Issue 6 2023 February 16 NG Times

Donation to Historical Society will help fund Kids Club

by Brandon Mayer

A generous donation made to the North Grenville Historical Society will be put to good use in helping to fund children’s programming at the Society. The donation of $3,000 came in the form of a Community Foundation Grant sponsored by Desjardins Insurance.

On Friday, February 3, the NGHS was presented with the $3,000 cheque.

Kerrie-Lynn Kossatz is the Treasurer of the NGHS, and she is also in charge of all of its children’s programming. She explained that she

had to apply for the grant, and that all grant applications are left for Desjardins employees to vote on each day for the causes they want to support. “My dad happens to be my insurance broker, so he voted for me every day,” Kerrie-Lynn revealed through laughter.

Kids programming at NGHS is ever-evolving.

Kerrie-Lynn explained that the programs have not been very full lately, likely because not enough parents know about them. One of the only ways that Kerrie-Lynn has managed to get kids programming out into the community has been to offer

it through partnerships with local schools. One such case has been a partnership with Oxford-on-Rideau Public School to offer programming at Maplewood Hall.

Now, the goal is for the NGHS kids programming – given the name “Kids Club” which is subject to tweaking – to be offered independently on a weekly basis. For parents and kids with busy schedules, there would be no commitment required for any kind of continuing programming. Each week’s activities could be independent, meaning parents could bring their children just for the weeks

that it fits into their schedule.

Another option – now that the Society has money –will be for interested kids to participate in a longer term project, such as a kindness project. This is what KerrieLynn is most excited about focusing on in the immediate future.

All the NGHS needs now to make the Kids Club bigger and better… are kids! Any interested parents can get in touch with KerrieLynn directly to get more information or sign up for programming. She can be reached at kerlyn@rogers. com, or by calling the NGHS at 613-258-4401.

L-R: Gillian and Mark Sims of Desjardins Insurance with NGHS members Kerrie Kossatz,and Donna Gould

An adventure to Antarctica

school. When she arrived, she sent a picture to the students of her posing in front of the Glaciers and Southern Ocean with their sign.

The students have been following her 3 week adventure as she made a stop in Argentina and visited the end of the world post office located in Tierra Del Fuego National Park. To commemorate this adventure, she has added an Oxford on Rideau lightning sticker to the wall of the famous post office.

Each Day, Nicole has checked in with the students and has even been able to answer some of their questions while she is abroad. She has told the students of her experiences of sleeping outside, the amount of penguins she has spotted, and about her experiences on a cruise ship.

by Ashley Sloan

Students in Mrs. Marceau's Grade 1/2 class at Oxford on Rideau are experiencing an expedition to Antarctica, without having to pack! The adventure is happening with the help of Nicole Hodges, a dear

friend to Mrs. Marceau. Nicole is fulfilling a dream of travelling to Antarctica while inspiring young minds to explore the world. She has brought with her a destination sign on which the students have calculated the distance to get back to their

Mrs Marceau says: “The connection my students have made with Nicole and her adventures has opened up some fantastic learning opportunities. Their curiosity and excitement has led us to investigate many different aspects of Antarctica, from learning about the different animals found there and how

they live and survive, to the geography of the area and reading maps as we followed her ship's journey. Having a real person on the other end of the emails and pictures has brought Antartica to life for the kids.” Nicole is due to return home soon and plans to visit the students in person or by video to meet them and talk more about her adventure.

HELP WANTED

The Rideau Glen Golf Club is looking for club house staff & outside workers for the 2023 season. Smart Serve required for club house staff and experience with equipment preferred for outside workers .

Students considered with right qualifications Send resume to therideauglen@gmail.com

Inscriptions maintenant

For women who love to sing!

The Malala Women’s Choir invites you to explore uplifting music for treble voices, including contemporary and folk songs with emphasis on Canadian compositions Rehearsals: Wednesday evenings 7:00 – 9:00 pm, March 15– June 1, 2023. Concerts will be held mid June.

Location: Spencerville United Church

Director: Sheila Fawcett

To register: contact Sheila at 613-658-5290 sheilafawcett92@gmail.com

No previous choral experience required.

Membership fee: $30 to cover cost of music, use of rehearsal space, insurance and accompanist’s honorarium.

Proceeds from the choir’s performances are donated to the Malala Fund to support girls’ education projects in vulnerable communities around the world.

Volunteers Needed!!

We are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping our 168th Spencerville Fair. We currently are looking for help with the Junior Work, Friday Pony Horse Show, Parade, and More!

If you are interested in joining, please email info@spencervillefair.ca to receive an email with the Zoom meeting details.

Municipality of North Grenville to host Community Engagement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

The Mnicipality of North Grenville is inviting community members to help develop North Grenville’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy.

“The Municipality is committed to strengthening its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The creation of and EDI Strategy is an important step in ensuring North Grenville is a vibrant, safe, and welcoming community,” emphasized Mayor Nancy Peckford.

“We appreciate the discussions and feedback to date and encourage individuals and families to share their ideas and perspectives by attending the upcoming forum and/or completing the survey,” added Mayor Peckford.

Community members are invited to attend the EDI Community Engagement

Session taking place on Wednesday, March 1 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Catered Affairs, located at 820 Heritage Drive, Kemptville Campus.

“Our community is growing and becoming more diverse - and so are the needs of North Grenville’s residents and businesses,” emphasized Deputy Mayor John Barclay.

The session will be facilitated by external EDI expert and facilitator, Amorell Saunders N'Daw, a seasoned organizational leader with extensive experience in equity and diversity, and or-

North Grenville Poetry Guild

The North Grenville Poetry Guild will be hosting their monthly meeting Thursday, February 16 at the North Grenville Public Library. Event starts at 6 pm and ends at 6:55 pm. Everyone is welcome to share any written work or enjoy listening to others. There is no ,and each month we pick a theme and February is LOVE. For more information, please contact Ashley Sloan at imaqtepie@yahoo.ca or please visit our FB page North Grenville Poetry Guild.

ganizational transformation.

The establishment of a Municipal-wide EDI strategy began in March 2022. An external expert was retained, staff training was held, and updates were made to several policies that were adopted by Council.

“Moving forward with the development of an EDI strategy is an exciting opportunity for the Municipality and our community to better understand and respond to residents of all ages and stages of life,” highlighted Councillor Strackerjan.

Interested participants are required to pre-register for the session at www.northgrenville.ca/equity or phone 613-258-9569 ext. 177. For those who require accommodations or transportation to attend the session, please phone 613-258-9569 ext. 177 or e-mail vision@northgrenville.on.ca.

A survey is also available online at www.northgrenville.ca/equity until March 15 at 4:00 pm. Hard copies of the survey are available at the North Grenville Municipal Centre, North Grenville Public Library, Community Living, Kemptville Youth Centre, and Seniors’ Community Services.

Immediately following the 2022 Municipal Election, Mayor Peckford initiated two Council-specific training and education sessions in November 2022 and January 2023. Both sessions were attended by all mem-

bers of Council and were delivered with the guidance of equity and diversity experts.

Background:

Equity, diversity, and inclusion is defined as the ability to embrace and celebrate differences in ways that provide equal opportunity and contribute to inclusive and safe community spaces.

The EDI Strategy will consider the diverse needs and perspectives of community members including women, francophones, new Canadians and refugees, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, seniors, youth, persons with disabilities, members of the black, Indigenous, and people of colour communities, rural residents, and those facing socioeconomic disadvantage.

The EDI Strategy will align with the Municipality’s 10-year Community Strategic Plan, which speaks to improving EDI by evaluating policies to ensure they are not exclusionary, completing the Reconciliation Framework, and increasing engagement with equity and inclusion-seeking groups.

Feedback from the community engagement session and the survey will be incorporated into a Municipal EDI Strategy and shared later this Spring.

For more information visit: www.northgrenville. ca/equity.

Barrister and Solicitor

General Practice

Corporate / Commercial Family Law

Estates

Real Estate Wills & Powers of Attorney

tom@tmblaw.ca

613.258.1277

222 Prescott St., Kemptville

THOMAS M. BYRNE

Electoral Reform

submitted by Steve Gabell

We live in a democracy, or so we are told. But do we really? In a democracy power resides with the people, which does not seem to describe the current situation in Ontario. We are less than a year out from an election, and Doug Ford and his ministers are pushing through a number of damaging policies to address long standing issues such as housing and healthcare, and completely ignoring huge numbers of responses to consultations. These are not new issues that have suddenly cropped up, yet during the election no mention was made of opening up the parts of the Greenbelt for development, of significantly changing development fees charged by municipalities on new homes, or of increasing use of the private sector in healthcare. I can distinctly remember Steve Clark at one of the all-candidates debate praising Ford for being “open and transparent”. Maybe he was using a different definition to the rest of us, as not much about this Progressive Conservative government is open and transparent.

Our electoral system is archaic and fails to ensure that the seats awarded in Parliament represent the share of the vote won by each party. First past the post may have made sense in a bygone era where electorates elected truly local representatives, where com-

munication between constituencies and representatives was slow, and when elected representatives were more independent of their party. We now have ridings that vary in geographical size from small to enormous, we have instant communication and easy travel, and we have a party system that virtually guarantees MPPs vote as directed by the party.

Following the provincial election in 2022, we’ve ended up with one party that won the support of less than 18% of the electorate (or 40% of those who actually voted if we want to be generous), winning 67% of the seats in parliament, and 100% of the power. Does that sound democratic, or to borrow from Lord Halisham, does it sound like an elective dictatorship? Not content with having control of parliament, Ford and his Attorney General want to assume control over the process to select the next chief justice.

Participatory democracy is a core value of Green parties around the world. This is applied not just to systems for electing representatives to parliament, but within the parties as well. Every member of the Ontario Greens has a voice in policy development and acceptance, local officers are elected by members, and candidates for provincial elections are decided by members in the riding. Changing to a proportional

Council business jam packed last week

by Brandon Mayer

The Municipality of North Grenville Council met three times on three consecutive nights last week, filling the week up with an unusually large amount of business. Part of this was owing to the fact that the community grant presentations were heard by Council, as they are at this time of year annually. In total, Council spent many hours meeting last week over the course of the three meetings. The first of the three meetings took place on February 7, covering what would be considered “routine” business. A presentation was heard on Wear Red Day, and by-law amendments and other operational

system may increase Green representation in parliament, but we do not advocate for this out of narrow self interest. There is a significant disconnect between our elected MPPs and those they are supposed to represent, and widespread disillusionment with politics in general as was evidenced by the shockingly low turnout seen in our last provincial election.

