invited to re-apply for her job.

Barb Driscoll

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Open letter to Mr. Scott Reid, MP

December 7, 2006

If you were interested in your constituent's opinion, why did you send out your mini referendum flyers on same sex marriage too late for us to respond in time for the vote in the legislature? I received mine in the mail this afternoon and the vote was to take place today in parliament.

If you really want to make a difference to the community at large, you may want to look at the big picture regarding the issue of same-sex marriage. In the words of the teens I have spoken to about this topic,

"What's the big deal? Two people love each other and want to be together. So what's wrong with gay people getting married?" These are the voices of the future voters and politicians. Many of the citizens in the up and coming generation do not understand why we are making such a big deal out of this. They see it as a waste of time. If they only knew how much money it is costing the Canadian taxpayers to keep debating an issue that in time will not even be given a second thought.

My question to you, Mr. Reid, is “What is more important, fighting against people who care enough about each other to make a formal, public commitment or taking action on something such as climate change?”

Let us spend our limited time on this planet wisely and focus on the issues that truly need our urgent attention - Lynn Daniluk

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North Frontenac - It’s Ward 3’s turn

Ward 3 of North Frontenac Township encompasses all of the former townships of Palmerston, North and South Canonto. Ward 3 ratepayers are looking forward to the inauguration of the new council because there will be four new representatives and there is a promise for improved representation for the ward.

You might say that there are some petty ward jealousies going on in North Frontenac Township, but let’s look at the facts. Ward 1 has its new fire truck, new fire hall, an extension on the life of the Cloyne dump that was supposed to be closed and a promise of a waste transfer station, plus comparatively good resurfaced roads. Ward 2 has its new fire hall, new fire tanker truck, miles of recent road resurfacing, and its own $200,000 excavator to play with.

From a Ward 3 ratepayer’s perspective, there has been no positive representation on council for six years. This was evident at the pre-election meeting of candidates when the main debate was over which of the ward roads were the worst in the county. The dump has been closed for more than a year and the promised waste transfer station remains just a promise. Council insisted on Ompah firefighters having three written bids for wild fire equipment purchased with $7,000 of donated volunteer funds and yet our two council reps voted for more than $250,000 tax dollars on road equipment purchases that were not tendered and did not follow the procurement by-laws. Our ward reps have never had the courtesy to meet with the firefighters or EFR team, to see the conditions in the fire hall and to assure them that council cares and will advocate for more and safer space and working conditions.

Finally, after the election of course, word leaked out that council has been working on a plan to close the Ompah helipad and open one at Tomvale Airport some 35 minutes away from Ompah. At a meeting in November all township council members (both current and newly elected) met with 125 angry ratepayers and heard that this was the last straw for Ward 3. The two previous councilors from Ward 3 who have been discussing this issue did not attend, however. That’s what I mean by questionable representation.

Wards 1 and 2 may have needed all the goodies they have been getting, but now it’s Ward 3’s turn. Councilors Jim Beam and Bob Olmstead have already shown they are prepared to dig beyond the smoke and mirrors, get the real facts and do the work to see Ward 3 taxpayers finally get township services they have deserved and have been paying for for years.

- Leo L. Ladouceur

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Re: E-waste recovery

Leona Dombrowsky’s latest letter to the News regarding the Frontenac Electronic Waste Recovery Centre once again illustrates her continuing disconnect with the people whom she was elected to represent. When asked about funding, she talks about inadequate money from Ottawa, yet fails to mention what the provincial contribution to this worthwhile project is. On the Centre’s literature, one finds mention of CentralFrontenacTownship, SharbotLakeHigh School, and more than one federal agency, but no arm of the Government of Ontario the very level of government that sets standards in waste management and reduction.

Recently, the finishing touches were put on the resurfacing of Highway #38. Given that the cost of the project was the equivalent of over 100 percent of CentralFrontenacTownship’s annual budget, the approval of COMRIF funding was crucial. Yet, it took more than one attempt to secure funding for this vitally important work each involving consulting reports and submissions that cost thousands of dollars. Dombrowsky, as the provincial minister responsible for COMRIF could only say ‘better luck next time’ each time the people of Central Frontenac were rebuffed.

Indeed, Dombrowsky’s understanding of COMRIF was best summed up in this very paper on November 17, 2005 when she said to North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire “You would like to see social service costs for the smallest municipalities subsidized entirely by taxpayers from throughout the province but in that case, would you no longer need programs like COMRIF to help with infrastructure costs?”

