The Villager 2014 February

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‘Take off’ to Ramona Winterfest

By Kim Goggins Calling all you hosers – grab your plaid jackets and furry hats and mark Feb. 15, 2014 on your calendar for Ramona Winterfest.

This year’s theme is aptly called ‘The Great White North’, in keeping with the famed SCTV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie of the 1980s and of course, the amount of snow the area has received this year.

It’s a great opportunity to get out of the winter blahs and into the fresh air and have fun with family, says Ramona Agricultural Society Board member, Silvia Cooper .

“We’re having it on Family Day Weekend, so we think it’s a great thing for families to get out and do winter activities together, see some of the outdoors and just have fun together.”

For the cost of a $5 Winterfest button, participants can walk, ski or snowshoe in the Cross Country Poker Run, depart the hall anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and collect cards for a winning poker hand to win one of five cash prizes. The 5 km, groomed trail is carved through the forest with three points along the way where participants can choose a card for their poker hand and warm up by a bonfire.

Afterwards, they can purchase lunch items like back bacon on a bun, pulled pork and

The gals of Ramona are inviting everyone out to walk, ski or snowshoe the Cross Country Poker Run on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014. the famous Ramona Rat Tails for dessert.

The Winterfest button also includes the euchre tournament at 1:30 and kids can enjoy the Craft Corner. A silent auction rounds out the day.

“Our motto at the Ramona Hall is you come as a neighbour and leave as a friend,” notes Cooper. “We get a lot of cottagers and a lot of new people who see the advertising and think it’s a great way to spend the day together. Everyone is welcome.”

Since Winterfest started in the mid-90s, the crowds have consistently gotten larger and organizers hope to see that trend continue this year.

Ramona Hall is on Fairgrounds Road, off County Road 169.

Business profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Budget story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 News in Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Recipe of the month . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 It’s snowbird season. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Community happenings . . . . . . . . 22

3

Love blooms on stage

By Kim Goggins Who would have thought a dishevelled character sucking his thumb and clutching his security blanket would evoke such strong emotions? Certainly not Gayle Carlyle.

But there she was, playing ‘Lucy’ in, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and falling in love with the man who was playing her younger brother, ‘Linus’. Right there, right on stage, right in front of an audience.

“I literally remember that really silly thing that people talk about where they saw stars,” she recalls, 26 years later. “We were doing a scene together and all of a sudden, for me, it was just like there was nobody else in the room, even though we had an audience. I remember going, ‘Oh my God. I’m falling in love with this man,’ and that was it.”

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight. She had met John Challis a couple of years earlier at the newspaper they both worked at in Bracebridge – he in editorial and she as a temp – but she thought him rude and he really didn’t pay much attention to her.

“I would see him at events like the boat show and I always just thought he was funny. He told me later he had no idea who I was,” Carlyle laughs.

“I have a vague recollection of her coming up and talking to my dog and thinking, what a strange woman,” Challis adds with a laugh of his own.

It was their love of theatre that eventually brought them together as friends at Lakeland Theatre in Bracebridge. Although the first play they were supposed to appear in together, No Sex Please We’re British, was cancelled, they saw each other often over

It was a love of theatre that brought together Washago couple, Gayle Carlyle and John Challis (seen here with their three-year-old Shepherd, ‘Nootka’). They share their story in time for Valentine’s Day. the next two years, and after being cast in they are avid birders, hikers, snow-shoers You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown in 1987, and admirers of frogs and snakes. Their they started dating. three-year-old rescued German Shepherd, That’s when they found out they had much ‘Nootka’ also enjoys the freedom of living in more in common, says Challis. nature.

“It wasn’t just the theatre that drew us Over the last 26 years, Challis and Carlyle together. It was having other things in have been cast in about a dozen plays common like loving the outdoors. Gayle together through Lakeland Theatre, which worked with environmental research and no longer exists, and the Mariposa Arts her social circle was those people and I just Theatre Foundation. got drawn into that whole crowd – and it This month, Feb. 13 – 16 and 20 – 23, was drawing me out of some disastrous they’ll be on the main stage at the Orillia social circles,” he laughs.

Opera House, performing in Calendar Girls.

They married on June 2, 1990 and eight Soon after that, on April 3 – 6 and 10 – 13, years ago purchased a home on eight they will appear in Inherit the Wind on the acres of property near Washago, where same stage.

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4

Kim Goggins Publisher, Editor-in-Chief thevillager@xplornet.com 705-689-5398 Ellen Cohen Publisher, General Manager thevillagerpress@rogers.com 705-717-0322 Register for the most current Severn news – delivered regularly

www.severnnewsonline.com The Villager, a Severn Township community news magazine, is an independently owned and operated publication delivered to households and businesses by the first of each month. Our delivery area is north from the Orillia/Severn Township border to Severn Bridge and includes parts of Ramara Township.

The Villager is also available in select retail shops and restaurants along the Highway 11 corridor from the north end of Orillia to Severn Bridge, including Washago.

Editorial and advertising material is protected by copyright. Reproduction of any article, photograph or graphic is forbidden without the express permission of the publishers. The sentiments of our columnists do not necessarily reflect those of The Villager.