Ontario needs electoral reform. First past the post has long outlived its usefulness. We need an electoral system that reflects how votes are cast across the province, that ensures all positions are represented, and that fosters collaboration rather than partisanship. Proportional representation would increase public engagement with politics as people felt that their vote truly mattered. Support for electoral reform is widespread across the political spectrum, as evidenced by polling commissioned by Fair Vote Canada with 76% of responders to a national poll supporting a Citizens’ Assembly on electoral reform, including 69% of Conservative voters.

Under first past the post, over half the votes cast in the 2022 election did not count for electing a representative, whereas in Denmark less than one in 20 votes was wasted. Support electoral reform to ensure that every vote truly counts.

MUNICIPAL OFFICE HOURS

The Municipal office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit our events calendar to find out what’s happening in the community: www.northgrenville.ca/events-calendar.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

COUNCIL MEETINGS

Please see the Council agenda for further details on how to participate in Council meetings. All Council meetings will be live streamed on YouTube at: youtube.com/user/NorthGrenville/ featured and on the Municipality’s website at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendasand-minutes.

To make a deputation in relation to an item on the agenda, please provide your comments no later than two hours prior to the start of the meeting to clerk@northgrenville.on.ca.

Council agendas are available at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendas-and-minutes.

• Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. (Open Session)

• Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. (Closed Session)

• Monday, February 27, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (Closed Session)

• Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. (Open Session)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community members are invited to a community engagement session and to complete a survey to assist in the creation of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy. The session will be Wednesday, March 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm. at Catered Affairs located at 820 Heritage Drive, Kemptville Campus. Those who wish to attend the session or take the survey can visit www.northgrenville.ca/equity or phone 613-258-9569 ext. 177. The survey is available until March 15 at 4:00 p.m. Hard copies of the survey are available at the North Grenville Municipal Centre, North Grenville Public Library, Community Living, Youth Centre, and Seniors’ Community Services. If you require accommodations or transportation in order to attend the session, please phone 613-258-9569 ext. 177 or e-mail vision@northgrenville.on.ca.

VOLUNTEER AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Summer Student Opportunities – Parks, Recreation and Culture

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture is currently accepting applications for various full and part-time spring/summer student positions. For a full list of available positions and information on how to apply, please visit www.northgrenville.ca/careers. Please submit applications to hr@northgrenville.on.ca by 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 10, 2023

Engineering Co-op Student

The Municipality of North Grenville is seeking to fill three full-time positions of Engineering Co-op Student. Interested applicants may submit a cover letter and resume outlining qualifications in confidence to Human Resources by 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 17, 2023. Visit www.northgrenville. ca/careers for details and more information on how to apply.

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business were discussed. Of note is that Council directed staff to develop a policy that grants Council members up to $500 from the Council budget for a legal consultation when they are the subject of an Integrity Commissioner complaint, and up to $5,000 for lawyer fees if they are found to not have been in contravention of the Code of Ethical Conduct.

Also of note is that Karen Dunlop was appointed as a Deputy Clerk for the Municipality.

The community grant presentations are a yearly staple in North Grenville. Presentations were heard at a meeting on February 8 from the Kemptville Minor Football Club, the North Grenville Arts Guild, the Sweetheart Brunch, the

Kemptville Street Piano Concert Series, Beyond the Label, the Workshop Dance Studio Local CPR/ AED Certifications, the North Grenville Male Choir, Kemptville Oktoberfest Annual Community Tourist Event, Kemptville Community Gardeners, Kemptville Winter Trail, the Eastern Ontario Quilt Documentation Project, and O’Farrell Financial Services.

The presentations were varied in what they asked for and the reasons for seeking grant money. For example, when Jean LeClair presented on behalf of the Sweetheart Brunch, he asked not for cash, but for a fee waiver for the rental of the municipal facility for the event. Some requests came from established local groups,

www.NorthGrenville.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

and others were for startup ideas. Unlike last year, the Community Grant Presentations concluded in a single meeting.

The following day, on February 9, an equally important meeting took place which primarily focused on the Municipality’s 2023 draft budget after a closed session regarding land negotiations. The draft budget was presented by Femi Ogunrinde, the Municipality’s Chief Financial Officer.

Some highlights from various departments on municipal spending in 2022 were presented, as well as the goals for the 2023 budget. These goals include

Animal Control: 613-862-9002

continuing service improvement, continuing modernization, and improving planning. In order to balance the proposed 2023 budget, a tax increase of 3.87% would be required. Due to a proposed tax increase by the upper tier Counties Council as well, the effective increase would actually be 5.39%. This would result in a tax increase of about $245 for the year for an average local household.

As this is only a draft budget, all tenets of the budget will have to be formally considered before Council passes the budget. The full slideshow presentation with all of the actual draft budget numbers can be accessed

through the Municipality’s website.

After the busy week last week, Council met only once this week, which is more typical. Council meetings take place on a predetermined schedule, with video recordings of each meeting being posted on the Municipality of North Grenville YouTube Channel. Visit https://www.youtube. com/user/NorthGrenville to watch.

The pesky left hand

by Brandon Mayer

With each passing day, it seems that sustainability and environmental responsibility become more trendy. This is true locally just as much as it is globally. Think of Sustainable North Grenville – the local organization dedicated to issues of environmental sustainability right in our own community. This organization is not “new” anymore. This year, it will host its 14th annual Sustainability Fair. None of this is a bad thing, given the importance of caring about the planet, but “trendy” doesn’t necessarily bring about change.

I have written in the past about electric cars, and how they are no longer awe-inspiring to see because there are simply so many of them. My kids no longer excitedly shout “Tesla” when they see one because… well… they would be shouting it a dozen times in every short car ride!

One cannot trust unresearched information floating around about electric cars, or any facet of environmental sustainability for that matter. There will always be those who jump on the bandwagon and

blindly celebrate trendy new enviro-tech. There will also be those who feel a surge of power and rebellion when revving up their oversized diesel engines to drive somewhere that is close enough to walk. Neither group can be trusted to follow the science. For this reason, when I heard “whisperings” that our electrical grid can’t actually handle the anticipated influx of electric cars in the next few years, I thought it was probably the “dieselheads” making up stories. To my surprise, a recent Toronto Star article from October 2022 confirms that, indeed, our electrical grid is not currently equipped to handle the number of electric cars we are expecting by 2030. Yikes!

Even if we did have enough electricity to power all of these expected electric cars without crashing our system, there is another irony at play: we generate a lot of our electricity unsustainably. In fact, a report I pulled directly from the Ontario Government website shows that in 2020 and 2021, we generated most of our electricity in this province from nuclear power plants. A measurable portion was

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I wish to convey my thanks to one of your readers, Lynn Paibomesai, (Letters to the Editor NGT Vol 11 No 4 dated 2 Feb 2013) for her answer to my mystery bird query from the week before. She set me back to my first thoughts on the matter, when I first took the original picture, which were similar to what she had found out and advised me of, via your Letters to the Editor column. Lynn's input is most gratifying and this "very amateur bird watcher" is very much appreciative of her taking the time and effort to advise me of her research findings and providing me with a very plausible answer.

Cheers, John Baldwin (Baldwin's Birds)

also generated using – OH NO – gas! Nuclear power has low carbon emissions, but does require an immense amount of water to produce, and creates huge quantities of toxic waste. Gas-fired generating stations produce carbon emissions just like gas cars. Seems ironic, doesn’t it? I fear that a lot of our obsession with things like electric cars is about making ourselves feel good instead of thinking about how much difference we’re actually making, and I want us to make a difference.

There is no doubt in my mind that electric cars will become the dominating force in the automotive market, probably within a couple of short decades. I just worry that at that moment, we are being divided and turned against each other for the simple reason that the right hand never talks to the left hand. That is to say that a company like Tesla achieving mass marketing of the electric car, and virtually creating a whole new subcategory in the auto market, does not automatically solve the carbon emissions problem. It’s as though the “right hand” is an impulsive younger sibling who has

we are not getting Australian service for our money.

great ideas but doesn’t think far ahead when implementing them, and the “left hand” is the pesky older sibling who must poke holes in the plans, knowing they simply may not work as intended.

So what do we do? I assume that governments all over the world are seeking ways to expand our electricity infrastructure to make sure that we are electriccar-ready. But does that mean more wind turbines? Wind turbines require a huge amount of materials to produce, they are frequently said to kill birds, and they can dislodge undesirable settlement into aquifers when they are pile-driven into the ground. However, each one can power about 1,500 homes. With under 2,000 private dwellings in Kemptville, that means that just two wind turbines can comfortably power Kemptville! Are the materials, bird deaths, and possible groundwater contamination worth it? I don’t know. It seems we need industry experts who can be straightforward with us. No agendas and no propaganda – just facts.

The problem is that straight facts don’t always suit the powers that be. I

doubt many people reading this realize that eating meat contributes to more greenhouse gas emissions than driving your car, but it does. Livestock and their by-products account for 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation exhaust? Just 13%. This is all outlined in an interesting 2014 documentary called “Cowspiracy” which unsurprisingly supports veganism. Governments love to charge us carbon taxes, tell us not to let our gasoline cars idle unnecessarily, and offer rebates for purchasing electric cars. Do they tell us not to eat meat? Of course not. As a person who loves meat as much as the majority of the population, I can understand why. People are not about to give up something they love, and so we resort to propaganda about the things we can change instead of truth about the things we can’t.

In Quebec, it will be illegal by the end of 2023 to replace existing furnaces with any furnace powered by fossil fuels. In other words, when your furnace dies in Quebec, you’ll be switching to electric forced air. Despite above arguments regarding strain on our electrical grid,

I can see some sense in this move. The carbon tax I am currently charged on the natural gas that heats my home is senseless. I am not going to freeze myself and my family by dramatically lowering the temperature, and the reality is that I bought a house with natural gas and I don’t have cash to waste on replacing a perfectly good furnace with an electric one. This is why people, myself included, see carbon tax as a cash grab – it is not financially feasible to avoid it, so it provides no incentive to change.

