September 5, 2013
Yourway
Vol. 13, No. 35
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Raising the bar on locally grown garlic Second thoughts
South Frontenac Council - Sept.3
Verona Garlic Festival
by Jeff Green (with information from Paul Pospisil) arlic growers from across the region have come to appreciate the way the tone that the Verona Lion’s set for their annual garlic festival. Because the festival takes place within the context of the Frontenac Farmer’s market, it has avoided some of the trappings that other festivals have succumbed to over the years. The booths are mostly devoted to garlic production or other kinds of agricultural products, and the crowds, this year having to dodge raindrops, have become steadily larger over the years. One of the features of the Verona Garlic Festival is the awarding of the Eastern Ontario Garlic awards, he official competition for the best garlic produced in the region. The awards were founded by Maberly’s Paul Pospisil, with a view towards promoting continual improvement in the qulity of garlic grown in the region. The awards were judged this year by the News’ own Wilma Kenny, who is certified by the Ontario Horticulture Society. The awards this year celebrated one of the most accomplished growers in the region over many years, as well as newcomers and a home grower. David Hahn won his 6th Champion Grower award his time around. New growers from Perth, Ali Ross and Glen Gangnier also produced top-knotch all around garlic, taking the Reserve Champions prize, and Bill Kirby of Yarker won the single bulb category. Diane Dowling, President of Local 316 of he National Farmer’s Union presented the $100 grand prize to David Hahn and she also stood in for Kim Perry from Local Family Farms in presenting the $50 prise to Glen Gangnier. Exhibitors in past years have learned the meaning of “quality” from the scores assigned by the judge on their garlic entries. In this way, the Garlic Awards have contributed to raising the bar on the quality of garlic grown in the Eastern Ontario region, giving it the excellent reputation that it justly deserves. A great vote of thanks to the Lions Club of Verona for again hosting this competition.
by Wilma Kenny ouncil voted 8-1 to temporarily suspend procedural rules, in order to bring back last month’s issue of the snow plowing contract for reconsideration. At that time, after a heated debate they had rejected the low bid, submitted by Mulroney Trucking, because it was not from a ‘local’ contractor. (Bids from Percy Snider of Sydenham and Scott’s snowplowing of Sharbot Lake had been rejected as incomplete.) At that time, Council gave no alternative direction for staff to follow. In spite of voting against re-opening the motion, Councillor Robinson began the discussion with a strong plea to ‘look after our people and our territory...we were not right: we made a big mistake.” Councillor York agreed: “When you have a workable solution in your own district, that’s where it should stay.” Councillor Stowe said he had voted “with my heart’, but had come to realize that because Council had set the procurement policy, and had directed staff to follow it, they had no choice but to follow the policy. Otherwise, Council was risking legal repercussions, and possible difficulty in getting bids for future tender calls. Councillor Naish agreed, adding that he would be in favour of changing the policy to show preference for local contractors (later, public Works Manager Mark Segsworth noted that agreeing on a definition of ‘local’ could be difficult.) Councillors McDougal, McPhail and Vandewal agreed: Vandewal said that although he was in favour of hiring local contractors where possible, “If we don’t follow our own rules, there’s no point setting policies.” Mayor Davison disagreed: “On a technicality, we have made a mistake.” In the end, Council approved Mulroney Trucking’s bid for snow plowing and sanding/salting for the Township’s arterial roads, with Robinson, York and Davison opposed. Garbage/Recycling Contracts Extended Mark Segsworth proposed that the current waste collection contracts, which end this month, be extended until next May. By that time, Township weigh scales will be in place at
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Glenn Gangnier from Swallowtail Farm near Perth - giving David Hahn a run for his money
continued on page 8
Algonquin Land Claim - ironing out the details
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n order to settle the Ontario Land Claim and establish title over 9 million acres of land that is inhabited by over 1 million people, the governments of Ontario and Canada will pay $300 million and transfer at least 117,000 acres of land to the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO). That much will not change as the Algonquin Land Claim moves through the Draft Agreement in Principle (AIP) stage through to a final treaty in about five years’ time. At a public meeting at the Clar-Mill Hall in Plevna, which was presided over by North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton, many of the principals to the negotiations from the Ontario and Algonquin sides were present, including Ontario Chief Negotiator Brian Crane, Algonquin Chief Negotiator Bob Potts, Algonquin Nation Representatives Doreen Davis (Shabot Obaadjiwan) and Randy Malcolm (Snimikobe/ Ardoch). As well, Sydne Taggart from the Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Jim Hunton from the AOO, the lead advisers in regards to the specific land parcels that are to be transferred upon completion of the agreement, were in attendance. After speaking in general about the negotiations, Brian Crane, the long-time lead negotiator for the Government of Ontario, said that after conducting a series of meetings over the last 6 months, the final draft of the AIP will be completed and released to the public in a few weeks’ time. By the end of 2013 or early in 2014, Crane expects that a ratification vote will have been held by the Algonquins. For the purposes of this meeting, Brian Crane then turned his attention to the proposed Crotch Lake Park. “The idea behind creating the Crotch Lake Park was to provide a level of certainty to the Algonquins that the lake and surrounding area will remain in its current state after
the land claim is finalized, and will not be subject to development,” he said. He said that no further mining claims will be allowed in the park, although those that are active will remain so until such time as they lapse. Similarly, forest management plans within the park boundaries that are now in place will continue. “After those plans have been executed, that will probably be the end of forestry extraction in the park,” Crane said. Hunting, trapping, and traditional recreational uses of the park will continue, and it is expected that the Township of North Frontenac will continue to manage the use of the park
Detail from land claim parcel mapping - showing Long, Blueberry, and Honeymoon islands on Crotch Lake, now slated to stay as public lands as part of the Crotch Lake Conservation Park
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for canoeing and camping as part of the North Frontenac Parklands system. He also said that there has been a change for one of the issues that was brought to the fore by North Frontenac residents who live in the vicinity of the lake, the disposition of three islands at the south end of the lake. In the draft AIP, ownership of the islands was slated to be transferred to the Algonquins. “There has been an adjustment with respect to the islands,” Brian Crane said. “The parcels have now been removed as Algonquin land selections and replaced with another selection at the north end of the lake, the so-called Big Island. The islands will however, be protected as part of the park. A further land selection at the south end of Crotch Lake is under review.” Bob Potts, the chief negotiator for the Algonquins, said the adjustments that were made in the Crotch Lake area are examples of the co-operative nature of this particular set of negotiations. “People may not realize this, but it is unprecedented in the history of land claims in Canada to roll out an AIP for the public to see. What has always happened is they negotiated an AIP and signed; then they went for input. We have been very happy with the meaningful and constructive input we have received,” Potts said. But for those who would like to see the land claim scuttled entirely, he had another message. “If you are telling us how to do this better, we will look at whatever you propose. If what you are saying is not to proceed - not to finish this piece of unfinished business in this country - we can’t listen to that. We will not, I repeat, we will not accept negative proposals,” he said.
see Land Claim - continued on page 12
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