The Villager’s liability to advertisers for errors is limited to the portion of the advertisement in which an error occurs and only if the error is the fault of The Villager.

Advertising, editorial and community event submissions are due on the 10th of the month for the following month’s publication.

A word in edgewise As I am snowed in, yet again, I’m trying to be optimistic and remember that with this snow comes skiing and snowmobile fun and the tourists to the area that are so important to our economy.

But it’s been quite a winter, so far, hasn’t it? I, personally, have been keeping tow truck and plough drivers busy over the last month and I think they are tired of tackling my driveway!

Oh well, two more issues of The Villager and we’ll be into spring.

In this issue, we have a story of true love to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Page 3 and I do encourage you to see this couple in Calendar Girls at the Orillia Opera House this month.

We also have a story on the municipal budget as well as the policing budget so you can calculate how much more you’ll be paying on your tax bill.

You’ll also notice that we have two features on great men the community has lost in December. Harold ‘Woody’ Woods and David Warwick will be deeply missed by their families and friends and I feel very privileged that their wives sat down with me to talk about them. The community is also mourning the loss of Paul May and John Snake and I’m sure others who made a difference in the lives of people they have touched. If we take anything from this sadness it’s to hold our loved ones a little tighter and always let them know they are loved.

Finally, I’d like to welcome Garth Hutton and Casey Bennett to our team at The Villager.

Garth is a retired graphic artist and cartoonist living in the Washago area. He welcomes this opportunity to share his cartoons with readers in each issue of The Villager.

Casey is our enthusiastic new sales representative and brings with her a strong marketing and advertising background. Welcome to you both!

Advertising inquiries: Contact Ellen Cohen at thevillagerpress@rogers.com or 705-717-0322.

The Villager P.O. Box 340 Washago, ON L0K 2B0

Art direction and logo design: Cathy Cleary, www.cathycleary.tel

Letters to the editor are welcome and may be emailed to thevillager@xplornet.com.

Letters may be edited.

5

A holistic approach to health right here in Washago

By Kim Goggins When Kimberly Hahn’s father was diagnosed with a rare type of lymphoma and given four months to live, her family was understandably upset.

But, rather than take the word of his doctors who said that there was nothing more they could do from a traditional intervention standpoint, he started doing his own research and took a radically more holistic approach to his cancer. That was about 23 years ago and he is still alive, today.

Kimberly has always worked in the health services industry and at the time her father was given his fatal diagnosis, she was overseeing homecare services to people with chronic and degenerative conditions. She found it upsetting that there weren’t other options to provide some level of quality to their lives.

As she saw her father’s condition substantially improve, she began looking at holistic practices as viable options for many of her clients and the public in general.

“When you look at the kind of business I was in and looking at the possibility that there has to be something that helps people and gives them something more than what we commonly know, then looking at my dad’s situation, I decided that I needed to look into this further, personally,” she says. “The more that I looked into what he was doing and the more that I became intrigued with what he was doing, it was really one of those synergistic things.

Before I knew it, I was enrolled at homeopathic college and the rest is history.”

This was a new and exciting pathway for her to help people and she opened Green River Natural Health.

In addition to her designations in Homeopathic Medicine and Acupuncture, Kimberly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Health Studies and she has formal training and years of experience in Craniosacral Therapy (CST) and Somato-Emotional Release (SER), Holistic Nutrition, Reiki and a number of additional complementary therapies.

As a registered acupuncturist and homeopath, Kim has been in practice since 1998. Over the last 15 years, she has also practiced

Registered acupuncturist and homeopath, Kimberly Hahn is activating her client’s balancing points before treating her knee pain. in Newfoundland and Barrie, but she has recently refocused her business to her Washago location on Doner Drive.

One doesn’t have to be chronically ill to benefit from the services at Green River Natural Health. Many of Kimberly’s clients enjoy good health but are also proactive about maintaining their health. They may come for a variety of reasons, from allergy relief and wanting to protect themselves naturally from cold and flu to depression, chronic pain and fertility treatments.

“All of the modalities that I use are holistic and individual and that’s the philosophy of homeopathic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine and most of the natural therapies training I have,” she says, noting that treatment paths are different for every individual. “I will look at your whole health circumstance, your general well-being.

Regardless if you come to see me about headaches, I’m going to ask you about your digestion, the kind of work you do, about any kind of traumas that you’ve had in your life. Every individual will get a different remedy for a migraine headache.”

Continued page 20

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Municipal tax hike less than 2 percent

By Kim Goggins Severn Township Council brought in a 1.98 percent tax increase for 2014 after seven hours of deliberation on Feb. 17, 2014.

The increase means $14.06 on an average home assessed at $256,000.

What had started as a 4.29 percent increase at the beginning of the budget deliberations was whittled down by Council members who changed some proposed recreation and road projects and moved money from reserve funds to pay for some items.

Although he says he’s pleased with the budget, Mayor Mike Burkett said he also understands that for some, any increase is too much.

“Of course you never want to increase taxes but you have to keep up with inflation,” he told The Villager at the end of the meeting.

“We were at 4.29 percent and now we’re at 1.98 percent, which I think is great; it doesn’t amount to a whole lot of money, but for some people, whatever you increase it by is a lot of money because people are tight for money.”

