December 17, 2014 issue 50

the north grenville

TIMES www.ngtimes.ca

Vol. 2, No. 50

The Voice of North Grenville

Dec 17, 2014

David Gordon elected as United Counties’ Warden

by David Shanahan As he begins his second term as Mayor of North Grenville, David Gordon has had another honour, and greater workload, added to his resume. He has been elected Warden of the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville [UCLG] by his fellow counties councillors at the first meeting of the new council.

The position, which he will hold until 2016, is neither an automatic, nor an honorary one, and is a recognition of the respect in which David

Gordon is held by his colleagues, and the importance of the Municipality of North Grenville in the economic and political life of the UCLG. The last time North Grenville had the Warden’s chair was in 2000, when Don Cameron, first Mayor of the municipality, held the job. In the past, of course, a number of mayors and reeves of South Gower, Kemptville and Oxford-on-Rideau had been elected to the role since the UCLG Council was first established in 1842. Recently retired NG Councillor, Ken

Finnerty, had the honour of holding the position of Warden in 1995, exactly forty years after his father, a unique achievement in UCLG history.

The wonderfully euphonic Warden Gordon thanked his colleagues for their show of confidence in electing him to the office, and identified as priority issues some of the ones he had noted in his recent election campaign in North Grenville. These included the rising cost of policing for local communities, and the various provincial planning

policies that restricted the freedom of municipalities to control resource and other forms development. He also emphasised the distinction between what local communities might want, and what they actually needed, pointing out that budget cutbacks would dictate expenditures for the UCLG.

David stated his belief that the most effective way in which the people of the UCLG could meet the challenges of the coming years was to co-operate with each other, drawing on their individual strengths and assets “to mitigate the impacts” of growing provincial debt, rising fuel costs, and provincial funding cutbacks on the region.

He is also very aware of the extra demands on his time and energy that being Warden will entail. Being a member of the UCLG Council was demanding in itself, requiring regular trips to Brockville for council and committee meetings, but the added responsibilities as Warden will only add to that workload. He is confident, however, that the North Grenville Council will be able to compensate for any enforced absences, etc., and Deputy Mayor, Barb Tobin, certainly has the experience and capability to fill in when required.

The election of Warden Gordon is a potential boon for North Grenville, and a guarantee that this community will not be ignored or taken for granted at the counties level over the coming two years.

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The Voice of North Grenville

Kemptville Public School Recipient of RBC “Learn to Play” Grant The timing was impeccable. With Christmas on the horizon, a very special gift was presented to the students and staff of Kemptville Public School at an assembly on Monday December 15; North Grenville Branch Manager, James Sliter, and Client Advisor, Lynn Meheral, delivered a $10 000 cheque from the Royal Bank of Canada, “Learn to Play Project.”

A successful application for funds to support the school’s IGNITE physical literacy initiative was made by Physical Education teacher, Mr. Matheson. The grant will purchase additional equipment to be used in regular Physical Education classes as well as for The Quality Daily Physical Education Program. The QDPE Program provides 20 minutes of daily physical activity for students in addition to their regular gym classes.

The Royal Bank of Canada is committed to youth health and wellness; its 5 year, $100 million Kids Pledge Program is run in partnership with ParticipACTION to encourage physical activity in youth. The RBC also made a $16 000 donation to the Kemptville Youth Centre recently Pictured here are a selection of KPS primary students, Principal Nancy Hanna, Branch Manager James Sliter and Client Advisor Lynn Mereal.

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The Christmas Concert at S.S. No. 7 Todd School c1932

Submitted by Doug MacDonald & Sandy Arcand From 1948 to 1988 Jean Newans was the itinerant music teacher in the schools of Oxford-on-Rideau, South Gower and Kemptville. In researching School Days

Past, Jean’s name came up with great frequency. Her former students remember her with affection, but before she was a music teacher she was Jean Joyner, a little girl attending Todd School some 82 years ago.

Thirty years ago in All Around the Township, Jean wrote of a Christmas Concert at Todd School in the 1930's. With her permission, this memory is reprised for Christmas, 2014.

“Practice began weeks in advance. A tall evergreen tree was placed in the library corner and decorated, sheets were hung for stage curtains, the trustees built

Erick Le Pors

during the play! Then came the magical moment, sleighbells and ho-ho-ho’s were heard in the porch. Someone would open the door and there was the jolly old fellow we all had waited for so anxiously. Santa Claus helped the teacher unload the tree and then quickly disappeared into the night. The evening was a memory!”

The North Grenville Historical Society’s new book, Schools Days Past, will be available for purchase, or to order, on Saturday, December 20 and Sunday, December 21 from noon to 3 pm at the Court House in Kemptville.

on the addition to the stage and planks were placed between the desks for audience seats. Finally the big night arrived. Parents and friends drove in sleighs and cutters, blanketed the horses and tied them to the fence. Inside the room was filled to capacity with young lads even sitting in the windows. Aladdin lanterns lit the stage and the class participated in choruses, recitations, dialogues and drills. As the closing number, some adults of the section presented a play. Who can forget Joe Andy Todd mopping his brow of perspiration and being unable to keep his stuck-on moustache in place

400 Years of Franco-Ontarian History The Province of Ontario is planning to mark 400 years of Francophone presence in Ontario in 2015, centred on the anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s journey through what is now Ontario in 1615.

The great explorer had travelled up the Ottawa river in 1613, but it was two years later that he pushed through to Lake Huron and the area around Peterborough. He travelled through Lake Ontario and wintered with the Huron near Georgian Bay. This was the first time Europeans had travelled through the area, and it was other French explorers who continued the exploration of the Great Lakes over the following decades.

Today, there are about 600,000 Francophones living in Ontario, the largest Frenchspeaking community in the country, outside of Quebec.

North Grenville has a large Francophone community, and areas like French Settlement Road, as well as family names such as Latourell, Seguin, Arcand and Tremblay, speak to the history of Francophone

settlement in the municipality. The possibility of having the new French High School located in Kemptville further underlines how important a part of our local community is Francophone.

The Ontario Government’s plans for the anniversary year include a funding program to celebrate this community in the province.

The Ontario 400th Celebrations Program will provide project-based funding to support organizations in developing community engagement projects that celebrate and commemorate 400 years of Francophone presence and contributions in Ontario during 2015. The program offers project-based funding to community organizations, municipalities and others to help plan local cultural and tourism events that commemorate the 400th anniversary of Francophone presence in Ontario. The events will help boost tourism and create jobs, as visitors from across the province, Canada and the world join in the celebrations.

Local events marking the 400th anniversary will take place in communities throughout the summer and fall of 2015, including at the TORONTO 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Up to $1.4 million is available through the program and the deadline to apply is February 11, 2015, at 5 pm.

It is to be hoped that the Municipality of North Grenville will take some steps to celebrate this anniversary and not disgrace itself as it did four years ago, when local residents asked that the Franco-Ontarian flag (an official Ontario flag) be flown outside the municipal centre to mark the first Franco-Ontarian Day in 2010. The request was denied by then-mayor and council, with the one honourable exception of Barb Tobin.

North Grenville was the only municipality in Ontario to reject such a request, something which made provincial and national headlines at the time.

A compromise was reached when council agreed to fly the flag inside the building,

not outside, which led current school board Trustee, Anouk Tremblay, to declare at the time that French-speaking residents of North Grenville were to be considered “closet Francophones”.

Perhaps it would be worthwhile to see a history of the francophone contribution to North Grenville history, to educate and celebrate an important part of our common story.

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Charles Dickens comes to St. James On Sunday evening, December 21, St. James Anglican Church will offer a Christmastime gift to the North Grenville community: a dramatic reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

There is no better venue for the presentation of this Victorian classic than the classic Victorian church at 35 Clothier Street West in Kemptville. The magnificent interior of St. James will glow in the many colours of Christmas. Published for the Christmas trade on December 19, 1843, A Christmas Carol is a mixture of horror, despair, hope, warmth and love.

Its message has a Christian tinge: even the worst sinners may repent and become good.