During her tenure as Environment Minister, the people of Sydenham were burdened with a water treatment system that is costing them upwards of $20,000 per home, while the people of Napanee had to mount their own grassroots lobbying of Queen’s Park to prevent an expansion of the Richmond Landfill.

A couple of weeks ago, I formally announced my decision to contest the Progressive Conservative nomination in Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington. Leona Dombrowsky may not be running here this October, but her legacy of neglect and indifference must be answered for.

No township, community organization, or farm group in this riding should be treated disrespectfully when the cause they represent is just, and the need they address is so painfully obvious.

- Brent Cameron

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Re: Direct Democracy?

Is Jeff Green serious? So early on in this post-Liberal dictatorship Canada, do any of us actually remember what democracy is? Maybe defining democracy should be the first order of business for our new conservative government. I will not attempt to define democracy myself but I believe the true definition (in practice) would include some measure of fairness and objectivity; therefore Mr. Green is obviously not up to the task either. Virtually all of the statements included in Mr. Green’s editorial are dishonest, misleading, irrational, illogical and defy reason, thus defining the left wing rhetoric we have come to expect from the Frontenac News. The most blatant example of this would be the suggestion that some level of linguistic trickery was used in phrasing the survey question. The most obvious denouncement of this fallacy is the absence of a third box on the survey answer sheet allowing for an undetermined or unsure vote. Those who filled out and returned the survey forms had predetermined opinions or beliefs and checked their boxes accordingly. They were well aware of the traditional definition of marriage and the current definition, as the two cannot be easily confused. Mr. Green, the pseudo altruist, then proceeds to speak for not only all Canadian constituents, but also all political parties by explaining “in actuality the real debate.” Mr. Green claims that proponents of same sex marriage do not wish to reject the traditional definition of marriage, instead simply wish to extend it. This statement is almost as absurd as the suggestion that some of Scott Reid’s constituents may have checked “yes” believing that a “no” could possibly induce a new definition excluding heterosexual marriage. By extending the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions, you must first unequivocally reject the traditional definition. Conversely, to extend the definition to include polygamy would in the same way presuppose the abolition of the traditional definition. Of course all of this feeble left-wing rhetoric with regard to this survey is simply a fiendish attempt to ignore the fact that same-sex marriage was frantically pushed through the House of Commons without a free (democratic) vote. Quite the opposite, in fact. Paul Martin (Liberal Dictator at the time) ordered his cabinet, regardless of their conscience or constituents’ beliefs, to vote in favour of same-sex marriage. I would also like to quickly address Mr. Green’s concern regarding the six issues Scott Reid presented to his constituents in his latest survey--Mr. Green’s suggestion that 12-15 options may have been more appropriate. My response to this would be two-fold: first; how many options were Canadians given by our previous liberal government? Second, with our brave young men and women currently overseas surviving unimaginable hardship and living in a constant state of extreme danger, I could not possibly conceive of nine issues our country is currently facing that any conscientious Canadian could find more important regardless of which side of the debate you may be on.

- Sincerely, your often irritated but always amused reader, Francis MacDonald

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Crack down on crime & scrap the gun registry:

My wife and I arrived home from the Liberal Leadership Convention in Montreal last week to an empty fridge and a full mailbox. I flipped through the Heritage to catch up on local events; the police report highlighted the theft of a "Collection of rifles stolen from home in Verona" (complete with their serial numbers).

I would describe myself as a "bred and in-bred, back-woods Frontenac guy". As such I can certainly appreciate having a shotgun (or two) around, 22 cal. (always handy), and 303s (November means hunting season). However, I really have to question the necessity of my neighbour owning a “NAGANT serial # K811106, Russian military firearm with bayonet".

To the best of my knowledge no one in my family ever used a weapon with a bayonet, unless issued by the Government of Canada. We all know what a weapon with a bayonet is used for, so why would my neighbour have one? Imminent invasion by the Germans, Japanese, N. Koreans? Correction - my neighbour doesn't have one anymore; it was stolen. It's "out there" somewhere.

The next piece of mail was my M.P. Scott Reid's "policy ranking exercise". Of course "Cracking down on crime" and "Scrapping the gun registry" are listed prominently. Given that Russian military weapon floating out there, I'm having a problem connecting the two policies. Perhaps Mr. Reid can explain it to me?

