Lanark, North Leeds & Grenville - Hometown News November 2018

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Vol. 5

No. 11

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NOVEMBER 2018

10 feet tall to most people who knew her Smiths Falls - Sally Smith editorial@pd gmedia.ca Smarty Marty, who always liked the last word in everything, died this year on October 8.

Born Margaret Ann Murray in Kinloss Township, located between Kincardine and Walkerton, the sixth oldest of 11 children, she learned early that if she wanted anything she would have to insist.

And to her last day, that’s what she did, says daughter Wendy Alford. Part of it was being a middle child, trying to stand out in a crowd, and part of it was not letting anyone else define who she was.

Marty was born into a farming family from a long line of farming families; her grandfather was a farmer and at one time the Warden of Bruce County. That’s perhaps where Marty first got a taste for arguing, talking, debating and making herself heard.

According to Wendy, she spent the rest of her life — sometimes tactfully, sometimes in downright hilarity, and sometimes just plainly outspoken — making herself heard.

There were giggles at the most inappropriate times, “people would think we were not right in the head, anything could set us off, inside jokes, terrible, uncontrolled giggling,” Wendy recalls. “Mom was like that.”

This was a way of life for her. “…she sought out having fun,” Wendy says, remembering her cousin Jim’s wedding. On that night the family serenaded the newly wed couple in a shivaree. Traditionally a shivaree is a riotous celebration of a marriage; on that night, according to Wendy, friends showed up in the middle of the night, ate all their food, drank all their booze, and then, with Marty urging everyone on, put a ladder up to the bedroom window and “started a chainsaw to scare them.”

With Hallowe’en just just days away, Wendy remembers

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the story of her mom and a friend heading out in the pitch black of a very late night / early morning and stealing all the pumpkins still sitting in the fields of the Rideau Regional Centre. They brought them home and it was only the next morning when they saw the stamp of RRC on each and every pumpkin. “They were busted. They couldn’t even give them away.”

Or, one St. Paddy’s day, Marty and a friend at 3 o’clock in the morning “painted all the yellow lines down the middle of the street green.”

Marty married Bob and moved with him from town to town as he followed his work at the Royal Bank; they landed in Smiths Falls in 1967, having moved “15 times in 14 years,” Wendy says. One child was born in Hamilton, one in Toronto, one in Iroquois Falls, one in Rodney, one in St. Thomas, and Todd was born in Smiths Falls. The thought was, says Wendy, that “we had one everywhere else, we might as well have one here.”

They initially lived at 15 Gladstone but did most of their growing up in a red brick house at the corner of Main and McGill “with no backyard,” Wendy grins. The family used to joke about that — eight kids and no backyard.

A small woman, only five foot two, “but ten feet tall inside her head,” Wendy remembers her mother as not being a “joiner.” It was much more like “I’ll make it up and you all follow me.” And people did, not just because they’d have fun but for fear of missing out on something momentous.

Two particular occasions in which Marty was integrally involved, brought attention to Smiths Falls in the larger media — one was the annual Sportsman’s Dinner and the other the 150 mile trek during Old Home Week in 1976.

If something wasn’t right — if it was wrong — Marty latched onto that. She was “…always a

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champion for the underdog,” Wendy remembers. “She would bully, harass, shame you into doing the right thing.”

Wendy tells the story: the Sportsman’s Dinner in Smiths Falls was a man-only event. But in 1978 or 79 all the top athletes in town were female. Being a male-only evening, however, only boys were nominated.

“Mom was determined she was going to go but no one would sell her a ticket.

“That was the first mistake.

“Mother called Mildred MacDonald at the CBC, and made a real issue of it. She finally found someone to sell her tickets, we were nervous as hell, we didn’t know what to expect, but when we went in, the men were quite nice to us.

“That was the end of that.

“Now it’s called the Sportspersons’ Dinner. That’s the kind of stuff my Mother did.”

Was she a feminist? “Yes, in one way…” Wendy says, “but in another way, for her, right was right and wrong was wrong. If it wasn’t fair or just, there was no holding her back.”

And the small, feisty woman loved a good challenge, especially if there was money on it. A lawyer in Town said there was no way she could walk 150 miles to celebrate Smiths Falls’ Old Home Week in 1976; that was like waving a red f lag, Wendy says. “As soon as you told Mom she couldn’t do something, it became a challenge.” The lawyer went further and bet $150 she couldn’t do it.

It took a week, they had a team of teenagers with them, a horse and wagon. They walked the whole way — from here to Crosby, along the back roads, to Kingston and all the way back — Newboro, Chaffeys Locks, Jones Falls…

“We would drive out to see where they were. They walked 25 miles a day and were beyond exhaustion, done.”

All of Smiths Falls came to the edge of Town to see them at the finish. She got her $150

Marty Dales. Photo submitted.

cheque, no more, just $150.

Then came Settlers’ Days and the stagecoach (which now sits at Settlers’ Ridge mall). Marty had the coach built from scratch to make a mail run each year, Ottawa to Toronto being the longest. She cajoled the Mint into making coins to commemorate the event, and “Settlers’ Day money” was good in stores during Settlers’ Days.

“Mother was a brilliant tactician. She could talk anybody into anything — if you just let her talk long enough…she was like the Pied Piper.”

In April 2008, Marty accepted the Governor General’s Caring Canadian award during National Volunteers Week. Wendy

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remembers the day as standing on Parliament Hill with 10,000 other people watching her Mom receive a medal. “It was pretty impressive.”

At her funeral, son Bill used three descriptive words. His mother was “not a wimp, nor a whiner, nor a wuss.” Wendy agreed that this was the crux — “you suck it up, you put your big girl/boy pants on, and you march on, no looking back, no regrets….

“She didn’t have any regrets,” Wendy adds. “She was her own woman, she bowed to no one, she was a little lady doing her best — but her best was better than most.”

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November 2018

2

Page Two

Remebrance Day - Lest we forget

Cartoon by Patrick Labelle

Victor McDiarmid, age 18, poses with his sisters Jane and Evangeline at the Carleton Place Train Station in 1916. Victor was on his way overseas to fight in WWI with the 75th Battalion, 1st Central Ontario Regiment. A high school student and skilled hockey player, Victor was one of four brothers who served in WWI. Only one came home. Victor was reported “missing, presumed dead” at Vimy Ridge, April 8, 1917. Victor’s body was never found. His name is on the Vimy Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. We will remember. Photo credit: Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Cameron Highlanders under Corporal Roy McKittrick was taken in Carleton Place on November 11, 1939. Lest We Forget. Photo credit: Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

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Kathy Botham Sally Smith Sarah Cavanagh Janelle Labelle Brian Turner Stacey Roy Trevor Oattes

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November 2018

3

community ‘Fire’ bird flies away a month later Opinion - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca

As a reporter with The Hometown News out of Smiths Falls and Perth, one very early morning around 3:30 on September 23 I was wakened by truck sounds outside my home and one very loud foghorn bellow.

Looking out my front window I saw flashing lights at the end of the street. Being a reporter, I had to find out what was happening. I piled on a couple of hoodies over my pyjamas, put on my running shoes, grabbed my camera and recorder and headed down the street

Photo credit: Sally Smith.

thinking a drug deal, a domestic, a break-in….

It was a fire.

I saw a fire truck with a long ladder-crane in the middle of the street standing in front of a red-brick, two-storey building; the lights were brilliantly white and the night looked like day. Another fire truck was there, too, and a police car as well.

It was at 25 James St. I stuck around for awhile, watching, spoke to a couple of police officers and finally to Lieutenant Normandin of the Smiths Falls Fire Department.

After awhile I headed home, but couldn’t get out of my mind’s eye the man I had seen sitting dejectedly on the steps of the house next door, the man who had escaped the fire; I really wanted to talk to him so headed back.

He was gone.

I turned and looked up to take one last picture. I stepped back to steady myself, leaned against a hydro pole and felt movement under my foot. It squeaked.

When I looked down, I could only see a red head.

I took a picture, headed home, grabbed a box, some work gloves, walked back, picked up the bird and put him in the box. He didn’t struggle much. I kept one hand over the top as I walked thinking to myself I’ll call him Big Red, Red for short.

I found a larger box, my guy fixed a screen over the top securing it with a piece of wire and shortly after nine headed to the Wild Bird Care Centre on Moodie Drive.

I walked in, put the box on the table and the young woman — as she reached in and gently took him out — said he was a pileated woodpecker. “We have a soft place in our hearts for woodpeckers,” she said, handing me an identity number to keep in touch with his recuperation.

Several days later I sent

an email, and got a reply September 25: “He is still at the Centre and has improved a little bit. He is resting comfortably with lots of soft towels and eats ok on his own. He is still collapsed the majority of the time and we are not sure if this is possibly from smoke or from being stepped on.

Overall he is weak. We can see significant bruising and swelling to his left shoulder. We are giving him pain medication daily.”

At least he’s still alive, I thought, and they didn’t have to euthanize him.

A couple of weeks passed.

I sent another email and got a reply October 12: “Red is doing well! I could hear him pecking as I walked down the hall to the room he is in. He was very active moving around and pecking with good strength. We have to keep our woodpeckers in plastic or glass cages because all our other ones are wood…”

Another four days and another email October 16: “Walking up to the Centre today I could hear a loud tapping coming from one of the flight cages near the front door. Guess who it was?!? His balance is still off moving from branch to branch but, boy! does he keep busy in that cage!”

And then on October 22, the Wild Bird Care Centre called. Red is ready to be released, she said. Can you

Photo credit: Sally Smith.

come some day this week?

Sure, I said. We decided on Wednesday. There was some misunderstanding until I realized I would be picking him up to release him where I found him.

Wednesday October 24 we headed for the Centre to pick up Red at 9 a.m. I was handed a cat carrier with a towel over the top and Red inside. We tucked him into the back seat and headed back for Smiths Falls.

Silence for the first couple of miles, then some pecking. Peck, peck, peck.

It stopped, then started again. He pecked all the way back.

We chose a wooded spot very near to where I found him. I put the carrier on the ground, shucked off the towel, fumbled a bit with

the fastener on the door but finally got it open.

No Red. He wasn’t coming out.

I tilted the carrier forward a bit.

No Red. A tiny jiggle and suddenly a flurry of wings and feathers and Red was out and gone.

In flight he seemed much bigger than in the carrier, a broad wing span, a swift fleeing.