All of Dickens famous characters will be represented, from "Bah, Humbug!" Ebenezer Scrooge to the Ghost of Jacob Marley, the Fezziwigs, the Cratchets and Tiny Tim. The surprise of the evening will be appearances by several of North Grenville's "movers and shakers", who will join parishioners from St. James to read the roles of the characters: join us for this theatrical evening to find out who.

The performance will begin at 7 pm and will last a little over an hour. Hot cider will be served afterwards. All members of the community are invited to attend. Admission is free.

In the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!"

Merry Christmas.

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The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

Merry Christmas Hello everyone in North Grenville,

The nice people at the Times have allowed me to write to you to let you know that I’ve been getting all your letters here at the North Pole. I’ve sent some of them to be printed so you can see how lovely the letters are. One or two of you were worried I wasn’t getting them at all, but Canada Post sent them to me by overnight courier, and I got them in just ten days!

Some were sent by Air Canada direct to the North Pole, but arrived in Guatemala instead. But Air Canada sent them on from there, and now they’ve been to Mongolia, Japan and South Africa as well!

One person asked me in their letter why I wrote the same thing to them and their brother, instead of writing a long letter just to them, to answer all their questions. Well, I can’t allow anyone to feel left out, or have favourites, so I must be fair to everyone in a family and write the same kind of letter to all the children. But, between you and me, thank you for your lovely letter and the wonderful picture you drew for me!

I know you don’t always get the present you wanted most, but remember: Christmas is really just one big Birthday Party! But at this party, everyone gets gifts! Isn’t that fantastic? So, whatever you get this year, remember: it is a present, a gift, just for you. You got that present because someone loves you very much and wants you to be happy. Many boys and girls don’t have all the things that you do, so sometimes they need to get the gifts you might want, just to make them feel happy again. That’s what this Birthday Party is for: to let people know that they are special and to give them something nice.

Do you know, you can give yourself a special present too? Do you know someone who has no friends, who gets left out of games at school, or feels lonely? Make them your friend, and you will be giving them a great gift, and you will find that is a wonderful present to yourself too. I’m talking to all you mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, too, because I remember when you were all little boys and girls who would write to me at Christmas. Please read this letter to your little ones, and remember when Christmas was a time of magic and fun and excitement for you too. It should be still.

So, thank you all for your lovely letters and lists. I am very busy these days, getting ready for Christmas Eve and a long trip around the world. But I love getting your letters and putting your pictures up on the walls so the elves and reindeer can see them as they work. It makes it a very happy time here at the North Pole! I will see you all next week, so be sure to get a good night’s sleep. And remember, too: I love all kinds of cookies, and any hot drink, or cold milk, will be very welcome.

Merry Christmas to all!

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Merry Christmas We would like to thank all of our customers for the past season, and wish everyone a joyful Christmas, and all the best for 2015!

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Editorial

The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

And so this is Christmas....

by David Shanahan

As we enter the final week before Christmas, North Grenville is abuzz with activity and excitement. But it’s not all about the buying and the wrapping of gifts for family and friends. This is North Grenville, where people care about their community. This spirit is present, front and centre, during a talk I had with Claire Larabie, the Executive Director of the North Grenville Community Service Council. In that role, she interacts with many agencies and organizations that care about people and are committed to helping others in our area.

The Board of the North Grenville Community Service Council is made up of five community groups who work all year to find needed resources for residents: the Kemptville Rotary Club; Lion's Club; Legion 212; The Knights of Columbus; and the Kinsmen Club of

Kemptville.

Each of the five groups on the Board donates $1,200 per year toward helping families during emergencies. Claire’s job is to link families to appropriate services if she sees the need. She looks for agencies that can help out and, in some cases, where funding is not found outside, the North Grenville Community Service Council uses money from its yearly budget to help cover costs. They need to look elsewhere first, however, because their budget has to last all year.

E v e r y D e c e m b e r, Christmas Hampers and gifts are arranged for families who need our help in North Grenville. The hamper program has been around for over 60 years.

These contain non-perishable food items, a gift card to a local grocery store, so families can add perishable foods such as milk, meat etc. to their hamper, and a gift bag for each child in the home, containing new clothes and gifts. A team

of volunteers goes through each gift bag donated, to check that items are suitable. The gift bags are not all the same. Claire will call or visit families and find out what they like, what their hobbies are, and so on. Then items to reflect this are listed on tags that are hung on wish trees.

Each year, a tree is put up at Holy Cross Church with angels on its branches from both the Knights of Columbus and the NGCSC, each one with a request that has been received from a local family. Any family can apply for help. The size of the family determines the size of the food hamper.

The Knights of Columbus provide the generous food hampers, the public provide gifts under the angel tree, and the shortfall is provided by donors and the NGCSC. People pick an angel, all the information about the Christmas wish, the size of clothing of a child aged 16 and under, etc. is on the card.

The team of volunteers compares what is coming

in with items on the master list for each family. The items donated go to the chosen child.

As the deadline approaches, Claire starts to call around to fill the gaps, she’s not shy asking for help for these families, especially for seniors, or those with illness. Deliveries this year go out on December 21. Some pick them up because of work; most requests are from low income wage earners. Families know when the hampers and gifts will be delivered, so children are not home and parents can surprise them. All hampers are delivered by the Knights of Columbus wearing Christmas hats and filled with Holiday cheer. Claire says: "It's done with class; they do such a great job, it is a pleasure to work with them!".

Some families request support through the House of Lazarus, who cannot provide hampers. Claire is always amazed by our community's charitable spirit, and points out the

huge effort put out by groups and donors working together for the good of our community. "They want each and every family to have a decent Christmas".

Funds come from many sources. The Kinsmen collect money at the Santa Claus Parade and split the proceeds 50/50 between the Salvation Army and the NGCSC. Toys collected are also shared. Kemptville Rotary collects food in the Parade; Legion 212 donates $500 each year to the NGCSC for hampers; Gale Real Estate organizes Mountain of Toys; Kemptville Animal Hospital does a Trims for Tins campaign.

Many of these events have been covered in the Times over the past few weeks.

Groups and businesses like the Ministry of Natural Resources, Service Ontario, Royal LePage Current Systems Service, Gale Real Estate, Canadian Tire, O'Farrell Financial, Marks, Grenville Mutual, and Minor Ball provide items for gift bags going to teens.

In fact, so many individu-

als and groups in North Grenville get involved at Christmas, that it is almost impossible to list them all.

Most do so without thought of publicity or thanks, just to make sure that no-one is left out during this season.

As Claire says: "It goes to show you what a community can do together".

a more broad grounding in chemistry, biology, geology or physics.

All the predictions made in the name of science in the golden age of science fiction have not come to fruition.

However, a great many have; are those giant cruise boats criss-crossing the seas not floating cities? Would you really choose to give up bacon and eggs to swallow a pill instead? We have landed on the surface of the moon, Mars and even an asteroid.

Yes, poverty and disease are still with us but how much can be laid at the doorstep of science and how much falls on humans ourselves? Our lives are much longer and our risk of death from disease smaller. Progress is ongoing and not possible in a world without science. Where does the author imagine that technology, his ultimate source of progress, comes from if not from the study and application of science?

I am fascinated by phrases such as “But it has also

brought unnecessary controversy based on unproven theories that have been defended with religious zeal”.

To which theories, might the author be referring to; the heliocentric view of the solar system, the Theory of Relativity, the Theory of Evolution etc.? The Theory of Evolution is frequently used as an example of an unproven hypothesis. Evolution is a fact. The mechanisms of how it occurs may be debated and discussed but that does not change its basis in reality. It is not just the idle musings of the global media as suggested by a previous letter to the editor. I have no need to resort to blind faith or hope that science is correct, as I can independently examine the evidence and judge its validity; as can every other human being. If as scientists we come across as arrogant or pompous that is unfortunate but we defend our theories because we know that there is tangible evidence to prove our claims.