Big ticket items for 2014 include a pumper for Station 4 at $295,000; a salt/sand dome for $1 million; $1.9 million in road construction projects, a tandem truck for $210,000, a tractor for $150,000, a boom truck for $80,000 and sidewalk machine for $130,000. Funding for these projects will come from reserve funds except $581,000 (about 27 percent) of the cost of road projects, which will come from the tax levy.

Both Centennial Park in Washago and Timberline/Shadow Creek Park in Westshore will receive soccer nets and outdoor exercise equipment, including an elliptical machine, sitting rotator and strength and stretch bars for Washago and an air walker, chest press/lat pulldown and step climber for Westshore.

An amount of $60,000 for a skateboard park in Washago was taken out of the budget with the provision that the Culture and Recreation Committee will be asked to come up with another alternative and talk to a service group in the village about

partnering on a recreation project for Centennial Park.

Council was also able to set aside $50,000 in grant funding for local non-profit groups and maintained the ‘Villages and Hamlets’ budget at $50,000.

The one big increase that Council has no control over is the policing budget, noted on a separate line on the municipal tax bill.

Its increase for 2014 is $218,407 or 13.8 percent, which is an increase of $19.69 for a home assessed at $256,000.

When policing, county, municipal and school board levies are all factored together, the total tax increase will be approximately 3.87 percent, or about $83 for a home assessed at $256,000.

Residents who are on municipal water or water and sewer will see a two percent increase in their utility bill, about $2 per month.

Some homeowners will also see a 2.6 percent increase this year, as part of MPAC’s phasing in of property assessments in 2013.

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Ken and his wife Sadie, former 26-year residents of Washago, moved to Orillia when it was time to live a more maintenance-free life. Sadly, Ken became a widower and he began the search on his own for a new place to call home.

“Keeping healthy and active and connecting with people who have similar interests were very important requirements,” states Ken. “I now have all of that but I also have the option of complete privacy in my suite.” Ken says that the search for the perfect retirement home took some time, but he adds, “It was definitely worth the wait. This is home.”

8

‘Wine time’ won’t be the same

By Kim Goggins David Warwick’s jigsaw puzzle still sits incomplete on the downstairs table of his home. Pictures of he and his wife, Pat, and their friends and family appear repeatedly on the computer slideshow, nearby.

These are precious reminders of the love of Pat’s life who slipped away in his sleep.

“Sometimes I’ll go down and he and I are standing there and sometimes it’s just a screen of (one of our trips), but that’s not bothering me,” she confides. “I can look at those and I could look through the pictures with the kids. It’s the talking that’s not easy.”

As always, Pat is well-composed, gracious and generous with her thoughts about David. His gold chain, a gift from her when they first got married, lays around her neck with his gold wedding ring hanging from it.

David passed away in his sleep of a massive heart attack on Dec. 27, 2013. He was 75. Family and friends were able to share good times over the holidays and although he was taken too soon, they say he would have wanted to go quickly with Pat by this side as she has been for more than two decades.

It was his laidback demeanour that caught her attention when they first met through a mutual friend. She was living in Florida at Pat and David Warwick are seen, here, on one of their many vacations.

Continued page 9

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‘Wine time’ won’t be the same Continued from page 8 the time and newly divorced when she came up for a visit and met David. Soon, they started a long-distance romance and she moved back to Canada to marry him on April 13, 1991.

It’s difficult to believe Dave hadn’t always loved his Merlot but it was actually Pat who introduced him to wine. ‘Wine time’ became an afternoon ritual when the two would sit with Misty, their Cairn Terrier, on the front porch and enjoy a glass or two (Misty got a dog biscuit).

“We had wine out there every day at five o’clock, four o’clock on Sundays,” recalls Pat with a smile. “It was one of those things we did for 15 years.”

But Pat wasn’t the first love in David’s life. In 1959, he married his first wife, Gloria, and they were married for 26 years before she passed away. They had three children, Jim, Laurette and Trisha, and through their marriages to Kathy, Terry (Ayers) and Tom (Zaks), David could boast six grandchildren, Sam and Melanie Warwick, Lindsay and Brennen Ayers, and Olivia and Gabrielle Zaks.

He was also ‘dad’ and ‘grandpa’ to Pat’s children Andrea Maley and Tara Golub, and their children Kyle Maley and Kailyn and Alex Golub.

David was always a family man and his son, Jim, shared at David’s Celebration of Life how much he enjoyed his company.

“Some of my fondest memories spent as an adult with Dad were of Cowbell Lane on the Severn River, swimming against and with the current, taking cruises up and down the river on the pontoon boat, family barbecues, the hours spent on the sliding swing on the river, and playing that mind-numbing Nintendo Dr. Mario game,” he recalled. “It was the best place to go and unwind from the dayto-day grind.”

David loved meeting people and so many in the Washago area knew him simply as ‘Grandpa’ due to his antique business, Grandpa’s Garage. He started the business just before retiring from his sales job with Canadian Oxygen. David always had businesses on top of his full-time job, and they included a general store, vending machines, and a hockey pro shop.

In 1997, he and Pat purchased their century home on Muskoka Street in Washago and ran a bed and breakfast for 11 years. David had Grandpa’s Garage beside the house and Pat has Simply Special Originals in the home’s parlour.

