Next week, the 132nd South Mountain Fair will be sure to put smiles on many faces as it has successfully done for well over a century. The Fair uses the slogan “A fair to remember”, and also boasts being “Ontario’s best priced fair”. While the Fair may attract visitors from all over Eastern Ontario and beyond, it is, and always has been, a truly local event.
Richard Gilmer – a local resident who lives and farms just outside of South Mountain – has been involved with the South Mountain Fair for many decades. He has been a firsthand witness to an unimaginable amount of the Fair’s history – the good and the not-so-good.
“I’ve been going to the Fair basically as long as I can remember,” said the 78-year-old Richard. His
father and grandfather were involved in the Fair, and Richard still does what he can. About five years ago, another local family provided Richard’s family with a video of his grandfather walking around at the Fair in a shirt and tie with his two brothers. The video clip is only a few seconds long, but Richard is grateful to have it. He estimates it was taken in the 1950s.
Richard’s father was formerly a president of the Fair, as was Richard himself in the 1980s. He served on the board of directors for many years until the early to mid 1990s, and then took a leadership role again just over 10 years ago. While he no longer serves on the board of directors, he still does what he can for the Fair, nearly 60 years later and counting from when he first became involved.
One of Richard’s first
jobs was as a “race secretary”. He came in one day to help with paperwork, and was soon tasked with the job of filling out a paper for each horse after every race. He did this job for several years before taking higher leadership roles with the Fair. “It takes a pile of work and a lot of good volunteers,” Richard added.
When asked how the Fair has changed over the years, Richard explained that the Fair has become more of a “festival-type” event compared to what it used to be. There has been some big name entertainment over the years, particularly following the addition of an entertainment tent in the early 2000s. Decades ago, the focus of the Fair was more on the agricultural shows, as is traditional in small town fairs. Richard also explained that the midway has gotten larger, and there are more
South Mountain Fair through the ages
shows for younger kids than there used to be.
There was one occasion approximately 50 years ago when Richard’s father went to a convention in Toronto and signed up a midway provider that never showed up for the Fair! Thankfully, this hasn’t happened again since. Some fairs in the area have trouble securing a midway and have resorted to inflatable attractions or no midway at all. Richard reports that the South Mountain Fair’s current midway is strong, and he hopes it can stay that way.
Richard is proud that the Fair has remained a local event. He now has 10 grandchildren of his own, and expects that they will all visit the Fair at some time or another. His daughter Meghan also currently serves on the Fair board. Richard notes that in more recent years for many locals, the Fair has started to act as a sort of “homecoming” event, where people can meet up with old school friends or other acquaintances they haven’t seen in a while. “There have been lots of trials and tribulations over the years, but we’ve come out stronger than we’ve ever been,” Richard added.
The South Mountain Fair runs from August 15-18. See inside this issue for a detailed schedule.
Richard Gilmer
Local Cornhole League finds success at first championship
From July 19-21, members of the North Dundas Cornhole League enjoyed a 3-day championship in Coburg. Warren Schmidt, the NDCL’s director, explained:
“Eight members of our club attended the Canadian Cornhole League (CCL) Ontario Provincial Cornhole
Championship last month. We had members compete in ladies singles, open doubles, mixed doubles, open Singles and the Elite 64 tournament. Competitors from CCL Leagues across Ontario came to participate in these events, which allows players to be able to compete against
other players they would not normally get to play against. The competition on July 19-21 was tough in all events and in all skill levels from the social player to the competitive player. Eight of our members qualified for the Elite 64 tournament which randomly paired them
Improvements underway for NDDHS
Many who travel the stretch of County Road 43 between Winchester and Chesterville will have noticed the construction work currently underway at the Township’s only high school, North Dundas District High School.
A spokesperson for the Upper Canada District School Board confirmed that the work currently being done at the school includes improvements to traffic circulation and parking
with another Elite 64 player to play in a doubles format double elimination tournament.
“Our members had a good showing for our first time attending an event like this, even producing a Provincial Champion in Darel McRae (Tier 5 social).”
at the front of the school property, minor repairs to the existing asphalt in select areas, and the addition of a new UCDSB branded pylon sign with a digital display.
It’s always nice to see
investments made in a local school, and by extension, the education of local children and youth.
Dairy Club meeting 4
by Kaylee Daines
On July 7th, Dundas County had their fourth meeting at the Chambers Farm at 7:00 PM. Our President Taylor M started the meeting off with the 4H pledge, then asked for the minutes of the last meeting and roll call, with the roll call question being: “Are
you going to Avonmore?”
She continued by handing the meeting over to the leaders. Leader Kelly talked to us about a judging night that subsequently took place on July 23, and discussed upcoming events. We all then played a game Chloe made before the leaders handed out a general knowl-
edge quiz for us to complete that helped us prepare for judging night.
Next, we moved into the barn to be split into two groups to judge. Group 1 began with judging a class of milking second lactation dairy cows, and Group 2 started with a class of spring heifer calves. Once we finished and everyone gave a leader their reasons, we went back outside for the officials and continued by taking up the general knowledge quiz. After getting back the correct answers, Taylor adjourned the meeting at 9:30 PM, and we enjoyed a snack of mini doughnuts, cookies and kool-aid.
Darel McRae
(l-r) Steve McIntyre, Warren Schmidt, Gil Tait, Kyle Pittman, Lisa Cox, Jason Wagensveld, Marcel Fournier, and Eric Home.
New subdivision proposed in Mountain
Tid bit musings
by Elva Patterson Rutters, RSSW
Have you found the joy, or can you find the joy in your life circumstances?
Joy resonates happiness, excitement, peace and contentment in events experienced or in anticipated events. Each individual measures joy differently and in varying ways. Being able to seek and identify joy provides a life teaming with worthiness.
Joy does not need to be extravagant in cost nor experience. The miracles of nature can easily produce joy and admiration. At 4am, the air is still with nary a leaf moving and within two hours there are the ripples of a small breeze taking hold! How? Why? The hues of water and sky meeting may be oblique, while a
sunset raptures across the sky. The sounds of birds singing maybe soothing, or more annoying like a rooster letting you know it is time to "rise and shine."
Interpretation of views, sounds and experiences creates your expression of joy. The laughter of a little child conflicts with the silence of children when you just know they are into mischief – all based on a parent's experience. For many, it takes a loss of a privilege to identify the joy we had taken for granted. Sometimes in life, circumstances make it more difficult to identify the "joy" in our life. Illness, death, familial estrangement and financial stress contaminates our perspective.
Our spiritual beliefs help to ease that ache of abandonment and isolation. A favor-
Let’s get grilling for Dundas Manor!
Imagine taking it easy in your new outdoor gazebo complete with an outdoor kitchen, filled with everything you need for a backyard BBQ. And then imagine supporting the new Dundas Manor at the same time. It could happen –thanks to Byers Carpentry
Inc.
Get your tickets for the Gazebo Raffle before they are all gone. This prize is valued at $10,000 and includes the beautiful pine gazebo with a coloured tin roof, cabinets, a live edge countertop and moveable louvers in the windows.
by Brandon Mayer
A public information session took place on July 25 regarding a new Plan of Subdivision for 10436 Clark Road in Mountain.
If approved, the new subdivision would see the development of land off of Clark Road, in the western end of the village, leading to the creation of 13 new residential lots. Access to the proposed new lots would be provided by one new street off of Clark Road.
A notice posted at the subject address specified that each of the 13 lots would be at least 1 acre in size, and would be serviced by private wells and septic tanks.
