Letters
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 26, 2007Letters to the Editor
History on Pine Lake
I own a cottage on Pine Lake, which my husband, my kids and I share with my parents and my brother.
I have been coming to Pine Lake all my life. My father, Frank, has been coming all his life. It's this way because my great grandfather James Derue built this cottage in 1950 and it's been in my family ever since. In fact, it was the first one built on the lake.
At that time, my great grandfather was the local entrepreneur in Ardoch. He and his wife, Elsie, owned and operated the general store and the saw mill. They opened and managed the Pine Lake cottages and trailer park. Even though that was in the 1950s, people still remember and talk about them today.
Last summer a group of people clear cut two pieces of land at Pine Lake -- one beside my cottage and the other across the road. Three weeks ago they drilled a well. They say they are planning to build an office building, a community centre, a parking lot and Pow wow grounds to accommodate 1700 people. They even speak of one day building a seniors home.
I am told by the Ministry of Natural Resources that this group does not legally own this land, that they have not obtained a building permit nor have they conducted an environmental assessment that has been approved by the province to ensure that environmental and safety concerns are addressed. Apparently they have hired someone to do their own assessment, which is not the same thing.
Frankly, I am confused. Why do we have a building code and environmental assessment regulations? Are they meaningless or optional? How can a group of people not abide by our laws and then justify their actions by saying they have history here?
I have history here. I also do my best to follow the laws of our country because I want to live in peace with my neighbours. All I ask is that my neighbours do the same.
Janette Derue-Lane
Re: Ontario Roadsides -
Recently when my grandson Mason Lowery and I were walking along a stretch of Hwy.41 and saw the mess on the roadside, we decided to do some cleanup. It is most frustrating when you see what people toss out the window as they pass by. This ATV trailer full of garbage is some indication of the magnitude of things left on our roadsides.
It took just one-half kilometer to fill this trailer. I think it’s deplorable the way we treat rural Ontario roadsides. I believe we live in the greatest province in this country - why do we not have the good sense to take care of it? It might be tradition to live with rough surfaces, but at least we can attempt to keep the roadsides clean. Maybe if we did our part in keeping Ontario clean, we might encourage the provincial and municipal road departments into helping out with the roads in their jurisdictions. It would sure be nice to see our roadside grass mowing being carried out again as it once was, and the brush cut -- not only to keep it looking nice, but also consider the safety factor for drivers and their families using these roads. Wildlife can be in front of you too easily with the vegetation growing along some portions of our roadsides.
For what it’s worth, last year my wife and I drove to Alaska, across Canada and back through the USA, some 23,000 kms. And I must tell you, as much as I love Ontario, it was most depressing when we came back and looked at the roadsides in Ontario compared to what we had become accustomed to seeing.
I say to you, if we all pull together and do our part, we can make Ontario roadsides second to none and something we can all be proud of.
- Larry Hartin
Dear Editor
Mayor Gutowski must have been a figure skater in a previous life. That was an impressive display of gliding around in circles to set up for the big spin that she performed in her letter that was published here last week. Since creative thinking seems to be in short supply on Central Frontenac council (and let’s not forget that the current mayor and three of the councillors were part of the previous council), here’s a plan that will mitigate the ridiculous mess that they have created. Move the Kennebec road crew and their equipment back to the Arden municipal garage. Move the Olden Fire Dept. into the new four-bay extension recently built onto the Olden municipal garage to house the Kennebec equipment. Take the $465,000 slated for the new fire truck garage in Mountain Grove, add to it the $118,000 that Bill Snyder is so desperate to spend hard topping his favourite side road and there will be plenty to spend on salt domes for Arden and Olden ($240,000 each - Frontenac News, May 25/06) with enough left over to build a nice lounge for the Olden fire crew. Or the $15,000 shortfall can simply be made up by the decreased operating costs that not driving the Kennebec equipment back and forth on the highway all day will provide. That way Mr. Snyder’s neighbours can have their pavement. . . but no lounge for Olden. I wonder if they’ll pave my road too if I keep complaining.
