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April 29 - May 26

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Vol. 9 No. 16

The Voice of North Grenville

April 28 , 2021

Key member of Leeds Grenville Small Business Centre, Wendy Onstein, retires Kemptville Eye Exam Clinic

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by Hilary Thomson An integral member of the Leeds Grenville Small Business Centre (LGSBC) is retiring after sixteen years of supporting local small business owners. Wendy Onstein joined the organization in 2005, after 26 years in the manufacturing sector. At the time, it was called the Thousand Islands Entrepreneurship Centre, even though the organization services the Leeds Grenville area. "I walked into the office and I saw a map on the wall that said Leeds Grenville and I thought, it doesn't make sense to have Thousand Islands," she remembers. "So, one of the first things we did was change the name to Leeds Grenville so that it reflected really who we serve." Changing the name is not the only thing that Wendy

has had her hand in over the years. When she ﬁrst started, she was the sole employee of the centre, and they only offered their core services, such as business consultation, advisory services, workshops and a couple of events a year. Since then, they have hired two more people and many more programs have been added to their roster. This includes the Starter Company program, focusing on youth entrepreneurship, which evolved into Starter Company Plus in order to open the program up to anyone who needed support running and growing their small business. They also run their Summer Company program every year, which helps youth from 15-29 start their own business during the months that they are not in school. A year ago, they began oﬀering their Women's Entrepreneurship Program, which is meant

to help woman transform a hobby or part time business into a full-time career. The centre has also been focused on helping small businesses respond to the pandemic by offering their Recovery Program. Participants are given the opportunity to meet with a business consultant to look at their business plan and see how they can adapt to the new reality. It also involves a program called Ask The Expert, which offers up to three 1-hour sessions with a professional, like an accountant, lawyer or bookkeeper, free of charge. "The uptake on that program has been really good," Wendy says. "People are reaching out to us, and they're really taking advantage of it." All these programs are funded through the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, but it is the dedicated team at the LGSBC that has made them a success. There are many small businesses in North Grenville that have benefitted from LGSBC's support, including Karen Quigley of Saltastic and Karin Rabuka of No Go Coffee Co. Karen's son, Kai, was also involved in the Summer Company program in 2020 with his business Rabuka Yard Works Co. Wendy says she has loved working at the LGSBC and supporting local small businesses in Leeds Grenville over the past 16 tears. "Seeing business owners grow and

Dear Neighbour,

thrive and be successful, and just the feeling that what we are doing here really helps people. Everybody says that small business is the engine that runs our Ontario economy. I think that we really walk the talk because it does. It is the engine. If it wasn't for all of our small businesses, we would be in sorry shape”. While wrapping up her work with the LGSBC is bittersweet, Wendy is looking forward to retirement and starting a new chapter. She already has a small side business as a wedding oﬃciant, which she loves, and she is also planning on helping families put together celebrations of life. Wendy would also like to spend more time with her grandson, do some charity work, and also stay connected to the business community in Brockville. "I want to stay connected, I’ll die if I'm not connected to people." Wendy says her time at the LGSBC allowed her to ﬁnd her true calling - helping people. She has loved being able to work with not only the people at the LGSBC and businesses, but also their partners in the North Grenville community, like the Municipality, CSE Consulting, and the Chamber of Commerce. "They've all been very supportive of the centre over the years and made us feel included and welcome," she says. "They've been great community partners."

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We are pleased to present to you Auremeds Compounding Pharmacy, our brand-new pharmacy located at 215 Sanders Street in Kemptville. Auremeds specializes in compounding prescription medications not availalble commercially in addition to dispensing your regular medications. We welcome and invite you to come and visit. Thank You, Prem Arora, Pharmacist-Owner

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Double your Dandelions

Your turn is coming soon. Photo by Aleta Karstad- Oldﬁeld Dandelion (Taraxacum palustre), Bishops Mills Fred Schueler, Fragile Inheritance Natural History There are a number of native Dandelions in northern North America, but in Ontario, south of some islands in Lake Superior, all our Dandelions, genus Taraxacum, are introduced from Europe, and at times in the spring they are our most conspicuous alien species. Dandelions mostly don't reproduce sexually, but produce seeds asexually by apomixis, without pollination, resulting in oﬀspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant. This means that species limits are arbitrary, and the Flora of North America gives the number of species in the genus at something between 60 and 2000, which may be a world-record level of disagreement. Clones, or "microspecies" which have adaptive characteristics can take over uniform habitats: those that hug the ground dominate lawns, while those that reach upwards with big leaves are found in woodsy places. Since they don't require pollination, selection among clones may favour those with reduced nectar and pollen production, explaining their relative unattractiveness to pollinators.

Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine plan is helping to stop the spread and save lives. Thousands of people across the province are getting vaccinated every day. As vaccinations continue, we need to stay the course to protect those we love. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Find out when, where and how to get vaccinated at ontario.ca/covidvaccineplan or call 1-888-999-6488 for assistance in more than 300 languages.

Back in the day, the only difference noticed among southern Ontario Dandelions, by those who didn't do microspecies, was between the otherwise nearly identical Common (T. officinale) and Redseeded (T. erythrospermum) plants, but in 1989 Ottawa botanist Dan Brunton published an account of Dandelions, in a different section of the genus, T. palustre, the Marsh, Fen, or Oldfield Dandelion, that he'd found in eastern Ontario and northern New York. This species was conspicuously different from the ordinary T. officinale in the shape of the flowerheads, because instead of folding back from the bloom, the bracts, or phyllaries, clasp the base of the flowerhead in a dark bulge. Also the leaves are quite thin, and are nowhere near as toothed as in our other Dandelions, and many of the plants are small. "Palustre" means marshy, and while along a grassy roadside they're the ones down near the water level in the flooded portion of the ditch, they're especially abundant in shallowsoil old-field limestone barrens, where conditions alternate between soggy and parched.

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Botanists are often accused of getting excited about insignificant matters, and the point of bringing these Dandelions to public notice is that they are among our earliest-flowering plants, and the palustre bloom a few days before the officinale, so they may be the first blooms you see in a spring. After a while you can pretty well recognize the T. palustre from above by their less-toothed leaves and subtle differences in the flowerhead, and you can then stoop down, see the dark round base of the bloom, welcome a new species to the landscape, and be a bit glad that it was first recognized by an eastern Ontario botanist. And yes, Virginia, all parts of all Dandelions are edible and delicious, and you can read about how we prepare them at https:// adaptating.blogspot. com/2019/05/the-dandelion-diet.html (by the way, you can now read that ordinary Dandelions having red seeds is a repeatedly occurring mutation, so the old distinction of red- and brown-seeded species may have been spurious).

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Meagan Cumming elected as new BIA Chair

submitted by Deron Johnson Executive Director, Business Improvement Association (BIA) A t t h e O l d To w n Kemptville (OTK) BIA's Board of Management

Meeting on Wednesday, April 21, the Board elected a new Chair to lead the organization until the end of the Board's term in December of 2022. Meagan Cumming, the

CEO of Kemptville Stress Relief Centre, won the hotly contested election and will assume the role and responsibilities immediately as she takes over from Acting Chair William Pearl of Stevens Creek Shutter Co., who will return to his role as Vice Chair. The Chair position became vacant when longtime BIA Board Chair, Debbie Wilson of Grahame's Bakery, resigned after serving a four year term in this often challenging volunteer role. Debbie's leadership has guided the BIA through many changes, and was the primary reason for many of the BIA's accomplishments to date. "I am honoured that the Board has entrusted me with the responsibility of the Chair position. Deb-

bie left an indelible mark in her term and some very big shoes to fill. I look forward to the challenge of continuing her legacy of supporting Downtown Kemptville businesses and the greater community,” said Meagan. Meagan is looking forward to getting out to meet all of the business owners in the BIA once health unit protocols are lifted to allow it. Already a frequent customer of downtown retailers, restaurants and coffee shops, Meagan hopes to encourage many more people to enjoy everything that downtown has to oﬀer.

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North Grenville Times wins newspaper and website awards Sometimes you can toot your own horn. North Grenville can be proud to have an award winning, independently owned newspaper in its community. Especially now that the winners of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s (OCNA) competition have been announced. The winners of the Better Newspaper Competition were recently announced and The North Grenville Times placed in the top 3 of two separate award categories. In the award category for best Heritage newspaper article, The North Grenville Times placed second. The award was sponsored by

The Fort Frances Times. The award was for an August 2020 article written by Dr. David Shanahan, about the attempts to restore a workers’ memorial from Deeks quarry on Scotch Line Road. The memorial was built to commemorate workers who died at the quarry. In the category for the best Community Website or WebPortal, for newspapers with a circulation under 9,9999, The North Grenville Times placed third. Christine Boyer is the Web Administrator for the award winning digital presence of The North Grenville Times. The winners in these categories are as follows:

Heritage Sponsored by: Fort Frances Times 1st place: Haliburton County Echo - Jenn Watt 2nd place: Kemptville, North Grenville Times David Shanahan 3rd place: Etobicoke Guardian - Justin Greaves & Megan DeLaire Best Community Website/ WebPortal, circ. under 9,999 1st place: Burks Falls Almaguin News - northbaynipissing.com 2nd place: Parry Sound North Star - parrysound.com 3rd place: Kemptville, North Grenville Times - ngtimes. ca

The North Grenville Chamber of Commerce and the Municipality of North Grenville Present:

MAYOR’S VIRTUAL

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Marguerite Boyer receives library award

The Friends of the Library Annual General Meeting was abbreviated and had to be rescheduled to Thursday, May 6 at 5:30 pm, due to technical challenges. The meeting began in earnest where members were, at least, able to virtually award the Friends Honorary Lifetime Membership to, loyApril 28, 2021

al supporter, Maggie Boyer, but the meeting had to end because there was a failure in Zoom communication. Maggie received the award in recognition of her years of volunteer service to support the Friends of the Library. She has lent much of her artistic and design talents to

the communications eﬀorts, including designing the logo for the group. Please go the to Friends of the North Grenville Public Library website for more details.

Join North Grenville Mayor Nancy Peckford as she reflects back on this unprecedented year and provides a message of hope and resilience as she presents what’s on the horizon ahead. The event will be co-hosted by Chamber members Cathy Sheppard and William Pearl.

To register for this free event and to learn more visit: www.northgrenvillechamber.com 3

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The Voice of North Grenville

Kemptville District Hospital Foundation's Catch the Ace has a winner! Congratulations to Anna Marie Clarke of Malakoﬀ for winning the Catch the Ace lottery! Anne Marie wins the $22,248 jackpot and the $845 weekly for a total of $23,093! The winning ticket was #9900476033 and the Ace was hiding in envelope #37. When Anna Marie heard about Catch the Ace in support of the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH), she knew she wanted to partici-

St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival earns seven nominations for excellence

The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival (SLSF) has been honoured with seven production and performance nominations from Prix Rideau Awards for the plays Cyrano and The Winter's Tale. The shows were staged in 2019, the last season of the festival before COVID-19 shut it down. Normally, the awards would have been handed out in 2020 but were postponed for a year because of the virus. The awards were presented virtually on April 25. "It's very special to be recognized by your peers," said SLSF Artistic Director Richard Sheridan Willis, pointing out the shows were juried by professionals in the regional theatre business. "Of course, I'm delighted to be among the nominees… but I feel even happier for some of our young performers who earned nominations." Cyrano was nominated for best production and Sheridan Willis got an Outstanding Male Performance nod in the title role; also nominated in that category were Zach Council in Cyrano and Jesse Nerenberg in The Winter's Tale. Nominated for Outstanding Female Performance were Tamara Brown and Catherine Rainville, both in The Winter's Tale. Sophia Swettenham was selected in the Emerging Artist category. "We're just beaming with pride," said Jo-Anne Beckstead, chair of the festival board of directors. "It came up at our board meeting Tuesday and all directors were thrilled. We don't do this to win awards, but being recognized artistically is deﬁnitely a boost." In existence for 15 years, the Prix Rideau Awards recognize the best talent and live theatre productions in the greater Ottawa-Gatineau area. The intent is to foster artistic excellence and encourage communication between professional French and English theatre communities. "For close to 20 years, the festival has created a lasting impression of excellence among its audience members," Sheridan Willis observed. "The knowledge that we have a theatrical gem here keeps spreading farther and farther." April 28, 2021

