Issue 7 2022 February 23 NG Times by The North Grenville & North Dundas Times

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Vol. 10 No. 7

The Voice of North Grenville

February 23, 2022

Fundraiser for Kika Smith continuing to grow

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The momentum has increased sharply since fundraising efforts were started earlier this month for Kika Smith, the beloved owner of Brewed Awakenings, who has fallen ill with cancer. In the February 16 issue of the Times, Kika’s friend and organizer of the fundraiser, Kirstin Nordstrand, penned a plea to the public asking for donations to help Kika deal with at least one of the burdens of her diagnosis – the ﬁnancial pressure. Another friend of Kika’s, Paula Rhyndress, provided an update on the current fundraising eﬀorts. After an initial GoFundMe campaign which had raised over $30,000 of a $40,000 goal by the time of writing, the fundraising was

shifted to an online silent auction. Paula donated her time driving around to various local businesses seeking item donations for the auction, and has been met with overwhelming support. Paula wanted to highlight the generosity of local businesses, many of whom are struggling at the present time due to the ongoing pandemic, and wants to encourage locals to support local businesses as much as they have showed support for Kika at this diﬃcult time. She likened Kika to other well-liked local business owners, saying “those are the kind of people we need in our community.” Almost two years ago, Paula lost her oldest sister to a battle with cancer, and Kika was a great support at that time with both catering and emotional support.

“There’s a lot of people that beneﬁtted from Kika’s generosity, and now it’s time for us to step up,” Paula said. The events surrounding Kika’s situation and the resulting fundraiser have unfolded very quickly. Her friends have recognized the large expenses that often accompany a cancer diagnosis, and the need to do something for someone who has always been quick to do things for others. Now that the online auction is underway, the GoFundMe page has been closed, as Paula’s friends did not want any confusing overlap. Paula is encouraging those who want to contribute ﬁnancially to participate in the auction. “Bid!”, Paula said with much enthusiasm. “Bid up the wazoo, because the more bidding you do, the more money we make.” Paula has great faith in the community to continue providing this much-needed support. “This is what being in a small community is about,” she said. The following list is not complete at press time. The online auction can be found at trellis.org/silent-auctionfor-kika.

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The North Grenville Times

Award for NGPL Vice-Chair

“Bid up the wazoo, because the more bidding you do, the more money we make”

level, he has been an active member of the OLA and its counterpart, the Ontario Library Boards' Association (OLBA), including among his contributions: - President of OLA in 2018 and President of OLBA in 2017 - Member of the OLA Advocacy Committee and the OLA Selection Committee - Editor of the Inside OLBA newsletter and Editorial Board Member of OLA’s Open Shelf magazine - Member of the Southern Ontario Library Service, Trustee Council 8 In 2002, Dr. Badgley and his wife, Sue Badgley, established the Sarah Badgley Literacy Fund for Rural Ontario Children in memory of their daughter. Since its inception, more than 75 Ontario public libraries have received grants from the Fund. Here at home in North Grenville, he has been a dedi-

cated member of the Library Board for 20 years, taking on terms as both Chair and Vice-Chair. He is a wellloved ﬁgure at the Library itself, performing music, along with his wife, for children at monthly Juice Jams, and at the annual Kids’s Holiday Funfest, organized by the Friends of the North Grenville Public Library. In his award acceptance speech, Dr. Badgley noted that as a child growing up in poverty, he knew that he would always be treated with respect and with dignity at his local library, concluding: “I now have the chance to support libraries, and I do so whenever possible. And I hope that I set a positive example for others, so that they become involved in libraries too.” He is a true champion of libraries, and none more so than our own North Grenville Public Library.

grant money to keep locals Local Journalism Initiative Reporter entertained while they were stuck at home. A popular Kemptville “We identified that we festival which has been put were able to remain open as a on hold for two years due to recording studio,” Karen told the COVID-19 pandemic is the Times. The team set up a planning to return this year professional recording studio, in light of loosening restric- complete with lighting, at the tions. If all goes according old library on the Kemptville to plan, the Kemptville Live Campus. There were 14 perMusic Festival will take place formances last year. “Artists this summer from July 21-24. were just dying to get out and While a list of performers do stuﬀ,” Karen said. “A lot is not available yet, it is an- of them hadn’t performed in ticipated that the festival will over a year.” be a major event, bringing She described the online back feelings of pre-COVID events as a way to keep their excitement. Advance tickets branding fresh for locals, sales are ongoing, as are but also as a way to promote camping reservations. Kemptville, since those who The festival organizers live outside of the area can have been keeping the spirit access the events on YouTube alive over the past several as well. months by hosting a Live at While Live at the Library the Library series of online was a way for the Festival events. These events began in to cope with the pandemic, 2021 in lieu of that year’s in- the organizers are moving person festival. Karen Bedard forward with preparations for of the Festival told the Times this year’s in-person festival. that the Live at the Library “We were fortunate, beseries was a way to use some cause we were in a good

position,” Karen said. “We had a good five years of growing our non-profit, so, financially, we’re fine to get through this year.” Those interested in catching one of three remaining Live at the Library shows can do so on February 24 (“Lyle Odjick and The Northern Steam”), March 3 (“Roxy’s Proxy”), or March 10 (“Kelly Preston”). All past shows can be found on the Kemptville Live Music Festival YouTube Channel at www.youtube. com/channel/UCBxfGn2_ SUTV1g6ah2z1AHA/featured. As for July’s live event, tickets are on sale now at www.kemptvillelivemusicfestival.com/tickets. More information about the event can also be found on the website. Ticket sales have been strong so far. “People are very loyal fans,” Karen said. “A lot of them have carried over their tickets from 2020!”

cont'd from front page

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Dr. Kerry Badgley Gift basket of foot care prodThe North Grenville Pubucts lic Library Board is pleased to Marguerite Boyer, personalised portrait of your pet/ announce that its Vice-Chair, Dr. Kerry Badgley, has been child chosen as the recipient of the 2022 Larry Moore Distinguished Service Award by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). This award recognizes an outstanding contribution to the libraries of Ontario. Dr. Badgley has been a leader and an advocate for public libraries for the last 20 years. At the provincial

Help Support Your Local Businesses Kemptville Live Music Festival SHOP LOCALLY set to return this year by Brandon Mayer

FEB 23, 2022

Councillor Doreen O’Sullivan

Councillor John Barclay

The Voice of North Grenville

Mayor Nancy Peckford

Dr. C.L. Eamon Deputy Mayor Jim McManaman

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February 23 2022

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OPP Provincial Communication Centre in action

Chris at the console in the PCC Chris Allan describes a day in the life of Provincial Communication Centre (PCC) in Smiths Falls. Chris explains the dispatchers roll in the day to day running of any police organization is vital. If there were no call takers, who would the public call? If there were no dispatchers, who would the oﬃcers depend on to help them help the public? Call takers hear the cries for help, the frustration, anger, panic, desperation, sadness and fear. They speak to people, sometimes at the worst possible time in their lives, while trying to help them, and getting the oﬃcers the information and support they need. It is not an easy job. Dispatchers, or call takers, that work for the PCC are all front line workers. OPP call takers are the first contact point between the Public and the OPP. They work shift work (12 hours), evenings, weekends, and holidays. Chris has been doing this complex career for 19 years starting in Belleville then onto Perth before ending up in Smiths Falls. Chris is married and has two adult children, one continuing education as the other is out in the working world. While away from the hustle and bustle of the

PCC, Chris loves the outdoors all year round. Chris can be found hiking, cycling, skiing, skating or relaxing at the cottage. Chris loves to be active that's for sure. Once it's time to put the headset back on, Chris has to manage calls and 6 screens in front of him. To say he is a highly skilled multi-tasker is an understatement. Chris wants us to know more about the wonderful staff at PCC and the multitude of tasks they do. How they start the day depends on where they are sitting. There is a division of labour in all PCC's, separated into call taking and dispatching. Once they are set up at their desks for their shift, they are ready to take calls for service. As a dispatcher, they manage 6 monitors and 3 computers, assisting the public with calls for service and getting officers out to the locations. When they relieve their colleagues they conduct a "hand off", or mini debrief of what is currently on the go, anything that is outstanding, any concerns or major events that may be ongoing. As an East Region call taker they process calls for service and treat all callers equally and at face value.

and the general safety of the public via our actions. On any call they may be required to do a myriad of different things (multitasking) and be responsible to listen to multiple talk groups (radio channels), TAC's (tactical channels), the phone, and in person conversations (with Sergeant/supervisor). One of the first duties, whether it is a day or night shift, is to ensure that all officers are logged onto the system accurately. Although officers now have the ability to log themselves on via their MWS (Mobile Work Station, or onboard computer), dispatchers must confirm that they have logged on to the correct vehicle, the correct call sign, the correct badge number, skill sets (like SOCO Scene Of the Crime Officer), off duty time, and work cell number. As equipment, like cruisers, are shared, it is also vital that the dispatcher confirm officers are off duty and their cruisers are available for the new officers starting their shifts. As dispatchers, we are the conduit between officers on the road and other agencies or services. They are consistently tasked to make contact with MTO, tow companies, funeral services, MOE (Environment), Hydro, Fire, Roads Dept, etc. Status checks on the officers on the road is required, especially in priority or po-

They use a headset and answer calls with a beep in their ear, with a slight difference between 911 calls and non-emergency lines. 911 is strictly to be used for EMERGENCY calls and others are directed to non-emergency lines. In either role, most especially on the dispatch side of the room, they are tethered to the desk by their headset and they do not have the ability to get up and walk away. There is some leeway on the call taking side, but dispatchers cannot get up and leave their desk for any reason without being relieved. Over a 12 hour shift this requires a great deal of co-ordination. All calls in and out of the PCC are recorded and all calls entered for service, including calls from dispatchers to officers that may be in detachment. Between January 1 and December 31, 2021, OPP call takers handled 96,126 - 911 calls THAT DID NOT go to the road (Officers) saving 174,661 hours. These are just pocket dials. Call taking is a very one on one conversation with the caller and the calltaker, however there are often times to conference in EMS or other services or police jurisdictions. As dispatchers, our main concern is for the safety of the officers we are dispatching for, the efficient and expedited sharing of vital and accurate information,

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tentially dangerous situations. Traffic stops are one of the most dangerous situations an officer could be in, given the person driving the vehicle is unknown. The console management is vital. Updating, documenting, and timely clearing events keeps officer timers and status checks up to date. Dispatchers are ultimately accountable for officers. As with the start of my day, another debrief is required when ending my shift between myself and my relief. Ready to wrap up another day, to go home, get recharged, and do it all over again.

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heritage week

Clothier Hotel, 9 Water Street, Oxford Mills

Heritage - Oxford Mills

Here is a building that no-one but older residents of Oxford Mills will recognise. It was constructed c 1835 of timber frame and served as a hotel until 1914. It had a 2nd storey balcony and 1st storey veranda both of which ran the length of the front facade. It was built by Asa Clothier and was owned by numerous individuals, many of whom also used the property for other businesses, such as shoemaking, over the years. The last hotel keeper was Thomas Warren, who left here and moved to Kemptville, where he ran the White House on the corner of Clothier and Prescott Streets

Water Street, Oxford Mills, c. 1890. Oxford Mills is a place that was nearly the main centre of Oxford-on-Rideau, then became the main centre, and then lost its position as the main centre: it’s had an up and down history! When the township was originally surveyed, the regular plan was to place the main town or village at the geographical centre of the new township. Although Oxford Mills would not exist before the 1840's, in 1791, when the survey took place of Oxford on Rideau, lot 17, concession 5 was about the centre, with the South Branch River running through it to provide a perfect location for a village. But plans change, and it was Kemptville that eventually grew to be the main urban centre of Oxford. Then everything changed again. In 1857, Kemptville separated from Oxford to form its own municipal identity, and the Oxford Township council and staff removed to Oxford Mills and built a very fine Township Hall in 1875. And so, Oxford Mills gained its new status, as it seems it was always fated to do. From 1857 until 1998, the village was the administrative centre of Oxford on Rideau. Then everything changed yet again. In 1998, Oxford on Rideau was merged with South Gower and the Town of Kemptville to form a new municipality which came to be called North Grenville. Everything moved back to Kemptville, which again took over from Oxford Mills as the administrative capital and main urban centre of the new municipality. Oxford Mills was allowed to become the picturesque and rather sleepy hamlet it is today. But its heritage is preserved in some very fine buildings, some old and historic ones too, which are reminders of the changeable history of Oxford Mills.

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for many years. It was sold to the Loyal Orange Lodge No. 72 in 1915. The Lodge and Regalia rooms were on the 2nd floor and there was a large hall on the ground floor that saw many community dances, masquerades and dinners. The Hall had its own Band, which played here regularly. From its days as a hotel, there were horse sheds and stables between the Hall and the river. But the old building, with its wood frame construction, was not necessarily the most comfortable place. It took five wood stoves to keep the interior warm.

