Manotick Messenger May 3, 2024

Ontario Legislative Page Program offers opportunity to youths

By Goldie Ghamari, mPP for Carleton

Last week, I had the pleasure of having lunch with St. Mark High School student Simon Valentini, who is part of the Ontario Legislatives Page Program.

Simon is the second Page that we have had from the Carleton riding in the last two years.

Each year, approximately 150 young students from across Ontario are selected to participate in Ontario’s Legislative Page Program. This unique educational program for Ontario students provides an opportunity to experience the provincial legislature in action and forge new lifelong friendships with peers from all over the province.

Pages have been an important part of Ontario’s Parliament since Confederation. These early Pages

were 10 to 14 year-old boys who carried messages, ran errands, and fetched glasses of water for Members of Provincial Parliament.

The role of the Page remained the same throughout the first half of the twentieth century. In 1952, a tutor was hired to work with the Pages a few days a week. Eligibility requirements changed, so that Pages now had to be students in grades 7 or 8, and have a minimum academic average of 80 percent. They also had to have a letter of recommendation from their principal.

The program is designed for outgoing, high-achieving, community-involved

students who have demonstrated responsibility and leadership. Legislative Pages meet key parliamentary and political figures, and learn first-hand about Ontario’s Parliament and the legislative process.

While at Queen’s Park, they are under the direction of the Page Program Coordinator who is a certified Ontario teacher. Pages also receive an honorarium during their term of duty.

Being a Page is sure to be one of the most exciting and memorable times of your life. It does, however, come with a number of responsibilities. If selected, you will have to study and prepare for your term of duty, wear a traditional black and white uniform, follow many rules and procedures, and commit to the program from Monday to Friday.

As we welcome the Pages to the Legislative

Building, their health and safety, as well as everyone who has direct contact with them, is top priority.

For the Fall 2024 period, applicants must meet the following criteria:

- Attend school in Ontario and be entering Grade 8 in the Fall of 2024

- Have an academic average of Level 4 or 80 % (or higher)

Students must also demonstrate an involvement in a variety of extra-curricular (in and out of school) and community-based activities; leadership skills; responsibility, maturity, and commitment; an interest in current affairs; strong interpersonal and social skills; and an ability to get along well with peers and adults.

Applications from Ontario students are accepted online two times per yearApril 15 to June 15 and September 15 to November 15.

For more information, visit https://www.ola.org/ en/visit-learn/programs/ about-page-program.

Losing an icon in the community

We are all saddened in the Carleton riding after the passing of Jeff Kyle, who was very well known and loved throughout Ottawa.

Jeff passed away peacefully at home on April 18 after a long and courageous battle with Glioblastoma, which is a cancerous brain tumor.

A native of Brockville, Jeff went to Queen’s University, where he excelled both in the classroom and as a member of the Golden Gaels football team.

After graduation, he worked for Terrace Investments under CEO and fellow Brockville native Cyril Leeder. and played a

huge role in bringing NHL hockey back to Ottawa after an absence of more than 55 years. Jeff was the longtime VP of Marketing and Ticket Sales for the Sens. In the community, Jeff was the type of person who inspired everyone around him. He had a genuine smile for everyone. He was a great husband and father. He proved that success in business can still be achieved by building strong relationships.

As a cancer patient, he was inspirational. He fought hard and never backed down, no matter how difficult things became for him. He shared his journey – the ups and the downs – on social media, hoping that he could set an example for other cancer patients to follow.

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His kindness and his courageous battle were often talked about in my constituency office, as some of my staff members knew him or his family.

My sincerest condolences go out to his wife, Joanne, and his children, Cody and Jordan. Jeff Kyle touched the lives of everyone he crossed paths with. He will be dearly missed in the community.

Ontario Helping Family Doctors Put Patients before Paperwork

The Ontario government is taking further action to help family doctors and other primary care providers spend more time with their patients and less time on paperwork.

The government will allow primary care providers to spend more time with patients by making changes that encourage employers to use other tools instead of sick notes, such as attestations, that will help maintain accountability as employees request time off sick. The province is also expanding an innovative program to more than 150 primary care providers that safely uses artificial intelligence to automatically summarize or transcribe conversations with patients who consent into electronic medical notes. This will result in a better patient experience and more accurate records.

These initiatives, in addition to other changes aimed at putting patients over paperwork, will free up to 95,000 hours annually for physicians to put back into their practices caring for patients, including:

- “Axe the fax” to replace fax machines over the next few years to speed up diagnosis, referrals and treatments while improving the privacy of patient’s health information.

opportunities for digital solutions.

- Improving the eForms platform to use more digital tools that make it convenient for providers to autofill and share forms.

- Working with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) to streamline and simplify 12 key government medical forms that are burdensome, as well as digitizing and integrating more forms into electronic medical records.

- Accelerating the expansion of the centralized waitlist program for surgical and diagnostic services that will take the guesswork out of the referral process and provide faster access to care for patients.

Cutting unnecessary paperwork like sick notes and streamlining note taking during patient appointments are more ways that the Ontario government, through Your Health: A Plan For Connected and Convenient Care, is making it easier and faster for people to connect to the care they need, where and when they need it.

Quick Facts

- According to the Ontario Medical Association, family doctors spend 19 hours per week on administrative tasks, including four hours writing notes or completing forms for

have the right to take up to three days of unpaid job-protected sick leave each calendar year due to a personal illness, injury, or medical emergency. Proposed changes would prohibit employers from requiring sick notes from a qualified health practitioner in order for

employees to take their entitled leave. Employers maintain the ability to require reasonable evidence from an employee that they were sick, such as an attestation or declaration.

Office Notice:

My office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to

4 pm. If you require assistance on any matter, please contact me at any time. My staff and I will be happy to assist. Even if it’s not a provincial issue, I’ll make sure to connect you with the proper office.

Goldie

- AI scribes will only be used during a visit if the patient gives their consent, and the privacy of patient health information will continue to be protected under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.

- Research shows using medical scribes reduced the time doctors spent on after-hours documentation by up to 50 per cent and helped clinicians see an additional 12 patients per month.

- Across government and in collaboration with the Ontario Medical Association, the government is reviewing key forms to streamline and simplify them, minimize any duplication, and identify

- Expanding eServices to digitize more referral and consultation forms so they can be conveniently shared electronically in a timely manner to obtain specialist advice, often eliminating the need for an in-person specialist visit entirely.

30 years later, Shafiq Visram remains the community’s

The community is still recovering from the shock of the Barrhaven murders of the Wickramasinghe family.

A mother, her four children, and a family friend were brutally killed in March. They were Sri Lankan nationals who had not been in Canada for very long.

The community wondered how something like this could happen. What many did not know, however, is that it was not the first time a Sri Lankan national had been killed in the area.

While the Wickramasinghe family will forever be remembered in our local history, Shafiq Visram has all but slipped through the cracks.

Thirty years ago this month, the 19-year-old South Carleton High

left his dishes in the sink – and went to mud creek. He didn’t take his wallet or any ID, but he did take his backpack. Visram’s bank accounts had never been accessed since his disappearance. He left the house, and then he was gone. The last time he was seen, he was sitting on the banks of Mud Creek.

What happened? Did he just get on a bus and go to Toronto? Was he abducted?

Nobody had a clue. He is the boy who simply slipped through the cracks.

The 1994 case of Shafiq Visram remains one of the biggest mysteries in Manotick’s 166-year history.

Remains found

Human bones unearthed at a construction site caused many long time village residents to wonder and speculate if, perhaps, the body of the 19-year-old South Carleton High School student who went missing in May, 1994 may have finally

The bones were found in 2016 at a home in Phase 6 of Maple Creek Estates near First Line Road and

Prince of Wales Drive. Tim Carver and Jason Pink were digging in front of the house on Cabrelle Place to

install fence posts. When they went to take a break, Pink stepped on something hard. He looked, down, and saw what appeared to be a human jaw bone.

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Shafiq Visram was last seen along the banks of Mud Creek on May 30, 1994.

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When the police were called in they agreed with the two contractors that the bone was likely human. A forensics expert was called in, and for the next few days, the home’s front yard turned into an archaeological dig site. Vertebrae were found, which would help experts determine the age and origin of the bones.

The police said that they could not begin to form a direction for the investigation into the bones until information was received. Const. Marc Soucy said that, first, “we have to know if these are 600-yearold bones or 20-year-old bones.”

For longtime residents, their immediate thoughts went to the South Carleton High School student who went missing from the nearby Mid Creek area.

Months after the bones were found, forensics confirmed that it was, indeed, Shafiq Visram.

According to the June 8, 1994 Manotick Messenger, Visram had last been seen on Monday, May 30, 1994, returning home from school.

“We’re not sure what happened,” Manotick OPP Const. Ian McCurdie said at the time. He is a good student but his marks had slipped a bit. That’s all we know.

“Ordinarily, we would not search for a 19-year-old, but from some of the information we had, we decided

to look into it.”

The Visram family, originally from Sri Lanka, arrived in Manotick from Kenya two years earlier. Shafiq’s father has passed away, and most of his family is now living in the Greater Toronto Area. He has a brother living in England.

“What I remember about that case was how the community got together,” said Mike Williscraft, who publishes a newspaper in Grimsby but was the editor of the Messenger at that time. “It was an interesting time because community policing was just becoming popular, and people wanted to get involved and volunteer to help. There were people from Manotick, Kars, North Gower, Osgoode and Richmond all coming together to look for that boy.”

Hundreds of volunteers linked arms and walked through farm fields and through the woods looking for Visram. Police dogs were brought in, and helicopters flew overhead during the search.

“Eventually, the search was called off,” recalled Williscraft. “There were no clues. It was like he vanished.”

Visram was described by everyone as a good kid. He lived a clean life. He was not a kid who was into drugs, or any kind of trouble for that matter. Yet his disappearance remains an ongoing

mystery in the community.

As the search was called off, South Carleton High School would endure another tragedy less than a week later. Scott Whittle, a student at South Carleton who played in the Osgoode Rideau Minor Hockey Association, was killed in a car accident. The Kars youth volunteered with the ORMHA initiation hockey program.

While Whittle’s death turned some of the focus in the community away from Visram, there were other factors at play.

“Right around that time, there were changes in policing in the area,” said Williscraft. “The local OPP detachments like Manotick’s were being closed in favour of larger, regional police departments. While the Visram disappearance showed no clues or evidence, a lot of the police officers were preoccupied with what was going to happen to their own careers. Since they turned up nothing, the Visram file eventually became a cold case.”

Visram’s death is considered suspicious. Though the optics appear that he was murdered and then buried in the area wear the

housing development was built, that cannot be proven.