I see no reason to apologize for believing in science, as by its very nature it is based on testable, repeatable observations and facts that explain the world around us. Are hypotheses sometimes incorrect? Of course, and it is by constantly questioning and testing our ideas that science progresses. As scientists, we have difficulty understanding the mindset that allows one to choose not to believe something just because they don’t personally agree with it or don’t like the implications of a particular fact. Scientists do not have the luxury to deny the evidence nor would we wish to. Yes, we

are sometimes disappointed with results or lack of results during our research. But we continue to ask questions, remain open-minded, and do not allow the appearance of impossibility or lack of comprehension stop us in our quest to understand the wonders of the universe. I fail to see why this is so threatening or is apparently perceived as a “bad” idea by anyone.

Perhaps, if the author spent

less time attacking science and spent more time trying to understand the evidence for the theories he feels are groundless, he would have an enhanced appreciation for the world we live in, simply by knowing why and how things work!

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: Having read numerous issues of the North Grenville Times, I see an ongoing, and very disturbing trend emerging in which the denigration of science is celebrated and encouraged. I cannot as a scientist, sit back and let the bashing of science to continue unchallenged.

The latest bit of nonsense is contained in the editorial of December 3, 2014 but it’s not the only example to be found, should one choose to reread past issues. Science apparently will not save us.

Save us from what, exactly?

I am sorry that the author of this editorial had an unhappy time studying universitylevel science. It isn’t all fun and games, inventing new toys or exploring new planets. One has to learn the basics, often from multiple disciplines before the more exciting topics are tackled.

Everyone is not capable of being a rocket scientist but that doesn’t mean that everyone would not benefit by

The North Grenville Times is published weekly by North Grenville Times Inc. Marketing Gord J. Logan gord@ngtimes.ca 613-258-6402 Dec. 17, 2014

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Building a Sustainable North Grenville

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Municipality Matters

The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

Asleep at the Wheel

by Jim Bertram Well now. Just as I was beginning to get into the Christmas mood, along comes a report by the Auditor General of Ontario which tells me once again about the economic and social disaster unfolding under the impact of the Liberal government’s energy policy and runaway debt.

Ontario’s disastrous economic drift at present, a continuation of the disaster created by the last and not lamented Premier, one Dalton McGuinty, was illuminated brilliantly by Ontario Auditor-General, Bonnie Lysyk, earlier this month. She clearly delineated many aspects of the Ontario green energy policy, for example, which has crippled and is further crippling Ontario’s economy.

Only a slight bit of imagination is required to envision the loss of wealth, jobs and social programs, and municipal grants which the destructive Liberal government energy policy is causing. Lysyk’s analysis was good, concise and clear to those who are really interested in the impact of such policies. In some jurisdictions that might amount to quite a number of people.

But is anybody in sleepy Ontario really listening? I sometimes get the idea that the people of Ontario (except for the wise folk of

North Grenville, of course) are incapable of connecting the dots in the energy file.

The economy is caving in with very few new good jobs outside government with benefits and a fair living wage.

Couldn’t have anything to do with skyrocketing electricity costs, could it? Elderly people on small pensions are being forced out of their homes and living on meagre diets, as well as being forced to turn down the heat in their homes. Couldn’t have anything to do with skyrocketing electricity costs, surely. More and more homeless, jobless people in North Grenville.

Could it have anything to do with skyrocketing electricity costs? Business investment and entrepreneurs flooding out of Ontario to neighbouring American states where they benefit from a business friendly energy and investment regime. I think you get the picture. This is happening now as it has for the last several years!

Of course, the reaction

by Ontario Energy Minister Chiarelli to Ms Lysyk’s expert and well-researched comments was to insult and try to smear her. An expected reaction, since the government of Ontario has nothing left but shouting and innuendo left with which to defend itself.

And so scorn was heaped on Ms. Lysyk, an honourable

and capable public servant with no significant reaction from the media of Ontario or the people of this province. Stephen Harper must be watching in amazement as the Wynne government - a worthy replacement for the disastrous McGuinty crowd – guts the economy of the province of Ontario and, ultimately, its social programs, while few serious words of criticism are written or spoken. Harper must wonder what anaesthetic the Ontario Liberals are using to lull that population of already sleepy non-democrats, the people of Ontario, to sleep.

I mean, at least Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned. The people of Ontario are snoring through the destruction of Ontario by a band of green ideologues who see nothing to stop them in their corrupt and incompetent path.

Ontario is dying in this deep dark sleep!

And while the people sleep, Ontario’s poor seniors, graduating students, average taxpayers will have to contemplate the results of uncontrolled provincial government incompetence and stupidity: seniors will continue to quietly starve and lose their homes; some graduates with talent will go to the USA where jobs are to be found; some young people will fall through the cracks and find

a decaying social safety net (don’t forget that big provincial deficit). Taxpayers will see taxes, fees, rates for all manner of services spiral upward while their incomes remain static or decline in real terms. And so on.

Of course, if the government were to take the Lysyk report and use it to forge useful and productive change, we could turn Ontario around.

But no. Even though it is foolish and perhaps sexist to refer to Minister Chiarelli’s derogatory comments directed toward Auditor-General Lysyk as being themselves sexist, those comments are profoundly arrogant and disheartening for those who want the best for the people of this province. Chiarelli’s remarks are not so much an insult directed toward the auditorgeneral. They are a slap in the face to all residents of this province who need to see the good effects of a growing, bustling economy.

And so Ontario, will you sleep on and on and on? Or will you awaken in the New Year? I sure hope the latter is true.

All the best in a New Year full of thinking and determined action on the part of the people of Ontario to get meaningful change in Ontario’s provincial government.

Dec 17, 2014

Bella Bella, on the east coast of Campbell Island in British Columbia, and his work has gone so well that it seems he will be staying there for some time. Elizabeth has decided to move there too, understandably, and will take up a position as a By-Law/Fire Prevention/Emergency Management officer in Bella Bella.

UPCOMING MEETINGS COUNCIL Monday, January 12th at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Centre.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Monday, January 19th at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Centre.

BUDGET MEETINGS • January 7th, 6:30 pm–9 pm • January 19th, Committee of the Whole—final discussions on budget.

• January 26th, Council Meeting—approve final budget.

2015 MUNICIPAL CALENDARS Watch for your 2015 Municipal Calendar and Solid Waste & Recycling Schedule in the December 17th edition of the Advance-EMC. HOLIDAY SCHEDULE CHANGES Solid Waste and Recycling Pick-up December 25th, 26th, January 1st & 2nd each will be delayed by one day.

Municipal Office Holiday Hours 8:30 am–noon December 24th December 25th Closed December 26th Closed 8:30 am–noon December 31st North Grenville Public Library The Library branches will be closed from December 24th to December 26th and January 1st. December 31st the Main Branch will be open 1:00 pm–5:00 pm.

WINTER PARKING RESTRICTIONS Parking on Municipal roads is prohibited between 11:00 pm and 8:00 am from November 15th to April 15th. A vehicle which is parked in a manner interfering with snow clearing/removal may be issued a ticket and/or removed at the owner’s expense. For info call 613-2582438 ext. 6.

2015 BURN PERMITS In accordance with By-Law 33-12, a Burn Permit is required to conduct open burning on property located outside of the urban area. Burn Permits for 2015 are available at the Municipal Office or at the Fire Hall at 259 County Rd. 44 for a fee of $15.00. Please contact the Fire Hall at 258-2438 ext. 5 for conditions prior to burning.

The Municipality of North Grenville 285 County Road #44 PO Box 130 Kemptville, K0G 1J0 Tel: 613.258.9569 Fax: 613.258.9620 general@northgrenville.on.ca Building: 613.258.4424 Fax: 613.258.1441 Fire Services Info: 613.258.2438 Fax: 613.258.1031

Elizabeth Greenberg retires from Fire Service In her time in North

The North Grenville community is losing one of its most energetic and efficient public servants.

The Fire Prevention Officer of the NG Fire Service, Elizabeth Greenberg, has announced her intention to retire from the department.

Some months ago, Elizabeth’s husband took a job at

UPDATE

By-Law Services: 613-258-2438 ext. 6 Police Administration: 613.258.3441 Animal Control: 613.862.9002

www.NorthGrenville.ca

Grenville, Elizabeth has shown herself to be a very professional and effective Fire Prevention Officer, visiting homes and places of business, speaking in schools and educating the public on fire prevention issues. On top of which, she is a genuinely nice person, easy to work with and very enthusiastic about her work.