The Lodge had as many as seventy members at one time. The Lodge ‘went into darkness’ in the 1970s and the library operated from the first floor. The building was owned by Harold and Bernie Patterson for many years, from which they operated their electrical and plumbing business, before it was bought by Gerry and Debbie VanGurp. They transformed the building into Olde Porch Primitives, and it is completely unrecognisable from the old hotel. It is now preserved for another century through their work. In the original plan for the Village of Oxford Mills, a road allowance ran to the north of this property, from Water Street to the river bank. By Street, as it was to be called, remains an unopened road allowance today, and is marked by the Canada Post post boxes standing on that side of the road.

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The Voice of North Grenville

Oxford Mills Cheese Factory

The factory after the roof collapse in 1947

Magee Tavern and Kidd’s Store, 14-16 Water St

The site of the factory today, with just the foundations remaining. A cheese factory had been established here some time after 1871 by Lyman Beach before being bought by Murdock Gair in 1882. The factory continued in operation under numerous owners until 1947. The cheese factory operated 6 days a week from spring to fall and closed for the winter. The factory was quite successful over the years. J. W. Fretwell, who bought the factory in 1909, built the residence at 10 Water Street. At peak periods, 35 90-pound cheeses were produced daily. The Oxford Mills Cheese Factory Association was formed in 1946, but snow loads caused the roof to collapse in 1947. The factory was not rebuilt. Inside the Cheese Factory around 1910, with H. M. Weedmark and J. W. Fretwell, the owner.

Heritage Matters Celebrating Heritage in North Grenville

Archibald Magee ran a tavern on lot 16 from 1853, and it later was bought by Murdoch Gair, along with lot 14, which had been a rented dwelling owned by Ambrose Clothier of Kemptville. Gair went bankrupt in 1887. The two lots were bought by Thomas A. Kidd, storekeeper, who replaced the wood frame buildings with a brick one. The store also served as the Post Office, but burned down in 1939. Another store was built by Joseph Postlethwaite, but it too burned down in 1976. The land has since been used as a garage and storage shed.

The Thomas Kidd store

Pete Postlethwaite’s store

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The Voice of North Grenville

10 Water Street, Oxford Mills

Every house has story: a tale of families who built it, lived in it, raised families and filled it with life. The house in the picture was built in 1910 and has been a feature of Oxford Mills since then, seeing many changes in the village, and even on the street on which it stands. Across the road was the Orange Hall and

the McGee hotel. General stores rose up and burned down beside it. The property consists of lots 10 and 12, Water Street, as well as part of lot 15 on Main Street. Lot 12 was the first lot sold in the newly-surveyed village in 1849. It was bought by Moses Lefaver, a blacksmith, who bought the lot across the road where he built his

bought the two lots. The local newspaper reported on August 25, 1910: “Report says that Mr. W. Fretwell has bought the two lots on Water Street owned by Mrs. J. Edwards and Mrs. E. Gilmour, and intends buildings.” He began to build this house in September, 1910. The newspaper was keeping everyone up to date on developments. On September 15, it noted that “Mr. W. Fretwell has started to dig the cellar for his new house”. On December 1, 1910, the paper reported that: “Mr. W. Fretwell is erecting a beautiful residence of concrete with iron roof on the lots formerly owned by Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Gilmour. He expects to have it ready for living in by Christmas”.

smithy. This is the building with the chalk drawing of a horse’s head, now covered with vinyl siding. Lots 10 and 12 remained under separate ownership until 1910. The houses on the two lots were owned by widows and both burned down in 1909. James W. Fretwell, who owned the cheese factory by the bridge,

Fretwell had bought the one of the two vacant lots for $75 but there seems to be no record of what he paid for the other. Fretwell sold the property to Frederick Murray in 1919, for $6,000, but bought it back in 1923 for $5,400. In 1925 he sold the property and his cheese factory to Walter Hargrave. The Hargraves owned the house from 1925 until 1954. They raised three children, two daughters, Margaret and Stella, and a son, Bruce. The couple were very keen gardeners, and had a large perennial flower border either side of the carefully nurtured lawn. They also kept a large brood of chickens in the big barn outside the house, and the eggs were a source of added revenue for the fam-

ily when the cheese factory was quiet. Stella married local resident, Charles Beckett, and the couple had two children. Sadly, Stella died in 1939, aged just 25. Then, the cheese factory’s roof collapsed in the winter of 1947 because of the weight of snow and never reopened. When Walter died in 1954, his widow, Jessie, sold the house and moved in with her daughter Madge in Brinston, in South Dundas. Jessie died in 1973. Bruce had married by then and moved to Hamilton. Now over a century old, this home and the land it’s built on, has seen a lot of history and has many stories to tell.

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This community hall started life as S. S. No. 8, Oxford, and has served the Oxford Mills community as a school, a library, as well as avenue for meetings, concerts, exhibitions, weddings, Christmas parties, and so much more. The school built on land bought from John Lindsay in 1875. It was built by A. Willoughby with broken course limestone from the Harris Quarry on Bedell Road. It opened in August, 1875, and continued in use until June, 1964, when it closed following the amalgamation of rural schools into consolidated Public Schools. The building was bought by the Township of Oxford-on-Rideau and became a school for the mentally challenged in 1968, a role it continued to play until 1983, when it finally closed. In that year, the local Library moved into the north end of the building, while the south end was used for local meetings. The building was completely renovated in 2001 and has served as the community hall ever since. In 2008, administration of the hall was transferred to the local Community Association for a few years before reverting back to Municipal control. This building has seen so many of the great and small events of Oxford Mills since 1875, and remains an important part of the village’s life and history. It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1991.

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The Voice of North Grenville

Pandemic Leadership Awards announced by NG Council North Grenville’s Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the one-time Pandemic Leadership Awards, which are intended to highlight individuals and groups who sought to support local businesses, health care and other frontline workers, and North Grenville residents during the ups and downs of the COVID pandemic. “Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on our community, province and country – and those effects are still being felt today. However, Council was heartened by the tremendous kindness and solidarity demonstrated by so many throughout the last two years – and felt it warranted our recognition and thanks,” said Mayor Nancy Peckford. The 2021 Pandemic Leadership Awards Recognition will take place at the February 22, 2022 Virtual Council Meeting. For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting virtually, pre-registration is required by e-mailing clerk@northgrenville.on.ca. Or watch the livestream on the North Grenville YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/ NorthGrenville/featured. The 2021 Pandemic Leadership Awards were awarded to the following individuals and organizations: Brett Colpitts and Marina Dunning – Colpitts Media: Owners of a local multimedia company that had recently relocated to North Grenville, Brett and Marina volunteered their time early in the pandemic to use their unique skill set to produce a short, high quality promotional video showcasing local businesses and talking to owners about what community means to them. Marina and Brett shot nine businesses in a day and a half, and the video was released on Facebook. The video spread like wildfire online, garnering 10,000 views and over 200 shares in just over 24 hours. Jennifer Tanner: What started off as a modest attempt to provide families with donations grew into a community “Give & Take” Tent. During the pandemic, a number of charities were not accepting donations. Understanding that COVID has made it more difficult for vulnerable individuals and families to access goods, Ms. Tanner stepped up and set up a tent on her property that was available 24/7 for any person February 23, 2022

to use. Word quickly spread throughout the community, and people began donating items for other families to receive. From diapers to dishes, beds and toys, people listed items to give away on the accompanying Facebook Group. Debbie Amirault: Since the beginning of the pandemic, Kemptville resident Debbie Amirault has made thousands of triple-layer masks which she has been selling online and at events to raise funds for local food banks. Through her Mouth2Mouth Project, Amirault donates every $500 raised to the Salvation Army food bank in Kemptville or the House of Lazarus (HOL) food bank in Mountain, alternating between the two. As of December 2021, she had raised over $6100. Kemptville Salvation Army & Knights of Columbus: When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the demand on North Grenville’s food banks intensified, particularly the ones operated by the Knights of Columbus and Kemptville Salvation Army. Despite the cancellation two years in a row of the very successful holiday food drive, the Salvation Army, in particular, including key staﬀ and volunteers, were absolutely determined to ensure food bank clients had access to fresh food, meats, pet food, diapers and sanitary products, as well as other non-perishable items. Throughout, COVID protocols were maintained to ensure pick up was safe and well-organized. Meanwhile, the Knights of Columbus kept their food pantry well-stocked and ensured their existing and new clients could avail of goods as they needed, and often delivered supplies to local residents. North Grenville Times: Given the major disruptions to local businesses during various stages of the pandemic, increased visibility and awareness of take-out, curbside pick-up and online ordering options was crucial to the survival of many smaller enterprises. The North Grenville Times showed an unwavering commitment to these businesses, regularly featuring their stories and a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective of what business owners were confronting as the pandemic wore on, rules changed, and disruptions continued. Fostering loyalty to

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our local business community through powerful storytelling made a difference to more than a few of our North Grenville entrepreneurs. The “Bell Ringers” in support of Frontline Workers: It began as a grassroots initiative in Italy. Early in the pandemic, people opened their doors and windows every night to bang pots and cheer to support frontline workers. It soon spread around the world as people showed their support for not just health care workers - but all those working on the frontlines of ‘essential’ organizations, including grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. The initiative even found its way to North Grenville when our local churches, groups and neighbours began ringing their bells every Monday evening. Fuelled by very dedicated volunteers, many of these groups and individuals continued this bellringing tradition every week for over eighteen months! Many residents told Council members how comforting they found the sounds of the bells, particularly during periods of shutdowns, and lockdowns where people were discouraged from leaving their homes. In Burritt’s Rapids, the following individuals began ringing their bells nightly at 7:30 p.m. on March 19 2020 - with the Boesveld’s and Tilbury’s having continued for over 700 days (and counting!):

UPDATE

For updates related to COVID-19 and the North Grenville Municipal Centre visit: www.northgrenville.ca/coronavirus

MUNICIPAL OFFICE HOURS

The Municipal oﬃce is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please note: Renovations at the North Grenville Municipal Centre reception area are underway. Access to the facility will continue to be through the main entrance doors located on the North side of the building. Customer service will be moved upstairs for the duration of the renovation project. Access to the 2nd ﬂoor stairs and elevator will be available during this time. Sign-up to Mayor Peckford’s e-newsletter at: northgrenville.ca/connect.

UPCOMING MEETINGS COUNCIL MEETINGS

Council meetings will be conducted virtually via Zoom. For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting virtually, pre-registration is required by e-mailing clerk@northgrenville.on.ca. To make a deputation in relation to an item on the agenda, please pre-register with the Clerk's Oﬃce at the same e-mail address. Please provide your comments no later than two hours prior to the start of the meeting. If you require accommodation, please advise the Clerk’s Oﬃce when pre-registering so that they may best assist you. 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/agendas-and-minutes. Council agendas are available at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendas-and-minutes. • Council Meeting (Open) – Virtual – March 1, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. • Council Meeting (Open) – Virtual – March 9, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. • Council Meeting (Open) – Virtual – March 15, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Committee meetings will be conducted virtually via Zoom. For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting, pre-registration is required by e-mailing the Clerk’s Oﬃce at clerk@northgrenville.on.ca. • Active Transportation Advisory Committee – February 24, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. • Agriculture and Rural Aﬀairs Advisory Committee – March 2, 2022 at 4:15 p.m. • Heritage Advisory Committee – March 3, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. • Community and Economic Development Advisory Committee – March 7, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. • Health Wellness and Fitness Advisory Committee - March 7, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

BUDGET

Budget meetings and presentations will be conducted virtually via Zoom. For any members of the public wanting to attend the any of the budget meetings, pre-registration is required by e-mailing the Clerk’s Oﬃce at clerk@northgrenville.on.ca. • Presentation of Final Budget (Council Meeting) – March 2, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT

North Grenville Accessible Transit is available seven (7) days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The service is available for anyone who meets the deﬁnition of having a disability in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarian with Disabilities Act or Seniors 65+. Visit www.northgrenville.ca/transit to register for the service or call 613-258-9569 ext. 133.

Burritt’s Rapids Noisemakers: Christine and Bernie Boesveld; Beth and John Tilbury; Jayne Couch; Jane Jeﬀerys and Lionel Bedard; *plus some neighbours and friends who rang their bells when they could! Weekly Bell Ringing: Faith Communities: St. James Anglican Church; Holy Cross Church; St. John’s United Church; St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church; St. Andrews United Church (Mervin & Joan Robinson); Bishop’s Mills Pentecostal Church (Rev. Randy Jenkins). Bishop’s Mills Community Association: Tom Graham; Victor Desroches; Joe and Joan Tensen; Hugh Pearson; John Polley. Bishop’s Mills Women’s Institute: Jeanne Lambert; Linda Desroches; Sheryl McKim; Susan Jenkin.