Home thoughts

that right. Every sports fan does, we know that, don’t we? I could have provided a long and detailed rationale for my comments. In fact, I probably did, knowing me. But, at the core of that argument was simply the fact that I am a fan who has watched the sport for decades, learned from commentators and pundits, and come to know the ins and outs of football. Simple, yes? Maybe not. The thing is, it would never have occurred to me to ask that question my wife put to me. It also made me notice, as I wrote above, that I refer to “my team”, as though I had shares in the thing. Now, I don’t believe that this is exclusively a male thing. I have known women, including at least one of my daughters, who is as “fanatical”about football as I am. And she identiﬁes with a team for which I have nothing but distaste, so it isn’t just my

by David Shanahan I was watching a really good football game the other day (again, that’s soccer to some), when my wife said something that got me wondering about the diﬀerences between the way men and women think. Yes, that is a deep and complex topic, to which we will never reach the end. But what she said came as I shouted at the TV screen, adding my in-depth commentary to that of the television commentators. I was pointing out the stupidity of a player who had made a particularly bad pass, or maybe it was the amazing save made by my team’s goalkeeper, I don’t remember. But what she said was something like this: “You don’t play that game, so what gives you the right to judge how those people are playing?” At ﬁrst, I thought she was joking: of course I have

pate. "Our family have been frequent ﬂyers at KDH over the years, and I so value having this great hospital in our community. I bought the tickets to support the Hospital and never expected to win!" When asked what she planned to do with her winnings, Anna Marie shared that her daughter is studying at the University of Queensland in Australia. She received the great news about her win after completing a face time call

with her daughter who told her she needed to start saving so when the travel was possible again, the family could visit her. We are thrilled for Anna Marie and her family. Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets, we really appreciate your support over the past 32 weeks. A new Catch the Ace will be launching at the end of April, with a guaranteed jackpot of $10,000 starting in week 1.

inﬂuence on her. But to be a fan of a team in any sport provides a sense of participation, I think. We veteran watchers may have played the game in our far-oﬀ youth, and regret now that we didn’t know as much then as we do now. What great players we could have been! There is just something wonderful about being a fan of a team, regardless of the sport, regardless of how successful or awful “your” team may be. There is a deep contempt for those “fans” who only support successful teams, or only after they have become successful. No, we proudly boast of our dedication to the club through all the ups and downs (or downs and downs) of their history. If you’ve ever been to a live game, or match, or whatever it’s called in your favourite sport, you know that extraordinary sense of

camaraderie that exists; the witty and sometimes vulgar comments, chants, and songs that are a shared part of the experience of following a team. The silly and profound interactions with supporters of the other team that can reduce you to tears of laughter or despair make every game an event. But, reduced to the solitary enjoyment of a game in front of the tv screen, what else can you do, as a true and devoted fan, but to yell and scream, in whoops of joy and cries of anguish, as your team plays to victory or defeat? You not only know the names of every player on your side, but also those of the other team, and even the referee. This is your community, your mates and partners in crime, at least for an hour or two once a week.

Smith Falls Rugby Player is oﬀ to Harvard University Next Fall

Chloe Headland, submitted by Smith Falls District Collegiate Institute Chloe Headland, a Grade 12 top academic student at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute (SFDCI) has been accepted to play on the Harvard University women's rugby team in September 2021. Chloe moved to Canada

from the United Kingdom in 2016 and started her high school career at SFDCI. She joined the school's rugby team and under the guidance of coach Jacob Swarbrick, has developed into a skilled ﬂy half. In her ﬁrst year, the team took home an OFSAA 4

bronze medal and during her Grade 10 year, the team won gold at a New Brunswick tournament. In 2018, Chloe was invited to attend the Harvard University rugby camp, where she impressed the Harvard coaching staﬀ with her rugby skills. It was because of this camp that she was oﬀered the opportunity. Chloe explains that the application process was long, and she needed to pass the SAT entrance exam. With Harvard receiving over 60,000 applicants this year and accepting approximately 12,000, Chloe was thrilled when she received recent confirmation that her hard work had paid off. Chloe plans to study finance and mathematics, with a career

goal to become an actuary. "It is very impressive that Chloe was accepted, given the number of applications," says coach Swarbrick. "Her determination both academically and on the ﬁeld has paid oﬀ and we can't wait to hear what she will accomplish next year." Although school rugby has been put on pause due to the current public health restrictions, Chloe continues to train at least 4 times a week on her own time to be in top physical shape for the start of her post-secondary rugby career. In September, the Harvard rugby team will have three SFDCI alumni, including Kim Hartung and Heidi Lucas who are currently in their second year. www.ngtimes.ca

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COVID-19

Information for North Grenville Residents A Provincewide Stay-at-Home Order is in Effect Working together to keep our community safe

#LoveNG Ad Program for Businesses

Please continue to be patient and kind with business owners and each other.

The Municipality has partnered with local media to offer cost-effective advertising promotion for local businesses during the pandemic. Visit www.investnorthgrenville.ca for more information.

Municipal Updates: The North Grenville Municipal building is CLOSED to the public. The Municipality remains operational to provide essential services and assistance to residents and businesses. Contact us at: general@northgrenville.on.ca or 613-258-9569

North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre Located in Bell Hall (15 Campus Drive) on the Kemptville Campus. The Centre is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

People who have symptoms of COVID-19 and/or have been exposed to confirmed case of COVID-19 will be tested.

Bulky/Large Item Pickup Update: NEW DATES for Bulky Item Collection: June 14 - 18 and June 21-25 Leaf and Yard Waste Collection remains the same: May 31 - June 4 and June 7 - 11, 2021

Book an appointment online at www.ngcac.ca or by phone at 613-258-3192.

Vaccination Clinic

Residents can purchase Bulky Item and Leaf & Yard bag tags online at: www.NGrecycles.ca.

The Vaccination clinic is located at the North Grenville Municipal Centre at 285 County Road 44, Kemptville (entrance on south side of building).

Parks & Trails Update: ► Explore the trails with members of your own household. Visit www.NGtrails.ca. ► Boat launches are open. Do not gather or fish. ► Playgrounds remain open. Keep a distance from others. ► Skatepark, tennis courts, and sports fields are closed.

For details on eligibility and how to book your COVID vaccine visit www.ontario.ca/bookvaccine or call 1-888-999-6488.

If you have questions or concerns related to COVID-19 contact the Health Unit at 1-800-660-5853 or healthunit.org.

Support Local Businesses #LoveNG Shop local and show your support for our community. Visit www.LoveNG.ca.

Thank you for helping to stop the spread of COVID-19:

2m (6’)

STAY HOME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

MAINTAIN 2M DISTANCE

DO NOT GATHER

WEAR A MASK

WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN

The Municipality’s priority is protecting the health and safety of our residents. Visit: www.northgrenville.ca/coronavirus. April 28, 2021

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Enjoy the outdoors and be Tick Smart

Flat tick (female) Submitted by: Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Unit The ticks are out! When temperatures rise above 4 degrees Celsius, ticks will be active. Enjoy the benefits of being outdoors by going for a hike, working in the garden or cleaning up leaf litter in the yard; but remember to be tick smart. While not all Black legged ticks in our area carry bacteria that cause Lyme disease, a significant number do, and you cannot tell if a tick is positive by looking at it. Taking the following precautions will help to reduce your risk: -Dress in light coloured clothing so you can see that a tick is on you, (they are dark in colour). -Use an insect repellent containing DEET or Icaridin. You can apply this to clothing or your skin. -Put your outdoor clothes in a hot dryer for several minutes to kill ticks. -Do a tick check when you return inside. If possible have someone check you from behind. -Thoroughly check your body for ticks and nymphs and promptly remove and dispose of them. -You can take a quick shower to help remove any unattached ticks. Lyme disease transmission depends on the length of time the infected tick is attached. Ticks that are removed quickly and have been attached for less than 24 hours are not likely to transfer the bacteria. However, if the tick has been attached for longer than 24 hours you maybe at an increased risk and it is recommended that you consult your health care provider. Check any ticks you remove from your body to determine if they are fat or flat. A fat tick is an indication that it has been feeding for a longer period of time. Tick specimens are not used for diagnosis of disease so they are no longer accepted at the Health Unit. Lyme disease symptoms can range from a bull's eye rash around the bite area, to headache, fever and muscle/joint pain. Symptoms can appear from 3 days to several weeks following a tick bite. Consult your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. For more information about ticks and Lyme disease: Visit our Insect Bites and Diseases section of our website or call 1-800-660-5853. You can also e-mail us at contact@ heathunit.org or connect with LGLHealthunit on Facebook and Twitter. April 28, 2021

Rideau Valley residents can count on cleaner water, healthier shorelines and more climate-resilient communities thanks to a groundbreaking agreement between the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) and Modern Niagara. Modern Niagra, which is a national mechanical, electrical, integrated technology and building services corporation, will provide $300,000 to the RVCF over ﬁve years to help acquire 375 more acres of local wetlands, shorelines and forests for perpetual protection. This is the ﬁrst deal of its kind for the Foundation, and will provide it with much more flexibility to acquire sensitive natural areas across the watershed. The agreement also kickstarts Modern Niagara's journey to carbon neutrality by protecting lands that naturally absorb and store carbon dioxide. The company is working on other strategies to reduce its carbon footprint, as well.

The land deal safeguards vital environmental services for nearby communities. "This agreement is a huge win for the watershed's residents, who rely on robust wetland and forest cover to provide flood, drought and erosion control and to keep our air and water clean," said Diane Downey, executive director of the RVCF. "Protecting pristine natural areas is our ﬁrst and best defence against the impacts of climate change." The RVCF currently owns or supports more than 6,765 acres of unique, healthy ecosystems across the Rideau Valley. But these lands cost money to acquire and maintain; surveys, appraisals, legal fees, property taxes and public safety measures are all expenses the Foundation takes on when it acquires a property. The Foundation's Steve Simmering Conservation Lands Endowment Fund is used to cover these costs, with the principal invested year

after year to create a steady flow of cash. But until this agreement, the endowment required more principal to offset all of the annual and acquisition costs. Today, thanks to Modern Niagara, the Foundation won't have to say no to future land donations. The agreement gives the Foundation the flexibility and financial security to accept new lands, by covering the many land transfer costs that can add up. "Modern Niagara is proud to preserve our most sensitive natural areas while also doing our part to slow the impacts of climate change," said Erin Oliver, Modern Niagara's VP of Health, Safety and Sustainability. "Green and sustainable technology is at the core of what we do, and you can't find a greener technology than allowing nature to do its work." Oliver said the Modern Niagara team is thrilled to be protecting local lands that have a direct impact on the health and sustainability of

their communities. "We are so excited for this partnership and can't wait to see what beautiful parcels of local land will be protected because of it," Oliver said. Want to get on board? The RVCF welcomes corporations and organizations of all sizes to become a local environmental champion like Modern Niagara and our other legacy partners by sponsoring a property, supporting local tree planting, helping to upgrade our nature trails, supporting outdoor education opportunities or through their own visionary idea. Whatever your budget, we can work with you to ﬁnd a level, and method of support that suits your vision while keeping our watershed clean and healthy for generations to come. Visit www.RVCF.ca for more information or contact Diane Downey at diane.downey@rvcf.ca to get started.

Dry conditions across Rideau Valley due to early spring, limited rain ed. There were only two large snowstorms of about 20 cm each (one each in mid-January and mid-February) and several smaller snowstorms of about 5 cm each. Based on recorded snow fall amounts and RVCA snow monitoring results, the total amount of 'snow water equivalent' this winter was about 80% of normal. (To learn more about how we calculate the snow water equivalent, check out this video: w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=S30J86FfnZg) - Monthly temperatures from November 2020 through January 2021 were, on average, 1 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal, with slightly cooler than normal temperatures in February. The overall warmer winter concluded with very mild temperatures in March. -Daytime temperatures rose well above zero from March 9 through 12, which resulted in rapid snowmelt across the watershed and subsequent short-term elevated water levels/flows in most waterbodies. This was followed by a large rain event of 40+ mm in late March which caused water levels/ ﬂows to increase again, but they quickly declined with the limited rainfall into mid-April.