Bye, Red. It was a good closing of the circle — injured bird, Wild Bird Care Centre, release. I’m sure my heart grew several sizes that day.

If you find an injured bird, treat it gently and get it to the Centre at 734 Moodie Drive in Nepean, 613-828-2849.

November 2018

4

community

by Terry O'Hearn Perth Inside Out: No celebration for Spanish flu anniversary

It has been 100 years since the Spanish flu pandemic ravaged the North American continent, including the Town of Perth. Because flu season starts soon, it is felt that a timely reminder about the extent of the death and suffering experienced in 1918 would be in order.

While the number of flu deaths exceeded those attributed to the Great War, it must be remembered no vaccination was available at the time. Treatment for what was commonly referred to as “La Grippe”, consisted mostly of over-the-counter medication of the snake oil variety, and various home remedies. The illness is now described as an “infectious disease caused by the influenza virus.”

It was in the waning weeks of the Great War (now known as World War I) when half of the world's pop-

ulation came down with the Spanish Flu, and between 50 and 100 million people died.

It would eventually make its way to every inhabited part of the world.

The flu arrived in Canada by the late summer of 1918, and swept across the country within a week. It is thought to have been brought across the Atlantic with troops returning home from the Front.

Perth & District Historical Society holds a document by local author and historian Ron W. Shaw, whose meticulous research revealed the following: “The Spanish Influenza strain, although decreasingly virulent, would remain active in Canada until the mid-1920s but by the summer of 1919 the epidemic at Perth was on the wane.”

It is well worth reading the complete document, which can be found on the PDHS website.

When the grim reaper came calling, there was no distinction because of wealth or social status. The virus was especially prevalent in otherwise healthy young adults, unlike other types of influenza which were particularly hard on the very young and the elderly.

It came in waves, with the first wave taking place in

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the spring of 1918. Then in the fall of 1918 an extremely contagious, virulent, and deadly form arrived, which caused roughly 90 percent of all deaths from the pandemic.

A story of March 9, 2018, carried on the CBC website describes some of the horrors: “In Montreal, bodies had to be loaded onto trolley cars because there weren't enough hearses to meet the need. By October 1918, influenza was claiming 1,000 Canadian lives a day. In comparison, there were 100 deaths a day on the battlefield. People wore masks, spitting in the street was banned and, in Canada, Prince Edward Island quarantined itself from the mainland. Nothing seemed to work. Medical research has come a long way since then.

But flu viruses continue to vex researchers around the world.”

The Oct. 18, 1918 Perth Courier carried no news stories, but the pages displayed several advertisements relating to the pandemic: On page 4 The Bell Telephone Company of Canada gave the following information relating to their service: “In common with the general community, the operating

staff has been affected by the present epidemic of colds and influenza and has been seriously depleted in consequence. At the same time, the volume of telephone calls has greatly increased. So many people are ill at home that the telephone has been used continuously and the load of extra calls on our depleted operating force has been very heavy …”

Another ad on page 5

by Walker’s Drug Store advises customers that: “To guard against Spanish Influenza, Tonsillitis or Grippe, use Wampole’s Paraformic Throat Lozenges.”, and on the same page, an appeal is made to the public by St. John Ambulance for “nourishing dishes for patients.

The nurses’ meals will also be required for each day.”

The Canadian Encyclopedia online mentions a couple of good points: First, that: “Pneumonia contracted by a patient weakened by influenza rather than influenza itself was the major cause of death.” They also point out that: “A long-term consequence for some victims was the development of a Parkinsonian Syndrome, including a marked tremor.”

The Spanish influenza strain lingered on in Canada,

Perth Remembered: Cast of the play “In Sunny France”, photographed on the porch of T. A. Code’s residence, Perth Ontario. The play was presented at the Balderson Theatre in 1918 during the time of the Spanish flu pandemic. Photo courtesy Dave Bromley.

although decreasingly virulent, until the mid-1920s. It has since been identified as part of the H1N1 virus family.

It is of note that Alain Gagnon, University of Montreal, published a paper in August, 2013 titled: “Age-Specific Mortality During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Unravelling the Mystery of High Young Adult Mortality.” The paper is of course written from a technical standpoint, much of it drifting over our heads and into the ether.

However, it does illustrate

the complexities of the virus, and the difficulty of unraveling its mysteries.

The answers to most of your questions can be found on the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit website: http://healthunit. org/health-information/ infectious-diseases/childhood-diseases/influenza/, and there are many good suggestions there. Stay healthy, my friends.

Carleton Place - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

windows will be aglow with festive displays. A short drive from the city, Carleton Place is welcoming visitors to celebrate Christmas in November from November 15th-25th.

There will be dozens of shopping specials, holiday events and unique places to explore!

Whether you’re buying gifts, décor, or just taking in some holiday traditions with the family, this little community has got you covered.

Every great holiday starts with the perfect tree. In Carleton Place you will find a Tree Farm right in town, Sobczak Tree Farm at 400 Lanark Street offers great trees at great prices. If you’re looking for a full day of family tree hunting fun, Ian’s Christmas Adventure Park is a few minutes away at 804 Richmond Rd. Kicking off the events is the annual “Get All Wrapped Up in Downtown Carleton Place” event. On November 15th from 1pm-8pm the stores in the downtown core will be offering sales, special events and freebies. Shop, Wine and Dine the evening away and the first 150 shoppers after 5pm at the Real Wool Shop (142 Franktown Rd) or Carousel (210 Bridge St) will get a free gift bag (must be 18yrs and over). There will also be 2 chances to win $100 BIA Bucks to spend at downtown stores. For a full list of all the special events happening downtown on the 15th please visit the event page at https://www.facebook.com/ events/747699612247959/ The Christmas Hut returns

for another year, offering a wonderful holiday gift giving option for kids. Children can "shop" the store’s donations and purchase gifts for family and friends with donations to the Lanark County Food Bank. Christmas Hut helpers will assist children in choosing and wrapping the gifts that they can surprise loved ones with on Christmas morning. Follow their page at https://www.facebook. com/kidschristmashut/ for a schedule of hut hours and message them to donate new or gently used items.

Another amazing holiday tradition in Carleton Place is the St James Anglican Church Snowflake Bazaar happening on November 17th from 9am-1pm at St James Parish Hall, 225 Edmund Street.

This event is a not-to-miss shopping experience, especially if you’re in the market for homemade baked goods and handmade items.

Throughout the holiday season you can enjoy some of our area’s history at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum at 267 Edmund St. The featured exhibit this season is “Wish You Were Here” – Postcards from the Past. These beautiful visual records document our small town, its buildings and natural beauty. The quick notes offer a glimpse into life of years past – love affairs, adventures and special events.

On November 18th from 10am-3pm check out the Winter Antique and Artisans show at Carambeck Community Centre (351 Bridge

St). This unique addition to the holiday crafter lineup features 30 vendors of unique gifts, handmade items, art, décor and a cash canteen.

Come browse at your leisure; with ample parking and a cash canteen you can certainly while away some fun festive hours!

Plan a fun night out at the Grand Hotel (7 Bridge St) on Friday November 23rd as they present Rag Bag Cabaret Girlz Night Out starting at 8pm. The evening is hosted by award-winning comedian Rachelle Elie. Enjoy an evening of fabulous talent with a portion of the proceeds going to the Lanark County Food Bank.

If you’re still in the mood to shop, The Beckwith Township Christmas Craft show is 5 minutes away at Beckwith Public School (1523 9th Line, Beckwith). This popular craft show features 40 vendors and admission is free with a donation to the Lanark County Food Bank.

The biggest parade in the valley returns to Carleton Place on November 24th at 5pm. This year's theme "A Christmas Carol" will see each float taking inspiration from a beloved holiday carol.

With more fun being added to the lineup daily there’s no better place to start and finish your holiday shopping and fun than Carleton Place!

For more exciting events follow the Christmas in November page at https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / C h r i s t m a s - i n - Nov e m ber-297811404156642/

Christmas comes early in Carleton Place November 15th-25th get a jump start on your holiday shopping and traditional family activities in the inviting and festive streets of Carleton Place. Replace the overcrowded malls, busy parking garages and the usual gifts with mild winter strolls through picturesque streets, warm hot chocolate, fun family activities and unique gifts that will leave a lasting impression. Downtown Carleton Place will be dazzling this holiday season, with 17,000+ white Christmas lights. Lamp posts will be decorated with garland and red bows, holiday baskets full of wintery greenery will line the bridge, and store

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November 2018

5

community

opinion: Am I the only one? New

by Carrie Wynne

Tobacco addiction

In April of 1994 on the front page of the New York Times there’s an infamous picture of 9 tobacco executives standing in court declaring under oath that Cigarettes Aren’t Addictive.

In November of 2017, after successfully delaying for 11 years, the tobacco companies began a court-ordered advertisement campaign admitting the variety of ways they manipulated the public, including that they designed cigarettes to be more addictive and lied about it.

Experts found that Big Tobacco companies genetically engineered their tobacco crops to contain two times the amount of nicotine and adjusted their cigarette design so that the nicotine delivered to smokers increased by 14.5 percent.

The result of these “in-

novations” in cigarette design is devastating. The surgeon general found that “today’s cigarette smokers — both men and women — have a much higher risk for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than smokers in 1964, despite smoking fewer cigarettes.

Even though there are fewer smokers today than there were decades ago, smoking remains the number one cause of preventable death.

7 million people die every year from tobacco addiction. 45,000 Canadians every year. That’s 120 people per day.

We should be suing the tobacco companies for destroying our health, families, freedom and finances.

Smokers need to keep giving it their best shot at trying to quit. If you relapse go at it again. Eventually it will stick. Until then you’re just a nicotine slave—a puppet on the string the tobacco company pulls.

The lies and deception will continue as these multinational tobacco companies enter the vaping and ecig this market. If you’re smoking nicotine you are

playing with fire. Addiction is the business model and big tobacco likes control.

The multi billion dollar tobacco industry should be paying additional corporate tax such as a polluters tax and a black lung health tax.

We need politicians and health officials with enough grit to stand against big tobacco. Sold on every street corner 24 hours per day 7 days a week isn’t exactly leading any charge.

We must create a movement around tobacco free stores offering incentives and subsidies to prop up a proud tobacco-free retailer.

We need to get busy and solve this problem. To take the big and the promise out of tobacco's future we need unity among nations, smokers and non-smokers.