VOLUNTEER AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Please visit northgrenville.ca/careers for updates on volunteer and employment opportunities. Seasonal Student Positions 2022 - Parks, Recreation and Culture The Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture is currently accepting applications for full and part-time spring/summer student positions. Please visit northgrenville.ca/careers for a list of the positions available. Please send resumes to hr@northgrenville.on.ca no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 14, 2022. Engineering Summer Students The Department of Public Works is seeking to fill three (3) Summer Engineering Student positions. Please visit northgrenville.ca/careers for the job description. Interested applicants may submit a cover letter and resume outlining qualification in confidence to hr@northgrenville.on.ca no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 18, 2022.

The Municipality of North Grenville 285 County Rd. 44, PO Box 130, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0 Tel: 613-258-9569 Fax: 613-258-9620 general@northgrenville.on.ca 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 Animal Control: 613-862-9002 7

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Editorial

The North Grenville Times

Peace will come by David Shanahan There was a really strange coincidence on Friday. As police moved against the protestors in Ottawa, I spent the day watching people being interviewed in public to fill the vacant position on the North Grenville municipal council. As some mourned what they felt was the death of Canadian democracy on the streets of the capital, here in our community we could see a powerful example of democracy in action. So, which was more reflective of the state of Canada today? In this issue, you’ll find some deeply heartfelt letters and articles trying to work through what we’ve been seeing these last few weeks. What should have been done about the occupation of Ottawa that wasn’t done? Did we, as some of the occupiers claim, stray over the line into dictatorial conduct by government and police? Or did those powers wait too long to act, and allow anarchy to flourish in front of the Parliament of Canada? As the occupation ends

(and, yes, I do think it was an occupation, the facts are clear), maybe we can turn our attention to answering those questions, and others like them. There was a certain sector of Canadian society that approved of what the protesters did, supported them with money, food, fuel, and their presence on the streets and bridges. At the same time, as one letter-writer in this paper points out, the organisers of the protest were not the patriotic, freedom-loving heroes they were claiming to be. It does seem to me that many people were conned, to put it bluntly, by claims of the organisers that they were fighting for freedom after civil rights had been denied. I wrote before about how easily such agitators can manipulate honest men and women into taking part in what is much more than what they think it to be. The news that Canadian Intelligence agencies had warned the government as far back as late December about who were really planning the convoy, and what their intentions were, throws a new light on the aﬀair.

The Voice of North Grenville

Yes, it is easy for people to deny the facts and accuse newspapers like ours of being in some nasty alliance with the powers that be to spread false narratives and hide the truth. It may sound flippant to say, but if we only had such power! Conspiracies are rampant these days, and too many people have lost faith in traditional sources of information. That is a far bigger threat to our democracy than police clearing Wellington Street of those who have tried to shut down our society, economy, even our government. It is well understood, and should have been taken into account by authorities in Ottawa, that protests are always infiltrated by those with more extreme views and intentions, and that is certainly the case with the occupation. Intelligence briefings to government were clear: “While the organizers have declared that this is an act of peaceful protest, some ideologically motivated violent extremism followers in Canada have seized upon this rally to advocate for their own ideological objectives. Extremists and

other individuals supporting Covid-19 conspiracy theories and violent anti-authority/ anti-government views have expressed intent to participate in the convoy and to attend the accompanying protest in Ottawa.” But the legacy remains, and will aﬀect us for some time to come. Some have been disillusioned by what Canadians have imposed on one another, while others are angered about how the occupation was broken up. Was the Emergency legislation really needed? Should the police have acted sooner, or even prevented the trucks from getting to Wellington Street? How sympathetic were the police to the protestors, and is that why they allowed so much illegality to continue without interruption? These are not comforting thoughts, and they have raised questions about how Canadians have traditionally seen each other. Maybe, as one expert said, “Was the problem that [the Ottawa police] didn’t have the information? Or was the problem that they just don’t take white supremacy

seriously?” And while all that was taking place in Ottawa, the people of North Grenville saw candidates for council openly interviewed, arguing their case for getting the job. Nine candidates, men and women from our community, willing to be interviewed, questioned, judged by their fellow citizens. This was a democratic act that should give us hope. Canada is not a perfect country (ask the Indigenous people about that), but it is more than what we’ve seen in the past month. Living through the pandemic for so long, hearing so many contradictory theories and solutions, open to any nutcase with a theory, all of this has laid the groundwork for the occupation of Ottawa. There was no way that it could be ended without somehow conﬁrming in a twisted way the theory that a dictatorship had been imposed on us. But Parliament, like the NG Council, and the North Dundas Council, and the Merrickville-Wolford council, and all 444 municipal councils in Ontario, will con-

tinue to operate, legislate, run the nation and our communities in the way it seems best to them. And in June and October we, the citizens of this province and place, will exercise our democratic right to vote and have a say in who takes the place of the current holders of oﬃce. We will moan, and rightly, the fact that the wrong people get elected sometimes. And we will celebrate when the right people do succeed. And we will disagree about which is which. But that is democracy, and it is, in spite of appearances and counter-claims, alive and well in Canada. In the words of Tom Paxton: Peace will come, and let it begin with me.

genetic instructions that has never been done before. The THEORY is DECADES old. The practice of putting it into peoples bodies is completely new. There are NO long term clinical trials on a signiﬁcantly large sample size of humans using this new technology pre-COVID at all. None what-so-ever. And in that, I can completely understand people's hesitancy putting it into their bodies. And in that I can see the logic and validity in the worry. And it is for that reason I can understand, support and sympathize with those who would protest mandating it. Mathieu Louis-Seize

Mr. Fry says that “introducing mitigating conditions during the early planning stages” of a power project should reduce adverse impacts. That sounds nice, but the reality in Ontario is that the government already has thousands of formal Incident Reports prepared by Environmental Officers documenting citizen complaints of noise pollution and other issues such as interference with water wells. Yet, the noise regulations have not changed since 2009 and enforcement is, frankly, pitiful. At present, 47 per cent of Ontario’s wind power facilities are not formally deemed compliant with their Renewable Energy Approval requirements for audits of noise emissions. A number (17 per cent) have filed incomplete audits, including the South Branch power project at Brinston, while 30 per cent are still “under review.” One wind power project has been “under review” for 13 years, while noise complaints continue to be filed!

This does not inspire confidence that negative effects can be prevented. These can include noise pollution that affects sleep for nearby residents and can contribute to long-term health effects. The Minister of Energy announced recently that Ontario is looking for 1,000 megawatts of new power generation. For context, the 29 turbines at Nation Rise in Crysler-Finch-Berwick can generate 100 megawatts. Here are the facts: wind turbines are an industrial use of the land. Turbines use up a great deal of land, usually high quality farmland, to produce minimal power. They represent a danger to wildlife, especially migrating birds, and bats which are critical to the ecosystem. And, wind power does not help reduce carbon emissions: because the power is intermittent and produced out of phase with demand in Ontario, turbines need backup power, usually natural gas. The Independent Electricity System Operator or IESO

has a green light for new power development in Eastern Ontario. Now is the time for industrial wind power to be discussed in terms of real cost-beneﬁt analysis, and for municipalities to enact truly protective zoning bylaws for setbacks and noise limits. Jane Wilson, RN North Gower President WIND CONCERNS ON

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

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, Re: "Truckin'", February 2 issue. Great read, but please allow me to point out what I believe is a red herring and really what the core of this article is missing, and what many who don't understand the urgency so many people protesting feel about this. First of all, I am fully vaccinated and so is my wife. But we do have a lot of very intelligent and compassionate vaccine hesitant friends. This article references previous work related mandates, but this is where the red herring lays: 1) Most of those mandates were in place BEFORE they became truckers, so they could make the decision whether those mandates were in line with what they felt comfortable taking on as a career to support their families. 2)(And this is *BY FAR* the more important one) Those mandates have nothing to do with putting a substance that certain people feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable,

if not TERRIFIED to put into their bodies. So regarding the second. Let's examine and unpack this for a moment. Is it logical for them to be so hesitant or afraid? Mainstream media and the government say it's not. But look at governments the world over, both in ancient history and currently as well. We cannot always trust what they say. But even more importantly. Let's look at the science. If we look at the short term data, it's almost a no brainer yes. But if you look at the long term data... well... that's another story and is where most people's hesitations lay. The thing is... There is NO long term data. If this where a vaccine using the technology we've been using for decades, there would be very, very, very little room for concern because we have had long term experience with something that eﬀectively works on the same mechanics. This is NOT the case with mRNA vaccines. It is a completely diﬀerent mechanism giving

Dear Editor, Re: Greening Green Energy, February 9, 2022 It is a good thing that someone is looking at the positives and negatives of so-called “green” energy as Philip Fry is trying to do. However, a few negatives are missing, especially with regard to industrial-scale or grid-scale wind turbines.

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Dear Editor, That’s it! I am writing today in response to the letter from the unsigned “because of the fear of violence from the unvaccinated”… seriously?!! It is best to NOT only watch/ read/listen to fear based media, a few simple words can create this emotion. I am your neighbor, maybe your friend, or a family member. I am a decent, caring individual (and tiny minority) who has just made a diﬀerent choice than most – one of the less than 5% in our community. I respect cont'd on page 9

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Demolition of the mill that gave Oxford Mills its name

These show the demolition of the mill that gave Oxford Mills its name. This was the site of the stone grist mill, started by Asa Clothier and completed by Richey Waugh. The building was constructed of locally quarried limestone. Originally two-storey’s over a basement, a wooden top floor was added to accommodate new technology. The basement housed two large water wheels connected by pulleys and shafts to operate the mill. Water to power the wheels came through two large doors.

Asa Clothier, whose father had founded Kemptville in 1817, had tried to repeat his father’s achievement by starting a community of his own. He had built a timber dam, built a saw mill and started a grist mill on the South Branch. He had a surveyor lay out the village site, dividing it into small lots of one-quarter and one-fifth acres. But Rickey Waugh and Aaron Merrick were able to take advantage of bad times for the Clothier family. In 1850, their Kemptville properties were foreclosed on, and they were forced to

sell the Oxford Mills lands to meet their debts. Waugh employed fourteen people in his mills, and the store he had also opened. In 1852, he built the impressive stone building that today houses the Brigadoon Restaurant in Oxford Mills. The store operated in conjunction with the mills. The sale of flour from the mill paid for the goods that stocked the store shelves. The local farmers and labourers brought their grain to the mill, for which they bartered their other produce and part of the resulting flour

supply. Then they traded further for the goods in the store. The flour was shipped by rail to Montreal, where a wholesaler sold it on for a commission. In 1959, the Department of Public Works replaced the original dam, built in the late

who had first built it over a century before. The steam boilers were unearthed in 2001 when the retaining wall was being rebuilt and were once again covered over.