In the meanwhile, should you come across a great deal on any of the following: MAUSER Rifle serial # 626936; NAGANT Firearm with bayonet #K811106; MOSSEBERG 22 cal. Rifle, no serial #; POINTER Shot gun #Y48059; WINCHESTER WOODMASTER Rifle #125964; COOEY Single Shot rifles; EL FRAISIAN Shot gun #148; BAY STATE Shot gun; COOEY single shot 12 ga, #23043; LELAND Rifles #10B8105, #76L4053; ENFIELD Rifle #882, please contact the OPP.

If you want to eliminate the personal use of automatic, and semi-automatic weapons, vote Liberal.

- John McEwen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Direct Democracy

I am questioning your editorial on direct democracy, issued on December 7, 2006. Personally, I have no problem with Scott Reid’s survey on same-sex marriage.

I hope it was not your intention - failing to mention the comment part of the survey. You also stated you did not think this survey was necessary; granted, but others (myself included) were sure glad you are not thinking for all of us.

You also stated “50% of people who did not support the conservatives deserve a say as well”. I think you got that right! Anyone that wants a say can call the MP’s office; there’s even a toll free number. The conservative office staff is working for all of us Canadians, without prejudice; nor is our political affiliation a concern.

Now looking at my 2nd survey: I may choose box one, I may rank all six. I may even add a comment in the comment section, or I could even throw it away! As a Canadian, I should have that choice. What is important is that we have a say and that to me is direct democracy!

- Rita Staniforth

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Re: It's ward 3's turn

In response to the letter in the December 14 Frontenac News by Leo L. Ladouceur, I would like to dispute his view of the facts.

His representation of the facts is wrong and gives a false impression of events and council decisions. He criticizes the efforts of three ex-councillors from Ward 3 and ignores the many years of dedicated work performed by these individuals.

He continues by stating that Ward 1 has a new fire hall, which it does, but this structure existed and was in use, prior to amalgamation and was paid for entirely by the former Barrie Township Council, with the ratepayers’ approval. Ward 3 has a recent addition to its fire hall, constructed after amalgamation, which was paid for in part by the township. Ward 2 has a new fire hall, constructed post-amalgamation, paid for by township monies and contribution from the Fire Ladies.

Both Wards 2 and 3 have emergency vehicles paid for by the township. All were equipped using township monies and public donations. Two years in a row both wards received $10,000 donations from council over and above their respective budgets for equipment. These donations were not extended to Ward 1. The new fire truck that he states Ward 1 received was paid for in part by Addington-HighlandsTownship (50% of costs). Both townships also equally share the costs incurred in maintaining the Cloyne dumpsite and the site is operated jointly.

In regards to the helipad referred to in his letter, council has invested both time and money on this in recent years and I agree the helipad should be kept serviceable if at all possible.

In regards to road equipment, Ward 3 has received much more funding than Ward 1 over the past several years. The records speak for themselves and Ward 3 residents should be grateful that Ward 1 generates the tax dollars necessary to provide the extra revenue the township requires to meet budget expenses. Instead of trying to stir up dissention among the wards, individuals such as Mr. Ladouceur would be more beneficial to their neighbours by promoting unity throughout the township.

- Dick Hook, past councillor, Ward 1

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Re: Direct Democracy

I would like to commend Jeff Green for his editorial on Scott Reid’s survey. While I appreciate Scott’s desire to communicate with the voters, this type of slanted survey does nothing to foster such communication. For example, I was able to check off only one, support for seniors. But what does this support mean? Does it mean that seniors would receive free dental care, free hearing aids and glasses, and walkers or canes if they need them? I would support this. Assuming that Scott really wants to know what the voters are concerned about, let me share some of the things that I am distressed about.

1. I try to buy Canadian-made goods for myself and to give away as gifts. This is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. So much of our industries have closed down and taken their jobs to low-paying countries where human rights abuses are paramount. Could the Canadian government offer interest-free loans to workers whose plants may be closing so that they may buy the plant themselves and keep it running?

2. I am concerned that NATO is dictated to by the United States administration. Our soldiers are in Afghanistan because the US government dragged us into it through lies and manipulation to support the oil companies having a pipe line from the Caspian Sea through the country and who want a government friendly to their desires. The CIA created the Taliban and paid and armed Osama Bin Laden to fight the Soviets. Our troops are told that they are fighting to protect the women from the atrocities of the Taliban. Yet they are in alliance with a group who will do the same to women once they are in power. What does it mean when our troops attack a Taliban stronghold? Who are the hundreds of people killed in a raid by our forces? Are they ordinary citizens of Afghanistan? Who are we liberating? Let us support our troops by restoring them to the role of protecting people rather than forcing them to murder women, children, and young boys who have no other source of employment. I grieve for the widows of our soldiers and for the soldiers themselves for whom the scars of this war will remain for the rest of their lives.