The facilities at the new Sharbot Lake fire truck garage along with the empty municipal garage beside it (the stupidity of that should live forever) and surrounding empty township yard should be plenty to service any of the training seminars Mayor Gutowski lauded, although you have to wonder how many generations will go by before any revenue generated will be worth bragging about.
-Patrick Maloney
Re: “Consolidate rural schools”
I read with dismay the front-page story on the proposal to close and "consolidate" our rural schools. Here is yet another Mississauga"consultant" beingpaid by our tax dollars to recommend the further evisceration of our communities.
With oil and gas prices skyrocketing,supplies dwindling, and global climate change transforming everything around us, further centralization is the last thing anyone but an ostrich should be contemplating.
What on earthcan they be thinking?
In his book, "The Long Emergency", James Howard Kunstler describes North American society as "sleepwalking into the future". If the Limestone Schoolboardshows any sign of taking seriouslythe Mississauga proposalsto close our few remaining small rural schools, we the people should give them a sharp awakening.
Helen Forsey
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedCf_dumps
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 12, 2007Central Frontenac dumps dump passes, adopts system of listsby Jule KochBrison
At Tuesday night’s council meeting, Central Frontenac Council voted to replace their current system of mailing free dump passes to all residents with a procedure whereby a catalogue of names would be kept at all dump sites and residents would simply “sign off” on the list.
The system of creating and mailing the passes out with the tax bills is extremely labour intensive and Mayor Janet Gutowski said that she has seen staff take as much as a week away from their other work in order to accomplish the task. Also, people sometimes do not receive their passes or they lose them. The matter then has to be investigated and passes re-issued.
Under the new system, residents will not have to possess or remember to bring a pass. The lists will be periodically compared to make sure that residents only sign off once a year, and the waste site attendants will ask for ID if necessary to prevent people signing under false names. Anyone signing more than once will receive an invoice from the township.
Hinchinbrooke fryer - A delegation from District 4 Rec. Committee attended the meeting to ask council to re-consider a request they had made for $8000 to purchase a deep-fryer and ventilation system for the canteen at the Parham Fairgrounds. According to Councilor Bill Snyder, the request had been removed before it ever got to council and he asked why District 4’s recreation budget was only around $23,000, when the other districts had much larger allocations. To that point Councilor Frances Smith replied that the rec. committee budgets include expenses for community halls.
Joe Dupuis, spokesperson for the delegation, said that the goal of District 4 Rec. Committee is to make things better for the children and that chips and chocolate bars are not the best things to offer kids during games. The equipment would also create some revenue for the committee, enabling them to be more self-sufficient.
The issue of security was addressed at length in the committee’s submission because the canteen has been broken into and vandalized several times. The committee members will install steel gates and do all the work necessary to secure the facilities.
Council congratulated the District 4 Rec. Committee for their accomplishments and voted to grant the request for $8000.
Waste Management - Council voted to seek input from the public in its waste management and recycling policies by establishing a steering committee to work with the township’s waste management consultant and prepare a report with recommendations by June 27, 2007. Several councillors said they knew members of the public who have considerable expertise in that area. They will be asked to submit applications to sit on the committee, which will consist of two councillors, three members of the public and one staff person. Mayor Gutowski said that Central Frontenac waste sites are feeling the impact of the demise of the Frontenac E-Waste Centre.
3% solution? - Councilor Gary Smith questioned a 3% increase in the draft budget for the salaries of councillors and staff, saying that the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) increase is only 2.3%. Councilor Frances Smith said that the 3% just gives the budget some “wiggle room”, and council may vote to give themselves a smaller increase or none at all. Township Clerk/Acting CAO John DuChene suggested that council finalize the matter at the April 24 meeting, and council agreed.