The notice posted at the property site provides options for those seeking more information, or those wishing to contest the new subdivision plan:
“Additional information relating to the proposed Plan of Subdivision is available during regular office hours at the Township Office located at 636 St. Lawrence Street in Winchester, or by contacting the Development Services at 613-774-2105 x 292. For more information about preserving your appeal rights, please contact Megan Benoit, Planning Technician, SDG Counties (mbenoit@sdgcounties.ca).
ite Bible verse- "Be still and know that I am God" can encourage each of us to take a moment of deep reflection. Mother Theresa had said the worst poverty is to feel unloved and unwanted.
You can't control others, but you can and need to find your center of being! The saying "to permit is to promote" indicates that inactivity fosters a particular action/behavior.
Be the best you can be today at this moment. We can't change the past, the future is not here, and all we have is the present. "Waking up" is a gift often not available to some people anymore. Unwrap your "present" and find even the smallest iota of joy. It will magnify and produce untold wealth!
Winchester railroad crossing repaired
The increasingly bumpy railroad crossing on St. Lawrence Street in Winchester was repaired this week. Concerns were buzzing around the community regarding the originally planned timing of the repairs – all day on August 8 – which could have proven difficult due a conflict with Bike Night.
The Winchester Downtown Revitalization Committee announced last weekend that the Township of North Dundas and the United Counties of SD&G acted quickly when the scheduling conflict was brought to their attention. The repairs to the railroad crossing were rescheduled to August 7 instead. Drivers will surely appreciate the smoother crossing, which had deteriorated over the last several months to the point that most vehicles were slowing to a crawl to drive over it.
VOLUNTEERING IS THE
Even better! The gazebo is filled with a wood pellet grill, bar fridge, griddle cooking station and professional griddle kit. Tickets are only $10 each and there are only 2,000 available.
Paper tickets are on sale throughout the region at the WDMH Foundation, Dundas Manor, Brinston General Store, Loughlin’s Country Store, Mustard’s Variety and Sherry’s Williamsburg. Or call Cindy at 343-572-6345 for details.
“You can check out the gazebo right in front of Dundas Manor on Clarence Street in Winchester and imagine an afternoon BBQ in your own backyard,” says Campaign Assistant Cindy Ault Peters. “Thank you to the Byers team for this amazing prize!”
The draw will take place at The Grand Parade on September 21st!
Write their eulogy
by Brandon Mayer
About once a month, I receive an email from the Eastern Ontario Health Unit with a press release about drug use in the Cornwall area. For health unit coverage purposes, “Cornwall area” includes our area. I usually set the release aside simply because what happens in Cornwall is not necessarily a refl ection of what is happening in Winchester and area, but that doesn’t mean that North Dundas is drug-free.
I’ve heard tell of drug use locally, and I’m sure many readers have as well. Being a much wealthier area than Cornwall, drug use here in North Dundas is more likely to happen invisibly inside a home than in the street for all to see. Drug users are not likely to advertise their habits, so we will likely never get a clear picture of the local drug scene.
I studied addictions as part of my school-
ing, and there are a lot of moving parts. When we talk about drug use, it can include things that are legal (alcohol and cannabis), and of course things that are not legal (I have personally heard of both methamphetamine and cocaine use happening in Winchester, and there are likely other substances in use as well). We also may be talking about experimental use (such as teens at a party) or full-blown dependent 24/7 use.
North Dundas has great kids and teens. I try not to act like a grump when I have to pick up the occasional drink cup or snack wrapper on the Winchester Public School yard and throw it in the garbage can 20 feet away. At first there are mumblings in my head about how someone needs to teach these youngsters a thing or two about respecting public property. But after I take a few deep breaths, it always occurs to me – these teens are choosing to hang out in a space that is supervised by professional educators for 12 hours a day,
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
How is it that the southern or maybe not so southern evangelists are so fully supportive to Donald Trump? He is a misogynist, an understatement, brags about molesting women and isn’t exactly what one would consider a “Christian” or religious person. So why do they so strongly support him? He has been accused of many crimes and convicted of some of them and still nothing seems to stick. Who else could get away with this? Does he have a magic wand? I can certainly understand why the “Proud Boys” and the “Oath Keepers” people – who don’t like laws and rules to go by – support him, because he’s not exactly in favour
of the rule of law. It doesn’t exist for him. Think January 6, Capitol Hill. Mark Milley, from the book “Peril” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, stated “I can tell you (Trump stated) I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of Bikers for Trump. I have the support of the tough people, but they don’t play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very BAD, very BAD.”
Milley thought: “These power centres had often been the tools used by despots.”
How scary is that?
Kath Piché
Monday-Friday. They are choosing a space monitored by security cameras, directly across the street from an active police station and a hospital, not to mention being adjacent to a busy street with dozens of cars every hour. When I find a KitKat wrapper and an empty slushie cup, the optimist in me thinks “if this is rebellion, Winchester is turning out some pretty good kids”. I have to imagine that in other areas – perhaps Cornwall included – it could be needles or pills found on the schoolyard. I’m happy to report that nothing so dangerous has ever surfaced at WPS.
That’s not to say that it’s always just candy wrappers. I’ve found empty vapes, alcohol cans, and recently, a 9 year old boy found a lighter on the yard and screamed at me in panic to take it from him because it was “illegal”. Sometimes innocence is precious. The point is – Winchester’s youth (and adults) are not perfect when it comes to experimenting with substances, but we also
have to look on the side of optimism. We’re a pretty well-behaved and clean community.
One thing that concerns me is that in 3 years of working for the Times, I have never seen a “drug use is down” type of press release come through. When you compound the almost monthly emails from the EOHU about drug-related poisonings on the rise, it becomes clear that there is a problem building up in the world that North Dundas can’t hide from forever. We feel the stress of life here too. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been shocked at how rapidly grocery prices are rising. My wife enjoys the Tim Hortons Keurig steeped tea pods. I remember when they were $9.99 no more than 2 years ago. I have watched the price jump to $13.49, not even gradually. The last increase was a full dollar - $12.49 to $13.49. That rate of inflation is unprecedented, and though I don’t excuse drug use, part of me understands why people turn to coping
The Food Corner
by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville
When all of the fresh vegetables come out of our garden at the same time, we might feel a bit overwhelmed with nature’s bounty. Freezing, canning, salads and barbecues are all options for taking advantage of fresh vegetables. There is also the stir fry, a great and healthy way to enjoy the full flavour of your garden’s veggies while taking advantage of proteins (meat, tofu, fish) that you may have in stock. There is another advantage to stir fries: they are easy to make and there is a lot of different ingredients you can combine with seasonings that you can invent as you go along, in tune with your taste buds.
Summer Stir Fry
Ingredients
Your choice of 1 pound of beef sirloin, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, haddock or tofu
2 tablespoons of crushed garlic
1 large onion, e.g., a Vidalia, thinly sliced
1 cup of mushrooms, e.g., Baby Bellas, thinly sliced
1 cup of broccoli florets
1 large green or red pepper, thinly sliced
The kernels stripped off of one cob of corn
1 cup of spinach leaves
½ cup of orange juice
mechanisms when life is so unaffordable and unmanageable with no end in sight.
It's almost a given that there is “private” illegal drug use happening in North Dundas. If it’s a loved one, how can you help? This may seem worthy of an “eye roll”, but – love them! I recently came across an article that was very critical of Harm Reduction. Why? Because it’s better to punish and shame drug users instead of realizing that they have an actual mental illness worthy of treatment? The basic idea of Harm Reduction is that substance users are going to use, so why not prevent the associated harm? Think of all the gang activity that is rooted in drug use. The illegality of drugs is what breeds the left, shootings, and other criminal activity. Harm Reduction is a different way of approaching the issue, and we can use the concept on a smaller scale as well.