3. I am concerned about the control of the media by big corporations and the US administration, people who stand to gain big bucks in the sale of armaments and related items in Iraq and other war zones. Let’s report the lies around 9/11. There was an independent truth commission held in Toronto. Have the results of this been able to counter all the lies so faithfully reported by radio, TV, and national newspapers? Why was building #7 demolished and not reported on much since? Why are 7 of the supposed hijackers still alive? What happened to flight #77 which could not have struck the pentagon since the hole is the size of a missile? There are enough questions about the whole situation to make one suspect that the CIA and US administration planned the whole thing as an excuse to drag the country into a war with Iraq to gain billions for the weapons manufacturers. What all is our government being dragged into over the threat of terrorism when the real terrorists may be the people in the White House?

- Sylvia Powers

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Pine Lake

On December 16 there was an article in the Whig Standard "Native Centre on Track" concerning the building of an office for a 700 member band and a museum at the PineLake boat launch. Randy Cota said that they will do this regardless of MNR requesting that there beenvironmental studies on the project beforehand. Natives have always declared their love and respect for the land (and have often protested clear cutting and other environmentally damaging actions).

This group maintains that they own this Crown property. If you own something, that makes you responsible for it. This seems like irresponsible behaviour to me.

- Barbara Kenney

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To: Irritated but always amused reader Francis MacDonald

You have failed miserably in your attempt to present a valid rebuttal to Jeff Green’s editorial “Direct Democracy” (December 7).

Your tangled web of words presents the reader with ambiguous statements which lack sense, coherence and clarity. (Talk about madly off in all directions!)

Clarity is the issue that Mr. Green was bringing to our attention concerning Scott Reid’s style of communicating with his constituents. Your assertion that Mr. Green’s statements were “dishonest, misleading, illogical, irrational and defied reason” is totally ridiculous and definitely not substantiated by any of the arguments you tried to put forth in your letter.

I suggest you read Mr. Green’s editorial again with an open and unbiased mind.

- Pam Giroux

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RE: Festival of Trees

Upon reading Dale Ham’s wonderful article on the Festival of Trees, I noticed that “elf” Bill Bowick was not given credit for his hard work. Bill is totally responsible for all of the computer work for the Festival such as the design of the Appreciation Certificates, the schedules, the list of all contributors to the Festival and all of the preparation for the judging of the event as well as acting as our Master of Ceremonies. Thank you so much, Bill.

- Elinore Baily, Chair

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Re “Direct Democracy” ( Editorial - December 07)

In his fine editorial Mr. Green overlooks the paramount truth! Mr. Reid has been relegated to nothing more then a seat filler, an impotent elective statistic, a powerless presence, a number, a P.C. parliamentary vote, an afterthought-in-waiting, a dispenser of smoke and polisher of mirrors willing to be completely controlled by the PUDGY PARANOIC Steven Harper Bush T.T. (tyrant in training) and his Trolls from circle of silent secrecy and nasty surprises! Apparently Mr. Reid is satisfied being the mindless servant of a control freak.

Eventually, he may be thrown a bone, perhaps even with some meat on it. In the meantime, his directive is to ensure that his constituents only consider as relevant the propaganda scripted directly to the puppets of the caucus from the OMP for dispersion: any other point of view is to be ignored. These recent “surveys” are certainly not crafted by Mr. Scott as past plebiscites are imagined to have been.

Harper Bush, you say? Yes, Harper Bush! For anyone interested enough, an analysis of the moronic path taken by G.W.Bush and that being charted by Steven Harper are frighteningly similar. Look into it, should you be in doubt, wishing to exercise your mind or have any concern for your future.

Included in the manifesto delivered under Mr. Reid’s name were such topics as workings for seniors, defending Canadians from terrorism, tax relief, and cracking down on criminals, among others.

The Minister of Finance, either because of a horrific panic attack or because he is totally insane, wiped out of 30 BILLION dollars invested in Income Trusts, a completely legal and above board investment vehicle in two days (60 BILLION dollars is the expected final total), mostly retirement savings, the nest eggs of the aging, the components of pension plans, RRSPs, RRIFs, LIRAs and the hopes for more than the scrapes gotten from a doubtfully secure government pension system. Can this action rationally be titled “WORKING FOR SENIORS”?

Is the breaking of an election promise contained on page 32 of the Blue Book under the heading “Security for Seniors” acceptable?