Surprise grant - After the County of Frontenac received a grant for $289,000 towards developing the Trans-Canada Trail, they contacted Central Frontenac and asked if the township could utilize $10,000 of the grant money “to facilitate trail acquisition”.
“We were surprised by the call,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski, adding, “$10,000 won’t go very far, but if money is starting to flow we should investigate it.” The money would be used to determine the boundaries of the K&P trail in the Hamlet of Sharbot Lake, as “looking at Sharbot Lake to Harrowsmith involves major issues. A lot of people are against it,” said Councilor Bill Snyder.
Council voted to request the money from the county.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedLions
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 12, 2007Lions volunteers screen area school children
The thing we all see about service clubs is their fundraising activities. What we don’t always see is what they do with the money they raise. The
Lions Vision Screening program is a perfect example of how fundraising
meshes with volunteer service to fill a gap in our community schools.
A child’s entire classroom education depends on being able to see well. We all know stories of kids who struggled for years with school until someone thought to test them, but the system pays very little attention to kids’ eyesight. Sometimes teachers pick up cues, but there are no regular health department or school board programs to check basic sight quality. Enter the Lions Vision Screening program. Lions clubs in Verona, Sharbot Lake and Sydenham have volunteered to check every child in senior kindergarten and grade one in Clarendon, Land o’ Lakes, Hinchinbrooke, Sharbot Lake, St. James Major, Verona, Harrowsmith, St. Patrick and Loughborough Public Schools in several areas of visual performance.
The first part of the project was the purchase of a screening kit - at about $12,000 - which is shared with the 48 clubs of this Lions zone. Sydenham Lion Mary Ann Smith is the chairperson for our district’s Vision Screening Program. She has trained people to do sessions in many dozens of schools from east of Toronto to east of Sydenham, and she was at every one of the screenings in our area. With this kit, volunteers can test a child’s sharpness of vision, distance vision, and ability of the two eyes to work together. Once the program was in place, an area Lion set up times with each of our schools for members to go in and screen the students. Each participating student got a report to take home, which told parents whether the child had passed or failed the broad exams, and suggested that those kids who seem to be having difficulty – about 30% of students - be taken for a professional eye exam. Not all of these kids will be found to have a serious problem, but about one in six kids does. That’s five students in a class of 30 who might have had to struggle for years, undiagnosed.
It takes a lot of people to screen the kids, which is probably why it’s not being done by paid professionals. But one strength service clubs have is willing volunteers, and thanks to them, some of our kids will get the help they need. The volunteers are: from Sharbot Lake: Dawn & Dave Hansen, Richard Hicks, Gail Jackson, Bill Morton, Bill Pyle & Luc Salvador. From Verona: Ed Botting, Wayne Conway, Louise Day, Don Kelsey, John McDougall, Inie Platenius, John Steele & Frank York. From Sydenham: Shirley Fox, Doug Gerow, Wray Gillespie, Jim Kelly, Vic Smith (and Mary Ann, of course) & Velma Young.
PHOTO caption:
The Sydenham and District Lions Club participated for the first time this year in doing vision screening at Loughborough Public School. Vision Screening is a service provided by the Lions Clubs for screening the eyesight of Senior Kindergarten and Grade 1 students.
This service is very appropriate since Helen Kellar challenged the Lions many years ago to become the "Knights of the Blind".
Above: Lion Mary Ann Smith, Sydenham and District Lions Club
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedNf_mining_group
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 12, 2007NorthFrontenac mining group plannedby Jeff Green
It was a full house at the Snow Road Snowmobile clubhouse on Good Friday morning as a group of local residents and municipal politicians from Lanark and Frontenac Counties gathered to hear from Maureen Towaij of the Citizen’s Mining Action Group (CMAG) of Tay Valley, and Marilyn Crawford from the Bedford Mining Alert (BMA).
The two women recounted their experiences dealing with the Ministry of Mines and Northern Development (MMND) over mining claims on properties in their own regions.