We at the NG Times will miss her particularly, as she has always been a pleasure to work with on articles and public information projects.

North Grenville has been very well served by Elizabeth Greenberg in her role with the Fire Service, and she has worked hard under the leadership of Fire Chief Paul Hutt in reorganising and modernising the service to everyone’s benefit.

She will, no doubt, be just as valuable and valued to the community in Bella Bella, and we wish her the very best in her new life there.

Beth Donovan Hospice Spousal Bereavement Group Are you grieving the loss of your husband, wife, or life partner? The Beth Donovan Hospice is offering a support group created to address the unique needs of the spousally bereaved.

Regardless of when the loss occurred, recently or years ago, all are welcome. This group will provide members with an opportunity to discuss their grief in a safe and caring environment facilitated by a professional grief counsellor and bereavement volunteer. Grief education and coping tools will be provided. Sessions will be held once per week at the Beth Donovan Hospice (25 Hilltop Crescent, Kemptville, ON) for a period of eight weeks, beginning Wednesday, January 14, 2015 from 3-5 pm. The group will be limited to eight participants and pre-registration is required. There is no charge. Those interested in attending are asked to contact Suzanne Duc at (613) 258-9611 X 6 or by e-mail at suzanne.duc@bethdonoanhospice.ca. For more information, visit www.bethdonovanhospice.ca

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Merry Christmas

In this season of happy thoughts and warm hearts, we extend a special "thank you" to all our clients for your confidence, loyalty and support

Class A Licensed Mechanics Repairs to All Makes D.O.T. Safety Inspections Fuel Injection, Electrical & A/C Specialist Complete Brake & Exhaust Service Tires & Batteries Front End & Suspension

613-258-6607 gandsautomotive@bellnet.ca

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Regular Store Hours Mon. - Fri. 8 to 8 Sat. - 8 to 6 Sun. 9 to 6

301 Rideau Street, Kemptville

613.258.3014

Christmas Hours: December 24, 8-5 - Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Dec 27, 8-8

Fresh Local Turkeys from

Lyo n' s Fa m i l y Tu r ke y Fa r m Call ahead to reserve your's 613-258-3014

Prices effective: Friday, December 19, 2014 to Thursday, January 1 , 2015 “We reserve the right to limit quantities to reasonable family requirements”

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Celebrate the Holidays while buying local With the holiday season upon us, now is the perfect time to explore the many ways that locally-grown and produced food, beverages and flowers can be included in your holiday celebrations. From mains made of meat, poultry and fish, to sides of vegetables and bread, and even desserts made with dairy products, honey and eggs - there are countless items that are locally grown, harvested or made right here in Ontario.

Here are some tips to make Ontario food, beverages and flowers a part of the holiday season: Not sure what's available and in season? Check out Foodland Ontario's availability guide or finding local food web page to learn more, or speak with your local farmer, grocer, butcher or fishmonger.

Hoping to try something different this holiday season? Check out Foodland Ontario's website for holiday recipe ideas and "freshen" up your family's favourite dishes.

Looking for that perfect wine or beer to give as a gift or enjoy with a meal? Choose from Ontario's craft beer, cider, or world class wines including VQA, red, white, sparkling, fruit and ice wines.

Food isn't the only way to add a little 'local' to your holidays. Decorate your home with locally grown holiday flowers such as a festive Ontario grown poinsettia or amaryllis. Ontario’s agri-food sector contributes over $34 billion to the province’s economy and supports more than 760,000 jobs. The Local Food Fund supports innovative local food projects that increase demand and sales of Ontario food, stimulate new investment and strengthen Ontario’s agri-food sector. In 2013, Ontario’s total agri-food exports exceeded $11 billion – an increase of more than 9 per cent from 2012.

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es for h s i W est and Warm ay Season olid ear the H ppy New Y a Ha

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Les chiots de Noël Par : Océanne,Yasmine et Éric

Il était une fois, la veille de Noël, le père Noël qui se préparait pour la parade de Noël. Mais, il y avait une tempête de neige dehors et le père Noël est prêt à annuler. Les chiots étaient déterminés, ils voulaient sauver la parade de Noël. En plus, la porte de l’atelier était bloquée. Les chiots ont essayé de débloquer la porte avec des cannes de Noël et se sont lancés à la porte. Mais, rien n’a fonctionné.

C’est alors qu’un petit chiot essayait d’aller sous la porte. Il était assez petit pour aller par-dessous la porte! Il a débloqué la porte et les chiots sont sortis.

Ils ont convaincu le père Noël de faire la parade. Ils arrivèrent tous à Merrickville et commencèrent la parade de Noël.

Dec 17, 2014

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The history of giving Christmas presents One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh.

Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and, as a gift, it showed that people would worship Jesus.

Gold was associated with Kings and Christians belief that Jesus is the King of Kings.

Myrrh was a perfume that was put on dead bodies to make them smell nice and, as a gift, it showed that Jesus would suffer and die.

Christmas itself is really about a big present that God gave the world about 2000 years ago - Jesus! One of the most famous Bible verses, John 3:16, says: 'God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life.'

All over the world, families and friends give presents to each other. Most children around the world believe in a Christmas gift bringer. It's often St. Nicholas, Santa Claus or Father Christmas, but in Germany they believe that it is the Christkind, in Spain they believe it is the Wise Men and in Italy they believe it is an old lady called Befana.

These presents are also left in different places! In most of Europe, the presents are left in shoes or boots put out by the children.

In Italy, the UK and the USA, presents are left in stockings, often left hanging by a fire place. In many countries, presents for friends and family may be left under the Christmas Tree. In the UK, they are often opened on Christmas day morning with all the family together.

The custom of hanging stockings comes from the story of St. Nicholas.

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The Colours of Christmas There are several colours which are traditionally associated with Christmas. But why do we have them and what do the colours represent?

Most the colours and their meanings come from the western/northern European traditions and customs, when Christmas is in the middle of winter and it's dark and cold.

Red As mentioned above, an early use of red at Christmas were the apples on the paradise tree. They represented the fall of Adam in the plays.

Red is also the colour of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross.

Red is also the colour of Bishops robes. These would have been worn by St. Nicholas and then also became Santa's uniform!

Green Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn't last forever!

The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid winter festivals.

In many parts of Europe during the middle ages, Paradise plays were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who couldn't read. The 'Paradise Tree' in the garden of eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it.

Now the most common use of green at Christmas are Christmas Trees.

Gold Gold is the colour of the Sun and light - both very important in the dark winter. And both red and gold are the colours of fire that you need to keep you warm.

Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men and traditionally it's the colour used to show the star that the wise men followed.

Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold. But gold is a 'warmer' colour.

White White is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures.

The snow of winter is also very white!

White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees. The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass, when Christians remember that Jesus died for them.

White is used by most churches as the colour of Christmas, when the altar is covered with a white cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church Gold is used for Christmas).

Merry Christmas

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CLASSIFIEDS

First 10 words are FREE for North Grenville Residents. Extra Words: 50 cents a word. Email classifieds@ngtimes.ca SERVICES The Pet Nanny - Pet sitting, dog walking Kempt./ Merrickville. 613-979-2616 petnannykemptville.com roperty cleanup,trees/brush/ yard waste,scrap,dump runs,anything removed Wayne Scott RR#5 Kemptville 613-286-9072 SERIOUS ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT? www.herbalone.com Effective, affordable programs and/or products.

Call 613-258-4242 Mention this ad to SAVE 10%.

FREE DRUM LESSON!!! Professional drummer offering FREE trial lessons...no obligation! 613 298 5913 www. drumhead.ca Snowplowing per time or contract. Call Mike 613-2231455.

Pre-Christmas Botox Cosmetic TM Clinic December 14th in Kemptville.

Information at www.popupma.com or email info@ popupma.com.

The holidays are coming fast.

