Back to HomeEditorial - February 12, 2009 In defence of wood heatEditorial by Jeff Green This week's warm weather has been a great relief for many of us who have been beaten down by three months of nearly constant cold weather.

For people who heat with wood, the romance of the cracking fire wears pretty thin in February, after 3½ months of hauling wood in, hauling ash out, cleaning chimney pipes, and watching a once healthy woodpile dwindle.

At the same time, there have been calls in urban areas to put in new rules about wood stoves, because of concerns over emissions. There have even been calls to ban wood stoves entirely. It's bad enough struggling with wood all winter, but to be responsible for killing the planet at the same time is a bit too much to take.

Luckily there are other ways to look at wood smoke.

Paul Grogan, a Queen's Biology professor who lives in Kingston, has begun burning wood in a high efficiency stove to supplement the use of natural gas in his 3,200 square foot home in Kingston.

He has used himself as a test subject for a study some of his students are doing on the relative cost and environmental impacts in comparison study between heating entirely with natural gas and using a combination of wood/gas. An academic paper based on his experience will be published later this year, but some of the results were revealed in a talk he gave a couple of weeks ago.

He has used wood for about 60% of his heating needs, and while he found minimal monetary savings, only about $50 a year (he sourced his wood from Battersea and paid $240 per cubic cord of mixed hardwood, which included some birch) he calculated that the cuts in green house emissions were substantial.

The reason is that he determined that burning wood is neutral as far as its carbon footprint.

Wood smoke can be a dirty, high carbon smoke, (less so with a stove that has a catalytic converter). However, there are two other factors with wood. When a mature tree is removed from a hardwood forest, it stimulates the growth of smaller trees, increasing the ability of the forest to act as a carbon sink.

If, however, the tree is left to its own devices, it will die and rot, releasing as much green house gases as go up the chimney from a wood stove. So, if the tree is going to create gas anyway, why not get some heat out of it? For these reasons, Grogan concluded that wood heat has a net zero greenhouse impact.

There are other aspects of wood heat that Grogan did not cover in his study, which is focussed on a more urban experience than a rural one.

Harvesting wood is a relatively simple prospect. A logger needs large machinery, to be sure, but nothing so massive as an oil rig, or a coal or nuclear fired power plant, or a natural gas pipeline. Wood does not need refining; it only needs to sit out in the sun.

Every household that burns wood generates local employment, simply by heating their home. People who buy wood keep local logging operators going, and while many retailers have had a hard time in recent years, selling and repairing chain saws and other equipment, as well as ATVs, has been a good business to be in.

Wages are low in rural Ontario. It is hard to make enough money to keep going, but for many people wood is cheap because it can be accessed. There may not be enough money around for a tank of oil, but anyone with a chainsaw and a bit of land is able to keep their feet warm.

Wood heat is not for everyone. One of the things that Paul Grogan noted in his study is that people he interviewed in Kingston did not consider the amount of work involved in wood heat as a major factor. But the amount of work involved in wood heat is certainly a factor, and wood heat is only for a limited number of people.

However, as we consider ways to keep our rural economies viable, government grants to help people invest in better wood stoves and furnaces, as part of the green infrastructure initiatives that are all the rage these days, would make sense.

If a few hundred people in this region switched from oil or electric to wood heat, there would be jobs created, and that's what all of this deficit spending is supposed to be about. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 12, 2009 Will it be “all for one and one for all” in South Frontenac?By Jeff Green

Two weeks ago, South Frontenac council rejected a proposal to amalgamate the road maintenance and parkland reserve funds in the township.

Currently the roads and waste management services, as well as some reserve funds, are all managed on a district basis. The township has a central budget and four district budgets, and both Mayor Davison and some senior township staff have argued that having four roads budgets and four waste management budgets in one township is unwieldy and does not foster a unified township.

This week at a Committee of the Whole meeting, the majority of South Frontenac councilors agreed to look seriously at amalgamating all services within the township, even the contentious one of waste management.

Mayor Gary Davison initiated the debate this week by saying, “Comments were made last time to the effect of 'let's not do half, let's get it done’, so here we are again”.

Councilor Ron Vandewal said, “I was one that definitely said that. There are things we have to agree about, such as reserve funds. Right now the way it works the districts have all the gravy and the township has all the liability. We have to move forward somehow or we'll fall back. I think this council should deal with this before our term is up”.

Among the five other councilors who were present, three agreed with Vandewal, but Portland councilors Jim Hicks and Bill Robinson remained opposed.

“I'm ok with amalgamation,” said Robinson, “for the roads, I'd support that, but waste management and central recreation, I won't support that”.

The two councilors for Storrington district, who have been cold to the amalgamation proposal, were not in attendance.