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1850's, with a new concrete one. The mill was demolished in 1961 when concern was expressed about the danger to people should it collapse. In the event, it took quite a lot of effort to bring the old mill down, a testament to the builders

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Letters to the Editor cont'd all the protocols, which, in my opinion, are the best approach, along with assessing individual risk. So, how can you believe we are the ones ‘clogging our (health care) system’? Data in Canada and abroad is indicating that hospital cases include both those vaccinated and unvaccinated. A Citizen article in early January indicated hospitals had ‘ridiculous numbers of people’ with mild to severe symptoms. Those with minimal symptoms were ‘driven there by anxiety or desire to conﬁrm Covid status’. ‘We are still catastrophizing Covid’ said Dr. M Fulford. ‘Canadian Dr’s are all seeing Omicron’, Dr. D. Jacobs. A Februay 5 Citizen article is worth a read: ‘Who Really Needs a Covid-19 Booster Shot?” Statements include, ‘Omicron is a milder variant’, d‘immunity after 2 doses wanes meaningfully by 6 months… boosters – protection against infection recovers February 23, 2022

to 61%...but it’s not clear how long that immunity lasts’, Dr. Paul Oﬃt. ‘The problem with Omicron is that it can dodge immunity from vaccines, as well as previous infection, meaning even vaccinated people can get an infection… most mild”. See what I mean about fear? Have you asked why someone would choose to not get jabbed? I have numerous reasons, but my background and training, diet and lifestyle choices are the things helping me “to do the right thing”, and that is maintaining good health and a strong immune system. This has served me well, I have not had the ﬂu for 18 or so years, and I rarely get a cold. No man-made experimental inoculation for me, thank you. You’ve made your choice, and I respect that. Can you respect mine? Ever wonder why you don’t hear much from those who choose to not be jabbed? Because we are being segregated, discriminated against,

ostracized, and blamed for the spread of a virus. Yet that is what a virus does, it is a living thing that requires a host to survive, and if that host is no longer suitable, it may mutate to ensure its own survival. Can science and research stay ahead of this? They try. There will be other viruses. Doesn’t this situation blaringly show we need to address the health of the planet and its people?? When, or how, did so many lose sight of respecting and nurturing the human body, a complex organism that is built to survive! Eat healthy, live clean and be well, The Un-jabbed.

many media. Mr. Van Dam’s Op-Ed is a clear statement of misinformation promulgated by convoy planners and their vocal supporters, chieﬂy Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, Benjamin Ditcher, James Bauder, and Patrick King. The media accounts of these individuals’ postings and activities are online, so I’ll oﬀer information in brief. Tamara Lich, a co-founder of the truckers protest, was a principal in the anti-immigration Yellow Vest Canada movement, a member of the Western separatist Maverick Party, and was once active in the Wildrose Party. Chris Barber is a cofounder of the protest. As a regular on TikTok, he has warned of riot police coming to Ottawa, snipers on roof tops, that authorities will black-out protester telecommunications, and he’d wear a tinfoil hat if that happened. B.J. Dichter, known for spreading anti-Islamist views, told Fox News that before the

Dear Editor, In regard to William Van Dam’s February 16 apologia The Freedom Truckers. He is dismayed by the allegations of hatred, racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc. However, all – and more covered by his etc. – have been duly reported in 9

pandemic, Alberta looked like a “third-world country.” He failed as a federal Conservative candidate in 2015, and in the last federal election spoke at a People’s Party of Canada rally, claiming some members of the Conservative Party of Canada had ties to "Islamic extremism." Canada Unity, a participant group in the organization of the convoy, was founded by James Bauder, who claims Covid-19 originated in China as a bio-weapon. He supports QAnon conspiracy theories. Canada Unity claims vaccine mandates and passports are illegal under Canada’s constitution, the Nuremberg Code, and other international conventions. Pat King is known for racist videos and supporting white supremacist ideology. Reporting is widely available for readers to investigate. The information I have shared is primarily from two sources: Who is who? A guide to the major players in

the trucker convoy protest www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ who-is-who-a-guide-to-themajor-players-in-the-truckerconvoy-protest-1.5776441; and EXPLAINER: A look at what’s behind the protests in Canada https://apnews.com/ article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-ottawajustin-trudeau-2d721f31cf03120a460c03c7a4b0157f. Michael Whittaker Dear Editor, I feel sick to my stomach. I have been watching the debacle in downtown Ottawa, not to mention elsewhere in Canada. I am an immigrant to this country, I chose to come here and start a family with my husband in the early 1980's. We have always been very grateful for the opportunities aﬀorded us and have enjoyed the fruits of our labours. We chose to retire to the Ottawa area (North Grenville) cont'd on page 12

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The Voice of North Grenville

The Voice of Merrickville-Wolford

Twin carriage shops in Eastons Corners

Twin carriage shops in Eastons Corners, Wolford township. The ﬁrst one (right) was built about 1870 by Mr. Watts whose name can still be seen on the building; the second one was added a few years later to cope with the expanding trade. Credit: Parks Canada Photo 2: The Carriage Factory today

Stephen Merrick House

The John Watts and Sons Carriage Factory in Eastons Corners is a glimpse into the past, when carriage works lined the Rideau Corridor. The carriages built in these factories were necessary to fill the need for horse drawn buggies that were being used for moving freight goods, delivering mail, visiting neighbours, picking up supplies, and dating. By 1840, carriages had become an integral part of everyday life in the pioneering community. The carriage not only supported trade in the area, but also the growth of “carriage works”, as it was called, which included foundry and wood processing industries. As these trades were already alive and well in Merrickville-Wolford, carriage-making was a natural next step. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, horse-drawn carriages reigned supreme and became a source of family pride, much like cars today. The carriage factory in Eastons Corners was started by Robert G. Eastman in the 1850s. When he moved to Merrickville to start up another carriage-making business, the factory was taken over by John Watts and Sons, who continued to operate into the 20th century. Most recently, the building was restored and made into an antiques shop. It is now the only surviving reminder of the carriage industry in the area.

c.1850 106 Brock St E It is believed that this house was originally built by Samuel Langford for Stephen Merrick, a son of village founder William Merrick. It has been pointed out that the facade appears to date from a later period than the rest of the stone building, and may possibly have been changed by a later owner.

Merrick Tavern

Merrickville Alloy Factory

Village Metalsmiths – Alloy Foundry Company Limited was originally founded in 1840. It has operated continuously ever since and is, therefore, Canada’s oldest foundry. Today, its custom products are shipped around the globe. This photo was taken at a time when the business was not looking particularly active, but it has been revived and renovated in the decades since.

Merrick Tavern, 106 Mill Street This is one of the oldest houses in the region. Built, possibly, as early as 1800, it was the first home of William Merrick and his family, and later owned by Aaron and Terrance Merrick. It is believed to have been a tavern at one time, located across from Merrickville’s industrial centre, it would have been the perfect spot for such a facility.

Old Town Hall and Fire Tower This building was erected in 1856 by the township of Wolford, and, from 1860 served the Village of Merrickville as a Town Hall. The tower seen in this photograph from 1912 shows the Fire Tower, which served as both a lookout for the fire service, and a facility to hang and dry fire hoses after use. The layout of the top two floors was open and served as the perfect venue for various political and social events in the Village until the 1960's. It was left lying empty for some time in the 1970's before being bought by Heritage Merrickville Foundation in 1984. A fundraising campaign of public and private sources allowed the building to be restored and subsequently became the home of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 245, Merrickville. February 23 2022

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The North Grenville Times

Council notes from Mayor Struthers

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lenges and obstacles, we have been able to keep our tax increases to a minimum, replenish and increase our reserves, and reduce our debt index from moderate to low. As our Auditor has stated, we have managed our municipal finances very well, while continuing to invest in capital roads projects. The EORN (Eastern Ontario Rural Network) cell gap initiative has resulted in Rogers moving forward to expand, enhance and, indeed, fill the cell gap, by improving the reach and quality of cellular service in the rural portions of our municipality. There is another positive sign for us to enjoy, as corporate investment in Merrickville-Wolford shows a real confidence in our future. And Bell is investing in internet fibre, soon to include over 1,000 residents and businesses. Investment Ontario is in the process of working with Internet Service Providers to bid for provincial subsidies, resulting in successful proponents to deploy high-speed internet infrastructure to connect our remaining underserved and unserved areas. The positivity continues. And there will be more good news to announce in the coming months for residents and businesses throughout our municipality. Between moves to reopen, investment in our community, and encouragement from investment, what we have is a good foundation for our future. Take care! Mayor Doug Struthers

Ontario is getting stronger

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It seems that, after almost two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the word endemic is much being used lately from our Local and Provincial Medical Oﬃcers of Health. Easing of restrictions and new guidelines are being announced and it appears that, very soon we hope, the need for Provincial direction will lessen, and we can return to making individual decisions about our activities and behaviour again. But, in the meantime, we should continue taking care of our own personal public health: wash your hands often, sneeze into your arm. The provincial Medical Oﬃcer of Health, Dr. Moore, is expected to review in March whether masks will be mandatory or recommended: wear a mask being a personal health decision. And, as we gradually open up our community once more, Merrickville-Wolford residents and businesses have done well, and what we have done together has helped the province fast track the reopening plan. We may not be completely out of the woods – the word endemic does seem to apply – but we are moving in the right direction. Something we can take pride and pleasure

in achieving. So many individuals and organizations have helped us all get through these past two years, from our Food Market grocery store, local shops, coffee shops and restaurants, our Library, Lions Club, Emergency Food Cupboard, Fire Department, Municipal Staff – individuals helping neighbours. One local business owner wrote to me and our CAO Doug Robertson: “I started to reflect on the past two years of the pandemic. I think it’s fair to say that MerrickvilleWolford has managed reasonably well, despite all the challenges. We never really experienced a major outbreak in our community, and our business community seems to have weathered the pandemic reasonably well. We lost a few businesses, but we lose a few businesses every year, so it’s difficult to say if that was a result of Covid. In any event, I think you folks deserve some of the credit for our fortunes, it could have gone much worse. All this to say, thank you for helping our community navigate this crisis!” And a sign of some return to normal was our celebration on Family Day - Snowflake Festival 2022! Organized by our Chamber of Commerce, a fun day involving our Trails Society, Firefighters Association, Christmas in Merrickville, OPP, our Library, and, most importantly, all of you who joined in a safe and fun community event. That was a great way to celebrate as a community family. And, in spite of the chal-

The Voice of North Grenville

Across the province, more workers are joining the skilled trades as resources and industries in the north become part of the future of clean steel and electric vehicles.

Merrickville Station

More jobs are being created by building new bridges and highways, expanding public transit and constructing new homes— all for a growing province. Home-grown businesses are manufacturing more of the things we rely on.

Merrick Mills in Merrickville, Wolford township, dating from 1848. The bell on the roof was originally used to mark the working hours.

Ontario’s economy is getting stronger. See what’s happening at ontario.ca/stronger

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February 23, 2022

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The North Grenville Times

Ontario housing task force releases report 1.5 million homes within Local Journalism Initiative Reporter the next 10 years, largely by reducing red tape. The plan is On February 8, the On- for more housing to be built tario government released in more locations, without the its “Report of the Ontario need for municipal approval. Housing Affordability Task Rules which prioritize neighForce,” which focuses on key borhood physical characterisfindings and recommenda- tics over new housing would tions on ways to make rent- be eliminated, and municipal ing or owning a home more approval would no longer practical for average Ontar- be required for a building’s ians. The report identiﬁes a physical characteristics, such past problem of attempting as its colour, or the type of to “cool” the housing market material used. without understanding why Other speciﬁc recommenprices were being inflated. dations include weeding out It is now clear that there is appeals to the Ontario Land simply not enough housing Tribunal, which are suspected available in Ontario, and this as being made solely to decreates supply and demand lay a build, and increasing issues which, in turn, causes funding for municipalities prices to skyrocket. that support positive housing Of course, the important change. Changes to planning question becomes, “what is policies and zoning rules will the solution?” Concrete rec- be made to allow for greater ommendations in the report density and increased housing speak to exactly that. The variety. government is hoping to add The Ontario governby Brandon Mayer

ment’s housing task force is one of many in the province, as many municipalities, including North Grenville, have had their own in the past few years. Housing prices in Ontario have nearly tripled since 2011, with the average home costing $923,000 in 2021. While average prices locally are not this high, our region has been equally affected by housing cost inflation, as interested buyers or renters attempt to outbid each other to secure one of the few homes available. Those who cannot afford to pay inflated prices are then left with few, if any, options. A press release sent to the Times asserts that the purpose of Ontario’s housing task force was to provide “actionable recommendations” for the province’s housing crisis. “Everyone has a role to play in addressing the housing supply crisis,” said Steve

Clark, Minister of Municipal Aﬀairs and Housing. “As our government consults with municipalities, the public, and industry leaders and experts, we are balancing these perspectives to develop practical, forward-thinking policies that unlock and fast-track all types of housing for all types of Ontarians.” The Chair of the task force, Jake Lawrence, added, “Lengthy reviews, bureaucratic red tape, and costly appeals are making it too difﬁcult to build new housing. We propose an ambitious and achievable goal to build 1.5 million homes over the next ten years and the steps needed to get there.” The full report can be read at files.ontario.ca/ mmah-housing-affordability-task-force-report-en2022-02-07-v2.pdf.