Separate camps work well for the tobacco industry.

The tobacco companies have increased their prices 8 times since the last federal election. Small frequent price changes to line the shareholders pockets with more cash.

Canadians deserve better protection from such harmful corporate greed.

Am I The Only One?

Rideau Lakes Building Centre 7719 Hwy 42 Crosby, ON K0G 1E0 613-272-0209 rlbc@rideau.net

delicatessen for downtown Smiths Falls

Smiths Falls - Janelle Labelle editorial@pdgmedia.ca “There is no sincerer love,” wrote George Bernard Shaw, “than the love of food.” And sincere lovers of food will soon have cause to rejoice as a new delicatessen opens in Smiths Falls.

Sweet Scoops, located at the corner of Beckwith and Chambers streets in downtown Smiths Falls, offers classic sweet treats like hard ice cream, milkshakes & sundaes, homemade popsicles & ice cream bars, specialty beverages, locally made vegan "ice cream," and loose teas. Their hot chocolate float and hot apple cider are popular this fall, but customers will soon find a whole lot more in store to delight their more savoury tastebuds.

Owners Mat and Patricia Krotki are adding a deli, whimsically named The Pickled Pig. “The Pickled Pig will be located in the existing business, Sweet Scoops.

The marriage will create a fine food store that covers all of your taste sensations: sweet, sour, salty, savoury, spicy, and bitter,” enthuses Patricia.

The term “Delicatessen” originally referred to a store that carried fine foods and imported meats and cheeses. In tasty deli tradition, The Pickled Pig will carry fine foods, cured meats, cheeses - and yes, pickles - but with more local offerings rather than imported ones. “While an authentic Brie may come from northern France,

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we have pretty amazing makers of fine Brie not that far from here. We have so many fantastic cheese-makers on this side of the pond,” Krotki explains, “it is very important to offer our visitors a taste of what this region has to offer.”

And we have never had more visitors than we had this past summer.

As well as tourists from within our own country, Smiths Falls welcomed visitors from the United Kingdom, Europe, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Latin America in 2018. Many tourists are seeking to explore local culture and food, and they will be able to find many local flavours under one roof at The Pickled Pig. Tasting local culture and cuisine has long been a passion of the Krotkis, whether at home or abroad. “We incorporate local cultural cuisine in all of our travels,” Patricia says, but our region will be their focus. “We will offer a wide array of specialty cured meats and artisan cheeses. Most of the products in our lineup are from pretty close to home, although we may have the odd personal favourite brought in from afar to share with friends.”

And for sharing food with friends, the Pickled Pig will soon become a go-to. “We will have a full deli counter serving awesome sandwiches, take home deli salads, meats and cheeses and fine food items. Additionally we will have an extensive

line of gourmet chocolates and truffles,” (that many have already tried, as they are currently carried by Sweet Scoops), “and of course our delicious ice cream.”

For those informal evenings with friends, or larger gatherings, we will offer unique charcuterie platters, and artisan cheese plates.”

The Pickled Pig will also sell gift baskets perfect for the holiday season.

The Pickled Pig, with its variety of flavours and local products, will fill a niche in Smiths Falls that locals and tourists alike will appreciate. But what inspired the Krotkis to venture in this deli-cious direction?

Before settling down in Smiths Falls, Mat spent time living in Paris, and travelled extensively throughout Europe.

“This fuelled his passion for good food, and combined with my passion for community, it seemed like a natural progression,” explains Patricia.

“Mat has been pursuing a self-guided education in the art of cheese making and more formally in producing cured meats and sausage and one day we hope to be able to offer these delicacies at The Pickled Pig.” If your tongue is tingling to taste the deli’s offerings, you don’t have long to wait. The Krotkis are aiming to open The Pickled Pig by the end of November. An official Grand Opening announcement will follow.

November 2018

6

Winter Tire/Rim Shopping?

November is traditionally the biggest month for tire sales across the region.

To the normal surge of vehicle owners shopping for replacement tires and the strong threats of snow-covered roads, add a more recent development of auto retailers including winter tire and rim sets in new and pre-owned purchases.

All this makes for a perfect recipe of rushed decisions, hasty purchases, and some regrets down the road.

A substantial percentage of Canadian vehicle owners opt for a dedicated winter tire and rim package to help improve their chances on our winter roads. And

the overwhelming majority of these kits use plain steel rims instead of alloys. When you factor in the costs of having summer tires dismounted and the snows installed and balanced, purchasing a set of winter rims can be a cost saver in the long run. In our region the average fee to do one single tire changeover is about $30. Multiply that times 4 and double it again for an annual outlay and you’re $240 out of wallet.

Compare that figure to the average cost of installing a mounted set of tires and rims twice a year, which is only $30 each on average, for a savings of $180

per year, every year. Good quality steel rims (sized 17” and under) can usually be obtained new for about $70-75 each for mainstream vehicles. So you’ve got to be committed to the same vehicle for at least 2 years to realize any savings (requiring some consideration if you’re looking at using winter rims for the first time on an older vehicle).

When shopping for a winter tire and rim package, consumers are always concerned with costs and will usually do a little price comparison, made easier by retailers who provide online pricing and inventory information. But not all

questions can be answered online and there are some important differences between aftermarket onesize-fits-several wheels and factory original rims from the carmaker. The first detail to learn is whether or not a wheel is correctly sized for your vehicle, this is referred to in the industry as being hubcentric (meaning no spacers or adaptors are required). The next thing you’ll want to find out is if original attaching hardware can be used or if different wheel nuts/ bolts are needed (at an additional cost). If your ride was originally equipped from the factory with steel wheels, this shouldn’t be an issue, but it can be different if your auto came from the showroom with alloy rims.

Offset is the final part of the equation when searching for non-factory rims.

This refers to how far out or in the wheel’s bolt plate sits in relation to the outer rim. Most rims have this plate sitting closer to the outer edge of the rim to provide clearance for braking and steering components. Installing a rim with the wrong offset can

streetmotorsales@cogeco.net

mean changing the steering geometry and handling as well as risking contact between the wheel and other components.

You should also be concerned with finish quality as steel rims get exposed to the worst of our road environments. They may look shiny and perfect when new, but how will their paint stand up to several years of water, salt, and grit blasting? Usually factory wheels have better, longer-lasting paint finishes.

Many drivers look at optional tire/wheel sizing when shopping for a winter package. With more and more average vehicles getting shod with larger diameter wheels (over 17”), owners are experiencing some severe sticker shock when pricing snow tires.

The first answer you’ll need in case like this is whether or not smaller rims will fit on your vehicle. Good quality tire retailers and dealership parts and service consultants are the sources for this information. Check with them first before you start researching package prices. Make sure you know your ride’s cor-

www.streetmotorsales.com

24 Family Lane, Smiths Falls ON | 613-205-1212 | 1-888-603-3486

Celebrating 20 years of Serving Our Community

Keep Calm and Trust Your Chiropractor

On Site Digital X-ray Registered Massage Therapy Advanced Health Analysis Surface Electromyography Thermography Heart Rate Variability Analysis THERALASE Low Level Laser for Muscle, Tendon and Joint Healing

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rect tire size before calling any shop. This is printed in raised lettering on the sidewall of the tire and on a sticker affixed to the driver’s door edge or latch post.

If your vehicle is used, always compare these 2 sizes; the one on the sticker is the correct one.

Tire sizing is a mix of metric and imperial measurements and appears with either a P or LT at the beginning as in P225/65R17.

In this example, the P stands for Passenger vehicle tire (whereas LT stands for Light Truck). The 225 refers to the tire’s tread-face width in mm and the 65 denotes that the tire’s sidewall height is 65% of the tread’s width. The letter R means it’s a radial design tire as opposed to the now-extinct bias ply construction.

One final consideration as regards tire pressure sensors. Many newer vehicles come with them and they’re almost always incorporated into the tire’s valve. Giving them up for winter tires (which most consumers do) means giving up a safety feature. They average about $65 each. There are cheaper ones on the market, but these usually require programming to operate. If you deal with the same shop every year and they’re equipped to do the programming, no worries, but if not, you might want to opt for the self-programming type.

r e v o c Dis Lanark & Northern Leeds Grenville

Your Hometown guide to Attractions & Leisure

Celebration of Lights is back bigger and better than ever!

Perth - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca Together Smiths Falls is bringing back the Celebration of Lights to Victoria Park for its fifth season after one year hiatus.

“It was disappointing to have to cancel last years event due to the construction in the basin but we look forward to bringing the event back and making it one to remember,” said Tracey Pankow, President of Together Smiths Falls, the volunteer organization be-

hind the event.

There has been more interest from businesses and community partners in participating this year, either by in-kind sponsorship or in adding a display to the park.

“We already have 18 applications from local churches and businesses, plus 13 new displays that we had purchased for our 2017 event to add this year. Plus, we have a very special, unique to Smiths Falls display that we commissioned by a local welder, Jeremy O’Grady, to make for us that I am sure

will be a hit!” added Susan Richards, Chair of the Committee.

The opening night of the event will be on Saturday, November 24th, 2018 from 5pm to 8pm.

The event is free to all to attend and will include hot chocolate, cookies, treats, wagon rides, Christmas Music, and a visit from the big man himself, Santa Claus!

“Last year we knew that the cancellation would disappoint many families who have made the viewing of the lights a holiday tradition which is why we did loan a few displays to Town Hall to brighten up the downtown, and they looked so great there, we are doing so again this year,” added Tracey.

Together Smiths Falls is a community enhancement association that became a registered not-for-profit in 2010 and is run by a board of five women, Tracey, Susan, Heather Whiting, Nicola Thomson and Norah Elliott with the help of many volunteers.

Hey Smiths Falls...

Get on board for an EPIC JOURNEY! Smiths Falls - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

They are Canada's Hottest Journey tribute and they're coming to Smiths Falls.

The Look! The Moves!

The Music! The Memories!

This is a show you don't want to miss and you can see it all November 24th 2018.

It's Journey's Greatest Hits Performed LIVE ON STAGE at the Gallipeau

Center Theater in Smiths Falls.

3P1C (Epic) Journey Tribute - Canada's Definitive Journey Tribute Band - transports you back in time to the Steve Perry era of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. Featuring Al Langlade's uncanny resemblance to 'The Voice' in full costume & backed by an all-star rhythm section with note-for-note accuracy, it will be a night to re-

member!