“Why don't we get the mayor and the CAO to bring a proposal forward for amalgamation to our Committee of the Whole meeting in March, and we can go through it and see what we like and what we want to change,” suggested Councilor David Hahn.

Mayor Davison acknowledged that any decision about amalgamation would have to be made with the entire Council present, but said, “We are not going to stop moving issues forward because people aren’t here. Everyone will get their chance”.

Gord Burns will bring a report forward to a meeting on March 10.

Salt management: Public works Manager Mark Segsworth brought forward a proposal to engage Jewell Engineering in a $63,500 contract to design a second salt/sand building at the township’s largest works yard at Keeley Road near Sydenham. Jewell will also provide a proposal for a series of other changes to the site to make it safer and bring it in line with provincial requirements. All of the work that needs to be done at Keeley Road will likely cost more than $1 million, and will likely be paid for out of the township’s gas tax rebate from the federal government.

“Keeley Road is our largest yard, and will likely remain that way for quite a while,” said Segsworth, “It's a good place to start, and then we can work at getting all of our yards up to standard.”

“We give people such a hard time when they want to put an addition on to their cottage; I think it’s time we got our own house in order,” said Councilor Del Stowe.

A resolution to approve the $63,500 contract will come to the Council meeting on February 17.

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 5, 2009 Addington Highlands CouncilBy Jeff Green

Reeve dissapointed over County broadband snub

Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg was not happy when he found out at a Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Council meeting on January 28th that a grant application for rural high speed Internet extends as far north as Stone Mills township, but not Addington Highlands.

He was still seething a week later when Addington Highlands Council was asked to pass a resolution endorsing the L&A Rural Connections grant application.

“They say it is too expensive to provide service to the North, but I'm very disappointed,” he said.

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch, who also serves on County Council, said, “we still should pass a resolution supporting this even if we are not happy. I move we support this.

Henry Hogg smiled at this, but he voted against the motion, which passed in a 3-2 vote. Councillor Janice Kerr also voted against it.

An alternate broadband, unrelated to the L&A application, is also a possibility for Northbrook and Vennachar. As well, Addington Highlands residents near Cloyne could get service if their application to the Rural Connections program is successful.

A different kind of cell service for Kaladar – It is now possible, once again, to spend a night in jail in Addington Highlands.

During their quarterly reporting on police activities, OPP officials said that after being closed for several years, the jail cells at the Kaladar detachment have been brought up to standard and are available for use.

911 signs the responsibility of property owners – Roads superintendent Royce Rosenblath said that as winter crews have been patrolling the roads they have noticed that some 911 signs have come down as people have been clearing snow from their driveways.

“The signs are now used for many purposes, and people need to keep them clean and visible,” Rosenblath said. “They are only the township’s responsibility if we knock them down, but that doesn't really happen because we made sure they would not be affected by snow clearing on the roads when we put them up. They cost $75 to replace and it is the property owner's responsibility.”

The township will include a note about 911 signs in the first instalment of property tax bills, which are going out this month.

Budget meeting – Council will meet next Monday, February 9th, to begin considering the 2009 township budget.

Curbing the bright lights of Denbigh – Council will be inviting Frank Roy, from the Elektra Observatories project, to a meeting.

“Some of the dark sky initiative concerns me,” said Henry Hogg. “They are talking about a 35 kilometre radius where street lights are to be limited, which includes Denbigh. We should here more about this.”

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Back to HomeFeature Article - February 5, 2009 Skiing for Rural VisionsBy Julie Druker

Photo: Dave Linton skis for CFCSC's Rural Visions

Local cross country skiing enthusiast, Dave Linton will be strapping on his skis on Valentine’s Day, and in doing so will be pursing two of his ongoing loves; cross country skiing and donating to a worthy cause.

Linton will be competing on February 14th in “Keskinada”, the 31st edition of the International World Class Loppet taking place at Gatineau Park in Quebec, as part of Ottawa’s Winterlude Festival.

Linton has been canvassing door to door in and around the Sydenham community to raise awareness and funding for the Rural Visions Centre of the Central Frontenac Community Services Corporation (CFCSC).

Now in his tenth year as a volunteer driver for Rural Visions, Dave joined the CFCSC when he retired. He has come to cherish the time he has spent volunteering as well as the people he has met while serving the community.

“I got a lot of pleasure bringing one gentleman to job training in Kingston. He’d had an industrial accident and was retraining as a heavy equipment operator. That was a really happy story.” He added, “You get to know people very well. You get to hear some of their life stories.”

This will be Dave’s ninth year skiing the 53km International loppet, and he’s decided this year to use it as an opportunity to raise money for the CFCSC. In his words, “It’s a matter of fundraising, but also making people aware of CFCSC because people often don’t know about them and the services they offer.”