If there is a drug user in your family, do you hate them, or just their
habit? My guess is the latter, although sometimes we get mixed up and believe it’s the former. My advice: Write their eulogy. No not literally, but in your head. Think of what you would say at their funeral if they died tomorrow. It’s the easiest way to remember who they truly are, and why you love them. You may not be able to fix their addiction, but you can at least take away some of your own confusion and hurt. This same logic can apply to virtually any situation when we are inclined to choose hate. Sometimes anger and hate take more out of us than it’s worth. In the words of a young friend of mine, “if you can’t fix it in 30 seconds, maybe it’s not worth the worry”. Words to live by.
3 tablespoons of soya sauce
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of corn starch
3 tablespoons of canola oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Preparation
Cut your protein into thin strips
Bring the Canola oil up to medium heat in a largish pan
Stir fry the garlic, onions and mushrooms till sweated
Add the broccoli, pepper and corn kernels, then the spinach, stirring constantly
Add your protein and cook lightly until done (don’t overcook)
Combine the orange juice, soya sauce, sugar and cornstarch in a separate bowl
Add the Worcestershire Sauce; pour over your stir fry and incorporate to the mixture
Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes (if you wish)
Serve on a bed of piping hot Basmati rice. Stir fries and a chilled White Zinfandel go well together. So does Grahame’s brown bread. Enjoy out of doors if you can. Please be in touch at pcormier@ranaprocess.com.
Sowing the seeds, reaping the stories
these children worked as domestics and farm workers in many parts of this country.
Boys and girls between the ages of 5 years and 18 years of age worked on the farms and in the homes of Canadians as indentured servants. For many reasons, such as the treatment they received in this country, the stories of the British Home Children (BHC) were not passed on to successive generations.
vidual stories of these littlest of emigrants are being actively researched, recorded and shared.
The month of August is fast approaching, and that means the Judy Neville British Home Child Museum, located at the Aultsville Station will once again be open to the public. The museum will be open between 11am
and 4pm on August 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and September 1.
Between the 1860’s and the 1930’s, over 120,000 impoverished children came to this country. Known as British Home Children,
It is only within the past few years that information on the Child Emigration Scheme which brought them to Canada as well as indi-
Since being formed in 2011, members of the Eastern Ontario British Home Child Family (OEBHCF) have worked to ensure the story of the British Home Children is told. “The story of the children who came to this country to work in the houses and on the farms of this country is a part of our history which must be told,” commented Carolyn Goddard, president of the OEBHCF.
The late Judy Neville
was the founder of the Eastern Ontario British Home Child Family and worked to ensure the stories of these littlest of immigrants are discovered and recorded for future generations.
It was Judy’s dream to have a BHC museum at the Aultsville Station, and she made this dream come true several years ago. She met with representatives of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, and in 2012, the OEBHCF were able to open the museum. In 2023, the museum was named The Judy Neville British Home Child Museum in her
Stewardship program supports sustainable nutrient use on farms
by Mark Reusser, Director, OFA
Fertilizer is one of the most important tools on the farm, providing crops with the nutrients they need to grow but can’t get from the soil alone.
It’s also an expensive resource that requires careful management to ensure nutrients are available to crops when needed, and not lost to the environment.
Farmers are doing their best to manage nutrients effectively to limit emissions from fertilizer that can be lost to the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases that can impact the environment. Nutrient losses can also have a negative impact on water quality and aquatic species.
That’s why it’s important
that nutrients on the farm, whether fertilizer or livestock manure, are managed sustainably – and this is a responsibility that farmers take seriously.
My family and I farm in Waterloo Region where we grow crops, and we follow the principles of an initiative called 4R Nutrient Stewardship.
It lets us improve the economics of farming, crop productivity and fertilizer efficiency while also benefitting the environment by ensuring we use the Right Source of fertilizer at the Right Rate applied at the Right Time and in the Right Place.
covered ground, respecting minimum setbacks to protect environmentally sensitive areas, keeping detailed records, and more.
Losses also cost farmers money, as nutrients lost are not available for crop growth. 4R is also known as ‘nutrient use efficiency’, as it allows farmers to use a suite of best management practices to ensure nutrients are applied at a time and place and in a form and at a rate that can be best used by crops. This also minimizes losses to the environment and economic losses to the farmer.
honour. The museum houses displays and artifacts on British Home Children and also provides people with the opportunity to speak to informed volunteers about the BHC.
More information is available on the social media pages of the OEBHCF or by contacting Carolyn Goddard at junethel17@ gmail.com. You can also visit the OEBHCF website at http://www.onteastbritishhomechildfamily.com/. The BHC Museum is located near Upper Canada Village off County Road 2 between Morrisburg and Ingleside.
community.
I’m proud of the progress that’s being made to advance sustainable practices – approximately one million acres of cropland in Ontario are currently 4R certified.
Many other farmers are using those practices even without certification. According to the 2023 Fertilizer Use Survey results, for example, more than two thirds of Ontario corn growers are following basic 4R principles on their farms – an increase of 3.5 per cent from 2020.
This is a formula that many farmers have long followed already; after all, using too much fertilizer or applying it in a way that wastes the nutrients instead of making them available to the crops to use just doesn’t make sense. Participating in the program means we’re not just following sustainable practices but can also prove what we’re doing.
Nationally, 4R is coordinated by Fertilizer Canada. Here in Ontario, it is agricultural retailers – businesses who sell seed and fertilizer and provide agronomic services to farmers like soil sampling or crop growing advice – who achieve a 4R certification and deliver the program to farmers.
There is more work to be done, however, to encourage and support more of Ontario’s agricultural retailers to become 4R certified so they can offer the program to their customers, and that more farmers are aware of its benefits and principles.
One of the most important 4R Best Management Practices for farmers is testing their soil at least once every four years, and using those results to develop farm or even field-specific recommendations for nutrient use so we’re only giving the crop what it actually needs.
Other activities include working fertilizer into the soil as soon as possible after application to minimize losses, not applying nutrients on frozen or snow-
I also serve as a board member of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and one of my roles is to represent farmers on the provincial 4R Steering Committee. Through this committee, OFA works with other farm and commodity organizations and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness to enhance and expand the certification program, develop resources for farmers and agricultural retailers, work on the Fertilizer Use Survey for Ontario, and raise awareness of the benefits of 4R nutrient stewardship in the agricultural
Our Steering Committee is working on activities like reviewing and updating audit standards, reducing the record-keeping burden of the program for retailers, and completing an economic analysis of 4R practices.
As farmers, we have a responsibility to future generations to farm sustainably, minimize climate impacts, and look after our air, soil, and water. At the same time, we must ensure our farms remain profitable and productive, and 4R Nutrient Stewardship is an approach that lets us do that.
There are many displays and artifacts inside the Judy Neville British Home Child Museum at Aultsville Station. These include trunks such as the three seen in this display which contained all the possessions of these children as they travelled to their new home in this country.