New rules, however, such as a universal gradual switch to electric heating, can make sense if well implemented and if people are given the time to adjust. The only caveat is that we must be prepared for these changes. The electrical grid must be strong enough, and the cost of electricity must be affordable to avoid adding extra burden in an already unaffordable world. For that, we need something from our governments that can be hard for those in power: we need the right hand to talk to the left hand.

Dear Editor,

In his letter of February 2, Mr Colin Creasey suggests that the problems in the provincial health service are caused largely by inadequate funding, which is a perfectly reasonable suggestion.

However, if there was a direct correlation between spending and quality of healthcare, then the United States, which spends by far the most on healthcare in the world (US$11,945 per person in 20201), should have the best healthcare system in the world, but clearly it does not. On the other hand, Australia, which spends relatively modestly on healthcare (US$4,919 per person in 2020), is considered to have an excellent healthcare system. Canada spends a little more on healthcare than Australia (US$5,370 per person in 2020), but clearly

What this suggests to me is that there is something systemically wrong with the provincial healthcare system, which no amount of money can fix. Instead of reaching for band-aid solutions, perhaps the provincial government would be better advised to set up a committee to study three or four of the top-rated healthcare systems in the world, with a view to replacing our current, failing healthcare system with a better model.

Sincerely,

Alistair McCleery

Dear Editor,

My mouth was watering as I anticipated the “Sweetheart Brunch”. These volunteers are amazing, perhaps miracle workers! Imagine, ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, beans, toast, fruit, cheese etc. All for $10/adult!! Small

wonder this made the front page of the NGT!! But by the last page all was dashed to pieces as Mr. Gabell of the Green Party of Ontario indicates the evil we do by consuming such delicacies, perhaps with delight, and no concern for the biosphere. And then I reasoned, perhaps Mr. Gabell is in error. We are told that in early evolutionary history, man was a hunter/gatherer. And so he hunted the food he needed and as he did so, he realized he would be required to travel further to acquire enough, eventually killing most of the wild mammal food supply. And so man domesticated animals. During this “agricultural period”, man could feed himself and his livestock while being less nomadic. Since Mr. Gabell laments the livestock to wild mammal ratio, it appears that livestock is the very thing that keeps the wild mammals

alive as the livestock reduces the hunting of wild mammals. This applies to poultry as well, in relation to wild fowl. Yet Mr. Gabell seems to have no sympathy for the 6,000-9,000 caterpillars that die each clutch, killed by chickadees. Perhaps chickadees should begin to grow their own caterpillars and leave the wild ones alone! Mr. Gabell makes the claim that agriculture is responsible for 70% of global freshwater use, yet makes no mention that agriculture is also responsible for feeding 100% of the human population as well as 100% of the domestic animal population. In fact, it also helps feed the wild birds and animals. Mr. Gabell laments the use of fertilizers, but makes no mention of “land sparing” that has occurred due to increased crop yields since 1961. Actual croplands used today (2019 worldwide) is

1.09 billion hectares and calculations indicated that 1.69 billion hectares additional land would be required to produce the same food, had crop yields not increased since 1961 (ourworldindata. org), leaving much more area for wild creatures. To produce the same amount of crops as 1961, only 30% of the farmland would be required today, due to yield increases. Agricultural land (hectares) in the northern hemisphere has predominantly declined over the last decade, partially due to higher yields. Yet more land is being put to agricultural use in Africa and Indo China, largely due to fertilizer inputs and food security issues. Perhaps the “Greens” begrudge peoples of all nations their daily bread. Mr. Gabell is correct on the letters cont'd on page 6

amount of agricultural land used for livestock, and so the Green’s would join Mr. Bill Gates who owns 270,000 acres of US farmland and is pushing “plant based meats” and has called for “policies requiring people in rich countries to eat 100% synthetic beef” according to “Beef Central”. Mr. Gabell also laments “light pollution”. I assume the “Green Party” would have the rest of the world follow the North

OpEd

Korean example and all sit in the dark at night as we cannot afford electricity.

Personally I am so thankful for all the people who work hard (even at night with the lights on) and innovate to feed the world, even those “terrible” farmers that work from dawn to dusk to bless the town of Kemptville to be able to come together and share in a “Sweetheart Brunch”. All that food for $10!! Unbelievable!!! Even

more astounding is the human cooperation and ingenuity to make such an event possible! Perhaps, contrary to the Green’s disdain of agricultural workers that produce the food and truckers (that drive at night with their lights on) that move the produce, the real “sweethearts” are those very workers!! “Tip of the hat” to those very workers and volunteers who bless us so!!

Willem Van Dam

Bringing Boomer visitors to North Grenville

by Michael Whittaker

There are about sevenmillion retirees in Canada. The nearly 160,000 seniors in the National Capital Region have a significant cohort of baby boomers from which North Grenville can entice visitors.

Boomers are not homogeneous. Their post-WWII births spanning 1946 to 1964 include memories of the Cold War, Peace Keeping, the introduction of the Maple Leaf Flag, Expo 67 and the Centennial, and multiple musicians.

In the changing economy, there are challenges to attracting the active boomers. United, the municipal government, citizens, businesses and associations can initiate experiences for this adventurous demographic.

To reach this clientele, community collaboration is essential to craft innovative marketing strategies. A

vibrant community strives to understand this target audience in order to provide first-rate visitor activities.

Odds are when young, they traveled with their parents; now they seek new inspirations presenting physical and intellectual challenges. Boomers are young at heart, often acting much younger than their chronological age, and not prone to think of themselves as seniors until well into their 70s.

Boomers prefer their diverse life experiences to be recognized. They don't want stuffy or stodgy. Cultural involvement, stimulation, and companionship make their visits fun; although some expect instant gratification.

Nonetheless, they want options. They tour not to see the sights, but to do the sights. Many have notions of being special, don't like to feel herded, and savour their

Beth Donovan Hospice seeks approval from Province for 2 residential

submitted by Sue Walker Executive Director, Beth Donavan

Over the past 30 years, Beth Donovan Hospice has been actively serving the North Grenville and surrounding area by providing counselling, support groups, caregiver respite, day hospice and medical equipment lending to all residents free of charge.

hospice beds

infrastructure.

Therefore, with necessity being the mother of invention, a group of staff and volunteers put their heads together to develop an alternative model for the Ministry’s consideration.

creature comforts. Within their means, they will pay for luxury, expertise, and convenience.

However, many travel no matter their scarcity of time or money. They want engagement. When not seeking exotic locales, they will choose enriching encounters in a known place. Close at hand, North Grenville is friendly and familiar.

For boomers, the Internet is a research tool. They suspect self-congratulatory marketing materials. Promising more than can be delivered undermines their trust, and ends hope of building long-term relationships.

Understanding the expectations of this multifaceted population helps when designing the events to draw them here. Promoting, developing, and improving the services, activities, and destinations for visitors boosts North Grenville for all of us.

Tips for a healthy heart

submitted by Saman Shaikh, RD., M.Sc.

Registered Dietitian and Public Health Nutritionist Leeds, Grenville and

La-

nark District Health Unit February is Heart Month.

According to the Government of Canada, heart disease is the 2nd leading cause of death in Canada. About 1 in 12 Canadian adults live with diagnosed heart disease. Heart disease affects men and women differently.

Some risk factors of heart disease include diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and stress. Common signs of heart disease include fainting, chest pain or pressure, and shortness of breath.

For heart disease, prevention is key. Eating healthy, being physically active, quitting smoking, drinking less alcohol, and, managing your stress and

current health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes are all important for reducing your risk of heart disease.

There are a few things we can do to prevent heart disease.

Eat healthy for your heart

A heart healthy diet includes foods low in saturated and trans fat, and sodium, and high in unsaturated fat, vegetables and fruit, plantbased proteins, whole grains, and fibre

Move more, sit lessUnless you have been advised not to, do moderate to vigorous physical activity throughout your week and reduce sedentary screen time. Choose activities that you enjoy and that fit your lifestyle.

Health Canada recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical

The only component that is missing are residential beds to allow residents to palliate (i.e pass away) in our own community and not have to travel to Ottawa or further afield.

Up until recently, the Provincial Ministry of Health would only consider applications for 10 bed residential hospices as they were deemed to be the most costeffective models.

Given the size of our municipality, this community is not in a position to support a facility this large. However, we would greatly benefit from 2 palliative care beds that would allow individuals and their families to have 24/7 access to important end of life care.

After much discussion and cost analysis, it was determined that it was cost prohibitive to add beds to the existing facility on French Settlement Rd due to having to build a new structure in addition to establishing a well, septic and related

activity, such as a brisk walk, hiking, jogging, biking, or swimming, along with at least two days of strength activities each week.

If you smoke, quit - Ask your family doctor about support with quitting, or contact our Health Unit’s smoking cessation team for help. There is no safe level of tobacco use, so even if you smoke a little, consider quitting.

If you drink alcohol, drink less - Heart disease risk increases with 7 or more standard drinks per week. Try to replace these with non-alcohol options, and if you are trying to relax or recharge, spend some time in nature or being active instead.

Manage your stress - Explore activities that help you manage your stress, such as mindfulness and yoga, journalling, and connecting

This model would see 2 beds co-located in Kemptville with another facility to reduce overhead costs and facilitate possible staff sharing models. The cost savings to the Ministry of Health and the taxpayer are significant for someone choosing a hospice bed versus a hospital bed.

This proposed model has been met with much enthusiasm by members of the North Grenville Council and partner agencies in the community. The Mayor of North Grenville has been a champion of this project since assuming her role 4 years ago and presented the proposal to the former Minister of Health Christine Elliot last January 2022.

Mayor Peckford and Council have been hearing from members of the community who have had firsthand experience supporting loved ones in the last stages of a terminal illness and who have not been able to access a palliative bed in our community.

Mayor Peckford has said that “families should not be put into the heart wrenching position of having to provide

intensive care at home (with very limited support) around the clock for a terminally ill family member who does wish to die in a hospital. Travelling up to an hour or longer to support a loved one in a hospice facility in the Brockville and Ottawa areas is no longer acceptable when there is a viable option right here in North Grenville.”