He stressed the fact that though the government funds a portion of the costs of CFCSC’s services, the community is relied upon to raise funds for the remainder.

Giving back to the community has always been important to both Dave and his wife Jennifer, who met in the Kingston area in 1968 during the “Miles for Millions”, a 36 mile charity walk.

At 68 years old and in fine physical shape due to his avid love of skiing and physical fitness in general, Dave does not take his health for granted. He states in the CFCSC current February newsletter. “In less than a heartbeat I might never be able to participate in another marathon….I, or friends, or neighbours might need a service offered by CFCSC…”

With that in mind, Dave will once again be off to ski the hilly slopes of Gatineau Park, to raise funds and awareness and to seek the thrill that skiing and physical exercise in general always bring him. “It’s uplifting. You see the world differently. It’s an elevated sense of awareness. There’s a certain spot in the race, at the Champlain lookout, when you get that far…it’s euphoric.”

In preparation for the marathon Dave started skiing two months ago every other day, progressively lengthening his runs. He trains around his home and on trails at the Little Cataraqui Conservation Area.

When I spoke to him he was up to 39 kms. “I like to prepare so that I know I can do it when I get into the race.” While he is always hoping to improve his performance at the annual race, he is also aware of his personal limitations and admits, “I definitely have to pace myself.”

Watching the long-range weather forecast, Dave is hoping for a nice mild day. His wife will be accompanying him to Quebec and will be waiting for him at the finish line.

Dave looks forward to crossing that line on Valentine's Day, and in doing so will have served both himself and his community very well indeed.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Dave Linton can call Rural Visions Centre in Sydenham at 613-376-6883.

Back to HomeOutdoors in the Land O'lakes - February 5, 2009 Where have the Evening Grosbeaks gone?By Steve Blight

One of the more colourful winter visitors to area bird feeders is the Evening Grosbeak. Many people enjoy seeing this stocky yellow, black and white finch at their feeders, although the amount of seed these birds can consume can be quite daunting when they descend on a feeder in good numbers. I have heard stories of people going through several pounds of sunflower seeds per day in the middle of an invasion of these gregarious birds!

In the last few years, however, sightings of Evening Grosbeaks seem to have been fewer and further between. Anecdotal evidence from long-term residents and rural property owners in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec suggests that these birds are much less common that they used to be. In some areas, recent winters have passed without a single sighting. So what’s going on?

Before we look at this question, let’s review the recent history of Evening Grosbeaks in Ontario. They formerly nested only in the west before spreading eastward in more modern times. For example, the first breeding record in Ontario is from 1920 at the Lake of the Woods, and records show that it reached Algonquin Park in 1932. In Quebec, Evening Grosbeaks were unknown, even as winter visitors, until the 1890s, and the first evidence of Evening Grosbeaks nesting in that province wasn't discovered until the 1940s. Populations in Ontario continued to grow until they reached a peak, probably in the mid-1980s.

Three reasons have been suggested to explain why Evening Grosbeaks expanded eastwards, all related to food supply. First, the planting of Manitoba Maples on farms and in towns in the east enticed the birds eastward – some people refer to this as a “baited highway” to the east. Second, spruce budworm outbreaks in the spruce and fir forests of eastern North America provided them with an excellent food supply for the breeding season. Finally, extensive logging of eastern boreal forests led to an explosion of berry producing trees and shrubs like wild cherries.

Evening Grosbeaks nest in mature or second growth coniferous or mixed forests, generally north of our area. Often the highest numbers of breeding birds are found in areas experiencing outbreaks of spruce budworm. These birds are known as “irruptive migrants” – meaning that their migration is irregular and often in response to food availability. Normally they move south in good numbers only in winter, sometimes travelling as far as the southern US in search of reliable food supplies. As a result, they may be locally common in any given area one year, and virtually absent the next year. I recently read a report from a bird fan in New Mexico who noted she had some at her feeder in 1996 and again in 2001, but not in between.

Project Feederwatch is annual survey of North American birds that visit backyard feeders in winter. In Canada, it is run by Bird Studies Canada. According to their data, in most geographical regions across North America the probability of seeing grosbeaks during winter has declined. While the pattern is clear, they have not been able to determine the cause. Because Evening Grosbeaks are irruptive migrants, declining observations could mean that the birds are changing their wintering locations or that there are real declines in abundance.

