Lanark, North Leeds & Grenville Hometown News June 2017

A.C. Towing

Youth services partner up to eliminate county homelessness

Regional - Matthew Behrens editorial@pdgmedia.ca

A new partnership seeks to end the vexing problem of Lanark County youth homelessness which, while not as visible as its urban counterpart, nonetheless affects a growing number of young people.

Under a new initiative known as Collective Impact (CI) — inspired by U.S. research that identified too many social issues being treated with isolated interventions instead of cross-sectoral approaches —

United Way Lanark County has partnered with Perth’s YAK Youth Services, the Lanark Highlands Youth Centre and Cornerstone Landing with a singular purpose: to provide every young person in need in Lanark County and Smiths Falls with safe and affordable housing and supportive services within 10 days of being identified as homeless.

While new youth homelessness figures based on an extensive spring survey of area high schools were still being crunched as Hometown News went to press, a

2013 Cornerstone Landing survey of 400 Perth high school students revealed that 25 per cent of respondents had experienced at least one episode of homelessness between the ages of 12 and 17, with 11 per cent experiencing three or four episodes of homelessness.

“Sometimes people see tents in [Almonte’s] Gemmill Park or [Perth’s] Last Duel Park in November and say how nice that is,” says Fraser Scantlebury, regional director of United Way Lanark County. “I respond by saying, ‘It’s not nice, because those are homeless kids. They're not out there doing Arctic training to camp in the winter. They’re out there because they have nowhere else to go.’”

For too many years, Scantlebury says, area municipalities were in denial about the extent of the problem, and rural homelessness was often treated with a one-way bus ticket to Ottawa. But that only pushed the problem into someone else’s community, and isolated young people from the very family and friends support networks they needed to get back on their feet.

The four CI groups plan to employ the much-vaunted “housing first” model, which maintains that once shelter is provided as a foundation, other issues that may have contributed to or been exacerbated by homelessness can be addressed. Case workers are then able to develop resource plans to help individuals deal with everything from mental

health challenges to surviving abuse or handling addictions.

“We're not trying to get a bunch of other people to become us,” Scantlebury says. “We just want them to continue the excellent work they’re doing in a unified process that avoids duplication. Let’s have a standardized intake process so we understand what everyone is doing.”

Lanark County will also become a pilot project for the “by name list,” which, while providing client confidentiality will assist social service workers to track an individual’s history with precarious housing. That

project will help the county respond to a provincial requirement to track homelessness beginning in 2018.

“If we see someone going back and forth to homelessness, it will help us to see that there may be other issues besides housing that need to be addressed,” Scantlebury says. “Maybe it means looking at the possibility of family reunification, where a case manager will work with a young person and a family to see if they can overcome issues, while finding a safe place to house the young person for a short time.”

While improving response time and follow-up for young people in crisis

and focusing on prevention, the CI groups also hope to be ready to receive federal funds to build affordable housing units, expected as part of a 2018 national housing strategy.

“If we can get youth housed and off the streets, they're better situated to finish their education, and they don't become homeless adults,” Scantlebury says, concluding the program is ultimately a preventive opportunity to break a toxic cycle of poverty, addictions, abuse, and gender identity discrimination, among other issues that often leave young people with no place to call home.

Fraser Scantlebury, regional director of United Way Lanark County, is excited about a new collaborative project that seeks to put an end to youth homelessness. Photo credit:Matthew Behrens.

Kelli Mather and Bob Lafleur, triathlon newbies, dried off and headed out for the bike leg of the race during the Perth Triathlon on June 4. For more photos and coverage of the event, check out hometownews.ca/perth-tri.

Photo credit: Sally Smith.

Page Two

Letter from our Editor

Raising wages in Ontario

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the news, minimum wage in Ontario is going up. As of Jan. 1, 2018 the base rate will be raised to $14 an hour from the current rate of $11.60, and up to $15 an hour by 2019. On the surface this seems like good news — more money for the lowest paid people to help level out the income disparity in the province. When you hear about large companies with executives raking in six and seven figure paycheques while those doing the work worry about how they are going to pay their next hydro bill, the knee-jerk response is to pay people more. But once you let the dust settle for 30

seconds and start to think of the ripple effect this proposal is going to have, it starts to make little sense.

A full-time, minimum wage job in Ontario pays a person $24,000 a year. Of course, that is only if you are getting paid for 40 hours a week. This is not a living wage for a single adult, let alone a person with a family.

However, the deal that has been put on the table by our provincial government isn’t the solution to this problem — at least not as it stands today.

Sure, it’s a pay increase and a hefty one at that — 20 per cent to start — but it has the potential to ruin a lot of small businesses.

Did you know that 97.9 per cent of Canadian businesses are small businesses with 0 to 99 employees? Ontario is home to 36 per cent of these businesses. These numbers are straight from Statistics Canada, so surely the Wynne government had access to them and could see just who their decision was going to hit the hardest.

The small business owners I’ve talked to are nervous. One person was planning on hiring a new employee but is now reconsidering. Another is worried that she may have to cut back hours from her staff and work them herself to save money. So if people are cutting back hours or not hiring, how is that helping anyone?

The other thing that comes with making more money is paying more income tax, paying more into the Canada Pension Plan and paying more into Employment Insurance. Employees will be paying more out, and so will their employers.

When you factor that in with the inevitable truth that commodity prices will go up because everyone is going to need to find a place to recoup the losses, few people — if anyone — will be getting ahead.

So just who is this increase helping?

April Scott-Clarke, Editor, Hometown News

A Blast from the Past:

From the Lanark & District Museum Collection

WORD ON THE STREET

By Matthew Behrens

Crossing guards become a staple in their communities

Crossing guards are among the most visible signs of a caring community. In all types of weather, they diligently work their daily split shifts at key intersections to ensure students, parents, and other community members are able to safely navigate journeys that could otherwise pose peril due to red light runners, road rage, and distracted drivers. Hometown News reporter Matthew Behrens spoke to a number of Smiths Falls and Perth crossing guards to understand what motivates their daily commitment and what they miss the most when schools are closed for the summer. Read more thoughts and opinions on this topic, and others, at hometownnews.ca/wordonthestreet

Gary Lackie is a Smiths Falls institution, known for waving and smiling at drivers and pedestrians alike for the past seven years. Born and raised in Smiths Falls, he celebrated his 65th birthday on June 1 and a 42nd wedding anniversary in May. After 39 years working as a maintenance mechanic and a stationary engineer at the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital, he was looking for something else to do. “I love being outside. It’s all about meet and greet, getting to know the kids, when their birthdays are, who are their parents,” he says. “The kids keep me young, and they know if they have something to talk about, there’s this old guy on the corner they can talk to, and it's just between the two of us.” After Lackie returned from a February Florida vacation a few years ago, he recalls being stopped by a trucker who drives through town twice a week. “Sir, are you ok?” the trucker asked. “Where were you? I looked for that little wave and smile, I was worried about you.”

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EditoR

April Scott-Clarke april@pdgmedia.ca Reporters: editorial@pdgmedia.ca

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Sally Smith

Matthew Behrens

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Photograph of Dominion Day 1903 (before it was recognized as Canada Day) on Beckwith Street in Smiths Falls. Photo credit: Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum

community

Perth sets sights on rigorous climate action plan

Perth - Matthew Behrens editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Later this month, Perth’s town council will provide final input on a climate change action plan, the brainchild of a mayoral/ community task force that may prove a helpful template for other rural communities confronting global warming and extreme weather events.

“Perth plans to take a leadership position in reducing our carbon footprint,” says task force member Nancy Gaudreau. “It may not seem critical looking out your window today, but the nature of this problem is that excess carbon will persist in the atmosphere for thousands of years. This will have a significant and irreversible negative impact on the earth’s climate system, impacts that have begun and will continue over the next century and beyond.”

With funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, the town contracted Sean Campbell, a director of the strategic planning organization Social Purpose, to help develop a five-year plan that would see the town and community members

working in tandem to ensure specific greenhouse gas emissions benchmarks are met.

“We’re looking at a more holistic type of sustainability,” Campbell says of the plan, which could be in place by summer’s end. “It isn't just about trees and polar bears – though those are important – but the overarching health of the community of Perth.”

Campbell and the task force documented the town’s emissions inventory and created a baseline against which progress can be measured. Perth’s plan is slated to dovetail with the provincial standard of reducing emissions by 37 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. The action plan will explore both corporate emissions (town buildings, vehicle fleet, street lighting) as well as those of businesses and citizens.

The task force estimates that Perth’s 6,000 residents generate an astounding annual energy cost of $40 million. “That is money leaving the community for the most part,” says Campbell, noting much of that is spent on electricity, natural gas, oil, propane, and gas for personal cars. “But it's also important that we don't boil this all down to an issue of

money. It's an issue of our health and future and the natural beauty of the environment around us.”

The town’s single largest emissions contributor is solid waste (56 per cent), which Campbell says can be reduced in part with personal choices, from ensuring banana peels go into compost (not garbage), and keeping paper products out of compost. Landfill produces methane, 25 times more powerful a greenhouse gas emission than carbon dioxide.

Task force members illustrate how town investments in LED street lights, replacing window seals and improving insulation, and installing high-efficiency boilers and pool pumps could save over $100,000 in annual costs and reduce emissions by 12 per cent. They’re also looking at green tourism initiatives, such as an electric car charger in a downtown hub where visitors coming through town can stop and do some local shopping or take in a meal while their car is charging.

Improvements based on home energy audits will also have an impact on emissions and monthly energy bills. Campbell enthusiastically highlights a Lanark County plan to retrofit buildings in partnership with an engineering firm that will absorb upfront renovation costs in return for payment based on future energy savings. “It’s a great model because the company has an incentive to make sure they do a good job,” he says.

Noting new housing development must take account of climate change, Campbell credits a number of groups in Perth for being way ahead of the climate change curve, such as the sustainable, low-energy houses built under the Perthworks banner.

“If humans continue to neglect this problem, climate chaos and potential collapse of civilization will be the topic of our grandchildren’s time,” concludes Gaudreau. “We can have the most impact locally, and hopefully others will be inspired to follow our lead.”

column:Carleton Place Social Notes

Experience Canada’s 150th in a beautiful heritage community bustling with unique shops, artisans, community events and natural space. Let Carleton Place remind you of a time before life got hectic and condos replaced cottages when there were quiet summer moments spent on the banks of the Mississippi. Take your time and stroll Bridge St, buy from local business, share our stories or share a world class meal on a patio with family or friends. Enjoy breathtaking shorelines at Riverside Park and any of the 100s of kilometers of trails.

Explore on your own via the Mississippi River Walk that runs from Princess Street to Anthony Curro Park. History comes alive

with scenic Arklan Island views, Hackberry groves, the historic mill and a kilometer of Mississippi River landscape. Take an urban tour through town and visit over a dozen murals that honour various moments, businesses and important community members in our history.

Get to know Carleton Place at the time of Confederation with a trip down memory lane at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage museum. The summer exhibit focuses on our town’s unique buildings, businesses and key founding families during the time of Canada’s confederation. The museum also hosts an evening with a “Well Dressed Lady of 1867” on June 15 from 7 p.m. -10 p.m., an evening of fashion,

by

Sarah Cavanagh

food and fun. Learn firsthand about the fashion of 1867.

On June 29, kick off the countdown to Canada’s big 150th party right here in Carleton Place with the Canada 150 Community Celebration parade. Get decked out in Canadian pride and show your hometown pride as we gather with neighbours and friends for an epic celebration. Decorations and costumes are encouraged.