'Don't Stop Believin', 'Open Arms', 'Separate Ways', Faithfully', 'Anyway You Want it.... EP1C will be performing these and other chart-toppers, along with some deep cuts for the diehard Journey fans.

Doors open 7:30, Showtime: 8:00pm You are about to embark on an Epic Journey!

Don't Stop Believin'...

Hold On To That Feelin'!

Events around the region CARLETON PLACE November 16 Beckwith Youth Committee Dance 6:30pm - 8:30pm Brunton Community Hall 1702 9th Line, Beckwith

November 24 Auditions: We Will Rock You Start Time TBA Carleton Place Town Hall Mississippimudds.ca

November 30 The Mikado 7:30pm Carleton Place Town Hall Mississippimudds.ca

December 1 The Mikado 7:00pm - 8:00pm Carleton Place Town Hall Mississippimudds.ca

December 2, 9 The Mikado 7:00pm - 8:00pm Carleton Place Town Hall mississippimudds.ca

MERRICKVILLE November 10 Opening: Square Foot Show & Sale 12:00pm - 5:00pm FM Silversmith Studio 330 Main St. E, Merrickville

November 15

November 9, 23

November 24

Tuesdays

Holiday Street Market 5:00pm - 9:00pm Downtown Almonte, Mill St. www.downtownalmonte.ca

Ted Lalonde 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

November 18

November 10

Smiths Falls Duplicate Bridge Club 1:00pm Smiths Falls Legion 613-256-4747

SRO Big Band Tea Dance 1:00pm - 4:00pm Almonte Old Town Hall Srobigband.weebly.com

Shawn McCullough 8:00pm O'Reilly's Pub Oreillyspubperth.com Pretty Ugly 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

Festival of Good Cheer 10:00am - 5:00pm Crystal Palace 63 Gore St. E. Riverthieves 7:30pm - 9:30pm Full Circle Theatre www.eventbrite.ca/e/ riverthieves-soldiertour-in-perth-on-tickets-5110268751 Nolan Hubbard 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

November 22 Weave a Song Workshop 9:00am - 4:00pm Tranquil Weaver Tranquilweaver.ca Book Signing: Sandra Nikolai 10:00am - 2:00pm Shoppers Drug Mart 376 Ottawa St. Meet the Artist: Marina Malvada 7:00pm - 9:00pm Fairview Manor www.almontegeneral.com/ fvm

November 24 Vernissage: 4th Anniv. Show 3:00pm - 6:00pm Sivarulrasa Gallery Sivarulrasa.com Celtfest Fundraising Concert 7:30pm Almonte Old Town Hall almonteceltfest@hotmail. com

November 25

MISSISSIPPI MILLS

Book Reading: David Johnston 1:30pm Mississippi Valley Textile Museum Mvtm.ca Trad Song Pub Session 2:00pm - 4:00pm The Barley Mow Barleymow.com

Tuesdays

November 26

November 28 CP Holiday Train 5:00pm - 5:30pm 103 East Broadway & County Road #2 www.cpr.ca/holiday-train/ canada

Music Trivia Night 8:00pm Almonte Lobby Bar in Alm Riverside Inn facebook.com/almontelobbybar

Almonte Hort: AGM & Potluck 6:30pm Cornerstone Community Church cornerstone-almonte.com

Wednesdays

November 30

Almonte Duplicate Bridge Club 7:00pm Almonte Legion 613-256-4747 Open Celtic Jam 7:30pm - 10:00pm Naismith Pub 613-831-6208

Thursdays Mississippi Wood Carvers 1:00pm - 3:00pm Orchard View 219 Patterson St., Almonte almontecarver@gmail.com

November 10 Almonte Farmers' Harvest Market 9:00am - 2:00pm Almonte Community Centre almontefarmersmarket.com Meet the Author: David McGee 1:00pm - 3:00pm Mill Street Books Millstreetbooks.com Sean McCann 7:30pm Almonte Old Town Hall 613-256-9090

Almonte Lectures: Digitally Challenged!

7:30pm Almonte United Church Almontelectures.net

November 30 Coins & Strings 3:00pm - 6:00pm Alliance Coin & Banknote www.alliancecoin.com/site/ landingpage.cfm

November 12 Auditions: The Maltese Falcon Start Time TBA Full Circle Theatre www.barndoorproductions.ca

November 13, 20, 27 Brock Zeman 8:30pm O'Reilly's Pub Oreillyspubperth.com

November 14, 21, 28 Karaoke 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

November 15 Peter Brown Jazz Trio 6:00pm - 9:00pm Parkside Bistro Peterbrown.ca Don Ross 8:00pm Full Circle Theatre barndoorproductions.ca

November 15 - 18, 22 - 25 The Marvelous Wonderettes 'Dream On' Nov 15-17, 22-24 at 7:30pm Nov 18, 25 at 2pm.

Studio Theatre studiotheatreperth.com

November 16 Lanark LiPS Open Mic 7:00pm - 9:00pm YAK Youth Services facebook.com/ groups/51468539627 Stephen Mark Fisher 8:45pm O'Reilly's Pub Oreillyspubperth.com Brea Lawrenson 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

November 17

Scottish Country Dancing 9:30am McMartin House 613-264-2767

Guatemala Stove Project Dance 7:00pm Perth Civitan Hall 613-267-5202 Jon Townsen 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

November 8 - 11

November 21

PERTH Fridays

Mary Poppins 8 - 10 at 7:00pm 10 - 11 at 2:00pm PDCI Ticketsplease.ca

Puzzle 2:00am & 7:00pm Full Circle Theatre Filmnightinternational. blogspot.com

November 9

November 23

David McGrath 8:45pm O'Reilly's Pub Oreillyspubperth.com

Tom Watson 8:30pm O'Reilly's Pub Oreillyspubperth.com

November 25 Christmas Craft Sale 10:00am - 3:00pm Perth Civitan Hall 613-267-2181 Meet the Artists: Dayle VanAlstine, Margaret Martin, Caroline Evan 1:00pm - 3:00pm Streve Design Strevedesign.com Listening Room Series: Sneezy Waters & Neville Wells 7:00pm Perth Restaurant 613-267-7902

November 27 CP Holiday Train 8:00pm - 8:30pm Old Train Yard nr Herriott St & Sherbrooke St. E. www.cpr.ca/holiday-train/ canada

November 29 Ken Tizzard CD Release 8:00pm Full Circle Theatre shadowfax.on.ca/product/ ken-tizzard

November 30 Festival of Lights 6:00pm - 9:00pm Crystal Palace www.downtownperthbia. ca/festivals--events.html Film: Ocean's 8 7:30pm Studio Theatre studiotheatreperth.com

November 30 - Dec. 2, 6 - 9 Hansel & Gretel Nov 30, Dec 6-7 at 7:30pm Dec 1-2, 8-9 at 2pm Full Circle Theatre www.barndoorproductions.ca

December 1 Nick of Time Artisan Show 10:00am - 3:00pm McMartin House sites.google.com/site/nickoftimeinperth Santa Claus Parade 5:00pm - 7:00pm Downtown Perth Nolan Hubbard 9:00pm Golden Arrow Goldenarrowpub.com

SMITHS FALLS Mondays Smiths Falls Duplicate Bridge Club 7:00pm Smiths Falls Legion 613-256-4747

November 8 The Midwife 2:00pm & 7:00pm Station Theatre Filmnightinternational. blogspot.com

November 9, 16, 23 & 30 Smiths Falls Bears CCHL Hockey 7:30pm - 10:00pm Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre smithsfallsbearshockey.com

November 9 - December 20 37th Annual Art Show 11 Old Sly's Rd 613-283-6311 heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca

November 10 5th annual Skate exchange 10:00am - 1:00pm Modern Thymes Health & Bulk Foods facebook.com/ModernThymesHealthBulkFoods Christmas Craft Sale 10:00am - 3:00pm Lombardy Agricultural Hall 613-283-3631 Christmas Artisan Market 10:00am - 3:00pm First Baptist Church 613.283.3563 Christmas Tea and Bake Sale 11:00am - 2:00pm Salvation Army Church Bake and Craft Sale 1:00pm - 4:00pm Bethel Pentecostal Church 301 County Rd. 29

November 16 & 17 Movie Nights 7:00pm The Station Theatre 53 Victoria Ave

November 17

Celebration of Lights Opening Night Ceremonies 5:00pm - 8:00pm Victoria Park Campground togethersmithsfalls.com Journey Tribute 8:00pm Gallipeau Centre www.gallipeaucentretheatre.com

November 25 Christmas Craft Show 9:00am - 3:00pm A Silly Goose 5 Main St. E.

November 28 CP Holiday Train 6:30pm - 7:00pm Smiths Falls Train Station www.cpr.ca/holiday-train/ canada

November 30 Curl for Kids Sake 6:00pm Smiths Falls Curling Club www.bigbrothersbigsisterslanark.ca

December 1 Pictures with Santa 10:00am - 2:00pm Word Church www.wordchurch.ca

December 2 Victorian Family Christmas Party 1:00pm - 3:00pm Heritage House Museum 613-283-6311 heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca

WESTPORT & RIDEAU LAKES November 9 Brea Lawrenson w/Shawn McCullough 7:00pm - 10:00pm The Cove Country Inn Coveinn.com

November 14, 21, 28

Annual Bazaar & Bake Sale 9:00am - 1:00pm Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95 613-283-2967

Open Mic w/Shawn McCullough 6:30pm - 9:30pm The Cove Country Inn Coveinn.com

November 22

November 16

Ladies Night 6:00pm Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95 613-283-8763 Puzzle 2:00pm & 7:00pm Station Theatre Filmnightinternational. blogspot.com Smiths Falls' 200-Year History with Cannabis 7:00pm - 9:00pm Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre facebook.com/ events/2242399566016119

BOTR: Hogtown Allstars 7:00pm - 11:00pm The Cove Country Inn Coveinn.com

November 23 Shop Black Friday Downtown Smiths Falls

November 24 Two Rivers Market 8:00am - 1:00pm Gallipeau Centre Gallipeaucentre.com Mrs. Claus Holiday Market 9:00am - 2:00pm Settlers Ridge Mall

November 17 Logan Brown & Taylor Angus 6:00pm - 9:00pm The Cove Country Inn Coveinn.com

November 23 Holiday Shop & Hop 2:00pm - 9:00pm Westport Joey Wright w/Brownstone feat. Jenny Whiteley 7:00pm - 10:00pm The Cove Country Inn Coveinn.com

November 30 Worlds Collide Africa Fundraiser 6:00pm - 9:00pm The Cove Country Inn Coveinn.com

November 9 to December 20

37th Annual Art Show - Smiths Falls Heritage House Showcasing 20-30 Smiths Falls area artists. General Admission applies. 11 Old Slys Road, Smiths Falls.