When the remains were found, it did provide some closure for Visram’s family.

But there was little comfort, as we are no closer to finding out what happened to him than we were 30 years ago.

The Poppy Fund Committee, Manotick Legion 314, wishes to thank all participating businesses, volunteers and especially those who donated to the 2023 Poppy Campaign. As President and Poppy Chair, it has been my honour to represent the Manotick Legion.

Workers discovered a human jaw bone while installing a post in 2016.

Photo courtesy of Misty DWyer

MESSENGER

How the charge of ‘Islamophobia’ silences critics of political Islamism

OPINION PAGE

By Chuong nguyen

It’s been just over six months since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israeli soil, and the debate around Islamism has returned to Western political discourse – along with the accusation of ‘Islamophobia’ repeatedly and callously hurled.

Messenger Editorial

Islamism refers to a political ideology that seeks to establish Islamic principles and laws within a society, often through the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law). It encompasses a wide range of beliefs and practices but generally involves advocating for the integration of Islam into all aspects of public and private life, including governance, law, education, and social norms.

Are you more Canadian than a fifth grader?

With Canada Day approaching next week, it is a good time for us all to reflect on what it means to be Canadian.

Do we take being Canadian for granted?

The blanket charge of ‘Islamophobia,’ instead of being used to repudiate bigotry against Muslims, has seemingly become a blunt instrument in silencing discourse on the dangers that political Islam poses to free speech and the values held by free societies. Critically, in some cases, this danger can even result in the tragic loss of life.

Better yet, how do new Canadians feel about being Canadian? Some of us look upon immigrants and refugees as opportunists, not wanting to give but very willing to take. Perhaps, for some people, that is true, but when you attend a celebration for new Canadians, such as the one hosted by NepeanCarleton MP Pierre Poilievre at Mother Teresa High School in Barrhaven last month, you can see the excitement and the thankfulness in the eyes of every new Canadian.

They understand, perhaps better than all of us, what it means to be Canadian.

So how can the rest of us have that feeling?

The Conservative government has a solid idea.

On the morning of Nov. 2, 2004, the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was cycling to his production studio in Amsterdam when Muhammad Bouyeri approached van Gogh and shot him several times. Van Gogh fell off his bike and collapsed down the road. His last words were a desperate plea to the killer: “Can’t we talk about this?” Bouyeri then shot van Gogh four more times, took one of his butcher knives to the victim’s throat, and stabbed the other knife into his chest, bearing a five-page letter. The letter was addressed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian immigrant who was then serving as a member of the Dutch Parliament.

Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and Andrew Cohen, President of the Historica-Dominion Institute, are challenging middle and high school students to take the citizenship test.

The Canadian Citizenship Challenge, funded in part by CIC and run by the Historica-Dominion Institute, will see students study Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship and then take a mock citizenship test.

“This will be a fun way for students to learn about Canada and feel proud of our shared history and accomplishments,” said Minister Kenney. “As we learn about our past and the people and events that made Canada what it is today, we become more proud to be Canadian. We are inspired to see how we can defend our rights and live up to our responsibilities and we feel much more strongly how valuable it is to be a citizen of Canada.”

This week, Star Wars geeks everywhere are speaking in languages we don’t understand and referencing things like wondering if Rosetta Stone has a CD program for Aurebesh.

If you are like me, well, what the hell is Aurebesh?

“Jedi.”

“Jedi?” “Yes, Jedi.” I paused for a moment. “Can you put that?” “I did. So have thousands upon thousands of people around the world.”

“Our schools need to be training our young people to become the citizens of tomorrow. Citizenship is not only about new Canadians, it’s about all Canadians, young and old,” said Andrew Cohen. “The Canadian Citizenship Challenge will encourage students to learn more about what it means to be Canadian and then put that knowledge to the test.”

If you ask it out loud in a Starbucks, guaranteed some geek will peek over his comic book and give an answer like, “Aurebesh was a writing system used to transcribe Galactic Basic, one of the most used languages in the galaxy. In the Outer Rim Territories, Aurebesh was sometimes used alongside Outer Rim Basic, another alphabet.”

And then, he’ll throw out a look like, “Don’t these people know anything?” before tucking back into whatever is going on in Stan Lee’s life.

At the school’s 50th Anniversary Party, Manotick Co-operative Nursery School honoured its longest-serving teacher/volunteer with a memorial garden bench, which will be installed with a plaque in the school’s playground. Left to right, MCNS Director Sandy Erler and June Hodge celebrate June’s 29 years as a supply teacher, teacher and volunteer.

Two months prior, he and Hirsi Ali collaborated on a short film titled Submission, Part 1. The 11-minute short features a nameless woman in dialogue with Allah. She represents women who have been abused in the name of the Islamic faith, including Hirsi Ali herself. Written on the nameless woman’s body are Quran verses highlighting the unequal status of men and women under Islam.

Okay, so maybe you are like me. I love Star Wars, and I have seen all of the movies multiple times. But I don’t know anything about Aurebesh. In fact, the depth of my Star Wars trivia knowledge doesn’t go much further than ‘Who is Luke Skywalker’s father?’

I’m finding myself at one of those bizarre crossroads where everything I love about sports is about to collide with a large swatch of the population working diligently to grate my nerves.

It’s this whole World Cup thing. Don’t you find that people are just a little too into it?

In a functioning free society, one can disagree with people like van Gogh or Hirsi Ali without taking up arms and aiming for their lives. But not for a political Islamist, where force is clearly considered an option.

Starting this summer, the Historica-Dominion Institute will be encouraging more than 5,000 middle and high school teachers to register their classrooms for the Challenge. Each classroom will receive a set of the new citizenship guide, along with specially designed learning activities. The teacher will also receive copies of a mock citizenship exam. Students will take the citizenship exam as a class and the teachers will return the completed exams to the Dominion Institute for grading.

Sometimes it’s best just to say nil

I found myself in line in front of two nouveau soccer fan moms at Your Independent Grocer the other day.

Hence, the naivety of the ‘Islamophobia’ charge. For all intents and purposes, it represents a refusal to reckon with the dangers of political Islamism in the name of “anti-racism.” It is time we all ask: “Can’t we talk about this?”

Our COmmunity FROM THE OTHER SIDE

As long as we refuse to learn from the tragic deaths of van Gogh and Fortuyn, in addition to the tireless warnings of Hirsi Ali, public discourse will be in even graver danger than it already is.

Results will be announced by the Dominion Institute on Flag Day (February 15) each year for the next three years. For more information about the Challenge please visit the Historica-Dominion Institute website at www.historica-dominion.ca.

CIC’s multiculturalism grants and contributions program will be investing $525,171 in this 32 month project which promotes civic memory, civic pride and integration.

wonder about things like how come “underneath” is a word but no one ever says “overneath” when the discussion pulled me back into soccer.

My oldest son and my oldest stepson may not speak Aurebesh – I am guessing they know what it is – but they are certainly not that guy at Starbucks. But still, there are the t-shirts, giant collectible Stormtrooper figures, Wookie underwear, posters – my oldest stepson has the blue prints for the Millenium Falcon on his wall – and the gadgets.

He went on to explain to me that in 2001, a movement started around the galaxy – or in the UK if you want to be a little more precise and normal – where people started to put ‘Jedi’ or ‘Jedi Knight’ down on their census forms for their religion. It started with a morning radio host musing about the idea. Don’t all messed up ideas come from morning radio hosts?

Jedi quickly rose to become the seventh most popular religion in the UK, behind Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism.

While the religion peaked in 2001, there are still many Jedi Knights around the world. The web-based Temple of the Jedi Order (TotJO), based in Beaumont, Texas, seems to be the online vortex of the Force.

In the US, TotJO is recognized as a legal charity. The organization offers a description of itself on its website.

I was kind of in my own little mental world in the checkout line, scanning the tabloid and magazine covers and wondering what Justin Bieber’s first major scandal would be. I was just about to reenter the world after some quality time on Planet Jeff and launch into my weekly way-to-reward-your-customers-bycharging-us-five-cents-per-bag-and-claiming-it’sto-save-the-environment rant when I unexpectedly locked in on the conversation behind me.

Chuong Nguyen is a research associate with the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy and a Canadian expat and graduate student in American Studies at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary. © Troy Media

By Jeffrey Morris

“Chelsea is learning so much by watching the World Cup,” said the mom wearing Crocs. “We are studying each country before the game. She has really become a fan of Arr-hayne-TEE-na, and she even wants us to go there on our vacation next year. Perhaps we can even go to Brrra-seeel.”

That caught my attention. Arr-hayne-TEE-na?

Are you kidding me?

The other mom – the one with the Birkenstocks – piped in.

So, obviously, they are both excited that Friday, May 4 is International Star Wars Day. If you have never heard of it, um, May the fourth be with you.

“I wish some of the stores would carry the vuvuzela horns so that we could bring them to Chelsea’s games,” said the mom who was wearing Crocs.

“Oh, I know,” said the one wearing Birkenstocks.

“Zachary has a tournament next weekend and it would have been so in the spirit of the World Cup to have all of us blowing our vuvuzela horns. They lost two-nil and then three-nil. They need all of the support they can get.” Nil? Who says nil? Really.

“They are a wonderful football nation,” she said. “My husband, of course, wears the azure and cheers for Italia, but Zachary’s favourite team has been MAY-heee-co. They did a school project on MAY-heee-co last year and he has even insisted that we go to out to eat and watch the games when they are playing.”

I bit my tongue.

I grew up involved with the Anglican Church in Prescott, where my grandparents were both heavily involved. Later on, while I played football, I was involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Faith has always played a role in my life. My ex, meanwhile, was an agnostic.

“Oh, I know,” said the mom wearing Crocs. “The horns are such a beautiful part of the South African culture.”

I wanted to jump in and say something, but I refrained. I couldn’t do it.

In an effort to keep my blood pressure down, I looked out the big window at the big parking lot and scoped it out, looking for a puppy or a bird or anything that would pry my mind out of the shackles that these two soccer moms had put me in with their conversation.

A busload of seniors from a nearby retirement home had pulled up and passengers were getting off. I was trying to, in my head, name all of their walkers as an escape.

So it makes absolute sense that, at some point, my kids would want to talk about religion and try and figure out where they stand. I remember the day that my oldest son approached me about religion.

Unfortunately, they pulled me back in.

“My cousin lives in Australia, and he was devastated when Germany beat them 4-nil,” said the mom wearing Crocs.