MPP Steve Clark has also been a huge supporter of bringing residential beds to North Grenville since Beth Donovan approached him 20 years ago. However, we have not been able to make our dream a reality despite the surge of support that we have received for so many years.

You may wonder why we are writing this article at this time, and the answer is simple … we need your help. The more our community speaks out about the need for dedicated hospice beds, the more successful we will be in achieving our dream. How can you help?

You can contact Mayor Nancy Peckford and MPP Steve Clark and tell them how much you appreciate their support in making the 2 bed model come to fruition for our community.

Mayor Nancy Peckford can be reached at npeckford@northgrenville. on.ca and MPP Steve Clark can be reached at steve. clark@pc.ola.org

with others

Manage your health - If you have a health condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, take control of your health and follow up with your health care team regularly. If you have been prescribed any medications for your health, take them regularly

Here are some tips for eating healthy for your heart.

A heart healthy diet includes foods low in saturated and trans fat, and sodium, and high in unsaturated fat, plant-based foods, vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fibre. To cook with less fat, steam, boil, bake or grill your food more often than frying. Choose low fat dairy, limit butter and shortening, remove the skin from poultry, and drain the fat from cooked ground meat.

Include heart healthy fats

in your diet by cooking with liquid oils such as olive oil, having omega-3 rich fish such as salmon or trout regularly, and including nuts and seeds and their butters often.

Choose plant based protein foods such as soy and tofu, beans, dried peas, and lentils regularly.

Cook with more vegetables and fruit by having a variety of canned and frozen vegetables and fruit on hand, adding shredded vegetables like carrots and zucchini to spaghetti sauce, and keeping containers of diced fresh vegetables in your fridge to use in recipes.

To reduce sodium, prepare your own meals often and add less salt. Flavour your food with herbs, spices, and flavourings such as garlic, ginger, and lemon juice.

Limit processed foods, choose low or no sodium options, and rinse canned

vegetables and beans under cold water to wash away some of the salt.

To have higher fibre, choose whole grain or whole wheat options such as whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta.

Cook with whole grain options such as quinoa, barley, wild rice, and oats.

Add ground flax to smoothies, salads and muffins for a fibre boost.

Visit our website at healthunit.org, call us at 1-800-660-5853, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Also visit unlockfood.ca for more information on heart healthy cooking, and ParticipACTION.ca for information on physical activity guidelines.

BACKYARD ASTRONOMY

Spooky Eyes

After about fifteen minutes, hold up a sheet of white paper facing the planet. Place your hand about six inches away from the paper while moving it slowly left and right. You should see a faint shadow on the paper. If you are still uncertain where the planets are, check any astronomy app on your smartphone or tablet.

by Gary BoyleThe Backyard Astronomer

The night sky is a fantastic collection of tiny dots. Most of these light sources are faint while a few are noticeably brighter. In addition to seeing hundreds or even thousands of distant suns residing at extreme distances, we can see the planets of our solar system.

Referred by the Greeks as the “wanderers”, five planets can be seen with the unaided eye against the starry background unless they are too close to the sun such as Mercury and Saturn. For the next few weeks, you can still see three in the western half of the sky.

We start overhead with orangy-coloured Mars to the top right of Orion the Hunt-

er. This planet was closest to earth a couple of months ago and now appears a bit fainter as our distance increases. The red planet sets around 3:30 am local time. Moving farther west we see the giant planet Jupiter. Any telescope will reveal its cloud bands and four Galilean moons and sets around 9:30 pm locally. Our third world is the brightest of the trio. Venus sets about two hours after sunset and is now moving higher in the sky each night as it escapes the solar glare. This planet is completely shrouded in clouds making it so bright that it casts a faint shadow as seen from dark country locations, away from any light. Step outside on a moonless night and let your eyes “dark adapt”.

Baldwin's Birds

Here is where the magic comes into play. With Jupiter moving closer to the horizon each night and Venus marching up the sky, both will appear closest together on March 1. With the two brightest planets of the solar system meeting in a small area of sky the width of the full moon, they will appear as “spooky eyes”. This is also called a conjunction as two celestial bodies appear close together. The pair’s close approach is by line of sight only, they will not physically get close to each other. Venus will be 204 million km from us while Jupiter will be 864 million km away.

It is believed the Star of the Magi was the great conjunction in which Venus and

Jupiter appeared so close, they looked like one object. This occurred on the night of June 17, 2 BC. Clear skies, Known as “The Backyard Astronomer”, Gary Boyle is an astronomy educator, guest speaker, monthly columnist for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as well as a STEM educator. He has been interviewed on more than 55 Canadian radio stations as well as television across Canada and the U.S. In recognition of his public outreach in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has honoured him with the naming of Asteroid (22406) Garyboyle. Follow him on Twitter: @astroeducator, Facebook and his website: www.wondersofastronomy.com

A Wintry Delight

With all this changeable weather, it is a job to know what to expect at our garden feeders as the birds seek some sustenance from the food that we provide for them as a temporary substitute for their own natural wild supplies. Of course at this stage in the winter, they have grown used to us supplying this need, and I try to keep them satisfied daily so as not to deceive them when they do come and I haven't yet replenished the feeders. Of course, my reason for doing this is somewhat of a selfish gesture too, since they provide us with so much enjoyment when they do come. The other day we had a nine year old grandson visitor, so I had the opportunity of getting him involved in my bird watching hobby.

He helped with the stocking of the various feeders that we have in front of the house, and then I let him use my camera to have a go at capturing some pictures of them himself. Thank goodness for digital cameras and not having to count the cost of just snapping away "ad infinitum", which we who remember, had to do, being limited to twenty four or thirty six pictures, before your film ran out! How did we survive!? He "had a ball" and got some quite reasonable shots of what he was pointing the camera at. With a little bit of computer juggling, he now has a few memories of his own to look at, when he revisits us!

I had hoped that he would get to see some of the more colorful birds during his visit, but this didn't hap-

pen because the Cardinals and the House Finch didn't put in an appearance. I, on the other-hand, had managed to get some pictures a few days before of the lone House Finch who has become part of the Goldfinch group, who visit quite regularly to feast on the Nyger seed. The Goldfinches seem to tolerate him, although he behaves somewhat skittishly when vying for a spot on the hanging feeder with them, but he does get to feed too.

Hopefully, you are still being able to get to your own feeders and are enjoying seeing the birds; but please make sure that when you venture out to your feeders that you stay safe and well. Cheers,

John Baldwin

WIN WITH THE TIMES

The North Grenville Times has partnered with local businesses owned by women to promote International Women’s Day 2023.

The lucky winner will receive an amazing gift basket!

To be eligible you must be a voluntary subscriber. $51 for one year subscription!

Draw will take place March 10th

The winners will be notified , and given 48 hours to respond to claim their prize.

OTHER WAYS TO PAY:

BY PHONE: You may also pay over the phone with a credit card by calling us during business hours at 613-215-0735.

BY MAIL: You may subscribe by sending a cheque to: Box 1854, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0. Be sure to include your name, address and e-mail.

IN PERSON: Drop by our office during business hours – 215 Sanders St Suite 106

E-TRANSFER: Send an electronic money transfer to cfo@ ngtimes.ca with “SUBSCRIBER” in the comment

If you have questions about subscribing, call us at 613-2150735 or e-mail christine@ngtimes.ca

Khaden Henry

pushing hard to secure a playoff spot

Alex Musielak

by the sportsguy

Kemptville motored up the valley to meet with the Pembroke Lumber Kings for a Wednesday evening excursion to put two more points on their stats with a 4 to 1 victory.

Kemptville drew first blood as the combination of O’Doherty with Whyte to find Carter Vollett in the lane to float it past Issac Wilson at 7:25. Pembroke responded with their only marker of the game when Lucas Lagault with assists from Duck and Hicklin to put it behind Jacob Biron to knot it up at 8:46. Great to see Hunter Brazier in the lineup as he sniped one over the pillows after the magic from Campeau with Melvin for the tiebreaker and game winner at 15:03. Insurance goal driven in as Trottier came on strong with C. Bennett caught Nicholas Bennett going mainstreet for his 13th goal of the season at 19:45.

Both stoppers put on a clinic during the second stanza to keep it scoreless.

Last twenty was plagued with sin bin visits that Kemptville took advantage of when Melvin reversed on a cycle to Nathan Merrett PPG on the line to pull the trigger for a three point lead at 14:25.

Kemptville on the attack with a 43 to 26 SOG and 1/2 PP with their opponents 0/7 PP.

The PK was killer for the 73’s as they shut down the Lumber Kings’ seven attempts with extra attacker.

Kemptville entered the Bears Den in Smiths Falls on Friday evening for another attempt to tame the Bears and re-

cord two more points. Domination was on the menu after their lopsided loss in the last contest as the 73’s consistent, aggressive forecheck forced the Bears’ attacks to the outside and planted a hard pounding on their assignments. A stellar performance demonstrated by Kemptville goalie with exceptional skill exhibited by their PK to give them a 7 to 2 victory as they push for playoff berth.

Kemptville came out in the initial period with the jets blazing as Smiths Falls looked like they had lead in their skates. A quick give n’ go up the wall from Vollett back to Bennett on the point to find Matthew O’Doherty gliding through the middle to put it by Will McEvoy at 14:27. Tyler Melvin's lone effort stripped the jock straps off his defenders to snipe his 18th goal of the season to give the 73’s a two goal lead. The 73’s failed to clear the zone when Owen Watson with helpers from Hamady and Joss over Alex Musielak after missing a poke check at 17:16 to put the Bears on the board. Man extra for Kemptville when Brazier attacked through the neutral zone with Henry to the magical hands of PPG Grady Logue to wrap up the first 3 to 1.

Kemptville still controlled the contest as Fennell stretched pass up the wing to high fl ying Brazier unto the tape of Ty Whyte to launch it six hole and chase Smiths Falls stopper at :51. Yakubowski stood the line over to Emile Trottier just above the umbrella to rifle it into the peanut

butter jar over Dawson Labre at 2:00. Smiths Falls countered with their final point of the evening when Conor Ronayne assisted from Haynes at 12:24.