The extolled age tax credit will amount to a whole $152.50 this year and in 2007, a $2.50 increase of this amount is in the works--takes your breath away! The “income splitting” proviso is equally meaningless since its application is selectively applied only to a small percentage of the population; CPP has always allowed income splitting.

All the mumbo jumbo aside, the supposed “Tax Relief” is fiction! The average family, whatever that might be, will “save” $1.26 per day in taxes at the optimum level. The billions stolen from Income Trust holders will pay for these wonders, while leaving a nice surplus for the frauds in Ottawa to squander off the books.

Anyone who believes that Canadians dying in Afghanistan in a US-inspired conflict, from which they all but have withdrawn, will protect “the safety of our citizens” is severely thought-impaired. NATO, who has no real idea why they are there, and its Canadian member, have found their Vietnam. The Afghans have never lost a war and no foreigner has ever won an Afghan war. The last person standing in Afghanistan will be an Afghan belonging to whatever faction happens to be in vogue. What arrogance we possess to believe that we have the right or the knowledge to decide what type of government these people or any peoples are to live under! We are assisting in building the US Empire of “Divine Right”, not helping the Afghans. You don’t help people by killing them and imposing your values upon the survivors.

We already have more laws than are needed in addressing crime. What has to be found is the will to enforce what is already on the books. This all recycled b……t. And, with present budding dictatorship empowered, I for one am not sure that additional enforcement would not manifest itself as the Beaver Gestapo.

We think it is about time that Mr Reid acknowledges that his only loyalty and duty is to the constituents of his riding, not the egg salad that is the Conservative Party. We further believe that he should act accordingly instead of being another panting Harper puppy waiting for career crumbs to fall and fulfill his dreams.

- Paul M. Wicher & Georgina M. Bailey-Wicher, Tichborne

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Re: Direct Democracy

Jeff is right when he says that Scott did not need to ask the "same-sex marriage" question at all.I believe that this is a feel-good exercise for the people. Not only does it give people an opportunity to voice an opinion, it reminds us that we do have an avenue of communication that is seldom used.

Jeff's comment on the second survey stating that there was "no option for other items on the survey" is not quite accurate. On both surveys there was a space for comments. If I had other priorities I would have listed them. So for the 50% of the people who did not support the Conservative party, list your top six policy items in the comment section.If there is not enough room there, mail to Scott does not require postage, so voice your opinion on as many pages as required and send them to him. Jeff's suggestion to list 12 to 15 policy matters is a bit on the light side, why not list 30 or 40 or at least a couple of pages worth. Where would the list end? You are right, Jeff, surveying constituents is a good idea. As far as the comment on letting the constituents have a say on all the issues at hand, the opportunity was there: a comments section on both surveys.

- Gerry Dunham

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December 2006

Maguire takes on warden roleby Jeff Green ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire is the warden of FrontenacCounty for 2007. At their inaugural meeting, County council also chose Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek as Deputy Warden, putting him in line for the warden’s position in 2008.

As has been practice at the County, rookie mayors such as South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison and Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski are given a couple of years to acclimate themselves with county issues before taking on the Warden or Deputy Warden responsibilities.

County Council also received annual presentation reports from 8 groups that interact in some way with the County.

Appointments were then made to public boards. Jim Vanden Hoek was appointed to the Public Library Board, as were community members Ralph Gatfield (Central Frontenac) and Wilma Kenny (South Frontenac). Janet Gutowski will represent the County on the Public Health Board, and on the Frontenac Joint Accessibility Committee. Ron Maguire will remain as the CountyRep. to the Municipal Advisory Committee – Algonquin Land Claim, and Gary Davison will sit on the Frontenac County Youth Justice Advisory Committee.

Finally, Ron Maguire, Jim Vanden Hoek and Gary Davison will represent the County on the Rural Urban Liaison Advisory Committee (RULAC), which deals with funding issues between the County and the City of Kingston. Janet Gutowski will be the alternate, but Jim Vanden Hoek indicated he will gladly cede his RULAC seat to Janet Gutowski when his term as warden is up in two years.

A discussion ensued over the fact that FrontenacCounty no longer has a seat on the Kingston-based Social Housing board, which owns McMullen Manor in Verona and properties in the SharbotLake area.

CountyDeputy Clerk Susan Beckel reported that Social Housing Board has changed; it is now a not-for-profit corporation wholly owned by the City of Kingston.

The City of Kingston will be approached, via letter, to see if a spot on the board can be opened up for a County representative. If so, Janet Gutowski will fill it.