They recommended that people whose properties have been staked by the uranium exploration company Frontenac Venture Corporation, and others in recent months, should form their own citizens’ group. This group could pool information and plan a co-ordinated response to the staking that has taken place, and the exploration that is planned for the coming years.
Maureen Towaij, from CMAG, talked about the attempts her group has made to influence provincial politicians on the matter of surface and subsurface property rights. In Tay Valley, as in Bedford and North Frontenac townships, prospectors have only been able to proceed with unimpeded claims staking because many of the landowners do not own the subsurface, or mining rights, to their own properties. Those rights are held by the Crown.
“Our high order solution, and this is one we have been promoting at all levels of the provincial government, even as far as the premier’s office, is to give landowners the right to buy back the subsurface rights to their properties,” said Maureen Towaij.
Towaij also talked about the hazards of abandoned mines in Tay Valley, saying that the government has been unwilling or unable to persuade mining companies to remediate the land after mining has been completed.
Marilyn Crawford talked more directly about strategies that people in North Frontenac might take in disputing some of the mining claims that have been made in recent months.
“Keep records of all the information you have, of all conversations you’ve had, everything,” she said, “but don’t forget that the mechanisms in the mining act are really about protecting claims from other prospectors, not protecting landowners from claims.”
Participants at the meeting were full of questions for the two speakers, and for Mark Burnham, the Chair of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, who also took questions.
Reeve Keith Kerr from Tay Valley, and Mayors Bob Fletcher and Ron Maguire from Lanark Highlands and North Frontenac respectively, were present. Several township councillors were also present, along with Randy Hillier, who is seeking the Conservative party nomination in this October’s upcoming election.
Municipalities have no jurisdiction when it comes to the Mining Act, which supersedes the municipal act in many cases.
On the provincial level, Mark Burnham said that when the political parties are out of power, they tend to listen to the landowners, but that changes when they get in government.
John Kittle and Robert Quigley, the North Frontenac residents who organized the meeting, encouraged everyone to sign a contact list, and are planning to form a concerned citizens’ group.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedRural_routes
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 12, 2007Rural Routes is growing!
Rural Routes is growing! We need your help! Why not become a Volunteer Driver – drive as much or as little as you like – it’s up to you! People who volunteer make a difference.
Rural Routes, operating under the umbrella of Northern Frontenac Community Services, provides transportation to residents of the townships of North Frontenac, Central Frontenac, and Bedford Township in South Frontenac. We work with Adult Services, the Child Centre, Northern Connections Learning Centre, Ontario Works, ODSP, Children’s Aid Society, the Triboard Student Transportation, as well as individuals who require the service.
An Evaluation conducted in November found that 48% of clients are over 60 years of age; 78% have an annual income of less than $19,000, and the most common use of Rural Routes is for shopping, banking, medical and dental appointments.
Some clients do not drive, or do not own a vehicle. Others are very happy to drive locally, but are uncomfortable driving into the city – that’s where you as a volunteer driver for Rural Routes can help out. By providing the kind of transportation we do, Rural Routes offers residents the ability to get to and from personal appointments for a range of medical services they may require, as well as social, cultural and recreational activities. Seniors are able to access shopping trips or destinations of special interest.
Volunteer drivers are required to have a valid drivers license, one million auto liability insurance, a Police Check and Drivers Record Check, and a cell phone. Volunteer drivers are paid a ‘reasonable reimbursement’ of .35/k for transportation provided. Drive destinations are Kingston, Perth, Smiths Falls, occasionally Ottawa, and Belleville. All transportation is arranged through the office.
Also, when transporting children, it would be very helpful to have another adult in the vehicle to deal with the immediate needs of the children. “Look at this!” “Can you get my book? It fell!” We are looking for volunteers to act in this capacity.