Henry's combination with Melvin with man advantage allowed PPG Hunter Brazier driving hard down mainstreet to ignite a missile at 4:48 to continue their romp into the final frame. Bennett criss-crossed on the line with Yakubowski up to Emile Trottier from the circle to drive it home at 18:11.

Kemptville with a differential of 44 to 22 SOG and 2/3 PP, and Smiths Falls 0/4 attempts.

On the road to Ottawa for a meeting of the Junior Senators with a late Saturday night special to relieve the losing streak as they found themselves in a two hundred foot seesaw contest for a 6-4 win.

First period was fast, furious and punishing as neither squad having scoring opportunities with Kemptville riding the pine twice to open the door for their opponents without results. Yakubowski transitioned to Melvin with Benjamin Campeau by his side to rip it through Connor Shipley at 6:53 for Kemptville opener. Tyler Melvin came to the dance with Hunter Brazier in the slot to rip it in for his 21st of the season to make it 2 zip for the 73’s at 9:48. Ottawa answered back when Emile Villiard, assisted from Sorenson to spoil Jacob Biron SO at 11:45. Junior Senators knotted it at two when Sorenson caught Vincent Velocci PPG in the lane with an extra attacker at 19:35.

Kemptville opened the second with an extra man and Khaden Henry PPG on his horse pulled the trigger into the mesh at 9:28 for tie breaker at 9:28. Thomas tic-tactoe to Yakubowski unto the tape of Carter Vollett to punch it home at 10:23 to give Kemptville a two goal lead. Ottawa rebounded as Mickael Hebert with helpers from Gauthier and Grabner to move them within one.

James Taylor PPG capitalized with assists from Murphy and Sorenson at 3:51 while on PP to even it up at four. Fennell up the half boards for Whyte to find Matthew O’Doherty on the doorstep for the game winner at 15:21. Junior Senators pulled their stopper at 18:12 for additional attackers without success. Insurance for the 73’s with Coleman Bennett ENG SHG at 19:27 close out with a 6 - 4 final. Ottawa outgunned Kemptville 43 to 28 with 2/4 PP and the 73’s 1/2 attempts.

Four straight wins as they push to secure a spot in playoff rounds and try to maintain a healthy rooster for the next twelve games.

Nepean Raiders will be on 73’s ice for a confrontation on Friday, February 17 for a 5th time this season.

See you around the wall…hockey with EDGE.

Form follows vision with results….Friday evenin, Kemptville 73’s dominated Smiths Falls in the Bears Den to post a 7 to 2 redemption win. Emile Trottier gives a salute to his fans as he recorded his second mark of the game after Nicholas Bennett with Matthew Yakubowski initiated the attack

It’s the small things

by Marguerite Boyer

As I begin to recover from my hip operation, I find it’s the small things that people do that make a big difference in someone’s life or day. Two things, out of many that I would like to mention.

One of my first outings after the operation was to a restaurant with my husband. Small thing pre-op, but major accomplishment for me afterwards. My husband dropped me off in front of the doors, while he went to park the car, with strict instructions not to move until he could assist me.

So I stood there by the door with my cane, and before my husband had time to assist me, a client inside the restaurant saw me from inside and rushed out to assist. Thank you ‘David” (he was also called David as is my husband), a small thing but it stays with me.

As I become more mobile and am able to drive myself around, I was at the B&H to pick up a few things. My husband was away all week, so I had no choice. I picked up more than I could carry, so I decided to take the trolley out with me to my car. As I reached the exit door, a woman asked me if she could help me with my bag, noticing my cane. “Of course”, I said, quite pleased with the help. It’s a small thing but the thought of walking to my car with the trolley and then having to return it was more steps than I cared to do that day. As she lifted the paper bag it tore, and without a thought she rushed over to her car and provided me with a proper bag and then carried it to my car. (No I never did get that handicap sticker). The bonus for me was that she had a French accent and I was able to converse with her in French, a language I do not practice enough. I asked her for her phone number or address so I could return the pretty bag with cats on it, but she told me to keep it.

Sometimes we become blind to people, so wrapped up with our own busy lives, we fail to notice others around us and perhaps don’t think (or are afraid to offer) assistance. Those two people, among others, have stayed in my heart. It’s those small random acts of strangers that can truly make your day.

If you have stories you wish to share, please don’t hesitate to send them to me at info@ngtimes.ca

Thank you, Friends

Proceeds from the sale of “The Adventures of Louis and the Laundry”, raised $767.50 for the Maple Hope Foundation’s Liza Project, a program to assist children displaced by the war in the Ukraine. This success is largely due to the support of the Youngsters of Yore, Judy Beverage and the staff of B&H grocery, Brewed Awakenings, and the caring people in this community. A very special thanks goes to Maggie Boyer and to the North Grenville Times. Christianne and I are grateful to everyone who helped make this possible, and proud to be a part of North Grenville.

KW&K is known for:

The best qualityproducts in the area

Excellent workmanship for all installations

Friendly and knowledgeable sta

Founded in 1989, Kemptville Windows and Kitchens is a family owned and operated business serving homeowners and fellow contractors in Kemptville and surrounding ares, from south west Ottawa to Prescott, Winchester, South Mountain and Merrickville.

Our sales and design personel are exxperienced professionals that pride themselves on working with our clients from start to nish, providing them with more than just quality products and workmanship, but wth a helpful indepth knowledge of industry codes, standards and current trends. We do onsite visits to measure and work with you from start to nish, that way yu get what you want.

We supply, or supply and install kitchen cabinets, countertops, bathroom vanities, windows, doors and much more, for renovations or new construction in North Grenville and surrounding area.

Come visit our showroom, open Monday to Friday, 9-5 pm and Saturdays 9 am- 1 pm

You can also visit us at http:/www.kwandk.ca

Like us on Facebook, just looks for Kemptville Windows and Kitchen.

James Hossie, Manager/Sale and Service

Terry Vandemheen, Sales/Service

Kemptville District Hospital unveils new Strategic Plan 2022-2026

submitted by Jenny Read

Following extensive stakeholder and community engagement, Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) has

released a new Strategic Plan that will guide its way forward in the complex health care environment through 2026.

Entitled, Your Hos-

pital, Your Community: Growing Together, the new Strategic Plan was developed in collaboration with more than 800 stakeholders: patients, staff, partners, and neighbours. Input was gathered through a variety of modes, including in-depth interviews, a community survey, and a virtual strategic planning workshop facilitated by well-known health futurist, Dr. Zayna Khayat. Following the large group workshop, Dr. Khayat facilitated a smaller virtual strategic planning session at which all the information gathered was synthesized to formulate the new strategic directions.

KDH's Strategic Plan 2022-2026 is centred on five strategic directions:

Person-Centered Care, Service Excellence and Innovation, Team KDH, Strong and Vital Partnerships, and Sustainability and Growth. Four key priorities support each strategic direction.

"We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the development of our new Strategic Plan," said CEO Frank J. Vassallo. "Your input allowed us to better understand what our community wants to see grow, change, and improve in the coming years," he added.

Elizabeth MacPherson, Chair of the KDH Board of Directors, expressed her thanks to Board Member Amy Yee, who oversaw the completion of the new Strategic Plan as Chair

of the Board's Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee; MacPherson also acknowledged former Board Member PaulEmile Cloutier, who initially led the Ad Hoc Committee prior to his departure from the Board.

The majority of the effort to develop KDH's new Strategic Plan occurred from February through June of 2021; the work was paused due to the extra responsibilities placed on the hospital administration due to COVID-19 and other stresses.

"We are looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and executing on this new Strategic Plan," stated Vassallo. "And we are committed to keeping the community informed

North Grenville Curling Club hosts Scottish Curlers

The sixty Scottish players who travelled to Canada were split into three tour groups of five teams each. The Eastern tour group played in the four Maritime provinces, plus parts of Quebec. The Western group played in the four western provinces. The Central group curled in Ontario and Montreal. When Canada plays in Scotland, the teams are divided into North and South contingents, but only 40 curlers will represent Canada in 2028.

lunch, players from both teams were piped onto the ice by piper Hugh Metcalfe and two flag bearers. The NGCC teams, skipped by Dave Brown, Rob Kluke, Harley Melnick, Dave Burgess and Ralph Tylor/Bill White, won three of the five games played, outscoring the Scots 36 to 26. After the games, teams enjoyed a few adult soda pops and an informal dinner, where stories of past accomplishments and tales of lore were shared by both sides of the event.

on how we are doing."

As part of KDH's commitment to accountability for the Strategic Plan, it will be releasing a report halfway through the term of the Plan to share progress to that point, and then a final report at the end of the term.

The KDH Strategic Plan 2022-2026 can be found here: https://kdh. on.ca/wp-content/strategic-plan-flipbook/2022/

KDH welcomes feedback on its new Strategic Plan, requesting that it be sent to Lana LeClair, VP Corporate Services, at lleclair@kdh.on.ca.

submitted by David Brown and Jim Dolan

On January 31, the North Grenville Curling Club (NGCC) had the honour of hosting five Central Tour teams from Scotland as part of the Strathcona Cup competition. Upon their arrival, the Scottish teams were piped into the curling club under the customary "Arch of the Brooms", being held by members of the five NGCC hosting teams who would play them later in the day. Once in the club, they were welcomed by former NGCC President Brian Cassidy, current President Mitch Barsalou and North Grenville Deputy Mayor John Barclay.

This year officially marks 120 years of friendly competition since the event first started in 1902/03. Except

for a couple of breaks for the world wars, the competition has been held every five years and alternates between Canada and Scotland. This year, Scottish teams played in Canada from January 11 to February 3. Canada will return to Scotland in 2028.

The origin of the event was the result of a decision that took place at the 1902 Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC)

Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Scotland where it was decided that a team of 25 curlers would be selected to represent Scotland on a tour to travel to Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Winnipeg before crossing the border to play teams in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Chicago and New York.

In accordance with this decision, arrange-

ments were made to play in Canada at the end of December 1902 and the beginning of January 1903.

The event was such a success that a decision was made at the RCCC AGM in July 1908 to invite a team of Canadians to Scotland to return the hospitality shown by Canada in 1902/03. As a result, a team of Canadians went to Scotland in January 1909.