Dear Editor, I just finished reading your editorial piece of the February 16, issue of The North Grenville Times. I think it explains my sentiments exactly. Who are these people protesting in downtown Ottawa and other locations of this great, FREE SPEECH, Canada? Firstly, I am embarrassed and saddened to see how our national ﬂag is being touted about, worn as capes, and just plain desecrated to my mind. Then these people shouting "FREEDOM". I would like to know what they think freedom is! There is NO FREEDOM without RESPONSIBILITY. Just as we wouldn't dream of leaving young children unsupervised all day, why there are rules as to when a person can have the

responsibility to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Why children do not cast a political vote until a certain age......you get the picture. However, what is happening in some cities across this great nation is so very disturbing. I was not alive when Hitler and his ilk came into power; however, I have read enough about the despicable, cruel behaviour. So, what is going on right now because people do not want to be vaccinated against COVID is very scary. If a person does not want to get vaccinated against COVID, that is their choice. However, with every choice we make, there are responsibilities and consequences. Frustrated , Josephine Herman

Letters to the Editor cont'd and feel as though we have joined a caring community. However, I am very unsettled, after watching the shambles that has occurred over the last three weeks in the capital city of my chosen promised land. I wonder what country I am part of? I do not want to raise the Maple Leaf flag this year, it will remind me of the horrid behaviour of the "Truckers" who flew the flag in protest at the supposed lack of freedom given to Canadians. While I am well aware that a certain type of person from another country has been egging these "Freedom Fighters" on with financial and other support, I still cannot quite rid myself of the feeling that I have been let down by the very country I have so long revered. Why was the protest allowed in the first place? As a veteran of protests on the Hill, I know the rules governing them; meet on Parliament Hill, maybe speak to some MP's who support us, march around a route previously agreed with the police, return to the Hill and disperse. Always on foot, and securely policed. I do not perceive this as having happened this time? Why were the trucks allowed so close to Parliament Hill? Wasn't it a security risk? I remember when Prince Charles visited the Capital of Canada on 1st July. The crowds that usually thronged the Hill were kept in tightly controlled lines (in very hot sunshine) in case of a security breach. I guess a lot of huge February 23 2022

trucks parked for three weeks right in front of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa with their engines running and horns blaring is really quite safe! To say I am disgusted with the Ontario and Canadian Governments is an understatement. How could this be allowed to happen? It has made world headlines, and I suspect people reading the news were secretly pleased it wasn't their country undergoing this intense scrutiny. How do I get my conﬁdence back in this, up till now, wonderful country? Patricia Habberjam

The Voice of North Grenville

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Health Card renewal period extended The Ontario government is extending the requirement to renew health cards until September 30, 2022. "In response to the pandemic, our government extended the renewal requirements for Ontario health cards," said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. "While the majority of Ontarians have continued to renew their documents throughout the pandemic, we are committed to ensuring all Ontarians have the opportunity to renew while continuing to access the care they need, when they need it.” Ontarians will continue to be able to use their expired health card, including a red and white health card, to access insured health care services. Health care providers can continue to accept expired health cards following the previous February 28, 2022 deadline. To make it easier and more convenient for Ontarians to renew health cards online, ServiceOntario is taking steps to enable online health card renewal using Ontario Photo Cards in the coming months. An individual who faces diﬃculties renewing their health card, for whatever reason, should contact ServiceOntario at 1-866-532-3161 (TTY : 1-800-387-5559) to inquire about options for their speciﬁc situation.

An Open Letter to the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Aﬀairs Minister Thompson, where are you? Dear Minister Thompson: In an open letter sent to you over two months ago, on December 13, 2021, the Coalition Against the Proposed Prison called on you not to transfer the former Kemptville College farm property from your Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Aﬀairs to the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which plans to build a provincial prison on the site. Should the land transfer and the proposed prison proceed, it will result in the destruction of heritage farmland – including prime agricultural land – numerous

farm buildings, and all the promise and opportunity the entire 182-acre property offers. This is a major concern for numerous farmers and residents of this region and beyond, yet we have not received even an acknowledgment of this letter from you. Our initial letter has since been endorsed by two key organizations, the National Farmers Union – Ontario, and Just Food, both strong supporters of local food systems, as well as academics aﬃliated with the former Kemptville College and the University of Guelph. You have also heard 12

from the hundreds of individuals who have participated in our Email Zap calling on you to do the right thing. Considering that agricultural land is a precious, non-renewable resource, a strong stand is needed by your ministry to support Ontario’s farmland, agricultural heritage, and the rich agricultural potential of this property, by preserving the site as an agricultural resource for generations to come. This should go without saying, since protection of farmland is a mandate of your ministry. In a time of food insecurity, supply chain

interruptions, and climate catastrophe, the consensus from scientists is that it becomes even more important to save, not pave over, farmland. Why have we not heard back from you on such an important issue? It’s not too late to start a process of meaningful consultation with key stakeholders, with the goal

of preserving the entire site as the vital agricultural resource that it is. Sincerely, Marie-Therese Voutsinos, M.Sc. Agriculture Coalition Against the Proposed Prison

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February is Heart Health Month

Reduce highly processed for a healthy heart

by Marie Traynor, Registered Dietitian and Public Health Nutritionist, LG&L District Health Unit Limit highly processed foods, or replace them with healthier options, to get a very positive eﬀect on heart health and, really, overall health. These are foods and drinks with excess sodium (salt), sugars or saturated fat. Examples include sugary drinks and treats, fast food like fries and frozen dinners, and processed meats like sausages and deli meats. It takes an eﬀort to limit highly processed foods, because they are all around us. Some ideas include replacing sugary drinks with water, using leftover baked chicken instead of deli meats, and steel-cut oats instead of sweetened instant oats Try making homemade versions of your favourites, or make your own frozen dinners by choosing a healthy recipe and labeling/freezing it in meal-sized portions. Stock up on healthy snacks like nuts, fruit, carrots or hard-boiled eggs, and limit the use of highly processed spreads and dressings in your meals and snacks Use the nutrition facts table and the Daily Value or DV to compare food products that come in a box, package, can or bottle. Choose those that are lower in sodium, sugars or saturated fat. 5% or less DV means a little, and 15% or more DV means a lot. Some processed foods can be good choices. Think of the pasteurization process that can help create a safe and convenient food supply. Or processing, such as drying, canning, and freezing that can help preserve food and retain nutrients. Check out the Shopper’s Guide and Best Buys found in the Healthy Eating section at healthunit.org, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, or call 1-800-660-5853.

OLG and employees support local United Way United Way of Leeds & Grenville is receiving a donation of $1,145.97 from OLG and its employees. OLG is a crown agency that contributes to a better Ontario by delivering great entertainment experiences for our customers. Acting in a socially responsible way, OLG conducts and manages land-based gaming facilities; the sale of provincewide lottery games; Internet gaming; and the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres. OLG and its employees are contributing close to $120,000 to support the important work of the United Way in communities across Ontario. As part of its support for the United Way, OLG launched a new virtual promotion in July 2021 called “Collecting for the Community”, which included a commitment by OLG of $50,000 in funds for United Ways across Ontario. The COVID-19 pandemic

The Food Corner

What’s a leftover?

By Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville My spouse Beth, who is excellent in the kitchen, recently told me of her amazement at how many don’t “do” leftovers. Ok, so here is where I get preachy, so please bear with me. We believe that some folks don’t understand the advantages, or perhaps don’t have the skills, to prepare multiple meals in one cooking session. Our family will have a particularly tasty dish for dinner one night, and then enjoy it, either the same way or in a variation, the next day. The obvious example is the Mighty Chicken: we have a roasted chicken one night, and the next day enjoy chicken sandwiches, with a nice grainy mustard from Mrs. McGarrigles Fine Food Shop in Merrickville. Or we might put a pork shoulder in the slow cooker with some vegetable concentrate and a bit of water, a tablespoon of crushed garlic, and later in the cooking process, some chopped onions and some small potatoes; we then enjoy a lovely meal and we also have something for the next day or so. So, we always cook for multiple meals, and it is seldom, indeed, that we would throw out good food. We February 23, 2022

are told that in Canada, we waste some 2.2 million tonnes of edible food, costing our economy something like $17 billion, not to mention the impact on our environment. Mind you, we don’t have to treat cooking for multiple meals as some kind of great cause; it’s just common sense for a family to make the most out of their food dollars. Here are a few tips from the Cormier – and Salamanders – family: Shop for specials and stock-pile: At the Forest at LilyPond, the family’s farm, we have two pantries on the go: our cold storage, equipped with wall to wall shelving for “food in waiting” such as pastas, canned goods, garden produce, coﬀee and the like, and the upstairs pantry, which contains foods and condiments for immediate use. So, when it comes to making up the Chicken and Rice recipe that I wrote about last year, the cream of mushroom soup, the frozen chicken, the rice, and the package of dry onion soup are all immediately at hand. Freeze everything that can be frozen: At the farm, we have two

full sized freezers packed with the basic ingredients for our meals, all purchased on sale. This forces us to inventory what is there on a regular basis and plan our meals accordingly. We don’t want to have anything that is freezer burnt, so cycling the contents of our freezers becomes very important and contributes to overall savings and negligible wastage. Plan ahead: Every morning, we decide what we are going to have for dinner that night. We also inventory what is in the fridge for meals during the day. I work primarily from the farm and so does my grandson Ayden, who is taking his third year university biology on-line due to Covid; so we greatly enjoy the extensions of our previous day’s meal. Our family is by no means “rolling in dough”, but we eat very well, due to Beth and Liane’s expertise in the kitchen, and their ability to ferret out bargains as they become available. If you have any further ideas or questions, just email them to me at pcormier@ranaprocess.com.

has led OLG to evolve its local partnerships in order to continue to support and add value to the festivals and events taking place in communities across Ontario. ‘Collecting for the Community’ was intended to replicate the same fun and engaging experience that was offered at on-site activations at OLG sponsored events prior to the pandemic. From July 19, 2021 to January 3, 2022, players 18 years and older who visited CollectingfortheCommunity.ca could play the free activity, and through their participation, could secure additional funding for their local United Way and benefit their community. As part of the promotion, each of the 27 United Ways in Ontario is guaranteed to receive $1,000, but player participation in the ‘Collecting for the Community’ promotion increases the local contribution. “Giving back is at the heart of all we do and we are proud of the role we play in making Ontario stronger,” said Duncan Hannay, OLG’s President and CEO. “OLG and our employees have a long, meaningful history with the United Way in Ontario. It is an important community partner that supports vulnerable populations through numerous charities and community assistance programs.” In addition to the $50,000 contributed through the ‘Collecting for the Community’ promotion, OLG’s employeedriven 2021 United Way fundraising campaign raised close to $70,000. For more than three decades, OLG employees have been dedicating their time and money to an annual fundraising effort to support the United Way. The most recent campaign, which ran through November 2021, was a big success with OLG employees raising more than double their original fundraising goal. “As the pandemic continues to impact communities across Ontario, our friends and neighbours facing challenges – and the frontline community workers working so hard to serve them – need our support like never before,” said Daniele Zanotti, United Way Greater Toronto President and CEO. “Thank you to OLG corporate and staff for once again standing with community and demonstrating that we truly are in this together.”

The Voice of North Grenville

Stay safe on the ice! from the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority Frozen lakes and rivers support many of our favourite winter activities, but safety must always come first. Ice thickness is unpredictable and can change quickly. Falling into open water can result in hypothermia or drowning. Stay safe by regularly testing ice thickness, staying away from areas with flowing water, reminding children of the dangers of playing on or near the ice and keeping pets on leash near frozen waterbodies. Please note the RVCA does not monitor or maintain ice conditions anywhere in the watershed, including at its 11 public conservation areas. The RVCA does not allow or encourage skating at any of its properties. Please fish your huts off the ice! As the weather warms, plan ahead to remove any fishing huts, rink materials, garbage and other equipment you’ve left on the ice before it gets too thin. Letting these materials go down with the ice can pollute our rivers and lakes, be toxic for fish and wildlife and create hazards for boaters and swimmers in the spring. It is an offence under the Public Lands Act to leave your ice hut out after ice break up, even if that occurs before the local removal deadline of March 15. Protect and respect the river that has kept you going through these long winter months! Get ready for flood season Dreaming of spring? Prepare for it, too! The spring freshet is just around the corner, and RVCA staff are using stream gauges, weather stations, snowpack measurements, meteorological forecasts and computer models to prepare. As the spring melt begins, staff can use the data collected to determine the potential for flooding. Residents can monitor real-time water levels, access neighbourhood-level flood maps and more at www.RVCA.ca/watershed-conditions. Should flooding occur, the first response is up to you! As a property owner, you need an emergency plan to minimize flood-related property damages. While our flood forecasting and warning program is responsible for providing timely, accurate flood predictions, your municipality is responsible for emergency response in the event of severe flooding. Now is the time to explore your municipality’s website, get to know its emergency preparedness plan and dig out your local emergency phone numbers. For up-to-date information on local watershed conditions, subscribe to RVCA’s flood forecasting and warning emails at www.rvca.ca — look for “Get RVCA News.”

Help Support Your Local Businesses SHOP LOCALLY the north grenville

TIMES News Reporter Wanted The North Grenville Times is an independently owned publication serving the population of North Grenville and surrounding area. We are seeking to hire a talented and motivated journalist. Responsibilities include collecting and analyzing information of public interest and writing news articles for a weekly publication. The successful candidate will be gathering information, conducting interviews, writing articles and taking photographs of events in the local community. Please consider submitting your resume if you are a person with: • Excellent news judgment • Strengths in accurate, clean reporting • The ability to initiate stories and features • Excellent reporting and writing skills • Experience at a news organization in a deadline-oriented reporting/writing role • Ability to work quickly and independently, meet multiple deadlines, and make efficient decisions • A valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle If you have your finger on the pulse of your community and you are willing to work both independently and as part of a news team, to tell this community’s stories, please submit your resume to: editor@ngtimes.ca www.ngtimes.ca

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MISCELLANEOUS Firearms Course (March 5 and 6) and Hunter Education Course (March 11 and 12) in Burritt's Rapids. Please contact Kerry Coleman at 613-791-7515 or kerrycoleman@xplornet.com.