They amassed a close-knit circle of friends through the Gourmet Club, Washago Gardening Club, Severn Bridge Euchre Club and their volunteer work.

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Travelling was one of David’s passions and he would spend hours scoping out perfect places to visit. After his bypass surgery in 2008, Pat and David created a bucket list of places they’d like to see and they were on their way to completing that list with trips to Alaska and a cruise on the Queen Mary II in 2013.

As Pat slowly gets used to living without her best friend, she says she will not make any hasty decisions.

“My first reaction was, well I’m not staying in this old house by myself, but I don’t know where else I’d find a group of friends that have been so supportive to me,” she says. “So, I’m not going to make any rash decisions. Everybody’s been overwhelmingly supportive.”

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Severn Council frustrated with OPP

By Kim Goggins Members of Severn Council and township staff are getting increasingly frustrated at the OPP for what seems to be a lack of interest in the Westshore Community Policing Office.

Since spending more than $6,000 to renovate office space at Highview Mall on Highway 11 North last spring, Council expects Orillia OPP officers to start using the space but that hasn’t happened yet.

Although signs were erected on the building at the beginning of December, 2013, no one has been there in an official capacity.

According to staff, the township has met all requests from the OPP, including building a smaller office within the space so that officers can interview people. Last year, Council also approved $7,000 to purchase computers and office equipment for the Westshore Community Policing Office and the office in Coldwater, which has been operating in the Coldwater Community Centre since 2012.

They have set aside $4,000 for office equipment purchases in the 2014 budget.

So far, $16,651.49 has been spent on the Westshore Community Policing Office, including $8,446.10 in rent and $1,338.19 in hydro.

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“I think we need to go further with this as soon as possible,” said Coun. Ron Stevens, who, along with Coun. Mark Taylor, is scheduled to meet with OPP Insp. Malcolm Quigley in the near future.

Quigley has always said that he can’t predict how often his officers would use the office. He said they are not mandated to use the space but would use it if it was set up in a way that was convenient and helpful to them. The policing office in Coldwater is used regularly. The township spent $820 on that space in 2013. The low figure is due to the fact that there are no rent and utility costs.

Members of Council also balked at the 13.8 percent increase in policing expenses for 2014, rising from an actual $1,287,921 in 2013 to a budgeted $1,554,594 in 2014. That’s almost a $20 increase on the tax bill of a property assessed at $256,000. This rate is separate from the municipal tax levy and shows as a separate line on the property tax bill.

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Lions plan for upcoming events

By Sandra Crawford, past president The Lions Grey Cup Event at the Washago Lions Hall in November Glenn McEachern, owner of Performance Recreation, presents was well attended and included a dinner, live auction, game score Debbie Young of Bobcaygeon, winner of the Washago and District board wins and lots of fun. Debbie Young of Bobcaygeon was the Lions Annual grey Cup Draw with her prize of the Blue Polaris ATV. winner of the ATV raffle.

Lions members are now planning for other events for this year.

Canada Day is one of our largest events and starts early in the morning with a very popular Pancake Breakfast and various other activities throughout the day.

We also give to local charities through our fundraising.

Member Mary Bax of The Ramara Disaster Relief Program was recently presented with a cheque for $1,000 by Lion President, Garnet Langille.

For all you musicians out there, Washago Jam takes place every third Wednesday of the month at the Washago Hall starting at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

12

Metis Transportation plan moves forward

By Kim Goggins Public transportation could be coming to Severn Township and other small communities in Simcoe County as early as this year, if plans by Metis Transit are accepted by local residents.

Metis Transit is a division of Metis Transportation Ltd. The company has plans to bring public transportation to communities throughout Simcoe County but first it needs community support.

The first step was to get approval from Severn Township Council to survey local residents. President and CEO Darren Parberry attended a council meeting on May 2, 2013 to bring Council members on board with the idea. At the time, they voted in favour of allowing the company to survey residents.

Currently, there are surveys at 86 locations throughout the township, including at businesses in Washago, Coldwater and along the Highway 11 corridor. The surveys will be collected by February 2014. The results must indicate that more than 60 percent of those that have responded to the surveys are in favour of a transit service in the township.

If this percentage is achieved and council provides a second letter of support, the project will move to the stage of planning bus routes. This could be as soon as late 2014 or early 2015, says Parberry, adding that they will start as express routes, offering 10 stops or less from Point A to Point B and back again.

The transit system will not be subsidized by the government, but instead will be sustainable by selling advertising and through fare rates to customers. Parberry stresses it will be affordable for everyone.

“We will keep the fares as affordable as possible. We also focus on thinking of the family, itself,” he says. “There’s a lot of people out

there that really want to go to a lot of places but can’t afford it.

We’ve created a family group pass. Whether it’s weekly or monthly, it’s valid for up to five individuals, of any age group.”

Those who are interested in filling out a survey can also visit www.metistransit.ca, click on transit and then click on their local community. Or for more information, they can call Parberry at 705500-4636.

According to Parberry, Douro-Dummer in Peterborough County will be the first community to use Metis Transit, with the rollout happening in early 2014.