Rideau Valley Conservation Authority Although nobody can predict the weather, and despite some recent rain, 2021 is shaping up to be an abnormally dry year across the Rideau Valley watershed if the current trend continues. Rideau Valley residents enjoyed a relatively easy winter with warmer-than-normal temperatures in every month except for February. Combined with below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures in March, all evidence points to a dry year ahead. Weather and water level conditions have been pointing in this direction since winter began in December 2020: -Approximately 50 mm of rain fell across the watershed between December 24 and 25, resulting in a short-term elevated water level and ﬂow conditions in many lakes and rivers. Levels and flows receded by the end of January, with most regions dropping to below normal for much of February and March. - Snowfall was also limit6

So, what does this all mean? All water levels and flows across the Rideau Valley watershed are currently well below normal for this time of year. Current flows on the Rideau, Jock and Tay Rivers and Kemptville Creek are all between 30 to 40% of the typical seasonal averages. (For current and historical water level and flow information, see www.rvca.ca/watershedconditions. To learn more about low water conditions, check out this video: www. youtube.com/watch?v=MIfvEDoDfs&t=21s) Flows on the Rideau River are routinely augmented by several reservoir lakes located in the upper watershed, west of Westport. These lakes store water in the spring and sustain flows throughout the drier summer months. Water levels and flows in the primary reservoirs (Bobs Lake and Wolfe Lake) are currently below normal for this time of year. Flow through lakes such as Christie Lake have also been affected and are trending well below normal. Parks Canada staff are carefully managing the outflows in the reservoir lakes and have indicated that if we receive normal precipitation amounts over the next couple of months, lake levels are

expected to gradually rise to seasonal averages. Parks Canada staff also manage water levels and flows in the main body of the Rideau River from Big Rideau Lake through downtown Ottawa, including the Rideau Canal lock system. Parks Canada staff have indicated that navigation levels along this reach will be achieved by the long weekend in May. For more information from Parks Canada, see www. pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau. RVCA staff are currently preparing to meet with the Rideau Valley Water Response Team, which is made up of municipal and agency partners. The primary purpose of Water Response Team is to provide a forum for the sharing of information among water managers and water takers, and to facilitate co-operative decision-making on the conservation of limited water supplies at the early stages of and throughout drought events, as they occur. For more information visit www.rvca.ca/watershedconditions or email brian. stratton@rvca.ca. For flood and drought news directly to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters here: www.rvca. ca/mailing-lists. www.ngtimes.ca

The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

If you can’t be kind, be quiet! "Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism are all too frequently those who ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism--- the right to criticize, the right to hold unpopular beliefs, the right to protest, the right of independent thought." - Margaret Chase Smith It has come to my attention that there are citizens in this community who are trolling, baiting, and publicly shaming people on social

media, in relation to the antilockdown event that was held. If you remember McCarthyism, which was practised by our neighbours to the south, you will know it was the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason, especially when related to communism. But now, it seems that we have our own form these days in this pandemic, and maybe we can call it COVIDISM. We may disagree, but none of us have the right

UPDATE

to threaten or harass others because they disagree with popular thought, scientific fact, or what colour the sky is on any given day. Bullying is bullying and it will always fail to make people compliant. Check yourselves behind your keyboard, and ask if you would ever speak this way in public before you type out your hateful words. If you can't be kind, be quiet. Auntie Anabel

For updates related to COVID-19 and the North Grenville Municipal Centre visit: www.northgrenville.ca/coronavirus In light of the province-wide stay-at-home order, please be advised that the Municipal Centre is currently closed to the public. The Municipality remains operational to provide essential services and assistance to residents and businesses by virtual appointment only.

UPCOMING MEETINGS COUNCIL MEETINGS

Council meetings will be conducted virtually via Zoom. Council meetings will be live streamed on YouTube commencing at 6:30 pm. To view the live stream visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/ NorthGrenville/featured For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting virtually, pre-registration is required by e-mailing clerk@northgrenville.on.ca. To make a deputation in relation to an item on the agenda, please pre-register with the Clerk’s Oﬃce at the same e-mail address. Please provide your comments no later than two hours prior to the start of the meeting.

Chamber of Commerce to host Mayor’s Virtual Address

The North Grenville Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Municipality of North Grenville, will host a virtual Mayor’s Address event with Mayor Nancy Peckford on May 7, 2021. “This is an opportunity for the business community to hear directly from Mayor Nancy Peckford as she reflects back on this unprecedented year,” said Cathy Sheppard, Co-host of the event and Outgoing-Chair of the Chamber of Commerce. This event will provide

a spotlight on issues of key importance to our community, such as job creation and growth, aﬀordable housing, rural broadband, and will identify projects in the Municipality’s 2021 Budget. Participants will also have an opportunity to ask Mayor Peckford questions directly. “Mayor Peckford will no doubt want to use this opportunity to give the North Grenville business community an overview of what the Municipality is doing to help businesses recover in the wake of the Pandemic,”

Council agendas (including for closed sessions) may be found here: https://www.northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendas-and-minutes

added William Pearl, Co-host and member of the Chamber of Commerce. The North Grenville Chamber of commerce recognizes the toll the pandemic has taken on our local businesses over the past 14 months. The COVID-19 Pandemic is more than a health crisis. It is an economic one as well. To register for this free event, go to https://www. eventbrite.ca/e/mayor-peckfords-virtual-address-tickets-151848174979 To learn more visit www. northgrenvillechamber.com.

•

PLANNING PUBLIC MEETING • Council Meeting – May 12, 2021 o Proposed Zoning By-Law Amendment – 5870 County Rd.19 o Proposed Zoning By-Law Amendment – 335 Pine Hill Rd. o Proposed Zoning By-Law Amendment – 304 Prescott St.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS Committee meetings will be conducted virtually via Zoom. For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting virtually, pre-registration is required by e-mailing Jessica Workman at jworkman@northgrenville.on.ca Community and Economic Development Advisory Committee – Monday, May 3 at 3:00 pm Heritage Advisory Committee – Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 4:30 pm Health, Wellness & Fitness Advisory Committee – Monday, May 10, 2021 at 4:00 pm

Emergency Preparedness Week - Be Prepared Emergency Preparedness Week, May 2-8, is a Canadawide initiative to promote and encourage Canadians to take concrete actions to be better prepared to protect themselves and their families during emergencies. "As we collectively manage and begin to recover from the COVID-19 global pandemic, remember to remain vigilant by being prepared for other possible emergencies," said John Okum, Director of Emergency and Protective Services/Fire Chief. "As you are spending more time in your homes,

I encourage you and your family to take a few simple actions to become better prepared in case of other emergencies," added Mayor Nancy Peckford. "Everyone has an important role to play in emergency management." Emergencies range from extreme weather including ﬂoods, landslides, tornadoes, ice storms and heat waves, to ﬁres and power outages, to global pandemics. Having a family plan and emergency kit on hand are key tools to help mitigate emergencies. "Preparation is key. Knowing what to do in case of

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Visit www.northgrenville.ca/careers for more details Executive Director – Kemptville Campus: Resumes must be received no later than 4:00 pm on May 7, 2021

BULKY/LARGE ITEM COLLECTION UPDATE

an emergency, who to call and where to go, will help you and your loved ones stay safe," stated Councillor Kristin Strackerjan. "The knowledgeable and well-trained staﬀ at the Municipality are available to answer your questions." Each day, the Municipality will feature a diﬀerent tip on social media on how to be prepared such as, know the risks, make-a-plan, build a kit, and be alert ready. For more information visit: http://www.ontario.ca/ beprepared

NEW DATES for Bulky Item Collection: June 14 – 18 and June 21-25 Leaf and Yard Waste Collection remains the same: May 31 – June 4 and June 7 – 11 Residents can purchase Bulky Item and Leaf and Yard Bag Tags online at: www.NGrecycles.ca

VACCINATION CLINIC

The vaccination clinic is located at the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville: 285 County Road 44. The entrance is on the Southside of the building. If you are eligible, you can book your COVID-19 vaccine online at www.ontario.ca/bookvaccine or call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488.

The Municipality of North Grenville

285 County Rd. 44, PO Box 130, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0 Tel: 613-258-9569 Fax: 613-258-9620 general@northgrenville.on.ca Building: 613-258-9569 x130 Fax: 613-258-1441 Fire Services Info: 613-258-9569 x201 Fax: 613-258-1031 By-Law Services: email: bylawinquiries@northgrenville.on.ca 613-258-9569 x211 Police Administration: 613-258-3441 Animal Control: 613-862-9002

www.NorthGrenville.ca

Mayor’s forum on mental health by Lorraine Rekmans Mayor Nancy Peckford hosted a virtual mental health forum to help parents address the pressures that result in families because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum featured local resource people including; Cheryl Gaumont of Children’s Mental Health Leeds Grenville, Diane Oxborough of Parents Lifeline Eastern April 28, 2021

Ontario, Kim Champagne of Juniper Counselling and Chuck Leblanc of the Kemptville Stress Relief Centre. Issues of children’s mental health were the topic of discussion, and there was a focus on showcasing the supports and resources that are available to provide support to children and parents. The forum invited the submission of questions from viewers, who were able to submit questions anonymous-

Council Meeting – May 4, 2021 (Open Session immediately preceded by a Closed Session)

ly. Hard topics such as youth suicide, drug abuse, and selfharm were discussed. Because of the pandemic, and the lockdown, and the disruptions in daily life, there is concern for protecting the mental health of children and parents in these stressful times. The response to the stressors caused by the pandemic could manifest in a number of ways in children, and could include behavioural changes,

anxiety, diﬃculty in adjusting, fear of loss, grief, irritability, agitation. The care-givers reminded parents that behaviour is communication, and to remember that these expressions are indicators that the child may be having a diﬃcult time. The service providers reminded viewers that practising self-care is important, as well as trying to maintain a regular household routine that includes regular sleep and 7

wake times, adequate nutrition, and physical exercise, as these are all important foundations to dealing with stress. The forum is available online on Youtube. Community Mental Health Forum - April 22, 2021

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Editorial

The North Grenville Times

Parents need our support now

by Lorraine Rekmans The federal budget this year has made a substantial investment into childcare with a proposal to make the cost of childcare aﬀordable at $10 a day. The call for a universal childcare program has been on the books for several decades, coming officially from the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, 51 years ago. Canada's federalist structure has been a long-time barrier to the implementation of universal, or national

programs. When the federal government tries to implement national programs, it is often faced by resistance from the provinces because of the division of powers and jurisdictions set out in Canada's Constitution. Whether it is a proposal to create uniformity in the delivery of health services, a national long term care strategy, or childcare, the provinces always resist federal intervention to protect their own jurisdictions. In 1997, the province of Quebec created its own day care program, as part of a package of family reforms that included the provision of parental leave benefits. The program was intended to provide support to families, and enable women to re-enter the workforce, and it did meet that end, with results showing in greater employment and GDP for Quebec. The province created more than 230,000 spaces.

The Voice of North Grenville

The importance of childcare isn't just to ensure families are able to work, and to increase mothers' labor force participation rates, but to also provide educational settings and development opportunities for our youngest Canadians. In this pandemic, families across the country are struggling, with parents working from home, and trying to navigate their children through the technology of virtual learning. The stress must be intense for parents, who are working, child rearing, educating and self isolating. The pressures to perform all these roles well is immense. In this pandemic, we salute the frontline workers, the essential workers, and we never see the invisible heroes, who are at home, managing more than any parent should be expected to manage. Schools have been opened, and closed, and

opened again so often that parents don't know if they are coming or going. The parents who are essential workers, and cannot work from home, are left scrambling to find childcare, in a situation where we are all told to not mingle, and to isolate. As a grandparent, like many grandparents these days, I ﬁnd myself ﬁlling in the gaps where our social policies have failed our families. I am grateful that I am able to provide care for my grandchildren when needed. But this is not an option for many, nor is it a solution for families. There should be no gaps in our social policies when it comes to support for children and families. The services in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta, must be equal to the services for families in all provinces and territories in this federation. What possible reason

could Ontario have for dragging its heels on implementing affordable daycare? In this post-pandemic, economic recovery that seems to be moving farther and farther away down that tunnel, where the light is supposed to be, we are going to need all hands on deck. How could we ever manage to plan an economic recovery without implementing affordable childcare? There is no rational sense to excluding nearly half of a possible workforce because Ontario won't invest in affordable childcare. There is no rational sense to treat Canadians differently because provincial governments want to protect their turf. Some things, like the provision of education, health care, and childcare services, deserve a universal approach across the country. I would expect that my child would receive an equal education no matter what region of Canada they

live in. I would expect the same level of health care from the system, no matter what region of Canada I live in. Why must we look with envy, to provinces that have better social programs than we do? What is the point of a federation, if we are all treated diﬀerently in our respective provinces and territories? And, to those parents out there who are living with these daily challenges to put food on the table, and be your child's teacher’s aide, IT expert, parent, cook, and friend, we salute you. You are the invisible heroes in this pandemic.