News and Editorial: manotickmessenger@gmail.com

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Website: www.manotickmessenger.ca

Staff/Contributors: Kelly Belair, David Brown, Gary Coulombe, Larry Ellis, Skyler Fraser, Goldie Ghamari, Melissa MacIsaac, Jeffrey Morris, Greg Newton, Irene Staron, Ralph Tweedie, Leeanne Van der Burgt.

in Manotick, Ontario.

If you are unfamiliar with the vuvuzela horn, then you have not tuned into CBC over the past two weeks. If you stumble across a World Cup soccer game on CBC, you will hear what sounds like 50,000 bees swarming the field. They are not bees. They are people blowing on cheap, plastic, gimmicky horns. The funny thing about these horns is that they have become what has defined the 2010 World Cup. People who have been following the World Cup and people who have only seen 20 minutes of it in passing have commented on these annoying yet relentless horns. Ironically, while the world has learned to adapt these horns as the one thing they now know about South African culture, the horns aren’t really a part of their everyday lives. South African sports enthusiasts have commented that they had never seen nor heard a vuvuzela horn at a sporting event, and that the South African people find the noise just as annoying as the rest of the world does. Apparently, some now wealthy marketing genius came up with the idea to mass produce and market these horns as a World Cup novelty. The plan worked, and now the rest of the world must endure the shrilling sounds of his quick buck.

senger

At this point, I couldn’t take it anymore. Mount Patience erupted and out came sarcasm lava.

“I had to fill out a form and it wanted my religion,” he told me.

“Temple of the Jedi Order (TotJO) is a legally recognized Jedi Church and ministry of Jediism. While our focus as an organization is on Jedi religious practice, our doors are open to everyone and participation with us does not require Jedi faith. We are a group of individuals coming together in a community to promote goodwill, understanding, compassion and serenity. We pursue a spiritual and human awareness so we may serve the world.”

They also throw out a disclaimer.

“Here are some things TotJO is not: we are not a role-playing site, we do not teach mystical powers or how to build lightsabers, we are not a dedicated Star Wars fan site, we are not affiliated with George Lucas or Disney and we are not for people who just want to wear a badge reading ‘I’m a Jedi’.”

Who would even want a badge that says ‘I’m a Jedi?’

Oh, yeah, right, the guy at Starbucks. Never mind.

“What did you put?” I asked, puzzled.

“I saw that match,” I said. “I can’t believe AusTRY-lier looked so insipid against Deutschland.”

The mom with the crocs was not impressed.

The mom with Birkenstock’s wasn’t either, but she did acknowledge me with a response.

“What do you think I put?” he replied, seasoning his answer with a dash of his old man’s sarcasm.

“Who is your team?” she quipped, condescendingly.

I did the only thing I could do, shouting as loud as I could.

“USA! USA! USA!”

They turned their heads in disgust. The next 45 seconds were incredibly silent and awkward.

At that point, it was my turn. The cashier scanned my Diet Coke and V-8 Fusion, and I was all set.

“Would you like plastic bags?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “In fact, we have never talked about religion before –well, except for the time I volunteered in the nursery at Calvary Christian Church in St. Catharines when you were two and I caught adult chicken pox and was in bed with a temperature of 105 for a week. So no, I don’t know. What did you put?”

“Yes please,” I replied. I had never been so happy to pay five cents for a plastic bag just to get the hell out there.

I am not sure what kind of celebrations there will be at home Friday. I’m excited about the new Hans Solo movie coming out, but Star Wars Day will come and go in my life. I will spend the evening doing what I do most evenings. I will watch the Yankees game on the baseball package with my scorebook in my lap, being a total geek.

And as geeky as I am, baseball and Star Wars are two parts of my life that never intersect.

He shot this look of swagger at me, and said it matter of factly.

I was just about to drift back into ADD world and

Jeffrey Morris was the 2008 OCNA Columnist of the Year. His book, From the Other Skide, is available at Manotick Office Pro, Barrhaven UPS Store, and Pages in Prescott.

Well, other than the fact that the Yankees are giving out Aaron Judge Jedi bobbleheads Friday night.

Page 6, Manotick Messenger, Wednesday, June

Bev McRae photo

Wise words and wise thoughts from wise people can help us all

By Larry ELLis

I read an article some time ago by Robert Fulghum who said that most of what he needed to know he learned in kindergarten.

These are the things he learned: Share. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that are not yours. Say

THis week, THIS MONTH

by Larry Ellis

you are sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Warm cook-

ies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day. Take a nap in the afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic

cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows why, but we are all like that. Goldfish, hamsters, white mice, even the little seed in the cup – they all die. So do we.

Will Rogers said – Live so you wouldn’t be afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.

Oscar Wilde said – experi-

ence is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

Mother Teresa said – Man’s greatest sin is not hatred, but indifference to one’s brothers.

George Bernard Shaw said – There is no accomplishment so easy to acquire as politeness, and none more profitable.

So live – decently, fearlessly, and joyously - don’t forget

that it is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts. A great person is one who has not lost the heart of a child.

The rules of life were given a long time ago. I pass them on for I have found them practical. The first is “Go”, the second is “Keep going” and the third is “Help someone else to go”.

If we want to attract visitors, Manotick needs to fix parking problem

The Editor, Phew, that could have been me….. No, I’m not talking of the relief on seeing a police car pass you and pull someone else over or an old colleague who’s had a bad diagnosis. I am of course talking about ‘Ticketgate’ and the appearance of a (zealous) bylaw officer issuing parking tickets and attempting

to bring the wildlings of Manotick to heel.

That this has only happened these past few days and in the parking spaces of one of our smaller shopping plaza’s and not on Main St is surprising. Anyone pulling out onto Main St knows the encroachment from parked cars (“9 metres from the curb line of the inter-

secting street” for those asking or whose test was in the last millennium) but this offender was caught red handed after parking to buy goods from a local store, how dare they!

Those who walk around our village know that “a wealth of parking” isn’t going to be on our tourism brochure anytime soon. Look further and you’ll

see most territory marked out by signage (of various spacing, frequency and size) declaring reserved for business X, Y & Z, between certain hours, on days with only odd number of letters and only if your car’s VIN ends in a 6. It is no wonder that even locals get confused and caught or more accurately I should say

‘grassed up’ (and I don’t mean the abundance of dispensaries we seem to have) as word has it the culprit may have been reported by one of the aforementioned businesses.

Is Manotick destined to be ‘a local place for local people’ or do we want our village to thrive and attract folks from ‘outside’ to shop and dine?

We certainly can’t rely on an OC Transpo schedule that is as infrequent as a Sens’ post season run so let’s be reasonable. Come on Manotick BIA (or MVCA), have a word and let’s open Manotick up to the world before folks decide to park elsewhere.

Yours aye

Bobby Strawbridge

Grade: 12

Parents: Heather and Dennis Wyche Sisters: April (20), OTHS, UNB Fredericton. Violet (20), Canterbury (vocals), Carleton University. Ivy (22), St. Mark, Algonquin College.

Parents: Heather and Dennis Wyche

lem solving. Since the concepts are not broad, and there isn’t much interpretation to be done, it’s more just problem solving, which is what makes me enjoy those classes the most.”

by Phill Potter

In April, the Ottawa region experienced a unique solar eclipse, the last to occur over Ottawa for generations. Yes, solar eclipses occur every 7 years, but to be in the path of totality one would need to travel the world and follow cosmological updates to stay in the know. The April 8 eclipse brought early dusk to Manotick, lasting for less than an hour. We were prepared for it. We knew it was coming and celebrated the natural phenomenon with awe. In recent years, however, the dimming of our light has been brought on by less predictable elements such as ice storms and wind storms, causing power outages and flooding in our community.

Following Earth Week we raise the subject of sustainability. You may recall the MVCA facilitated an Ottawa Hydro presentation for our residents to learn more about what to expect during a power outage. Ottawa Hydro and Hydro One are two of seven independent electricity system operators in the province of Ontario who comprise the IESO, the coordinator and integrator of Ontario’s electricity system.

In 2024 the IESO drafted a policy to help residents save energy and money. Read on to learn more.

Resident concerns inform the MVCA on where and how to focus our volunteer hours and efforts. Have a concern you’d like us to look into? Write us at president@ manotickvca.org.

We want to hear from you!

Moving Towards Sustainability –Save Energy, Save Money

The IESO monitor the energy needs of Ontario in real time – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week –balancing supply and demand and directing the flow of electricity across Ontario’s transmission lines and are dedicated to finding ways to reduce energy use and costs for its customers. A new Ontario energy policy provides for customers to potentially switch from their tiered or time of use rate structure to a third option called UltraLow Overnight (ULO) rates. Both Hydro One and Hydro Ottawa have implemented this policy in collaboration with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). You can now choose to switch to the Ontario Energy Board’s new Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) price plan. Specially designed for customers who use more electricity at night, such as those who charge their electric vehicle, this new price plan can help customers keep costs down and take control of their electricity bill by shifting usage to the ultra-low overnight price period when province- wide electricity demand is lower. If you own an Electric Vehicle, or have rooftop solar using NetMetering, or have home power batteries then the ULO can be a significant way for you to save energy costs. Are you interested in saving money, energy and are environmentally concerned? Go to our ‘quick poll’ at https:// forms.gle/mV784W3vkChrfADi8 to learn more about the Sustainability Workshop being offered to Manotick residents. All replies are confidential.

Pets: Two dogs, Ewok and Pixie, and a cat.

Part-time Work: “Cheerleading and tumbling coach at Kemptville Infinity in Kemptville.)

Sisters: April (20), OTHS, UNB Fredericton. Violet (20), Canterbury (vocals), Carleton University. Ivy (22), St. Mark, Algonquin College.

Because You Asked - What is the status of the Minto Communities Development?

Pets: Two dogs, Ewok and Pixie, and a cat.

given me an opportunity to continue in the sport, even though I can no longer participate in it.”

lem solving. Since the concepts are not broad, and there isn’t much interpretation to be done, it’s more just problem solving, which is what makes me enjoy those classes the most.”

Favourite Subjects: “Math and Chemistry. I enjoy doing labs and prob-

What is your Greatest Accomplishment? “Earning the title of Student Council President at my school. The process was not easy, but I persevered and made it through, even though there were setbacks along the way. It has also been a very rewarding accomplishment, as I’ve gained so many opportunities, and gotten to network with other youth like myself.”

and learning about different locations and cultures. I’ve travelled to many places and I find it very interesting how every culture has unique traditions and subcultures. My favourite place is Norway, because there is such beautiful places all over the country and amazing hiking. The next location I wish to travel to is Iceland, because it’s a very open country, with very kind citizens, and lots to see.”

Career Goals: “After high school I hope to go to university somewhere near the east coast; hopefully in kinesiology. My top choice schools are University of New Brunswick in St. John, and Dalhousie in Halifax.