According to the second Ontario Atlas of Breeding Birds (2007), populations of Evening Grosbeaks showed an annual decline of 8.2% in Canada and an even higher 11.9% annual decline in Ontario since 1981. In addition, the atlas project revealed that the likelihood of observing an Evening Grosbeak declined by 30% in the 20 year period between the first and second atlases. The atlas also noted that the decline in Ontario began at roughly the same time as when outbreaks of spruce budworm began to decline in the province, and – happily – that populations of this likeable bird have probably stabilized.

Let’s hope that Evening Grosbeaks will be back at our feeders soon – despite how much they eat, a visit by these beautiful birds can really brighten up a winter day.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Back to HomeFeature Article - January 29, 2009 Frontenac County Council -Jan 21/09By Jeff Green

Frontenac Council is “a bit unique” says governance consultant.

Doug Armstrong, whose company is being paid $35,000 to make proposals for how Frontenac County should be governed in the future, appeared before County Council last week in advance of his final report, which is due later this winter.

He said he will be laying out several options for County Council to consider.

“Frontenac County is one of few who have taken the initiative to look at governance since municipal amalgamation took place over ten years ago, and you should be commended for your initiative,” he said.

“The County is a bit unique,” he added, “when I drive passed Sharbot Lake as I go from my home in Peterborough to Ottawa, I don't think about Wolfe Island. Mayor Maguire from North Frontenac probably left home at the same time I did this morning from Peterborough to get to this meeting.”

(Frontenac County Council's offices are located in Glenburnie, which is in the jurisdiction of the City of Kingston)

Armstrong also said that after amalgamation Frontenac County was basically dismantled and became known as the Frontenac Management Board, only to re-attain County status five years later.

“It was originally going to be only an agency to distribute shared funds, but the province being what it is, they still went ahead and transferred services down to the County, so as something that was headed in one direction and got pushed into another you've done quite well.”

Armstrong has met with councillors and the mayor's from each of the four townships that make up the County as background for his report, and has looked at governance in other Ontario Counties.

“The size of the council, with only four members, and its configuration, ere the major issues that the people I talked to were concerned about,” he said.

Among the ideas that were presented to him by township councillors was adding the Deputy Mayor’s from each township to the council, which would double the size of the body.

“But one of the things that happens is townships change their Deputy Mayor every year and that would not do much for continuity on the County Council,” he said.

Another popular proposal, which came from many parts of the County, Armstrong said, “was giving some extra membership on council to South Frontenac.”

For his part, South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison made it clear he does not seek or support extra members or extra authority for his township at the County level, even though South Frontenac ratepayers pay 58% of the County levy each year.

“Frontenac County is a vast piece of geography. It's been that way for 100 years. I think the ability to govern it is here, right around this table. We all have our niches, but you win some and you lose some. I think all we need to do is try and make it work. I'm not looking for any extra authority for South Frontenac. I don’t think there should be a weighted vote. I think we need to make good decisions,” he said.

Doug Armstrong also noted that some of the people he has interviewed were highly critical of the County, talking particularly about the great distance and separation between the north and the south

“Many of them thought the County is redundant, however, redundant or not it is a two tiered format in Ontario and it will stay that way,” said Armstrong.

Armstrong’s report will be brought back to a steering committee within the next month and will come to full Council in March or April.

Any changes that the County makes to its governing structure must be in place by the end of 2009 in order to be in effect for the next municipal election, which takes place in November of 2010.

County of Frontenac: Fresh with Opportunity Growing vibrant, innovative, natural, sustainable placesNo it’s not a new store in Harrowsmith, but it is selling something

It’s the proposed vision statement that the people working on the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan for Frontenac have come up with thus far.

Anne Marie Young, the Manager for Economic Development for Frontenac County, and Graham Halsall, the County sustainability co-ordinator, introduced the statement to a meeting of County Council last week.

The statement will be further considered as the sustainability plan is finalised over the next few months.

Five steering committees, each one looking at a different aspects of County life, will hold meetings this week, and will continue meeting over the next months.

The final plan is due in June.

The County will be mailing out information about the process within the next month.

Budget debate this week

Frontenac County Council is having its major budget meeting this week, but in receiving the draft budget for information from treasurer Marian VanBruinessen last week, County Couuncil saw that they are facing an increase of as much as $380,000, or 4.6% in the amount of money it will be asking from ratepayers, unless major cuts are made.

Of that increase, $180,000 comes from a projected decrease in interest payments that the County will receive in 2009, an impact from the global economic downturn.

The increase had originally been slated at almost $1 million, or 11%, but County Treasurer Marian VanBruinessen has recommended that reserve funds be used to bring the number down by almost $530,000.

One of the reserve funds being used was set up a couple of years ago to put money aside for the impacts of an economic downturn, and VanBruinessen says it can be used this year because more money for social transfers is slated to come from the province next year, so the reserve will be replenished.