Dear Editor, With the return of the warm weather, it is nice to drive around. We live by Bolton Road, a nice country road, not yet paved, but we can always hope for that. If you have a chance to drive down Bolton, I am sure you will be amazed by the quantity of garbage being spread along the road. My wife and I picked up some garbage like we do twice a year along the road, close to our property. On a distance of about 2 kms, we have ﬁlled more than 15 garbage bags... I am not sure what to think about people travelling along that road. They must have a very clean car and do not care about the environment at all. Attitudes of disrespectful, irresponsible, rude people, to say the least. I have a few suggestions for the municipality to help mitigate the problem. I understand there is such a thing as Pitch-in week, but I am not really sure what it accomplishes. What I suggest is that during that week, use the municipal staﬀ, including the fire trucks, to go around to make noise

and distribute yellow bags. Another suggestion is to post signs at strategic locations with anti dumping and ﬁnes signs. If budget is of concern, I suggest you look at the tourist budget....before we try to attract tourism, we should take care of our internal problems. Last suggestion, pass a law as in Germany, were everyone is responsible to clean the front of their property; however, this takes guts, and after what happened at the South Branch...I doubt that anything will be done. PS, I know why Tim Horton is a proud sponsor of the yellow bags... Yves St-Pierre

tive to torture and hanging, was in reality, used as a tool of control and exploitation of the poor since its inception. War is mass murder, capital punishment is murder, murder is murder”. Do we really want mass incarceration in Kemptville? Or should we move to a

brighter future?...and away from the “dark” ages. Kath Piché

Send in your letters to the editor to editor@ngtimes.ca

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I saw the "Happy Earth Day" announcement from our Mayor and Council in the North Grenville Times, April 21, 2021 and find it hypocritical. Are they really allowing 389 living units to be built on 110 acres near Oxford Mills, right beside 50 acres of Protected Wetlands? How long do you think the wetlands will survive with 800+ people living beside it, and all of their dogs? Undoubtedly the owners of the dogs will want to walk in the wetlands or beside them, and a good number will not clean up after their dogs. I have walked in the Ferguson Forest Centre and have seen far too much dog poo lying around to say that everyone picks up after their dogs. Not everyone does and unfortunately it makes everyone look bad, even though a good number do pick up after their dogs. I am assuming there will be sewage lagoons for this development. It is a large number of people whose water use and whose sewage will put great pressure on the surrounding environment. The require-

ment for building beside a protected wetlands, is a 300 ft buﬀer zone, but this may not be enough to protect the wetlands for drainage of water, so the construction can be done. I expect the wildlife will leave from the disturbance of such a large construction site. I also wonder how the infrastructure of the surrounding area will accommodate 389+ cars, since every living unit will need a vehicle to go shopping for necessities. It is ironic that in the same paper there is an article about Ian Angus' book, Facing the Anthropocene, Fossil Capitalism and a Crisis of the Earth System. My sister, who is a biologist out west, said that this book says it all about what is happening today. She also said that the science community are now saying that every little bit we can do to help our environment is extremely important. EVERY LITTLE BIT! Allowing 389 living units on 110 acres, beside a protected wetlands, is not helping the crisis that our planet is in today. Lynn Paibomesai

The North Grenville Times is published weekly by North Grenville Times Inc. Marketing Gord J. Logan gord@ngtimes.ca 613-258-6402 April 28, 2021

Dear Editor, As I am going through some old notes from books I’ve read, I came upon this from a book entitled “No Walls and the Recurring Dream”, by Ani DeFranco: “If you trace the lineage of mass incarceration in America (Canada can apply), you can’t escape its connections to slavery and white supremacy. Incarceration, touted understandably in by gone eras as a progressive alterna-

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TIMES

OFFICE 613-215-0735 Accounting Pat Jessop cfo@ngtimes.ca 613-258-4671

Editor Lorraine Rekmans editor@ngtimes.ca 613-215-0735

FAMILY LAW CIVIL LITIGATION WILLS & ESTATES 613 713 3371

info@pburgerlaw.com

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216B PRESCOTT ST PO BOX 423 KEMPTVILLE, ON K0G 1J0

Mailing Address P.O. Box 1854 Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0 Staﬀ Reporter Hilary Thomson hilary@ngtimes.ca

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The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

The North Grenville Photography Club

In Memorium

Photographer Dorothea Larson submitted this shot from atop her horse to the club’s ‘From Where I Stand’ challenge. Though theoretically sitting, there is no place she would rather be on a warm spring day.

In last week's issue we omitted a second photograph that should have been included. Our sincere apologies to the Photographer.

Orval Crawford

In fond and loving memory of the best husband and father in the world. Orval who passed away May 3, 2003. Our lives go on without you, and nothing is the same. We have to hide our heartache when someone speaks his name Sad are the hearts that love you Silent the tears that fall Living our lives without you Is the hardest part of all He did so many things for us His heart was kind and true And when we needed someone We could always count on you The special years will not return When we were all together But with the love within our hearts You walk with us forever To dearly loved, to ever be forgotten Loving wife Dolly and four sons and their families.

Ron's

Small Engine Repair 613.258.9720

ronssmallengines@outlook.com 1 Jayland Drive, Kemptville (across from old Bingo Hall)

the north grenville

Our camera club has a weekly photo challenge and recently the subject was "Abstract". Not sure how I came up with the idea but I photographed this pump at the start of the Ferguson Forest Trails thinking to distort it in some way in Photoshop to make it an unrecognizable pattern. It is a little diﬃcult to explain in layman terms. In Photoshop I took the digital pixels of the image and converted them into very coarse dots, then blurred the image and using a zoom feature stretched or elongated the image repeatedly into a cone shape before ﬁnally digitally twirling this blurred zoomed cone shaped image both right and then left.

613 867 3838

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services

Joe Gauthier Master Electrician

613.802.4608

joe@oldschool-electric.ca

"No Job Too Small" 9

TIMES Gord Logan

Marketing Consultant Phone 613 258 6402 Email: gord@ngtimes.ca

Ron's

Small Engine Repair 613.258.9720

ronssmallengines@outlook.com 1 Jayland Drive, Kemptville (across from old Bingo Hall)

www.ngtimes.ca

The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

The Voice of Merrickville/Wolford

Merrickville-Wolford council discusses draft budget by Hilary Thomson Merrickville-Wolford council met via teleconference last week to discuss the 2021 budget. The original draft budget, which was presented to council earlier this month, had a 0% tax increase. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Doug Robertson indicated that staﬀ have worked very had to ensure they were fiscally conservative this year, in recognition of the impacts of COVID-19. Although many were simply clarifying questions, there was still some discussion around the council table about a few items. Deputy Mayor Michael Cameron wanted to make sure that the roughly $500,000 the municipality plans to spend on maintenance lifts for some of their tar and chip roads is a good investment. "By doing it now, are we going to extend the life of that tar and chip road so that it's worth

the money we are spending, or would we be better off to take a look at perhaps replacing the roads through a grant program in the coming future?," he asked. Manager of Public Works, Brad Cole, said that they have had the subject roads evaluated and that they are good candidates for the slurry, which will extend the roads' life for 5-7 years. They are also investing in a product called a fog seal, which will seal the roads and hopefully extend their life even further. "Many municipalities have had great results from it, and I've gone and toured a bunch of roads that have had it done, and it looks like a very good product," Brad said. Other roads that were discussed, but didn't make it into this year's budget, were the paving of HF McLean Road in the village and Corktown Road. Although residents have expressed their interest in having these roads paved, council decided to stick to the budget that was

reserve fund, this money is meant to improve library operations, not for maintaining the building. The hope is that council will reinstate the library's building fund to allow them to put aside money dedicated for building repairs every year. While all of council agreed to add the $3,000 to the library's $96,000 line item for this year, Councillor Bob Foster requested that the library submit a more in depth budget, similar to what staff prepare for the municipality. "This current budget doesn't give us any idea about how they allocated funds, or how much was received in terms of grants or donations," he said. Deputy Mayor Cameron agreed and also suggested that they take a look at the library's lease agreement and consider amending it to place the responsibility of building maintenance in the hands of the municipality. "It would be relevant for us to establish a budget line within our budget so that we

presented by staﬀ and defer those projects for another year. Mayor Doug Struthers suggested that council have staﬀ bring back a report at a future council meeting, outlining their options for resurfacing these roads and associated costs. "We can have that conversation in the near future to look at what we can do in the years to come," he said. Deputy Mayor Cameron said he looks forward to having these conversations around the council table, as he believes roads should be a priority for the municipality. "I think that starting to include roads in our budget is something that we should have moved on earlier; but I'm happy to see that the Mayor is having this conversation and allowing this to move forward," he said. The only part of the draft budget that council decided to change was adding $3000 to the library budget for repairs on the library building. Although the library has almost $100,000 in their

can contribute money yearly to the library to make sure the building stays in good standing," he said. With the $3,000 increase to the library budget, staﬀ calculated a tax increase of 0.09%. The total budget for 2021 is sitting at $5,658,242, with $4,202,502 for operating expenses and $1,455,740 in the capital budget. With an average residential property assessment in the municipality sitting at $224,000, most residents will be paying about $1,818.16 in taxes in 2021, an increase of $1.72 over last year. As of last Wednesday, a Powerpoint presentation of

Income Tax Service in Merrickville

John G.Harris, CMC

Certiﬁed Management Consultant jgharris@sympatico.ca (Cell) 613-269-4421 613-297-7553

Public participation needed to document invasive species

Photo provided by Naomi Cappuccino by Hilary Thomson

April 28, 2021

control the lily beetle population in the area. The wasps have been released in about 10 sites across Canada over the past decade. Naomi is currently on sabbatical and was hoping to travel across the country this year, documenting how the release of the wasps have aﬀected the lily leaf beetle population. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic she has been unable to travel, and so she is looking to citizen scientists to help her track the eﬃcacy of the bio-control agents. She has created a short survey through her website asking people to document the presence of the lily leaf beetle in their area. She has also set out a challenge for kids and adults alike to send them lily leaf beetle larvae so that they can see if it has been parasitized. This is a North America wide survey and Naomi says any participation would be extremely helpful so they can map out where they have released the wasps and compare it to how many lily leaf beetles are now present in the area. "We'll be look-

ing basically everywhere in North America that people want to tell us - do they still have a problem with the lily leaf beetle, or in the past ﬁves years has it declined a lot?" she says. "Give us that kind of information and we'll just correlate it with where we've done the releases and see if they match." For more information on this project and to ﬁll out the survey, visit www.lilybeetletracker.weebly.com.

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TIMES Gord Logan

Marketing Consultant Phone 613 258 6402 Email: gord@ngtimes.ca

t- me - n o e g r o F Herbs & Flowers

A biologist from Carleton University is looking for the public's support in documenting the presence of an invasive beetle this summer. The lily leaf beetle is native to Eurasia, which includes Europe, Siberia and into northern China. Researchers having identified two main points for the introduction of the beetle in North America, the ﬁrst being in Montreal, Quebec in the 1940s and the second in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1992. Research suggests that they were most likely brought over from Europe on imported lily bulbs. Since its introduction into

Canada in 1940, the lily leaf beetle has spread all over the country. Populations have been found across Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, with Regina having the most recent outbreak. Associate professor in the department of biology at Carleton University, Naomi Cappuccino, has been studying the spread of the lily leaf beetle across Canada and into the United States for many years. She says the issue with letting the beetle spread is that they have started to attack native species of lilies, like the Canada Lily and Michigan Lily. Although it hasn't been found on the Wood Lily yet, which is the ﬂoral emblem

of Saskatchewan, Naomi says the beetles love it in the lab, so it is only a matter of time until they start wreaking havoc on those populations as well. To help stop the spread of the lily leaf beetle, Naomi and her team have been trying to facilitate the release of bio-control agents into the areas across Canada where they have been documented. They have found a parasitic wasp that is speciﬁc to lily leaf beetles and poses no threat to the Canadian environment. The wasp actually lays its eggs in the beetle larvae, causing more wasps to emerge from the cocoon rather than beetles. "They eat them from the inside out basically," Naomi says. The wasps are relatively diﬃcult to come by as they are sourced by one of Naomi's colleagues in Europe. Naomi says they typically receive about 500 every year, which they distribute across the country in places where the lily leaf beetle has been noted. In 2010, they released about 50 wasps in Ottawa at the Experimental Farm to help

the draft budget was available on the municipal website for public review. The budget was set to be brought back to council and passed on Monday. Deputy Mayor Cameron was concerned that this didn't allow enough time for public input, however Mayor Struthers said the Powerpoint was more for information purposes than comment. "It's not from an input perspective," he said. "This is a process that we've utilized very well on behalf of the residents of the municipality, so we would continue that practice."