Open Wednesday to Sunday.

For details contact: 613-283-6311, heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca.

November 11

Remembrance Day Ceremonies The Remembrance Day ceremonies in Smiths Falls will take place Sunday, November 11. There are 2 ceremonies beginning at 930am, the rst outside of the Library and the 2nd at the Cenotaph by the Sens outdoor rink, at the Memorial Center. The parade will begin at 1030am and will go downtown to the Cenotaph. There will be a light lunch to follow at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95 building, 7 Main Street. East, Smiths Falls, Ontario, K7A 1A1 Info: call 613-283-2690 or visit www.legion.ca

November 16 - 17

Holiday Train marks 20 years of making memories this season

Downtown Christmas Open House Start off your holiday season with a trip to Downtown Smiths Falls! Join us on Nov. 16 and 17 for our Christmas Open House and take advantage of our in-store specials, double P2W stamps, discounts, treats and more!

Info: 613-283-4124 ext. 1114 or www.downtownsmithsfalls.com

November 16 to December 18 Passport 2 Win

The Passport 2 Win is back between Nov. 16 to Dec. 18; shoppers are invited to shop downtown and collect stamps for every $10 spent at participating downtown businesses.

Enter your completed passport (10 stamps) for a chance to win 1 of 3 Grand Prizes!

Info: 613-283-4124 ext. 1114 or www.downtownsmithsfalls.com

November 22 - 7pm

The 2018 CP Holiday Train marks 20 years of sharing the holiday spirit through music and supporting families in need across Canada and the United States. Join them this Nov. 28 when they perform in Merrickville, Smiths Falls and Perth in support of your community food banks. Photo courtesy of CP Holiday Train.

Smiths Falls District Historical Society Presents Nathaniel Morris: Smiths Falls' 200 Year History with Cannabis

Regional - Stacey roy stacey@pdgmedia.ca

Smiths Falls' 200 Year History with Cannabis Admission $5 per person, FREE to SFDHS members. 11 Old Slys Road. Light refreshments.

Country music singer, Kelly Preston and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) invites the communities of Merrickville, Smiths Falls and Perth to join them for a Christmas tradition of harmony and helping others Nov. 28 when the CP Holiday Train pulls into our communities this anniversary year.

This annual holiday event will be moving into our region with their first stop in Merrickville Nov. 28 at 4:45 p.m. (103 East Broadway and County Road 2). The show wraps up at 5:30 p.m. and will be off to Smiths Falls for the 6:30 p.m. start time (63 Victoria Street). The final stop will be in Perth that evening with an 8 p.m. start time at the end of Harriott Street (CP rail yard). In total there are 87 shows in three-anda-half weeks. This gruelling schedule is easily tempered for artists like Prescott thanks to the audience’s energy and appreciation.

“I really don’t know what I’d do without the train”, Prescott said during a phone

November 24

Celebration of Lights Opening Night Take a stroll through the thousands of Christmas lights at Victoria Park. Join in opening night activities and catch a visit from Santa. Hot chocolate, refreshments, prizes and festive fun are all on the agenda. Kick off the holiday season with some community fun! Event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Info: www.togethersmithsfalls.com

November 24 - 25 - 11am to 4pm North Pole Express - Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario

Hop aboard the North Pole Express for a holiday inspired train ride. Send santagrams from the telegraph office and spend some time with the jolly old soul himself.

For details or for train ride tickets visit: rmeo.org or contact 613-283-5696, info@rmeo.org. 90 William St W. Smiths Falls.

www.smithsfalls.ca OntheRollSmithsFalls

interview.

The country music singer and Clayton, Ontario native has been performing on the train since she was a teenager and before that watched her parents perform. She will be joined on stage this year by country music legend Terri Clark and Canadian fiddling, singer songwriter Sierra Noble.

“It’s going to be girl power”, Prescott said.

The half-hour musical line up changes every year, but audiences can expect a good mix of holiday favourites and possibly a new Christmas song or two. This year Prescott and Clark teamed up to record a new song entitled Sister Christmas. This track will be on the CP Holiday Train 20th anniversary CD (available online only through Spotify and iTunes) along with 19 other songs from 19 different artists who have participated in the event throughout its history. All funds raised from CD sales goes directly to food banks.

Prescott is excited to return to the train and make more holiday memories. She recalls singing Silent Night

one year when an audience member got their attention and asked to sign the entire song for the crowd. Having that person on stage making her performance accessible to even more people “was really special”, Prescott said.

Over the years, Prescott’s involvement with the CP Holiday Train experience has grown. For some time her production company, Rip Roar Music, has been managing the musical line-up and stage considerations for the two country-wide tour.

Giving back “This has become not just a tradition for my family, but for so many families they need this”, Prescott said.

For the last two decades the Holiday Train has raised more than $14.5 million (CDN) and gathered 4.3 million pounds of food for food banks in Canada and the United States. Each train stop represents a significant donation to that community’s local food bank with a monetary donation from CPR and the public’s non-perishable donations. Natalia Soteroff, manager of the Smiths Falls Community Food Bank doesn’t know how they would get through the winter months without the support of the Holiday Train. Last year, this one-night event brought in over 2,000 pounds of food.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” Soteroff added. “It definitely stocks our shelves”.

The corporate donation goes to purchasing hearthealthy items such as beef, fresh produce, eggs and milk that the food bank clients receive. Soteroff said this event is a wonderful opportunity for the public to bring in holiday items such as cranberry sauce, gravy and other things needed for a Christmas dinner. Please come out this Nov. 28 and bring your food bank donation.

November 2018

11

Providing Help for Today... Hope for Tomorrow If you are a care partner or a person living with dementia we are here to help. We offer support, respite and education. Call us at 866-576-8556 or visit us at www. alzheimer.ca/llg

Twitter: @1ASLLG

Facebook: Alzheimer Society Lanark Leeds Grenville

Health Matters ADVERTISE HERE For more information call 613-206-0708 or email us at advertising@pdgmedia.ca

Our MENTAL HEALTH, a broad overview Dr. Mark Czubak In the month of August Smiths Falls hosted the fourth annual Canal Pursuit Defeat Depression and Mental Health Run. Communities across our region also hosted their own inaugural runs for mental health. Our chiropractic office had the pleasure of meeting and sponsoring Mr. Clay Williams, the master runner, and co-coordinator Bob Joynt. Clay is a very dedicated man and spoke eloquently about raising awareness of mental health concerns and raising funds via the Run. He spoke candidly about his own family struggles with depression and the unacceptable rates of suicide, depression and PTSD in our military, our police and paramedics. The Canal Pursuit Run is linked with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, a group that connects consumers, caregivers and government organizations. Mr. Williams specifically made note that Canada’s mental health system is in its infancy.

However we know that the more awareness is raised, the more acceptance will result and the more opportunity people will have to not carry their burdens alone.

A strategy to address

mental health and reduce isolation was featured in interviews recently with Dr. Essen from the National Health Service in the United Kingdom on CBC’s Ottawa morning and in national newspapers. The U.K. has chosen to identify loneliness as a significant health risk factor, on par with smoking and obesity. Dr. Essen is an advocate for “Social Prescription”, a system where health care providers can tap into local community social resources and recommend specific positive social activities to mitigate isolation and loneliness from people. An 18 month pilot study is now underway linking our Community Health Care network with the U.K. The study, called “Rx Community”, links U.K. experts with 10 CHCs across Ontario, with the purpose of bringing sustainable service innovation to the front lines of primary health care through mentorship with already existing successful programs. This represents an exciting and anticipated development in community mental health.

Another concern that is directly linked to youth community mental health is the legaliza-

tion of marijuana. I point to a review of literature in the Canadian Medical Association Journal dated August 2018. After analyzing 68 existing scientific reviews, the primary objective of the author’s overview was to assess a health effect or harm. The results are sobering. Evidence of harm was reported in 62 reviews for mental health disorders, brain changes as measured medically via lessened cognitive outcomes and poor long term impulse control.

They in fact raise a credible and important point; that there is a persistent lack of recognition of marijuana as a possible harmful substance as regards mental health.

Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows that over the past three years the number of emergency room visits because of cannabis toxicity (not overdose, as that is physiologically an incorrect term) in Ontario has almost tripled — from 449 in 2013-14, to nearly 1,500 in 201718. Concerns of toxicity, particularly with edibles in youth appears as a statistical relevant event in local, already very busy, emergency rooms. Per-

Peace of mind with the gift of time

AGING IN PLACE We will make ourselves available on a regular or as needed basis to run personal errands including transportation and accompaniment to appointments, light house duties, meal preparation for Seniors as well as people with personal injuries that want to keep their independence COMPANIONSHIP Dedicare provides peace of mind visits with your loved ones in long term care by providing companionship and assistance. Schedule a block of time on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis Services based on an hourly rate. We accept Visa and Mastercard.

sonally I am not taking a political position in my writing, but as a caregiver and part of a larger team of health providers in our region, it is critical that due diligence be paid to this issue and its governance, as regards to the mental health of our youth. Health Canada has stepped forward with an information website called “cannabisandpsychosis.ca”. Parents are encouraged to access this site for current research and the facts on informed decision making.

A final topic that consistently needs our attention is the strategic awareness and acceptance of the real mental health risks posed by social media, specifically in its role

in rising anxiety among school children.

Any quick survey of teachers and school administrators brings this topic up.

Anxious kids cannot perform well in school, in sports or in life. Limits to the use of phones are being slowly implemented in our schools, yet they remain somewhat toothless unless some limits are placed on their use by parents at home.

Mental health experts are in agreement that use after 9pm at night is harmful and detrimental to adolescent sleep quality and thus life mental health performance.

Policies emphasizing no cell phone use in class or in school cafeterias and halls will most cer-

tainly reduce anxiety in our youth, who after all, are our most precious resource for future community health.