All across Canada volunteers are routinely engaged in enriching the lives of others – as a matter of fact, volunteers might be considered Canada’s greatest natural resource! This caring group of people makes a meaningful contribution that strengthens the fabric of Canadian society and helps to build strong communities.
Think about making your community a better place – about enriching the lives of others – and who knows? You may end up with a smile on your face!
For more information about becoming a volunteer driver or a driver’s assistants for Rural Routes Transportation Service, call Jane at 613-279-2044 or 1-877-279-2044.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedLetters
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 5, 2007Letters to the Editor
Fix our roads
I hate to be a NAG, but I cannot keep my tongue in my pocket any longer. OUR ROADS AREAPPALLING!!!!!I did not know that it was a requirement to have to wear a sports bra to drive on our side roads.I have had enough! And I hear they want another tax increase? You have to be kidding... for WHAT?
During the winter I have had to be driven outTryon Road3.5km. on a 4x4 to get to my daughter’scar waiting at the end of the road to be able to get to the hospital for surgery, because the roads weren't sanded. (She had to be driven in from the highway after work the night before, because she couldn't getin.)Then only to come homelater that day to find the road still not done. I have been taken out by ambulance in excruciating pain when every hole, bump, and hill sent me to the moon; the drivers didn't like it either. And now after another surgery, it is still a very painful ride! I am not looking for pity for all my pain, but come on...
Willsomeone please tell me...what are they doing?Do we even have a road crew? Yes, I realize the spring thaw is happening, yes... it is raining, yes... it is messy this time of year, but no excuses, 12 months of the year, this township has the worst roads around!
They don't mind grading the roads during the summer when rain is in the forecast and it washes the roads away and all the work they did is gone. You guessed it, more ruts and potholes and washouts. (And yes, I do pay attention to when they get done.)
They sure have not had a lot of snow plowing THIS winter or sanding...surely they could at lease drop some of that excess sand over some of the big holes and large sections of potholes, or do a partial grading. They don't seem to mind doing partial grading in the summer rather than doing the whole road. It still uses up the same amount of gas to drive down any road, why not do the whole thing?
Maybe we should be looking to hire private contractors to maintain our roads year round. That way at least wemight have more control over what gets done, and if it doesn't, they don't get paid!
I know I am not the only one who is fed up with this problem, and more people need to open their mouths and be heard.Maybe we should all start sending the township all our car repair and wheel realignments bills for them to pay. How does this community ever expect to attract new people, new businesses, and tourism, and keep them here, when our roads look and feel like something out of the 16th century?
So come on, guys, get with the program...FIX OUR ROADS!
- Linda Drapeau
To the Community of ParhamOn the evening of March 27 my fianc and I found the Exhibit Hall at the Fair Ground had been broken into again. This is the third time this has happened since the end of the Parham Fair last year.
To date we have had the Exhibit Hall broken into three times, the office broken into at least once, electronic winches stolen and the poultry barn has been ransacked and much of the lumber destroyed. These things cost the Fair Board, its members and its sponsors money and time to repair. The loss and damages will most likely cost the fair board around $1,000. This, in turn, represents at least $1,000 lost towards events at the fair. I would like to point out to everyone that there is nothing of value left at the fair grounds after the fair is over.
I must add that for the volunteers and me it is very discouraging to see our hard work destroyed by a few individuals. These volunteers work very, very hard to establish a fair we can all be very proud of. Many of you may not realize that the work required to put on the Fair is done entirely by volunteers there are no paid staff. These volunteers, who also have full-time jobs and families, freely give many hours every month, not to mention in excess of 12 hours per day on Fair Weekend, to provide this community event.
We have reported the latest incident to the OPP for further investigation. I would ask that if you see any unusual activity at any of the Fair Ground buildings, it be reported to the proper authorities so further action can be taken.
- Phillip Smith, President Parham Agricultural Society
April Fools no jokeThe April 1st paper is classed as a joke, but lies are no joke. There are elderly people who read this paper and would like to believe what’s in it, but if the shut-ins can’t believe their local paper, what can they believe?