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CROSSWORD FOR RENT HISTORIC HALL AVAILABLE FOR RENTALS in Beautiful Burritt's Rapids! Start an art, musical, or book club to beat the winter blues. Our hall is well equipped for gatherings or celebrations, and we offer very competitive rates. http://burrittsrapids.com/ WANTED Local young farming family looking to buy a farm. Min. 10ac tillable with a liveable house. Open to creative solutions. davidrbailie@gmail. com.

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ACROSS 1. Nonchalantly unconcerned 6. Throb 10. Early 20th-century art movement 14. Energize 15. Store 16. Holly 17. Cattail 18. An exchange involving money 19. Essence 20. A brown sauce 22. Brownish purple 23. Get out of bed 24. Waits 25. Not false 29. Hemophiliac 31. Reap 33. A systematic plan for therapy

37. Sign up 38. Times to come 39. Error 41. Characterized by motion 42. Baked clay 44. Writing table 45. Cavalry weapon 48. AM/FM device 50. Rime 51. Loud 56. Celestial bear 57. Walking stick 58. Gnatlike insect 59. Immediately 60. Alright 61. Skirt fold 62. Fit 63. Marries 64. Listens

DOWN 1. Tell all 2. Large luxurious car 3. Aﬃrm 4. Transmit 5. Go in 6. Attack 7. A long chair 8. Gun holder 9. Type of sword 10. Demoralized 11. Audibly 12. Two 13. Wheel shafts 21. Crayﬁsh 24. Started 25. Not us 26. Hindu princess 27. Website addresses 28. Disembowel 30. Shortfall 32. A chemical compound 34. Speechless 35. Anagram of "Sire" 36. Between the head and shoulders 40. Consume 41. Urinary organs 43. An unnaturally frenzied woman 45. Hush up 46. Heart artery 47. Anagram of "Balsa" 49. Dynamism 51. Flat-bottomed boat 52. Anger 53. Notion 54. Food thickener 55. Catches

Solutions to last week’s Sudoku

HANDYMAN SERVICES Call Bill 613 774 2922

Sales Person Wanted The North Grenville Times is an independently owned publication serving the population of North Grenville and surrounding area. We are seeking to hire a part time Sales Representative. If Interested please submit your resume to: info@ngtimes.ca or call 613.402.5083

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Help Support Your Local Businesses SHOP LOCALLY February 23 2022

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Easy

Medium

Hard

Solution to last week’s Crossword

Contact Hayley! Marketing Consultant Phone: 343-777-2702 Email: hayley@ ndtimes.ca 14

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The Voice of North Grenville

Agricultural and Horticultural Societies have access to more funds The Ontario government is providing $1 million to support the province’s agricultural and horticultural societies who continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help them continue to operate and support their important efforts to educate people about the value and significance of agriculture in the province. “Ontario’s agricultural and horticultural societies have long-enriched communities throughout the province and we look forward to them continuing to make significant contributions, from main street beautification projects to hosting the long-standing tradition of agricultural fairs, throughout the province in 2022,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “These investments reflect the value of the societies’ contributions and our government’s recog-

nition of the pandemic-caused pressures these organizations have been weathering.” The funding with flow through the Agricultural and Horticultural Support and Recovery Funding Initiative and builds on previous investments of more than $7 million to assist these organizations during the pandemic. This initiative features two funding streams: - Base Support Funding will be issued to all eligible Agricultural and Horticultural Societies through funding payments of $1,000 as a means of supporting their continued incorporation and activities. - Hardship Funding for eligible Agricultural Societies will provide additional support which will be based on reported gate revenues from 2019. This will help oﬀ-set operating losses, liabilities, and fixed overhead costs

related to land and buildings. Eligible agricultural and horticultural societies can expect to receive funding before March 31, 2022. “The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS) appreciates OMAFRA’s continued financial support for our over 200 agricultural societies. This new funding shows Minister Thompson’s and OMAFRA’s conﬁdence in our agricultural societies and the impact the societies and their members have on their local communities. During the pandemic, our agricultural societies have continued to creatively promote agriculture and food awareness and engage their communities through in-person and virtual fairs, events and activities” said Vince Brennan, Manager of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies. “The members of the On-

tario Horticultural Association express their gratitude to Minister Thompson and the Ontario government for their continued support during these challenging times,” said Charles Freeman, President of the Ontario Horticultural Association. “This funding will assist the societies and clubs in their ongoing endeavours to serve and beautify their communities.” Agricultural and Horticultural Societies play a critical role in educating Ontarians on the importance of agriculture and celebrating a rural way of life, and are represented by two independent associations: The Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies represents 213 rural Agricultural Societies, and the Ontario Horticultural Association represents over 270 Horticultural Societies.

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Remembering Robin

CDSBEO Indigenous Education and myON

In response to the Ministry focus on early reading and gap closing in literacy, the myON reading license was purchased for all students in the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontarop [CDSBEO]. This unique reading program gives students access to over 6,000 rich digital texts and books which can be matched to each student’s reading level, interests, and grade level. myON contains fiction and non-fiction texts, and throughout the year, great resources in areas of Black History, Indigenous Education, as well as anti-bullying are highlighted. myON is an excellent resource to support Indigenous teachings throughout the CDSBEO. Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Brent Bovaird, introduced Principal of Curriculum, Tracy O’Brien, along with Melissa Bingley, Curriculum Consultant, and Melissa Mader Tardiff, Indigenous Education Consultant, who presented details of the myON digital resource to members of the CDSBEO Board. “Using a tool like myON helps to ensure that our synchronous students in our Virtual Learning Elementary School continue to access the same resources available in our brick-and-mortar schools,” began Principal O’Brien. “Likewise, myON provides support for our students with special needs in a variety of ways. myON feaFebruary 23, 2022

tures include text-to-speech functions, and note taking. Additionally, myON provides low vocabulary/high interest language and appeals to all students, as it supports students at various grade levels and diﬀerent reading abilities.” Another benefit to the myON program, is that it supports CDSBEO educators in lesson planning. Embedded within the myON platform, teachers in grades 1 through 8, are able to locate curriculum expectations and speciﬁc strands in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, and myON will make recommendations of digital resources that can be used to support the learning. “With close to 1,000 books that directly connect with curriculum expectations at their fingertips, teachers can assign books to students in their classroom to support learning of concepts. Teachers have access to books that are not typically housed within a school library, and this allows for more diversity of reading material for our students all through the board,” noted Curriculum Consultant, Melissa Bingley. In addition, a dashboard is available to educators to track statistics on student reading patterns. Since September, CDSBEO students (K-12) have read 32,700 books, spent 246,000 minutes reading, and

have read 577,000 pages in total, from both fiction and non-fiction texts. “There are valuable resources to support our CDSBEO Indigenous Learning in the myON digital resource,” added Indigenous Education Consultant, Melissa MaderTardiff. “The ‘Under One Sun’ and ‘Circle of Life’ collections offer our students an authentic Indigenous perspective, and support the work being done in our CDSBEO schools and in conjunction with our community partners.” Under One Sun is a Kindergarten to grade 8 resource which offers 52 different titles featuring authentic, modern content and illustrations, focused on the culture of contemporary Indigenous communities. Components offered in a mixed print and digital format bring new and exciting content to K–8 classrooms. The resources have been designed to support balanced literacy learning, reinforce cross-curricular content, and teach students about treaty education. The Circle of Life series contains 192 levelled books for grades K–6, that build knowledge and understanding of Indigenous culture and traditions. The stories connect thematically to teachings and principles from Indigenous worldviews. To support our educators, the Circle of Life resource also offers access

to professional development videos and supports. “For the International Day of Human Rights and The Return of the Sun, the Indigenous Education team created resources that highlighted materials which are readily available throughout the board,” she continued. “For International Day of Human Rights, the focus was the Water Crisis in Indigenous Communities. myON’s The Gift of Water, was recommended to educators as a resource to support the theme. The Gift of Water explores the fact that the women’s role in Anishinaabe culture is to protect the water.” The Indigenous Education team also provides on-going training to CDSBEO staff and moving forward, NTIP teachers will also receive Indigenous Education professional development where myON will be featured. “As you can see, myON provides our students support in many capacities; it meets the needs of all learners, at any grade and any reading level. Staﬀ and students alike can have equal access to quality reading material both at home and at school,” concluded Principal O’Brien.

Anthony & Courtney Morgan with Karen & Jamie Thompson Robin James Morgan lives on in the hearts of his parents and grandparents – and now his memory is also helping the youngest patients at Winchester District Memorial Hospital. Last October, Courtney and Anthony Morgan lost their son, who was stillborn at WDMH. Courtney and Anthony, as well as grandparents Karen and Jamie Thompson, wanted to do something to thank the WDMH team for their compassion, care, and support during a very diﬃcult time. In speaking with the WDMH Foundation team, a decision was made to donate the funds to purchase a Novum IQ Syringe Pump for the Family Birthing Unit. “We are thrilled to be able to direct all of the donations in memory of our grandson and son, Robin James Morgan, to the WDMH Foundation,” noted Courtney, Anthony, Karen, and Jamie. “Providing the funds to purchase this special pump is a perfect way to commemorate Robin.” The syringe pump is used to administer medication to babies; similar to an IV pump. With this pump, the medication doses are very accurate and safer for the baby. It is used when a baby is sick and needs to be transferred to CHEO. This pump technology matches what is used by the CHEO transport team, resulting in a safe transfer with no interruption of the medication. The cost of the pump is $4,800 and the family has covered the entire cost through the memorial donations, as well as a donation from Thompson Timber Mart, the family business, and a matching donation by Timberkids Foundation. Timberkids is Timber Mart Building Centre’s national charitable foundation. It matches donations made by local Timber Mart members that help local children’s charities. “We are so grateful to this family for this meaningful donation,” sums up Kristen Casselman, Managing Director of the WDMH Foundation.

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Baldwin's Birds - When is an "Upside Down" Bird - Not!?

Op-ed Section:

The Eve of Destruction

A Goldﬁnch pretending to be a Nuthatch by John Baldwin The extremely cold weather has lasted for too long now, and caused a few birds to rethink their feeding procedures, whilst competing for the various food supplies that are on offer by "yours truly", and many of yourselves. We are used to seeing a couple of White-breasted Nuthatches, our "Upsidedown" birds, on our peanut feeders, usually just one at a time. But we have seen two at the same time on two of our

three separate hanging feeders (one Nyjer seed and two peanuts). Caught by surprise, I had to take a "double look" the other day, when a different bird was there upside down on a peanut feeder. I grabbed the camera and zoomed in time to see that my unknown "Upside-down" bird was, in fact, a Goldfinch, who had tired of competing with her fellows on the Nyjer seed and was trying to find some luck on the peanuts. Not really having the beak

to tackle a full sized peanut, I am assuming that she was ﬁnding some of the bits oﬀ the peanuts dropped down inside the feeder, by either the Nuthatches or the Woodpeckers. She spent a bit of time imitating the Nuthatch, but has since returned to joining the general melee with her peers on the Nyjer seed! Ah, such is a bird's life! Stay safe and well, Cheers, John Baldwin