Do you need help getting ready? Experienced cleaning lady willing to come to your home. Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Call 613.558.1247 Need an Avon Lady? Shop in your home at your leisure, call Joan, 613 258-7644.

Need help with social media?

Business or personal. Email alwaysoncanhelp@gmail. com or call 613-227-3009 Nutritional Counselling to customize a wellness plan for all your health concerns. w h o l e su m a p p r o ac h.co m 613-258-7133

Al’s Cleanup Services Dump runs, Old Town Kemptville – 10 Grass, Landscaping Al Scott R R Prescott St. – commercial #1 Oxford Station(613) 258-3847 retail space – 690 sq. ft., available immediately. 613YOGA for everyone. Wed and 295-0552 Thurs., at YIG. Call 258-9902 Old Town Kemptville – 113 Food-HealthConnec tions Prescott St. – commercial seminars for your company, retail space – 1,878 sq. ft., group, school. Nutrition- available immediately. 613ist Carol Pillar RHN. www. 295-0552 w h o le su map p r o ac h.co m Kemptville – 1 bdrm – 506 258-7133 Rideau St; $800 + utilities; hardwood floors; gas heat; covered balcony; no smoking FOR RENT or pets; available immediRideau River home at Bur- ately. 613-295-0552 ritt’s Rapids, 2 bedroom, 21/2 bathrooms, completely Log chalet nestled on a furnished including all ap- mountainside facing north, pliances, $1650 plus utilities. Mont Tremblant. 4 bedrooms, fireplace, hot tub. Book now 613 269 4785 613 203 2897 chantillyplace.

House for rent in Heckston. tremblant@gmail.com $750.00 plus gas and hy3 bdrm, 2 full bath. Incl. apdro.613-258-4741 plicances, lg basement, parkBright and spacious room for ing & garage. Call 613 720 rent. $500/month. Call Chan- 0942. tal 613-456-6033.

Spacious 3 bdrm bungalow.

Kemptville – 1 bdrm – 506 Fridge, stove, washer, dryer Rideau St; $800 + utilities; incl. Large lot. $1275 + utilihardwood floors; gas heat; ties. 613 853 6592 covered balcony; no smoking or pets; available immedi- Old Town Kemptville - 113 ately. 613-295-0552 Prescott St - commercial retail space-1,878 sq.ft., avail.

Kemptville 2 bdr house, 4 ap- immediately 613 295-0552 pliances $900 + utilities, no pets. Call John 613 258 2753 Old Town Kemptville, 10 Prescott St. - commercial KEMPTVILLE available Jan. retail space, 800 sq.ft., avail.

15, 2 bdrm SxS duplex, gas immediately. 613 295 0552. heat, frige, stove, parking. $860/mth includes water. 3 bedrooms,main floor family 613 864-2884. (30/12) room gas heat, nice yard,parking 2 cars,walking distance to ameniOne bedroom apt available ties. $1125.00 + utilities.Gary immediately in Burritt’s Rapids. Parking, separate 613-720-5004. entrance & private yard. No dogs. $650 + utilities. Call 269-2850.

Galvanized, vinyl,dog kennel 8’x14’x48”, insulated doghouse 251/2” x 311/2”, $350,989-2836 Jeep hard top storage doly/ dust cover. Incl. 2 carts, nests together. $500. 613 215 0253.

12 to 4 pm

Firewood-Hardwood, aged 2 years, $110/cord delivered in Kemptville area. 314-9327.

Chainsaw, Makita Model SC341, 16”bar. Spare chain and file incl. $160. Call 613 325 0845.

WOOD seasoned mixed hardwood, cut and split, delivery from $95 a cord, Jon 613-2273650.

WANTED "Mature driver looking for part time work in Ottawa or South of Ottawa areas. DZ license with a clean abstract available. Light duty deliveries preferred. Trained as a mechanic on cars and light duty trucks. References provided. Available immediately. canjagman@bell.net call 613-3142456 ask for Jamie.(20/12)

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TUTORING Providing assistance and building confidence to primary, junior and intermediate students. Marc Nadeau B.A., B.Ed. 258 7028

What’s Happening @ KYC Free Programs at the Kemptville Youth Centre

Guitar Hero 4 - 6 pm (Wed., Dec. 17th)

FOR SALE

Cook Night 4 - 8pm (Thurs. Dec. 18th)

Winter tires, Pirelli Snow Carving, 185/70R14, used part of one season, set of 4, $300 (613) 269-4057

Active Gaming 2 - 6pm (Mon., Dec. 22nd)

2 bedroom upper level of duplex in downtown Kemptville. 4 applicances/parking/ Qualified English tutor: read- water included. Call 613 296 Quality grass horse hay 4x5 rounds. Jon 613-227-3650 ing, writing, grammar, etc...I 5906. make it fun! 613-269 2367.

Old Town Kemptville – 10 4 new winter tires on rims, House Cleaning-Every work- Prescott St. – commercial 225-60R16, $750. Call Don ing Mother and Father needs retail space – 800 sq. ft., 613 258-6413. (20/12) a House Wife. Sandi 613-219- available immediately. 613295-0552 7277

Scattergories 3 - 5pm (Tue., Dec. 23rd) Jam Night in the Afternoon! 3 - 4pm (Wed., Dec 24th)

Happy Holidays Everyone !

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1. Thermionic tube 6. Quick 10. Quarries 14. Large African antelope 15. Humdinger 16. Dogfish 17. Army doctor 18. Press 19. Tatters 20. Fanatical 22. How old we are 23. Pull 24. Pariah 26. A small ornamental case 30. Hex 32. Leered 33. Bearded 37. A promiscuous woman

38. Dilutes 39. Pierce 40. Tottering 42. Moon of Saturn 43. Lummoxes 44. Break time 45. Estimate 47. Yes to a sailor 48. Found on most beaches 49. Paint thinner 56. Arab chieftain 57. Angers 58. Moses' brother 59. Ballet attire 60. 3 times 3 61. Drudgery 62. Flower stalk 63. Handguns 64. S S S S

DOWN 1. Humid 2. Bright thought 3. Probabilities 4. Speaker's platform 5. Aroused 6. Affair 7. Emanation 8. Notch 9. Unmelodious 10. Someone who is paralyzed 11. Picture 12. Striped feline 13. Back talk 21. Not in 25. Antlered animal 26. Misplaced 27. Leer at 28. Hint 29. Tympani 30. Front parts of human legs 31. Engine knock 33. Iota 34. Learning method 35. Historical periods 36. Lairs 38. Having confidence in 41. Dawn goddess 42. Adolescent 44. Type of whiskey 45. Range 46. Come together 47. Church recesses 48. Collections 50. Murres 51. Lease 52. Sailors 53. Colored part of an eye 54. Not a single one 55. Terminates

Dec 21

Dec 24

The Saint James Radio Players, along with some surprise guests, present A Christmas Carol (The Original Intervention) by Charles Dickens.

This is not a fundraiser, it is simply a celebration of Christmas for all of North Grenville to enjoy, 7 pm at Saint James Anglican Church, (35 Clothier St. W., beside Leslie Hall). Free.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Prescott St. at 7 pm. Refreshments following service.

Weekly and recurring events Wed

Thurs

Wed Tues

Solutions to last week’s Sudoku

Fri

Sat

SUDOKU Easy

The Voice of North Grenville

Sat

Medium

M,W,F

The North Grenville Photography Club - Meeting first Wednesday of every month at the Auditorium at the Municipal Centre on Hwy 44. For more info see ngphotoclub.ca.

Bingo- First and third Wednesday of the month, Kemptville Legion.

Games start at 1 pm. All welcome. Refreshments available.

The Branch Artisans Guild, North Grenville Community Church,, 2659 Concession Street every 3rd Tuesday, 7 pm. New members welcomed!

KCCB, NG High School band room,7-8:30 pm. Brass and Woodwind musicians of all levels welcome! Music covers a wide range of musicals, classics, jazz and modern pieces. For more information, email dennis843@gmail.com Bridge - St. John’s United Church, 6:45 pm. Cost $5, partner preferred but not necessary. For more info, contact Sandra at 613-258-2691.