The perfect staycation awaits you. Fill your summer with experiences you can have nowhere else because there’s so much to do in your own backyard.

Sarah’s column reflects her own opinions and not necessarily those of Hometown News

Masonic child ID program available to all children, free of charge

Regional - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca

At Perth’s Festival of the Maples in late April both Makenna and Myla Ennis spent some time at Town Hall having vital personal statistics taken: fingerprints, photographs, video and audio, dental impressions and DNA swabs. Makenna is 7 and Myla is 5. This was all part of the MasoniCh.I.P. Ontario program, a child identification program sponsored by the Masonic Grand Lodge of Canada in Ontario that works with regional and national law enforcement agencies.

It doesn’t take long to gather all the information for the kit, about 10 to 15 minutes per person. All the information gathered is given to the parents or guardians and after each child is processed, the data is deleted. This information is matched to work seamlessly with Ontario's law enforcement providers so that critical identifying information can be broadcast and shared quickly should a child go missing.

To date, over 69,000 child ID kits have been provided free of charge to families.

The Perth day processed 27 kids and Paul Weagle,

chair of the child ID program this year, says “it’s always considered a success if we only do just one child.”

He says the dental hygienist is one of the key people in the clinic. This year it was Barb Fournier taking DNA swabs. He adds that it’s actually fun for the kids as they get to talk into a mic and see themselves on a video.

He explains that if a child goes missing, parents can use the information in any Amber Alert system and the info has been used in missing children searches.

At clinics, parents or guardians complete permission forms, basic in-

formation sheets (height, weight, eye colour etc.), and each child goes through the different stations with their parents to complete the kits.

The Masons want parents to know that “the first two hours after a child has gone missing are the most critical,” and “the key to recovering missing children is quick action by parents and law enforcement agencies.”

The next area Ch.I.P clinic will be held Sunday, July 9 at the Merrickville Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call Robert Miller at 613-258-6079 or email him at merrickville.lodge@ gmail.com.

Nancy Gaudreau, a member of the Perth mayoral task force on climate change, stands in front of a Perthworks home whose resource conservation, low-energy model points the way to tackling climate change one home at a time. Photo credit:Matthew Behrens.

Makenna has a DNA swab taken by Barb Fournier at the dental station as part of the Ch.I.P program. Photo credit: Sally Smith.

Looking at past will design future of Inge-Va

Perth - Sally Smith

editorial@pdgmedia.ca

“I bet you expected a younger student.”

Steve Stanish stood and held out his hand, he certainly wasn’t a fresh-faced kid two years out of high school. Instead the 59-year-old looked a bit weather-beaten, wearing well-used clothes, a baseball cap on his head, and a grin a mile wide.

The Algonquin College horticulture student was hired to work at Inge-Va, the old historical building on Craig Street in Perth. The grounds were worked two years ago by another Algon-

quin student, and mapping of the area was begun.

Last year there was no student so this year, inventory, unearthing old plants, planting new ones of the kinds that were there many years ago, surveying and photographing will begin again to make the grounds flourish.

This is a three-pronged approach to bringing a fresh, updated look to the building and property. The partnership between the Perth, Algonquin College’s Horticultural Industries program, and Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT) will allow Stanish to work until September. By

that time he hopes to have a master plan of what he accomplished this summer and what could be done in the years to come to enhance the property and make it even more of a destination building.

Chris Hahn, dean of Algonquin College Perth Campus, also has his hope. He is that OHT will make funds available to hire a student to work at Inge-Va each summer.

Stanish could be the person for Hahn to pin his hopes on. He’s keen, mature, knowledgeable and has a design and art history back-

ground which, combined with horticulture, makes a potent mix. Stanish is also familiar with the Perth area and has a car to get himself back and forth.

“This was one of the more unique co-ops offered,” Hahn says.

Steve Neumann, co-ordinator of the horticulture program in Ottawa, explains there were 65 co-op placements available for his students this year; he adds he likes to see students pursuing what they want to do.

Hahn says not only is it cost effective but it’s a fourwin situation - the town, the college, the student and Ontario Heritage Trust.

be at least 150-years-old,” he says, a little in awe. Stanish works in concert with OHT, contacting them on a regular basis, keeping them informed of his progress.

“There are some super obvious problems,” Stanish points out, and in the past year the wilderness has been creeping in. That’s where he’ll start.

Once this is underway, he’ll get to the “hidden things,” he says, almost rubbing his hands in glee. What’s there, what’s been hiding for years and years, what’s waiting to be unearthed, what’s been overrun and is just looking for a little TLC.

Stanish has old photos and hopes the grounds will have a similar look.

Neumann explains, “Some varieties of plants are just not available anymore. They weren’t strong enough to survive.”

And like two favouritesFrances Hodgson Burnett’s book The Secret Garden and Enid Bagnold’s play The Chalk Garden - Inge-Va’s garden has a chance for rebirth and re-use in a small town that has been its home forever.

Conlon Farm Recreation Complex attracts many groups - Part 5 Perth Inside Out:

Although the Town of Perth owns and operates Conlon Farm Recreation Complex, there are agreements with several individual groups that make the running of the facility no easy matter.

I sat down recently with Director of Community Services Shannon Baillon, and she explained some of the workings involved in satisfying the needs of such a diverse number of sports groups, and other organizations who need to stage an event from time to time.

Conlon Farm offers 53.39 acres of active green space including two soccer pitches, five baseball diamonds, two basketball courts, four tennis courts, a skateboard park, a playground area, a toboggan hill, an outdoor winter rink and a splash pad.

One of the best known fields is the Royal Canadian Legion Del Harper Little League Ball Diamond, which has hosted the Canadian Region Tournament for the Little League Canadian Championship in the past, as well as provincial tournaments. Ontario District 8 Little League have also awarded the provincial tournament for Major-level teams to the Town of Perth again this year.

The regular user groups include Perth Tay Tennis Club, Perth United Soccer Club, Perth & District Little

League, and Perth Lob Ball. Baillon explained that the user groups pay on a basis of the number of participants in the sport over the season. “The number of usages does not affect their cost, and they are billed at the end of the season,” she said, while adding that the racket sport of Pickle Ball has also been added on an informal basis.

Both full-time and parttime people are employed at Conlon Farm, and the man hours are used both to operate the facility during games and events, and to maintain it. Several university students started work in May, and part time high school students are also hired for the summer.

The installation of a splash pad in 2013 at Conlon Farm has been an additional attraction to the park. “It pulls in a lot of people,” said Baillon. She went on to say that “the hours have been adjusted so that the facility is supervised until dusk during the months of June, July, August, and that is also good for overall usage. Before the splash pad, there was no town supervision during hours outside of soccer and ball.”

A breakdown of financial information for 2017 shows the following monies allocated to Conlon farm: maintenance budget, not including salaries is $16,000, utilities budget (water, sew-

by Terry O'Hearn

er, electricity, lights, insurance) is $28,500, and capital projects (this number varies every year) is $30,000. The person hours spent maintaining the complex for the year is approximately 3,000.

Four full time positions and one lead hand are 80 per cent dedicated to Conlon Farm from May 1 to Aug 31. From Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, it is one full time position and one lead hand dedicated 20 per cent to Conlon Farm, and from April 1 to April 31 one lead hand 30 per cent dedicated to Conlon Farm.

Baillon also pointed out that some of the regular tasks for Conlon Farm Staff are overall grounds maintenance, cleaning chalet, cleaning washrooms, community diamond maintenance, basketball courts, Civitan diamond maintenance, Legion diamond maintenance, Minor diamond maintenance, T-ball diamond maintenance, playground maintenance, skateboard park maintenance, maintenance of three soccer fields, splash pad maintenance, and tennis courts maintenance.

With recent repairs and a facelift carried out to the Little League Diamond, and a new scoreboard also in the works for that field, it appears upkeep is well under control throughout the park. Supervisors and workers alike are knowledgeable about requirements for the various types of sports fields. In addition, the splash pad is getting a new surface which will be both safer and more durable.

Friends, I hope you enjoy the summer at Conlon Farm, one of many great attractions in our wonderful town. Please give a nod to any of the dedicated workers you may encounter there.

Interested in more on Conlon Farm and the history of how it came to be? Visit hometownnews.ca for the complete five part series.

Earlier in May, Stanish met with OHT, landlord of the property and building, and together they laid out what they wanted to see. He’s started developing a plan.

“Some of the roses could

There was possibly a vegetable garden in the back, old hollyhocks, there are tulips and hydrangeas. Everything needs to be trimmed and cleaned.

What will the grounds look like when all is finished?

Inge-Va was built in 1824 for Perth’s first Anglican Minister, Rev. Major Michael Harris. Rev. Harris laid out the gardens and paths that surround the house. Subsequent tenants included Thomas Mabon Radenhurst who planted the black locusts, and Ella and Cyril Inderwick who created gardens and the circular driveway in

Do you ever wonder how violence impacts our behaviour and attitudes? opinion: Am I the only one?

I went to find something to watch the other night. Every type of violence you can imagine was on the menu; human trafficking, terrorists, torture, shootings, rape, revenge, kidnapping, serial killers, bombs and guns. There are forests that aren’t as shady as some of these shows. I might never recover and I just read the titles.

Am I the only one that thinks all this violence isn’t making us feel safe in the world? Are we corrupting our kid’s impressionable

minds exposing them to such gore? Does it desensitize them to actual pain and suffering? Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox.

I remember my daughters started watching Criminal Minds and suddenly I’m waking up to a large teenager sleeping in my bed.

The media bombards us with violence every day. It’s a competitive industry and violence sells so they shove it down our throats. Of course we’re saddened and outraged when it happens for real yet it’s not enough. We need more. That’s a strange paradox. The thing we’re horrified by also entertains us. I’m not sure what to make of society’s insatiable desire for violence. Feeling something is better than feeling nothing, I guess. When my son was little we wouldn’t let him play with toy guns or watch scary movies. The video games weren’t set up in our home. We tried, like most parents,

by Carrie Wynne

not to use the screen as a babysitter. We did this for as long as we could. Then one day in Grade 9 we got a call from Best Buy. He just bought himself a new TV for his bedroom and spent the next 4 years making up for lost time. Turns out he’s not a violent criminal and has no association with gangs. Whew, what a relief! I started watching the Blacklist. Some of the nicest kindest people I’ve met love this show. I’d rather dig ditches in my backyard. I got to episode three and suddenly I’m up half the night hearing noises and double checking the doors. I’m not entertained, I’m scared to death. No more Blacklist for me. I want to feel safe in the world and I need my sleep.

Signed, Am I the Only One? Carrie's column reflects her own opinions and not necessarily those of Hometown News.

From the left: Lead Hand Colin Anderson, MacKenzie Vickers, Lead Hand Donny Nagle, Superintendent of Parks and Facilities Jim Niblock, and Director of Community Services Shannon Baillon, are a few town employees who are responsible for Conlon Farm. Photo credit: Terry O’Hearn.

Steve Stanish walks among the tulips out back of Inge-Va, planning his work for the next three months.

Photo credit: Sally Smith.

ON THE

June 10/11

Pow Wow:

Akwesasne Mohawk & Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation

Featuring:

• traditional song, dance and drumming

• Bison community feast

• Canada 150 Youth Choir

Hosted in partnership with the Smiths Falls & District Collegiate Institute, Parks Canada and Smiths Falls.