April is Easter month; do people ever put out a paper to show the true meaning of Easter? The fact is that lies are wrong and we teach our kids not to lie, then have a day for it. Is that telling our kids it’s ok to lie on that day?Jesus died to save us from our sins and lying is a sin, so why do people think April Fool’s Day is a joke. Will people ever stop and see things before it’s too late? Let’s celebrate Jesus’s life and let people see lying is from the devil and hell is no joke.
So Happy Easter.
- Maedine Knox
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedFrontenac_arch
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 5, 2007What is the Frontenac Arch?by Jeff Green
Don Ross has spent years promoting an idea that many people find hard to get their heads around.
The idea is that an hourglass-shaped land bridge that connects the southern edge of the Canadian Shield with the ancient Adirondack Mountains in New York State is worth studying, supporting, and celebrating.
In November of 2002, the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve became the third in Ontario, and the 12th in Canada, to be so designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“Technically, the Adirondack Mountains have the same geology as the Shield,” Don Ross said when interviewed from the Frontenac Arch Biosphere office in the village of Lansdowne in Leeds-Grenville County. “They have the same granite type, known as Grenville Province. The Frontenac Arch is almost like a wildlife highway between the Shield and the Adirondacks, being crossed by an east-set migratory route, the St. Lawrence Valley. Songbirds follow one of these two routes year after year, as do bats, butterfly species, and dragonfly species. These animals disperse seeds as they travel, hence a migration of flora and fauna as well.”
One rather large example of the migratory patterns was a Moose, nicknamed Alice, who was radio collared near Saranac Lake in 2001, and who turned up in Frontenac Park some time later.
The boundaries of the Frontenac Arch are described as “flexible, diverse, and adaptive, representing the land that it encompasses,” according to the biosphere reserve’s website. At this time, the southern edge of the reserve is bordered by Gananoque and Brockville, and it narrows as it moves to the northwest until it is bordered by Seeley’s Bay and Delta. With the recent inclusion of the entire South Frontenac Township, the Frontenac Arch Biosphere reserve has gained much more territory, including Frontenac Park.
“The inclusion of South Frontenac is something we saw happening from the beginning,” said Ross. “The holdback was that Ontario Parks did not know whether it wanted to be in or out. They were in the process of beginning a management plan for the park, and it was hard for them to make a decision in 2002. But now they have, and we’re delighted to have South Frontenac in the reserve.”
As Don Ross pointed out when he visited South Frontenac Council earlier this winter, being part of the reserve does not impinge on the rights of South Frontenac Township or the landowners within its boundaries. The reserve is designed to promote activities, not to limit them.
Indeed, Don Ross said that one of the attractions of South Frontenac, as a township, is the comprehensive Official Plan that the township put in place some five years ago.
“It is really a model for other jurisdictions,” he said.
The Frontenac Arch biosphere has three broad goals, which Don Ross calls pillars: “The first pillar is conservation. The Frontenac Arch is one of the most significant ecological areas in the world, and includes two provincial parks (Frontenac Park and Charleston Lake Park), a national park (St. Lawrence Islands National Park) and Queen’s University Biological Station.” One program the reserve is sponsoring is a species-at-risk study.
The second pillar is sustainable development, which the biosphere reserve fosters through programs such as the Local Flavours initiative. This connects local farmers with people who want to purchase fresh, locally produced produce. Other programs include a study, completed last year, on the prospects for sustainable development along the Thousand Islands Parkway Corridor. There are also tourism initiatives, such as paddling tour maps, and a sustainable tourism development project.
The third pillar is to provide support for education and knowledge about sustainable development; one of the prime vehicles for this is the summer camp that has been established at Landon Bay near Gananoque. The camp runs in July and August, with each week being devoted to a different theme.
