March 1, 2012
Vol. 12, No. 8
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Trinity United in Verona honors refugees by Julie Druker
T
hree former refugees from the West African country of Ghana, Robert Nyarkoh, Emmanuel Bruce and John Babatunde were invited to participate in a special service at Trinity United Church in Verona on Feb. 26, by their long time friend, Verona resident and church member Linda Brown. All three are now Canadian citizens and reside in the GTA. The special service fittingly opened with four members of the church choir singing “Ghana Alleluia”. Robert then read a prayer in his native language Fanti. Next they were introduced by their hostess Linda, who invited the children at the service to sit up front to hear first hand the types of childhood these three men, now husbands with children of their own, experienced in their West African homeland decades ago. Each spoke simply of growing up barefoot and having to travel to school three miles each way. They also had to borrow clothes from their parents. The three men did not know each other in Ghana. They all arrived in Canada in their early 20s and each was a refugee who fled from the unrest and violence resulting from the country’s third military coup d’état. The coup was led by Lt. Jerry John Rawlings who ruled the country first as a military dictator in 1979, then from 1981-1992 and then as the first elected president of Ghana’s Fourth Republic from 1993-2001. The three spoke of the fear they experienced back in 1979, when officials were being executed and other civilians were being arrested, or were simply disappearing following the coup. They each spoke about having no choice but to leave their homeland and families behind. They left with no money and no contacts but in Emmanuel’s words, “by the grace of God” they each managed to find safety and eventual happiness in Canada. It took them years to reach Canada; they each spent time in other countries along the way including, Egypt, Syria and Nigeria. They eventually become acquainted with each other in Toronto at the Bloor Street United Church, where they also met Linda Brown, who at that time was a member of that church.
“It was around that time our minister at the church brought to our attention a young refugee languishing in a jail for the simple reason that he was a refugee. The minister posted the $5,000 bail to get him released and that man became the first Ghanian refugee to become a member of our church. After that we formed a refugee committee to help support other refugees by fostering their lives in our congregation while helping them to get their lives in order. This work went on for 10 years and we worked with refugees from many countries. It was during this time that I met Robert, Emmanuel and John,” Linda recalled. Emmanuel attended school in Tema City in Ghana at Asu Tech, a technical school and he was part of the student union when Rawlings took power in 1979. “At that time a lot of the leaders of the protests of the student union were being arrested and others were disappearing so that was when I felt I had to flee.” He fled first to northern Nigeria, then Syria and finally landed in Montreal before settling in Toronto, where he now has a family and works as a cabinet maker. “We are just so grateful now to be here.” Linda Brown feels it important to get these men’s stories out. “When you see what is happening with our refugee act now, how the current government is trying to water it down and how they are making it more difficult for refugees to get into the country, especially for those who may not have much money, I feel that it’s very important to remember that there are many refugees in dire need of a safe haven, which Canada has always been and I would hate to see that change. These three men have been a great asset to our country and I feel it’s important for them to tell their stories so others might understand just exactly what many refugees have to struggle through to find a safe haven like the one we have here in Canada.” Following the service members of the congregation were invited to a lunch and shared stories and learned more of the about lives of the three special guests.
Linda Brown with special guests Robert, Emmanuel and John
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The Flying Steeves brothers (Cody and Shane) taking the Polar Bear plunge during the Frontenac Heritage Festival last weekend. Stories, more photos, on pages 8-9
North Frontenac Council talks strategy by Jeff Green
N
orth Frontenac Council is taking the slow route to their 2012 budget. They have already held two day-long budget sessions, and might actually see a draft budget by the middle of March. Meanwhile they have received detailed reports from department heads about the needs that are out there, and have been giving direction back to those department heads. The have also carried out a strategic planning initiative and have been working on a long-term capital plan for the township as well. While it is still anyone’s guess what the tax implications of all this planning will be in 2012, Council did approve a set of strategic initiatives this past week, indicating what kinds of initiatives residents can look for from the township in the coming years. Along with some standard elements such as improving communication and public education about township activities, and promoting economic development, a few new projects were identified as a sub-heading of long term planning. Among the four projects that were identified, one is the fire hall/ambulance base in Ompah which is now being actively pursued by Frontenac County. It is slated to be built this year if the costing comes in within the $550,000 upper limit the township has set for their portion of costs. A second long-term project, which Mayor Clayton characterized as a 10-year plan, is a new “Municipal Multi-Purpose Complex” starting with a municipal office and council chamber.
While this project is still in the visioning stage, one potential location has already been identified, a five-acre lot that houses the township helipad on Road 506 between Ardoch and Fernleigh. A third project is one that has been talked about in the recent past and is something that would eventually turn a profit – a solar microFIt project, something that might also be located at the helipad site. The fourth project is a war memorial, which Mayor Clayton said he would like to see completed in time for Remembrance Day in 2013. The final plank in the strategic directions document is the promotion of Green Energy. “Under the category of promoting green energy, we are lending money to people to put solar-assist hot water heaters in their houses as the kind of thing the township might get into to help people put in appliances that are efficient and which will bring energy savings over time. The City of Ottawa is looking at this and we have directed our staff to look at it as well,” said Mayor Clayton. Other items at North Frontenac Council Phone booth for Snow Road – Council received a letter from a resident requesting that they commission a pay phone to be located next to the mail boxes at the Snow Road Community Hall as a public service. With sporadic cell phone service in that area, it might prove useful to help stranded motorists facing mechanical difficulties. The cost of the service would be $200 up front and
Continued on page 2
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