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December 21st 2006

CrowLake schoolhouse receives township support – CF Council, Dec 18, 2006by Jeff Green

Joe Slater and Ludwig Ratzinger from the Crow Lake Community Association appeared before Central Frontenac Council to report on the progress that has been made in renovating the schoolhouse/community centre, and to ask the township to cover the cost of a new well that was required to ensure that the building has safe drinking water.

The association received a $56,000 Trillium grant this summer, and raised $8,000 through the sale of the former UnitedChurch in the hamlet. The renovations have cost more than $64,000, but fundraising should cover the rest – except the cost of the new well.

The well ended up being 242 feet deep, running up the cost to $7,300. Adding in the cost of decommissioning the old well on the site, the association came to council looking for $7,500.

Council was receptive. “We have had to pay nothing for this hall, so $7,500 is a deal,” said Councilor Bob Harvey.

Council agreed, suggesting that the money can come out of a reserve fund that was set up a couple of years ago to cover water testing costs.

Deputy Mayor named – Hinchinbrooke Councilor Bill Snider, who is one of the longest serving politicians in FrontenacCounty at 24 years and counting, will be deputy mayor in Central Frontenac for 2007.

Snow plowing tenders – Declaring a pecuniary interest, Councilor Jeff Matson left the meeting during council deliberations over the awarding of snow plowing and sanding tenders for small roads.

Several councilors wondered why only a single price was listed for each road, even though three companies were listed.

“I think we should see all the bids, not just the lowest one,” said Councilor Gary Smith.

Mayor Gutowski said that she had asked the public works manager about that, and “he told me that all the bids were listed; only one company bid on each road. It looks like they [the three companies who submitted bids] agreed to divvy up the roads.”

“The bids are the same as last year,” said Township Planner Cathy MacMunn, sitting in for Chief Administrative Officer Heather Fox.

“We want our contractors to co-operate, but this is a bit more co-operation than we might like,” said the mayor, “but what can we do? These are all the bids we have.” “Some of these roads could be done by township crews,” said Deputy Mayor Bill Snyder.

Nonetheless, the bids were accepted.

Insurance up – Insurance will cost the township $112, 226 in 2007, up $3,778 (just under 3.5%) from 2006.

The insurance brokerage firm Crain and Schooley recommended that the township renew their policy with Cowan’s, one of two companies that insure municipalities in this region.

Debra Murphy from Crain and Schooley notes that the township made claims for two auto losses: a vehicle write off due to a rollover en route to a fire, $169,504; and a deer strike that was responsible for $2,122 in damages.

A mould issue carried over from 2005, in which the township’s building inspector was blamed for a persistent water problem in a residence, led to a $66,185 settlement in 2006.

Cowan has raised environmental costs from $1,810 to $2,500, but Murphy wrote, “considering that this sum provides $2,000,000 liability protection to the township coupled with the fact that we have a sizable reserve on the Godfrey yard salt contamination matter, council should be accepting of the premium adjustment mandated by Cowan at renewal.”

Councillor Gary Smith wondered why a contract in excess of $100,000 had not been tendered.

“There are only two companies who respond to the tenders, and it is a complicated, expensive process, so we don’t do it every year,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

“”Did it get tendered last year?” asked Councilor Norm Guntenpserger.

“Yes” said Mayor Gutowski.

The contract was accepted by council.

Committee appointments – Through a combination of cajoling and arm twisting, all necessary committee appointments were made for this term of council.

John Purdon will sit on the Rideau Valley Conservation board; Bob Harvey will sit on the Mississippi Valley board; and Gary Smith will sit on the Quinte Region Conservation board.

Bill Snyder and Norm Guntensperger will sit on the North Frontenac Arena Board, and Gary Smith will sit on the CPR Trail steering committee. John Purdon and Gary Smith will sit on the Economic Development Committee, and Frances Smith will remain as the township representative to the Family Health Team in Sharbot Lake. Philip Smith will sit on the Hinchinbrooke Rec. Committee, Jeff Matson on Kennebec, Norm Guntensperger on Olden, and Frances Smith on the Oso Rec. Committee. Finally, Jeff Matson and Norm Guntensperger will sit on the Central Frontenac Rec. Committee, which has been dormant of late, but council would like to see it come to life.

E-Waste Facility Lease Terminated – As expected, Council received a letter from Jim MacPherson of the Land O’ Lakes Communications Network (LOLCN) stating that LOLCN wishes to terminate their lease at 1020 Wagner Road.