Annuals, Hanging Baskets, Perennials, Veggies and Olde Fashion Tomatoes

Monday closed Tuesday to Friday 9am to 6pm Saturday 9am to 5pm Sunday 12 to 3pm 1920 Beach Rd. Oxford Mills, ON

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The Voice of North Grenville

Where to next? A Call to Action SNG Part 3:

submitted by Sustainable North Grenville At Sustainable North Grenville, this 3-part exercise of exploring the history, the present, and now the possible future of our community has been a timely blend of reﬂection and pride in our community. Many who read this will be long-time residents who have been part of the growth and accomplishments made by the community. Newer members of the community, viewing the report card presented last week, might find it revealing. Let's take a closer look at the 5 key areas identiﬁed as 'Needs Work' in the Environment theme, and frame them for local action. Water protection initiatives: Water protection action needs to be a priority, as water is the lifeblood of human and ecological communities. Initiatives such as the Council of Canadians Blue Community Designation sets the bar high for water protection and includes concerns about bottled water, privatization of water and sewage services. The Blue Dot movement is another global initiative that would strengthen the protection of our local environment. Joining with this recognized global movement would support the right of residents, to a healthy environment. Becoming a Blue Community and Blue Dot movement are positive steps that NG could easily take. Being part of these grassroots initiatives sends a clear message to others across Canada and empowers NG to continue on a path of protection of land, air and water - acting locally but thinking globally. Green space protection: As the community grows, rural areas and green space are particu-

HEAPHYS CLEANING SERVICE

April 28, 2021

larly at risk. Local expectations around land use, tree canopy protections, wetlands policy, and protection of our natural spaces should continue to be considered as part of any projects that threaten these spaces. Solar/renewable energy and energy efficiency: While we recognize that the idea of installing solar panels on municipal buildings has been explored in the past and could be undertaken at any time, a broader approach for NG may be best. With federal commitments to bring carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050, we encourage municipal and community-led efforts that support measurable initiatives. Seeking efficiency is often the best return on investment, and we reported on some initiatives last week. Let's leverage what we've started and look to renewable energy generation to meet our needs. Emissions reduction: With the widening of CR43 coming, we have opportunity to address a frequent comment we hear at our SNG events and Fair - enable active transportation with bike lanes or multi-use paths. Dedicated and safer spaces for local travel and exercise are sorely missing and the time to start investing in these is while we're growing and before it's too late. Additionally, the community now sees many electric vehicles and the capability of the latest models makes them ideal for replacing municipal or shared vehicles. With investment at the start, the savings on maintenance, operation, and longer warranties make them a prudent choice, while Ontario's clean electricity grid will yield emissions savings over the lifespan of each EV.

ALL NATURAL

DANIKA HEAPHY OWNER/CLEANER

613.206.7279 heaphyscleaningservice @gmail.com check us out on facebook @heaphyscleaningservice

Climate Mitigation and Sustainability Strategy: NG has a unique blend of rural and developed areas. We've met thousands at our events and Sustainability Fairs - it's clear that people are keen to safeguard what we have in this place we call home. We also recognize that North Grenville has a new and engaged Environmental Action Advisory Committee. Reaching out to Mayor Nancy Peckford in a recent phone interview, we were heartened by her reaction: "Thanks to the shared enthusiasm concerning sustainable community development and positive environmental action, momentum is building for sustainability issues. Going forward, we expect to see more progress in addressing the need for climate mitigation through the development of strategic initiatives at the municipality. These things take time, but we can get there. The fact that we will likely experience more flooding and extreme weather events in the coming years, makes it imperative that we do everything we can to act as quickly as possible." Sustainable North Grenville calls upon our local Council to recognize that we're in a climate crisis, and to commit to taking immediate action now to prepare our community and its residents for the future. We would like to close this 3-part series with our heartfelt thanks to the community of North Grenville, for your support and enthusiasm. Visit us at http://www.sustainablenorthgrenville.ca/ or check us out on Facebook.

WE CARE, WE LISTEN, WE ARE LOCAL. Karen McCallion Hearing Instrument Specialist

Brooke Barkley Hearing Aid Dispenser

2674 County Road 43, Kemptville

613-215-1501 www.hearme.ca

Comfort - Care - Success THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME HEARING LOSS? Call today to book a free hearing assessment! ALREADY HAVE HEARING AIDS? Join our Battery Club and we’ll clean and adjust your hearing aids. You’ll also receive a 6-month supply of batteries for FREE! Call for details. NEED HEARING AIDS? Call today for a free demonstration of the latest hearing aids. Karen and Brooke are funding experts and will help you maximize any available funding, so you pay the least amount out of your own pocket. We’ll even match any Ontario competitor’s competi ’s price!

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Conservatives skeptical about Liberal budget promises

Federal budget supports child care

Member of Parliament, Eric Duncan (Conservative, Stormont Dundas and South Glengarry), recently issued a statement critiquing the federal budget. This was the first budget released by the Liberal government in two years. I am very concerned about the unsustainable spending levels proposed by the government. We are now over $1 trillion in debt, including adding another $155 billion this year alone. For context, every single woman, man and child in Canada now owes $33,000 in debt- and it is expected to grow even more in the forecasts provided in the budget,” said MP Duncan. He said, “The budget also re-promises numerous ideas, including a pledge to address child care. This is the 9th time that this pledge has been made by a Liberal government since 1993, and every time they have failed to deliver on their promises. The Liberals always talk a good game, but can’t actually follow through and deliver on what they say they are going to do.” Conservative leader Erin O’Toole stated that he was also concerned about the “massive new financial commitments,” that were included in the budget. “The Prime Minister has moved too slow for this virus – it is racing ahead of us now. Our healthcare workers, our heroes on the frontlines, are breaking their backs because we don’t have adequate vaccine supply,” he said. “For months, as provinces pleaded for more vaccines, the Liberals have been plotting an election. When Justin Trudeau tables his budget this afternoon, Canadians can expect the Liberal government to incur massive new financial commitments that he expects future generations to pay for."

The Federal budget was released this past week against the backdrop of a devastating third wave in this pandemic, and a surge of COVID-19 cases across the country. As communities struggle to deal with business closures, job losses, transitions from in-school learning to virtual learning, and lockdowns, there have been pleas from various sectors of the country looking for urgent and much needed relief from economic uncertainty. One federal promise, that this Liberal government has made before, was included in this budget which was more than 700 pages long, and that was a commitment to make childcare more affordable. In 1970, a national child care system was recommended by the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, while Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister. After 51 years, there may ﬁnally be some action on this ﬁle, with the Lib-

eral government’s proposal to invest $30 billion over five years, and $8.3 billion per year after that, to create and sustain a national child care program. The goal is to bring the cost of childcare to $10 a day by 2025-2026. NDP party leader, Jagmeet Singh, announced that the NDP would support the budget, even though it left out items that the party was hoping to have included, such as a national pharmacare program and a universal basic income. The threemember Green Party Caucus, in a budget submission to the Finance Minister, called for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to be transformed into a Guaranteed Livable Income, and outlined specific expenditures to address climate change and move to a green economy, including a massive investment in renewable electricity generation from wind, solar, geothermal, and run-of-the river hydro. There was a big focus on economic transition to a green economy with $101.4

by Hilary Thomson

billion in new spending over three years, and there will also be interest free loans to homeowners of up to $40,000 to upgrade housing with green retrofits. Pandemic business and income support measures, such as wage and rent subsidies, will also continue into the fall of this year. One big ticket item in this budget included $236.2 million over five years, and $33.5 million per year afterward, for the departments of National Defence and Veterans Affairs to eliminate sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the military, and to support survivors. This budget also introduces a new $15 per hour federal minimum wage. Aside from spending promises, the budget also contained a number of other legislative proposals including one to amend the Judges Act, to freeze a judge's pension entitlements, as of the date the Canadian Judicial Council recommends a judge's removal from office. There is a measure to address First Nation Band Council

election terms, and a commitment of $125.2 million over four years, beginning in 2022-23, to support First Nations communities' reliable access to clean water. There are proposed measures to crack down on charities the government believes are affiliated with terrorist organizations. Budget 2021 also introduces amendments to the Canada Elections Act to specify, “that making or publishing a false statement in relation to a candidate, prospective candidate, or party leader would be an oﬀence only if the person or entity knows that the statement is false." The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada could also receive new authority under this budget to use ministerial instructions to help select candidates who align with Canada's labour market needs from among those who wish to become permanent residents through the Express Entry System. The budget has yet to pass through voting in the House of Commons.

We really need a community group hug, right about now! by Lorraine Rekmans In the fall of 2019, IPSOS conducted a survey revealing that about half of Canadians were living in precarious ﬁnancial circumstances, and 48% of us were about $200 away from bankruptcy. Economists at the time said they didn't know what the future would hold, as we all went forward into these dire ﬁnancial straits. Little did anyone know at that time, that we would be hit by a pandemic, economic shutdowns, and a crisis of the magnitude that Canadians have never seen before. The government of Canada has reported that the total number of bankruptcies in Canada has increased by 6.4% in February of this year. The fact that the number isn't higher is attributed to the quick reaction of the federal government with income supports directly to Canadians. But these are precarious times, and we can only hang on, if supports continue. We can measure the economic toll that this crisis has had. We can count the number of cases, and the number of vaccines, and sadly tally the

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April 28, 2021

total of lost loved ones, but what we cannot measure is the stress that each of us is under in these horrifying times. It is not enough to call it stressful, trying, or diﬃcult. These are highly troubling days that we live in. The toll we are all paying now is monumental, if we measure it in stress, loss of sleep, isolation from family, longer working hours, shorter pay, and uncertainty, inability to pay rent or buy food. We are paying this toll by taxing our bodies, our resolve, and our hope. We are paying this toll with our own personal mental health . We cannot be trite and say, "hang in there." There is no platitude that will serve in this situation. We need local action. There are 1.2 million small businesses in Canada that are hanging on by a thread, some of these are located in our own community. They need your help if they are going to survive. We know that these small local businesses are the engines that drive Canada's economy, and without them, it will be nearly impossible to think of economic recovery postpandemic.

Do what you can from home to support them. Pick up the phone. Call a local business. Ask them how they are doing. Ask what you can do to help. Send them a virtual hug. Connect, but stay home.

WE NEED HEROES

ACT NOW

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Classiﬁeds FOR SALE

Firewood for sale - mixed hardwood, 3 cord minimum for delivery, $110 per cord, call Jon 613-227-3650 Cedar posts and rails for sale - various sizes, call Jon for pricing 613-227-3650 MEN'S 26" BICYCLE PARTS. EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE FRAME INCLUDING THE TWO WHEELS WITH NEW TIRES/ T U B E S. C A L L D O U G 613 258-4573

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Cedar posts,Spruce logs & pickets.. call 613.258.3561 CHROME MAG RIM & SUMMER TIRE, I have a set of 4 Chrome mag rims (5 bolt oﬀ a 2006 Malibu) and 4 Uniroyal Tiger Paws summer tires, 225/50R18 95T, low proﬁle, mint condition, only used 2 summers. Asking $450 for all. pls call 613-215-0884

SERVICES

Income tax service in Merrickville - John Harris CMC jgharris@sympatico.ca, 613-297-7553

HANDYMAN RETIRED CARPENTER Renovations, kitchens, SERVICES bathrooms, additions, Painting, Demolition, decks, home repair. Drywall, Call George at Carpentry, etc 613 462 7637 Bill at 613-774-2922

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Looking to rent farmland for cash crops. Call or text Mitch @ 613-262-1204. Looking to harvest cedar trees for hedges off acreages from landowners. Please call 613-799-0958 Room to Rent. Low Price, Close to Kemptville. Amazing roommate. Call 613258-3537 Anytime for Details.

Free general help for seniors in need. Call Andrew 613-2778068

Government fails to negotiate agreement with optometrists by Hilary Thomson Optometrists across the province are threatening to stop all OHIP-covered services as of September 1st of this year, if the Ontario government doesn't step up to the bargaining table. According to the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO), the province's 2500 optometrists provide over four million OHIP exams every year. This includes services for children, seniors and adults with disabilities. Only 55% of the cost of these exams is actually paid for by OHIP, leaving optometrists to cover the other 45%. OAO President, Dr. Sheldon Salaba, says this is because the amount paid to optometrists for these essential services has only gone up slightly in the past 30 years. "In 1989, we were being paid $39.15 for an eye exam and in 2021, on average, we're being paid $45, and we know that the cost to deliver the service is over $80". Dr. Salaba says the problem is optometrists have never had any legislated structure that compels the government to negotiate with them April 28, 2021

around compensation measures. Because of this, all their efforts to engage with politicians and bureaucrats within the provincial government have fallen on deaf ears. They did meet with Health Minister Christine Elliot in November of last year, and she confirmed that optometrists should be compensated fairly for their services. However, when an offer came to the table, it came nowhere close to closing the funding gap. "Our membership is really frustrated and they're angry because they're not acting reasonably with us," he says. As a result, 96% of all optometrists in Ontario voted in favour of withdrawing all OHIP services to the public starting at the beginning of September. Because there is no legislation surrounding optometrists charging for these services, this means that OHIP-covered patients across Ontario would not have access to eye care. "All we're asking for to avoid this is that they enter a formal negotiation process with us, and we're asking for them to figure out a funding solution that, at a minimum, covers the operating cost of delivering the service," Dr.