As chiropractors, we see and assist patient mental health concerns every single day. Chiropractors are an important part of the broader health team consumers can access without referral, because of the relief of body and mental stress that chiropractors provide by individualized improvement of neuro-musculo-skeletal health and physical performance.

Dr. Mark Czubak has a practiced chiropractic health in Smiths Falls for 21 years, and has a degree in Toxicology from U of T.

November 2018

12

lifestyle New Early On facility a hit with families, caregivers and community

Nolan McMillan, 13 months old, is earnestly focusing on a peg and shape activity Nov. 6 inside the new Early On playgroup facility adjacent to St. Francis de Sales School. The new facility opened to the public Oct. 1 and features natural light from floor to ceiling windows and many play opportunities for littles. Photo credit: Stacey Roy

Smiths Falls - Stacey Roy stacey@pdgmedia.ca The bright morning sun streaming through the floor to ceiling windows in the play room acts as the perfect spotlight on Early On’s new facility adjacent to St. Francis de Sales School in Smiths Falls.

In fact, it is these windows that have really welcomed more families and caregivers to the enlarged playroom space since its opening Oct. 1, 2018.

“You feel that you’re outside”, said Laurie Wintle, ECE with Early On.

The windows were a surprise, but have proven to be a real show stopper. That is particularly true for the organization’s young clients who can now see the world pass by through the windows while they play or create art. The playroom is double the size of Early On’s previous location on Cornelia Street.

“Everything about it is so practical”, Wintle said.

Diane Bennett, executive assistant at Early On, said their attendance increase may be attributed to the bright new space and its increased walkability being within a residential area. The new facility includes bright office space for staff and organizations, such as the hearing clinic and Language Express who continue to borrow space when needed. Collaboration is really crucial to how Early On is operating today and in the future. The new space is allowing for even more collaborative efforts in terms of facility operation (shared building maintenance and custodial services). All building tenants are currently planning an open house though a date has yet to be determined.

International Day of the Child November 20 marks the

annual United Nations Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954. This year, the focus is on ensuring every child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfill their potential. They are encouraging the public to wear blue on Nov. 20 in support of this important initiative. In many ways the work done at Early On through play and social interaction achieves this year’s Universal Children’s Day objective perfectly.

“Play is practice”, said Cavanagh.

This tactile approach to learning has this November been expanded to include a French language offering.

This unique language rich experience is available every Wednesday morning at Caldwell School in Carleton Place and once every couple of months at La Coccinelle Day Care (at J. L. Couroux, Carleton Place).

“We’re coming together as a community regarding the whole French language”, Cavanagh said.

The decision to offer French language programming came after consultations with various organizations who agreed that Carleton Place and area is becoming more diverse lin-

guistically. Early On continues to offer play groups and parent education workshops around the county throughout the week. Their current schedule is available online at www.crowlanark.com with the 2019 calendar expected to be launched in early Jan-

uary. Looking to find them in Smiths Falls? Turn right onto Broadview Avenue from Brockville Street and then left onto Harold Street (at the stop sign). Early On’s parking lot is on your left and their door is on this side of the building as well.

Octavia Normandy is using the natural light from the impressive wall of windows at Early On’s play group to create a wonderful painting Nov. 6. The county-wide organization opened its new facility Oct. 1 to the public. This month they began French language playgroups in Carleton Place. Go to www.crowlanark. com for an updated schedule of play groups and parent workshops.

Photo credit: Stacey Roy

STRONGFIT fitness system prepares for global launch with Smiths Falls event Nov. 10 Smiths Falls - Stacey Roy stacey@pdgmedia.ca STRONGFIT fitness is poised to take the world by storm just like the Vikings, and it will start in Smiths Falls Nov. 10 at the Gallipeau Centre when a full day trial event takes place to demonstrate just how effective and empowering STRONGFIT is for all ages.

“It’s not a game; it’s serious”, said Volundur (Wally) Thorbjornsson, chief executive officer (CEO) of STRONGFIT. Men and women of all ages and abilities will be on site next month vying for the title of the strongest and fittest person. To do this, competitors will be put through several events starting at 10 a.m. to challenge their bodies and minds using the STRONGFIT method originally developed in Iceland. The public is welcome to come out and see for themselves what this Scandinavian fitness system can do for the health of its members, and stop by the many vendor booths from local businesses. Admission is by donation to the Jon Pall Sigmarsson Foundation, which supports athletes.

This premier event will also be aired on YourTV. Will Magnus Ver Mag-

nusson, a four-time World’s Strongest Man and co-founder of the STRONGFIT system will serve as judge during the Nov. 10 trials and will host a STRONGFIT training seminar Nov. 12. For more details on this please go to STRONGFIT’s Facebook page.

Many international competitors will be on the grounds Nov. 10, including Steve Schmidt of America who will be attempting to break his world record for stone block lift. Haley Randall of Ottawa is another competitor to look out for.

She began STRONGFIT this summer and will be at the Nov. 10 event with the intent on breaking the current record for the heaviest deadlift by a female in Canada. A weight of 550 pounds will be awaiting her, but Randall in an email interview said she is ready to take this challenge on.

“I am pretty confident that the number will be there on November 10”, Randall wrote.

She was invited into the STRONGFIT community after unofficially breaking the deadlift record by a Canadian female after twoand-a-half years of training and posted the video online. Since Thorbjornsson

discovered her, she has been filming a video documenting her road to the record and is preparing to compete this December in Raleigh, North Carolina at the Strongman Games: Worlds Strongest Woman event.

“So far, my experience as a strongfit athlete has been wonderful”, Randall said.

Creating an online community for athletes is a priority for STRONGFIT so that every member has a support system rallying around them.

STRONGFIT system Thorbjornsson plans to invite athletes like Randall to be trained and certified to offer the STRONGFIT fitness system to members of the public. It is this focus on the athlete and the knowledge and passion they bring to fitness that sets STRONGFIT apart from the crowd.

“Our hope is to build from within,” said Tony Vanderburgh, STRONGFIT Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Currently, Industrial Fitness in Perth is the only gym to offer STRONGFIT until the formal licensing package is developed and made available for their official launch at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio

Haley Randall has been a STRONGFIT member since this summer and already she is readying herself to break the lifting record and be the strongest female in Canada. See her in action Nov. 10 at the Gallipeau Centre where the inaugural STRONGFIT Trails event takes place. Photo submitted.

Feb. 28-March 2, 2019. The company, which is going to be headquartered at the Gallipeau Centre in Smiths Falls, has been travelling the world to gauge interest, and has been very pleased with the results.

“The reception we’ve been getting has been unbelievable,” Thorbjornsson added. “We see the option of this going global very, very fast.”

This fitness system has produced nine World’s Strongest Man titles and several podiums, but isn’t intimidating and can be adjusted for any ability. It focus is on strengthening the

mind and body to perform at its best at any age or condition.

“To live long you have to be strong”, Vanderburgh said.

STRONGFIT makes each participant their own best competitor, which allows it to be helpful for rehabilitation, sports conditioning or overall health.

Thorbjornsson is a retired multi-national powerlifting champion himself when he suffered a serious health set back. During his recovery the STRONGFIT CEO decided to go back to this unique training system to heal.

“It managed not only to rebuild my health, but long term, it saved my life”, Thorbjornsson said.

His vision for STRONGFIT is to provide a training centre for athletes and a retreat offering at the Gallipeau Centre. A line of nutrition, clothing and fitness equipment is also in development.

“We want to work and grow in Smiths Falls”, Thorbjornsson added. “We see very big events there quite frequently”.

He thanks the Gallipeau Centre for their warm welcome and support.

November 2018

13

lifestyle

The right care at the right time in the right place Regional - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Such a simple, necessary concept, but one that’s taken 14 years to fully implement — a mental health team composed of OPP, local police services, paramedics, addiction and distress centres, a ride-along mental health nurse, and local hospitals all working together to care for people in a mental health crisis.

Diana McDonnell, executive director of Lanark County Mental Health, was the initial architect behind the eventual team. Her vision goes back to 2004; reading about other interwoven mental health teams in both Tennessee and Ontario she felt she could do the same.

After scrutinizing these teams closely, however, she knew she wanted one which would include all they had plus hospitals, police services, and paramedics. “The more we had an understanding of each other the better we’d be responding to our community,” she explains.

Her career spans 40 years in mental health. With that knowledge at her back, and knowing Lanark County as she does, she says “Lanark County is the one place that everyone would do their best to do better.” So she found a partner with a similar vision — Perth OPP Detachment Commander Derek Needham — and together they wove a team, putting together a submission for funds from Proceeds of Crime, and finally, just this August, putting boots on the ground with the hiring of Morgan

Crew as a ride-along mental health nurse.

Needham is usually loud, sometimes gruff, sometimes confrontational, a bit snappy; talk to him about mental health though, and he becomes quiet, reflective, and knowledgeable.

There’s nothing more frustrating for him as a police officer, he says, than incarcerating someone because of mental illness. Nudge him a bit more: “We are progressing to try and decriminalize mental illness, and that’s something that morally makes so much sense. It’s become a passion for me. I’ve seen how it can work when we get to people early on. Getting the right people to those people in crisis prevents them from going down a path where they could end up potentially incarcerated. “[The program] is easy for me to get behind and see the value in. The passion comes from that. I don’t want to see people incarcerated because they’re mentally ill…that’s the bottom line.”

Today the LEAD team is up and running. As well as McDonnell, Needham and Crew, it consists of OPP Constable Dave Bird who is the Mental Health Liaison Officer, and Staff Sergeants Marty McConnell and Marc Hemmerick.

The purpose of the team is to serve the community, specifically emotionally disturbed people in crisis. It does this through increased training of LEAD team members (eleven different entities scattered throughout Lanark County) and in partnership with local

mental health care professionals and advocacy/support groups.

Already, in just eight short weeks, their services are being looked for, and the word is just now getting out. In their first six weeks there were 40 calls. Be assured this isn’t the cavalry riding in with sabres clashing and horns blaring; this is a considered, elegantly and painstakingly designed approach to dealing with and helping people with mental illness.

McDonnell describes it: “We work together to make sure if a person’s a risk, wherever the first contact is, everyone knows within the partnership how to access services. We work collaboratively using an integrated approach to provide that in the community.”

Privacy is paramount, Bird continues with the explanation. “If someone’s in a crisis, we can share only the information required to be able to support that person — and that’s when they’re in crisis. So if someone comes in contact with police only that specific information is shared, not [a total] history, only what is occurring in that situation.