Expected government funding has never come through for a pilot project in e-waste recycling that was the intended use the LOLCN wanted to make of the building.

Mayor Gutowski said that funding from Human Resources Canada never came through for the project, She has a meeting scheduled with MP Scott Reid this week, and said she would raise the e-waste issue, among other items.

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December 21st 2006

Pine Lake tops busy North Frontenac Council agendaby Jeff Green ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The proximity to Christmas did not stop the new North Frontenac Council from tackling a packed agenda at their December 14 meeting.

PineLake - Bill Heikkilla and Frank Derue from the Pine Lake Property Owners’ Association addressed council. Heikkilla posed questions to Mayor Ron Maguire in reference to the proposed working agreement between the township, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), and the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) over a building project at the public boat launch at PineLake. Heikkilla asked if building permits will be required for the project, if Ron Maguire has made any unilateral commitments on behalf of council; if environmental assessments and the building code will be applied; and if the mayor will reaffirm his commitment to consulting with the Pine Lake Association. Maguire responded that the working agreement, which he had proposed, was based on the three parties deferring the issue of the ownership of the land. AAFNA would not be required to seek a land use permit from the MNR, or building permits from the township. Instead, they will agree, in writing, to honouring the building code, health unit requirements, and a type ‘A’ environmental assessment on the property.

“I took on the responsibility of drafting the agreement,” Maguire said, “and we have or will be seeking legal advice on the matter.” He added that before any agreement is signed it will come to council, and said that the township’s chief building officer has sent a letter to AAFNA, as has the public works manager, and the letters detail what is required of AAFNA to proceed in a way that ensures the development meets township standards.

Maguire pointed out that it is preferable to come to an acceptable agreement than otherwise. He said AAFNA has made it clear they intend to proceed and build a meeting hall, not a community centre, at the site, and if no agreement is reached, it will likely lead to a court case. “I have been involved in aboriginal issues for 35 years, and I can tell you that if the matter goes to court, it is by no means certain that the Crown will win.”

Bill Heikilla also inquired as to why Ron Maguire had not responded to three letters written to him by Pine Lake Association President David Rose in the past three months, or to a phone call in November.

Maguire responded that he had been preparing a response in early November, but the proximity to the November 13th election prompted him to delay. “After that, things have been happening and I didn’t want to respond until I knew where the matter stood,” Maguire told Heikilla. “I did respond to Mr. Rose’s phone call, but did not get through to him,” he added.

CLAR-MILL HALL DAMAGE In responding to an administration report concerning the accidental damage to the Clar-Mill Hall that resulted from attempts to repair a drainage problem, Councillor Wayne Cole said, “I have some issues regarding the whole procedure at the Clar-Mill Hall. I think at the very least a structural engineer should be brought in to look at the west wall, and the mould situation should be looked at in more detail.” Nonetheless, a motion authorising the necessary repairs was ultimately passed. Until the damage is repaired, the Plevna library will remain closed.

FIRE HALL DOORS Council received a report concerning another mishap, this one taking place at the new fire hall. Township employees were using a backhoe to move a fire cabinet weighing several hundred pounds, from the administrative office into the new fire hall. The cabinet was offloaded without incident, but as the backhoe was being backed out of the hall, the roll up door started to close and struck the boom which sticks up high on the backhoe. “These doors are set on an automatic timer and will close by themselves,” said the report, which was written by Fire Chief Steve Riddell.

The report went on to say that the cost and date of repair has not yet been determined because the door company had not returned a call from the fire chief.

Riddell also recommended that the automatic door be disabled so this kind of circumstance “will never happen again.”

Deputy Mayor Jim Beam said he does not like the idea of disabling a safety feature, saying that it might slow down fire crews as they leave the fire hall and head towards emergencies.

Two members of the fire crew were in the audience, and assured Council that all the fire trucks are equipped with electric door openers.

Riddell’s proposal was approved and the automatic door feature will be disabled.

OMPAH TRANSFER STATION - Good news for Ompah dump fans. The long-awaited Ompah transfer station will be opening in early January. The station will be open on Tuesdays between 10:00 and 2:00, and Saturdays between 12:00 and 4:00. Between May 15 and October 14th, Sunday hours of 4:00 until 8:00 will be added.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Mayor Maguire made the following committee appointments: Fire and Emergency Services Chair Fred Perry, members Bob Olmstead and Wayne Good; Personnel/Audit: Chair Fred Perry, members Wayne Good and Lonnie Watkins; Cemetery Task Force Chair Lonnie Watkins; Pine Meadow Nursing Home Board Rep. Wayne Cole; Community Policing Advisory Committee - Chair Ron Maguire, member Wayne Cole, (one community rep. to be appointed).