South Mountain Fair August 15 -18
FOR MORE
INFORMATION GO TO www.southmountainfair.ca
Thursday 11:00 am- 2:00 pm
Special Friends Feature 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Gates Closed 3:30 pm
Gates Open to Public
5:00 - 10:00 pm
Midway Open
6:00 - 10:00 pm
Trackside Beer Garden 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Derby Registration
7:00 pm
Ontario Demolition Derby
Friday
8:00 - 11:30 am
Exhibits Entered at Exhibit Hall (Lila Fawcett Building)
10:00 am
Poultry Judging Begins 3:30 pm
Gate Open to Public
5:00 - 10:00 pm
Midway Open
5:30 - 9:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open (Lila Fawcett Building)
6:00 - 11:00 pm
Trackside Beer Garden
6:00 pm - 1:00 am
Beer Garden Open (Entertainment Tent)
Schedule of Events
Balloon Twisters (Children's Entertainment Tent)
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Toddler Bouncy Castles (Beside Children's Entertainment Tent)
9:30 am
Saddle and Harness and Miniature Horse Show
10:00 am
Baby Show (Agricultural Hall)
10:00 am
Pee Wee Dairy Showmanship
10:00 am
Meet the Keepers
Rescue Animal Stage Presentation (Children's Entertainment Tent)
The Country Lads (Entertainment Tent) (Age of Majority)
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open (Lila Fawcett Buliding)
9:00 am
Children's Pet Show (Behind Agricultural Hall)
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Face Painters
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Meet the Keepers
Rescue Animal Stage
Presentation (Children's Entertainment Tent) 2:30 pm
Dino Walk-About
4:00 - 8:30 pm
Rodeo Bar Open
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Black Creek Rodeo presents the Kubota South Mountain Rodeo (Western Horse Ring)
Heavy Horse and Miniature Horse Shows
10:00 am
Tractor Pull
10:00 am
Meet the Keepers Rescue Animal Stage Presentation (Children's Entertainment Tent) 10:00 am
Grand Prize Draw (Entertainment Tent) 4:00 - 5:30 pm The Next Generation Leahy (Entertainment Tent) (All Ages Welcome) 6:00 pm Fair Closes
Thursday,
Tim & the glory boys Friday, August 16th
8:00–9:30 pm All Ages Welcome
The County Lads Friday, August 16th
10:00 pm – 1:00 am Age of Majority
Owen Riegling
Saturday, August 17th
8:30–10:00 pm All Ages Welcome
The Derringers
Saturday, August 17th, 2024 10:30 pm – 1:00 am Age of Majority
Stock Mini – $50
Mini-Mod (Midsize) – $50
Fullsize Car – $100
Fullsize Trucks – $100 (Must have 5 prepaid)
Drivers can register and pay on the day of the event or online
Drivers will still need to come to the registration desk in the pits. On the website, drivers can also sign the Insurance Wavier. One less thing for them to do at the show.
Friday, August 16th
Registration
The show starts at 7 pm
South
Contact Person
Shaina Vandemheen
Call: 514-704-3895
Email: shainavan23@ gmail.com
The Next Generation Leahy Sunday, August 18th 4:00–5:30 pm All Ages Welcome Phil Denault Sunday, August 18th 1:00–2:00 pm All Ages Welcome The Plowboys Sunday, August 18th
2:30–3:30 pm All Ages Welcome
Tractor Pull Date
Sunday, August 18th
Time
Registration opens at 9 am
The show starts at 10 am sharp
Location
South Mountain Fairgrounds, 2967 Lough Rd., South Mountain
Contact Person
Shaina Vandemheen
Call: 514-704-3895
Email: shainavan23@ gmail.com
Life with Connor the Weatherman
featuring Connor Mockett
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another Life with Connor the Weatherman column. This is yet another continuation of the Tornado Alley Chasecation stories, with this one being the May 22nd and 23rd days. I left off the last column at the end of our Iowa chase, so I’ll continue from there.
At the end of the chase in Iowa on May 21st, we originally thought we weren’t chasing on May 22nd. However, the amount of days left in the vacation were dwindling down, storms were happening in Texas on the 22nd, and we’re there to chase. So we drove deep into the night to Wichita, Kansas, and got a suite at a small hotel that had 4 beds. The only problem is that we got there at 3:30am, but had to be back on the road by 6:30am in order to make the Texas storm in time.
We got back on the road at around 6:45am, slightly late, but that’s understandable because we were all exhausted from getting to the hotel in Nebraska at 4:30am the day before. Back onto the I-35 southbound we went, headed for Texas around Abilene. We really did give it our best shot to make it in time for the storms, but the system was further south than originally thought, and we couldn’t make it in time. We stopped near the Oklahoma/Texas border and called it quits. We went to Altus, Oklahoma, got a super awesome motel with the team, and relaxed for the rest of the day.
That night, we looked at the models for May 23rd. A classic dryline storm day in
Oklahoma was in the cards for that day, and we were in perfect position in the southwest corner of Oklahoma in Altus. Supercells were expected to fire in the Texas panhandle and move east into southwest Oklahoma late in the afternoon and into the evening. We sat in Wellington, Texas for our target area, and the first two storms ended up firing 5 minutes down the road. Perfect target. What happens next ends up being the greatest day of my storm chasing life.
After two storms initially fired up, the one to the north died, leaving only one single supercell for everyone to see. It was tossing hail the size of tennis balls, the structure was amazing, and it was so windy it was creating some moments where visibility on the ground was very low due to dust getting kicked up. Our chase team ended up dropping to the south to a Red River crossing so we didn’t get stuck somewhere without a crossing, and during that time the storm matured even more. We got eyes on it again, without dust in the way, near Olustee, Oklahoma. What we drove up on when we turned the corner of the road is a scene that will be etched in my brain for my entire life. A massive tornado was on the ground right in front of us, under this massive and beautiful supercell.
The tornado was moving quite slow, so we were able to sit on the side of the road and watch the tornado come closer to us, without being in any danger at all. So many photos, so much video, of
this massive tornado under this crazy cool looking supercell. A moment every chaser around that storm will remember for the rest of their life. Truly unforgettable.
The first tornado we saw dissipated, and then a second monster tornado came down from the storm shortly after. This one started smaller, and widened so fast I almost couldn’t believe what I saw. I was in a chase vehicle with Alberta storm chaser Braydon Morriseau, and we ended up getting really close to this one, probably about a half kilometer. You could just hear the power in that tornado, ripping up the ground it was on. It ended up occluding to the north and getting wrapped in rain, and dying off shortly after that happened. As the precipitation wrapped around the
tornado, softball size hail stones were falling from the sky as we drove down a very muddy dirt road, one of them cracking Braydon’s windshield to the point where water was dripping through.
Those two tornadoes were the only ones that storm produced, and the storm then began to die about an hour later. We ended the chase just past dark on a dirt road, chatting about what we’d witnessed about an hour or two before. Supper was had at Applebees in Altus, Oklahoma, photos were shared, videos published, and many stories were told. For the whole team, it was one of the best tornadoes of everyone's career. The next big chase day came on May 25th, and that story will come in the next column. Thanks for reading!
Wicks, Gerald Joseph
Peacefully at home on Wednesday July 24, 2024, Gerald Wicks of Winchester age 80. Beloved husband of Barbara (Meldrum). Loving Father of Corinne Wicks. Cherished Poppa of Nathan Robidoux. Dear brother of Earl (Eileen), Billy (late Eunice), Jim (Lisa), Bert, David and Steven Wicks. Predeceased by his parents Laura (Boisvenue) and Bill Wicks and his siblings Fred, Pearl and Barbara. Gerald will be fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews and the Meldrum family.
By Gerald’s request Cremation has taken place with a Graveside Service at Knights Cemetery, VanCamp Road, Inkerman on Saturday August 10, 2024 at 11 a.m. Funeral Luncheon to follow. Donations in Memory of Gerald may be made to the Winchester District Memorial Hospital or the Dundas Manor.