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Red flag raised for users of Windows XP and 2003

County portion of taxes increase to 2%

Microsoft has announced that as of April 8, 2014 it will no longer offer support on Windows XP or Office 2003.

Residents in Simcoe County will see a two percent increase on the County portion of their property taxes in 2014. That’s approximately $6.11 more per $100,000 of property assessment.

First step towards Westshore facility Township staff are preparing a survey to help provide information about whether there is interest in the area for a recreational facility and programming in the area.

Santa’s Helpers helped more than anticipated Through two fundraising events and donation jars left at Washago businesses, the group raised more than $3,000 and collected almost 100 toys. In fact, they were so successful in their mission, that they were able to go above and beyond the 202 children at a local elementary school that they had planned to help.

OPP asks snowmobilers to be cautious The warning comes after seven people lost their lives last year as a result of fatal motorized snow vehicle collisions that occurred within Central Region.

2013 budget for villages and hamlets spent Last year, $46,715 was spent of the $50,000 budget to see the breakdown visit www. severnnewsonline.com.

Rama First Nation mourns Members of Chippewas of Rama First Nation are grieving the loss of community member John Snake who recently passed away.

Flu season picking up pace With the flu season picking up pace locally, getting the shot is still recommended, says Heidi Pitfield, acting manager of the communicable disease surveillance unit of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

Roads big part of budget Once again, road construction is the largest item on the budget in 2014, coming in at just under $2 million.

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14

A fond farewell to ‘Woody’

By Kim Goggins Trent Woods grins sheepishly when he says that fishing was one of his favourite pasttimes he shared with his dad as a boy.

“Opening Day for fishing was always on Mother’s Day so we’d always go fishing,” he notes, while sitting at the kitchen table in his parents’ house, just a few days after Christmas.

“I never minded it,” Darlene Woods assures him. “It just happened that way.”

Darlene smiles softly when she recalls the outdoorsman her husband, Harold Woods, was. Although he was Harold to her, everyone else called him ‘Woody’ since high school. She tells of a man always working outdoors and loving every minute of it.

“He enjoyed working in the bush and staying busy,” says Darlene. “There were times that I thought he worked too much, but he was happy. He was outside.”

Sadly, he passed away on Dec. 12, 2013, at the age of 67, of an aneurysm in his stomach, and the Lock 42 area will never be quite the same.

Woody was always there for friends and neighbours, often being the ‘go to guy’ to get things done or to point to someone who could. With six generations of the Woods family in the Lock 42 area since 1867, he knew everyone and everyone knew and liked Woody. In fact, on Friday nights the local guys would always drop by the big shop on his property for some laughs and good times. “And country music, whether they liked it or not,” chuckles Darlene.

He spent most of his career on the road working in construction for Bell Canada, but 20 years ago, he retired, got himself a backhoe and portable sawmill, and starting custom cutting lumber for people. He was also known to plough a few driveways during the winters, too.

He had more than his share of friends, but the apple of Woody’s eye was his fouryear-old grandson, Troy, Trent and his wife Heather’s son. The two were often seen riding one of the many pieces of equipment on the property.

Harold ‘Woody’ Woods passed away on Dec. 12, 2013 “He wanted to teach Troy how to drive things so that he knew how to operate them,” says Darlene, noting that he also patiently taught her how to drive when she was 19. “He was a laid back kind of guy,” she adds.

May 17, 2014, will mark 40 years since the two were married. They met as high school Continued page 20

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Pulled Mexican Chicken Tortillas Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

3 chicken legs ¼ cup olive oil Cumin, chili flakes to taste 3 limes ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped 1 package prepared coleslaw ¼ cup rice wine vinegar 3 radishes ¼ cup sesame oil 1/2 field tomato 1/3 red onion 1/3 jalapeno pepper 1 green onion ½ cup each julienned red pepper, green pepper, red onion • 12 corn flour tortillas • Favourite hot sauce • Sour cream, shredded cheeses, black bean and corn salsa, arugula

Preparation: Roast chicken legs in preheated 350o oven until cooked and tender. Take all meat off the bones and shred with a fork. Toss with a ¼ cup of fresh lime juice, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tbsp chili peppers. Set aside Take ½ a red pepper and green pepper and julienne. Slice a medium red onion in thin strips. Saute with a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan until just tender remove from heat with slotted spoon. Set aside Mix a cup of prepared coleslaw mix with ¼ cup of rice vinegar and 1 tsp sesame oil.

Toss with one chopped green onion and three sliced radishes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Recipe provided by Chef Becky of Black River Using a quarter-inch dice chop up ½ a Food Company tomato, 1/3 red onion, ¼ jalapeno without seeds, ¼ cup chopped cilantro. Combine all and toss with ¼ freshly squeezed lime juice. Assemble fillings in tortilla and top with cheese, salsa, sour cream and arugula, then Warm corn tortillas wrapped in foil in a squeeze juice of lime slice over top with a preheated 300 degree oven for 5 to 6 drizzle of chipotle hot sauce. Devour! minutes until warmed through. Re-heat filling in fry pan.

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16

Drive Clean program is redundant

By Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop Cleaner cars and fuels have rendered Drive Clean redundant, so I strongly feel that it is time to scrap the program.