Salaba says. Dr. Carla Eamon, whose practice has been in operation in North Grenville since 1988, says she really doesn't want to have to withdraw services from her patients. However, as the population gets older, and more of her patients qualify for OHIP, it will make it hard for her to run her practice if the government doesn't agree to compensate optometrists fairly. About 70% of her practice is currently OHIP patients. "We have children under OHIP, as well and some people with diseases under OHIP in the middle ages, but the bigger group is the cohort of people who need a lot of care, because they are seniors and we need to take care of them. But it's becoming financially diﬃcult for many optometrists to see a large group of seniors”, she says. Optometrists do have other avenues to recoup costs, like non-OHIP patients and glasses sales, but Dr. Eamon says many just end up making sure they see more people to make ends meet. "You have to work longer hours than you used to," she says. Dr. Eamon hopes that public awareness will help

The Voice of North Grenville

push the government into action well before the September 1 deadline. As a local optometrist, she truly cares about her patients and doesn't want any of them to be without care. "But the concern is that, unfortunately, talking to the government for 30 years nothing has happened, and we're just not getting anywhere." Dr. Salaba says they have already been in touch with the government to advise them of their plans, and they are also planning on putting together a campaign to be launched towards the end of May. The OAO is ready to sit down with the government at any time to start negotiations, and they hope that the September 1 deadline will give them plenty of time to reach a suitable agreement. "Honestly, we really don't want to have any impact to our patients," he says. "This is not a measure that we take lightly at all, and it's sad that we've been pushed to this point that we had to do so."

COMPANION WORKER WANTED

Seeking overnight companion for elderly gentleman in Kemptville. Five nights per week. $20 per hour from 11 to 7 a.m. Background check required. Call 613-853-3276.

OPP Report Six firearms seized in early morning search warrant In April, 2021, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) entered into an investigation for unauthorized possession of firearms. On April 23, 2021, at approximately 6:00 a.m., the CSCU executed a search warrant at a residence on County Road 18, in Augusta Township. The CSCU was assisted by members of the OPP East Region Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU) and Emergency Response Team (ERT). Police located and seized six firearms, including four rifles and two shotguns, as well as variety of ammunition. As a result of the investigation, a man from Augusta Township, Ontario was arrested and charged with the following Criminal Code offences: Section 86(1) - Careless storage of firearm (seven counts) Section 91(1) - Unauthorized possession of a firearm (six counts) Section 92(1) - Knowledge of unauthorized possession of firearm (six counts) Section 95(b) - Possession of prohibited or restricted firearm/ammunition The accused has been released and is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brockville on May 21, 2021. The investigation is still ongoing and continues to be led by the CSCU. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To report information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-(TIPS) 8477 or submit your tip online at www. ontariocrimestoppers.ca. Crime Stoppers does not want your name, you don't go to court, and you could earn a cash reward.

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CROSSWORD

The Food Corner by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville Let's try another salad this week. This one is a Crab and Rice Salad great for an evening's light meal, or as an accompaniment to larger fare. It's also great at lunch time, served with some Naan bread, lightly heated in the microwave.

Crab and Rice Salad

Ingredients 12 ounces of frozen cooked Atlantic Crab meat 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste) 1 cup of cooked rice, refrigerated 2-4 tablespoons of ﬁnely chopped onion ½ cup of diced celery or diced green pepper A 12 ounce package of frozen green peas, cooked and refrigerated Salt, pepper and a bit of sugar to taste Preparation 1. Thaw and drain the crab; remove any bits of cartilage you may ﬁnd. 2. Toss and mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate. 3. Serve up to 6 servings on full leaves of Romaine or Iceberg lettuce. 4. If desired, pack the mixture into a well-oiled mould and refrigerate that way; then to serve, turn over onto leaves of lettuce as a dinner or lunch feature. 5. Also, if you have a bigger family or bubble, just increase the amounts of the ingredients. Substitutions include: Canned LeSieur petit pois for the peas; mock crab (well chopped); mixed white and wild rice; and lobster meat if you are so inclined. Keep your hopes up for good weather so we can all get outside and get some fresh (but safe) air. Best, as always from: pcormier@ranaprocess.com.

ACROSS 1. Takes oﬀ 6. Pond gunk 10. Spar 14. Everglades bird 15. French for "Head" 16. Feudal worker 17. Muse of love poetry 18. District 19. Mimics 20. Division 22. Tidy 23. Mommies 24. Smallest ﬁnger 25. Existence 29. Seabird having a large bill 31. Something dazzlingly excellent (British) 33. A powerful wooden bow 37. A street of small shops 38. Specify

The Scents of Spring by Claudia Sutton "There is no glory in star or blossom until looked upon by a loving eye. There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by" (William Cullen Bryant) Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of Spring? I ventured out for an early walk today with Ollie the dog, and the air was filled with the scent of pine and spruce and an earthy fragrance that comes after a rain. It was as if all the trees were bursting with green. Now that it appears that Spring is truly here, we applaud the cheerful bird sounds to greet the day, with more sunshine to warm our winter weary souls. The overnight temperatures are not as daunting to keep the young plants warm, so we have more time to plant and seed, and more time to wander the gardens to see what new growth of perennials there are. We are often surprised to find a perennial that lost its marker and that we had forgotten about. I love these serendipitous surprises in nature. Each day passes so quickly as compared to the long days of winter. When it's time to transplant the herbs, a wide smile spreads across my face, as the heavenly scents of basil, oregano, sage, lavender, and many others fill the greenhouse. This is my happy place. We have a small sign April 28, 2021

in the greenhouse that says "Please touch the herbs", as we have found this is the way the scent is released. In the early years of growing herbs, I soon discovered there really was something to the term "aroma-therapy". After watering a number of scented geraniums, or pruning up to at least 100+ varieties of herbs, I would return back to other chores completely relaxed. I decided to enrol for Certification as an Aromatherapy Health Practitioner to learn more about this ancient therapy, which included healing massage, aromatology, and learning the history of herbs for their culinary, medicinal and healing qualities. Of late, I have expanded on this and have begun a home Herbalist program. There are numerous books and videos and a whole host of information on these topics; however, I am a staunch enthusiast of just the raw plant material; its texture, and its benefits of taste and scent and medicinal qualities. I must admit that with all this information, one can find it daunting as to which way to proceed - perhaps a scented medicinal garden or a kitchen culinary garden!? If it is one's first try with herbs, and one wishes to plant a herb garden for healing and fragrance, perhaps the choice of lemon verbena (calming with either hot or iced tea), lemon balm, bergamot, calamint, chamomile, or sage could be considered. For a kitchen or culinary garden, one might

choose chocolate or banana mint, thyme, parsley, basil or rosemary. Herbs are versatile and useful in such a variety of ways. One could never become bored! Many flowers of herbs are edible as well! Herb gardens come in all sizes - perhaps one could keep just a few potted plants outside your door, or on your deck or intermix them. Locating herbs along a walkway or by an entry way ensures any passerby will delight in the plant's colours, textures and scents. If lavender is on your list of herbs to grow, you can find bliss with easy lavender recipes that promote relaxation and stress relief, (something many of us are in need of right now). A lavender bath soak with lavender bath salts are calming and therapeutic and include; 1 cup of Epsom salts, 1 cup of Himalayan salt or sea salt, 20 drops of lavender essential oil, 3 tbsp sweet almond or olive oil, 1/4 cup dried lavender buds. Add salt to a 1 quart bowl and mix, and then add essential oil and the almond or olive oil and mix thoroughly. Stir in lavender buds. Store in a lightly sealed jar. Here's hoping your journey into herbs is a pleasant, scent-filled one! "Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived." (Helen Keller)

39. Staunched 41. Watered down 42. Indigenous 44. Not more 45. Daunts 48. Puke 50. Killed 51. In a non-hurting manner 56. Eastern discipline 57. Away from the wind 58. Relative magnitudes 59. Blacken 60. Gashes 61. Step 62. Fit 63. Lock openers 64. Creepy

DOWN 1. Accomplishment 2. Monster 3. Make secure by lashing 4. Greek cheese 5. Gale 6. Stutter 7. Breakfast food 8. Implement 9. Food from animals 10. Having purpose 11. Type of poplar tree 12. Move stealthily 13. Cantankerous 21. Becoming gradually narrower 24. Discussion group 25. Wanes 26. Thin strip 27. Small, medium or large 28. Graniteware 30. Will supplement 32. Curses 34. Chomp 35. 1 1 1 1 36. Marries 40. Depreciate 41. Faintness 43. Half 45. Mentally prepare 46. Hello or goodbye 47. Lawful 49. Brusque 51. Arrange in a container 52. Satisfy 53. Sun 54. 53 in Roman numerals 55. Bygone era

Solutions to last week’s Sudoku

Easy

Medium

Hard

Solution to last week’s Crossword

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The Voice of North Grenville

The man who made Ontario

William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, by John Hoppner, National Portrait Gallery, London by David Shanahan For twenty-five years after Britain took possession of New France, they had faced continual challenges in administering the new Province of Quebec. Finding themselves ruling a colony where the vast majority of the population spoke a diﬀerent language, had diﬀerent legal and land tenure systems, successive

governors in Quebec and Colonial Secretaries in London could find no effective way to integrate the two traditions. They originally confined the new Province to the east side of the Ottawa River, leaving what is now Ontario to the indigenous people, in what was called Indian Territory. In 1774, Britain passed the Quebec Act, which ex-

tended the colony’s borders west to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and down into the Ohio valley. This attempt to further restrict the American colonies led only to a War of Independence, which saw British possessions in North America reduced to the single colony of Quebec. Committees provided numerous reports on the political and legal issues involved in trying to rule both English and Canadians, as the two sides were called. By 1788, only 20% of the population in the colony were English, and they were outnumbered ﬁfteen to one by the Canadians in the more rural areas. No-one could come up with a practical and eﬀective plan for dealing with the issues. Canadians wanted to keep their commercial laws and their seigneurial land system. Or at least most of them seemed to want that, but no-one was sure. The English demanded an Assembly, an elected parliamentary body, instead of rule by governor and council. After 1783, around 6,000 Loyalist refugees from the Thirteen Colonies had been settled on the north

side of the St. Lawrence and around the Bay of Quinté, and they were also demanding a change in the land system and an Assembly. Then, in June, 1790, William Grenville became Colonial Secretary in London and, in less than a year, had produced a plan, wrote the required legislation, and had it passed through Parliament. William Wyndham Grenville was born in October, 1759, just a few weeks after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, when the power of the French King in North America eﬀectively ended. He has rightly been described as “conscientious, thorough, and enormously industrious”. His plan had far-reaching ramifications for the future of Canada. He divided the Province of Quebec into two separate provinces, to be called Upper Canada and Lower Canada. The dividing line between the two was the Ottawa River, for the most part, and it stretched from the St. Lawrence north to the Hudson’s Bay Company lands, and from the Ottawa west to the Great Lakes, and possibly beyond. That border remained somewhat

vague, as Britain had retained possession of certain forts, such as Detroit, that were meant to be handed back to the Americans, but had been held on to as part of the fur trade network. In 1867, Upper Canada would become the new Canadian Province of Ontario, and it was Grenville who established the foundations in 1791. The Constitutional Act was introduced in the House of Commons in March, 1791, received royal approval in June, and became law in December. Upper Canada came into being on Boxing Day, 1791, 230 years ago. By then, Grenville had taken the position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs during the wars against France following the Revolution in that country. He would later become Prime Minister in 1807 in a coalition government, which tried, and failed, to win voting rights for Catholics. But Grenville did succeed in bringing about an end to the slave trade in the British Empire. His political career was generally considered a success, although his time as

Prime Minister only lasted a matter of months. His support of Catholic Emancipation was a courageous one at the time, and the refusal of the King, George III to allow Catholics to take seats in Parliament led to Grenville’s resignation as Foreign Secretary in 1801. William Grenville left politics in 1823 when he suﬀered a stroke, and he died in 1834. In 1791, 230 years ago, William Grenville was the main guiding force, and author, of the Act that established Upper Canada, later to become the Province of Ontario after 1867. In 1792, his friend, John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, established counties in the newly-established Province. One of these he named after William Grenville. And so we have the Municipality of North Grenville, named after a rather intriguing and talented man. He perhaps deserves to be better remembered than he is by the people of that county.