One member of County Council would like the County to look at a new expenditure.

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire asked that funding for upgrades to the Pine Meadow Nursing home, be put on the agenda at this weeks budget meeting for consideration. Pine Meadow is located in Lennox and Addington County, but half of its residents come from Frontenac County. Last year, County Council refused a request for a grant of $25,000 per year for ten years for the Pine Meadow project.

A similar request to Lennox and Addington County was successful.

Both Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties own and run their own long - term care facilities

Observatory sparks interest

Frank Roy and Peter Mackinnon from the Elektra Observatory project, a proposed high tech observatory for Mallory hill near Vennachar, at the far northeast end of Frontenac County, were seeking an endorsement for their project to help them raise the $2 million they will need to complete it.

The proposed instrument, nicknamed the one metre initiative, “would be the most advanced telescope in Canada,” said Frank Roy.

Even though the scope would be devoted to scientific use and would be remotely controlled, Roy pointed out that a similar project in Quebec, at Mont Megantic, has been the catalyst for a major tourism initiative .

The major attraction of the site for the Elektra Observatory people are the dark skies. Frank Roy presented a map which showed that the location is the darkest in southern Ontario.

“I think this complements perfectly what we are hearing from the public,” said County Warden Janet Gutowski. “We would certainly do everything we can do for it. Let’s hit Nike mode. Let’s do it.”

County Council endorsed the initiative.

There is a website: www.elektraobservatories.org with extensive information about the project.

Councilors see their money slipping away

Consultant Rob Wood and Anne Marie Young, new Frontenac County Manager for Economic Development, addressed Central Frontenac Council on Monday night about the community consultations that have taken place as the county prepares an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP).

The plan is designed to, among other things, set out a framework through which the county would begin spending infrastructure money that it has been accumulating for the past four years.

The county has received about $2 million in gas tax money thus far, and will receive $800,000 per year until 2014. Aside from a few consultation exercises, including the current ICSP process, the money has been banked so far.

Rob Woods talked to council about the common themes that have emerged from the community consultations that have taken place. “We received a message from throughout the county that there is a kind of desire for people to be as independent as they can be, a real sense of kinship and pride about our rural lifestyle ... On the economic and ecological side, people favoured green industries such as growing biomass on low grade land, broadband, protecting our natural splendour and our water supply,” he said

The process will now be setting up task forces to look at five specific areas of concern, and a final plan is slated for presentation to the county by June. An orientation session is slated for Friday January 16, 2 p.m., at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake to kick start the task force process.

The areas that the task forces will be looking at include: economic development and communication, land use planning and communication, quality of life, infrastructure and energy, and protection of natural areas. The initiatives that the task forces identify as being key to the future of the county will be narrowed down over the next few months to be presented to county council for funding consideration.

Councilors Gary Smith and Frances Smith raised concerns about where the ICSP is heading.

“What is the statistical significance of the number of people that have been consulted through this process,” asked Gary Smith, “and who’s going to decide what projects are funded? Is it going to be the county or is it going to be the process?”

“It was not a statistical exercise,” Woods said. “We were trying to identify projects and bring out ideas.”

At this point Frances Smith intervened. “Will the gas tax be like an economic development corporation that will spend money on these projects?” she asked.

“They will look at the projects. The process will be fairly extensive. They will look at the projects that will take us forward towards the vision we have for the Frontenacs,” Woods said.

“Who will decide on projects?” asked Councilor Bob Harvey.

“I suppose the county,” said Woods.

Mayor Janet Gutowski said, “Many citizens have come out thus far and if councilors could come out to the orientation session on Friday, they would have a better idea about what is going on.”

“The county is going to become a funding agency with money that I understood was going to stay municipal. This is going to allow for not-for-profit or for-profit corporations to access the money, whereas in other counties the money stays with the municipality. This is one of the reasons why I haven't been attending these meetings,” Frances Smith said.

Councillor Gary Smith then pointed out that a year ago Central Frontenac Council put in a request to the County for $250,000 to fund a salt dome from federal gas tax dollars.

“We haven't heard a thing,” said Gary Smith. “Instead we hear you are going ahead with proposals that have nothing to do with municipal infrastructure.”

Rob Woods then said, “The part I was involved with in all this was to hear about what the community interests are.” 

Railway Museum committee wants council to take a stand

Gary Gilller, representing the 8-year-old Central Frontenac Railway Museum Committee, came to council to present a proposal for a multi-use cultural centre that would incorporate a railway museum and would be built on the site and in the design of the original Sharbot Lake railway station. The site is located across the road from the township’s current offices.

The project has been held in limbo for years over the availability of the site, but Giller said his information is that the site will be included in the pending sale of railway lands for the Trans-Canada trail, which runs though it.