After that, I hope to pursue a career in either athletic therapy, or education.”

Part-time Work: “Cheerleading and tumbling coach at Kemptville Infinity in Kemptville.)

Favourite Subjects: “Math and Chemistry. I enjoy doing labs and prob-

Ottawa Hydro and Hydro One are moving towards sustainability

Why did you get involved in what you do? “I got involved in Student Council because I saw it as an opportunity to make

After suffering numerous concussions, Melita Wyche turned to coaching. PHILL POTTER PHOTO

volleyball, and touch football. I also enjoy traveling and learning about different locations and cultures. I’ve travelled to many places and I find it very interesting how every culture has unique traditions and subcultures. My favourite place is Norway, because there is such beautiful places all over the country and amazing hiking. The next location I wish to travel to is Iceland, because it’s a very open country, with very kind citizens, and lots to see.”

A number of you have been asking about the status of the Mahogany Harbour community and how far along Minto is with the construction of new homes. The latest update from the City reports that Minto’s plan for the Mahogany project includes 1,400 units in a 5-phase process. While an exact timeline cannot be specified at present, Minto is nearing completion of the third phase. To date, 550-600 homes have been built. In short, they are near the halfway mark of the development project. We’ll keep you posted on further updates and thank you for keeping your questions coming!

Community Calendar

Fraud Awareness for Seniors: May 3rd, 2-4 pm, held at the MACAW, 5567 Manotick Main Street (Manotick United Church). No registration required

What is your Greatest Accomplishment? “Earning the title of Student Council President at my school. The process was not easy, but I persevered and made it through, even though there were setbacks along the way. It has also been a very rewarding accomplishment, as I’ve gained so many opportunities, and gotten to network with other youth like myself.”

• Ottawa Futsal Club entering their 29th season indoor soccer. Youth boys & girls, women, men & coed. Players / teams wanted. All skill levels. League starts October ends April 2020. Please go online at www.futsalottawa.com. Early bird ends September 21st

munity-garage-sale

• Old Time Fiddle Music & Dance - East Osgoode Greely Assoc, First Friday of each month, invites & welcome all Musicians, Dancers & Listeners. Greely Community Centre, 1448 Meadow Drive, Greely. For additional info call 613 489-2697.

Career Goals: “After high school I hope to go to university somewhere near the east coast; hopefully in kinesiology. My top choice schools are University of New Brunswick in St. John, and Dalhousie in Halifax. After that, I hope to pursue a career in either athletic therapy, or education.”

After suffering numerous concussions, Melita Wyche turned to coaching.

May 10 - 6pm-11pm Chic Time in the Tick, “The Enchanted Garden Gala’ - fundraiser buffet dinner & dance at Manotick Curling Centre presented through the Manotick Culture, Parks and Recreation Association (MCPRA). Tickets are $95 /person. To purchase tickets go to https://www.mcpra.org/ chic-time-in-the-tick

• Ottawa Newcomers Club - For women who have recently moved to this area; (and those who have experienced a significant life change), and would like to meet new people of similar interests by joining our many group activities. More information at: ottawanewcomersclub.ca or by contacting newcomersclubottawa@gmail.com.

Why did you get involved in what you do? “I got involved in Student Council because I saw it as an opportunity to make due to concussions, so I turned to coaching. It has given me an opportunity to continue in the sport, even though I can no longer participate in it.”

PHOTO

• Friday Night Country Music & Dance Club The Greely Legion the fourth Friday of each month. Bring along an instrument to play, or come in to sing, listen and dance. Admission is FREE. Greely Legion, 8021 Mitch Owens Road, ON. Information: 613-822-1451 or 613-826-6128.

Community Calendar

• Thursday Fun Night for adults and children. An optional supper at 5:45 pm. Indoor soccer/games, crafts, or nursery for ages 0-11. Parenting course, Alpha course, or Growing in Faith/Hearing God course for adults, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. To try it out contact, discipleship@trinitybiblechurch.ca

• Ottawa Futsal Club entering their 29th season indoor soccer. Youth boys & girls, women, men & coed. Players / teams wanted. All skill levels. League starts October ends April 2020. Please go online at www.futsalottawa.com.

Early bird ends September 21st

June 1 - Save the Date! Dickinsons Days returns to Manotick. Details coming soon at https://watsonsmill.com/ events/

June 7-14 - The Manotick Tennis Club will be hosting an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament at the courts in Centennial Park bringing some of the top juniors from North America and further afield to Manotick. Players will compete to earn the ITF ranking points that will propel them toward a tennis scholarship at a US college or directly into the professional ranks. Follow on https://www. manoticktennisclub.com/on to learn how you can support this prestigious event.

registered not-for-profit organization offering safe, social, inclusive programs and activities for youth in our community. Friday nights Pre-Teen Program for youth in Grades 4-6 6:30 - 8:00 pm / Youth Drop-In for youth age 1217 7:30 - 9:00 pm. See the website for more information https://www.yoma.ca

• Tuesday Dance Party The Greely Legion hosts live music on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Bring along an instrument to play, or come in to sing, listen and dance. Admission is FREE. Greely Legion, 8021 Mitch Owens Road, ON. Information: 613-822-1451 or 613826-6128.

Announcement

These cards accepted Monday-Friday: 9am-8pm Saturday: 9am-5pm Sunday: 10am-4pm Paul’s Pharmacy 990 River Road (across from Tim Hortons) 613-692-0015

June 10 – MVCA Community Garage Sale – 8am – 2pm. Interested in participating? Register your address by June 5 on MVCA’s website. The MVCA will promote the sale and direct people to your location. Registrants are kindly asked to consider making a contribution to our designated charity. https://www.manotickvca.org/com-

Transferring a prescription is easy to do

• Ottawa Newcomers Club - For women who have recently moved to this area; (and those who have experienced a significant life change), and would like to meet new people of similar interests by joining our many group activities. More information at: ottawanewcomersclub.ca or by contacting newcomersclubottawa@gmail.com.

Thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors who make these events possible www.pharmasave.com

Your Home Renovations ~ Western Red Cedar ~ Where

Progressive Euchre TournamentFirst Saturday of the month at the Legion - Register at 12:30 pm; play at 1 pm. For more information, contact danspitzig@gmail.com.

(right at the lights) Monday-Friday 7:30 am-5:30 pm; Saturday 7:30 am-1:00 pm 613-489-3735

990 River Road (across from Tim Hortons)

613-692-0015

Transferring a prescription is easy to do

9am-5pm Sunday: 10am-4pm

• Old Time Fiddle Music & Dance - East Osgoode Greely Assoc, First Friday of each month, invites & welcome all Musicians, Dancers & Listeners. Greely Community Centre, 1448 Meadow Drive, Greely. For additional info call 613 489-2697.

STEVENS CREEK SHUTTER CO

The Manotick and Area Centre for Arts & Wellness (MACAW) focuses on intergenerational connections for seniors through arts and wellness. This includes a multitude of activities such as Tai Chi, yoga, art, music, and dance classes as well as community dances. Their popular concert series focuses on our local singers and musicians. For more info go to https://www.manotickmacaw.com

DR & A mo P r E e RY

• Friday the fourth play, Greely 613-822-1451

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, most community have been postposed or cancelled. For updates community, please

Adult French Conversation Group Drop-in at the Manotick Library Branch, Wednesdays May 8 and 22, June 12 at 7:00 pm (60 mins). Pratiquez votre français dans un milieu décontracté pour les débutants.

Youth of Manotick Association is a

• Thursday Fun Night for adults and children. An optional supper at 5:45 pm. Indoor soccer/games, crafts, or nursery for ages 0-11. Parenting course, Alpha course, or Growing in Faith/Hearing God course for adults, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. To try it out contact, discipleship@trinitybiblechurch.ca

613-706-1250 stevenscreekshutterco.ca SHADES

SHADES SHUTTERS DRAPERY & more Free shop-at-home service

613-706-1250

We have temporarily suspended operations due to COVID19 STAY SAFE & SHOP LOCAL MANOTICK

stevenscreekshutterco.ca

Ottawa Public Library - The Manotick Library has many activities for children and adults, including an Adult French Conversation Group and story and craft programs. To discover all the events happening at the Manotick branch go to https://biblioottawalibrary. ca/

• Tuesday the 1st pm. listen Mitch 826-6128.

PHILL POTTER

by Irene Staron, President, Manotick Village and Community Association (MVCA)

VILLAGE VOICE

A robust budget for police essential in keeping our communities safe Rideau-Jock

By DaviD Brown, riDeau-Jock councillor

In an ever-growing city like Ottawa, there are many emerging challenges. The City must tackle these issues by consistently reevaluating how services are delivered to meet the changing demand. Whether it be a concern for adequate housing, good public administration, an efficient transportation network, or the expansion of public spaces, there is one problem which I hear about commonly: community safety and order.

Many residents often reach out to request that I dispatch police to a problematic road to enforce speed limits or ask that I tell the police to patrol an area more actively where concerns about crime and mischief have been identified. Many also express concerns about how bylaw has managed an issue and ask that I direct bylaw officers to address a problem differently.

I share the desire of our communities to have public safety and order maintained. However, it is important to remember that, under Provincial law, municipal Councillors cannot direct the operations of Ottawa police or by-law officers. We are expressly

Report

David Brown, Councillor , Ward 21

prohibited from providing direction to prevent political influence over the enforcement of laws and by-laws.

So how can elected officials such as myself work to improve safety in our communities? The best way for Councillors to make a difference is by advocating on key files and problematic patterns through information sharing. While I cannot tell police or by-law how to enforce the law, I do help bring concerns raised by residents to the attention of the relevant authorities.

For instance, my office and I have been working to advocate for more dedicated law enforcement resources in rural Ottawa. I had a productive meeting with the Ottawa Police earlier this year to identify the main challenges that face Ward 21 residents and to discuss strategies to address these issues.

Through my interactions with the Ottawa Police, I am growing in confidence that the OPS is coming to better appreciate and respond to the unique chal-

lenges in rural communities.

At the time of writing this article, I expect to receive an update from the Ottawa Police about the improved changes to their service delivery structure. This change will have more of a regional focus with the switch to a district-style policing model.

Additionally, Councillors can vote in favour of

a more robust budget for police – something that I will always strongly support to keep our communities safe.

Residents can help contribute to community safety as well. If you see an issue, report it through official channels. Every time someone files a nonemergency police or bylaw report or dials 9-1-1 or 3-1-1, it is documented.

Data around reporting is very valuable as it determines how law enforcement resources are allocated throughout the city.