Arrangements entrusted to Byers Funeral Home, South Mountain (613-989-3836). Online condolences may be made at www.byersfuneralhomeinc.ca
FREE ADMISSION
DOORS OPEN
CORNWALL SDG COUNTIES
Saturday, August 17th & Sunday, August 18th
PARTICIPATING SITES
Discover the story behind every door during Doors Open. Local heritage sites and landmarks will be opening their doors for you to exploreall free of charge!
Aultsville Theatre
2 St. Lawrence Drive, Cornwall Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 3pm
The Bishop’s House of Glengarry 20019 County Road 18, St. Raphael’s Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 4pm
Carman House Museum
5895 Carman Rd, Iroquois
Hours: Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 4pm
Christ Church Seaway
2 Bethune Avenue, Long Sault
Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 3pm
Cline House Gallery & Studio
204 Second Street East, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 4pm
Cornwall Community Museum
160 Water Street West, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 9am - 4pm
Cornwall Historic Walking Tour
100 Water Street East, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 4pm
Cornwall Public Library
45 Second Street East, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday only, 9:30am - 5pm (guided tours, book online)
Glengarry County Archives
28 Kenyon Street East, Alexandria
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 12pm - 4pm
Glengarry Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum
19651 County Road 17, Williamstown
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Glengarry Pioneer Museum
1645 County Road 30, Dunvegan
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 4pm
The Heritage Centre 14 Victoria Street, Chesterville
Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 4pm
Historic SDG Jail
11 Water Street West, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 4pm
Please note: Sites & hours subject to change. For more information, visit www.DoorsOpenOntario.on.ca
Judy Neville British Home Child Museum
13740 County Road 2 Morrisburg
Hours: Saturday and Sunday: 11am - 4pm
Lost Villages Museum
16361 Fran Laflamme Drive (Ault Park)
Long Sault
Hours: Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 5pm
Martintown Grist Mill
18544 County Road 18, Martintown
Hours: Saturday 8am to 12pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm
Nativity Co-Cathedral
300 Montreal Road
Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 4pm
Priest’s Mill Arts Centre
16 Mill Square, Alexandria
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre
2500B Second Street West, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 9:30am - 5pm
Sir John Johnson Manor House
19692 William Street, Williamstown
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 8am - 3:30pm
St. Andrew’s United Church
5793 Church Avenue, Williamstown
Hours: Saturday 9am - 5pm, Sunday 10:30 am - 1 pm
St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church
20788 South Service Road, Lancaster
Hours: Sunday only, 12pm - 3pm
St. Raphael’s Ruins
19998 County Road 18, South Glengarry
Hours: Saturday 9am - 12pm, Sunday 9am - 5pm
SD&G Highlanders - Cornwall Armouries
505 Fourth Street East, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 9am - 4pm
Trinity Church
105 Second Street West, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 2pm
YourTv Cornwall:
517 Pitt St, Cornwall
Hours: Saturday only, 10am - 4pm
The
by Lynn Kennedy
The LCBO strike may be over, but the fight isn't. Ontarians have gotten a reprieve of three years without store closures, but Doug Ford is still going to be working hard to put booze in every convenience store in the province. Why, you ask? Because he ran on a "Buck-A-Beer" and alcohol-everywhere platform (his not the Party's) in the last election.
He doesn't seem to realize that walking that picket line day after day, being in solidarity, does something to a person. A unit is formed, a group with one agenda. Strength in numbers, unity, shared beliefs – that's what
took place over the past 15 days for nearly 10,000 LCBO workers. We are united, we are strong, and we are backed by the best union I've ever belonged to. Doug may have won when it comes to readyto-drink alcohol in convenience stores, but the power of a united group is bigger and stronger. And we all vote, and our families and friends vote. And a big hats off to CBC for reporting where the $2.5B in revenues generated by the LCBO go in this province. NOT to CEO's but to health care, schools, etc. But it doesn't go far enough. Ford seems to think he will generate millions of dollars in revenue by expanding sales
Do you want to know a secret?
by David Shanahan
I’ve been wondering recently: when it comes to news, is ignorance bliss? A strange thought for a parttime editor of a newspaper, I grant you, but the longer I live, the more I feel that I’m being told much more than I need to know in the news. I mean, for example, that I really don’t care whether the stock market is up or down on a daily basis. But everyone, from the CBC to the national papers keep telling me about the S&P, Nasdaq, FTSE 100, and an endless list of alphabet soup names from all over the world. I can remember a time when this information was not deemed to be urgent and essential knowledge that I had to know.
It’s not as if there’s anything I can do to influence numbers and prices and indexes (indices?) in Japan or London or New York,
is there? Yes, my mortgage may change because of something a banker or number cruncher does in government or some building in Toronto, but explain it to me when it happens. Don’t keep me updated on data I find neither wanted nor, to be honest, even understood. I mean, what is a DAX, and why is a German financial thing relevant to me?
But it’s not only these financial entities that are being thrown at me as being important and newsworthy. It’s everything! The rise of the 24-hour news channel, such as CNN, has meant that those 24 hours have to be filled with stuff. Why does there have to be 24-hour coverage?
Because there’s always something happening somewhere in the world that, apparently, I really need to know about. It’s all so important, urgent and newsworthy that almost every story is declared to be
In defence of the carbon tax
by Christopher Twardawa
In the July 11 edition of this paper, there was an article titled “Carbon tax will damage the economy”. Well duh, every tax damages the economy. It’s called the “Carbon tax”, not “Economic stimuli”. Suggesting that the carbon tax will damage the economy is like suggesting that driving your car will cause wear and tear to its tires – they go hand in hand.
Yes, the carbon tax will cause damage to the economy, get over it. The real issue is that global consensus to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) was reached in 2015. It is called the Paris Agreement and globally, net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide need to fall
into other locations. Do the math. Read Mike Crawley's piece in CBC.
Why is he fixated on more convenient alcohol? Why is he so against growing the LCBO, so that alcohol is sold safely, by well-trained staff in secure locations? Why is he not focusing on the fact that Ontario has hospital ER closures, a HUGE lack of health care practitioners (I'm sure everyone knows someone who doesn't have a family doctor these days?), and few nurses or ER docs to be seen.
I recently spent 8.5 hours in the Kemptville District Hospital ER for a severely infected thumb. There are
Breaking News, even if it often doesn’t seem to be either.
Historically, people didn’t know immediately, or for many months, what was happening abroad. Unlike today, news did not travel fast, and there was nothing wrong about that. Today, we know about every crisis taking place in every part of the globe, whether it concerns us or not. Perhaps we should be concerned? Maybe we should be aware of these things. Or have we just been conditioned to think we should know all about it? Should we feel guilty for not keeping up with the news?
In the Nineteenth Century, local news sheets became newspapers when the telegraph linked the world, and editors were able to cut and paste stories from other papers (no copyright to worry about then). People were informed of world events, but at a more leisurely pace because
by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. So, how are we going to achieve this target which, very admittedly, is one of the greatest challenges humankind has faced?
Like so many others arguing against the carbon tax including the Leader of the official opposition in Ottawa, last edition’s article made no case for an alternative measure to curb carbon emissions. Let me do that for them as such alternatives are so easy to come up with. For instance, we could ban half of Canadian drivers of internal combustion engine vehicles to drive on even days of the month and ban the other half to drive on odd days of the month. We
NO walk-in clinics in my area. NONE! So an infected thumb sits for hours to get a prescription for antibiotics, and that spot could very well have been taken up by the little kid who fell off his bike and hit his head, or the older man with major back pain, or the young girl who kept passing out. THOSE are emergencies, much more so than an infected thumb. The triage nurse told me that KDH has funding for ONE ER doctor and, if they are lucky, three nurses. There were at least 25 people in that waiting room and nobody was being called to see the doctor. The poor guy with back pain went up to the desk multiple times,
it took so long for news to percolate through from other countries. But by the 1960's, satellites allowed us to view events around the world as they were happening, and everything changed.