Drive Clean was set up as a temporary measure with the very specific purpose of reducing vehicle emissions that contribute to smog until advances in fuel efficiency and standards caught up. Well, the evidence shows that happened three years ago. From 1999 to 2010, the percentage of vehicles that failed emissions testing in Ontario had dropped from 16% to 5%. With 95% of cars passing emissions testing, the former Auditor General found in his 2012 report that the Drive Clean program had had little to no impact on reducing smog. The new computerized emission test introduced last

year has also proven to be less reliable and prone to error. Since the new program was introduced my constituency offices have seen an increase in calls of complaints.

In December 2013, the Environment Minister announced a meagre $5 reduction in the Drive Clean fees. What’s worse is that the NDP has signaled it will work with the Liberals to keep Drive Clean running indefinitely. That’s unacceptable. Drive Clean is a temporary program that’s long past its expiry date.

Clearly, Drive Clean has outlived its usefulness and has become nothing more than a government cash-grab. About 12,500 Ontario drivers have voiced their opposition to the province’s emissionstesting program by signing the Ontario PCs’ online petition at ScrapDriveClean.ca.

Special events: My 14th Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser will take place Feb. 1, 2014. The event runs from 8 a.m. until noon at the Royal Canadian Legion in Orillia. Proceeds from the event go to Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that I will be hosting free roller skating on Family Day, Feb. 17, 2014, at ODAS Park. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome. I hope to see you there!

Correction In the December issue of The Villager, it was stated that G&H Auto Service closed after Ken Hepinstall left. However, it still remains a thriving business in Orillia, owned and operated by Mark Genno.

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Help Severn Fire Service help you

By Dianne Kyle Severn Fire & Emergency Services are asking residents to help them dig out the fire hydrants following the recent accumulation of snow. If there is a fire hydrant buried near your home, please take the time

to clear the snow at least one meter around the fire hydrant.

Snow should be removed so the hydrant is easily spotted and accessible.

Help us help you. In the event of a fire, precious time is lost when firefighters have to locate and dig out a fire hydrant.

Businesses can even consider incorporating snow removal around nearby fire hydrants into their safety programs.

Always talk to your doctor if you have or have had health issues such as a heart attack or form of heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol or you smoke.

Here are some shoveling techniques: 1. Always try to push snow rather than lift it.

2. Protect your back by lifting properly and safely: • Stand with feet at hip width for balance, • Hold the shovel close to your body, • Space hands apart to increase leverage, • Bend from your knees not your back, • Tighten your stomach muscles while lifting, • Avoid twisting while lifting, • Walk to dump snow rather than throw it.

3. When snow is deep, shovel small amounts (1-2 inches) at a time.

4. If the ground is icy or slippery, spread salt, sand or kitty litter to create better foot traction.

Residents should use extreme caution while clearing the snow and be aware of vehicle traffic around them.

Safe snow removal requires proper preparation, the right tools and good technique. If you feel your health is at risk ask a neighbour or a friend to do it for you.

It only takes five to seven minutes for a house to become completely engulfed in flames.

So when the fire department responds to an emergency every minute counts and finding that hydrant quickly could mean life or death.

18

Heaven has a new angel

By Anna McDonnell We have lost a very special lady, Lioness Olive Smith. She was a member of our Club for over 29 years and lived our motto – ‘We Serve’.

Ollie was a member of the C.W.L. of Uptergrove and an active member of the Ladies’ Group of St. Francis Church of Washago. She was also a member of the Orillia and Barrie Quilting Guild, a canvasser for the Cancer Society for 30 years and delivered ‘Meals on Wheels’. Ollie was in Scouting as a Brown Owl for 15 years and, as a couple, Ollie and her husband Charlie, enjoyed golfing, curling, cross country skiing and belonged to a card club for many years.

Olive passed away on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 at her son’s home in Brampton, at the Lioness Olive Smith is greatly missed. age of 86, with her family by her side. She was married to Charlie for 63 years, had two children, Wayne and Cathy; two grandchildren, EXCELLENT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Jeremy and Becky; and two great grandchildren, Kori and Payton.

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OPP billing change will be more expensive

By Kim Goggins A new municipal billing model proposed by the OPP could cost Severn Township taxpayers double in 2015 for police services, warns Severn Township CAO Henry Sander.

Sander and Andrew Plunkett, Township of Severn Director of Corporate Services, attended an information session on Nov. 12, 2013 at OPP Headquarters that looked at a new proposed billing model being considered by the OPP for 2015.

According to a report to Council by Sander, the OPP propose to charge out for police services based on two components: a base level service cost that would include supervisory positions, administrative positions as well as frontline proactive policing duties such as patrol, RIDE and crime prevention; and a call for service cost that will involve municipalities paying the costs for calls for service based on the number and type of calls.

Based on the household count of 7,219 in Severn Township and the OPP’s estimate of $369 per household to cover both components ($260 for the base cost and $109 for calls for service), the OPP has estimated that the township’s cost will be $2,663,811 in 2015. In 2013, the OPP cost estimate was $1,336,187.

However, the OPP’s new cost estimate does not take into consideration industrial and commercial properties in the province, which is a problem, says Sander.

“Severn Township is going to respond to the (OPP) report with a suggestion that commercial and industrial components should be included,” he said, explaining that the current proposal does not take into consideration that municipalities with more industrial and commercial properties would not have to pay for them to have police services.