In the most serious emergencies, please dial 9-1-1. Reports for nonemergency issues can be made to the Ottawa Police Reporting Unit by calling (613) 236-1222, extension 7300, seven days a week from 10:00 am to 8:45 pm

or online at ottawapolice. ca. By-law reports and requests can be filed by calling 3-1-1 or online at ottawa.ca/en/3-1-1.

Residents who have strong feelings or concerns about law and by-law enforcement, particularly in rural Ottawa, should share their thoughts by completing the Rural Summit survey, which you can find at engage.ottawa.ca.

Church Directory

*All churches wheelchair accessible*

Manotick ..United .Church

5567 Manotick Main Street, Manotick, Ontario, K4M 1A5

We welcome all, who with God’s help, work to build a better world. Rev. Paul Whynacht Sunday Worship at 10 am

Office hours are: Wed 9a.m.-4:30p.m. Thurs-Fri 1p.m.-4:30p.m. admin@manotickunitedchurch.com www.manotickunited.com 613-692-4576

ST. JAMES’ ANGLICAN CHURCH

1138 Bridge Street, Manotick

–Serving South Barrhaven, riverSide South and Manotick–

Sunday Services

Holy Eucharist at 8:15 & 10 a.m.

“A Christian community joyfully serving & growing in God’s love” (Elevator Access Provided)

Church Office 613-692-2082 Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 9a.m.-2p.m.

The Reverend Kerri Brennan e-mail office@stjames-manotick.ca Web site: www.stjames-manotick.ca

The Catholic Communities of St. John the Evangelist

2540 Stagecoach Road, Osgoode and St. Brigid 2015 River Road, Manotick

Pastor: Rev. Michael Wright

ST. JOHN: MASS TIME

Saturdays 4 p.m., Sundays 9 a.m.

ST. BRIGID: MASS TIME

Sundays 10:30 a.m.

Telephone: (613) 821-0761 Email: stbrigid.stjohn@gmail.com

Office Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 9am–3pm Friday. 9am-12pm

ST. LEONARD ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

5332 Long Island Road, Manotick

Pastor: Rev. GeRaRd Plant

Mass tiMes

Saturday 4:30p.m., Sunday 9a.m. 11a.m Weekdays Wed., Thu. 9a.m., Fri. 9:30a.m.

Office: 692-4254 www.stleonardsparish.ca

Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. EMAIL: office@stleonardsparish.ca

Mother calls $50k fine over her son’s death ‘a slap on the wrist’

The mother of 20-year-old Nick Chenier, who was killed in a hedge trimming accident in Manotick last summer, was confused and insulted over the outcome of a non-criminal trial Thursday.

Shawn Best Green of Best Green Hedges was charged by the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development after an investigation with failing to ensure the company took all reasonable steps to comply with the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act while at the site of the hedge trimming.

Best Green pleaded guilty to that charge on Thursday afternoon at the Constellation Drive courthouse in Centrepointe.

Nick Chenier worked for Best Green as a hedge trimmer. During a project in Manotick a year ago, he hit a power line that was buried within the hedge and was killed.

Jennifer Chenier, who moved to Richmond with her youngest son Michael after

the tragedy, was upset over the outcome of the trial despite Best Green’s guilty plea. She called it a “slap on the wrist.”

“It’s not fair,” Chenier said. “The penalty should have been far worse.”

In November, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development brought charges against Best Green Hedges, company director Sheldon Best Green and supervisor Steven Deans.

Shawn Best Green pled guilty. Justice of the Peace Jennifer Robinson was presented with a joint proposal from the Crown and the defence to fine Best Green $45,000 plus a victim impact surcharge that brought the total fine to about $50,000. Best Green apologized in the court room, saying that Nick Chenier’s death was the most difficult thing he has ever had to deal with.

“I am truly sorry for what happened and for the devastation you’ve been living with,” Best Green said. “It is not lost

on me that I lost someone I was responsible for.”

The company was also charged with failing to warn a worker about hazards and failing to give information to a worker to protect their health and safety. The charges were both dropped, as Best Green took personal responsibility for the incident.

Deans was charged with failing to take reasonable precautions for the safety of a worker. On Wednesday, Ottawa Police Service charged Deans, 38, with one count of criminal negligence causing death. Because of the criminal charge, Deans’ lawyer, Fabienne Lajoie, asked for an adjournment for one month so Deans could consider his options.

Jennifer Chenier was pleased with the charge laid against Deans, who was the supervisor when her son died.

Ottawa and District Labour Council President Sean McKenny told CTV News that he hoped the charges to Dean will send a mes-

sage to other employers about workplace safety.

“This is the first time in the city of Ottawa, the area close to the city of Ottawa, that a criminal negligence causing death charge has been laid against an employer or a supervisor of the company,” McKenny said. “And our hope for sure is that it sends a message to other employers that health and safety is important, that the workers at a workplace deserve to be treated with respect and health and safety and the legislation that exists to protect those workers is applied all of the time. All of the time that they’re at the workplace, no matter what they’re engaged in doing at the workplace.”

Emotional statement

In court, Jennifer Chenier read an emotional victim impact statement. She said that when she heard them say, “He’s gone,” those were the worst two words should has ever heard in her life.

“My son, Nick Chenier

was taken from me on May 5, 2023 in a workplace fatal incident,” she said. “I can’t bring myself to call this an accident. Nick was just about to turn 21. He had his whole life – it was and was going to be a wonderful and fulfilling life – ahead of him.”

Jennifer Chenier spoke about the last time she saw her son. The job he was working on was only two streets over from their house in Man-

otick. Jennifer brought him sandwiches for lunch. He complained to her about the job, and she told him to be safe.

Jennifer went to Barrhaven for an appointment and saw on social media that there was a power outage due to a hedge trimming accident. A hedge trimming worker had been seriously injured.

death continues on page 11

Jennifer Chenier poses for a photo with her oldest son, Nick, who died in a workplace incident May 5, 2023.

death continues from page 10

“The nauseating, painful deep pain I felt in my chest was like a nightmare that I prayed wasn’t happening,” she said. “ ‘Maybe it wasn’t him,’ I thought to myself. Please God, don’t let it be Nick. The next few minutes trying to reach someone by phone seemed like an eternity. When I finally I did, and I was told it was Nick. He was being taken to the hospital and I was told to stay where I was.

“They would not tell me what hospital he was being taken to. I remember standing on a curb where I was waiting when the police cruiser arrived. Then… my life changed forever. I remember falling to the ground, screaming “NO! NO! How do you know for sure? They can bring him back! The officer simply and calmly said, “No. He’s gone”. Everything after that – I don’t remember details – but when arriving at the hospital, being brought into

‘the room’, I knew it was real. There were so many people. And then came the time to see him. Only I couldn’t, because my child was so badly burned that I had to say goodbye to my first born son while he was covered in a white sheet. That is a vision that haunts me forever. I have PTSD that was diagnosed by my physician and therapist. I have reoccurring nightmares of him stuck in a hedge burning.”

Jennifer Chenier said that she is carrying a deep anger over losing her son in an avoidable incident. She said she is not the same person.

“Since losing my son, my life has changed,” she said. “I have changed. I’m no longer myself. I never will be again. I carry so much intense anger inside me. Knowing my son reached out that morning with concerns, and was ‘brushed off’, haunts me to this day. This will never go away. Knowing this could

have been prevented if the people who were responsible for keeping him safe listened and did their jobs lives with me every day.

“My son died working hard, making a living doing what he loved. And unsafe working conditions ended his life that day. Carrying this anger with me every day is emotionally and physically exhausting. No parent should have to bury their child. I wake up every morning hoping it was a bad dream. Then reality sets in and I have to find a way to maneuver through every single day in a world I no longer know.

“I don’t know how I will ever feel joy or happiness again. Every day has been a horrible struggle to get through the day. Knowing I will never see him get married, or have his own children, or be a best man in his brother’s wedding. Both of them will never be uncles.”

Carolyn Sandor-Weston, who was one of the artists at the Manotick Art Association’s Inspirations Art Show, loves rocks. You will find them in most of her landscape paintings and they are her favorite medium for her to dig her carving tools into. If you ask her which is her favorite art format, painting or carving, she will tell you that they cannot exist without the other. “When I’m. working with a stone, I am carried away by it’s unlocked story. When I paint, it is the challenge of creating a feeling or a moment in time- I can’t. imagine having to choose just one way of working”. You can find Carolyn’s work, along with 14 other Sculptors, at the National Capital Network of Sculptors’”West End Sculpture Show” May 30-May 12th at the Kanata Civic Art Gallery. All are welcome to the May 5th Vernissage.

Moss Kent Dickinson: The man who founded Manotick

Moss Kent Dickinson was born in Denmark, Lewis Co., New York on the 1st of June 1822. By 1827 the Dickinson family had moved to Cornwall, Ontario where Dickinson’s father founded a successful stage coach service carrying mail and passengers between Montreal and Kingston.

For his tenth birthday Dickinson’s father took him to see the opening of the Rideau Canal in Kingston. This trip would inspire his future career. By 1847 Moss had purchased a number of ships and barges to transport livestock, grain, logs, and passengers between Ottawa and Kingston. By 1850 his fleet included 16 steamers and 60 barges, earning him the name “The King of the Rideau.”

Dickinson and his business partner, Joseph Currier, built the Long Island Flouring Mills in 1860, which was quickly joined by a woollen mill, carding factory, sawmill and a plug, bung, and spile factory. The house built by Dickinson in 1867 across from his milling complex served as the Dickinson family home, as well as the general store and post office for the new village of Manotick.

The Dickinson House also served as the campaign headquarters for John A. McDonald during the 1882 and 1887 elections. Moss Kent Dickinson had previously served as the mayor of Ottawa from 1864 to 1866 and went on to represent the riding of Russel as a result of the 1882 election.

By 1896 Dickinson’s son

George took over the milling operation, due to his father’s failing health. Moss Kent Dickinson died on the 19th of

Saturday: 8:00am-5:00pm

Only one colour portrait of Manotick founder Moss Kent Dickinson is known to exist. Deckinson was born more than 200 years ago.

More than a thousand turn out for meeting on proposed pipeline

Ten years ago this week, a meeting on the proposed TransCanada Energy East Pipeline made people ask if pumping 130 million litres of tar sands oil per day under the Rideau River and through Eastern Ontario was worth the environmental risks?

From the manotick messneger, may 1, 2014

The camps have been very clearly divided at the TransCanada Energy East Pipeline public meetings held over the past few months.

One side saw tremendous positive economic impact and a wealth of for-

ward progress in the project. The other saw nothing but a deadly and costly environmental disaster waiting to happen.

With no middle ground in sight, people who have attended the series of public meetings on the subject one only one thing – more information.