To commemorate the 1909 event, Lord Strathcona (Sir Donald Smith) had a "Challenge Cup" made upon which to inscribe the names of the winners. Canada won the coveted cup by 101 shots over their Scottish hosts. This cup continues to be played for today. Due to its rarity, the cup only comes out when the event is held in Scotland.

Eighty-five different curling venues across Canada were involved this year. In total, 350 games were played, providing an opportunity for 1400 Canadian curlers to play against the Scots.

It should be noted, all the Scottish players have well accomplished curling resumes. This year, Scotland was represented in North Grenville by:

· 2017 Scottish Senior Men's Champion Ian Drysdale.

· 1980 Scottish and European Champion Billy Henderson.

· 2012 & 2015 National Masters Champion Willie Paterson.

· 2017 & 2020 Scottish Senior Men's Runner-up Neil Murray.

· 2010-12 Scottish Double Rink Champion and Central Tour Captain, Alan Chalmers.

After finishing a light

The overall winner between Canada and Scotland is determined by the total score for each country across all 350 games played. In the end, Canada outscored the Scots by a total of 137 points (2454 to 2317) to retain the cup. Canada won the West Tour by 5 points, the Central by 130 points and the East by a mere 2 points. Canada averaged 7.01 points per game and the Scots 6.62.

The Promise of 3D Printing in Healthcare

the 23-hour surgery, she was symptom free and back to work!

cise bioprinting technology, customized heart valves are a medical marvel.

In healthcare, it’s the elusive breakthrough to a cure for diseases like cancer that has us all hoping. But sometimes it’s the bit-by-bit advancements, rarely getting headings, that make for greater impact. An example is the field of 3D printing, not even a medical technology by inception, but now a major disruptive force in the healthcare industry.

Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing allows the construction of physical objects based on three-dimensional digital models. A futuristic notion until recently, such printers are now commonly found in high schools, university libraries and labs, and also in a fabulous array of high-tech companies producing medical devices, and yes, body parts of all kinds.

Hearing aid manufacturers were early adopters

of 3D printing technology. From a silicone mold of the ear canal, a 3D scanner creates a digital model, a 3D printer produces it, then hearing aid components are inserted. The entire process takes less than a day.

Sounds impressive? That’s just the start. Here are a few of the truly amazing stories of 3D printing in medicine.

In 2012, a 20-month-old baby received the surgical implant of a 3D-printed biodegradable windpipe to resolve a rare condition of weak and collapsing airway walls.

Use of the technology to repair damage to the skull is remarkable enough. But in 2014, a 22-year-old woman in the Netherlands suffering from a bone disorder had the entire top part of her skull replaced with a 3D-printed implant. Three months after

Leadership Skills for Youth opportunity

Not just for the young, an 83-year-old woman with a chronic jaw infection was the recipient of the first titanium 3D-printed jaw. Using reconstructive surgery would have taken 20 hours and entailed too many risks at her age. But her doctors needed only four hours to conduct the implant and reported that she was able to speak and swallow normally the day after surgery and to go home after four days.

Treatments for heart defects and heart disease are on the horizon. Using pre-

Printing entire organs is not a wild dream. Nearly ten years ago, they became a reality when the first livers and kidneys were produced. To date, these devices are only used for testing purposes. But an important step towards fully functional organs is the production of 3D-printed viable blood vessels, and these have now been produced and successfully implanted in animals.

Given the long lists of people waiting for organ transplants and the ethical issues of animal testing,

advancements cannot come fast enough.

In other areas of medicine, amazing innovations are in the works. For example, 3D-printed skin tissue infused with stem cells is a possible new treatment for severe burns. Among the tiniest of printed innovations, researchers have created microscopic objects that can be tracked as they travel in blood vessels, the gut biome, or reproductive systems, helping advance the field of drug delivery, for instance.

It won’t be long before we see 3D printers spitting out exact replicas of teeth,

leaving drills and fillings to the history books.

3D printing is even getting stylish. Building prosthetic limbs used to be about delivering functionality to someone who has lost an arm or leg. Now a digital model can replicate the exact shape of the lost limb. How long until the mechanics can be embedded in a natural-looking casing with the touch and sensory characteristics of skin?

3D printing is not a cure for cancer, but the technology is a reminder that solutions sometimes come from unexpected places.

submitted by Anna Van Adrichem-Rochon

Rotary members and professional educators will host the District 7040 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), a community service and leadership training program for high school students ages 15 -17. The curriculum includes team building exercises, and an introduction to Rotary principles of Service: Above Self and the Rotary Areas of Focus. Students will develop skills as a leader and have fun making connections. They will build communications and problem-solving skills, discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in their school or community, learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers and peer mentors, and they will unlock their potential to turn motivation into action. They will have fun and form lasting friendships over three days at RKY Camp on beautiful Eagle Lake, one hour north of Kingston. This opportunity is open to local youth.

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact the Rotary Club of Kemptville at kemptvillerotary@hotmail.com immediately to hear how you can apply to become a RYLA participant. Deadline for application to the Kemptville Rotary Club is April 1, 2023.

Classifieds

FOR SALE

Firewood for sale. Cut, split, seasoned, mixed hardwood. $105/face cord. Call Ken 613 323 5503 20230201

Dry firewood for sale $110 a cord plus delivery fee. Call or text Jon 613-2273650

For Sale: Never used 1/3 horsepower Emerson motor. $100 firm. Call Reg - 613 258 7606

MISCELLANIOUS

Hunter Education Course on Saturday March 4th in Burritts Rapids. Please contact Kerry Coleman at 613-791-7515 or kerrycoleman@xplornet.com.

HISTORIC HALL AVAILABLE FOR RENTALS in Beautiful Burritts Rapids! Start a book club in time for cooler weather in a hamlet near walking trails and parkettes. Our hall is well equipped for any gathering or celebration, and we offer very competitive rates. http://burrittsrapids. com

WANTED

Kemptville senior wishes to buy sports cards for collecting #613-215-0835

Lead Guitar player wanted - Cover band (five members of ‘somewhat older’ vintage) doing rock and country hits from 60s to 2000s – looking for lead guitar player. Call/text 613404-3182

Looking to rent farmland for cash crops. Call or text Mitch @ 613-262-1204. (8 weeks)

FOR RENT

SHORT TERM RENTAL Delightful 3 bedroom house, Weekends/weekly/monthly, Fully furnished. All in Private road off 1000 Island Parkway. No pets. No smoking. Nightly(min

3)@$245.00. Phone

613-258-3807

Rental for winter months. Looking for any truck driver or two who might be looking for accommodations starting the beginning of December. We are located in Kemptville with large drive way.Please call at 613-258-7778 to visit or for more details.

SERVICES

RETIRED CARPENTER

Renovations, kitchens, bathrooms, additions, decks, home repair.

Call George at 613 462 7637

HANDYMAN SERVICES

Call Bill 613 774 2922

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

Kemptville Horticultural Society February Meeting Wednesday February 15, 2023 at the Kemptville Pentecostal Church, 1964 County Rd. #43, Kemptville. Our speaker will be Paul Gellatly, "The Tattooed Gardener", speaking on “Small Gardens". Everyone welcome.

KLUB 67 Euchre – Fun, social card playing every 2nd and 4th Wednesday monthly at 1PM, September to May. Location: Kemptville Legion, 100 Reuben Cres, Kemptville. Everyone welcome $5., cash prizes.

BREAKFAST, Kemptville Legion! Every 3rd Saturday from 8-10am - $8 for adults, $6 for children 10 and under. Euchre will be held following breakfast, registration starts at 11:30 am.

BINGO, Kemptville Legion, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, doors open at noon

North Grenville Duplicate Bridge Club Bridge, Masonic Lodge 311 Van Buren Kemptville, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 12:15. All Levels of bridge players are welcome. Info call 613-795-7155

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Dairy farmer dumps milk, makes video, faces backlash

by Nelson Zandbergen Courtesy of Farmers Forum

A stainless steel pipe gushes fresh milk over the milking-parlour floor as unhappy Dunnville dairy farmer Jerry Huigen loudly decries having to waste 30,000 litres after reaching his January production quota for the herd of 260.

A million people were estimated to have watched his riveting video message within a couple of days after it was posted on TikTok and spread to other social media platforms.

“At the end of the month, I have to dump all my milk. (I’m) supposed to keep it quiet,” Huigen says in the footage, staring intently into the camera as he wags his finger.

The original video has since been deleted by the family but lives on through multiple online copies that continue to be shared. The mainstream media also latched onto Huigen’s message, which went ‘viral’ in the same week that the Canadian Dairy Commission imposed a Feb. 1 dairy

price hike.

Dairy farmers are told “just throw it down the drain, nobody sees it, it’s OK,” Huigen says in the video, after taking a swig from the raw milk stream that spills onto the concrete while his cows are milked in the background. “Well, it’s not OK.”

The farmer is paid about 90 cents per litre for the milk he doesn’t dump. Huigen dramatically places a bottle of the premium Fairlife brand beside the outflow of wasted milk to draw a contrast. “How do you guys dare to put this product on the market for $7 a litre, and think that’s OK?” he declares. He suggests the wasted milk should go to single mothers or hospitals instead.

No other country compels its farmers to dump milk down the drain, he adds.

Filling quota has been likened to filling a bucket to its absolute maximum. The only way to totally hit 100% of capacity is to slightly overfill and let the excess run off. By default, this creates waste unless

The Food Corner

by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville

there’s a conscious effort to deal with the overflow. But dairy farmers contacted by Farmers Forum said the system does accommodate some overproduction, so long as the farmer practices good management. If he overproduces one month, the excess is credited toward a subsequent month when he underproduces.

Huigen has since received a lot of criticism from other dairy farmers on social media.

In short, Huigen wouldn’t be dumping milk unless he had already exhausted his allowable overquota float equivalent to 10days worth of production, wrote Cornwall-area producer and columnist Angela Dorie. A herd of 260 cows would produce 30,000 litres in about four days.

“He missed the ball by that much, but he has the right to say what he wants,” Meaford-area producer Paul Vickers observed.