The greatest way the Biosphere Reserve seeks to accomplish its goals is through partnerships with other organizations. By bringing South Frontenac into the fold, groups such as the South Frontenac Sustainability Committee and the National Farmer’s Union local will find like-minded people from the east to work with.
As the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve looks to the future, the possibility of looking south to extend all the way to the Adirondack Mountains is always there.
“On the American side, Adirondack State Park is a biosphere reserve, but the Bush government hasn’t exactly been warm and fuzzy towards the idea of a reserve such as we’ve developed in Ontario. But we have developed partnerships with Fish and Wildlife, and an NGO called Saving the River,” Don Ross said.
One thing is certain. If and when the Americans are ready, the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve will be more than happy to expand its borders to include the entire Arch.
As one of the programs of the South Frontenac Natural Environment Committee, Don Ross will be speaking about the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve at the Sydenham Town Hall on April 18, from 7-9pm. Further information can be found at www.fabr.ca
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedStephen_lewis
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 5, 2007A night with Stephen Lewisby SusanStopford
Last week quite a number of local people traveled by car and bus to LaSalle Secondary School in Kingston in order to hear Stephen Lewis speak.
Stephen Lewis is an amazing man. He is 69 years old and is so consumed by his passion that he speaks to a different group in a different city most nights of the week. Stephen Lewis is a man on fire, and his passionate mission is to educate the rest of us about the effect HIV/ AIDS is having on the people of the African continent.
For five and a half years, until the end of 2006, Mr. Lewis was the United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. No one had filled this job before and he was given no real job description, so he went to Africa, from his home in Toronto, to immediately educate himself about the AIDS 'problem'. Many people in this type of job are virtually invisible, little more than paper pushers. Not so this Canadian former leader of the provincial NDP. Stephen Lewis immersed himself in the reality of AIDS in Africa. He got to know the people affected: the dying mothers, the orphaned children, the overburdened grandmothers. He saw the carnage left in AIDS' wake and so his passion was born.
After various introductions were made, none of which seemed all that necessary at the time, Mr. Lewis took the stage and looked out over the large, well-dressed, well-fed, middle-class crowd that had gathered in LaSalle's clean and modern auditorium/gymnasium. He is a medium sized man in an ordinary grey business suit and with his pale skin and fading grey hair almost long enough to be tied back, he'd be easy to overlook. But as soon as Mr. Lewis opened his mouth the magic poured out - magic that only happens when you hear a truly brilliant speaker who is in complete control of his words and who is empowered by his thoughts. He immediately wrapped his listeners in a warm blanket of empathy with his melodious tones and ability to laugh. He seemed to feel no need to lecture his audience; instead he was able to include them while he ranged amiably through various aspects of his life, both personal and political. This is a man with an extremely impressive vocabulary!
Since this "Night With Stephen Lewis" was presented by Limestone District School Board's Parent Council Liaison Committee, Mr. Lewis directed his talk toward the many teachers and parents in the audience. He described talking to the children of Africa, some of the most horribly scarred children in the world. He has spoken to the victims of war, the child soldiers, the child prostitutes, the emotionally disfigured and parent-less victims of AIDS and human strife and asked them "What can we do for you? How can we help?" They always reply that they "want to go to school". It seemed, said Mr. Lewis, that "going to school is a human need that is universal...that all children want to join with their peers; perhaps it gives them hope where none seems to exist".
Mr. Lewis spoke of his frustration at the world's, and particularly the world's governments' inability to listen and habit of turning a blind eye when horrendous things happen in Africa. He encouraged all of his listeners to become engaged and to think globally. He encouraged all the teachers to talk to their students in order to produce a new generation of Canadians who understand issues relating to social justice and global citizenship.