A large crowd of more than a thousand people turned out in North Gower last month to learn more about the proposed pipeline that will connect the tar sands of Alberta to three refineries in eastern Canada.

As people went inside the community centre to see the TransCanada display, they walked through a protest set up by Ecology

Ottawa. Many listened to the environmental concerns of the group. Some signed a petition against the pipeline. Others debated and even argued the virtues of the group’s mission to stop a project that could have a greatly positive economic impact on rural South Ottawa and Grenville County.

The protests are nothing new to TransCanada.

“It’s the same at most of our information sessions,” said Philippe Cannon, the company’s Director of Communications. “But that’s why we have these sessions. We want to inform people. We want to answer their questions, and the more they learn about the project, the more questions they will have. We want everyone to know how serious we are about safety, and how the company has spent one billion dollars on a pipeline safety program.”

In 2013, the company held more than 60 open houses from Alberta to New Brunswick on the project.

One was held in Stittsville, which like North Gower, sits in Ottawa’s Rideau-Goulbourn Ward. The pipeline that TransCanada is planning on using through the area is a natural gas pipeline, which cuts southeast from Stittsville along Malakoff Road, around Barrhaven and into the Kars area. It goes under the Rideau River near

Dilworth Road, and then heads east toward Winchester. It then dips south toward Iroquois, along the St. Lawrence. New pipeline would be built from Iroquois to head east, north of Montreal, and then continuing through Quebec and into New Brunswick. According to Cannon, an existing TransCanada pipeline in the area would

be put in use for natural gas. TransCanada has, in the past, successfully converted a pipeline from natural gas usage to oil usage. The pipeline, part of the Keystone Pipeline, was converted in 2010 and has delivered more than 550 million barrels of oil to the U.S.

continues on page 15

Jo Wood and Gale O’Brien let the several hundred visitors to the April, 2014 TransCanada Open House on the Energy East Pipeline know that not everyone was in support of pumping 130 million litres of tar sands oil per day around Barrhaven and under the Rideau River in Kars. archives

archives continues from page 14

The Energy East Pipeline would bring 1.1 million barrels of tar sands oil per day through the pipeline. That total would represent 130 million litres of crude oil per day through the pipeline and through the area. It would be piped from Alberta with a final destination of one of three refining centres – SunCorp in Montreal, Volero in Lévis, Quebec, and Irving in St. John, New Brunswick. Oil would be shipped to the Quebec refineries as early as 2016, with the full pipeline operational by 2017.

The economic impact on the immediate area would be the creation of numerous jobs. In addition to the installation projects along the pipeline, numerous pumping stations would be built along the pipeline, including one in Iroquois where the construction of the new stretch of pipeline will begin.

“Many mayors across Ontario have come out and supported this project because of the economic impact the pipeline will have on their communities,” said Cannon.

One of those mayors is North Grenville Mayor David Gordon, who was positive about the pipeline’s proximity to Kemptville when the project was announced last year. Gordon said the pipeline was a benefit for Eastern Canada, and added that it would give us a secure oil supply.

“At this point in time we’re at the whims of foreign oil,” said Gordon. “It’s going to create jobs.”

One of the people who signed the petition against the pipeline was Barrhaven resident Jim Sauer. Not only was he concerned with the environmental impact of the pipeline, but he was also skeptical of the economic impact. He was also concerned about the effects the pipeline would have on natural gas availability. With natural gas bills in the area spiking up 40 per cent last month because of a shortage of gas in the area, he was not the only person with that concern.

“They told me that they have alternative arrangements for natural gas, but the information seems a bit vague,” Sauer said. “They are spending billions of dollars, but I wish they could have upgraded the railway with that money. And even though they say they are paying all this money on safety and investing all this money, don’t forget that we are the customers, and it’s us that is paying for all this in the long run. Indirectly, we’re paying for the oil no matter how it gets to us.”

Sauer added that even though the pipeline will bring economic benefits to the area, “I’m not going to see any of it in my lifetime.”

Karen Switer-Howse, meanwhile, lives on a farm at

the corner of Jennings Road and Spruit Road in Winchester.

The pipeline will be directly behind her home.

“I have a lot of questions and I want to find out as much as I can,” she said. “Of course they are going to make a lot of promises and try to reassure us about the safety of the pipeline. Where the real test for this company will be is when something goes wrong, and how they will handle it.”

Mike Fletcher of Ecology Ottawa is a professional in biofuel engineering and energy management. He said that tar sands oil, known as bitumen, is much different to ship than refined oil. Diluents, light and flammable hydrocarbons must be added to the bitumen to allow it to flow through the pipeline. Those materials are then removed and shipped back across the country. Fletcher said that while the perception is to get the tar sands oil off of the railroads to prevent the type of disaster that happened last year at Lac Magentic, Quebec, the pipeline will add as many as 450 cars per day to our rail system. The cars will be carrying toxic and highly flammable diluents.

“The risks associated with the pipeline are too high for Ottawa to take,” said Fletcher. “It is not a question of if a spill will happen, but when, and it raises a lot of questions about

whether we’re prepared for such a scenario.”

Ben Powless of Ecology Ottawa spent the afternoon and evening discussing the potential problems with people attending the open house.

“The pipeline creates a risk of dilbit spills into neighbourhoods and water supplies, while also increasing the chances of railway accidents due to the transportation of toxic and flammable diluents by rail,” he said. “We stand with the thousands of residents who have already said no to this pipeline.”

Noel Harbeson Norenius

Aug 2, 1937 – Mar 11, 2024

Born in Toronto, Noel moved to Manotick at an early age and never left! After graduating from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Journalism, Noel held a variety of positions in TV (CJOH) and radio (CBOT, CKOY). A lifelong car enthusiast, he took a break from journalism to own and operate Riverside Ford, a franchised Ford Dealer. Although he tolerated other makes, he was always a Ford guy. Noel did return to journalism, first as a Lecturer at Carleton, then as City Editor at the Ottawa Journal, before returning to radio at CKOY and CKO, where he could use his booming baritone to great effect.

But his passion for cars, especially classic 60’s Fords, finally moved from an after-work hobby at his home on Hillcrest, to a full-time job as owner of Riverside Restorations. With the help of his large cohort of friends, who often stopped by to socialize, Noel restored many a beautiful Mustang, Thunderbird and Galaxy over the years.

Noel was an active and dedicated Manotick advocate and volunteer. He helped establish the original outdoor rink at Centennial Park and served as treasurer for 25 years with both the Rideau Township Oldtimers Hockey League and the Manotick Masters Hockey League. He was treasurer of the former Manotick Community Association and one of the founding members and president of the Manotick Culture, Parks and Recreation Association. Noel believed in working collaboratively with other like-minded folks in Manotick. Under his leadership, the Association developed a network of paths, put in access signs to the river, refurbished park benches and most importantly, worked with others to support the $2.6M Arena Expansion. Noel was the consummate community builder, always ready to chat about an idea and lend a helping hand. His extensive volunteerism was recognized when he was awarded The Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

Noel was the cool uncle, who rode his motorcycle across the country, always had a classic car around and never stopped playing hockey, which led to his induction in the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame. We will miss his great sense of humour, intelligence, and debating skills!

Noel leaves his nieces Kristine van der Pas-Norenius (Mark van der Pas) of Kingston, Katherine of Toronto, nephew Peter Nils (Donna Wong) of Toronto, grandnieces Erika van der Pas (Mario Pejic) and Tessa Halle Norenius, grandnephew Niklas Anders Norenius and great grandniece Mila Pejic. He has also left a wide assortment of friends and colleagues who will miss him dearly.

Noel was preceded in death by his parents Nils and Betty (Harbeson), his brother Erik, and many dogs.

Friends and colleagues are welcome to stop by CreekSide Bar & Grill in Manotick on Saturday, May 18, 2024 between 2:00pm – 4:00pm to share a memory of Noel.

Thank you to everyone at the Granite Ridge Care Community in Stittsville for your care and support of Noel in his last year.

Claudia Aguirre, Manager of Community Relations for the Energy East Pipeline, and TransCanada Spokesman Philippe Cannon, met with hundreds of local residents and addressed safety concerns of the project.

Jim Sauer of Barrhaven signed the Ecology Ottawa petition while Frank Farrell of Ottawa looks on.

By Melissa Macisaac RuRal Ottawa sOuth suppORt seRvices

In the heart of rural communities, ROSSS offers a crucial lifeline for many seniors and adults with disabilities: the ROSSS Diners Program. This program not only serves up nutritious home-cooked meals but also fosters vital social connections and provides much-needed entertainment for those who might otherwise find themselves isolated.

As you know, ROSSS is committed to enhancing the lives of senior residents and adults with disabilities in rural Ottawa south. The Diners Program is another example of the innovative ways ROSSS is meeting the needs of some of our communities most vulnerable and supporting their overall wellbeing. Recently, the program has expanded its reach with the addition of two new diner locations, amplifying the impact to those in need.

ROSSS News

Melissa MacIsaac

But these events are much more than just a meal on the calendar. For some attendees, they represent the only opportunity to enjoy a hot, nutritious meal within a week. In the vast expanses of rural life, where access to services may be limited, the ROSSS Diners Program serves as a crucial resource for maintaining health and well-being.

As attendees gather around tables laden with hearty dishes, they not only nourish their bodies but also their souls. Conversations flow freely, laughter fills the air, and bonds are forged that transcend background, and circumstance. Meals are prepared and served by our incredible volunteers who also play a pivotal role in facilitating these interactions, ensuring that everyone feels welcome and included.

Moreover, the program

goes beyond just providing meals and socialization. Entertainment and door prizes are often incorporated into the gatherings, adding an extra layer of enjoyment and stimulation. Whether it’s live music, games, or guest speakers, these experiences enrich the lives of attendees and create lasting memories.

The significance of programs like the ROSSS Diners Program extends far beyond the walls of the venues where they take place. They

offer hope and compassion to those in our communities, for whom resources may be scarce and isolation may be very much a reality. ROSSS staff have said that these events remind them of the power of human connection to uplift, inspire, and transform lives.

We are grateful to be able to offer programs that provide the opportunity for individuals to share a meal and connect with one another.

In the simple act of break-

ing bread together, we find solace, joy, and the profound realization that we are not alone. And thanks to initiatives like these, no one in our rural communities need to face life’s challenges in isolation. If you are an older adult age 55+ or an adult with disabilities, and would like to learn more about our Diners programs, please contact Lyn Rorke at 613-692-4697 x 224 or by emailing her at lyn.rorke@rosss.ca

We hope to see you there!