North Grenville Toastmasters - Meeting 1st & 3rd Thurs. of the month, 7 pm at O’Farrell’s Financial Services, Cty Rd 44. Info, call 258-7665.

Klub 67 Euchre every second and fourth Wed. of the month beginning Sept 10, 1:15 pm, St. John's United Church downstairs. Everyone welcome, $5.00.

BNI Networking Group Breakfast, Grenville Mutual Insurance Building, 380 Colonnade Drive, 7- 8:30 am. Call 613-918-0430 for more information Bridge- St. John’s United Church, 12:15 pm. Cost $4. "All levels of bridge players welcome. Come discover Duplicate Bridge. "Info, contact Sandra at 613-258-2691.

Friendship lunch, Leslie Hall, Clothier St. W. Sponsored by St. James, St. John, Kemptville Pentecostal Tabernacle, Salvation Army and Holy Cross churches. Serving begins at 11:30 am. No charge. Goodwill offering. All are welcome.

The Kerith Debt Freedom Centre. Confidential coaches will help you get out of debt and stay out of debt. Free, open on the 2nd and 4th Sat. of the month from 9:30-11:30 at the NG Community Church. Appointments can be made at kdfc.ca or by calling 613-258-4815 x103.

Kemptville Legion breakfast, 3rd Saturday of the month, 8-10 am.

Adults $5; Children under 12, $3. All welcome.

Kemptville and Area Walking Group, Municipal Centre - Early birds: 8 am, others 8:30 am. Contact: Eva 258-4487.

Easy 'clean-as-you-go' quick tips for holiday entertaining

Hard

Dec 17, 2014

(NC) Whether you are hosting the big family event, out-of-town guests or scrambling to entertain unexpected drop-ins, you want to spend time enjoying the season, not fussing about the clean-up.

From making delicious messes in the kitchen to building creative crafting projects in the living room, your home is bound to see a little dirt over the holidays. This year instead of fretting, do it differently. Strategically-timed clean-ups during your favourite mess-making entertaining endeavours alleviates the pressure of hosting duties and allows for maximum time making special memories.

A little pre-planning goes a long way. Keep in mind the following tips to clean as you go: • Keep an all-purpose cleaner in your hall closet: It happens every year, salt stains dragged in from outdoors. To keep the dirt at bay, an easy-to-use solution like Green Works Naturally-Derived All-Purpose Cleaner can be kept by the front door to remove salt and other unexpected "gifts" family and friends may bring into your home.

• Give your bathroom a 60-second touch-up: Make no mistake, your main floor bathroom will see a lot of foot traffic during the holiday season. Pre-plan a 60-second wipe down of bathroom sinks and counters with compostable wipes to prevent messy build ups. Keep them under the sink for handy access.

• Build in a pre-dinner breather: In that precious gap that exists between cooking and plating your food, use that cooling-off period to give your kitchen surfaces a preliminary wipe down. This will prevent any spills from drying out and make your post-meal clean-up that much easier.

Additional cleaning tips are available online at www.facebook.com/GreenWorksCanada

Solution to last week’s Crossword

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La nuit de Noël

Rédigé par Émilie Padbury et Elijah Walker

C’était le 29 décembre 2020. Astérix avait 100 ans et Jacques Cartier avait 10 ans. Ils sont des garçons. Bidule avait 1 an et Véronique avait 50 ans. Elles sont des filles. Ils étaient tous sur la planète Mars située sur la rue Mainstreet de Merrickville. Ils mangeaient de la pizza garnie de décorations de Noël.

Tout à coup, ils se transforment en décorations de Noël faites de pizza. Ils ont pris un vaisseau spatial et ils sont tombés dans une poche d’air. Dans l’aéroport, ils ont vu le père Noël et ils ont trouvé la planète de pizza du film Toy Story et ils ont mangé beaucoup de pizza. Ils ne sont plus des décorations de Noël. Ils sont tout contents.

Building a Sustainable North Grenville

Dec. 17, 2014

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This year it will be different-Part 2

By Jim Dolan Jr. The dog days of the summer of 2007 may have been hotter than Andy could ever remember, but things were not much different in his life, at least not as far as Andy was concerned.

As he walked over the lower bridge on one of the hottest days, he looked down at the water. He noticed a person fishing in the same spot where his dad used to carry him to as a small boy. Andy did not know what compelled him to climb over the guard rail and slide down the bank but when he had dusted himself off, he was at the side of a young boy fishing.

Andy was pleased to see that the boy was fishing with a bobber and worm. It reminded him of the excitement he always felt when the bobber would start to dance on the water as if to tease him.

Sometimes that was all it was, a tease, but other times the bobber would start to move rapidly away from shore and then disappear beneath the water. Andy thought about what an exhilarating feeling it was when his rod would bend and he and the fish would try to out smart each other. Sometimes he won and sometimes the fish won, but always there was excitement in his father’s eyes.

Before he could reminisce more, his reflections of the past were broken by the voice of young boy calling out: “Hey Mister what is your name?” Andy replied: “My name is Andy – What’s yours?” The little boy replied, “Ralph”. Ralph asked

Andy if he came here often.

Andy replied he used to come here as young boy with his father. “Those were favourite times for me,” he said to Ralph. “Why don’t you come here anymore?” asked Ralph.

There was only silence as Andy was too embarrassed to tell Ralph why.

Ralph sensed Andy’s awkwardness and said: “Hey Andy how about taking hold of the rod for a minute, I need a break.”

The rod passed from the small hands of a boy to the larger hands of a man. Andy thought about how good the rod felt in his hands. He remembered the conversations his father used to have with him while fishing. They were not so much talks but the sharing of life lessons from a loving father. Andy recalled the time his father said: “Son it is more important to like someone than to love someone.”

It was eight years later that Andy finally asked his father what he had meant by that expression. He was somewhat surprised by what his father said. His dad said Andy: “To like someone is to accept his or her imperfections. It is these little idiosyncrasies that will draw you to a person and make that person the special someone for you.

Don’t try to change them, son, just embrace them.” He remembered that shortly thereafter he proposed to Amy. Andy must have been thinking for a long time because Ralph was tugging at his sleeve saying: “Hey Andy can I have my rod back.”

Reluctantly Andy passed the

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rod back to Ralph. Andy had been so preoccupied in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the slowness of Ralph’s speech.

He remembered what his mother used to say: “Andy, always be kind to those less fortunate.”

Andy noted that Ralph’s speech impediment didn’t stop Ralph from asking a lot of questions. Like, hey Mister is this one a keeper?

Like, how come you are not at work? Like, are you married?

Do you love your wife? Like, do you have any children?

Do you love your children?

Like are your Mom and Dad still alive and do you still love your Mom and Dad? The personal questions hurt Andy to even think about how to answer them. Andy didn’t respond to Ralph’s questions that day. He simply said “Goodbye” and headed back up the embankment to the road of life.

When he reached the top, he turned and yelled down to Ralph: “Thanks for listening”. Ralph thought that was a funny thing for Andy to say, as all Ralph had done was ask questions and all Andy had said in reply was “Goodbye”.

As Andy turned away, Ralph yelled up at him: “Have a Great Life Andy”.

While still standing at the side of the road, Andy recalled another of his father’s favourite sayings: “In every person’s life there are forks in the road, some are easy to travel down, and others will make you a man.” Andy thought that if his father were here now, he could really tell

his Dad how right he was.

The warm breezes of summer gave way to the crispness of fall and colours more vibrant than any Andy had ever seen in a bowl of M&Ms. Before he knew it, the clear blue skies of October had become the gunmetal grey skies of November. Andy knew he should have been paying his respects to the fallen, but he could not shake the memory of the little boy fishing from his mind nor the final words Ralph yelled at him.

The first December snow fall blanketed fences, homes, roads and yards, turning his town into something seen only in fairy tales. The white yards reminded Andy of a blank piece of paper, waiting for words to tell the next chapter of someone’s life.