Time: Sat. 10-8; Sun. 10-5

Contact: Mmcilvenna@ smithsfalls.ca

June 17

Healthy Living Festival

Enjoy a day of fun, free activity in the heart of Smiths Falls

Featuring:

• live dance performances

• acrobats

• street buskers

• Aboriginal Experiences

Presented by the Downtown Business Association

613.283.4124. ext. 1114

www.downtownsmithsfalls.com

June 17 (PM)

Music in the Park

Get ready to get your “Brit-on”

Featuring British Invasion

Lower Reach Park

6:00 – 9:00pm

June 18

Rideau Paddlefest

Up the River WITH a paddle!

Featuring:

• Smiths Falls Canada

150 Youth Choir

• Bytown Bluegrass

• Peter Dawson

Lower Reach Park

613.283.4124

www.facebook.com/ RideauPaddlefest

June 24

Highland on the Rideau

Featuring the Gordon Pipe Band

Lower Reach Park, Smiths Falls

www.gordonpipeband. com

June 25

Irish Ceili & Picnic

Featuring Seventh Town, with dance caller

Maureen O’Leary.

Heritage House Museum, Smiths Falls

613.283.6311

June 27

South Winds Voyageur Canoe Brigade & Cultural Celebration

Featuring The History Buffs

Home and Garden

Garden Matters: Plant another shrub this season

Shrubs are the bones of every garden as they give structure and fill spaces. Many gardeners are moving towards more shrub plantings because of their beauty and easy care. The art of landscaping with shrubs is making sure you understand the light requirements of your garden and respect the size that the plants will eventually grow to. Full sun shrubs will not grow in shade. Also you cannot force a five to six foot shrub to be only three feet, it is just not possible.

Always try and choose shrubs that flower at different times throughout the season so you always have something to enjoy throughout the summer. The number one question we get at the garden centre is “Which shrub flowers all summer?” The honest answer is, none. There are some shrubs that bloom for a long time like potentilla and spireas and others that rebloom like dwarf lilacs and weigelas but nothing will bloom all summer except annuals.

There are so many shrubs to choose from. Here are a few of our favourites choices.

Hydrangea Bobo Hydrangea paniculata

This sweet little baby hydrangea is covered in huge white flowers in mid-August. It turns pink

as the cooler nights of fall approach. It is great for the front border and for small gardens because it’s tough and reliable. It grows 1x1 metre in full sun or part shade .

Serviceberry Amelanchier Canadensis

This is a must-have native shrub. Covered in white flowers in spring, purple fruit that feeds the birds in summer, followed by brilliant red, orange and yellow leaves in fall. It is underused in landscape design. It grows to be 6 x 3 metres in sun or part shade.

Barberry ‘Concord’ Berberis thunbergii

Although we love all barberries this is our favourite. It’s a well behaved dwarf round shaped with velvety deep purple foliage. It is tough, drought resistant and low maintenance. It provides great colour contrast in the garden and grows 40 x 50 centimetres in full sun.

Summer sweet ‘Hummingbird’ Clethra alnifolia

This shrub has long white candle-like scented flowers mid summer and give off a beautiful scent. It’s a great shrub for the shady garden and a real must-have for collectors. This one grows 70 x 70 centimetres in part shade.

Abelia mosanensis

This old fashioned shrub is not well known but a true princess in the garden. With white and pink blooms it perfumes the air with the scent of jasmine in late May and early June. It has an elegant growth habit, attractive seed heads, and orange fall foliage. It grows 1.5 x 1.5 metres in full sun.

Elderberry Sambucus canadensis

In the olden days it was believed that planting an elderberry bush near your home would ward away evil spirits. This large shrub should be planted in every garden if you have space. Its green cut leaf foliage is covered in beautiful white flat topped blossoms, followed by edible berries that you can use in jelly or wine — if the birds don’t get them first. It grows in shade, 4 x 4 metres and it is it’s a great privacy plant as well.

If you are looking to fill your garden with low maintenance beautiful things then consider planting more shrubs this season. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Kelly Heath Retail Manager

Gemmell’s Garden Centre

Restaurant composting program surfaces in Carleton Place

Carleton Place - JAne Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

The amount of weekly waste produced by a restaurant can be astounding, which is why a couple Carleton Place restaurant owners have adopted unique composting strategies to suit their needs.

“I saw a lot of waste going to the garbage so we started composting instead,” said Ian Carswell, the owner of Black Tartan Kitchen, a fine-dining restaurant that opened in Carleton Place in the fall.

Compost is organic matter free of animal products that decomposes and can be used to feed livestock and to fertilize soil for crops. Most restaurant compost comes from the meal-prep stage and rarely from dishes that come back to the kitchen due to the likelihood of cross-contamination with animal products.

Every Sunday, local farmer Peter McGahey of McGahey Farms drives to Black Tartan Kitchen to pick up the bins of organic waste. McGahey is not part of an organized restaurant composting program but Carswell said it’s normal for farms to accept compost if they have a need for it.

“A lot of composting programs in larger cities like Ottawa usually charge a fee for picking up compost so we’re really lucky

and thankful that ours is currently free,” said Carswell. He said Black Tartan Kitchen plans to purchase a pig from McGahey farms in the future. “It’s awesome because our compost is actually feeding the pig. It’s the circle of life.”

While Black Tartan Kitchen’s compost pick-up is not an official program in Carleton Place, Carswell wants more restaurants and farmers to get on board. He says a composting strategy is pretty easy to implement. A restaurant just needs a willing local farmer to pick up a few compost bins once or twice a week.

Carswell gives some composting tips for other restaurants who may be interested: use multiple bins with lids, label bins with the restaurant name and address to avoid losing them, don’t fill them too heavy to lift, don’t put meat products or bones in the bins, and store them in a cool, dry place.

“It’s pretty easy once you know the program exists,” said Carswell. He said other restaurant owners can get in touch with him if they want to start composting.

“From a business perspective, it’s a no brainer to compost because it’s efficient and costs less money,” said Petra Graber, the owner of a Carleton Place cafe called the Good Food Company. Just a few doors down from Black Tartan Kitchen, the Good Food Company has been composting for the 20 years it has been open. “I didn’t want to be putting heavy food in a garbage bag that just sits around,” Graber said.

Graber’s compost is picked up by her landlord, Ken Bennett. He owns about 200 acres and takes the compost there. “He is the one who has made it possible for me to compost all of these years,” Graber said. “I actually feel less stressed [about the amount of waste] because I know we’re feeding wild animals. They wait for it like a Disney movie,” she laughed. The goal is to divert restaurant kitchen organic waste from local landfills, Carswell explained. “We’re not forcing it down their throats — no pun intended; we just want restaurants to really think about the amount of waste they produce and what they could be doing with it.”

Who benefits? More like, who doesn’t. The restaurant spends less money on garbage bag disposal, the farm spends less money on livestock feed and there is less waste taking up space in local landfills. From a cuisine standpoint, animals that lived — and died — in a stress-free environment and were fed organic food tend to have a better taste and texture when cooked.

Black Tartan Kitchen Owner Ian Carswell holds an orange pepper ready to be composted outside the fine-dining restaurant in Carleton Place. Photo credit: Jane Hobson.

lifestyle

Carleton Place Senior Hockey League turns the game into a brotherhood

Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

When John Edwards wife, Teresa, died unexpectedly in January 2017 and he suddenly became a single father to his 13 year-old daughter Ayanna, Edwards said the Carleton Place Senior Hockey League (CPSHL) gave him something to look forward to.

“Playing hockey twice a week helped me and Ayanna recreate a sense of normalcy and routine after our lives were turned upside down,” he said. “I would not have been able to make it through this without the support of my team and the whole league.” Edwards was the captain for the Hank’s Tire team this season and has been in the league since 2008.

There’s an immense sense of brotherhood and camaraderie in the CPSHL and league president Stu Robinson said the whole league felt the loss and was eager to help. Robinson collected cash donations from players and helped gather food from team wives to bring to Edwards and his daughter. Edwards said teammates stopped by the house a lot after the death. Even buddies on other teams stopped by. This was a pleasant surprise since being at the house felt lonely, Edwards said. “It feels like the league

became even closer, we’re like brothers.”

“We’re definitely more than just a league,” Robinson agreed. “If we didn’t have this league, what do we have to ourselves? You know what I mean? It’s our time to just get on the ice and leave everything else behind.”

Edwards said being on the ice gave him a healthy and much-needed break from the new reality he was thrust into. He remembers his first game back after his wife died. “It was really difficult right before we got on the ice, but eventually it was like, okay, the game is on, there’s no time to think about anything else,” Edwards said. “Of course we miss [Teresa] all the time; when Ayanna gets off the bus after school, when I get home from work — but when I go to the rink I can turn all of that off.”

While Edwards tended to family matters, teammate Kevin Boyce filled in temporarily as captain. He also said the entire league took the loss personally. “I’ve played in a lot of other leagues, and I’m telling you, there isn’t another league that has the same friendships like this one does. We all wanted to do whatever we could to help.” Boyce has played in the league since 2006 and has been captain in previous seasons.

Along with clearing his head, Edwards said hockey reminded him what it means to be a leader. “As captain, I wanted to be there for the team, I wanted to be accountable,” he said.

Studies show that along with physical benefits, playing sports has huge mental benefits as well, like increased concentration and reduced stress and depression. People who make physical exercise a part of their regular routine tend to sleep better, have boosted self-confidence and strong leadership traits too.

“It didn’t bother me when I missed the first few games and Kev covered for me, but then I started to miss it a lot and that’s when I went back,” Edwards said. “And in return, it gave the guys a way to support me, an outlet.”

In April, Edwards received the Tomahawk Sportsman of the Year award. The entire league voted online to recognize a player who demonstrated ultimate sportsmanship throughout the season.

“I was so humbled by that. I didn’t expect [to receive] it,” Edwards said. Boyce and Robinson said they couldn’t think of a more suitable recipient for the award.

Despite tragedy, the Hank’s Tire team finished in first place in the regular

Go-karts burn up the track at Lombardy Raceway Park

Regional - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Race no. 2 of 10 of the Canadian Tire Eastern Ontario Karting Championship (EOKC) ran at Lombardy Raceway Park on May 28. Novice, junior and spec classes ran the full track with racing starting at 10 a.m.

The track is 850 metres, paved and 28 feet wide. It can be run in either direction with eight different configurations.

First time racer, 7 year-

old Wyatt McNeely (with the very visible yellow X on his helmet), got “taken out” in lap seven, and the race was stopped. Lindsay Trudeau, director of marshalling services, said Wyatt was “emotional” about the first-time experience but added that racing is learning about building character and self-confidence.

Thirteen-year-old junior racer Roslyn Craig — The Rozinator — says it’s all about making

friends and speed, explaining that on practice days you learn “what line to take” and “how to go around a corner.

“On the actual day, it’s full throttle all the way,” she says.

Race no. 3 is set for June 11 with practice day on June 10. Races start at 10 a.m. Spectators are welcome.

For more information about go-karting, check out the Lombardy Karting Association at www. lombardykarting.com.

season.

While a senior league might seem insignificant in comparison to the rightly-beloved Carleton Place Jr A Canadians, the CPSHL provides a support network where men can get together to express how they are feeling — something the

Canadian Mental Health Association says men are less likely to do than women even though men and women are equally likely to experience some kind of mental health problems in their lifetime.

“This is our way to get together and express our-

selves. I wouldn’t have made it through this without the league,” Edwards said. “I don’t know how to convey a thank you to everybody but I can say this; I don’t feel lonely because when I’m out in town, I’m guaranteed to bump into a buddy from the league.”