“He knows the rules of the quota system, it’s quite simple,” said Cornwall-area producer Doug Robinson. “Either you dry cows up or

you sell your (extra) cows. Everybody is in the same boat. That’s just poor management.”

Irma Brink of Grand Valley echoed Robinson’s advice, observing: “If you produce 30,000 litres too much, then you have a problem.”

Brink, who chose to be part of Canada’s dairy quota system when she and her husband left their native Holland in 2017, said that if Huigen doesn’t like the system, he can set up in the U.S. The downside there is that milk prices fluctuate and often dip too low to make a happy farmer, she noted.

Professor Sylvain Charlebois, director of the AgriFood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, estimated that between 100 and 300 million litres of milk is discarded annually in Canada as farmers meet their production quotas. It’s “dairy’s dirty secret for years” and happens “quite frequently,” he said.

“The first step is to make milk-dumping illegal,” Charlebois advised, laying the blame on the market-

ing boards, such as DFO, for the current practice, not individual producers. “If you make it illegal, then you’re going to force change.”

Charlebois added that the Canadian Dairy Commission could arrange for the dehydration, storage and ultimate export of the surplus milk. The CDC already operates a national strategic butter reserve. Just extend the organization’s scope to handle the orphaned milk, in powdered form. “That’s all you need to do,” he said.

The powdered milk could be exported to overseas buyers, he assured, just as surely as Kingston’s Fehe plant turns Ontario milk into baby formula that is exported to China.

Huigen did “the right thing” by going public in the way that he did, Charlebois said. “Obviously, this farmer felt it was very important to convey this to Canadians who are dealing with a very

high food inflation rate.”

He claimed that the “mismanagement” accusation being levelled at Huigen is typical treatment for those exposing shortcomings in the system. “The DFO is individualizing the issue and targeting this one guy and making him look stupid. That’s what they do,” he said.

Milk dumping doesn’t fit with supply management’s image as a more efficient, less wasteful system, nor does it accord with the federal government’s more recent “sustainability” objectives, the professor warned. “Why would you ever want to produce food for nothing?”

Ontario dairy farmers do have the option of allotting a planned amount of their monthly production into DFO’s long-standing food bank program. But that program doesn’t accommodate unplanned large donations on a moment’s notice.

In August of 2020, I gave you the recipe for Ratatouille Provençale. By the way, my family and I love the Ratatouille movie because it’s all about COOKING! This week’s recipe is another take on the famous dish from the South of France, in the form of a casserole. It’s a simple and tasty dish called Ratatouille Casserole.

Ratatouille Casserole

Ingredients

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ pound of mushrooms, sliced

1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 eggplant (no more than a pound) unpeeled and chopped into ½ inch cubes

1 half litre of tomato sauce (15 ounces)

1 cup of chicken broth

½ cup of water

2 teaspoons of dry thyme leaves

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 ½ cup of brown rice

1 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation

- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch fry pan over medium heat

- Cook the onion till sweated, then add the garlic, mushrooms, pepper and eggplant

- Cook long enough for most of the liquid to have evaporated

- Place your veggies in a 4-quart casserole dish

- Mix in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, rice, thyme and black pepper; add the water

- Cover and bake for about an hour at 350F or until the rice is soft

If you need to add liquid, use a bit more chicken broth or water

Note: if you wish to add protein in the form of meat, use cubed chicken. For fish, add cubed salmon. For vegetable protein, you can Tofu. Whatever protein you add, just sauté briefly in butter and thyme before adding to the mix and prior to placing in the oven.

This is another dish where the young ‘uns can be involved. Serve up with Naan bread cut in triangles and lightly warmed in the microwave (one round of Naan per person). Sour cream or Tzatziki is a welcome topping. Continued thanks for the great feedback on the column and on the recipes. Keep your emails coming to pcormier@ranaprocess.com.

Peacefully at the Monfort Hospital on Wednesday February 8, 2023. Sherryl Arcand age 66 of Kemptville. Beloved wife of Jeff Arcand. Loving Mom of Tracy (Andrew), Joey (Angela) and Jonathan (Jasmine). Cherished Grandma of Carter, Sydney, Miles, Jackson. Jacob and Janelle. Dearly loved sister of Gail (Guy Lussier), Bonnie Nelson, the late George Nelson (Marion), Margaret Loughlin (the late Gerald), and Suzanne Tousant (the late Jeff Boisvenue).Dear sister-in-law to Debbie Fetterly (Perry), Sandy Nicholls (Leigh), Karen Lara (Bill), Cheryl McEvoy, Theresa Craig (Mark), and Linda Bradley (Bill). Fondly remembered by many nieces and nephews. Private Family Funeral Prayers with burial at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery was held.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the South Mountain Agricultural Hall 2967 Lough Road on Saturday February 18, 2023 from 1 to 4 p.m. with words of remembrance at 2 p.m. By family request donations in Memory of Sherryl may be made to the Kemptville District Hospital or the Winchester District Memorial Hospital. Arrangements entrusted to the Byers Funeral Home, South Mountain (613-989-3836) Online condolences may be made to www.byersfuneralhomeinc.com

Arcand, Sherryl (Nee Nelson)

Kemptville driving safety debate

floods social media…again

The most Canadian job around

by Brandon Mayer

A car accident last week at the intersection of Van Buren Street and Bridge Street/Raina Way led to what can be adequately described as a second “smash up” online. No one was hurt in the car accident, which resulted from one driver failing to yield the right of way. As often happens when it comes to the subject of driving in North Grenville, a social media post soon surfaced and a hot debate ensued.

Many social media users pointed out a problem of speeding in Kemptville. The entirety of Kemptville (within town limits) has a special posted speed limit of just 40 km/h. Not only is this lower than the default speed limit for towns and cities in Ontario, but many areas in Kemptville are also enforced as “community safety zones” with increased fines for speeders. Many locals feel that despite the strict stance on speed limits, there is not enough

enforcement in Kemptville, with speeding still a major problem on streets such as Van Buren Street.

The original social media post called for a 4-way stop to be installed at the intersection where last week’s accident occurred. This too led to further debate, since some locals are keen to point out that an increase in safety would be good, while others make it clear that having intersections with too much control can slow and congest traffic.

Decisions regarding what type of control to put on an intersection are not made lightly, and there are many factors that must first be taken into consideration. Many people are likely unaware that one such factor is whether putting “too much” control on an intersection that doesn’t need it will potentially cause disrespect for rules of the road in general. This means that although it may seem logically safer to always implement as much control as financially feasible at all intersections, this is not the case.

When drivers come across an “over-controlled” intersection, such as a 4-way stop that barely ever has any cross traffic, they tend to lose respect for the value of all stop signs. Those who have driven on back roads may have observed certain 4-way stop intersections with excellent visibility where it is almost an unspoken “rule” that rolling through the intersection is acceptable. This is a great demonstration of what happens when 4-way stop intersections are overused.

What then, is the solution to speeding and minor car accidents in town? The most logical answer seems to be – “pay attention!” Human error will always be the main cause of car accidents, and logically only three other factors can ever be at play – weather conditions, driver incapacitation, and vehicle failure. When drivers take the time to pay attention, respect the rules of the road, and drive defensively, the road becomes a safer place for everyone. Let’s do better, North Grenville!

Small communities are filled with unsung heroes who make them tick, and Merrickville is no exception. Bill Presley is one such individual. He is responsible for flooding and maintaining two outdoor ice rinks – one in Merrickville, and one in Easton’s Corners. One would be hard pressed to think of a more Canadian job.

Bill retired at the age of 60, and after only a few short years, he started getting bored and was seeking something to pass the time. He was hired to work at the Merrickville landfill two days per week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It wasn’t long before he was asked if he could also be in charge of managing the two local ice rinks. Bill offered to do the job for free, but was told he needed to be paid for liability reasons. He accepts minimal compensation considering the heavy work he puts in.

What is the process involved in maintaining an outdoor ice rink? There is more to it than most people would realize. A fire hose is used to flood the ice in a quick sweeping motion, with several coats often being applied in succession, with some time to freeze in between. When defects in the ice are found, they are filled with slush and covered with a pilon until it can re-freeze. The ice rinks’ posted opening times are 8 am to 10 pm. There are different time slots allotted for family skating and hockey times.

With this being Bill’s

second year of being in charge of the ice at the two rinks, he is finding that this year’s weather has made the job harder than last year. Last year, weather conditions generally allowed Bill to simply focus on flooding the ice when it would be cold enough, and clearing snow from it any time it snowed. This year, Bill explained that the job has been “hour by hour” as opposed to “day by day”. “It’s like making a cake,” Bill joked. “You gotta watch it”.

One of the duties of caring for the ice is to frequently drive by and check on it. With this responsibility comes a difficult task – instilling respect for the ice. When the ice is soft or not usable, people must stay off of it to avoid damaging the ice surface, which can create challenges for maintaining a smooth ice surface as temperatures fall back down. Similarly, helping to enforce hockey times is part of the job as well. Bill tries to be fair when it comes to ice use –for example, if only a few people are on the ice with some wanting to skate and others wanting to play hockey, he will turn the hockey nets so that a game can be played sideto-side without pucks

flying at those who just wish to skate.

Ultimately, much of the work involved in maintaining the ice is “extra” that Bill does for free out of kindness. His wife, Lauri often helps as well. “She gives me a hand, many times and works for love,” added Bill. “Extra” duties include the monitoring of the ice, opening and closing each day, and the driving back and forth between the two rinks. This year especially, Bill describes maintaining the ice as a “24 hour job”, wherein he is often only getting a few hours of sleep at a time before having to go back out again. It is without a doubt that neighborhood kids (and adults) certainly appreciate it, even if they don’t always get the chance to say “thank you”. Great work, Bill!

Bill Presley and his wife, Lauri by Brandon Mayer

Van Buren Street in Kemptville, looking west toward the spot where it intersects with Bridge Street and Raina Way.

Photo by Ashley Sloan

Local student earns Bronze at National Figure Skating Competition

Local child actors bursting with talent

by Brandon Mayer

Alex himself feels that acting has been instrumental in teaching him how to study.

Grade 11 South Grenville District High School (SGDHS) student Kadynn Morrison is excelling in both her school and skating careers, earning a national bronze medal last month, while staying involved in academics and extracurriculars at the school.