Parents, students and teachers adapt to another round of online learning by Hilary Thomson As students settle into another round of online schooling, some parents are concerned about what long-term virtual learning might mean for their children's education. Local parent Janine Falk, says her seven-year-old daughter, Tanja, definitely fell behind after doing four months of online school last year. Janine says at home learning wasn't structured well to give her the tools she needed going into grade two, and that has shown in her report card this year. Reading was a particular struggle, and it took Tanja up until Christmas to start reading on her own and at a grade-two level. "Her marks reflected the fact that she clearly lost out on that time that she needed with the teachers to give her proper educational structure," Janine says. As an only child, Janine also worried that Tanja wasn't benefitting from the socialization with peers that she would have gotten at school. "We ended up bubbling with another family because they're also a family of one child, the same age as Tanja," she says. April 28, 2021

"It was the best source of socialization we could oﬀer her at the time." Tanja went back to Kemptville Public School in-person in the fall; but now, along with all other Ontario students, she is back learning from home. Janine says that while she would prefer Tanja be in school, both teachers and parents are now more prepared for the realities of virtual learning and things are going much more smoothly. Although the fear of Tanja falling behind is still there, the school is providing them with much more guidance about how to structure the day, and with an end in sight, it is making it much easier to manage. "We have our head in the game completely now, because we know what happened last year and we've learned from our mistakes," Janine says. Local mom of three, Kristin Strackerjan, agrees that online learning is leaps and bounds ahead of what it was like last year. Her children Mabel (grade 8), Oscar (grade 6) and Zac (grade 4) all go to École Rivière Rideau on the Kemptville Campus. She says they have noticed that kids are

more comfortable with using the technology and being in a virtual classroom. Teachers have also been able to put more of a structure in place that is conducive to delivering the material, as well as making sure students know what is expected of them during breaks and asynchronous learning periods. "I think our board and our teachers at our school have done a really good job in adapting to that," Kristin says. One of the tools that some school boards and teachers have been using in the virtual space is online gaming. The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) has been using online gaming as a way for students to explore and engage in learning that sparks their curiosity and interest. "We are so proud to see CDSBEO technology allow our digital learners to be engaged, adaptable and ready for the next challenge," said Nancy McIntyre, CDSBEO Principal of Curriculum, in an email. "Through new and emerging technology tools, teachers are expanding learning experiences for students in a highly engaging manner that ensures 15

all students can participate and succeed." For example, one CDSBEO program called Girls Who Game, is an extracurricular club of ten grade eight virtual learning female students who are using the popular game Minecraft to re-imagine their community according to two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality and Aﬀordable Clean Energy. "This group is learning how they can be change agents right now through gaming," Nancy said. Although Tanja is not yet old enough to participate in a program like Girls Who Game, her teachers are also using online gaming to support learning at the elementary school level. Tanja loves playing a math-based game called Prodigy, where students must solve math problems to defeat an evil puppet master. "Having these tools has been a blessing in disguise," Janine says. "My daughter's had a tablet for a few years now, and she can easily manipulate her way into the programs, and then actually like doing them because she's achieving some-

thing. They're really great learning tools." Despite the immense progress that school boards in the province have made to the structure of online learning in just a few short months, many parents still feel that in-person learning is the way to go. With the government hinting at making online school a permanent option for Ontario students, Kristin believes that while it may be a good option for some, in-person is still best for her kids. "I think there are a whole bunch of other questions that sort of fall from those kinds of options that I don't have the answers to," she says. "I don't know what the province will wind up doing, but I wouldn't want to see the public system, or any system where there's in class learning for that matter, be degraded because there's

a shift in trying to convince everybody to go online because in class is no longer a good option." Janine doesn't believe that online school is a good permanent option for any student, regardless of whether they excel or not. "I am a ﬁrm believer in in-front of teacher schooling practices, especially after having this experience." While she says online school might be an OK option for high school students, she still thinks they would still be missing the social aspects of the school experience. "There's the social side of being in school, of being with your friends.”

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TIMES Gord Logan

Marketing Consultant Phone 613 258 6402 Email: gord@ngtimes.ca

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Clear Cut Installations Turning houses into homes

35 years ago, Steve Caza began a business which transforms houses into homes. From the floor right up to the roof, Clear Cut provides expert installation of kitchens, bathrooms, floors, windows and even the roof that tops it all off. Steve and his team of expert employees and installers can help you design the kitchen and bathroom you want, made to your own specifications. Whether it’s new windows, doors, flooring, or a whole new look to your entire home, Clear Cut Installations can provide everything you need to give your home a new and personal look. They have thirty years of experience and expertise behind them, and high quality professional service begins with a free in-home consultation to ensure you have the kitchen or bathroom you want, designed to meet your individual requirements and style.

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April 28, 2021

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What's sowing…

by Joselyn Morely April's weather can be all over the place! In the space of a week, it can go from sunny and warm, to rainy and windy, to downright snowy and cold! What is a gardener to do? Be patient. And never plant all of your seeds at once! No matter how warm and sunny it gets, resist the urge to plant out your tender seedlings. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants should not be planted out until Victoria Day. The average last frost date for our area is May 11 according to OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Aﬀairs). That means there is a 50% chance of having frost after that date. In May 2020, the temperature reached a low of minus 5 degrees C on the night of May 12, and a high of 35 on May 27. Yes, those are outliers, but

those outliers are going to kill your plants! The big box stores often bring their plants out as early as possible, so people see tomato seedlings and petunias in the stores, or their neighbours' window boxes, and worry that they're late. Relax! Remember, the big box stores beneﬁt if your plants die, because then you will go buy more! Save your money, and your seedlings. Climate change is making extreme weather more common, so we may be seeing more freak cold snaps in May, or a heatwave in April. Some people will wait until June 1 to plant peppers outside as they can get shocked by the cold, and stop growing. If we get a late frost, you can cover your plants, but they won't survive a freeze. Any tender seedlings that were planted early last year, froze on May 12. You can direct sow your frost-hardy crops

Gary Arcand

such as lettuces, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, peas and kale now, either seeds or seedlings. The semifrost-hardy crops such as beets, carrots, cauliflower or celery, can go in beginning to mid May. Tomatoes, beans, and other semi-frost-tender crops can go in by Victoria Day. Most people direct sow beans, but you'll want tomato seedlings in our zone. Finally, frost-tender plants such as eggplant and pepper seedlings, as well as crops like pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, and melons are best left to the first of June. Many people put everything tender in by Victoria Day and cross their fingers! Similarly, don't put the tender flowers out until the tomatoes and peppers are out. Just like vegetables, some flowers will tolerate a little frost and cold, such as pansies, marigolds, geraniums, and the perennials that have made it through the winter, like iris. Other flowers, such as impatiens or begonias, will shrivel and die. Don't forget a good trellis for your pole beans, and if you have indeterminate tomato varieties, why not try trellising them? They will continue to grow up, as long as they have support. What are you sowing? Joselyn@ndtimes.ca. Come join us on Facebook at Winchester Gardeners.

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Molloy - Inwood

has retired After 50 years of working for KBC

Take Naps Enjoy your permanent weekends Time to start those fun things you want to do Don’t stop being the inner young person you have always been! Happy retirement to a wonderful husband, father and Poppa. We are so proud of how hard you have worked and now it is time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Love, Bev, JoAnne & Abdul, Stephanie & Peter, Emma & Evelyn

The Molloy and Inwood families are happy to announce the engagement of their children Padraic (Paddy) Molloy and Krystal Inwood. A fall wedding is planned. Photo -Stephanie Mason

WE'D LOVE TO HELP! WHETHER YOU HAVE AN INJURY OR COULD JUST USE SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO REACH A NEW GOAL!

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Baldwin's Birds Dear Readers, I hope that you are all ﬁt and well and managing to keep a smile on your face. Within minutes of posting my email last week, about the birds, these beauties landed, in the trees, near my feeders. The bright red one is a male House Finch and the other is a Tree Sparrow, which has a two toned beak and a small spot on its chest as distinguishing features. The Song Sparrow was another, and it has a striated chest with a spot and a uniformly colored beak and perky tail. It is probably a little darker too. These birds were lucky enough to get some sunshine, which also heralded a return to our nesting boxes of a pair of Tree Swallows, for a very brief time. The damp cold weather put them oﬀ very quickly and they disappeared once again! Last week’s snow brought a surprise, in the form of a lone male Evening Grosbeak, along with our Cardinal, a bunch of female and male Redwing Blackbirds, Juncos and a chubby cheeked Chipmunk! We have also been visited by two Redbreasted Nuthatches, who have even been feeding together, on one of our peanut feeders, which isn't, for us, a very common occurrence at all. As well as our "Chippie", we still get the Red, Black and Grey Squirrels to our feeders. The Red one is actually using one of our multi-compartmental nesting boxes, in the back yard, to raise its 4 young ones, as life carries on, regardless. Stay safe and take care. Cheers, John Baldwin April 28, 2021

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The North Grenville Times

Gender makes a diﬀerence in heart disease

While the current pandemic holds a firm grip on everyone's attention, another killer may be getting a stronger foothold on us - and chances are, women will continue to pay a higher price. Coronary heart disease is already a leading disease for women and men. Common sense suggests the situation is getting worse. The sedentary lifestyle imposed by lockdowns, accompanied by weight gain and higher alcohol use, is not the way to lower incidence of heart

disease. But how does it aﬀect women diﬀerently? A report in the journal, Circulation, notes that heart disease kills ten times as many women as breast cancer. It takes the life of one in every three women, more than all cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and accidents combined. A report from the American Heart Association confirms stunning improvements in death rates of both sexes from coronary heart disease since 1980. But women have not shared the

that an immediate electrocardiogram or stress test is less likely to show the typical ﬁnding of heart attack. If a woman has an early diagnosis of coronary attack and survives it, a bypass operation may be required. Here, too, however, women still have twice the risk of dying during the surgery or shortly thereafter. Tirone David, an internationally renowned heart surgeon in Toronto, explains one reason why the mortality rate is higher. The coronary arteries are smaller in females. This makes surgery technically more challenging when vessels the size of spaghetti are joined together. What should women do to decrease the risk of heart disease? First, any woman still smoking should see a psychiatrist, as the risk of heart attack is seven times greater than non-smokers. Knowing your family history is also key. If your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or your mother or sister before age 65, this substantially increases risk. It's a red ﬂag that urges, "double down on preventive measures".

beneﬁts equally. One reason is that most people still tend to think of heart attack as a male disease. That's largely because men suﬀer heart attack on average, earlier in life, driving more attention to the issue. But in women, after menopause, the gender gap disappears. What are the signs of trouble? Chest pain is the most common symptom in both sexes. But at least onethird of women do not show this classic symptom during coronary attack. Rather, they complain of shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, palpitations, dizziness, intense anxiety or pain in the jaw, neck, upper back, or arm. These problems may be mistaken for a panic attack with fatal delay in diagnosis. But suppose, careful attentiveness lead to a rapid call to emergency? Even so, for women, studies show

Between 1996 and2016, Ontario lost 1.5 million acres of farmland to development Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Do you know where your food comes from? It’s a simple question with a surprisingly complex answer. Our food security and the economies that rely on it are dependent on a complicated agricultural supply chain – one that starts on the farm and ends at the dinner table. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. No matter where or when you are talking about it, there is one truth about farmers everywhere – you cannot farm without farmland. Whether you are talking about your morning toast, the cream in your coﬀee, the chicken on your dinner plate or the apple slices in April 28, 2021

your children’s lunch – all of these ingredients depend on Ontario farmers and Ontario farmland. Protecting and preserving the land that grows these products is a key priority of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Agricultural land is a finite and shrinking resource the agri-food sector depends on to effectively produce food, fibre and fuel for Ontario, Canada and the world. Farmers continue to be the definition of innovation, producing more yield with less inputs. With advances in technology and new, innovative techniques, farmers have become increasingly efficient at maximizing the productivity of farmland. However, urban sprawl

continues to threaten the sustainability and viability of our sector. Today, Ontario farmers grow and produce more than 200 diﬀerent commodities and the industry employs nearly 1 million workers in food production and processing. Additionally, the agri-food sector contributes $47 billion annually to the provincial economy. Over the past 25 years, Ontario has lost farmland at an alarming rate. To put the problem into perspective, according to OMAFRA’s data collected from the 2016 Census of Agriculture, from 1996-2016, Ontario lost 1.5 million acres of farmland to development, at a daily rate loss of 175 acres per day — roughly the size of 135 football fields. That

works out to be an average of five farms per week lost to development in an effort to keep pace with Ontario’s growing population. The rate at which our province is losing agricultural land is not sustainable. Especially given the fact that less than 5% of Ontario’s land base can support agricultural production of any kind. With the demand to increase the production of food, fibre and fuel for an ever-growing population, farmers struggle as our finite resources continue to diminish. With the development of farmland, jobs are being lost, resources are becoming limited, and our agrifood system is experiencing more pressure to be sparing with their land. This can all 18

The Voice of North Grenville

If there is a history of cardiovascular disease, a daily 81 milligram Aspirin may be helpful. But since Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, always discuss this medication with your doctor. Remember that obesity leads to Type 2 diabetes, which in turn increases the risk of heart attack. Women who have trouble losing weight should try and try again. Have your blood pressure checked. It has been estimated that one-third of heart attacks in women could be prevented by controlling blood pres-

sure. If blood cholesterol is elevated, cardiologists and most other doctors will recommend cholesterollowering drugs. Discuss this with your physician. But know there are alternatives, including high doses of vitamin C and lysine, a combination that has helped keep one of us alive for more than 20 years after severe heart attack. Sign-up at www.docgiﬀ. com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @ docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

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TIMES Gord Logan

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have extremely detrimental eﬀects on the security of food production in Ontario. Over the past two years, we have seen an increase in the use of Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs). MZOs allow the Minister of Municipal Aﬀairs and Housing the ability to bypass previous planning rules in order to change the zoning of a piece of property. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been over six MZOs issued that have directly impact farmland. The Ontario government is using MZOs to permit low-density housing subdivisions, nursing homes, warehouses, factories, and other non-agriculture uses on productive farmland, contributing to urban sprawl with projects better suited to an urban landscape. OFA urges the government to prioritize the protection and preservation of viable farmland used to grow grains, fruits and vegetables and raise our livestock for meat, poultry and dairy. Canada is one of the very few developed countries that can currently meet the food requirements of our population while

continuing to export to other areas of the world. We saw the importance of this during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis when borders closed, and store shelves ran dangerously low on supplies. This raised awareness about the importance of food security and food sovereignty. Consumers have gained a newfound appreciation for food that comes from local producers. The increased use of MZOs has the potential to jeopardize the future of our domestic food supply. The loss of farmland aﬀects both producers and consumers, threatening the supply of our domestic food production. Similar to how we view climate change, policymakers need to look to the future. When it comes to farming, OFA wants to ensure the next generation has the resources and land to produce food, ﬁbre and fuel for the future. Land use planning matters; where our food comes from matters too. When we lose agricultural land to urban sprawl, it is lost forever.