NOW OPEN

One of these new additions is the Osgoode Luncheon, hosted at the Osgoode Legion. Every fourth Friday of the month, from 12 to 2 PM, this event offers warmth, laughter, and camaraderie. Another recent addition is the Metcalfe Breakfast, held on the third Friday of the month at the Lion’s Den. These new venues join the roster of existing gatherings, such as the Manotick Breakfast at the Manotick Legion, occurring on the first Monday of every month, and the Richmond Diners, which takes place on the first Wednesday of the

Beyond the nutritional aspect, however, lies the true essence of these gatherings: the social connections they foster. In a world that is becoming increasingly disconnected, face-to-face interactions hold immeasurable value, especially for older adults and those with disabilities. For many attendees, these events serve as their primary social outlet, offering a sense of belonging and community that is invaluable for mental and emotional health.

Research consistently shows the profound impact of social connections on overall well-being. From reducing feelings of loneliness and depression to enhancing cognitive function and longevity, human connection is a powerful antidote to the ailments of modern life. The ROSSS Diners Program recognizes this importance and actively cultivates an environment where friendships can flourish and support networks can form.

Sandy’s Island BBQ

Specializing in Rotisserie BBQ Chicken & Ribs Fresh Cut PEI Fries & More

Beth, our Manager is a Cordon Bleu Certified Chef in charge of preparing all our food. Beth won the Chili cook-off contest at the Manotick Legion in February.

We will offer Catering for Weddings, Backyard BBQ parties with family and friends, Company Meetings and any other Get together occasions. Rotisserie BBQ Chicken and Ribs are a first for the Manotick area.

Deliveries by Uber & Skip The Dishes.

Please call if you have any questions for Catering reservations or drop in to Sandy’s Saddlery & Western Wear (same address) to pick up our packed menu for this exciting venture.

We look forward to serving you some of the best food in Ottawa and the Valley.

HOURS: Mon – Sat: 11am – 7pm Sunday: Closed

Kiwanis Key Club gives high school students opportunity to become leaders

By Ralph Tweedie ManoTick kiwanis

Kiwanis Manotick is proud to support 4 local high-school Keyclubs. One of the highlights of the Kiwanis Key Club year is the District Education and Leadership Conference (DELC) for Eastern Canada. This year DELC was held at the Intervarsity Circle Square Ranch in Brampton, Ontario, from Friday April 5th until Sunday April 7th. It’s an opportunity for Key Club students from across Eastern Canada Keyclub district to meet each other and experience team building exercises. Their weekend adventures started with a train trip with their Kiwan-

is chaperones.

Kiwanis News

Ralph Tweedie

Sessions started Friday with a Welcome Presentation and dinner. This was followed by a Silent Voice presentation, a non-profit service which deals with the needs of deaf people. They discussed the difficulties and challenges that deaf people face every day. The demonstration also involved learning some ASL sign language. All of the presentations were done in sign language by presenters who were totally deaf.

An interpreter provided a simultaneous translation.

Nominations were put forward for the following school year district executive. The nominees gave presentations to support their candidacy.

The day finished with a fun session of karaoke.

Saturday morning, elections were held for next year’s district executive. It was noted that Maria Wheeler, a past student at St. Mother Teresa High School is running for Key Club International President. Maria was the International Vice President and was the first Canadian to be on the International Board.

Saturday morning finished with a choice of ses-

sions. Attendees chose between “How to Garden a Healthy Mind” and “How Big is Key Club”.

The afternoon began with a presentation “How Lucky are We”. Next, the first time slot gave a choice between “Ground Up Goals” (i.e. How to prioritize goals) and “Cultivating Effective Teamwork”.

A final time slot offered “Branching Out from Key Club” and a Trivia session.

These sessions discussed ideas such as prioritizing goals, sharing ideas with other clubs and learning from their mistakes etc. The concept of Interclub projects was discussed. The four Manotick Key Clubs have worked together on interclub pro-

jects for the past two years. Twinning clubs was discussed. Our clubs are currently working on a project to twin with clubs in the Caribbean.

Saturday evening, they held the award ceremony. We are proud to announce that St Mark High School Key Club came first for the Distinguished Club Award. The Award was based on the Blanket Drive that was initiated by St. Mark Key Club. It was extremely successful and became an inter-club project involving all Four of the Manotick Kiwanis Key Clubs. The community embraced the idea and overwhelmed our collection sites, the Manotick Legion and the Anglican Church.

The evening finished with the Governor’s Ball. A fairly casual dance and a chance to cement new friendships.

Sunday held a closing session and bus transfers to the train station in Brantford for the ride home.

Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students worldwide. It’s a student-led organization that teaches leadership through service to others. Key Club teaches members lessons that will transcend their time in school and help guide them in the future. The first Key Club was established in 1925. Next year celebrates 100 years of service.

Manotick’s second annual Spring Fling event was a huge success

By Kelly Belair ManoticK Bia

The second annual Spring Fling event was a huge success due to the joint efforts of the MBIA team, the businesses who participated and to the partnership with the Manotick Art Associations Inspirations Art Show & Sale.

A note from the Manotick Art Association:

On behalf of the Manotick Art Association, we extend our sincerest gratitude for your invaluable support in promoting the Inspirations Art Show and Sale. Your collaboration with the MAA has been a great success, not only in showcasing our artists’ talents but also in fostering community engagement and supporting local businesses.

We are deeply grateful for the partnership and sup-

Manotick BIA News

Kelly Belair

port of MBIA. Your commitment to promoting art and community involvement is

evident in the success of our collaboration. We look forward to continuing our partnership and creating more opportunities to enrich our community through art.

Thank you once again for your generosity and support. Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the

lives of artists and the community.

Residents and visitors truly enjoyed the art filled weekends festivities in the village. From the shopping at the Inspirations Art Show, enjoying a live music performance, to meandering through the village and partaking in sampling goodies at the various cafes or restaurants to acquiring new items from one of the boutiques it was a weekend full of excite-

ment.

Next up, Dickinson Days which takes place on May 31st through to June 2nd.

For over 40 years, the first weekend in June has become a welcome sign of summer as visitors and residents flock to historic Manotick to take part in the celebration of Moss Kent Dickinson’s birthday, the founder of Manotick.

This will be another display of collaboration

amongst community groups with the Manotick BIA. Dickinson Days is proudly presented by the Kiwanis Club of Manotick with partnership with the MBIA.

The weekend brings a parade, fireworks, pancake breakfast, craft market, main stage entertainment, family activities and so much more. For all the details and most current schedule, manotickvillage.com/dickinsondays

Shop Local! SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY

The second annual Spring Fling was a big day for Manotick businesses.

YOMA is committed to contributing and giving back to the community

By Leeanne VanderBurght, youth of Manotick association

Part of what we do at YOMA is encourage youth participants to develop and maintain a connection to our community. It might be through volunteering or hosting an event or participating in local activities. Sometimes just learning about the community through our programs helps foster that relationship and sense of belonging. Those efforts are not limited to the youth. As an organization YOMA is also committed to participating in, contributing to and giving back to our community.

One way we do this is participating in local activities when we can. On April 20, YOMA joined the BIA and a number of local groups to offer some fun family focused activities as part of Spring Fling. Outside Manotick United Church the local fire fighters were on hand to welcome children to explore the trucks. Inside, toes were tapping to the music of the Fid-

The Manotick BIA Spring Fling a huge success. Face Painting at United Church as well as Fire Trucks were on hand to delight kids of all ages. The “Three Amigas, left to right Leeanne Van der Burght (Youth of Manotick Association), Kelly Belair (Executive Director of BIA) and Melissa MacIsaac(ROSSS) illustrate the partnership of these three organizations.

dlers on the Rideau fiddlers. Children’s faces were transformed through the whimsical face painting of local resident Krysia of Krysia’s Art and Face Painting. The BIA arranged a performance by the always popular Monkey Rock.

YOMA, in partnership with our friends at ROSSS, filled tables with colouring pages and hosted cookie decorating. We invited a local youth

G A RY CO ULOMBE Pj h OTO

to join us and for an hour she created custom lapel buttons with the children there. Not only was it a successful collaboration of local partners, we believe it enhanced a day that was already full of features and specials in the local businesses. Congratulations to the businesses and organizers for another enjoyable and successful event. There is no question that

YOMA finds it rewarding to be involved in the community this way. We met some new people from the community at Spring Fling and had a chance to chat with parents in a different setting. YOMA keeps a list of students who are looking for volunteer hours. YOMA craft tables and cookie decorating give them opportunities to volunteer. We also encourage YOMA youth and their families to participate when they

can. Who better to tell others about YOMA activities. This group effort is a positive demonstration to youth of what we expect of ourselves and what we hope to encourage them to adopt for themselves.

Thank you to all of the groups and organizations who bring festivals and events and activities to our community. It is a lot of work but they are fun, they get residents out and they bring people from outside

of the community to come enjoy all Manotick has to offer. In the future, we believe that the youth today who are active and involved and who contribute to the community will look back at these times with fondness and appreciation for what it instilled in them. We look forward to seeing you soon and one of the many upcoming local events. We hope you will stop by and say hello.

Osgoode Outreach unveils new barn quilt at Legion

By Marguerite rogers, osgoode outreach MeMBer

A small group of dedicated volunteers gathered outside the Osgoode Legion – Branch 589, on April 23, 2024, to officially unveil a Barn Quilt mounted on the wall of the building. Barn quilts are large outdoor painted replicas of fabric quilt blocks.

The Osgoode Township

Museum initiated the Rural Ottawa Barn Quilt Trail in 2020 as a way to showcase community history and to promote tourism. This quilt, mounted on the Osgoode Legion, is the latest in the series. On the Osgoode Township Museum website, other quilts can be seen and maps will direct you to their location. “The Barn Quilt Trail is a great way to explore Osgoode Township by car.”, said

James Jensen, Executive Director of the Osgoode Township Museum. “The Museum is pleased that community members continue to add quilts to the Trail four years after it was launched.”

This quilt was designed by the members of Osgoode Outreach, and Shannon Giust, owner of Rideau River Barn Quilts. It represents farming, apple orchards, maple syrup

Among those in attendance at today’s unveiling were Legion President Ronnie Gilliland, James Jensen and Doug Thompson from the Osgoode Township Museum in Vernon, Councillor George Darouze and President of the Osgoode Village Community Association Rob McLellan. They were joined by members of Osgoode Outreach, and Janet Coles and Donna Martineau who are both members of the Legion executive. C A RL e Y S C HAR f P HOTO

Richmond Legacy Community Association barn dance May 11

The Richmond Legacy Community Association is hosting the Richmond Redneck Barn Dance Sat., May 11 in the heavy horse barn at the Richmond Fairgrounds. The dance features the Doug and Pam Champagne Band. Doug and Pam Champagne are well known members of the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame and they will be joined on stage by steel guitar player Rob Dillon and keyboard player Dan Loyer. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at he door. There will be prizes of Tim Hortons gift cards for best male and female costumes.

production, the beautiful colours of the area’s forests, and Boyd Block homes which are common in Osgoode. It also includes red poppies to represent the Osgoode Legion which supports seniors in the community. “The Sheppard Barn, that is shown in the centre of the quilt was an important Ottawa area landmark.”, noted Ronnie Gilliland, President of the Osgoode Legion. “Historically, pilots flying into Uplands would use it as a way to locate the airport.”