On Jan. 25, the Spencerville-born SGDHS honour roll student travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan for the 2022-2023 Skate Canada Challenge with her skating partner, Wesley Lockwood from Kingston.

“The trip was an overall great experience. The atmosphere was both welcoming and friendly and the competition was incredible,” says Morrison, noting that this was her first time on a plane since she was 4.

Nineteen pre-novice pairs from across the country competed at the multi-day staking event.

After the first day of partner dances, Kadynn and Wesley were ranked second. The second day consisted of free dancing, and the duo held a top-three spot and came home on Jan. 29 with a bronze medal.

Kadynn explains that she had an exam the day she left on her trip, and one waiting for her when she got back. “I had to plan and prepare in advance for my exams, and I was lucky to not have any scheduled while I was away”.

As a hard-working student, Kadynn has made the honour roll with an 80 per cent average or more in each class of her high school career thus far. At her Grade 8 graduation in June 2020, she received the principal’s award, a character award and Athlete of the Year.

Kadynn started skating when she was 2 years old, and has skated at the Spencerville Skating Club, Prescott Figure Skating Club, and currently at the Brockville Figure Skating Club.

“This is the year that my skating career is starting to take off,” Kadynn

explains. “I’m receiving new and exciting opportunities. I am grateful for my partner, Wesley, and the hard work we’ve both put in.”

The skating duo has been training together three to four times a week since Nov. 2022, alternating between Brockville and Kingston. On top of the intense training, Kadynn is currently involved with the SGDHS student senate, on the senior girls’ volleyball team, and taking university-level classes.

Kadynn and Wesley are currently preparing for a skating competition in Gloucester Feb.17-19, which is a qualifier for Provincials to be held in Stratford, Ontario in March.

“We are incredibly proud of Kadynn and her work ethic both inside and outside of our school,” says SGDHS Principal Trisha Johnston. “She’s a great role model and a great ambassador, and we will continue to cheer her on as she pursues her goals.”

Kemptville brothers Ethan and Alex Kerr have more in common than just looks – they also have a unique talent for acting. It all started when older brother Ethan decided that he wanted to be in a commercial. While Ethan’s interest in acting soon wavered, his initiative lived on through his brother, Alex, who succeeded where many other kids have only tried. Alex ended up being in two commercials, one for a financial planning company, and one for toy retailer Toys R Us.

Ethan and Alex’s mother, Cheryl Kerr, explained that while Ethan quickly tired of acting, his little brother Alex had taken a keen interest in watching the elder brother’s endeavors. “Alex kept trying to memorize Ethan's lines when Ethan had an audition, and Alex heard his brother with his acting coach from LA online and wanted to give it a try,” said Cheryl. “Alex started coaching with Ethan's acting coach, and Ethan's acting interest faded. Alex's coach said that he should reach out to Ethan's agents. They interviewed Alex and loved him.”

Cheryl explained that acting is not something she would have assumed Alex would naturally take a shine to. “The funny thing is that Alex had speech therapy when he was younger for a couple of years and has a very quiet personality, still to this day,” she said. “He takes everything he does seriously, schooling as well. He absolutely loves acting and asks for drama classes every night.”

Cheryl is happy about Alex’s continued interest in acting because of the life skills that it can help to develop. This includes skills such as how to do an interview and engage in public speaking, and it also gives self confidence, among so many other great benefits.

“It's been an amazing experience for him and me too!” Cheryl added. “He's tried other interests that he wasn't so passionate about. He wants to be an actor, and he has a lot going for him in other subjects too, so we'll see how it all unravels. I can see that he's going to do something great.”

Alex just started his acting journey in August and he is already doing great. He has immediate plans to join an acting school in addition to his regular schooling, and he will keep working with his coach. His coach is Los Angeles based actor Jareb Dauplaise, who does online acting coaching.

Cheryl explained that being the parent of a child actor can be very unpredictable.

“It's a little bit of a roller-

coaster and I can see it could become a big one,” she said. “You have to remember that it's all in your child and to not push it. When my eldest Ethan started to lose interest, I didn't want him to miss the opportunity, but you have to know when to let it go. It's not about what makes you happy, it's about what truly makes them happy, and for Alex it's acting.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews for television acting jobs have switched to an online platform, with no plans for a switch back to in-person auditions. This opens up a much larger “pool” of potential actors for producers to choose from, since most productions are filmed in Toronto or Vancouver. Keep flying high, Alex!

Alex Kerr (left) and his brother Ethan (right)

submitted by UCDSB Communications Department

Municipality of North Grenville releases Draft Budget 2023 and Public Consultation Dates

North Grenville’s municipal staff presented the Draft 2023 Municipal Budget to Council on Thursday, February 9, 2023.

Building on the Municipality’s established record of fiscal responsibility, the draft 2023 Budget represents a prudent approach to affordability during trying economic times with the lingering recovery of the pandemic, high inflation, external resource pressures, and supply issues.

“The draft 2023 Budget demonstrates a commitment to crucial investments in infrastructure, road safety, fire protection, recreation, preserving our heritage, and arts and culture, in support of a continued high quality of life for residents and business leaders in North Grenville,” emphasized Mayor Nancy Peckford.

In the draft 2023 Budget, the $26.9 million in operational costs and $7.5 million in capital costs includes key investments in services that residents rely on every day and key priorities that make North Grenville a better place to live.

“Council was elected to ensure that we make the necessary investments in our infrastructure while at the same time maintaining a high quality of life. I believe that the draft budget proposed by staff has successfully captured these needs while presenting a strong fiscal path forward,” said Mayor Peckford.

“This said, we welcome the community’s input over the next couple of weeks so that we can make necessary adjustments before reviewing another version on February 28,” added Mayor Peckford.

Proposed Investments in 7 key areas:

Investing in core infrastructure including, municipal roads and bridges at 3.5 million, plus an annual $1.8

North Grenville celebrates Van Turken Day with a free family skate

million investment for three years for North Grenville’s share for the expansion of CR 43;

The addition of 2 multiuse pathways, up to 2 PXOs, and sidewalk improvements;

More recreational amenities and opportunities, including the Riverside Park redevelopment, three neighbourhood parks, enhanced winter and summer trails, as well as financial support to several arts, culture and sports groups;

Preserving North Grenville’s heritage through long waited investments in some of our most cherished buildings, including Maplewood Hall and the Oxford on Rideau Township Hall;

Taking care of each other through investments in our local hospital, hospice, youth centre and seniors’ centre, food bank, and victim’s services;

Accelerating progress on the establishment of a rural transit system for all ages, physician recruitment, and affordable housing; Continued support for our local economic development and tourism promotion.

The Municipality will be hosting three public consultation sessions taking place on:

Wednesday, February 22 at 6:30 pm at the North Grenville Municipal Centre.

Thursday, February 23 at 2:00 pm at Maplewood Hall in Oxford Mills.

A Virtual Session on Thursday, February 23 at 7:30 pm. Pre-registration is required to attend the virtual session. To register, visit www.northgrenville.ca/budget or phone 613-258-9569 ext. 162

“The budget consultations are a key opportunity for community stakeholders, residents and business leaders to provide their feedback,” highlighted Deputy Mayor John Barclay. “We

look forward to hearing from folks in order to help inform the budget priorities and to ensure that the community has a strong voice.”

The public consultation will begin with a short presentation and budget overview by the Chief Financial Officer.

Members of the public will then have the opportunity to interact with municipal staff to review key aspects of the draft 2023 Budget, ask questions and provide feedback.

Details on the North Grenville 2023 Budget are available on the website at: www.northgrenville.ca/ budget.

North Grenville Budget 2023 Key Dates: Public Budget Consultation #1

Wednesday, February 22 6:30 – 8:30 pm

North Grenville Municipal Centre – Urbandale Theatre, 285 CR44, Kemptville Public Budget Consultation #2

Thursday, February 23 2:00 – 3:30 pm Maplewood Hall, 92 Maplewood Ave., Oxford Mills Public Budget Consultation #3 – Virtual

Thursday, February 23 7:30 – 9:00 pm

Pre-registration required. To register, visit www.northgrenville.ca/budget or phone 613-258-9569 ext. 162

Tuesday, February 28 – Presentation of Draft Budget to Council

6:30 – 8:30 pm

North Grenville Municipal Centre – Urbandale Theatre

Live-streamed on YouTube: www.northgrenville.ca/ meetings

In honour of the third annual Van Turken Day, the Municipality of North Grenville offered a free Family Skate on Saturday, February 11, 2023 from 6 pm-7:20 pm at the North Grenville Municipal Centre.

In 2020, Council declared the second Saturday in February “Van Turken Day” in honour of a wild turkey that roamed around Kemptville, disrupting traffic at some of its busiest intersections. The turkey became a local celebrity and was named “Van Turken” by an online Facebook poll.

“Van Turken brought the community together in a joyful way, and Van Turken Day is a chance for us to continue to have a little fun in North Grenville in their honour,” said Mayor Nancy Peckford.

“Unfortunately, the weather has not been favourable for the Kemptville Community Skateway this year, so the Municipality will be hosting a free family skate on Saturday at the Municipal arena,” added Mayor Peckford.

“Join us for some goofy fun on the ice. We expect Van Turken will be making an appearance! We welcome any other turkeys or other costumed characters on the ice too,” quipped Deputy Mayor John Barclay.

Van Turken stole the hearts of North Grenville and Canadians when a video went viral of the turkey chasing a municipal staff in the North Grenville Municipal Centre parking lot in February 2020.

Residents took selfies, shared turkey sightings, created memes, mugs, t-shirts, songs and poems – and even a twitter account in honour of Van Turken. There’s even a turkey in the 2022 International Plowing Match Logo.

After a number of attempts, the Ministry of Natural Resources captured Van Turken and released further afield.

The free skate and helmet lending library will also be available during that time. Skating aids, strollers and sleighs may be used during family skate sessions. Individuals under 17 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Kids 12 and under must wear a CSA approved helmet.

The North Grenville Fire Service will be accepting donations to the food bank as part of the Chiefs’ Fire Officers Association of Leeds and Grenville Food Drive.

For more information visit: www.northgrenville. ca.