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STORE HOURS

May 9

Mother’s Day Dinner Special

Creamy asparagus velouté Beef tenderloin wild mushroom and truﬄe sauce Croquettes potatoes, vegetable medley Strawberry and chocolate parfait $40.00 plus HST and delivery Tuesday May 4 1- Mariposa Farm Duck magret on a skewer, in a hoisin ginger marinade, sesame coated, Sautéed bok choy and rice. 2- Grilled vegetable and halloumi cheese, Balsamic reduction, Crispy romain, Parmesan vinaigrette.

Monday to Friday 8:00am to 7:00pm Saturday 8:00am to 6:00pm Sunday 9:00am to 6:00pm

Wednesday May 5 (Cinco de Mayo, Celebration of Mexican heritage. It commemorates the date of the Mexican army's victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862) 1- Tamale pie (beef), Salsa and guacamole, Mexican salad . 2- Vegetarian tamale pie, Salsa and guacamole, Mexican salad .

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Thursday May 6 1- Baked tilapia ﬁllet, Capers sauce Rose, Basmati rice and vegetables. 2- Baked tofu, Capers sauce Rose, Basmati rice and vegetables.

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Friday May 7 1- Homemade corned beef with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. 2- Vegetarian cabbage rolls in tomato and cheese sauce, Steamed potatoes

Sunday May 23rd Classic mid afternoon Victoria High Tea

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April 28, 2021

The sandwiches : Lemony crab and cucumber club, open face smoked salmon and avocado, Coronation chicken sandwich, eggs and chives, Apple Boursin ﬁnger sandwiches . The scones : Old cheddar buttermilk scones, blueberry scones, with jam and clotted cream. The canapés : Mini chicken pot pie, chèvre and walnut tartlet, Waldorf skewers, sausages rolls, goat cheese crostini. The petits fours : Lemon drizzles slices, chocolate éclairs, mini fruit ﬂans, chocolate cranberry cheesecake bar. Cost is $25.00 per person (minimum 2 persons), plus delivery and HST

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Menu #59 Tuesday May 4 - Friday May 7

Order & Pay online www.cateredaﬀairs.ca 613-324-3136 $37.50 Complete Meal for 2 + HST $70.00 Complete Meal for 4 + HST All Meals include; Chef's choice of Appropriate Side Dishes & a Light Dessert Chicken Korma or Vegan Korma

Tender boneless chicken in curry coconut sauce, Basmati rice, Vegetable Samosas & tamarind sauce 1 per person, Flatbread, salad & veggies

Bacon Bourbon Meatballs

Beef & Bacon Meatballs in an On The Bend Maple - Bourbon BBQ Sauce. Served with Yukon Gold Mashed, Jalapeno Cheddar Hush Puppies, Vegetables, & Salad

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Sweet n Spicy Chicken, Cilantro - Scallion Rice, Sesame Broccoli Stir Fry, Stirfried Soy Noodles, Egg Rolls with Plum Sauce & Wonton Soup

Classic Beef Ragout & Pasta

Slow Braised Beef with Red Wine, Tomato & Rosemary, Served with EVOO & Garlic Tossed Pasta, Parmesan Buttered Ciabatta, & a Vegetable Salad with Saﬀron Dressing

Pre order your Mothers Day Meals By TUESDAY MAY 4thFriday May 7th 1:30-4:30pm or Saturday May 8th 11am-2pm) Meals come cold with gentle heating instructions in oven ready pans Take-out Dinner 3 Course dinner for 4 $120.00 or dinner for 2 $65 -1st Course -

Strawberry, Red onion, Pepittas, Goats cheese & Greenhouse Green salad with strawberry cracked pepper balsamic vinaigrette -Main Course - all accompanied with Roasted Baby potatoes and Vegetables Steak Diane (G/F & D/F) Beef medallions in a mushroom, Mrs Mcgarrigle's Dijon & brandy sauce Chicken Kiev Crisp breaded Chicken breast Stuﬀed with Herbed butter Seafood Gratin Large Shrimp, Baby bay scallops & White ﬁsh in rich white wine cheese sauce Vegetarian Gratin (Vegetarian available as single portion) Medley of Vegetables in rich white wine cheese sauce -Dessert Lavender Creme brulee Or N.Y. Cheesecake with Chocolate & Raspberry Sauce Mothers Day Brunch Kit Available for pick up Saturday May 8th $75 for family of 4 Ready for you to prepare for Mom early morning on Mother’s Day Eggs Benedict Kit (Very Strict instructions to follow!) Poached Eggs, House made Hollandaise, Potato rosti, Baby Spinach, Local Peameal Sweet Crépes (2 Per Person) Fresh prepared fruits & Berries, Caramelized Apples, Vanilla Sugar whipped cream, On The Bend Maple Syrup, Chocolate syrup, Candied Almonds & Coconut Charcuterie Grazing Box for 2 $25 A Selection of Cured Meats, Chicken Liver pate & Preserves, Local Cheeses, Croustades & Crisps, Crudite & Fruit Tropical Mimosa Kit $35.00 750 ml bottle $15 for 250ml Fresh Orange & Mango juice with tropical fruit garnish & Sparkling rose -Mar-Tini-Bites Cooking Class Friday May 14th6:30-8:30pm $20 per household instruction- $120 with full ingredient prep kit for 2

Learn 2 make Martini’s & 3 Easy Appetizers ... The perfect gift for Mom (18+)

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Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario Board Meeting Highlights Social-Emotional Learning in Mathematics The implementation of a new strand in mathematics known as social emotional learning is helping CDSBEO students develop a positive relationship with mathematics. Social-emotional learning skills help students develop confidence, cope with challenges, and think critically. This learning reflects current research and the government’s commitment to student wellbeing and skill-building. Principal of Curriculum, Nancy McIntyre, and Curriculum Numeracy Consultant, Crystal Lake, provided an overview of how socialemotional learning is helping students to become more confident learners and thinkers. With the release of the 2020 new Mathematics Curriculum (grades 1 to 8), the Ministry of Education has embedded “Social Emotional Learning” as a new mathematics strand. “In 2019, the Ministry released the new Health and Physical Education curriculum which included the strand of social-emotional learning. Then in the fall of 2020, it appeared in the new math-

ematics curriculum,” began Principal McIntyre. “It is clear that social emotional learning skills are necessary for student success.” Students develop socialemotional learning skills and use math processes (for example, problem solving and communicating) across the math curriculum. Through these skills students will learn to make connections between math and everyday life. The strand helps students to recognize and discuss mistakes and learn from them, as well as use strategies to be resourceful in working through challenging problems. The importance of developing self-awareness and a sense of identity are also a focus of social-emotional learning. Students are invited to reflect on texts, specifically the book “I Am Enough” by Grace Byers, which provide constructive affirmations for those who lack self-esteem and self-acceptance. The lesson provides opportunities for students to reflect on themselves in a positive light and build their self-confidence. Care for Our Common Home

The CDSBEO has recently responded to a call for best practices that went out to all schools across the province from OCSTA Director of Catholic Education, Anne O’Brien. The request asked school boards to share the ways we communicate, collaborate, and celebrate eco initiatives in schools. The responses provided are to be featured in a collective OCSTA document called Together in Faith: Care for Our Common Home. Principal of Religious and Family Life Education, Paul Mantha and Curriculum Consultant Meghan Wood submitted a response that was so outstanding, the Board received a letter from OCSTA President Patrick Daly thanking our Board for our contributions to OCSTA’S collection of promising practices that will be presented at the upcoming OCSTA Annual General Meeting. “The CDSBEO Department of Religious and Family Life Education is excited to highlight the diverse means by which schools collaborate, communicate, and celebrate environmental initiatives as we work together to dem-

onstrate our resounding response to the call of our Holy Father to care for our common home,” began Mantha in his presentation to the Board of Trustees. “OCSTA intends to publish this compendium of effective practices on May 24, 2021, as a means of commemorating the anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si, published on the same day ﬁve years ago, May 24, 2015. On May 24, 2015, Pope Francis signed the encyclical Laudato Si’, which called upon not only Catholics all over the world, but the entire global community to recognize how every person is profoundly connected and dependent on one another, as well as on the natural world in which we all live. He stated that a great cultural, spiritual, and educational challenge stands before humanity, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal. Pope Francis urges that we “regain the conviction that we need one another, and that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world.” “With respect to Laudato Si, the OCSTA asked

for boards to share the way their schools build environmental awareness, strategies, projects, campaigns, and activities through three areas including collaboration and connection, communication and engagement, and celebration and proclamation,” explained Mantha. While there are many ways in which CDSBEO schools demonstrates these three important characteristics of eﬀective stewardship, the EcoSchools program has provided an avenue to allow school communities to showcase their commitment to the environment. Many additional examples were provided of ways that students engage in learning and leadership opportunities through various environmental projects and initiatives including the planting of butterﬂy and pollinator gardens, community garbage pick-up and greening projects, supporting local food banks with food grown in school gardens, regular waste audits and waste free lunch initiatives, composting, tree planting, and environmental awards for students. “In closing, the teachings

CUPE decries province’s hospital cuts submitted by Canadian Union of Public Employees The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the longstanding capacity issues in Ontario's hospital system created by successive provincial governments' under-funding hospital care and cutting 20,000 beds. But under the Progressive Conservative’s health funding plan laid out in its March budget, things are going to get much worse, says a Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) research paper, Ontario Hospital Crisis: Overcapacity and Under Threat. The research report was released on April 26th. The report projects staﬀ and funding cuts for eastern Ontario hospitals in Quinte/ April 28, 2021

Brockville, Cornwall, Ottawa, Pembroke and Kingston as examples of the depth of the cuts that are projected. "As these ongoing cuts take hold, year after year for the next decade, Ontario's hospitals will stagger as an aging and growing population pits far too many very sick patients against its weakening capacity, says Michael Hurley president of CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE). "Patients will be at risk. There will be no surge capacity. This government has learned nothing from the COVID pandemic." The Ontario 2021 Budget plans to cut COVID health care funds by $3.25 billion. But, even that will be dwarfed by the cuts that will be re-

quired if the government's funding plans are implemented from 2021-2030, according to the report that uses the government's own data to extrapolate the projections.

The report paints a pretty bleak picture for Ontario, “in which patients get even less bedside care and are at much higher risk of hallway medicine, under-staﬃng, re-

admissions, hospital acquired infestions and medical errors, problems that aready bedevil Ontario hospitals.”

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of Pope Francis encourage all people to be stewards of the Earth while caring for those who are most effected by climate change. Our CDSBEO community, students, staﬀ, schools, and board demonstrate ongoing collaboration and commitment to environmentally sustainable actions and practices, not only through our EcoSchools initiatives, but also out of love and faith in solidarity for our common home. We enjoy communicating our passion for environmental initiatives and deeply engaging all school communities in practices that help to ensure sustainable practices.” “I am so extremely proud of our Board and the success that has been attained in environmental initiatives. We are extraordinary leaders in the province, and it is amazing to be recognized through OCSTA for all of our accomplishments. Congratulations to our schools, and thank you Mr. Mantha, for sharing our success this evening,” concluded Chair Lalonde.

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