Everyone needs to understand what the call is about and how we can support them or their family.”

Bird, a 37-year veteran of police work both in London, England and here, reflects a bit on what work used to be. “If it didn’t fit the criteria for apprehension, we’d sit here, no follow-ups, no sharing of information.

“Now that’s changed,” he says. “We’re not keeping information to ourselves

The mental health ride-along team includes (l to r) OPP Inspector Derek Needham, Diana McDonnell, executive director, Lanark County Mental Health, Morgan Crew, ride-along mental health nurse, OPP Constable Dave Bird, mental health liaison officer and OPP Staff Sergeants Marty McConnell and Marc Hemmerick. Photo credit: Sally Smith.

anymore.” He adds that if officers “see a pattern building and begin to recognize signs,” those observations are shared. “Doing something earlier is the best time to engage with an individual. Getting mental health services sooner, and more referrals, reduces time with [and for] police…that’s the hope.”

Here’s where the newest member of the crew comes in. In the two months she’s been on the road in Lanark County it’s been her experience that it’s likely situations will be far more serious than originally thought.

“That’s overwhelmingly what I’ve seen so far. Clients are really sick. They’re vulnerable. Most likely they don’t have a car, they have no doctor, and they have no

Members of the Naismith Men’s Shed are home!

Regional - Stacey roy stacey@pdgmedia.ca The Naismith Men’s Shed is pleased to announce it now has a place to call home--or at least, to call its Shed!

The Shed membership has completed its quest to be an active group in the Missis-

Photo submitted.

sippi Mills community and today it is signing up to volunteer at the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area, which is owned and operated by Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA). This will be a symbiotic arrangement, giving the Naismith Men’s

Shed access to the Mill’s Gatehouse to hold their meetings, as well as custodianship of the shed structure adjacent to the parking lot.

Shedders look forward to working with MVCA operations staff by undertaking tasks within their capabilities and also helping to stock the R. Tait McKenzie and Dr. James Naismith Museums’ gift shop with handmade crafted items.

Shedders plan to continue their twice-monthly breakfasts at Mamma’s Place in Almonte while the Mill provides a place for member drop-ins and workspace for hobbies and crafts.

Included in this event is the signing of a use agreement with the owners of the Mirabelli woodwork shop in Appleton village. The arrangement will allow shed members to use the space during normal working hours, throughout the year, to pursue more complex carpentry work and other crafts.

“It has been an exciting eight months for Naismith Men’s Shedders,” said Shed Leader Dave Steventon. “The members have worked hard, with this day as the goal,

to develop the Shed from a simple idea in the Spring to what you see today; all the necessary tasks completed to establish the Naismith Men’s Shed as a functional, worthy participant in the Mississippi Mills community”.

“It gives over thirty shed members purpose, and a string of guys to call friends, either in the social environment of breakfasts (shedders love to eat!), retirement home drop-ins, social gatherings at the Mill gatehouse, or while pursuing crafts and hobbies at its MoK shed, Mirabelli workshop or during community projects”.

“Experiencing depression through loneliness or isolation is more lethal for men than heart attack or stroke.

The Men’s Shed movement with over 2000 sheds worldwide, and in this case the Naismith Men’s Shed, meets the need unique in men to find support through socializing with other men and doing guy things.”

Anyone in the community is invited to visit our new shed website at www.naismithmensshed.ca to learn more of what the Men’s Shed movement is all about.

intention of getting to an appointment at the hospital or seeing a doctor.”

Crew works hard to develop a rapport with clients, listening to and figuring out “where they’re at….” She’s experienced at this and she knows Lanark County having grown up here. Even though the LEAD team has been in action for a decade, what’s new is her two-year assignment to do “practical work at the police department, going out to do assessments with clients who have a mental illness and who have been in contact with the police.”

“Morgan is not the only nurse embedded with the OPP,” Bird says, “but is the first in this area working on this particular model.”

Sometimes the ‘ask’ is immediate — could you come right away; sometimes it’s later the same day or a follow-up the next day.

If police sense the client is a danger to themselves or others, or if there is a possibility of suicide or a homicide, or behaviour that is unsafe in general, under the Mental Health Act Apprehension, police take the person to the hospital.

“Two or more officers go to the hospital and wait to be seen by a doctor or nurse,” Crew says.

“Now I can go to the scene, do the assessment, devise a plan and make a recommendation. Or,” she adds, “I can do the assessment myself and give the doctor my idea or recommendation so we can work together.

“It’s better for the client.

They’re not waiting. It’s better for the doctor — they have a nurse assessment waiting.” And sometimes, because Crew knows the area well, she already knows the client.

“It’s very effective. There’s a positive outcome for both client and police officers. If officers deem it safe, they can leave and not be held up any longer.

“It’s the right care at the right time in the right

place.”

One of the very clear purposes is to get to the person as soon as possible. Our clients are “very sick. They’re tortured and scared, they’re vulnerable and often in very unhealthy situations,” Crew says, admitting she gets attached and has cried about some of them — hoarding, drugs, alcohol, no washing facilities. Over time, though, they develop a bond and acceptance comes quickly.

The next step is to keep the program going; two years happens fast, and so by August 2020 Crew’s position will need more funding. Proceeds of Crime funded the majority, Needham says, but the challenge yet to come is “funding it long term. Once we have a track record [through analytics], we can show hospitals and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) there is a savings by diverting people from emergency rooms and getting to people in crisis sooner.

“We hope they see the same value and that it’s worth funding through the health care system… because this is ultimately about health care.

“There’s got to be a value attached to that. We’re hoping they see it the way we do. We’re hoping we can demonstrate that through analytics and that it’s a worthwhile thing to back financially.”

Dave Bird gets the last word. “Because this is so new, we’re still learning and building. None of us sees this being a failure, only a win-win.

“If we can sell this, and people see value in it once explained, the time will come when new officers won’t know any other way than collaborative team work.

“As society changes,” he adds, “the younger officers will be more attuned.” He stops a moment and adds “… but the older wrinkled officers, like me, are already buying in.”

November 2018

14

lifestyle

Le Boat rippling out to Seeley’s Bay Regional - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca It was better than a good beginning for Le Boat this summer in Smiths Falls.

Seventy-three percent of the time boats were out on the water with paying customers and the rest of the time, explains Cheryl Brown, Managing Director of Le Boat, the boats went to “journalists and media” which made the best use of the boats throughout the season.

As this summer was good, she says, wait for next summer; the two big eye-openers are a satellite location opening at Seeley’s Bay, and four new bigger boats being added to the fleet of 16.

Brown provided a few memories from the very beginning in 2015 to last summer’s success. She met Noreen Cartwright of Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport at a show in New York. Cartwright was forthright in her questioning, says Brown, asking if we’d ever heard of the Rideau.

Brown admitted she really didn’t know much about the Rideau, only that it was a UNESCO site. “I had no idea of where it began or where it finished.”

But it was just at the right time, she remembers, because we were “a growing business looking for new opportunities.” They weren’t just going to give Le Boat to Ontario, however; Ontario had to compete with the New York Canal Corporation and the Erie Canal.

The two entities put presentations together and Le Boat chose to set up in a small Ontario town just south of Ottawa on the Rideau Canal.

Brown says she remembers arriving in Ottawa, being awed by the Parliament Buildings, and eventually heading down the narrow canal towards Smiths Falls with its “almost flavour of the French canals,” then travelling further south to the waterway that “really opens up to the great Mecca of all sorts of outdoors.”

The vanguard group ex-

plored Merrickville, Westport, Seeley’s Bay, Jones Falls and everything in between. “We kept asking ourselves ‘What are we missing? What aren’t they telling us?’ We were absolutely blown away.”

Brown uses that expression frequently — so it must be true.

Parks Canada, she remembers, also kept apologizing for their infrastructure, “but the reality was that the infrastructure on the Rideau Canal was far superior. It was well-maintained, the lockkeepers were smiling and welcoming, the lock areas were beautiful with flowers everywhere.

“It was like being in the Disneyland of Locks!”

Brown went to her bosses and asked, with a gulp, for $16 million, to put her vision together. The decision was to build the boats in Gdynia, Poland, ship them to Montreal (a three week trip), and finally truck them to Smiths Falls.

She remembers when the boats arrived. One woman

Winter is coming and the boats are getting wrapped for the cold weather. Photo credit: Sally Smith.

First season a success for Le Boat cruises headquartered in Smiths Falls. Photo credit: Sally Smith.

described it as “the house going dark as the boats passed by and running outside in her nightgown to watch them.”

And Brown remembers the state of The Lockmaster’s House, presently headquarters for Le Boat, when it first became a possibility for their offices. She, along with her team, now enjoy the “warm and cozy” atmosphere it has become.

She also remembers, when all was said and done, and with some trepidation, waiting for the first booking. “The phone rang, we took our first booking, then the second….

“Then the customers arrived.”

In 2018, 65 percent of Le Boat customers came from North America and 35 percent from Europe and elsewhere. Brown unhesitatingly says this was their expectation. Where from in the world? The United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, France, Israel, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, Spain, New Zealand, China, and Latin America.

Whew!

For a family boating experience, Brown says it’s impossible to go wrong with Le Boat. There are a lot of “three generation bookings — grandparents taking their children, and their children’s children — great team building for families. One becomes the captain, one takes the front rope and one the back (going through the locks), one might be the cook for the day. They can cycle together, paddle board or kayak.

“No one has to have boating experience, the boats are easy to drive with bow and stern thrusters — it’s just dead, dead easy.”

She likens Le Boats to Dodgem cars (Canadians call them bumper cars), they only travel at a speed of 6 km per hour (the average walking speed of a human), and the average age of clients is 55.

When the 2019 season opens May 17, it will be business as usual in Smiths Falls with a bit bigger bang at Seeley’s Bay. Seeley’s Bay will host four boats. Brown looks at this spot as a dropoff point for clients wending their way through the

system from Smiths Falls moving towards Kingston.

Rather than doubling back and re-visiting some of the spots along the way, boaters can hop off at Seeley’s Bay. Or, if they pick up at Seeley’s Bay, they can head to Smiths Falls and drop off there.

The four new boats will include the state-of-the-art Horizon 5 “the largest and most luxurious of the fleet; at almost 15 metres long, it sleeps up to 12, with five double bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom.”