Life on the Farm By Millers Bay Farm Grab

locally grown asparagus beforetheshortseasonshootsby

Just what is it about asparagus that gets people so excited? Is it the fact that it is a nutritional powerhouse, high in vitamins A, C and fibre while containing only four calories per spear? Maybe.

Is it because it is one of the first vegetables that is available locally after a long winter? Probably.

Or, do we love asparagus because it is incredibly versatile, easy to prepare and just tastes good? Absolutely!

The name asparagus comes from the Greek language meaning sprout or shoot. This makes perfect sense, considering that under ideal weather conditions the spears can shoot upwards to about 24 cm in a 24-hour period.

While the productive life of an asparagus plant can stretch well beyond 15 years, the harvest season each year is relatively short. A four to six-week period is about all we can expect, normally spanning from early May through mid-June. Tasty pairings and prep Thankfully, there are countless ways to enjoy asparagus. It would be en-

tirely possible to prepare it every other night for the full season and never repeat a recipe! Skeptical? Eating it on its own, there’s boiling, steaming, roasting, or our personal favourite – grilled on the BBQ. Oh, and don’t forget snacking on it raw!

These slender green darlings look beautiful on the plate cooked and wrapped in thinly sliced ham or prosciutto (add some puff pastry for a really decadent touch). Make asparagus the focal point of an omelette, or drizzle it with hollandaise sauce.

How about in a cream soup, in a ham and cheese quiche or frittata, battered and deep fried, sautéed with mushrooms and shallots, or in any number of warm or cold salads.

That’s more than a dozen ideas, for more check out Foodland Ontario’s website or the real experts, Asparagus Farmers Ontario at www.asparagus.on.ca. Find the freshest Ontario asparagus at your local farmers’ market or farm stand. It is widely available in grocery stores too, but beware. Just the other day

we spotted a grocery store display with “local” blazed across it. A closer look revealed that while some of the asparagus was indeed from Ontario, the majority of the bundles originated from Peru. Just another reminder that as shoppers, we must pay very careful attention to what we are putting in our carts.

What to look for

Choose straight, crisp spears with green or purple tips and tight heads. The size of the spears is a matter of personal preference, and will not affect the flavour. Note that one pound will generally serve four people. Steer clear of bunches with much white on the bottom ends. This portion will be tougher, and will end up in your compost bin. As with any fresh vegetable, asparagus is best eaten right away, but it will keep for two or three days in the refrigerator. Wrap the cut ends in damp paper towels and cover the entire bunch with plastic wrap. Alternatively, and our preferred method, stand the spears straight up in a jug with 2 –4 cm of water covering the bottom ends.

Asparagus season seems to be here and gone in the blink of an eye, so make sure to indulge before it’s too late. The consolation of course, is that once it winds down, the harvest of another favourite Ontario crop is just beginning—strawberries! Let’s talk about those next month.

(From left to right) CPSHL league president Stu Robinson, player Kevin Boyce and Hank’s Tire captain John Edwards. Photo credit: Jane Hobson.

Sally Smith takes to the go-kart track in Lombardy with The Rozinator (Roslyn Craig). Photo credit: Sally Smith

Food & Drink

Smiths Falls bakery starts a ‘suspended’ coffee and treat initiative

Smiths Falls - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

A hot coffee on a breezy summer morning. A refreshing kombucha on lunch break. A fresh loaf of bread on the dinner table.

These seemingly insignificant items are often a treat that many cannot afford.

C’est Tout Bakery in Smiths Falls has a plan to make these simple pleasures more accessible to everyone

Customers are invited to purchase items during their visit to the bakery that will later be given to a customer who needs it. Many café’s in Ottawa have this program in place for coffee and refer to it as ‘suspended coffee’. Whether it’s a loaf of bread, a coffee, a tea, a Nanaimo bar or anything else at C’est Tout Bakery, the suspended treat is written on a sticky note and then posted on the board. Customers are welcome to grab a sticky note off the board, claim it and then pay it forward when they have the opportunity.

“This is a method for people to have access to something they might not get otherwise,” said Amy Rensby, the owner of C’est Tout Bakery. She said she thinks there are a lot of people in need who will

Let's Eat Penny's Place

It may not necessarily be true that like old truckers, old truck-stops never stop rolling. If they can’t change with the times and expanded tastes of their clientele, they may end up on the rust heap. Nothing could be farther from the truth than Penny’s Place. Purchased in 1994 by Penny Bell, this former hash haven for commercial travellers once ran 24-7. Today, its wide (from near and far) customer base still enjoys the super-sized parking lot and inside, a whole lot more.

To truly appreciate Penny’s Place you need to know that owner Penny Bell raised her two daughters (Dawn and Penny Ann) there and the love of creating great food was definitely contagious. Now Dawn operates another successful restaurant in Perth, Michael’s Table, and Penny Ann manages Penny’s Place.

From opening to close, it’s rare to pass Penny’s Place and not find a busy parking lot. Locals and travellers know this destination well; made famous for its breakfasts but now keeping this 45 seat diner booming throughout the day with terrific lunches as well. Their signature breakfast, eggs Benedict (nicknamed Penny’s Bennies) is made in-house with lovingly crafted smoothas-silk sauce. The breakfast menu is stacked with favourites and served fresh and hot in sizes to fit every appetite.

On a recent Sunday morning my family and I stopped by. The French toast they ordered drew raves, and I was pleasant-

By Brian Turner

ly surprised by a choice of either hash-browns or homefries (both hand-cut and tasty)with my eggs and sausages.

The lunch menu received a great boost three years ago when a meat-smoker was installed. Now you can get mouth-watering brisket sandwiches along with other tempting meats fresh out of the smoker. I tried their Southwest Chicken sandwich special and found that they don’t overpower the meat with too many spices but instead provide a great balance that lets you really enjoy every bite. More than a few regulars will testify that their inhouse smoked meat rivals the best of Montreal and will beat any Ottawa deli hands down.

Penny Ann isn’t shy about raising the bar of diner fare with some great specials such as lobster and brie quiche or an eat-yourveggies fresh leafy salad

appreciate the suspended treat initiative. “It doesn’t sacrifice their dignity because they pick what they want from the board and put something back up there later.”

The bakery smells of fresh bread and faintly of coffee. Light grey walls and soft pop music invite customers to relax at one of the five clothed tables or browse the assortment of local coffees, teas and other items on the large black shelves but it’s more than just a bakery.

Regardless of status, Rensby said people should have access to good food and safe environments without having to beg.

“A customer, who clearly doesn’t take care of himself well, once purchased a tea and then asked if he was

allowed to sit in the café [area] to drink it,” she said. “I told him he absolutely is always welcome to stay. He has the same right to sit here as you and I.”

As a small business owner Rensby said she feels it is her social responsibility to actively participate in improving the sense of community with her customers and the town at large. “It’s important to me that we support fundraisers and really get to know everyone around us.”

Rensby and her husband moved to Smiths Falls from Ottawa about 10 years ago. She was a policy advisor in her previous career with the federal government.

Rensby, who has always loved to cook and bake, started a catering company in Smiths Falls about four

years ago and opened C’est Tout Bakery in March 2016 due to popular demand. “I think it’s really important to embrace what shows up in your life,” she said. There’s no need to worry about customers taking advantage of the pay-itforward based suspended treat system because “it’s all about cultivating relationships of trust with our customers and with the community,” Rensby said, adding that she assumes that someone who claims something from the board must have needed it.

“I think people are generally good and kindhearted and I think people want a method to give,” said Rensby. “Kindness and compassion are missing from the world sometimes - this is a good way to add some.”

Beer Wine and Spirits

Brian Preston - The Travelling Sommelier brianpreston@hotmail.com

Radlers and Rose

with bacon. The special’s board is updated regularly and worth a check before ordering. If you want in on homemade soups that people will drive hours out of their way for, get in early because they often sell out.

With cottage season upon us, Penny’s Place has an added treat for travellers heading to the area lakes; take-out. Many vacation-visitors drop in on their way through to pick up a great hot lunch or bag of sandwiches to take a chore off the weekend to-do list. And the parking lot was made for recreational trailer-towing.

The great staff gets just as many rave reviews as the food, you won’t be disappointed with this diner.

Find Penny’s Place at 23 Dufferin St, Perth with an entrance off Highway 7. The diner is open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.

In this column we will cover spring and summer drinks, specifically radlers and rosés. In future columns, I will be covering a range of beers, wines and spirits that are locally available and as much as possible, locally produced. I intend to entertain and inform you each month, and aim to get you out to our local producers and even a bit farther afield for day trips to experience what the region has to offer. I like to travel so special or new finds from around the world will be featured now and then too.

two. You can also go to the LCBO, which carries several types of Radler that are widely available.

Radlers are a good alternative to lager beers, which are generally lighter and more refreshing in hot weather than many ales. Radlers go with a wide variety of food too, such as German sausages and pork dishes.

Next, let's talk about a versatile warm-weather wine that is widely available at the LCBO — rosé.

First, let's talk about a relatively new trend in beers, referred to as shandy's or radler's depending on where you come from. Radler style is a blend of half beer and half citrus fruit, which was originally conceived in the Bavarian region of Germany. It is also known as a shandy in Britain.

Radler has an uber light two per cent to four per cent alcohol, making it perfect for summer, and it’s an easy drink to make yourself. All you need is some of your favourite lager or Hefeweizen and some sparkling lemon or grapefruit soda — just make a 50/50 or 60/40 blend of the

To make most rosé wine, red grapes are lightly crushed and left to macerate with their red skins for a little while (anywhere from a few hours to a few days), after which the juice is strained out from the solid stuff (called must) and fermented in tanks. This leaves just a bit of the red colour from the skins in the juice. Rosé isn't from a specific grape or region; it's just a genre of wine, like red or white. The biggest producer by volume is France (30 per cent), Spain, where it is called rosado (21 per cent), USA (14 per cent) and Italy where it is called rosato (10 per cent). Most commonly Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault, and Pinot Noir grape varietals are

used to make rosé. Rosés are usually a bargain, especially compared with red wines. You'll have plenty of good options in the $10 to $16 range, and you can get sweeter or dryer versions according to what you like. For example, rose from the Loire (Rosé d'Anjou) is sweeter than rose from Southern France (Provence and Tavel). Canadian versions are more to the dryer side. Be sure to chill before drinking like you would with a white wine. However, don't serve it too cold or you will lose the aromas and will not appreciate all the flavours. It goes well with many foods, whether barbecue or beach/picnic fare. It’s also a nice sitting-around watching-TV wine too.

Tip:Lookatthebeer,wineorspiritcountry or region of origin and chances are good that it will match their local foods." "

Ontario's Niagara Peninsula produces some lovely local versions like Featherstone Rosé 2015, off-dry, priced at $15.95 with vibrant and fruity flavours of juicy cherries and strawberries. Just slightly off-dry this rosé is a perfect pairing with fresh berry fruits. If there’s a wine, beer or spirit you want to know more about or see featured in my column, reach out to me. I’m always interested in trying new flavours.

Photo credit: Brian Turner.

(From left to right) Owner Amy Rensby and employees Karly DeVries and Christina Barber behind the counter at C’est Tout Bakery in Smiths Falls. Photo credit: Jane Hobson.