Councillor George Darouze attended the unveiling. He thanked all those from the Osgoode Outreach group and Shannon Giust, owner of Rideau River Barn Quilts, who were responsible for initiating this project and seeing it through to the finish. “I hope to see more of these throughout the Ward in the coming years.”, he remarked.

The painting of this barn quilt was undertaken by members of Osgoode Outreach. Andy Rafter, from the Osgoode Legion was instrumental in

mounting it on the building.

Osgoode Outreach is a social club for adults aged 55+ that meets on Tuesday mornings, from September to early June, at the Osgoode Legion for coffee, cards, speakers, and fellowship. There is no membership fee. It is supported by the Ontario Seniors Community Grant program, Councillor George Darouze, and the Osgoode Village Community Association.

Members of the Richmond Lions Club have been set up at King’s Your Independent Grocery Store selling tickets for the 16th Annual Richmond & District Lions Club Michael Hynes Memorial Duck Race. The race takes place Sat., May 11 at 12 p.m. at the McBean Street bridge over the Jock River. There will be a free BBQ in the park after the race. To purchase tickets for the race, email richmondlions19@gmail.com or call 613.299.0249.

Larissa Patterson (613) 692-6500

Dr.Harold Bobier (613(692-4432

Dr. Jolieann Joseph (613)692-4432

Dr.Donald Young 613-692-4432

Dr.Donald Young (613)692-4432 Dr.Thomas

Dr.Thomas Proulx 613-692-4432

Local drivers using Highway 416 will soon be able to drive a little bit faster.

The Ontario government is raising the speed limit permanently from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on the local 400-series highway, as well as nine additional sections of provincial highways in northern and southern Ontario. The change builds on the safe and successful increase to six sections of provincial highways in 2022 and aligns with posted speed limits in other jurisdictions across Canada.

“Most of Ontario’s highways were originally designed to safely accommodate speed limits of 110 km/h and the data from our changes in 2022 shows they do just that,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “These evidencebased increases are a common-sense change to make life more convenient for Ontario drivers while bringing our highway speed limits in line with other Canadian provinces.”

Starting July 12, 2024, the speed limit will be permanently raised to 110 km/h on Hwy 416 between Hwy 401 and Ottawa; Hwy 401 between Hwy 16 and the Quebec border, and other areas of Hwy 401 west of Kingston.

All highway sections were selected based on

their ability to safely accommodate higher speed limits. Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan have a maximum speed limit of 110 km/h, while in British Columbia, the maximum speed limit is 120 km/h.

The permanent increase in speed from 100km/h to 110km/h will cover 36 per cent and 860 kilometres of Ontario’s highway network.

Until 1975, Highways 400, 401, 417 and the Queen Elizabeth Way were posted at 70 mph (113 km/h) before being reduced due to the energy crisis.

Stunt driving penalties will continue to apply at 150 km/h. On the highway sections with increased speed limits, stunt driving penalties will apply at 40 km/h over the posted speed limit.

A: If you have been bitten by a tick it is important to ensure proper removal as soon as possible. To remove the tick properly use a pair of tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Use the tweezers to pull the the tick backwards and out of the skin. Once the tick is removed make sure to wash your hands and the bite area thoroughly with soap and water. Preventative antibiotic therapy is available if there is concern for potential transmission of Lyme disease. Contact your family doctor or pharmacist for more information.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Excessively theatrical actors

5. Footwear

10. A way to disfigure

14. Exchange rate

15. Hawaiian wreaths 16. North-central Indian city

17. Bungle

18. Extremely angry

19. A short note of what’s owed

20. Criminal organization

22. Mimic

23. Try to grab

24. U.S.-born individuals

27. Some are covert

30. Order of the British Empire

31. Don’t know when yet

32. Payment (abbr.)

35. Winged angelic being

37. Variety of Chinese

38. A way to be anxious

39. Famed wrestler Hulk

40. Partner to cheese

41. Slang for sergeant

42. Canadian flyers

43. Actress Ryan

44. Highly unpleasant vapor

45. Body part

46. Halfway

47. Cool!

48. Consume

49. Salts

52. Upper bract of a floret of grass

55. Housepet

56. Cavalry-sword

60. Symbol of a nation

61. Frocks

63. Used to carry food

64. Portuguese folk song

65. Sharp mountain ridge

66. Ireland

67. Where golfers begin

68. Greek mythological sorceress

69. Fluid suspensions

CLUES DOWN

1. “Mad Men” leading man

2. Water (Spanish)

3. Annoy

4. Bulgarian capital

5. Japanese title

6. Capital of Zimbabwe

7. Giraffe

8. A mixture of substances

9. Midway between south and southeast

10. Staffs

11. Turkish title

12. Type of acid

13. Thin, flat strip of wood

21. Russian river

23. Ribonucleic acid

25. Partner to flow

26. Airborne (abbr.)

27. Earthy pigment

28. Genus of earless seals

29. “Key to the Highway” bluesman

32. By or in itself

33. Hot fluid below the earth’s surface

34. Partner to trick

36. British Air Aces

37. Ammunition

38. Supervises flying

40. Health care for the aged

41. Flanks

43. Millimeters

44. Where wrestlers perform

46. Not around

47. Flightless bird

49. Bell-shaped flowers of the lily family

50. Expressed concern for

51. Satisfies

52. Flew off!

53. Wings

54. Load a ship

57. Vigor

58. British title

59. Whiskeys

61. __ Adams: founding father

62. Body of wate

Enemy of Silence: Tinnitus

By Sean Lennox, Doctor of auDioLogy, auDioLogiSt. auD. MSc. BSc.

You are trying to relax after a long day, so you grab your favorite beverage and a good book, but all you can hear is ringing in your ears…

If you experience ringing in your ears, you are one of the 30-40% of adult Canadians that experience tinnitus. Tinnitus is the bothersome perception of sound when there is no external sound present. It is often the most noticeable, and annoying, in times when it is quiet – such as when you are trying to relax, or go to sleep. The most common tinnitus sounds are ringing, hissing, buzzing, rushing and screaming. TINNITUS IS MOST COMMONLY A SYMPTOM OF HEARING DISORDER. If you are experiencing tinnitus, you should have an assessment done by an experienced professional.

Tinnitus and Your Brain

Tinnitus can be short term or long term. Short term tinnitus can be a symptom of hearing loss resulting from temporary changes to the auditory pathway (ex. Ear infection – outer/middle). Long term tinnitus is often associated with permanent sensory neural hearing loss.

Our brain uses our hearing as a warning detection system to be alert to our external world. The Brain expects constant stimulation for hearing even when we are asleep that is why we do not have ear-lids.

When it comes to the sense of hearing our brain never takes a rest. The brain actively affects how we hear- when it is silent are brain increases the sensitivity of the sensory cells of the ear to be aware of the environment. When we feel threatened or stressed, our brains automatically increase our warning detection system (our hearing). This is a normal physiologic response to the fight or flight part of autonomic nervous system. For example, when

we are asleep at night, and we are startled awake to a sudden noise you might notice that your hearing sensitivity is heightened, and tinnitus is noticeable. Tinnitus is the noise of the active auditory system. The brain requires constant stimulation over the broad range of human hearing. When we have hearing loss the brain tries to increase the internal gain (sensitivity) of the damaged sensory cells (see figure 1) which leads to tinnitus. This makes sense when you think of an analogy of a damaged microphone. A sound engineer might erroneously think that boosting the mic sensitivity will help clarify the signal much like the brain with the damaged sensory cells of the ear. The outcome in both cases in constant annoying noise. Tinnitus really is the noise of a damaged auditory system.

Tinnitus Causes

• Hereditary

• Age-related

• Occupational or recreational noise exposure

• Ototoxic medications

• Otologic disease

• Other causes include: stress and anxiety, dental and TMJ disorders, cervical spine issues, rare vestibular / 8th CN tumours

When is Tinnitus a Problem?

Most people hear tinnitus when in silence so not everyone needs to be concerned when they notice tinnitus. Tinnitus becomes a problem when it negatively affects:

1. Ability to concentrate

2. Sleep

3. Well-being

4. Our relationships

More concerning when your tinnitus is:

1. Asymmetric, one ear only

2. Coincides with sudden hearing loss, aural fullness, vertigo

Tinnitus Evaluation

Evaluating tinnitus is very comprehensive and starts with a visit to a Doctor of Audiology or Audiologist. The testing will include:

• Tinnitus surveys to understand how your tinnitus is affecting your life currently.

• Hearing evaluation to get an idea of the nature, type and degree of your hearing impairment.

• Immittance: evaluation of eardrum and middle ear function.

• Acoustic reflex testing to check for auditory nerve reflexes to loud sounds.

• Otoacoustic emissions a test of outer hair sensory cells (type 2 cells) that are involved in the filtering, amplification, and compression of sound.

• Tinnitus pitch and loudness

matching. Tinnitus minimum masking level. Residual inhibition of tinnitus suppression.

• Loudness discomfort level testing.

Tinnitus Therapy

1. Tinnitus retraining therapy: As the name suggests we are trying to retrain the brain to lower the internal gain compensation that has been applied to the ear with hearing loss. We are also trying to disconnect the heightened warning detection system response that some people experience with elevated stress levels with tinnitus.

2. Proper Education goes a long way. Even if there is not anything you want to do about your tinnitus immediately understanding the causes of tinnitus and potential al-

leviation techniques can be very helpful.

3. Protect your hearing.

4. Use free masking apps when in silence especially at night.

5. Dietary changes: reduce salt, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.

6. Stress reduction: Relaxation and Exercise.

Our Services

We provide hearing loss evaluations for all ages, hearing aid evaluations and servicing as well as tinnitus and sound sensitivity, vestibular and balance assessments, post-concussion auditory processing and tinnitus / hyperacusis support, wax removal, and much more. Call 613-270-3013, email info@ brighthearing.ca or book online at www.brighthearing.ca

Run

Figure 1. Damaged hearing sensory cells.