Its Christmas Eve 2007 at Amy’s little white house, there are four Christmas stockings hanging above the fireplace. There is a Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. Hanging from its branches are family heirlooms dating back to much earlier times. They reflect their beauty throughout the room. There are presents under the tree, some for little Andy, some for Sara and one for Amy. Andy walks towards the fireplace and carefully removes a piece of paper from Amy’s sock. He sits down in his favourite green chair.

Little Andy curls up on his left and Sara nestles up to him on his right. Amy is curled up on the couch they bought so many years ago.

Andy slowly unfolds the paper. The first words Andy spoke were almost whisper like – “For Amy with Love” and then he went on to read a story he entitled: “This Year It Will Be Different.” Once upon a time a little boy named Ralph reached out with kindness to a man less fortunate than him. Ralph asked the man a lot of questions. The older man described in great detail, how Ralph, after every fish he caught, would hold the fish up and ask: “Hey Mister, is this one a keeper?”

Andy slowly turned toward Amy and said, “She sure is Ralph”. Amy, a little boy may have helped change my life, but you were my rock that gave me hope and something to reach out to when my life’s stream was flowing out of control. Thanks for never giving up on me.

Merry Christmas Amy, Merry Christmas little Andy, Merry Christmas Sara

Its Christmas Day 2007, Amy tiptoes down the stairs.

It is still dark outside, but the streetlight casts just enough light for Amy to see the many gifts beneath the tree. She searches for the one that says to Amy, the one that doesn’t say to Amy from Santa. She curls up on her couch and like all little girls can’t resist the temptation to give the box a shake. A handwritten note falls to her lap.

I know you are reading this while little Andy, Sara and I are still dreaming of Santa’s arrival. I just want to say thanks Amy for being my stonecutter these last few years. You never stopped chipping away the wall between us, and finally I was able to release all the good you saw in me so many years ago. I hope you like the gift but please wait for us before you open it. Love Always Andy!

Gift wrapping at Canadian Tire

NG Times staff, Maggie Boyer, getting her Christmas gifts wrapped by John Carkner and Sue Barnes, volunteers from Royal Lepage, all proceeds going to the Rotary Club.

WINCHESTER PRINT & STATIONERY

WINCHESTER PRINT & STATIONERY

Dec 17, 2014

WINCHESTER PRINT & STATIONERY

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Sports

The North Grenville Times

Kemptville has rough weekend

Kemptville’s Jason Tackett (16) keeps control of the puck from his knees as Ottawa’s Zacharie Car (20) tries to take it away!

@rinkrat On Friday night, the 73's travelled to Brockville to face the Braves. The Braves scored twice in the first ten minutes of the game to take a 2-0 lead before the 73's got on the board. With less than three minutes left, Kemptville used a three way passing play to score. Dean Galasso came into the Braves zone and sent

a pass down low to Brandon Lesway. Lesway found Matt Tugnutt open in front of the net and he slipped it past the goalie to cut the lead to 2-1 for Brockville. The Brave's restored their two goal lead a minute later and the period ended with Brockville leading 3-1. In the second, the only goal was scored by Brockville making it 4-1 after two. Kemptville came alive in the third, scoring three un-

answered goals. First, Shawn Cameron recovered a puck behind the Braves net and got it out the corner to Owen Guy. Guy passed back to the blue line to Shane Riddell, who blasted a shot right through traffic and into the back of the net. They followed that one up with a power play goal. Kaelan O'Flynn started the break out behind his own net. The pass went to Brandon Cole at his own blue line.

Cole spotted Galasso speeding down the right side and hit him in full stride with a cross ice pass. Galasso entered the Braves zone and broke for the net and got behind the Brockville defence. He opened up the goalie and slipped the puck through the five hole to make it 4-3. Cameron had the puck in the corner and sent it back to the point to O'Flynn. O'Flynn moved it quickly across the blue line to Quinn Wichers. Wichers let a rocket go that no one saw

Junior Mustangs capture Volleyball Gold in Napanee

and tied the game at 4. The tie held up through regulation and through the overtime to force a shootout. The Braves scored the only goal of the shoot out and took the extra point with a 5-4 win.

Kemptville hosted a Christmas food drive for the Salvation Army at their home game on Sunday. Over 190 items were collected. The Ottawa Junior Senators provided the opposition for the 73's once again. Kemptville was hoping to avenge their

The Voice of North Grenville 3-0 loss from a week ago.

Ottawa is still in first place in the Yzerman division.

The first period was scoreless. Both teams displayed high intensity and great team speed, each looking for a break. Ottawa got the break scoring early in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. And that was the way it stayed until halfway through the third when the Sens capitalized on the power play to make it 2-0. Both goalies played brilliantly, but Kemptville's Nick

Hodgins was really outstanding. Hodgins faced 50 shots during the game. He was the star of the game. Ottawa went home with a 2-0 win.

This week features three home games before the Christmas break. On Wednesday, the Smiths Falls Bears are in town for a 7:30 game and then on Friday, the Pembroke Lumber Kings come to North Grenville. Opening faceoff is at 7:30. Game three is Sunday afternoon with the Nepean Raiders in Kemptville for a 2:00 game. It is rumoured that Santa Claus will be making an appearance before the game.

Hopefully, he will have a “W” for the 73's in his bag. Catch the Junior A fever! Hockey with edge!

Calvin and Erin Wong of the Salvation Army with Karen Bedard (center), 73's Volunteer, pose with over 190 food items donated at Sunday's Kemptville 73's vs.

Ottawa game.

Kemptville Panthers Atom B1 undefeated at Roger Ladouceur Memorial Tournament in Brockville Submitted by Lisa Mackenzie The Kemptville Panthers Atom B1 Team returned home victorious after participating in the Brockville Jr. Braves Roger Ladouceur Memorial Atom B Tournament. The Panthers were undefeated after regular pool play, qualifying them for the semi-final match. They continued their winning streak by defeating Char-Lan in a 2-1 win in the semi-final game. The boys played the home team, Brockville Jr. Braves Atom B1, in the championship game. After battling through three tough periods, the score remained tied to send both teams into overtime.

The Panthers put the puck in the net during the second overtime period to become tournament champions. Congratulations boys, on a great tournament!

Picture back row from left: Sydney Murray, Megan O’Connell, Amanda Casey, Tatianna Weissflog, Emily Collier, Melissa Keating, Brooke Cornel, Coach Angus MacDonald Front row from left: Isabelle Legere, Natasha Lapenskie, Rachel Howarth, Tess Corkery, Grace Besserer

Angus MacDonald The St. Michael Mustangs Junior girls’ volleyball team took the long drive down highway 401 on to Napanee District high school and returned home with a gold medal for their efforts. After cruising through the round robin portion of the tournament with wins over Center Hastings, GREC, LCVI and Holy Cross, the Mustangs advanced to the semi-finals and faced off against a talented squad from North Addington.

After falling behind 11-1 in Dec. 17, 2014

the first set, the girls climbed back into the game and tied it up at 24. After battling back and forth for several possessions, the Mustangs finally pulled ahead and won a nail biter 32-30. The second set proved to be just as close as the Kemptville squad held on to win 25-23 and advanced to the finals against Nicholson high school from Belleville.

The first set of the match did not go as the Mustangs had planned as they fell to Nicholson 25-22. The Mustangs showed their resiliency in the second set by winning 25-21 to force a 3rd and deciding

set. Ten strong serves in a row from grade 9 student Sydney Murray was too much for the Belleville team to handle and the Mustangs cruised to a 15-6 win to take home the gold. Tatiana Weissflog and Brooke Cornel led the team in hitting while Tasha Lapenskie and Megan O’Connell provided great defense all day.

Consistent setting from Grace Besserer and Mel Keating helped lead the juniors to victory. The Mustangs looked to continue their winning ways as they headed to Brockville on Wednesday for regular season play.