Celebrate Canada's 150th

Community groups, town staffs, heritage committees and many anniversary. There are loads of events across the region celebrating feeling patriotic, there is lots to do beyond the traditional July 1

june • all month

Our Town: Smiths Falls In 1867 Canada

Heritage House Museum, Smiths Falls | 613.283.6311 www.smithsfalls.ca/heritagehouse

June 6 to September 16

Canada 150 - Two Exhibits

Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte | 613.256.3754 www.mvtm.ca

JUNE 10

Heritage Parade @ Beckwith Heritage Days Beckwith www.twp.beckwith.on.ca

June 10

Pakenham Community Churches Celebrate Canada 150 www.standrewsunitedpakenham.org

june 10 to 11

Canoe Believe It - Canada 150 Perth Outfitters, Perth www.perthoutfitters.com

june 18

Rideau Paddlefest Smiths Falls | 613.283.4124 www.smithsfalls.ca

June 24

Perth Kilt Run Festival Crystal Palace, Perth www.perthkiltrun.ca

June 27

South Winds Voyageur Canoe Brigade & Cultural Celebration Centennial Park, Smiths Falls 613.283.4124 http://voyageurbrigade.org/future-brigades/ottawa-brigade-south-windrideau-canal-brigade-june-23-july-1/

June 27

Canada Day Monster Bingo Carleton Place Arena, Carleton Place 613.257.1704 www.carletonplace.ca/cpcanada150.php

June 28

Classic Car Parade & Outdoor Show Carleton Place 613.257.1704 www.carletonplace.ca/cpcanada150.php

June 28

Smiths Falls Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament & Irish Homestead Dinner

Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club 613.283.1334 www.smithsfallschamber.com

June 29

Carleton Place 150th Celebration Parade Bridge Street, Carleton Place 613.257.1704 www.carletonplace.ca/cpcanada150.php

June 30

Canada Day Warm-Up Dance Carleton Place Arena 613.257.1704 www.carletonplace.ca/cpcanada150.php

June 30

Party by the Basin: Celebrate Canada’s 150th in Perth www.Perth.ca

June 30

“Canada Day Eve” parade, concert & fireworks, pedestrian traffic only on Mill Street Mississippi Mills www.mississippimills.ca

july • all month

Our Town: Smiths Falls In 1867 Canada Heritage House Museum, Smiths Falls 613.283.6311 www.smithsfalls.ca/heritagehouse

july • all month

Ongoing Exhibits - Canada 150 A textile art exhibit Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte 613.256.3754 www.mvtm.ca

July 1

Canada Day Celebrations - Perth Conlon Farm, Perth 1.855.326.1947

July 1

Canada Day Celebrations - Carleton Place Riverside Park, Carleton Place 613.257.1704 www.carletonplace.ca

July 1

Almonte Hospital Foundation Canoe Race & Canada Day Celebrations Almonte Fairgrounds, Almonte 613.256.2514 http://www.almontehospitalfoundation.com/new-events/

July 1

Canada Day Celebrations - Almonte Gemmill Park, Almonte 613.256.1077 www.exploremississippimills.ca

July 1

Canada

613.256.1077

www.exploremississippimills.ca

July 1

Canada Day Events Murphys Point Provincial Valley

613.267.5060 www.friendsofmurphyspoint.ca

July 1

Canada Day Celebration Fallbrook Baseball Diamond, www.tayvalleytwp.ca

July 1

Canada Day Celebration Clyde Memorial Ball Lanark Village www.lanarkcivitan.com

July 1

"Rock the Docks" Day 150 Celebration Fishing Derby & Fish Rideau Ferry Public Ferry 613.267.6500 www.dnetownship.ca

July 1 Pie in the Sky Maberly Fairgrounds

613.273.5069 www.tayvalleytwp.com

July 1

Canada Day Parade Lower Reach Park, 613.283.4124 www.smithsfalls.ca

July 1

Canada Day Parade Parade - St.Lawrence rickville. Celebrations Park and Fairgrounds, www.realmerrickville.ca

July 1

Canada Day Parade Parade - Prescott Street, CelebrationsKemptville. Also Celebrations plewood Park, Oxford www.facebook.com/groups/OxfordMills/ www.northgrenville.ca

July 1

New Splash Pad & ing, Seniors Breakfast Beckwith Park www.twp.beckwith.on.ca

150th in your community!

many others have been working to make the most of Canada’s 150th celebrating our nation’s big day, with many celebrating the big year. If you’re festivities. Take some time to check out these local celebrations.

Fireman's Pancake Pakenham Fire Hall, Pakenham www.exploremississippimills.ca Events Provincial Park, Tay www.friendsofmurphyspoint.ca

Celebration - Fallbrook Diamond, Fallbrook www.tayvalleytwp.ca

Celebration - Lanark Ball Park, www.lanarkcivitan.com

Festival & Canada Celebration Fish Fry Public Docks, Rideau

July 1

The 19th RIDEAU LAKES STUDIO AND GARDEN TOUR www.rideaulakesstudioandgardentour.com 613-359-5947

July 2

Pakenham Community Celebrates Canada 150 Stewart Community Centre, Pakenham www.exploremississippimills.ca

July 2

Twinning Ceremony Smiths Falls

613.283.4124 www.smithsfalls.ca

July 2

Canada 150th Car Show Pakenham www.exploremississippimills.ca

July 14 to 16

Almonte Fair celebrate Canada’s 150th with a maple theme Almonte Fairgrounds http://almontefair.ca/

July 15

MERA Schoolhouse Canada 150th Celebration MERA Schoolhouse, McDonald’s Corners www.meraschoolhouse.org

July 15

Parade & Celebrations

Parade and Celebrations

Kemptville Riverside Park, Celebrations - MaOxford Mills

Playground Open-

Canada 150 Duck Race Lanark Branch 395 and Lanark and District Fish and Game Conservation Club. $10.00 per duck. Only 450 tickets will be sold. First Prize $500, second $250 and third $150.00. This is a joint fundraiser for both groups and the winners will be announced at the Legion. Entertainment and lunch available at this event.

AUGUST 3 TO 4

Canadian Orienteering Competition www.perth.ca

AUGUST 5

Community Barbecue, Dance and Parade of Lights at MERA in McDonalds Corners. 974 Concession 9A. McDonalds Corners Farmer's Market takes place as usual on the Schoolhouse grounds from 9 AM-1 PM. meraschoolhouse@bell.net www.meraschoolhouse.org

AUGUST 12

Race the Runway Russ Beach Airport Montague http://racetherunway.com

AUGUST 19 TO 20

Rideau Ferry Regatta Rideau Ferry Public Docks, Rideau Ferry 613.267.6500 http://www.rideauferryregatta.ca/

SEPTEMBER 10

Lanark County Harvest Festival featuring Montague Township Beckwith Park www.harvestfestival.ca

September 1 to 16

Ongoing Exhibits - Canada 150 A textile art exhibit Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte | 613.256.3754 www.mvtm.ca

September 2 to 4

Lanark & District Museum celebrates our Scottish Heritage Please share your stories with us.

september 16

166th Middleville Fair celebrating Canada 150

Visit the 166th Middleville Fair celebrating Canada 150. For information, contact Sylvia Whyte at 613-256-0646 or email at heritagehaven101@gmail.com

september 23

164th Annual Fall Fair "My Canada 150 Years"

The McDonald's Corners Agricultural Society present the 164th Annual Fall Fair "My Canada 150 Years". For information . contact, Sally at 613259-3480 or email sassiboers@outlook.com.

November 4

Annual Hunters Bash. Join us for an afternoon of music followed by a dinner and dance at the Royal Canadian Legion - Lanark Branch 395

December 9

Lanark Village Santa Claus Parade sponsored by the Lanark Civitan Club with the Canada 150 theme.

December 31

New Year's Eve Fireworks Beckwith Park www.twp.beckwith.on.ca

Chirodontics: team treatment of neck and jaw pain Health Matters

In my years of serving families in Smiths Falls as a chiropractor I developed an interest in neck and jaw problems that combine my experience as a chiropractor with a range of other skills, enabling me to help many very challenging patients, using a system called chirodontics.

Chirodontics combines the diagnosis of chiropractic with concepts of advanced dentistry and lifestyle recommendations. It is a coordinated team approach that can help with many different health concerns, such as: TMJ dysfunction, headaches and facial pain syndromes. Patients are co-managed by a chiropractor, a dentist or orthodontist and a registered massage therapist, all working together to help the patient achieve their health goals.

So how does a model of health that encompasses the whole body and encourages a team approach evolve from something that usually sounds like: “Doc, it hurts right here, my face, my jaw, my neck!”

Well, the action of the jaw and teeth in chewing

and talking make it one of the most actively used, and least understood areas of the body. The jaw can be a focus point for storing chronic stress as well. The muscles that control the jaw region are some of the strongest in the body. The face, jaw and neck are all controlled by the same nerve, called the trigeminal nerve. Most of what we feel, and the movement of many of the muscles moving the jaw is from this brain connection. Current research can now confirm that all concerns with biting action involve not just the jaw joint, but also the top three vertebrae of the neck. These areas always act in together, because the main connections for the trigeminal nerve sit in the upper neck region. Any interference to nerve messaging in this region will affect the facial muscles as well. This is why a night bite guard may not be a solution, as it can turn a small jaw problem into a big neck and headache problem.

Jaw problems are commonly called Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD). TMD is very com-

mon. If you include people with and without pain from TMD, up to 70 per cent of all people would be affected by TMD.

Who develops this concern? People after dental surgery, chronic computer workers and gamers, folks unable to adapt to the stress in their lives, people with ill-fitting dentures, or individuals who brux or clench their teeth.

TMD commonly arises from breathing problems that start in childhood. As a young child grows, they experience two powerful forces on their upper jaw: the tongue pushing outwards, and the cheeks and lips pulling inwards. As the body grows, and teeth come in, this balance of forces allows for a well-shaped palate and upper jaw.

In a child suffering from breathing problems, we typically see irritation at the tonsils or adenoids (which are critical organs of the immune system) resulting from allergies, perhaps to pet dander, mould or foods. This irritation narrows and restricts the child's airway, which decreases the child’s ability to

Stock Show U coming to Eastern Ontario

Perth - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Not many kids under 21 want to head to school but ask Owen Grundy, 13, about Stock Show University and it’s a place he’d go every day if he could.

Stock Show U, with professors from all over North America, is a free educational clinic where stock show youth are taught “proper techniques for washing, blow-drying, clipping, grooming, brushing and just generally getting their animals ready for the show ring,” says Chris Grundy, Eastern Ontario contact for R.K. Farm Supplies. He’s a keen enthusiast of the two-day weekend, as is his son Owen.

This year, Stock Show U will be held on Aug. 5 and

Aug.6 at the Metcalfe Fairgrounds.

The professors are handpicked men and women experienced in teaching and demonstrating. The two-day activity is for kids from 4-H Clubs in Ontario and Western Quebec, or, for kids who want to learn proper showmanship techniques with their animals.

Each participant brings his or her own halter-broke animal. Days are long and intense. Set-up is Friday afternoon and evening, with a Saturday start at 8 a.m. sharp; finish for the day on Saturday is 6 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Kids are fed lunch and supper on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. Spectators and parents are welcome; it’s a free day for onlookers. Some students are

breathe through their nose. In order to breathe, a child will reposition their tongue forward from the normal spot at the roof of the mouth. The tongue then sits lower in the mouth, behind the bottom teeth. This change in tongue position, called mouth-breathing, allows air to flow easily over the tongue.

Young children with this tongue position will have a typical mouth-breather facial look that is important to recognize and assess; Dark circles under the eyes, and a lower lip that hangs open with a visible tongue are typical. This condition is associated with snoring, sleep deprivation in a child and even ADHD.