I’m not saying that we should ignore news, or become isolationist, unconcerned about things that shape the world in which we live. There are so many issues that require attention, such as climate change, for example, that we might not otherwise be aware of until it was too late. There are certainly real news stories that we should be hearing about, whether it’s the threat posed by war in Europe and the growing rise of fascism, or some other development that can affect us directly or indirectly.
The problem is that those stories are almost drowned out in the never-ending clamour that washes over us 24-7 through media of all
could ban half of Canadians from heating their homes with natural gas, oil, propane or wood for the first half of winter and ban the other half of Canadians of the same for the second half winter. Such measures would be difficult to implement, non-realistic and cause an uproar. Simply put, leaders can implement coercive measures or market-based measures. Given that we are blessed to be living in a free and democratic society, market-based measures such as the carbon pricing work best.
In the last edition of this paper, the article stated that Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said the “carbon tax is not going to eliminate a single forest fire, a single drought, a single heat wave.”
because he couldn't sit any longer and he was finally taken through. Kemptville is growing in leaps and bounds, with Mattamy homes tract houses coming online soon. How many more will show up to see that ONE DOCTOR in the ER?
And the Premier of our province has the gall to post a map showing where you can buy your booze during the LCBO strike! Nowhere was there a map showing me where I could find a walk-in clinic. I guess we know what Doug Ford's priorities are.
Instead of booze in stores, how about affordable housing? Not $2500/month apartments! Not townhomes
kinds. Social media, in particular, has transformed what was a flood of information into a veritable tsunami of stories and opinions with no real filter or way of discriminating between the important and the trivial. But, for some reason, we feel that we have an obligation to take it all in, that to ration ourselves is to be irresponsible. Even worse: we might miss something!
We are able to watch an event repeatedly, seeing the same dramatic (or boring) images over and over again, while a group of talking heads discuss the ins and outs, the trivia and the details ad nauseam, just filling in those 24 hours of non-stop news coverage with loud, colourful graphics, excited voices, or critical and cynical mutterings. And when the competition is so fierce for viewers, readers, and therefore advertisers, you can end with something like Fox News,
That might be true, for today, but globally, if carbon reduction measures were implemented 40 years ago, perhaps today there would be fewer of these climate extremes. There are many misconceptions regarding carbon pricing but luckily, earlier this year, economists from across Canada wrote an open letter on carbon pricing and pointed out five elements of what the evidence shows:
1) Not only does carbon pricing reduce emissions, but it does so at a lower cost than other approaches.
2) Canadian carbon pricing has a negligible impact on overall inflation.
3) The price-and-rebate approach provides an incentive to reduce carbon
in the $600,000 range! How about places that our most vulnerable populations can afford to live? Newcomers, people with disabilities, ODSP recipients, seniors and others on fixed incomes? Do I sound bitter and angry? Of course! This guy is using $225M of OUR tax money to break the agreement with The Beer Store. He could have just let the agreement run out in 2025 at no cost to any of us footing the bill. But his agenda is to keep us all drunk, stupid and poor.
How can you tell he's lying? His lips are moving.
where people lie, knowingly and deliberately, to gain an audience regardless of truth, accuracy, or the well being of the people taking it all in. Hannah Arendt gave some insight into this kind of "journalism": "This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want." No, we can’t be ignorant of news, like it or not, we hardly have a choice anymore. So, let’s choose wisely and pick out the important bits from the mass of trivia we are being fed. Wishful thinking?
emissions (due to the price), while maintaining most households’ overall purchasing power (due to the rebate).
4) Canada’s carbonpricing scheme is designed to help businesses reduce emissions at low cost, while competing in the emerging low-carbon global economy.
5) Canada could abandon carbon pricing and still hit our climate targets by using other types of regulations and subsidies—but it would be much more costly to do so.
Amongst others, Canadian farmers are affected by GHG emission reduction and carbon pricing in many ways. Whether it be due to fertilizer usage, cropdrying expenses or fuel ex-
penses, costs will increase and yields might decrease. This will have an effect on the price of food and as citizens of planet Earth, we may need to change our eating behaviours as the cost of some food will increase. As aforementioned, reducing our emissions is one of the greatest challenges humankind has faced.
As a Conservative who deeply cares about our environment and economy, I believe that we should tax the bad and promote the good. Carbon is a bad and the real problem with the carbon tax is that it is not priced highly enough.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Spencerville Agricultural Society planning general meetings. If you are interested in joining our committee, please email info@spencervillefair.ca to receive all of the meeting details. Aug 12, Oct 21, Nov 11. The Drummond Building, 22 Ryan Street, Spencerville Ontario
Roller Skating Friday Nights. 7-10pm at the Sam Ault Arena in Winchester .FREE ADMISSION. Every Friday from June 7 to August 9, 2024. Bring your own skates. Roller blades welcomed. Helmets strongly recommended. Garden Party. August 10th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Welcome to our GARDEN PARTY MARKET, shopping local has never been easier! Stop and stay a while, cause we've got live music and games as well! Dates are easy to remember, being the second Saturday of the month, from May to October. Hosted at 100 Club Park (Winchester Arena) 577 Main Street, around the local pool, park and baseball diamonds.
South Grenville bluegrass music festival is set to go at the Spencerville Fair Grounds, Thursday to Sunday, August 8-11. southgrenvillebluegrassfestival.ca Winchester Dairyfest - August 9-11 www.winchesterdairyfest.com/ Music in the Park Sept 14 Spencer Scharf 10:30am/1:30 pm 100 club Park sponsored by Lofty Nest./ No Limits Auto Parts/ Precision Diesel
CHURCH Directory
Southgate Winchester Campus
539 Main Street, Winchester Phone: 613-258-6123
https://southgatechurch.com/
Services: Sundays at 10am (Kids program for toddlers - Gr 6)
Play Group for parents of babies to preschool meets Wednesdays at 10am.
The Pulse Youth (Gr 6 -12) meets bi-weekly on Fridays at 7pm.
The Ladies Group meets bimonthly. Contact the church office for more info
The Gathering House
2 Water Street Chesterville, ON K0C 1H0
613-448-1758 Sunday church service 10 am. Nursery and Sunday school available for children.
Various adult Bible studies throughout the week. Details at thegatheringhouse.ca
STEM program & Youth group Wednesdays at 6:30 pm
Playgroup drop in 10:30 am on Fridays HUB youth drop in 7 -10 pm
Fridays
Cafe Mon & Fri 9 am -4 pm Wed 12 -4 pm
Solomon’ Porch Nationside
Pentecostal Church
Pastor Scott Sayers
Meeting Sunday 10:30am.
9 William St. Chesterville, Ont. ( The Nelson LaPrade Centre) Box 292 Chesterville 613-448-2272
nationsidepentecostalchurch.ca
Winchester Pastoral Charge
Winchester United
Church/Hope Springs
United Church
Summer Schedule- all services at 10:00 a.m.
July 7 Winchester United July14 Hope Springs U.C.
July 21 Winchester United July 28 Hope Springs U.C.
Aug. 4 Winchester United Aug 11 Hope Springs U.C.
Aug 18 Winchester United Aug 25 Hope Springs U.C.