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Holy Cross Parish Girls Club singing carols at the B&H

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The Voice of North Grenville

Old Town Christmas

I Told You So: Part II Peter Johnson Upper Oxford Mills

Sue Sally with Logan Brunet Old Town Kemptville once again celebrated their famous Old Town Christmas on November 29. This year’s event saw the return of the popular horse drawn wagon ride, the talented roving carolers, the roasting fire barrels, the unique Artisan Market and the North Pole, which is always the highlight of the event. New this year was a visit from the world’s tallest elf and local drumming group – big baNG! Families from all over the Ottawa Region flocked to Old Town to take part in this unique event. Hot dogs and s’mores, roasted at the fire barrels, had to be restocked several times as more people than expected came out to enjoy the experience.

Santa tells us that he is very tired following the event, however was very happy to have visited with the over 100 children who came to see him. He ensures us that he is resting up for Christmas Eve and is looking forwarded to visiting Kemptville again.

While at the North Pole, kids also shopped at the Kids Shopping Emporium where they were able to privately shop for those special people on their Christmas lists. They also had a number of crafts they could create and have their picture with Santa professionally taken.

The winners of the Old Town Christmas Passport draw are Cari Pickard (1st place winner), Sean Teed (2nd place winner), Emily Fear (Gal winner), and Logan Brunet (Gents winner).

Winners were very excited to receive their prizes! Big thanks for all the local businesses who generously donated gift certificates and prizes.

The Old Town Kemptville BIA would like to once again thank their volunteers and sponsors for helping make this event a success. These include: Grenville Mutual Insurance Company, McGahey Insurance, The Law Office of Connie Lamble, Thomas M. Byrne Barrister and Solicitor, CIBC, Coldwell Banker CRB, Kennedy Land Surveyors, Royal LePage, members from CSE consulting, the North Grenville Firefighters, the Kemptville Kinsmen, Rangers, Pathfinders and Girl Guides.

Senior Mustangs win Volleyball Gold in Kingston Kemptville crew. St. Michael then marched on to defeat Holy Cross from Kingston, Nicholson high from Bellville and SFDCI from Smith Falls to claim top spot in their pool. In semi-final action the Mustangs quickly handled ESC Marie Riviere 25-14 and 25-15 and advanced to the Finals against a very talented group from KCVI. As exhaustion was setting in, the Mustangs started their 7th consecutive match of the day and fell behind 20-14 Back row from left: Carley Atkinson, Linsay van Koppen, Katie Sands, Jessica Keating, Coach Angus MacDonald. Front row form in the first set. However, the left: Sydney Taylor, Ally Kingsbury, Kyra Meisenheimer, Michelle girls showed their determinaWilson, Erika Tanguay tion by climbing back into the ticipate. With a schedule that game and tied it up at 22. Big Angus MacDonald featured the Mustangs playing hits from Michelle Wilson The St. Michael Mustangs five matches in a row before and strong defense from Ally Senior girls’ volleyball team playoffs, the conditioning and Kingsbury, the Mustangs battravelled to Queens University mental toughness of the team tled to take the first set 25-22. on Saturday to take part in would be tested throughout In the second set, the serving the annual Queens University the day. The Mustangs faced from Katie Sands and Shanel Nicole Schwertner memorial off against a familiar foe in Quenneville was too much for volleyball tournament. The the first game of the round the Kingston girls to handle tournament is named after robin and narrowly defeated and the Mustangs ended this a former student athlete of the Perth Blue Devils 25- marathon of volleyball 25-18 Queens University who had 23 and 25-22. In the second to take home the gold medal. her life tragically cut short. match, Frontenac Secondary The Mustangs look to continue Each year the University hosts school surprised the Mustangs their winning ways as they host this 12 team event in her and took the first set before Rideau and Athens on Wedneshonor and teams from all over dropping the next two sets day in regular season action.

Eastern Ontario travel to par- to secure the victory for the

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Michael's Chong's Bill has finally made it to a committee. It hasn't taken as long as the 10 year, 4.5 billion mile journey by NASA's probe to Pluto (the only planet, some think, named for a Disney character). Just the fact that Mr. Harper has allowed it to live this long is surprising.

The Bill is called The Reform Act. Bill C-586.

It is possibly the most important piece of legislation that Federal MP's will look at, so far in this millennium. Truly. It is momentous.

What does this Bill intend to do? According to Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, it takes away the power of party leaders to approve who can be nominated in each riding. It takes away more party leader power, allowing MP's a secret ballot vote to select caucus chairs, expel or admit MP's to caucus, review the leadership of party leaders, and, if necessary, select an interim leader.

Surveys of concerned Canadians have indicated that 71% of us want to have our political system reformed. We want to have less power in the hands of party leaders and more in the hands of the constituents. Wow! This is huge!

Even more amazing, this is being allowed under the watchful eye of a prime minister who, if you described him as a control freak would think you were being politically correct. He has been looking at 'control freak' in the rear-view mirror, for the past 10 years. But this is not news. Anyone who has spent even a little bit of time in the country, or observing it, knows all about Mr. Harper's views on micro-management. What about the other leaders?

Will they want this tectonic shift in their power base to occur? Let's face it, anyone who has spent

more than a few months in Ottawa, and in politics, is not there solely because they think that they are doing wonderful things for the political environment.

Politicians who have stuck around long enough to become party leaders have a huge amount of ambition.

Power is not something that they abhor. On the contrary, it's the reason they go to work each day.

So why would they give it away? Precisely...good question.

Mr. Conacher cautions, “Everyone should be watching very closely for any sign of party leaders using their powers to force the MPs on the committee to change the Reform Act in ways the leaders want.”

He goes on to ask, “The key questions are will the committee ensure the final version of the Reform Act takes away key powers of federal party leaders as a large majority of Canadians want? Or will the committee change it into a "Hope for Reform Act" that allows parties and MPs to decide if they even want to restrict their leaders' powers?” (NP: Dec8/14) What will be the outcome? I'm betting that the Reform Act will be watered down so much

that Michael Chong will not be able to recognize his Bill. 'The Hope For Reform Act' will become the 'We Couldn't Abide Any Reforms Act'. Disillusioned and frustrated, he will resign. Canadians will continue to show their disgust with a process that is rife with corruption and ineffectiveness. Their decades-long boycott of elections will see everincreasing numbers.

Our parliamentary democracy, which has morphed into an oligarchy, (government by a small group of people) will see Venerated Leader, Stephen Harper reach his final goal...absolute power—as with the man he purports to despise so much, but just might 'like' on Facebook: Vladmir Putin.

Just remember, enamoured reader, you heard it here first...I Told You So.

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The Voice of North Grenville

Christmas Angels - Giving back is the right thing to do

Claire Larabie with shoppers (front row only), Nancy Beggs, Amelia Sparling, Tracey Cuthbert, Nicole Bernier, Ruth Spear, Jennifer Moulton, Julie Vaux and Taryn Vickery (absent from shoppers list is Morna Foan

by Marguerite Boyer Over a month ago the NG Times ran an article on Christmas Angels and the need to help out seniors and families with special needs over Christmas. A staff member of Grenville Mutual Insurance Company in Kemptville read the column and found a way to get the company involved. Over the past five years, Grenville Mutual has helped 35 local families in many ways, so this seemed like the perfect fit for them. With the help of Claire Larabie, the staff at Grenville were provided suggestions, as well as specific shopping ideas, for each individual senior. They called the project Life Bins.

The idea was to fill a bin with items on the shopping list, along with whatever else they thought would be a wish and a need for each senior.

Each large bin was filled to the brim with needed items, along with gift-wrapped presents to be opened on Christmas Day. The choice of seniors was determined by need; many of our se-

Dec. 17, 2014

niors live on pensions lower than $1,000 a month, and our growing population only adds to the number of seniors finding it difficult to get by each month. Every year the list of those needing help grows, and Claire gets many calls from seniors looking for support.

Claire was overjoyed and thankful for the gifts supplied by Grenville Mutual Insurance this year. The staff themselves loved the idea of being able to shop, and all of it was done locally: something in which Grenville Mutual is a firm believer. One staff member brought her seven year old son along for the shopping spree, and she felt that, not only was it doing something good with her son, but it was a good lesson for him to learn: the need to care for those less fortunate in our society.

Grenville Mutual has done a wonderful thing in helping these seniors, and it is great to see local business giving back to their community in such a positive way.

Thank you to each person involved in this project.

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