The changes associated with mouth-breathing result in further postural changes in the development of the teeth and head position on the neck and shoulders. With mouth-breathing, inefficient muscles move a poorly positioned jaw that now has teeth in poor contact. To find the force required to coordinate jaw movement, the body will then reach out and recruit many other

groups of neck and facial muscles.

The longer this syndrome is unrecognized and untreated, the more fatigued the body will become. These distortions eventually create a whole body temporomandibular disorder. Tired muscles and joints usually become very painful in time.

Postural changes will expand over larger areas of the body and become worse with time. Changes include: a tilted head, slouched posture, a head forward position, a high shoulder, and a lack of coordination. Eventually we will see a clicking jaw, cracked teeth from the improper action of the powerful muscles, receding gums (often from clenching), ear fullness and dizziness, face pain, headaches, neck pain, back pain and the list goes on.

When patients come into our office saying,“It hurts here Doc, my face, my jaw, my neck,” the best approach is to figure out how that issue developed in the first place, and work towards a lasting solution.

Recognizing this prob-

lem in childhood helps children avoid negative postural changes, and achieve greater health as they continue to grow and develop. Chirodontics can help by providing the insight and tools needed to recognize, diagnose and assist children and adults in need of this approach.

Dr. Mark Czubak has practiced at Smiths Falls Family Chiropractic and Wellness for 20 years and has specialized interest and training in head, face, neck and occlusal (bite) concerns.

as young as five and six.

This is Owen’s third year; for Camryn, his 10-year-old sister, this will be her first.

Owen took on his first cow at five but decided two years ago to invest in a Shorthorn; this year he’s showing a Hereford. For those not in-the-know, when showing Shorthorns, handlers wear burgundy; when showing Herefords they wear red.

It’s understood that dress for the day at Stock Show U is jeans, cowboy boots, and a buttoned-up, collared shirt.

As a spectator, consider this as you watch kids in the show ring with their animals: cows weigh in at about 1,000 pounds. Owen weighs 135 pounds and stands 5’6”. That’s a lot of cow to be pulling around.

The skill in handling big animals is knowing how to do it. That’s why Owen likes to go to Stock Show U. He meets people there who teach him how to do a lot of “stuff” — like grooming or primping a cow for show, particularly their coat. Owen explains that they’re taught to brush a cow’s hair forward and down, which encourages fuller growth. Animals are washed, conditioned and blown dry with special products to enhance shine.

“I clean the poop off their feet,” Owen says with a grin, and sometimes feet are sprayed with clear lacquer.

Stock Show professors teach kids how to be better showmen and how to do it efficiently. Looking back over the past three years,

Chris agrees. He says Owen is “better with tail, leg work and blending.”

Not that Owen’s a show novice. He’s been showing since he was six and his hope is to go all over North America as a “fitter.” A cattle fitter is the behind-the-scenes stylist and makeup artist at a show. They are also sportsman and cattle enthusiast. Although fitters don’t get the same recognition that a showman or breeder does, they are an important part of cattle showing.

Owen has a good start on his dreams; he’s shown across Ontario, been to multiple Bonanzas across Canada, and was Champion Junior Showman in Fredericton in 2015 where, in a class for 10- to 14-year-olds, he took the

lead among 50 kids from across Canada. In 2014 he was Junior Champion Groomsman in Lindsay. After Stock Show U this year, he’ll head to Victoriaville, Quebec. Chris points out that the university was “scheduled before the fairs start in the fall so kids can take what they learn there to the shows.”

For more information and to register for the cattle-grooming school be sure to do so before July 4 online at www.sullivansupply. com/ssu_clinic_schedule.html or contact Chris Grundy at 613293-0742 or grundy.c@ hotmail.com or school dean Callyn Hahn, 1-888-914-5972 callyn@ sullivansupply.com

Photo credit: Sally Smith.

Secretive nuclear waste shipments

moving along Hwy 7 and 416

Regional - Matthew Behrens editorial@pdgmedia.ca

A growing number of voices are raising alarm over a secretive, unprecedented series of liquid radioactive waste shipments from Chalk River’s nuclear facilities to a South Carolina processing plant. While routes are not publicized, two of the only roadways that meet the designated requirements for the journey are Highways 17 and 416.

In March, Carleton Place’s emergency management committee received a provincial fire marshal memo describing imminent shipments of 23,000 litres of bombgrade, highly enriched uranyl nitrate liquid (HEUNL). Fact sheets were provided to ensure “communities know how to prepare for – and respond appropriately to… transportation incidents involving radioactive materials,” according to the memo, which said the shipments “pose a minimal risk to public health and safety due to strict packaging and safety standards.”

But according to Dr. Gordon Edwards, president and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR), a 42-yearold research organization documenting the nuclear industry’s often under-publicized hazards, the province is not telling first responders or the public the whole story. (Notably, the Lanark County emergency preparedness handbook, distributed in May, addresses a range of threats, but includes no mention of roadside nuclear accidents.)

“Nuclear authorities in both Canada and the U.S. have disguised the true nature of this liquid,” says Edwards, who has provided consulting services on nuclear-related issues to provincial, territorial, national, and international

expressed similar opposition, while last month, the Anishinabek Nation and Iroquois Caucus jointly issued a pointed statement declaring that they had not been consulted as per Aboriginal title and treaty rights, warning that the “potential for long-lived contamination to the environment and to all living entities is too great.”

bodies, including the Auditor General of Canada.

“In fact, uranyl nitrate is only one of dozens of radioactive compounds in the liquid, which is 17,000 times more radioactive than uranyl nitrate alone. Such high-level radioactive liquid has never been transported over public roads anywhere in North America. If spilled, two ounces of this liquid is enough to ruin the drinking water supply of a city as large as Washington, DC.”

Noting the shipments have not been subject to an environmental impact statement in Canada or the U.S., Edwards says the uranium involved is the same material used in the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb. He also warns that many of the radioactive materials being transported are “the same stuff you find in the melted cores of the Fukushima and Chernobyl reactors.”

Edwards has produced a questioning the safety of casks transporting the liquid materials, which were designed 30 years ago to transport solid waste only.

While documenting the radioactive release hazards posed by a vehicle fire, Edwards also studied potential crash impacts. Safety standards require the cask to withstand the shock of a 30-foot drop, but most bridges to the U.S. are far higher, while the cask’s cavity, with a thin two-inch stainless steel body, would not survive a sideways impact of only 12.5 miles per hour.

Last fall, over 40 organizations, including the Sierra Club, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County called on Justin Trudeau and Barack Obama to cancel the shipments, citing the devastating impact of a spill on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River ecosystems.

Members of the Niagara Regional Council have

The shipments are rationalized under the Global Threat Reduction Initiative to account for and secure nuclear weapons materials, but Edwards says far safer means are available. Given that liquid waste has been routinely solidified and rendered far less dangerous on-site at Chalk River since 2003, Edwards also points to a 2011 federal report calling for the “down-blending” of the liquid waste. Over three months during 2016, Indonesia carried out just such a down-blending of similar liquid material, preventing the need to transport it to the U.S.

Carleton Place Fire Chief Les Reynolds confirmed materials his office received did not discuss the consequences of a liquid radioactive waste spill. “There’s been very little information,” he said, adding he is never provided notice of any such shipments through the area.

While Reynolds says his team’s response to dangerous chemical spills is to secure the affected area and call in Ottawa HAZMAT teams, “I would expect that this stuff is properly encased and protected. Having said that, anything can happen. A propane tank is a very strong vessel, and yet we all know under certain conditions they can turn into a travelling bomb. I’m not overly concerned because I guess I’m trusting that the people who do know what they’re doing are taking the necessary precautions.”

Edwards’ experience monitoring the nuclear industry provides him with no such reassurance, citing recent welding failures in equipment associated with transport casks as well as an April, 2017 U.S. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board report on the first HEUNL shipment that revealed an unexpected hot spot in unloading equipment that was “not providing adequate radiological shielding.”

“Sending a hundred more shipments carrying 23,000 litres of this stuff down the highway is like rolling a pair of dice a hundred times,” Edwards cautioned. “Sooner or later our luck may give out and we will roll snakeeyes.”

Smiths Falls Chamber to host Irish visitors at special dinner

Smiths Falls - Chris Must editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Smiths Falls & District Chamber of Commerce members are looking forward to hosting the central event of a week-long visit by 21 visitors from Ireland in June.

Following the chamber’s annual golf tournament Wednesday, June 28 at the Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club, the Irish visitors have been invited to join the golfers and other guests for a special “Homestead Dinner” at the club. The event is also part of Smiths Falls’ ongoing celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

“I think it’s very exciting to be hosting this delegation of Irish visitors and the representatives from the Irish embassy as they explore the original homestead of one of the Irish immigrant families,” said chamber of commerce Marketing Coordinator Heather Currie-Whiting.

The golf club is a fitting location for an event welcoming the Irish visitors to Canada because the land belonged to original Irish

settler Thomas Balfe. The fireplace in the clubhouse was built from stones that formed part of the Balfe family’s farm buildings. Organizers of the Irish Homestead Dinner are planning a brief ceremony to rededicate the plaque next to the clubhouse which commemorates the history of the Balfe family.

The plaque was originally put in place “as a memorial to Thomas and Anne Balfe who owned the Rose Farm 1889-1954.”

The Irish guests, from the community of Carnew in southern Ireland, will arrive in Smiths Falls June 23 and have been invited to take part in a number of events including Highland on the Rideau with the Gordon Pipe Band June 24, the Irish Ceili and picnic at Heritage House Museum June 25, and the visit of the South Winds Voyageur Brigade June 27.

The busy itinerary also includes opportunities for the visitors to explore the archives at Heritage House museum, visit homesteads, churches and cemeteries in surround-

ing communities, visit the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, and tour the Rideau Canal. Smiths Falls has been officially twinned with the town of Carnew since July 18, 2016, when a formal resolution was passed. The initiative began two years ago when Kevin Lee, a historian from Ireland, visited Smiths Falls and observed that many of the family names seen on markers in local cemeteries are similar to those of the families that were forced to migrate to Canada in the mid-19th century during the Potato Famine. Smiths Falls Mayor Shawn Pankow said he is confident that the visitors will succeed in reconnecting with some of their long-lost relatives.

Golfers and sponsors are already registering for the chamber golf tournament, which gets under way at 1 p.m. June 28. Registration for golf and the Homestead Dinner is $150 per person, which also includes a barbecue lunch and live music performance by A Beatles Tribute.

Golfers will have the opportunity to bid in both a silent auction and a live auction with guest auctioneer Wayne Cavanagh. The price for the dinner and dance alone is $60.

The Irish visitors will be attending the dinner, along with several other Canadians with roots in Ireland, some coming from as far as the United States and British Columbia.

“Any other Irish descendants are welcome to come and buy a ticket for the dinner and dance,” said Currie-Whiting.

This plaque at the Smiths Falls Golf and Country Club, placed in memory of the Irish settler family who originally owned the land, will be rededicated in a ceremony prior to the Irish Homestead Dinner June 28.

Photo credit: Chris Must.

Dr. Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility warns that the secretive shipments of highly radioactive liquid from Chalk River pose too great a risk when safer alternatives already exist.

Photo credit: Matthew Behrens.

Join the movement in your community.

Relay for Life in Smiths Falls

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in Smiths Falls brought together teams of friends, family and colleagues to Celebrate Life on June 10.