Stephen Lewis has recently been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. The Stephen Lewis Foundation was established in 2003 to help "ease the pain of individuals, families and communities struggling with HIV/AIDS in Africa". You can find it at www.stephenlewisfoundation.org.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedVerona_doctor_meeting
Back toHome
Feature Article - April 5, 2007Verona's doctor meeting
by Inie Platenius
At the public information night about the future of the Verona Medical Clinic, Doctor Laurel Dempsey began her remarks with the following request, “Repeat after me: Doctor Dempsey is not going to retire any time soon.” You could feel crowd’s anxiety level drop as they chuckled and did the choral exercise.
About 100 people came out to hear speakers explain the current state of doctor recruitment in Ontario and to outline ways that our community can help with the process of bringing in new people in the future. Louise Day gave a heartfelt account of her early days here in the clinic with her husband Doc Day, reminding us that it was the generosity of a few farsighted villagers and the welcoming of the community at large that brought them to Verona and kept them here for 40 years.
Like the Days, Dr. Dempsey was drawn to Verona by a desire to practice in a rural setting. After many years’ experience in city hospitals and palliative care, she is enjoying her practice here very much, but she said, “I’m not going to be here forever, and I didn’t want to leave the community in any kind of crisis.” So a couple of years ago, she began quietly speaking to a few patients about the need for community involvement in recruiting. The Verona Community Association agreed to get involved, and John McDougall offered to oversee the process.
Dr. Lynn Wilson, Administrator of the five-clinic Rural Kingston Primary Care Health Network, entertained the crowd with an informative visual presentation “Tracking and Capturing Physicians” which listed the many strengths Verona already has in the quest for replacement docs. It was clear that our recent physicians have worked hard to keep the clinic and its practice up to date.
In her remarks, Dianna Bratina, Manager of Economic Development for Frontenac County, outlined the demographics of the area’s medical scene. Four of the eight doctors in county practice are over 60 – one of whom is Dr. Dempsey. All of their offices are working at capacity. And according to government doctor/patient ratio criteria, South Frontenac needs 8 additional doctors! She also listed some of the possible financial incentives that Verona could be eligible for under its “under-serviced area” designation, and offered to work with the Verona committee in its planning.
In the Q & A session following the meeting, Bruce Maitland told the group, “You’re off to a great start.” His job is to recruit and retain doctors in about 50 communities east of Toronto, and one of his pieces of advice was to not underestimate the power of personal connections. He gave the example of one community where an elderly woman mentioned to the recruiters that her sister’s doctor in B.C. was wishing he could come home to Ontario. They called the doctor up, made their pitch, and that doc now practices in their community!
The Verona Community Association has dedicated $5000 this year as a kickoff to the funding campaign, and at the end of the meeting, June Goodberry announced a challenge: she and her husband Ron are donating $250 each to the campaign and challenge others to meet or match it. Charitable receipts are available.
The meeting was a motivating beginning to the work ahead – building a plan for financial incentives, raising the money, and most importantly finding the people who best fit our community and who will practice here for many years to come.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedSecond_depot_lake
Back toHome
Feature Article - 31, 2007Second Depot Lake Jam Sessions
Roy and Joan Shepherd are two retired people who are just now finding some time to pick up a guitar and a fiddle. They love music and have decided to organize some good old tyme country and bluegrass jam sessions, which they intend to hold on Sunday afternoons throughout July and August, as long as people are attending.
The sessions will be held at Second Depot Lake Campground and will last from 1 to 4pm, and the Shepherds are looking for musicians to bring their instruments, Guitar, Fiddle, Banjo, Dulcimer, Harmonica, Spoons, Washboard, etc. Whether a beginner just learning, or an accomplished performer trying out some new licks, all musicians are welcome to spend a pleasurable afternoon sharing their love of music.
There will be no admission charge for performers, and for the listening audience, a donation of $2 per person or $5 per family to cover expenses would be appreciated. The public is asked to bring their own chairs, and no alcohol or glass bottles are allowed in the concert area.
The Shepherds will be starting the jam sessions on Canada’s birthday, July 1. For more information, contact Roy or Joan 613-374-5477
Other Stories this Week View RSS feed