“If the OPP include industrial and commercial, it will spread out the

base and therefore the base cost. There will be more (properties included) in the base and so the base cost would go down. Others (larger municipalities) will pay more because they have more (commercial and industrial units) but Severn wouldn’t pay as much.”

Once the township is billed for police services, it bills the residential, commercial and industrial tax base, based on assessment, through property taxes. The cost for policing is a separate line on the municipal tax bill.

The OPP is also looking at phasing in the new costs over a four-year period but that also has not been decided. Sander estimates that a new cost for OPP services will be decided by late summer or early fall of 2014.

“There’s a lot that hasn’t been disclosed yet. It’s going to be a tough one,” he said. “I think what you’re going to see is that a lot of the smaller municipalities will start questioning what’s happened.”

GARFIELD DUNLOP, MPP Simcoe North

Email: Garfield.dunlopco@pc.ola.org Website: www.garfielddunlopmpp.com

ORILLIA OFFICE: 14 Coldwater Rd. W., P.O. Box 2320, Orillia, ON L3V 6S2 Telephone: 705-326-3246 of Toll Free 1-800-304-7341 Fax: 705-326-9579 MIDLAND OFFICE: 482 Elizabeth St. Midland. ON L4R 1Z8 Telephone: 705-526-8671 Fax: 705-526-8600

Follow Your Heart to LCG! Feb 14th &15th: 3-course Valentine Dinner with choice of main course Prime Rib • Maple Salmon • Heart-shaped Ricotta Ravioli in Champagne Blush Sauce Thursday, February 13 Grill You Chill • We

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For the Love of Girls

Girls’ Night Out $20 per person, includes mini- buffet, desserts, & cocktail Entertainment by Chris Lemay from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

19

Friday, February 14

Saturday, February 15

Serenade Your Valentine Have a Blue Valentine Karaoke

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20

A holistic approach to health right here in Washago Continued from page 6

Ramona Winterfest Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014

What a great way to spend Family Day Weekend!

As well as medical (traditional) acupuncture that can be used to treat almost every kind of health issue, Kimberly also offers facial rejuvenation cosmetic acupuncture, a treatment that can lift sagging skin, dark circles and wrinkles in a non-surgical, nonchemical, non-injection way.

Acupuncture became a regulated health profession in 2013 and this means it may now be covered by extended health benefits through an employer if it wasn’t before. Homeopathy will be regulated in 2014.

Kimberly takes a balanced approach to health and healing and offers therapies that can be used as primary treatments or as part of an integrated approach to recovery.

A fond farewell to ‘Woody’ Continued from page 14

Cross Country Poker Run ~ Walk, Ski or Snowshoe ~

Our hard packed trail is carved through the forest, circling around a large beaver pond. Keep your eyes open for deer, moose and wild turkey tracks. Several large owls have been spotted as well. The three check points along the trail guarantee you a warm welcome and a chance to draw that winning hand. Depart the Hall anytime between 10:00 a.m. & 2 p.m. You must be back to the hall by 4:00 p.m. for your hand to be entered for the cash prizes!

Euchre Tournament 1:30 p.m.

Children’s Craft Corner (no extra charge)

Silent Auction $5.00 Admission

Covers both the Poker Run and the Euchre Tournament

students at ODCVI, got married at the Washago United Church and held their reception at the Washago Community Centre. But don’t you dare say that Woody was from Washago, warns Darlene with a smile. “He lived in Severn Bridge, not Washago. He was very adamant about living in Severn Bridge,” she explains.

Darlene remembers a lot of good times over the years at their Severn Bridge property. “We were always having parties and get-togethers with the family,” she says, recalling the tents and trailers that would fill the property during some of those weekend gatherings. “We always had them here because we had the room.

We were both from big families.”

Besides Darlene and Trent, and Trent’s wife Heather and their son, Troy, Woody also left behind two older sisters, Ruth Morris and Lois Gammon, who live in Orillia.

If the condition of Darlene’s mailbox, absolutely stuffed three different times with sympathy cards is any indication, the community, friends and family will mourn the loss of Woody for a very a long time.

“It’s been a bit overwhelming. It’s much appreciated. It’s very kind,” says Darlene quietly. “On behalf of the family, I’d like to thank everyone for their support, cards, calls, food and help. It’s just been amazing. Friends and family have been awesome.”

A Celebration of Life was held for Woody at Carson Funeral Home in Orillia on Dec. 15, 2013, where hundreds of people gathered to say their goodbyes.

“A friend of mine, the same age, lost his father earlier this year, and when I put up (my dad’s death) on Facebook, he posted: Remember.

Cherish. Grief. That really hit home for me,” says Trent.

“I’ve said that a few times myself,” nods Darlene.

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21

It’s snowbird season

By Ron Reid

With all the snow and cold temperatures this winter, it may be hard to believe that some birds actually migrate into our area as their wintering grounds. A favourite among those hardy few is the Snowbird, more properly known as Snow Bunting. This small bird of the open spaces usually shows up in November, and is on its way north again

by March.