To be held at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute, we will celebrated survivors, honoured those we’ve lost to cancer and raise money to fight all types of cancer so that in the future fewer of our friends and family will hear the words “you have cancer.”

Thank you to all the teams that have joined the movement this year – celebrating life, remembering loved ones and fighting back against cancer.

Here are the teams and there is still time to donate to any one of them online at http:// convio.cancer.ca/:

A Time For Hope, Albin's Angels, Cancer Kicking Cousins, Bouncing Boobies, Relaying with Pride, GO CANADA GO!, Team Lucky

How relay for life helps

Every three minutes another Canadian hears the words “You have cancer,” and the Canadian Cancer Society wants them to know that they are not alone.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the work of our volunteers and staff, the Canadian Cancer Society has more impact against more cancers in more communities than any other cancer charity.

With your help, the Canadian Cancer Society has played a part in reducing the impact of cancer on Canadians.

We take the role as steward of donor dollars very seriously and make every effort to allocate these dollars where they will make the most difference in the fight against cancer.

2017 Relay For Life Committee

Relay For Life in Smiths Falls would not be possible without the unwavering support and dedication of its volunteers. The Canadian Cancer Society is blessed to have the following individuals organize our signature event.

Julie Brady– Administrative Chair

Cathy Pickup – Activities Chair

Karen White – Luminary Chair

Dylana Close – Volunteer Chair

Donna Gough – Food and Beverage Chair

Mary Lou Pratt – Participant Recruitment Chair

Dianne Raby – Accounting Chair

Vicki Christensen – Survivor Reception Chair

Relay For Life in Smiths Falls

June 10, 2017, 5pm to 11pm

Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute

Canada’s 150th - A Red and White Relay Register today relayforlife.ca/smithsfalls

Taking Action

Changing public policy is one of the most effective tools for preventing cancer and helping those living with and beyond cancer. The best way to change public policy is for Canadians to speak up and make our collective voices heard.

Funding of take home cancer drugs

It is estimated that two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer in their lifetime. Cancer is stressful enough without adding the extra burden of financial stress and anxiety related to drug access. Unfortunately, the current system in Ontario often creates this additional stress and at times delays or prevents patients from accessing cancer medications.

The Canadian Cancer Society recommends that Ontario develop a provincial program that provides full coverage for eligible cancer drugs taken at home.

Ontario has the opportunity to study and review the programs in other provinces and develop a program that is right for Ontario. It is essential that stakeholders, including the Society, Cancer Care Ontario, patients and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries be part of the discussion and involved in the development of the program.

Tobacco plain packaging

Tobacco is responsible for 30 per cent of cancer deaths. Plain packaging is a key measure that keeps health warnings, but prevents tobacco companies from using the package as mini-billboards to promote tobacco by banning brand colours, graphics and logos. Package formats would be standardized, prohibiting special formats such as slim/ superslim packs targeting women. Plain packaging is an international trend and has been adopted in Australia, United Kingdom and France.

What you can do

There are lots of ways you can advocate and help in the fight against cancer. Visit takeaction.cancer.ca to learn more about what we are doing and how you can get involved.

Hundreds of community members came out to support the 2016 Relay for Life in Smiths Falls. Organizers have high hopes for the 2017 event as well. It will take place in Smiths Falls at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute on June 10. Hometown News staff photo from 2016 event.

Action-packed Father’s Day weekend for Smiths Falls in 2017

Smiths Falls - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Father’s Day weekend, June 17 and 18, is going to be the perfect time to get out and enjoy some fresh air while celebrating the best that Smiths Falls has to offer.

Organizers of the annual Healthy Living Festival and Rideau Paddlefest have teamed up in a perfect partnership aimed at encouraging people to enjoy fun and healthy activities. There will be plenty of entertainment options that weekend, including a free outdoor concert at Lower Reach Park from 6 p.m. to 9

p.m. Saturday, June 17, featuring the British Invasion show band.

Healthy Living Festival co-chair and town councillor Lorraine Allen said the festival will offer “a full day of fun activities,” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 17.

The festival is in its sixth year, and organizers continue their efforts to provide a day of free family-oriented activities centred in downtown Smiths Falls. One goal of the festival, said Allen, is “to promote the fact that Smiths Falls has become a healthy environment,” given the number of gyms and volunteer-run sporting events available to

residents.

Festival highlights this year will include acrobatic demonstrations by Aerial Antics, a 24-foot rock wall, a three-on-three basketball tournament, and the opportunity to zip line down Beckwith Street. The Live Love Lift bench press competition is back for another year, with two competitors planning to set new records.

Local health promotion agencies are being encouraged to participate in the Healthy Living Festival. Organizers are hoping to have a “giant inflatable colon” so spectators can learn about colon cancer and how to prevent it.

Back for a second year is the “toddlers’ zone” at the Legion hall on Beckwith Street, providing a nursing tent and rest area for mothers and toddlers. The toddlers’ zone will include an inflatable pool with small paddleboats.

New sponsors continue to sign on to support the festival, which Allen said helps to provide this free event.

Following the Healthy Living festival on the evening of June 17 is a threehour free show at Lower Reach Park by the British Invasion. The three-piece British Invasion show band will present music by Brit-

ish artists including The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Eric Clapton, Gerry and The Pacemakers, and many more.

“It’s not just a concert, it’s an experience,” said drummer Gord Logan. “Audience participation is very important to us.”

The band also features experienced musicians Phil Morotti on vocals and lead guitar, and Chris Must on bass and vocals.

Get ready for the fourth annual edition of Rideau Paddlefest on Sunday, June 18, Father’s Day, a day of voyageur canoe racing at Lower Reach Park.

Volunteer committee co-chair Peter Au said that since Paddlefest began in 2013, “It has become bigger and better.”

In 2017 Paddlefest will help celebrate Father’s Day with a special father and child canoe race to be held at noon.

A table will be set up at the Healthy Living Festival on June 17 to give participants an opportunity to register for the father and child canoe race.

This year’s festival will be “a family-friendly, fun event,” said Au.

Once again the event will offer a full range of educational exhibits, including collections from the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Canadian Canoe Museum.

Paddlefest will also feature living music by the Voyageur Singers at 10:30 a.m., Bytown Bluegrass at noon, the Canada 150

Youth Choir at 1:15 p.m., and fiddler Peter Dawson at 2:30 p.m.

Back for a second year is accomplished paddler Becky Mason, who will be presenting her “canoe ballet,” a demonstration of precision paddling techniques. Mason will also provide a demonstration during the Healthy Living Festival, and Paddlefest volunteers will be on hand Saturday for anyone wishing to register for the voyageur canoe races on Sunday.

“We’re trying to cross promote our events,” said Allen. “We really hope people will take advantage of the weekend.”

Submitted on behalf of the Healthy Living Festival, Rideau Paddlefest, and the British Invasion

The Healthy Living Festival showcases a variety of fun and healthy activities, including ballet. Photo credit: Submitted.

culture

Carleton Place author expands children’s book series

Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

“The more I write, the more I want to write,” said Natasha Peterson, a Carleton Place author who recently published her third children’s book in April called Harold the Homeless Hermit.

Published under her own label Polar Bear Press, Harold the Homeless Hermit is a story about a Canadian hermit crab that outgrows his shell and decides he wants a more extrava-

gant place to call home rather than the typical old shell. After a long journey, Harold returns to his family realizing that regardless of how big or flashy a house is, home is wherever family is.

“I always thought hermit crabs are vulnerable because they have no shell and they have to move whenever they outgrow their current one. But in my research I learned that hermit crabs are really quite social and can live for

30 years, but they do get lonely and don’t do well on their own.”

Peterson said Harold the Homeless Hermit makes her reminisce about her own childhood.

“I grew up in an average household but I was nervous to invite friends over because I thought maybe they had more money or a nicer house than me,” Peterson said. “Looking back, I wish I would have invited more friends over because a home is about the people

inside the house.”

Peterson said it’s important that children read books that make it easy to discuss things like bullying or feeling lonely. “Talking about things is easier for kids when it’s animals because then it doesn’t matter what you look like or what gender you are - it’s about a shared experience.”

Peterson has read her books at about 18 different schools in the area. “I love sharing lessons and reading to kids because they are so smart and they aren’t racist or judgmental - they’re just curious.”

Born in Toronto, Peterson grew up in Carleton Place and now lives in the town with her husband and two children ages 4 and 5. Peterson also works part-time at the popular Carleton Place restaurant The Good Food Company.

As a kid, Peterson was very shy so she used writing, mainly poetry, to express herself. Only a handful of adults were allowed to see her writing.

“I don’t know if shyness is something that

ever really goes away, but now my writing comes from a place of enjoyment rather than shyness.”

Peterson still keeps in contact with her middle-school teacher named Joanne Little who encouraged her to continue writing. Little now travels the world and shares Peterson’s first book Gayle the Goose Goes Global with children wherever she goes.

“I call her my unofficial distributor,” Peterson laughed. Gayle the Goose Goes Global has been read by children in Santa Monica, Cuba; Honduras, Barbados; Alicante, Spain and; Kolkata, India just to name a few.

The dedication inscription in Harold the Homeless Hermit reads: Mrs. Joanne LittleThank you for everything. “It was my way to let her know how thankful I am and how much I appreciate her.”

Peterson’s books are marketed for 4 to 9 year-olds. Each story rhymes and follows the adventure of animals surviving and growing through personal strug-

gles, like being different or growing up. The books are committed to teaching a moral revolving around the beauty of being unique.

“I find stories or poems that rhyme are so much easier to remember,” said Peterson. “I still pick stories with rhymes over any others.” Some of her inspirations include Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss and Jelly Belly by Dennis Lee. Harold the Homeless Hermit and Peterson’s two other books, Gayle the Goose Goes Global and NuttyNeighbours, are available in Carleton Place at Apple Cheeks Consignment, Under Pressure Coffee House, Bonanza Kids, Owl Café and the Information Centre. They can also be purchased online at Amazon.ca. For a complete list of where the books are available, visit www.polarbearpress. com. Along with having three books published, nine of Peterson’s poems are featured in various publications.

Smiths Falls dedicates new memorial to veterans of WWI

Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The memorial is intended to honour Canadian contributions in several battles during the First World War: the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Cambrai, Amiens, and Drocourt-Queant Canal.

Evergreen Avenue, located at Victoria Park, was begun in 2000 as a living memorial to Canadian veterans. Today the ongoing project is overseen by a subcommittee of the Rideau Environmental Action League, explained Karen Schecter, the group’s treasurer.

the project has helped encourage students to become engaged in the civic life of the community.

“It is about students actively participating in the activities which take place in our community on a regular basis,” said Seward.

“The vibrancy of our system is based on a continuous participation.”

Smiths Falls - Chris Must editorial@pdgmedia.ca

The sacrifices made by Smiths Falls residents 100 years ago were honoured Saturday, June 3 as the Evergreen Avenue committee unveiled a new monument marking the centennial of the

“It just shows what a small town can accomplish when everybody works together,” said Schecter. “It has sparked interest in our community about those who have served our country.”

Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute teacher Blake Seward, founder of the Lest We Forget Project, said

The Lest We Forget Project involves students conducting indepth research into the lives of soldiers who served in the world wars. During the June 3 ceremony, SFDCI students Ben Seward and Catherine Poag shared the stories of four Smiths Falls soldiers killed in action at Vimy Ridge in 1917.

The new memorial was dedicated to the memory of Smiths Falls soldiers Frank Morrissey, Elton Megart, James McShane, Robert Henderson, Stanley Martin, and Harvey L. Horne.