The eight-page proposal, as well as appended drawings, is designed to deal with the township’s space problems (the public works department is currently housed in portables, and the council chambers in the current office have long been turned into office cubicles), and provide for a new library, which is something that the Kingston Frontenac Public Library has been looking for.

The plan that Giller brought forward includes a 1,000 sq. ft. museum, a 2,000 sq. ft. library, a 400 sq. foot meeting room, 500 sq. ft. of office space, and other rooms, totalling around 5,000 square feet of space, all housed in a replica of the Van Horne-designed Sharbot Lake train station. The rough estimate for the cost of the project, which was included in the proposal, is between $1.15 to $1.35 million.

The proposal quotes a township resolution, passed some six years ago, which said the project “would provide an important piece of infrastructure for the region, helping to highlight its history, and which would considerably enhance our tourism potential. Especially if, as conceived, it were to be located along the Trans Canada Trail.”

“I will leave this with you, on the hopes that you will consider it in the near future,” Giller said. “We are at a point now, on the railway committee, where we can only go so far until there is a commitment by the township. We can only raise the expectations on the part of our membership and the public so far without delivering.”

“I think your timing is excellent, with our budget coming up,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski, “I’d like to see council move closer to a decision on this.”

“I’m pretty negative about this project,” said Councilor Bob Harvey, reiterating his long-stated opposition. “With our own space needs and with our dollars I can’t see this happening at this time.”

Other councilors were more positive. “I’d like to remind Councilor Harvey that this could be a solution to our space problems,” said Councilor Norman Guntensperger.

Council will be holding a “visioning” or “brainstorming” session in the next couple of months to consider their space and recreational facility needs.

Salt Dome deferred – A request from Public Works Manager John Simcock to tender brushing and slab wall concrete production for a salt dome at the Olden dump site was considered. Councilor Purdon raised some issues regarding clearances at the proposed site, and council may want to go back to the engineering company to make sure the site is suitable. John Simcock was not in attendance at the meeting so the item was deferred until the next meeting when he will be available.

Kennedy letter, yea - Council received a letter from Terry Kennedy, who described how on December 27, township snowplow driver Dave Whan came to the assistance of a driver who had driven into the ditch on Price Road, and pulled the car out of the ditch before returning to his snowplow route. “I feel that you should be aware that Dave Whan demonstrated a strong community spirit and represented the township exceedingly well”, the letter concluded.

Kennedy letter, nay – Council also received a letter from Judy Kennedy, written on behalf of the Arden Recreation Committee, concerning what she described as a “serious situation at the [Arden Community] Centre.” Last fall, a trench was dug along the north wall of the centre to deal with problems with the foundation and septic system at the centre. “We were hopeful that an expedient solution would be found,” she wrote. However, over the next three months nothing happened and an exposed septic pipe led to a serious problem in the centre.

As of December 20 “the bathrooms reeked of sewage and the kitchen cold pipes were frozen,” and the Kennebec Recreation Committee was concerned that their planned New Year’s Eve Dinner and Dance, for which people had prepaid a $50 fee, would be ruined. Ken Scobie came forward to reconnect the septic pipe.

However the situation became critical on December 30, and Councilor Jeff Matson ended up working all day on what Judy Kennedy described as “a very disgusting job in freezing conditions”, making use of his own equipment.

“To have a situation where, apparently, staff left the township office for the vacation period, knowing this work was not done, seems irresponsible. In the end the evening was wonderful, but only because of Mr. Matson’s interventions.

Council agreed that the situation should have been dealt with but wasn’t. “We are going to have to take action and fix this up so we don’t have this problem again,” said Mayor Gutowski .

Heritage Festival – Carol Coupland attended the meeting on behalf of the Heritage Festival Committee. The festival is slated for February 19-22 this year. The tentative schedule includes a display of heritage life featuring the collection of Dr. Peter Bell at the Crow Lake Schoolhouse, an evening of events at Maples Restaurant, and outdoor events on the weekend.

Coupland asked council for a grant of $2,100, $500 of which is to be spent to transport school children to the display at the Crow Lake Schoolhouse, and $1,600 for eight wooden signs to publicize the festival. The signs are being designed to be reusable.

“Why eight signs?” asked Frances Smith.

“For the entrances to the different communities,” said Mayor Gutowski.

The festival takes place before the township budget will be passed, so the committee was seeking on the spot approval.

Council granted the money.

Juergen Reineke on roads - Juergen Reineke, from the Clarendon Road, made a presentation on winter maintenance and the general state of the roads in the township, which he said was not good. In particular he complained that some roads are being cleared by contractors’ small trucks, which he said is slower than township trucks and leads to a narrowing of the roads as winter snow piles up. He offered to sit on a roads task force if one were to be set up.