And Brown finally adds that on October 25 she and her team were heading off for sessions about the Trent-Severn Waterway, a possible new addition.

“We’re just looking at the cruising grounds, seeing if they’re suitable, wondering if it’s a possibility for future growth — nothing more at this stage…but it could well be,” she says a little musingly.

Le Boat cruises start again May 17, 2019. Information is available at 1-855-400-5578 or visit www.leboat.ca.

Docs on Ice Tournament coming to Lanark County Perth - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca In 2019, a group of local doctors will welcome nearly 1,000 physicians to the ice pads across Lanark County – and they need

your help.

Docs on Ice is an annual fundraising hockey tournament for physicians that first started in Peterborough in 1983 with just eight teams. Today, the event has since grown

to include more than 800 physicians and 100 medical students, with 56 teams in 11 divisions from across Ontario.

Each year, the money raised from the tournament goes to a local char-

Ottawa, one of the original eight teams in 1983. Photo from docsonice.ca

ity. This year’s proceeds will go to the PEP Seniors’ Therapeutic Centre, Lanark County Therapeutic Riding, The Table, and other local community groups.

From March 28-30, 2019, the 36th annual Docs on Ice Tournament will be hosted in Lanark County. Using the ice pads in Perth, Smiths Falls, Carleton Place, Beckwith, Lanark and Westport, the tournament will welcome physicians to this part of the province.

It’s always a highlight when the tournament is hosted in a rural setting.

“We are so excited to welcome these doctors to Lanark County and demonstrate how our rural landscape can offer so much for a tournament experience,” says 2019 Docs on Ice Chair Dr. Bob Van Noppen.

“Whether it’s within the community centres, from our food and beverage

vendors, at our Friday night Gala location or by our volunteers, we’re really highlighting just how welcoming a community can be.”

While the hockey players can expect to receive solid small-town hospitality and an unforgettable experience, there is one element to the tournament requiring community attention – accommodation.

Accomo dations Needed for Doctors

While local hotels, motels, camps, and Bed and Breakfasts already aware of the tournament’s scale, Docs on Ice tournament organizers are reaching out to local homeowners who wish to rent out their properties to team players.

Docs on Ice organizers are looking for house or cottage owners to rent out their spaces on Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29, 2019.

“Whether it’s to accommodate half a team or a full team, we’d love to hear from homeowners who will either be away for the winter or don’t mind renting out their space to a team while they may be away visiting friends or family,” says Van Noppen.

Each team covers their accommodation costs, so the renters would be connected directly to the team captain for setting up the rental and payment.

If you’re interested in learning more about renting out your home or cottage, please contact Docs on Ice via email at DocsOnIce2019@gmail. com. They will confirm the rental details with you (such as room numbers, rates and amenities).

They will send your listing privately to the physicians and then they will contact you directly.

To learn more about Docs on Ice, visit www. docsonice.ca.

November 2018

15

lifestyle

Let's Eat

The Ashton Brew Pub in Ashton has always been known as a great local place to wet your whistle with some fine libations but it has evolved over the years to become a true oasis for foodies and craft beer aficionados alike. In fact, Ashton Brew Pub was serving great barley nectar long before we called it craft beer.

I took an eager party of 6 on a crisp fall Saturday evening to test out Ashton Brew Pub’s menu. First, if you’re planning on attending during primetime dining hours and days, a reservation, even for a smaller group is recommended.

This will improve as the pub will be opening a lower level dining area with about 30-35 additional seats in November. The pub has a brewing facility attached and offers a wide range of brews from amber ales to stouts and pretty much everything in between. And of course for the Irish (and those who want to be) there’s Guinness, properly poured in the correct glass at just the right temperature. And as a tip right from the Guinness brewery in Dublin, if you want the best taste experience of this black magic, make sure when you take your first sip

Food &Drink

by Brian Turner

Ashton Brew Pub; A true taste of Britain in your own backyard

your upper lip is completely immersed below the foamy head of the serving.

This pub’s food menu is packed with everything from light to meal size apps, to homemade soups and greens, great sandwich platters, solidly done mains, and of course traditional pub grub but done right.

Two of our group opted for the boxty plates; a newer take on the traditional Irish potato pancake. The Ashton kitchen team does them almost crepe thin and stuffs them with salmon, pepper-steak, or chicken with the appropriate sauces and seasoning for each. Our table gave them two thumbs up for these delights. I opted for the BBQ steak salad, listed on the salad selection but leaning towards the feast region. A beautifully charred New York sirloin was delicately sliced and drizzled with a house sauce all served over a generous selection of a simple yet enjoyable plate of greens.

My wife’s choice of a pub standby, liver, didn’t miss the chef ’s talents at resurrecting an old standard with flair. If you’ve always turned your nose up at fried liver, you’ve got try the Ashton Brew Pub’s take, cooked to order, served tender and moist, over a bed of mashed

potatoes with a beefy, rich gravy. And in tribute to the Indian cuisine influence on British pubs, there’s a perfectly spiced Madras chicken curry served with house-made chutney over rice. And of course Ashton Brewery Pub has the perfect ale or stout to match your meal selection for added enjoyment. For the non barley crowd, there’s

Westport Brewing Company

a modest but appropriate wine list with some great choices from California, Italy, and Chile.

It always amazes me that at any restaurant table of friends after the mains have been consumed, everyone will admit to be too stuffed for dessert until just one of them pipes up and orders something. At Ashton, you won’t be disappointed if

you follow that leader, with choices such as caramel apple crisp or warm lemon cake.

Prices are reasonable and the large selection will let you match your budget with a truly satisfying dining and pub experience.

My tab for 2 with a wine and ale and a shared dessert came to only $63 before tip. And my companions’

wallets sacrificed less. The atmosphere can be lively, but after all, that’s what a great pub is all about. The Ashton Brew Pub’s official address is 113 Old Mill Rd, Ottawa (but just look for the busiest facility at the crossroads in Ashton). You can reach them at 613-2574423 or drool over their selections at their website; ashtonbrewpub.ca.

Column: Beer Wine & Spirits

brianpreston@hotmail.com I was very impressed with the new brewery in Westport situated overlooking the shores of Upper Rideau Lake at 41B Main Street which just opened. As you enter from the street you are greeted by large stainless steel vats along the wall behind a bar with seating that puts you in touch with the server who could be one of the owners, Marcus Laver, or Kevin and Tamara Quinlan. Or you may, like me, be greeted by the brewmaster, Thomas Nelson. The interior decor was carefully thought out to reflect the local lakeside scene with a stone wall, beams and large picture window looking out on the deck, which has tables and chairs overlooking the lake. Inside, banquette tables with surround seating create a social environment rounded off by the servings of their new beers and light fare. It is no wonder you feel so at home as both Marcus and Tamara are interior designers and Kevin is a contractor by trade. They have known each other for almost 30 years and the brewery fills a void in the village which helps to attract locals and visitors alike to this increasingly vibrant part of Rideau Lakes township.

613-283-5556 Let’s get to the beers, shall we? Well, Thomas started me off with the Upper Rideau Blonde, 4.7%abv, 16 IBU, pale yellow colour with a sweet, light malty aroma and a bit of body to balance the clean flavour of this lovely Blonde style ale.

Great starter beer! Then it was the Lakeside Lager, 5.1%abv, 22 IBU, using a German hop Terrnanger, Tradition and Magnum, giving this refreshing gold coloured German style lager that familiar nose of steely, dry but pleasant bitterness that finished with an unexpected touch of sweetness on the palate in a dry, clean

and totally balanced body. It has it all and is a great lager.

To finish, Thomas presented the Beaver Pond Brown Ale, 5%abv, 26 IBU, just released the day of my visit. I’m not usually a big fan of brown ales such as Newcastle, but this one was different. Yes, it had the classic brown ale characteristics of a lovely brown copper colour and roasted coffee and chocolate aromas, but it nicely held its foamy head and also had a touch of caramel sweetness that was balanced by a clean finish. This is one I could order again!

Future plans include trying new recipes and their

acceptance by the public will determine what they keep producing. They also plan an extension to the balcony and offering a charcuterie board of as many local products as possible including Westport’s Salmon House salmon and local cheeses.

They can be reached at 613273-2739 and their hours are currently Wednesday / Thursday from 11AM, Friday / Saturday from 11AM to 8PM and Sunday from 12PM to 5PM. They are closed Monday / Tuesday for brewing operations.

Brian Preston The Travelling Sommelier brianpreston@hotmail.com

November 2018

16

Back to back tournament wins!

Smiths Falls - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca Congratulations to the Smiths Falls Novice Competitive Cubs on winning the Cornwall Typhoons Novice

Tournament, the team went undefeated in round robin play and beat a strong Cornwall team to take home the gold!!

The next weekend was their home tournament in

Smiths Falls and the girls again went undefeated in round robin play and beat Kemptville to take home gold!!

Good job girls, you should be proud of yourselves.

Photos submitted.

Boston Pizza coming to Settlers Ridge Centre in March Smiths Falls - Sally smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Official ribbon cutting for the opening of Settlers Ridge Centre.

Photo credit: Sally Smith.

If you ever worked at County Fair Mall sometime in the past, you were invited to step up and get in the picture!

Chris Saumure, representing the Saumure Group of Companies, owner of the mall — now called Settlers Ridge Centre — told well over 100 townspeople Wednesday afternoon that Boston Pizza would be here by

the end of March. Before that, though, some more major renovations to the building will be undertaken.

At the end of the announcement of Settlers Ridge Centre’s official grand opening, Saumure invited all previous employees to step up and be included in a picture for posterity.

Saumure took the leap to owning the mall in December 2016 when he

began hearing rumours that RioCan was about to demolish the building which was built in 1976, “the same year Smiths Falls celebrated its 150th anniversary,” Saumure said. He quickly challenged those present to remember all the stores that had been in the mall, and guests willingly took up the challenge calling out the names, first recalling Zellers and A&P. Today, there are 14 ten-

ants — Food Basics, Buck or Two Plus, Telus/Koodo, Dentistry@Smiths Falls, North American Trucking, Reclaimed, Rotary Club Bingo Hall, Artisan Loft/Personal Pampering Spa, Drivetest, Remedy’s Rx, Bayshore Homecare, Canopy Growth Corporation, Functional Performance Fitness and 4 Degrees Brewing Company.

Boston Pizza is expected to create 60 jobs

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