A colour party made up of members of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95 began the 2017 Evergreen Avenue memorial service, held at Victoria Park Saturday, June 3. A new monument to Smiths Falls soldiers who served in France in World War I was unveiled. Photo credit: Chris Must.

Carleton Place children’s book author Natasha Peterson shows off her latest published book Harold the Homeless Hermit. Photo credit: Jane Hobson.

The Spitfire Grill: exploring the heart of a great musical

Perth -Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

COn Thursday, June 1st, that tradition of the Studio Theatre's annual musical continues with the premiere of The Spitfire Grill, one of the best-reviewed musicals of the last 15 years. Critics in New York and London have called it "soul satisfying", and "a breath of fresh country air.” As always, Perth audiences can expect their own production to be just as worthy of such accolades.

The Spitfire Grill tells the uplifting story of a young girl named Percy (a variation on the rather unusual name Perchance, meaning “by chance”) who has recently been paroled from prison. Percy has just arrived in Gilead, a down-atthe-heels Wisconsin town that was devastated by the

closure of its quarry years earlier. Percy's arrival in town becomes a story of rebirth and redemption, as the girl with a past becomes the reason Gilead has a future.

Carolee Mason, a theatre veteran who, along with director C. Lee Bates, is bringing the Studio Theatre's production of The Spitfire Grill to the stage. "This is a fantastic play,” says Mason. “It's based on a film — as more and more shows are these days — so it's richly cinematic, which presents challenges but also wonderful opportunities for staging. The show is about relationships and redemption, ordinary people who rediscover hope and joy. You'll laugh and, yes, you'll cry. And the music is simply sensational."

The style of music in The Spitfire Grill is called

Americana, a contemporary form inspired by, but different from, Country, Folk, Bluegrass, R&B and the Blues. The result is a totally unique roots-oriented sound that's achingly beautiful in places, rollicking in others, but always heartfelt and memorable.

The Spitfire Grill premieres at the Studio Theatre in Perth, located at 63 Gore Street East, on Thursday, June 1 for eight performances. Advance tickets are $25 (cash) at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St. E., and at Tickets Please (ticketsplease.ca) and Shadowfax (shadowfax.on.ca) both of which accept credit cards and charge a convenience fee. Tickets are $27 at the door; students with ID pay just $10 at the door. Attend opening night and save $5! Visit studiotheatreperth.com for details.

Classic Theatre Festival 2017: Broadway Hits, Heritage Shows

Perth -Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Coming off a season in which they garnered more Capital Critics Circle Awards nominations than any other company in Eastern Ontario, Perth’s Classic Theatre Festival opens its 8th summer season on June 21 with a combination of brand new historic walking plays and a collection of hits from the golden age of Broadway and the London Stage.

The only professional theatre in the Ottawa Valley, the Festival employs performers who have worked across Canada on stage, TV radio and film. As part of the theatre experience, audience members are provided with free pre-show talks that explain the history, background, and context of the play, a massive loonie/toonie book sale, theatrical history lobby displays, and a fully stocked concession stand loaded with summertime treats.

Located at 54 Beckwith St.

East (at Harvey St.) in Perth, the 2017 season opens with the most successful Canadian comedy ever staged on Broadway, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year (June 23 to July 16).

“Audiences will savour the sights, sounds, and sensations of the post-war ‘good years,’ 1951-1975,” says Artistic Producer Laurel Smith.

Written by the creator of TV shows including The Flying Nun and The Partridge Family, Slade’s story about two people – each married to someone else – who meet for an annual weekend getaway over 24 years was a Tony-Award winner, and also nominated for numerous Oscars when it was filmed with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn.

Smith says that George Bernard Shaw’s romantic comedy Candida (July 21 to Aug. 13) will appeal to anyone who remembers “the powerful pull of a first love that burns in their soul. Long before the British exported Beatlemania, there was ‘Candidamania’,

Vimy Ridge oak takes root in Smiths Falls

a phenomenon inspired by this warm and witty play in which Candida must choose between her clergyman husband and a passionate young poet.”

The mainstage season closes with an Alfred Hitchcock-styled psychological thriller, I’ll Be Back before Midnight (Aug. 18 to Sept. 10), a "gaslighting" tale of a young couple who rent an old, spooky country farmhouse. Written by Canadian Peter Colley, who recently debuted a new musical about Terry Fox, it’s the most widely-produced Canadian play, a hit in over 30 countries worldwide.

All mainstage shows run Tuesday to Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., and Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. at the wheelchair accessible, air conditioned space.

The Festival’s popular theatrical historic walking plays return this year with expanded performance times. Perth through the Ages (June 21 to Aug. 27, Wednesday to Sunday at 11 a.m.) presents a new, hour-

long story that allows visitors to breathe in the stories behind Perth's award-winning heritage buildings with a play focused on the daily lives, concerns, and conflicts of Perth and area residents at the time of Confederation.

The Lonely Ghosts Walk (June 29 to Aug. 25, Thursdays and Friday at 7 p.m.) will feature a new story featuring the unsettled spirits of Perth performing an hour-long, family-friendly romp through the town's mysterious and haunted past. Music, comedy, and song are featured in this tale set at the time of Confederation.

Tickets to the Festival are available at www.classictheatre.ca or toll-free at 1-877283-1283

Smiths’ Falls own Vimy oak was planted near the town cenotaph during a ceremony May 18. The sapling, grown from cuttings taken from trees in Scarborough that grew from acorns mailed to Canada from the Vimy battlefield 100 years ago, was planted by Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute students Eryn Hewson, Jordan Drummond, Catherine Poag and Ben Seward. The student committee organized the planting ceremony with support from town council, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95, local service clubs and numerous organizations and businesses.

Photo credit: Chris Must

The Spitfire Grill in rehearsal: Hannah (Barb Guthrie), owner of the Spitfire Grill, celebrates with friends Shelby (Cait Morton), Percy (Courtney Mason), and Sheriff Joe Sutter (Andrew MacDougall) as bags of mail arrive from interested buyers. Photo credit: Submitted by Bruce Raby.

The Classic Theatre Festival’s family-friendly historic theatrical walking plays and ghost walks, which recreate characters and stories from Perth’s past during an hour-long stroll through town, return with Confederation themes as Canada and Ontario mark their respective 150th anniversaries.

Photo credit: Jean-Denis Labelle

business

What does a financial advisor do? It’s not a simple answer

When most people get asked what they do for a living, the response typically doesn’t require a detailed explanation. We all understand what a police officer, firefighter, doctor, nurse, teacher, carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc. does.

However, despite being a financial advisor for close to 30 years now, I still have a difficult time explaining what I do in a single sentence. The roles and responsibilities of a financial advisor or financial planner are qui-

te vast, and not easy to sum up in a single statement. However, the value they deliver to their clients is farreaching.

To start with, your advisor needs to ask questions to understand your needs and objectives. He or she may appear to be probing in areas you may be reluctant to discuss, however, please remember that the the deeper the understanding your advisor has, the more equipped they are to recommend the most effective solutions.

Through this discovery

process, your advisor will be able to gain a good understanding of your priorities and goals and determine your current financial status. Furthermore, he or she should be able to guide you to think about areas of your financial life you may not have considered. He or she should also help you prioritize your financial goals and opportunities and determine which objectives are realistic. In conjunction with a written financial plan and/or investment policy statement, your advisor can

Niknaks Paddle Shack spotlight on business

Smiths Falls - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

There’s a great new way to flow through the warmer weather by taking advantage of the Rideau Canal in Lanark County this summer. Niknaks Paddle Shack is a seasonal kayak, canoe, paddleboard and bike rental service that is set to open in mid-June in Smiths Falls. Located in the Murphy Building on Park Avenue, Niknaks is conveniently located right on the shore of the canal.

“I saw the potential of the land under the water-tower and figured we should tap into the canal as a tourism destination,” said Nicola Thomson, the owner of Niknaks Paddle Shack. She said the goal is to add to the sense of community and to encourage people to travel to Smiths Falls.

“We also have a canteen at Niknaks so people have that convenience in case they need it,” Thomson said. Water, juice and snacks will be for sale. “We’re not focusing on the canteen though because we don’t want to take away from the other businesses in town.”

In fact, Thomson hopes Niknaks will be able to partner with other local businesses to cross-promote the attractions that Smiths

Falls has to offer. “We want to make people aware of what’s in town,” she said. “We’re hoping people will come enjoy the Rideau Canal and then go downtown to spend money at the shops and restaurants, and maybe even spend an overnight in a hotel or bed and breakfast in the area.”

Thomson, who is originally from England and has also lived in Florida, said her inspiration for Niknaks Paddle Shack partly comes from her own love for kayaking and the outdoors. “I figured there was a need for it in our community so that people who don’t want to buy [kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and bikes] can still enjoy them.”

While the official hours

and prices are still in the works, Thomson said the rental service will most likely be open 9a.m. to 5p.m. seven days a week during the peak summer months when students are done school. Rental options will be hourly, half day and full day.

“We’re just really excited to bring tourism to the town,” said Thomson. “I think it’ll be a huge benefit for people since they’ll be able to explore more.”

Thomson said she wants to extend a sincere thank you to all the local businesses who helped Niknaks Paddle Shack come to life. “It has been a great adventure so far and we’re really looking forward to the year ahead.”

make specific recommendations to help you meet your goals and implement the most appropriate strategies. He or she should also be able to suggest creative alternatives you may not have considered.

Your financial advisor should take a holistic approach to your financial planning, meaning he or she will look at your family’s financial security needs, review your life insurance and ensure you are properly insured. Your advisor should also analyse your income security needs to ensure you have the right insurance to preserve your financial future and assets should you become disabled or suffer a serious illness. This may also mean persuading you to do things you should do, even if you would prefer not to. No one enjoys paying for insurance but most recognize how critical the right insurance is to their family’s financial security.

Retirement planning and estate planning will also be important considerations and your advisor should be able to assist you in drafting a plan that will enable you to retire when you want with the income needed to support your lifestyle. He

or she should also be able to help you plan for the most effective way to distribute your estate by minimizing the impact of income tax and the estate administration tax on your assets.

Your advisor can also prepare an investment portfolio for you with the right asset allocation for your overall objectives, timelines, preferences and tolerance for risk. He or she also completes his or her own due diligence on money managers in order to make the most appropriate recommendations. Ongoing management and monitoring is also important as is keeping upto-date with changes in the investment world.

A financial advisor can review your existing portfolio to ensure it is arranged to your advantage and the risk measurements of the portfolio aligns with your own tolerances. Ongoing review and revision of portfolios may be necessary as conditions change. Guiding you through difficult times in the stock market is also an invaluable service provided by a financial advisor.

Your financial advisor is someone you can trust and can get advice from on all financial matters and he or she should be a good sounding board for ideas you.

The job of a financial advisor is broad, deep and complex. Hiring the right financial advisor can have a major bearing on your financial success in life, and can ensure you are financially prepared for both the hazards that can block your financial goals, and also in the achievement of your most important objectives.

Shawn Pankow is a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Health Specialist with Pankow Financial Solutions in Smiths Falls.

It is also important that your advisor monitors changes in your life and family situation, proactively keeps in touch with you and is available by phone or email to answer financial questions as they arise. Effective advisors will suggest alternatives to increase your income during retirement and may also make suggestions that can help lower your income taxes. He or she should continually educate you to give you a better understanding of how your investments work and on methods to manage both retirement and estate planning issues.