Councilor Bill Snyder said “I hate to say this with our Public Works Manager not being here, but when we started contracting out winter road maintenance I was concerned. In another year we have to look at this.”

Community Living parking - Duncan McGregor, who lives on the same street in Sharbot Lake as the Community Living – North Frontenac building, wrote a letter to council concerning parking by Community Living staff on Elizabeth and Garrett Streets. He claimed that the bylaw which permits cars to park at a 90 degree angle in front of the office cuts visibility for drivers and pedestrians, particularly in the winter, particularly since they block visibility to a Yield sign at the intersection.

Council was sympathetic to McGregor’s letter. “We should look at varying that bylaw, at least in the winter time,” said Councilor Frances Smith. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For most people January is the time of year to slow down after the Christmas rush. And for Leslie Myles, a Sydenham resident who is a franchise owner for four Body Shop stores in Kingston and Belleville, it is usually inventory time. But not this year.

On Monday afternoon, Leslie flew out of Toronto, bound for Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro. She left her business, and her husband and teenage children to fend for themselves for a couple of weeks, and will be joining 11 other women who will make the five-day hike and climb to the summit of the mountain, the tallest in Africa.

For Leslie Myles the climb combines two passions: the great outdoors and community service.

“I love the outdoors and the challenge of taking something on,” she said when interviewed from her home just before leaving for Toronto. “I'm also really looking forward to meeting the people at the Amani Children's home, which is located right at the base of the mountain.”

The staff and children at the home will be looking forward to meeting the 12 women climbers as well, and to receiving a donation of over $60,000 that they will be bringing with them.

The “Kili Climb for Kids” is an adventure and a fundraising event, and Leslie and the other women have all been collecting sponsorship money to donate to Amani house in Tanzania, as well as to the Limestone Learning Foundation.

The Amani Children's Home provides a safe haven for street children in the cities of Moshi and Arusha in Tanzania. The subservient position of children in Tanzania, in conjunction with the scourge of AIDS, is what motivated the Amani home to begin working with children. Workers at Amani offer support to children on the streets, and provides refuge for them, but a major goal of the home is family reunification.

“Although Amani is a happy and healthy place, our ultimate goal for each child is for them to eventually find a placement with relatives or village members - to be brought up in a family context rather than an institutional one,” says the Amani home website.

Amani was founded in 2001, and is entirely funded by donations. In the first two years of its existence the staff at the agency worked without pay. To date 290 children have been helped by the agency.

Until three months ago, Leslie Myles knew nothing about Amani, nor is she an experienced mountain climber, although fitness and the outdoors are a major part of her life.

It was through a conversation in October with Hugh Wiley, who Leslie knows in Kingston, that she learned about Hugh's sister Alison and the “Live out Loud” adventure company in Toronto, which organizes trips to Kilimanjaro. Alison, who is a guide and an accomplished triathlete, is also the president of Friends of Amani Canada. It was through this contact that Leslie was hooked up with the expedition.

“I've never met any of the women with whom I will be climbing,” Leslie said, “but I expect that we will share a bond after this intense experience over the next couple of weeks.”

Climbing Kilimanjaro does not require major mountaineering skills, but issues of concern are the changing ground temperatures that the climb brings, from the African heat at the base to glacial snow at the top, and more pressingly, the thin air at high altitudes that climbers must adjust to.

To get ready for the climb, Leslie said, “I have been very committed, being diligent with my training. I made sure that I ate well and stayed in training. I have been working out twice a week with Jimmy Latimer from Sydenham High School and once a week at 'Kingston Body Management’”.

But from her conversations with people who are familiar with the mountain, Leslie has learned that the final summit can be difficult. “We are scheduled to climb it in five days, and we will be doing the final summit overnight on the fifth day. It will be quite lonely, just looking at the feet of the person in front of you, in the dark, step after step. The plan is to hit the summit at sun up. That should be quite a thrill.”

Although Leslie has never climbed a mountain or visited Africa before, this trip will resonate with one she took 17 years ago to Cuba. She met her husband there on a diving trip, and they ended up getting married underwater and moving back to Canada to settle in Sydenham. “I've been under water in a big way, and now I'll be at the top of Africa.”

Meanwhile, her husband, who works as a machinist, will spend the next two weeks keeping the home fires burning for the couple's two children, Emelia (16) and Cia (14), who attend Sydenham High School.