Winchester Baptist Church
486 Main Street, Winchester Phone: 343-649-2204
https://m.facebook.com/groups/ WinchesterBaptistOnt/ Services: Sundays at 11:00 (hymn sing 10:45) “Snack and chat” (lunch) after the service on the last Sunday of every month
Join us for prayer every Tuesday evening anytime between 6:30pm and 8:00pm
Come and celebrate with us the 165th anniversary of our congregation, Sunday September 15, 2024 at the 11:00 service
ACROSS
1. Pal
5. Unit of land
9. Back of the neck
13. Hindu princess
14. Show embarrassment
16. Cut down
17. Anagram of "Slam"
18. Chip dip
19. Bound
20. Damp
22. Necessarily
24. Ticket part you keep
26. Contemptuous look
27. Changed
30. Property
33. Schoolyard game
35. Select by voting
37. Durable wood
38. Goblet
41. Greek letter
42. Occurrence
45. Curved saber
48. Sufficient
51. Broadcast installment
52. Railroad
54. Coin opening
55. City dwellers
59. Fill with joy
62. Neophyte, in modern slang
63. Trio
65. "Oh dear!"
66. Not short
67. Days in a week
68. Anagram of "Rent"
69. Sole
70. Scarlets
71. Celtic language DOWN
1. Pack to capacity
2. Angelic headgear
3. Valid or accurate
4. Error
5. Stomach muscles, for short
6. Extended family
7. Dominates
8. Ancient ascetic
9. Not artificial
10. Angle between leaf and branch
11. Rind
12. Countercurrent
15. Hell 21. Sod
23. Celebration
25. Large mass of floating ice
27. Balm ingredient
28. Depart
29. Dung beetle
31. Abstainer from alcohol
32. Outward
34. Petrol
36. Empty weight
39. Frozen water
40. What we kiss with
43. In a remarkable way
44. Zig or zag
46. 5280 feet 47. Set apart 49. Ways to walk
Here
Audacity
"Do ____ others"
Horse color
Cotton plant capsule
Sow
Seafarers
Feudal worker
N N N
Supreme Court rebukes Canada and Ontario as historically dishonourable
by David Shanahan
The governments of Canada and Ontario have been sharply rebuked by the Supreme Court of Canada for “what can only be described as a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes”. In a unanimous decision in the case of the 1850 Robinson Treaties, the Court ordered the two governments to negotiate a settlement with the communities within the Robinson Superior Treaty within six months of the decision.
The case involved annuity payments agreed to under the terms of the two treaties, which ceded all the territory north of Lakes Huron and Superior a far as the height of land separating it from the Hudson Bay watershed. The treaty granted the sum of $1 per year to each community member covered by the treaties, with an undertaking that the annuity would be increased: “in case the territory hereby ceded by the parties of the second part shall at any future period produce an amount which will enable the Government
of this Province without incurring loss to increase the annuity hereby secured to them, then, and in that case, the same shall be augmented from time to time”.
The amount paid to each individual was raised to $4 per year in 1874, but has remained capped at that figure ever since. The Supreme Court has followed the lead of lower courts that this is a flagrant breach of the spirit and purpose of the treaties, and that Canada and Ontario have to increase the annuity payments. Considering the incredible wealth that has been taken from the territory covered by the treaties since 1850, in timber, fish, copper, gold, uranium, not to mention development of towns and cities in the area, the idea that Indigenous communities were forced to live in poverty and want while being given $4 a year each, makes “a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe”.
Supreme Court Justice Mahmud Jamal wrote in the decision. "For almost a century and a half, the Anishinaabe have been left with
an empty shell of a treaty promise," as their failure to implement the treaty provisions regarding annuities undermined the spirit and substance of the treaties.
The Court’s decision noted that the Crown has derived "enormous economic benefit" from the land through mining and other activities over the years, while First Nations communities have suffered with inadequate housing and boil water advisories. For 174 years, the Indigenous people of the Great Lakes have been governed as wards of the courts, children in law, subject to the Indian Act and its predecessors, which gave the Crown complete power over Indigenous finances, identity, resulting in confinement to Reserves, total control by non-Indigenous Agents, and a total loss of freedom and sovereignty.
No other ethnic groups have been subjected to legislation like the Indian Act. It has been an act of imperial colonisation comparable only to Apartheid and slavery. When Canada became a Dominion in 1867, jurisdiction
The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival closes season with all-star cabaret
“Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape”, was created by Robert Markus, Julia Nish-Lapidus, and James Wallis. Originally created for, and receiving a sold-out run in, the Stratford Festival’s 2021 season, this cabaret is an entertaining mash-up of pop music and Shakespearean text, bringing together a wide range of songs from all different eras and genres, including The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Prince, Elton John, and more. It’s a celebratory event for all-ages, and now locals will get to enjoy it too!
This show will bring to Eastern Ontario some of Canada’s biggest musical theatre stars. Jade McLeod, who recently led the company playing Jo in the First National Tour of Jagged Little Pill, plays Beatrice, the unlucky-in-love character full of wit and sarcasm, singing songs including Cruel to be Kind by Nick Lowe, and Ophelia by the Lumineers. Matthew Joseph, a member of the band CZN (winners of Canadian Family’s Got Talent and seen on America’s Got Talent) and recently seen in Rent at the Stratford Festival, plays Richard the cynic, singing songs including The King Must Die by Elton John, and I Am the Walrus by the Beatles.
Joining these two veteran performers are two rising stars in the industry. Kryslyne Mai Ancheta plays Juliet, the young lover, performing songs including Taylor Swift’s Love Story and Exit Music (for a Film) by Radiohead. Opposite her as Romeo is Luciano Decicco, singing songs including Rush’s Limelight and O Valencia by the Decemberists.
Accompanying these performers is an incredible band made up of local musicians. Returning to the region is Brockville native Joseph Herbison, who will be music director and playing keyboard. Joining Herbison in the band are Chris Eveland (guitar), Jamie Hodgson (bass), and Chelsea Lee (drums). This high energy concert-meets-Shakespearean Comedy will thrill audiences of all ages and be an exciting, celebratory way to end the 2024 season!
Showtimes:
Tuesday, August 13 – 7pm
Wednesday, August 14 – 7pm
Thursday, August 15 – 7pm
Friday, August 16 – 7pm
Saturday, August 17 – 1pm
Saturday, August 17 – 6pm
All performances are at the Kinsmen Amphitheatre, Sandra S. Lawn Harbour, 101 Water St W in Prescott. Rain Venue: St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 425 Centre St in Prescott. New this season, we have a rain venue, so out of town patrons can plan ahead and be sure they’ll see an incredible show no matter the weather! Tickets are $26-$41 (children 14 and under are free), and are available at www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca
over Indigenous affairs and Crown Lands was divided between Canada and Ontario in this province, with the result that the two “Crowns” have constantly played off each other, putting the onus on the other to act honorably towards the First Nations, with each reneging on treaty obligations.
When Canada and Ontario negotiated a compensation agreement with the Robinson Huron people in February, they praised themselves for the deal and then promptly appealed it, seeking to have the other pay the bulk of the $10 billion agreed to. The courts have insisted that the Crown Canada and the Crown Ontario must always act to protect and uphold the honour of the Crown. This both have singularly failed to do in all of their relations with Indigenous peoples. “Failed” may be the wrong word, as it implies that they have tried to do so.