COST OF LIVING INCREASE Council considered a proposal to increase salaries for councillors, Committee of Adjustment members, and Township staff by 3%. Cost of Living increases over the past 9 years in North Frotnenac have ranged from a high of 5% in 1999, to a low of 2% between 2002 and 2004.

A survey of other municipalities in the region and cities within the province showed cost of living increases for 2007 ranging between 2.75% and 3.25%.

Deputy Mayor Jim Beam said he has “no problem with 3%, but I would first like to know where North Frontenac stands as far as salaries go as compared to similar-sized councils”.

Township Chief Administrative Officer/Treasurer Cheryl Robson said she did not have that information in hand. “We did do a study of that last year,” she said, “but I don’t have the information with me.”

A motion to approve the 3% increase passed, with Deputy Mayor Beam refraining from the vote.

MADD The fallout from recent publicity concerning the way the organisation Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been spending fundraising dollars was felt in North Frontenac. A proposal to purchase an ad in a MADD publication was turned down, with several councillors noting that they had read or heard that most of the money raised by MADD was invested in fundraising efforts rather than programming.

Upset of tree A letter was received from Margaret Axford of the Cloyne and District Historical Society concerning two maple trees which had been planted on the Cloyne Museum Grounds after the microburst of 2002. A contractor hired by the township to maintain the grounds last summer destroyed one tree and damaged a second one.

In response to the letter, council agreed to replace the tree, saying they will make sure that when the contract is set out for 2007 it is clear that care must be taken to avoid damaging the trees. Staff will also explore whether the 2006 contractor is willing to be held accountable for the damage.

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December 21st 2006

Project End Zone

by Jeff Green and Wilma Kenny----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the newly minted Central Frontenac Council settled into their seats to start handling the township’s affairs, they were greeted by the smiling face of a rather svelte Phil Leonard, long-time mayor of South Frontenac and warden of FrontenacCounty.

Leonard, who retired from municipal politics three years ago, was accompanied by Jack Fox and Jim Stinson, the General Manager of the North Frontenac Arena.

The three men came, cap in hand, asking for financial support for Project End Zone, a plan to renovate the arena, adding a 40 foot extension to the west end to house four new dressing rooms, an officials’ room, a skate sharpening room and storage.

“The arena is now 31 years old and it needs to be improved. With the number of young children, particularly girls, playing hockey being on the rise, the new dressing rooms are very necessary,” Leonard said.

Operation End Zone was initiated a couple of years ago, but the fundraising campaign sputtered. This new version is smaller because a planned recreation centre is not included,- and the goal is to raise $490,000. Of that, $200,000 (spread over as much as 5 years) is being sought from municipal sources. The arena is located at the boundary between Central and South Frontenac and the traditional funding breakdown has been 59% from South Frontenac and 41% from Central.

“So, you are looking for about $80,000 over five years’,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

“Actually, it’s 41%, so it’s $82,000” said Councilor Norm Guntensperger.

“Ever since you came to council, what was it, 3 years ago, to talk about this, I’ve been wondering when you’d be back looking for money,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski.

Phil Leonard said that the project has received a $50,000 commitment from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) which is contingent on municipal funding. The CFDC funds must be spent by the end of February, and Jim Stinson said they could be used to fund the blueprints for the project”

All of council was supportive of the request, even deciding that 5 years was too great a time frame. They passed a motion to spend $82,000 over four years, pending information from the township treasurer as to where in the township budget the money will come from.

“Can I get a copy of that motion tomorrow morning?” Leonard asked. “We’re going to South Frontenac Council tomorrow night. Oh, and Merry Christmas.”

South Frontenac does not disappoint

On Tuesday night, a request was made for 59% of $200,000 for the project, and the only debate at the council table had to do with how the funding would be divvied up.

The new South Frontenac Council took its first step toward amalgamation by agreeing to contribute as a township to the North Frontenac Community Arena renovation project. Until now, only Bedford and Portland districts have supported the arena. Deputy Mayor Stowe opened the discussion by suggesting the township contribute as a unit, and elect two representatives to sit on the arena board. Councillor Ron Vandewal agreed, saying that many children and adults of Loughborough district used the arena. Storrington District Councillor Larry York commented that he felt it would be appropriate to support a facility that provided a recreational facility for all ages.

South Frontenac will provide 59% of $200,000 over the next four years.

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