There are still opportunities to support the fundraising effort that is part of the climb. Checks made out to “Leslie Myles – Kili Climb” can be sent to 1046 Brawley Lane, Sydenham, ON, K0H 2T0. Charitable receipts will be issued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 26, 2009 Looking back: the Heritage FestivalBy Julie Druker

Traditonal log shaping demonstrations with Justin Hilborn and Pat Moore of Gibson Timber Frames

The third annual Frontenac Heritage Festival offered visitors a glimpse back into the past and for many it was an opportunity to gain new knowledge and to share their personal histories, favorite hobbies and pastimes.

Displaying and demonstrating their historic loves at St. James Major Hall were spinners and weavers, willow basket makers, quilters, native crafters, genealogists, antique collectors, cheese makers, and railroad enthusiasts.

Beautiful traditional displays included the inside of the old Sharbot Lake Train Station and a typical cheese-making operation. Surrounded by traditional tools and utensils and capped in a bonnet, Pat Furlong Brownlee of Elphin demonstrated how to make a soft cheese.

Many demonstrators like traditional weaver and spinner Mary Donnelly, representing the MERA Schoolhouse, wore historic costumes and spent the day sharing their knowledge and skills with interested onlookers.

At the Oso Beach outdoor enthusiasts enjoyed various outdoor activities including snowshoeing, skating, smoosh racing, curling, and lassoing with the Cronk sisters. There was the always popular horse drawn wagon rides courtesy of Jake and Pat, Bill Lee’s award winning draft team from Parham. Gibson Timber framers Pat Moore and Justin Hilborn demonstrated log-shaping techniques with traditional Swedish broad axes. There was snow toffee, hot chocolate and spider dogs for those who needed fuelling up.

Demonstrators at the Crow Lake School House were happily swamped with visitors who numbered 250 plus on Saturday alone. Sara Carpenter, branch assistant at the Sharbot Lake Public Library, set up a display highlighting relevant historical materials from their permanent Oso Historical Society collection, which included many items donated and written by local historian Doris Ayers.

Craig Godfrey of Sharbot Lake, who happened into the library, shared some of his family history. He is the great, great, great grandson of the first reeve of Central Frontenac, Warren Godfrey, who was responsible for building the Frontenac Road from Kingston (a.k.a. Road 38). Godfrey pinpointed the importance of festivals like this one. “It’s a great idea. It certainly perks your interest into the past”.

The Heritage Festival is a great opportunity to let the past out of the bag. All day long it seemed people had a wonderful excuse to speak of their own personal histories and share their loves for objects and hobbies that stem from days gone by.

Frontenac Heritage Festival Photo Contest

Nature CategoryLudwig RatzingerPeople CategoryRecreation Category

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 26, 2009 Falls Prevention Program recruiting volunteersBy Julie Druker First the bad news: in a single year one in every three people over the age of 65 will have a fall, making falls the second leading cause of hospital admissions in Ontario. Falls rob older adults of their health and independence.

The good news: most falls are preventable.

The KFL&A Public Health created the Falls Prevention Ambassador Program in 2005 to provide education to community groups about falls prevention.

Trained volunteers set up displays and give presentations, providing groups with the information they need to avoid falls.

Rhonda Lovell, a public health nurse and Chair of the KFL&A Falls Prevention Coalition, is hoping to recruit new volunteers to the program, especially in this area. She explained, “It’s a challenge to reach the entire region and we’d love to see more potential volunteers from this area.”

While the program so far has reached over 3000 people since 2005, Lovell is encouraging people to volunteer so that they can serve seniors in their own communities.

Volunteers go through an orientation and training period and receive ongoing support. They are provided with the most current information. Networking meetings are held 5 times per year to connect staff with other volunteers. The benefits for volunteers are many: contributing to the well being of others, and opportunities to network, make new friends, gain confidence and knowledge.

Lovell explained, “It’s not rocket science. While there are 400 risk factors that can lead to falls there are about half a dozen key factors that are the leading causes.”

These include lack of physical activity, unsafe footwear, medication issues, vision and hearing difficulties, balance or gait problems and environmental hazards.

A 2007 Ipsos-Reid survey of Canadian women and men aged 65-85 showed that while 9 in 10 have prepared a will, less than half have taken the necessary steps to live independently as they age.

Lovell also pointed out that awareness is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. “By not discussing the issues seniors are not getting the help that they need so it is important that we get this information out there.”

Taking simple preventative measures like maintaining overall health or installing a grab bar in a bathroom can mean the difference of suffering a fall or not.

Lovell stressed the importance of common sense and summed it by stating, “Where you put your feet is certainly going to determine whether you stay on them.”

Anyone interested in booking a presentation for a group or becoming an ambassador with the program can contact Rhonda Lovell at 613 549-1232 ext. 1181. The deadline for applications to volunteer for the program is March 6, 2009.