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February 23 2022

The Voice of North Grenville

by Peter Johnson The 'Freedom Convoy' began its occupation of the Nation's Capital on January 28. The people who have had to tolerate these 'liberators' have had their tolerance for fools? freedom ﬁghters? fanatics? greatly tested. It was good to see some residents stop the ﬂow of the curious or the gloriously/proudly misinformed from heading up Bank St. to join the 'party'. Even residents of the Glebe were moved to show their muted displeasure...a sure sign that this whole charade had gone on too long, and was getting, if not tiresome, at least irksome. And so, on Valentine's Day, the Government stood up and invoked the Emergency Measures Act. A little bit of ironic love: for the people of the country, and for those with U.S. dollars behind them who have stated that they want the Governor-General to remove the Prime Minister...that horrible man who has supported mandates. And who has risen to speak on behalf of these righteous 'righters'? The Conservatives: Candice Bergen...no not that actress, the Canadian 'actress', in her role as Leader of the non-Opposition...and good old Pierre Poilievre. Ms. Bergen will not be around long. As my mother used to say back in the day about John Diefenbaker, 'The Conservatives eat their own. That is what they do to their leaders.' And so it was. The poor man died an ignominious political death at the hands of his Party. Aspiring to Ms. Bergen's place is the almost-honourable, Mr. Poilievre. He who slyly said that he supports peaceful demonstrations. Like a certain former U.S. president, Pierre speaks in code. I shared with him, my thoughts on his actions: "Mr. Poilievre: I am not a constituent...I once was but not at the moment. I read your statement regarding your support of the 'peaceful' protests. The words were chosen carefully and I suspect they do not reveal your true beliefs or intentions. These protestors want to bring down the government. So do you. They are doing it by illegally occupying the streets of the Nation's Capitol. You will do it in a more 'democratic' manner...but only because you must. Then things will change. You and your previous boss...Mr. Harper, did not

bring down, but most certainly circumvented the Parliamentary System. I expect no less from you, should you get the chance. Here's how I saw Mr. Harper and yourself do it: a) When proposing and forming a bill, NEVER ask the opposition for input... never consult with them, never accept any of their suggestions... a historical precedent, never done by a government before. b) Never explain yourself. Do not speak to the press. Do not answer questions in The House. c) Invoke closure on debate early and often. d) Send Bills to the Senate to be rubber-stamped by your tightly-controlled Senators e) Bring the Bill back for ﬁnal reading...again invoking closure if necessary. f) Prorogue Parliament early and often. g) Control everything from the Prime Minister's Oﬃce. Ministers must never speak - only the PMO. h) Give too much power/ control to those in the PMO who are not elected representatives i) Omnibus Bills: a great way to hide legislation...bury it in thousands of pages. j) Give as little time as possible to the Press and the Opposition to examine the ominous Omnibus Bills, then move to the debate stage... which is not a debate--there will be no response, only the clock ticking down to the time when closure will be invoked and the vote taken. And after all of this, you accuse the duly elected Government of Canada of being undemocratic by invoking the Emergency Measures Act to shut down the questionablyfunded occupation of Ottawa? You are quite a piece of work, sir. The irony is quite impressive. The possibility that you will become the leader of the federal Conservatives is truly scary---to anyone in this country who cherishes our system of governance. Peter Johnson, Oxford Mills Ont." I am not so naive as to

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think that Mr. Poilievre will ever see my words. One of his minions will read the message and put a checkmark in the 'lunatic left' column. I think he has as much time for dissenting opinions as I have for those who would try to illegally occupy Ottawa. I might be naive, but I am not a total lunatic: I pride myself on being a very patriotic Canadian. When I count my blessings, being a citizen of this country is one of the most important. But when we sing, '...Stand on guard for thee..', it means keeping an eye out for those who would take away those blessed things that Canadians cherish...our freedoms, our right to agree or disagree, our right to hold open and free elections...or our right to have institutions that are free of illegal or foreign influencers...our right and obligation to do what is best for the health and welfare of our neighbours. And so, I will stand up and be counted as one who is greatly relieved that the residents of Ottawa South took a stand...that the residents of the Glebe were ready to take a stand...that the Government of Canada ﬁnally took a stand. For those who want change, there are better ways of doing it. Don't occupy cities. Don't close down important border crossings. A few people with big trucks do not get to negate the rights of the majority. To quote John Stuart Mill, "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness." In this case, 'happiness' would be the freedom from fear and ﬁnancial pain. And in the words of Barry McGuire...remember him? The Eve of Destruction singer? "But you tell me, over and over and over again my friend, Ah, you don't believe we're on the Eve of Destruction." This song was written by P.F. Sloan in mid-1964. Fiftyeight years later, it still has a message we should listen to and act upon.

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"No Job Too Small" www.ngtimes.ca

The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

Ontario to cancel vaccine passport system by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The provincial government announced last week that it would be putting an end to the vaccine passport system, as well as capacity restrictions for all indoor settings, beginning on March 1. Mandatory vaccination requirements will therefore be lifted for all settings, though it is reported that hospitals and long term care facilities will keep the requirements to protect the most vulnerable. The vaccine passport system limits who can and cannot engage in certain activities deemed “non-essential”, such as dining indoors at a restaurant. A press release sent to the Times quotes Ontario Premier Doug Ford as saying, “Given how well Ontario has done in the Omicron wave, we are able to fast track our reopening plan. This is great news,

and a sign of just how far we've come together in our ﬁght against the virus. While we aren’t out of the woods just yet, we are moving in the right direction.” Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, added, “Thanks to the province’s high vaccination rates and the continued sacrifices of Ontarians, we are now in a position where we can move forward in our plan earlier than anticipated. With hospitalizations and ICU admissions continuing to decline, we are committed to maintaining a gradual and cautious approach to protect our hospital capacity and ensure patients can access the care they need when they need it.” The changes will be made gradually, with the ﬁrst round of loosened restrictions having already occurred on February 17. On that date, social

Every little bit helps by Andrea Gaw-Prekob, C.D.T.A., The Academy of Expressive Dance For the next two weeks, I'm investing some of my time fundraising for an event I'm involved with - the Coldest Night of the Year. The Coldest Night of the Year is a walk that raises money for folks in our community who need our help. Some of them are hungry, more than a few hurting, and regrettably, some who are homeless too. Adults, moms and kids, seniors, and youth as well. The funds will be going directly to Connect Youth, who serve Leeds & Grenville, and a MUCH needed service in our area. I'm asking you to either consider joining our team - The Academy of Expressive Dance Snow Angels, and walk with us on Saturday, February 26, AND/OR to please donate to our cause. We will be walking as a group (socially distanced). So that kids can participate as well, we will be walking after dance classes that day-- beginning at 2 pm. This year, I'm hoping to raise awareness as well as funds, so we will be walking downtown Kemptville, and we'll finish up at Brewed Awakenings. We participated in this event last year, and it was amazing to feel like we were helping make a difference. This year, the Academy of Expressive Dance "Snow Angels" will be wearing angel wings, tutus, and halos over our touques as well, as part of the "Snow Angel" theme of our walk. If you would like to join us on our walk, you may sign up here: secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage. aspx?teamID=969868&langPref=en-CA. If you can find it in your heart to please donate (every little bit helps!), please use this link--and a tax receipt will be issued right away.https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=5020808&langPref=en-CA Approximate numbers from Connect Youth: The cost to support youth depends entirely on individual situation and the specific needs; in general: -$500 would purchase furniture for a young person preparing to live independently for the first time. -$300 would provide a hot meal for 50 youth -$200 would run an artistic workshop for a group of 20 youth -$100 would purchase the identification necessary for a young person to secure housing No matter how you can help, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is such an important cause that needs help right here in our own backyard. Anything you can do is wonderful..... And a whole lot of "little" can make something big. February 23, 2022

gathering limits increased to be lifted for all businesses 50 people indoors and 100 which still have them by this people outdoors. Seating ca- date. Mask requirements for pacity at many non-essential indoor public settings will venues also increased to 50%, remain in place at this time, and capacity restrictions were although Ford’s government lifted businesses •has Brakes • entirely Vehiclefor repairs indicated that a timewhich continue to require •line Suspension • Class “A” Mechanic should be released in proof vaccination until the •the coming Tire Sales • ofSale of Quality Preweeks for when mandate is lifted on March •maskAirrequirements Conditioning Owned Vehicles will end. 1. •Other changes include the •Despite Alignments Flat Bed Tow Truck speculation, Ford gradual resumption of non- has strongly denied that the 613-989-3839 urgent and non-emergent decision to end the vaccine C o u nbegan t y Rin d On1 , M opassport u n t a i nsystem O n t ahas r i oanything surgeries, which tario on February 10, and the to do with the recent trucker continued distribution of free convoy protest movement. rapid antigen tests in partner- He has insisted that talks of ship with various retailers in lifting the passport system the province. started well before the protest The elimination of the was in motion. vaccine passport system For more information, will take eﬀect on March 1, Ontario’s news release can be though individual businesses accessed at: news.ontario.ca/ can choose to continue requir- en/release/1001600/ontarioing proof of vaccination. In- moving-to-next-phase-ofdoor capacity limits will also reopening-on-february-17.

Sexual health services available for all The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit marked Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week (SRH Week) from February 14 to 18. This year’s theme of Advocacy in Action is about trying to make changes. During the last two years, the Health Unit has created new ways to provide important sexual health services to our residents to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 to staﬀ and clients. For more information about our service accessibility during the pandemic, read this article: www.ruralontario. org/individual-stories/ruralsexual-health-service-in-thetime-of-covid. The Health Unit is working to transition back to providing many of the non-COVID-19 essential services; some clinic that have been closed will be starting to re-open. For more information about times, dates and locations, visit: healthunit. org/clinics-classes/sexualhealth-clinic. The Health Unit’s Sexual Health Clinics offer nonjudgemental and youthfriendly information and support. Services provided are strictly conﬁdential. All ages, genders and sexual orientations are welcome. A list of services can be found here: https://healthunit.org/clinicsclasses/sexual-health-clinic For more information about Health Unit clinics, sexual health or reproductive health services, you can call

1-800-660-5853. You can also get important updates by following LGLHealthunit on Facebook and Twitter, as well as lglhealthunit.z on Instagram. The Kemptville Clinic is at 2675 Concession Road, on Tuesdays 11:00am–4:30pm. Phone: 613-258-5941 for an appointment.

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The North Grenville Times

73’s need to avoid the sin bin

Hunter Brazier leans into it to launch a missile for second goal of the Friday night’s 8-4 runaway during the D.I.F.D game against the Nepean Raiders by the sportsguy Hawkesbury Hawks in flight for matinee scrummage on Sunday, when they took Kemptville off their game to post a 4-1 win. Tyler Lareault for the 73’s, with Mathew Tovell for the Hawks, drew the short straws as stoppers for their clubs. Kemptville struck first, when Lammi reversed to Howie from below the line to shovel it to Devon Savignac to rip one top shelf at 4:25 for 73’s only contribution. Second go around at 4:37, with Kemptville PP, after incomplete stretch pass Toure found Kerfalla Toure SHG on the doorstep for a tie. Second closed with the continuous swinging doors in the sin bin without either squad able to capitalize Hawkesbury came out flying for the last twenty and recorded three more goals. Thomas Cussan assisted by Sauve and Hlusiak at 4:34 for the tiebreaker. Go ahead strike came at 5:45 on PP from Mark Cooper PPG, with helpers from Hlusiak and Cussan. Another PPG from Ryan Murphy, assisted by Sauve, to plug the dyke at

10:57 and give Hawkesbury a 4 to 1 victory. Shawn stated, “it was a learning experience and a great test we can learn from, if we want to be successful down the stretch. The Hawks have a number of veteran players who understand the way to win playoff games.” Tyler Laureault for Kemptville 73’s, and Emile Savoie for Cornwall Colts, would be the stoppers for Thursday evening escapade. Kemptville outgunned Cornwall 27 to 18 to hold on for a 3-2 win. Kemptville found themselves in the sin-bin for Cornwall’s two initial goals in the first. Emerick Nadeau PPG, assisted by Tallman with Laferriere at 5:27, and Aaron Shaw PPG, with helpers from Gagnon and Miron at 6:15, to close out the period. Kemptville countered when Houle combined with Adam Cavallin in the second at 2:53. Merrett transitioned a long ball to Brazier up the wall across to Grant Eastwood to drive it home at 6:00 for the tie. Tiebreaker came after York’s stretch pass up to Morency, saucer pass to Hunter Brazier to find the back of the net at

16:12. Last twenty remained scoreless, even though the Colts pulled their stopper at 19:12. The 73’s held on for a 3-2 squeaker, but missing on 5 PP opportunities. Friday night special event for D.I.F.D, the Kemptville 73’s engaged the Nepean Raiders. The 73’s punished their opponents 8-4, out shooting them 35-27. Kemptville drew ﬁrst blood, as Savignac caught Taylor through the neutral zone, over to Brock Krulicki who pulled the trigger into the mesh at 6:14. A 73’s miscue by the “D” to clear their zone, when Jordan Grahame came through the middle to even it up at 10:48. Zachary Lefebvre, assisted by Melvin and Rivard, to give the Colts the lead at 11:34. Raiders with man advantage when 73’s Krulicki stripped his opponent, on to the tape of Devon Savignac SHG to even it at 2 to end the seesaw match at 15:40. Larkin, with Lammi, performed their magic to setup Grant Eastwood from the half circle for Kemptville’s tiebreaker at 2:33. Nepean on PP when Adam Cater, with helpers from Bennett and Rivard,

even it up yet again at 4:51. Kemptville bounced back with PP, as Brazier shuffled it to York on the point, over to Johnny Howie to drive it home at 6:37. Eastwood combined to Taylor on the doorstep so Hunter Brazier could poke it through the fivehole at 10:28 for a 5-3 romp for Kemptville. The 73’s connected, as Brazier on the attack to flip it back to Howie who launched a howitzer, and Chase Lammi redirected the rubber into open space at 15:03. Undisciplined choices by the 73’s give the Raiders a two-man advantage, which they capitalize on with Tyler Melvin PPG, with assist from Bennett and Hillier, at 17:03. Hunter Brazier posts his second marker with a blistering rocket after a combination from Lammi and Taylor at 17:38 for a 3 goal lead of 7-4. One more point for Kemptville on PP when Lammi with Larkin penetrated the line, back to Johnny Howie PPG to put it top shelf at 13:35 for his second and to award them a 8-4 victory. Shawn expressed his opinion, “PP worked well, converting at 50% and overall good effort after playing back to back games. We have to sharpen up a few things for our next game, but we are in a good place heading into the push for the playoffs.” Hawkesbury Hawks are in flight for a Sunday matinee challenge. Hockey with edge….see you around the boards.