Snow Buntings travel in flocks, ranging in size from a dozen to several thousand birds. As they feed on seeds in open fields, they create a rolling motion, with the birds at the back of the flock rising up and moving ahead, to settle again at the front of the crowd. Their distinctive flashing white feather patterns make a large group of Snow Buntings look like an avian snowstorm. In some parts of the world, this species is commonly called the Snowflake for that reason.

Snow Buntings are circumpolar in their nesting distribution, a fancy way of saying they breed across the northern tundra in Canada, northern Europe and Russia, with even a few nesting on the higher mountains of Scotland. They place their nests in crevices in rocky parts of the tundra. This gives them enhanced protection from predators, but the rocks are cold, so the female Bunting stays on the nest full-time, with her mate bringing regular supplies of food.

When we get to see Snow Buntings, both the males and females have patches of rusty brown around their heads and upper backs, along with a reddish band across their chests. But as the winter goes on, the males rub off much of their brownish hue, and reveal the striking black and white plumage underneath. Late winter is a good time to watch for small flocks of Snow Buntings picking through the melting roadside snowbanks for seeds and grit. These birds are often fairly tame on back roads, and will let you approach slowly if you stay in your car.

Some years ago, my wife Janet and I spent a winter day helping band Snow Buntings

down in Durham region. The bander had used cracked corn and other seeds to bait a roadside area for several days, and we placed a mesh box with inward funnels on top of the bait. At hourly intervals, a flock of Buntings would suddenly arrive. In their frenzy to get at the easy food, some of the birds would enter our simple trap and be left behind when the rest wheeled away.

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As we weighed, measured and banded the trapped birds, we came to understand two things. First, we confirmed that this was the same flock making their rounds on a series of favourite feeding sites. We knew this because some of the birds we banded early in the day were re-captured in later rounds. Second, we discovered that one of their other feeding sites was a freshlymanured field, for these birds stank to high heaven. By the end of the day, so did we, as their fragrance rubbed off on our hands and clothes!

A regular contributor to The Villager, Ron Reid is a natural heritage consultant and the cofounder and former executive director of The Couchiching Conservancy. He has written more than 30 magazine articles and co-authored three books. He lives in Washago with his wife, Janet Grand.

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22

Community Happenings Send your group’s upcoming community event to thevillager@xplornet.com.

Washago Jam

Feb. 13-16 and 20-23, 2014

Washago Jam takes place every third The Mariposa Arts Theatre Foundation Wednesday of the month from 7 to 11 p.m. presents Calendar Girls, a comedy by Tim at the Washago Lions Club Hall.

Firth, with talented local actors. Takes place at the Orillia Opera House. Thursday to Jan. 16 – March 29, 2014 Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sundays, 2 p.m.

Keesic Douglas Fur Tree Exhibition takes place at the Orillia Museum of Art Feb. 15, 2014 and History. This exhibition explores Ramona Winterfest will take place at the contemporary Aboriginal Identity framed Ramona Fairgrounds. Everyone welcome! by the encounter between traditional and Cross Country Poker Run between 10 a.m. globalized, corporatized cultural influences. and 2 p.m., euchre tournament at 1:30 p.m., The exhibit brings together work from children’s craft corner and silent auction several recent projects with two new plus great lunch. Winterfest buttons are photographic series. $5 each.

Feb. 1, 2014

Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop’s Annual Pancake Breakfast will take place from 8 a.m. until noon at the Royal Canadian Legion in Orillia with all proceeds going to Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.

Feb. 7, 2014

Feb. 17, 2014

Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop will host free Family Day Rollerskating at ODAS Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Feb. 22, 2014

The Orillia Wind Ensemble will perform in its Winter Concert featuring soloists and small chamber groups. The event takes place at St. Paul’s United Church in Orillia at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 28 – March 2, 2014

The Orillia Winter Carnival will take place at Couchiching Beach Park in Orillia. Enjoy the ice maze, snow sculptures, midway, Feb. 15, 2014 helicopter rides, zorb racing, dog sled Music at the Bakery will feature host band rides, chili cook-off, fireworks and the everSassafras as well as featured singers/ popular Polar Bear Dip! songwriters Ed Moritz and Winnie Brave, and The Mad Hatterz Trio. Music starts at 8 p.m. in the Bakery at Canoe Fresh Food Market. Be sure to get there early to get a seat!

Free Family Skate Party takes place at the Washago Community Centre between 7 Feb. 15 – 17, 2014 and 9 p.m. Enjoy hot chocolate, cookies and Licence-free fishing for the Ontario Family great music with your family, friends and Fishing Weekend. neighbours. No hockey sticks for this event.

Another snow day! Kids in Washago are playing some shinny on the bit of ice they could clear after the blizzard.

Washago Rotary President William Kinghorn Claire Hicks, 4, and Carson Copegog, 6, enjoy Dillon Storie is happy to be on the ice and not confers with Peter Keith, recipient of the Paul the thrill of tobogganing at Rama Central in school during one of the many snow days Harris Society Pin for annual contribution to Public School. this winter.

Rotary Foundation in excess of $1,000.

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Join us February 15th. Doors open at 7. Performances begin at 8. Enjoy great music by Sassafras • Ed Moritz • The Mad Hatterz & Amy & Brad McIssac • Winnie Brave (formerly Hey Amy)