In 35 years of working for and on behalf of Indigenous communities in Ontario and across the country, I have yet to come across a government which has been sincere and showed integrity in dealing with treaty responsibilities. That is an awful fact of Canadian life. And the Supreme Court has acknowledged the truth of that assertion in their decision on the annuity issue. In their decision, the Court instructed the two governments to come with a new annuity amount to be paid, but expressed reservations about the integrity of both. The sum to be decided by the government has to be substantial, they said, but Justice Jamal pointed out that: "The Anishinaabe signatories cannot now be short-changed by the Crown's sticker shock, which is solely the result of the Crown's own dishonourable neglect of its sacred treaty promises”. He wrote that simply ordering the parties back to the negotiating table was not sufficient, because it risked forcing the First Nations to rely on a "historically dishonourable" partner to restore the treaty relationship. And they act in our name.
Electric vehicle battery plant delayed
by David Shanahan
After announcing, with great fanfare, that they would be opening a plant to produce electric car batteries in Loyalist Township, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials Inc. has now decided to delay further work on the facility owing to "significant worsening of the EV market context and the impacts this has on the entire supply chain."
The plant was expected to be an economic boon to all of Eastern Ontario, creating around 600 jobs in the region. However, following the cancellation of a contract Umicore had been negotiating with a Chinese company, and the fact that demand for electric vehicles has fallen off over the past year, the company decided not to proceed with the building project, which was slated to cost around $2.7 billion.
In a statement, the company said: "For Umicore, customers' demand projections for our battery materials have steeply declined recently". It is now adapting operations "to the new market reality," and will be making a complete review of its battery materials business.
The federal and provincial governments had strongly supported Umicore’s projects, committing almost $1 billion to the Loyalist Township initiative. It is understood that none of that money had actually been paid out to Umicore at the time of the announcement about the delay.
Other major corporations involved in electric battery production, such as Ford, have also announced cutbacks in their plans for future battery production owing to the downturn in demand for electric vehicles. Umicore expects to make a decision on the future of the plant by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
We love our creative community!
Sheila Woodford, Kimberley Kargus and Tracy Easter are making magic – one creation at a time. Recently, they all hosted events to support the new Dundas Manor and we are so grateful.
Sheila Woodford started painting at 70. Last year, she sold some of those paintings and donated the proceeds to the new Dundas Manor. This year, Sheila held a lawn sale, including some of her beautiful paintings, with all proceeds going to the home. She plans another craft and jewellery sale later in the summer.
Sheila says she is grateful for the wonderful care her husband received at Dundas Manor: "It was a privilege to use the annual garage sale in Winchester to help raise money for the building fund. Every bit helps, I'm sure. We raised $400 and I kicked in the rest to contribute $500.”
Kimberley Kargus loves creating art using glass. In fact, her studio is called Glassworks for Good. Recently, Kimberley launched three silent auctions for three local causes – including the new Dundas Manor. Bidders could stop by the Main Street Clothing Company in Winchester to view the ‘Hollyhocks’ stained-glass window on display and make a bid. The winners were announced on July 7th.
“My goal with the Glass Petal Fundraiser was to help spread a little kindness and raise as much money as possible for great causes,” says Kimberley. “It takes about 30 hours to complete a window from start to finish and then I love to find each piece a home. And hopefully raise some money for our community.”
Congratulations to Louise Backes who had the winning bid and thank you to Kimberley and everyone who helped to raise $780 for local charities, including $225 for the new Dundas Manor.
Tracy Easter is part of the Iroquois Giving Day for Dundas Manor in September, but has already started giving back. She owns Coconut Bash and makes bath and beauty products with natural ingredients. She recently donated 40% of the sales from her company Coconut Bash for one month, presenting a cheque for $400.
“I’m just happy to help,” notes Tracy. “The Manor is greatly needed for our community.”
“There are so many creative people living in our local communities and we are so grateful to Sheila, Kimberley and Tracy for using their special talents to support Dundas Manor!” sums up Campaign Assistant Cindy Ault Peters.
For more details about the Dundas Manor campaign, please visit www.dundasmanordream.ca or contact the WDMH Foundation team at 613-7742422 ext. 6162 or 6169. To chat about fundraising events for Dundas Manor, please contact Cindy Ault Peters at 343-572-6345 or cpeters@wdmh.on.ca. To chat about fundraising events for Winchester District Memorial Hospital, please contact Justine Plummer at 613-774-2422 ext. 6172 or jplummer@wdmh.on.ca.
Baldwin's Birds
Coming of Age
Whilst our House Wren struggles valiantly on, feeding its still house-bound new brood, the neighbourhood has the privilege of seeing some of the other birds’ older teenage offspring! What a lovely sight they are too in their slightly ruffled, but still very attractive, colorful feathers. The young Eastern King Bird spent quite a long time cleaning and grooming itself on one of my nesting boxes, allowing me to get many photographic shots of it. There was no sign of protective parents being anywhere in sight, so the youngster was very much alone, as I suppose it will
BACKYARD ASTRONOMY
be now for the rest of its life, or until it mates up with another bird, to start the life cycle again.
The Female Cardinal was far from being as shy as its parents tend to be whenever they visit us, and once again, it stayed for a long time ground feeding, to let us get a super view of its colorful plumage and also see its crest, which it had no trouble in proudly displaying!
These teenagers are not the only ones to put in an appearance, as our bird numbers have increased quite significantly, as other parents bring in their own families to either feed, or
splash in the bird bath! As I write this I am thinking of the Grackles in particular, in their slim, new shiny feathered attire taking dips in the water and also having a general splash around. At one session, there were 4 of them on the edge of the bath at once! The grown up pair of brightly colored Rock Pigeons, on the other hand, took a more sophisticated approach and dabbled their beautiful pink feet daintily in the water and snuggled up to each other whilst doing so! Maybe a new romance in the air!? Even a couple of Crows sat on the side of the bath too, but they weren't quite so romantically inclined as the
Aug 12 Perseid Meteor Show
by Gary Boyle
The best meteor shower of summer belongs to the Perseids. The entire shower lasts from July 14 to September 1 with the peak period being the night of August 12 into the morning of the 13. But the night before and after should still result in a
spectacular cosmic show. The first quarter moon will set on the 12th around 11:30 pm local time and midnight on the 13th.
With the lunar glow gone, conditions will be ideal to see the estimated 90 meteors per hour including a few bright fireballs. Away from the glow of city lights will reveal the band of our Milky Way Galaxy. The planet Saturn will rise after 9 pm with the pair of Mars and brighter Jupiter after 1 am. Any astronomy cell phone app will show their position. Both are closest (conjunction) on the morning of the 14th with
a separation less than the width of the full moon.
Enjoy these sand-sized particles of Comet SwiftTuttle as they safely vaporize in the atmosphere at about 72 kilometres per second.
What a great way to spend vacation at your favourite campsite or cottage.
Known as “The Backyard Astronomer”, Gary Boyle is an astronomy educator, guest speaker and former columnist for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as well as a STEM educator. He has been interviewed on more than 60 Canadian radio stations as well as television across Canada and the U.S. In recogni-
Rock Pigeons were! Did you expect them to be!?
The other day, I decided to count how many different birds I could see from our front window and was able to almost instantaneously see a total of 7: A Red Breasted Nuthatch, Grackle, Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Redwing Blackbird, Crow, and Blue Jay, so not too bad, and that was without really trying! I hope that you too are managing to get to see all the birds that come to visit you on a daily basis and enjoy their very presence for yourself. Stay safe and well, Cheers, John Baldwin
tion of his public outreach in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has honoured him with the naming of Asteroid (22406) Garyboyle. Follow him on Facebook and his website: www. wondersofastronomy.com
Sheila Woodford (right) with daughter Sabrina Dawson(left) at the yard sale.