Women’s Organization celebrates 125 years of supporting and inspiring women

Members of the Bishop's Mills Women's Institute celebrated the 125th anniversary of the founding of WI with a winter walk through the village. From L to R: Sheryl McKim, Linda Desroches, Joan Tensen, Susan Jenkins, Liz Streight, Carolyn Likely, and Jeanne Lambert.

February 23 2022

by Jeanne Lambert One of the longest stand- during the pandemic, women ing sisterhoods in the world, are feeling isolated in a diffounded in Ontario and now ferent way. WI answers this worldwide, is celebrating a need. Over the years, the WI major milestone. From the has been at the forefront of ﬁrst meeting in Stoney Creek, Ontario, on February 19, multiple causes. The origi1897, to today’s global net- nal goal of WI was to teach work of branches, Women’s women how to keep their Institute (WI) has continued families healthy and well fed. to provide a social connection, Naturally, these educational education source, and com- gatherings also offered a munity service opportunity much-needed social connecfor women. Since founding, tion. By hosting community the mission and vision of the dances and card parties, they organization rapidly spread, began to raise money and supas women everywhere em- port community work, then, braced the movement for a later, the war effort. Most better future for their fam- recently, WI has embarked on ily, their communities, and education campaigns around themselves. Now, in the era of such topics as gender, Indigesocial media, and particularly neity, and Black history, and 18

The Voice of North Grenville

#18

Tyler Whyte Nickname: Whytey Born: North Gower, April 2 2003 Position: Left Wing Previous Hockey Club: Kemptville 73s U18 Hockey Hero: Sidney Crosby Most Inspiring Person: Parents Favourite Movie: Jungle Book Favourite Food: Chicken bacon subs Favourite Hockey Moment: Playing at the Telus cup qualiﬁers Life as a Jr. A player: Great! Being out of highschool gives me lots of time to train to become the best hockey player I can be. Being on the ice 6 days a week, and having great coaches. One word that describes me: Tenacious

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have undertaken campaigns to eradicate Lyme Disease and advocate for victims of human trafficking. WI branches are members of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), which holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Local branches meet monthly, often with a guest speaker or group activity. Meetings include social time and a short business session to plan ongoing community involvement, support, and advocacy. Women are looking for a break! The regular meeting is time they can take for themselves to connect with friends and get to

know new people. Women of every age and stage gather to support each other and their communities. Despite the challenges of pandemic restrictions in the past two years, new branches are being formed by women who are interested in supporting and inspiring other women in their communities. Online options also are happening. If you’d like to start or find a branch near you, please go to fwio.on.ca, or contact your local WI Branch – Bishop’s Mills Women’s Institute on Facebook, or contact Jeanne at Jeanne. lambert828@gmail.com. www.ngtimes.ca

The North Grenville Times

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The Voice of Our Community

The Voice of North Grenville

Why wouldn’t you take care of your heart?

Diana Gifford-Jones: You are starting your 99th year. To what do you attribute your good health? W. Gifford-Jones, MD: I’ve been fortunate, but it nearly didn’t happen. I suffered a major heart attack when I was 74. My cardiologists insisted on cholesterol-lowering drugs to fight heart disease. But I knew of two-time Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling’s research on high-dose vitamin C. I opted for a regimen of 10,000 mg daily, which I still continue. Diana: Why not take cholesterol-lowering drugs? Giff: There are side-effects I preferred to avoid. Everyone needs to make their own decisions with their doctors, but mine was anchored in the belief Dr. Pauling was right. He knew that animals produce vitamin C and humans do not. This is why sailors used to die of scurvy while the ship's cat survived long voyages. Vitamin C is necessary for the formation of collagen which holds coronary cells together, just as mortar binds bricks. The addition of lysine, an amino acid, provides extra strength to collagen, like steel in concrete. Diana: This means vitamin C and lysine help strengthen arteries so that they are rubbery and don’t rupture from the pressure of each beat of the heart? Giff: Yes. Another concern is atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of the arteries. This causes a decrease in blood supply to the heart. The research of Dr. Sydney Bush, a distinguished English optometrist, showed it is possible to improve circulation to the heart's muscle. He prescribed 6,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C to patients who experienced reaction to contact lenses. Luckily, he also took photographs of the retina before the use of vitamin C and repeated the photographs one year later. Atherosclerosis decreased and retinal arteries were healthier. In the same way, vitamin C decreases the amount of atherosclerosis in coronary vessels and supplies more blood to the heart's muscle. Diana: 10,000 mg every day of the year for 24 years is 87.6 million mg – that’s a lot of vitamin C! Can you take too much? Giff: A very small amount of vitamin C, just 10 mg a day, is enough to cure scurvy. More is needed for a robust immune system. To decrease chronic inflammation and reverse heart disease, research shows you need high doses consistently over a long period of time. Vitamin C is natural, safe, and effective. Anything the body can’t absorb gets excreted in the urine. Diana: What else would you advise for heart health? Giff: There’s no doubt that a balanced diet and moderate exercise is crucial. Our diets are changing. People are eating less fresh food and more processed food. Sugar and salt are not your friends, and they are hidden in a lot of foods. They lead to weight gain, hypertension, and other inflammatory conditions that harm cardiovascular performance. Diana: If you could redo one thing since your heart attack, what would it be? Giff: I would have started supplementing earlier with omega-3. The amount of key omega-3 essential fatty acids in the blood is a strong indicator of risk for heart disease. Most of us are lacking omega-3 because of low dietary intake of fish, and poor fat absorption of the fish we do eat. The problem compounds as we age. I’ve recommended supplementation with omega-3 supplements containing Maxsimil to overcome the absorption problem. Diana: I am lucky to have had nearly a quarter century of additional high-quality years with you. Giff: I would ask anyone in similar circumstances, why wouldn’t you want to take care of your heart? Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly enewsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones.

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The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

CO2 Down To Earth 9

A major obstacle to Greening our Municipality

Canada lily Lilium canadense by Philip Fry During recent weeks, my plan to discuss wildflower gardening as a means of reducing the impact of CO2 emissions on our “quilted” landscape has been disrupted by three apparently unrelated events. Firstly, there has been the occupation of downtown Ottawa by the truck convoy, ostensibly protesting Covid 19 mandates, but also manifesting a much deeper dissatisfaction with current governments at both the federal and provincial levels. Secondly, there are still complaints about the imposition of a prison on Kemptville, which reminds us of how the provincial government has arbitrarily gutted environmental regulations and hamstrung the Township's ability to regulate so-called development. And, thirdly, I have been receiving email messages and a Report from Jane Wilson of Wind Concerns Ontario (WCO), a citizens organization, outlining ecological issues raised by wind turbines. Even a cursory reflection on these events shows that they all rise from a common source: the incapacity of current methods of governance to address citizens' concerns adequately. As Jane Wilson's messages most directly concern potential greening programs, with her permission I will paraphrase them here. Framing the issue of CO2 emissions are the objectives being set by governments. Jane reports that Ontario wants 1,000 megawatts of new power generation, and February 23 2022

the City of Ottawa's target is 3,200 megawatts by the year 2050. For comparative scale, the huge Nation Rise wind “farm” generates only about 100 megawatts. Ottawa wants 700 or more 4 megawatt turbines, which would cover a little less than half of its needs, and is looking for its neighbours to “help out.” The implication is that North Grenville is being scouted for appropriate and accessible sites. Given the potential impact on human health, biodiversity, and land use, two questions arise: Are turbines the way to go? If so, is it possible to mitigate their currently devastating impact on the environment? Based on information received from the Province, WCO produced a report synthesizing the government's response to formal complaints about the effects of wind turbines. Almost 6,000 files about wind turbine noise, vibration, and sound pressure were handed over to WCO, of which 39% included adverse effects on heath. Among the documents, an acoustic professional who was hired to monitor turbine noise and their effect on bats, recounted that she could not complete her work because the sound created “a polluted toxic environment” so bad that she had to flee the site. The points made by the WCO's analysis assert that while the government had promised that there would be a complaint process to ensure enforcement of regulations, the complaints did not

finally result in any significant abatement action being taken by the operators of the turbine installations, and this was despite the requirements set during approval of the projects. The process for receiving complaints is inconsistent, the information gathered is incomplete, and there is apparently no ministry-wide coordinated review and evaluation process about complaints. It seems the government doesn't wish (or care) to make significant follow-ups. What are we to do, then, with the sites already “developed” to “harvest” wind energy, and how are we to evaluate future projects? What technological remedies to this devastation are there? What remedial projects – the transformation of wastelands, the borders of access roads and fence lines, with native trees, shrubs and flowering plants like the magnificent, but regionally rare Canada lily, can be envisaged? The formation of eco-gardeners' groups and access to degraded sites is critical. But this step depends largely on the Township and its decisions with regard to “development” criteria can currently be overturned at the whim of provincial ministers. We are therefore in a quandary. Unless we can rely on a shift from the present confrontational, quasidictatorial form of governance to a collaborative, consensual approach based on local community concerns, significant remedial work will be scuttled. In short, we need properly representative environmental committees at all levels of governance mandated to ensure that information flows both up and down in the hierarchy of decision making, and that proposed decisions be correctly presented, understood, and vetted at the Township level. Please continue sending me your comments to animate this discussion. I am at wildflowerguy@gmail.com.

North Grenville Community Theatre update by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The local performing arts group, North Grenville Community Theatre (NGCT), formerly known as the Kemptville Players Inc, will be going ahead with their planned performance of “Ripcord” this spring. Ripcord is described as “a fascinating, edgy contemporary comedy”. Performances will be given over a four-day period, yet to be determined, but certainly some time in late April or early May. There will be evening performances on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with a matinee performance on the Sunday, all taking place at the North Grenville Municipal Centre. As reported in the Times on December 8 of last year, NGCT spent much of 2021 seeking ways to adapt to a pandemic reality. One way it achieved this was by oﬀering small production shows for events. Another project was to begin casting and rehearsals for “Ripcord” in anticipation of a different reality come springtime. The organization also put in a community grant funding request late last year, hoping to use the requested $5,000 to make repairs to the Oxford Mills Township Hall, which NGCT uses for storage. Mayor Peckford was receptive to the request when it was presented via Zoom meeting, but also suggested that funds could usually be found in the Municipal operating budget for such needed repairs. Debbie MacGillivray, who is the producer of “Ripcord,” contacted the Times to share some updated informa-

With what seems like a “light at the end of the tunnel” on the horizon for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Debbie is optimistic about the upcoming performances, but is still being cautious. “We are doing our best to be as ﬂexible as possible with the ever-changing guidelines, and are awaiting [Municipal Centre] guidance as to their protocols as well,” she said. Those interested in purchasing tickets can inquire at tickets@ngct.ca.

tion regarding NGCT. “For the ﬁrst time, NGCT will be selling tickets online only,” said Debbie. “Because of renovations to the lobby of the Municipal Centre, our Front of House activities, such as ticket collection and program distribution, will be changed. Programs will be placed on theatre seats, and patrons will be asked for their names upon entry into the lobby and checked oﬀ a list prepared each night from our online ticket program.”

Spencerville Ag Soc meeting

Street, Spencerville. Strength In Numbers!! We are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping our 167th Spencerville Fair. We currently are looking for help with the Talent Show, Junior Work, Friday Pony Horse Show, and Parade. If you are interested in joining, p l e a s e e m a i l i n f o @ s p e n c e r v i l l e f a i r. ca to receive an email with the meeting details.

We are inviting you to join the Spencerville Agricultural Society, March Meeting! The Spencerville Agricultural Society meets monthly to plan community events including the 167th Spencerville Fair! We are looking for bright, enthusiastic volunteers to join our team! If you want to help give back to your community and get involved, start with us, we are happy to welcome you! Next Meeting: Monday, March 14, 2022. Meeting: 7:30pm. Address: 22 Ryan

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