Nov./Dec. HomeTown News

FREE VOL.1 NO.2

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

YO U R LO CA L , I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R

We Remember

Dennis Staples stands at the Smiths Falls Cenotaph as hundreds of area residents observe the 2014 Remembrance Day ceremonies, paying their respects to members of the military.

Smiths Falls elects first new mayor in 20 years Amy Hogue With one term on Council under his belt, Smiths Falls Mayor Elect, Shawn Pankow, is ready to take the final step he’s been preparing for since August – into

the role of Mayor of Smiths Falls.

On Dec. 1, Pankow will officially take the reigns from current Mayor, Dennis Staples, who has been a fixture at Town Hall for nearly thirty years, and will be a

difficult act to follow. A new mayor marks a big change for the town, but Pankow said feedback from the community following his election to Mayor has been “incredibly positive.”

“People are excited.

They’re very hopeful for the future in Smiths Falls…they expect that I, along with Council, will be the impetus of change in Smiths Falls,” Pankow said.

The new position of Mayor will be one that will also require some personal adjustments for Pankow, who operates his own business, Pankow Financial Solutions, as well as juggling the needs of his family – a wife, three young children, and four adult children.

Undaunted, Pankow said he recognizes it will take some adjustment to the expectations of his new office, but is fortunate to be self-employed, which allows him to balance his work schedule with his new role in the town. He stressed that time management will be the most important key to a successful integration, and he will be joining the ranks of the mayors of neighbouring municipalities who also operate full-time

RYAN HOLLAND/PHOTO

jobs.

“It will definitely create some challenges with free time, my family and I will need to create balance to ensure I still have time for family and community responsibilities,” Pankow acknowledged, but added that many of the social obligations don’t have to fall solely on the Mayor’s shoulders, noting that “all of Council can share in some of the community work.”

See Page 8

Community

lifestyle

culture

Community

Local WWII veteran sits down with HomeTown News to share his life during WWII and beyond.

Smiths Falls Bears: An update on the team’s rollercoaster season.

The Ivy on William: A yoga studio with a twist. Read our story on the new multi-purpose facility in Smiths Falls.

We sat down with new hospital President & CEO Beverley McFarlane and talked about the new philosophy she’s beinging to Smiths Falls & Perth.

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25 Ferrara Drive, Smiths Falls

S’

ES ANDR

• Groceries • Produce

PAGE 15

283-2999 Pharmacy • 283-1855

• Fresh Flowers • Fresh Fish • Fresh Deli • Bakery

Andress’ cover banner

• Butcher’s Counter • Salad Bar

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Page Two

Editor’s thoughts

Here we are with our second edition of HomeTown News. Huge thanks to everyone for such an incredible response to our inaugural issue. The positive feedback and comments we received were so overwhelmingly supportive, which only recharged our batteries and put us to work on our NovemberDecember issue right away.

As a community newspaper, our goal is to provide a quality, well-rounded selection of local and feature news on topics you care about. For this issue, we wanted our focus to be on reporting.

We always welcome ideas from the public about what you want to read. That’s where the real news is - right at the community level. In this edition, we included an update on the Smiths Falls Bears season.

We know Smiths Falls is a hockey town, so after some requests, Bears updates will now be a permanent fixture in HomeTown News.

Other additions to the paper include an in-depth Council Briefs section to supplement our regular coverage of municipal council.

We also have an incredible interview with 93-year-old WWII veteran Jim Parsons. He confides in our reporter about his life during and after the war, and we’re happy to tell his story. Thank you, Mr. Parsons. This is what we consider local news.

If there’s a topic or idea that you believe deserves attention, let us know: editorial@pdgmedia.ca Sabrina Bedford Editor

COMMUNITY EVENTS Nov. 21

• $100 & Under Art Show. Smiths Falls Community Centre. 5:00 9:00 p.m.

• Jersey Boys. The Station Theatre.

7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Nov. 22

• Rummage Sale. St John’s Anglican Church Parish Hall. 9:00 a.m.

- 12:00 p.m.

• $100 & Under Art Show. Smiths Falls Community Centre. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

• SMITHS FALLS SANTA CLAUS PARADE - Leaves arena from Lansdowne to Elmsley, down Beckwith St, onto Jasper and end at Lower Reach Park where hot chocolate and hot dogs will be served. 5:30 p.m.

• Jersey Boys. The Station Theatre.

7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Nov. 23

• Breakfast with Santa. Smiths Falls Legion. 9:00 a.m.

• $100 & Under Art Show. Smiths Falls Community Centre. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

• Farmsteads to Frontlines Concert. Royal Canadian Legion Branch #95. 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Nov. 25

• Christmas Cookie Swap. Smiths Falls Public Library. 7:00 p.m.

• CP Christmas Train. Former VIA station on Victoria Street.

7:15 p.m.

• Jewel’s Gently Used Clothing Bag Sale 18 William St. E.

Nov. 26

• Well Wednesday. Valley Heartland CFDC. • Nov. 26 Christmas Bazaar. Willowdale Retirement Centre. 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Nov. 30

• Christmas at the Heritage House. 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Dec. 3

• 16th Annual Festival of Trees 2014. Smiths Falls Civitan Hall.

6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Dec. 6

• Amberly Beatty’s “Classic Country Christmas!” Gallipeau Centre Theatre. 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 7

• A Victorian Family Christmas.

Heritage House Museum. 1:00 p.m.

• Caring Community Tree Lighting. PSFDH Smiths Falls Site. 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 9

• Christmas Cookie Swap. Smiths Falls Public Library. 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 12

• The Business of Art. Small Business Advisory Centre. 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Dec. 19

• Jewel’s Gently Used Clothing Bag Sale. 18 William St. E.

Dec. 23

• Holly Days Children Workshop.

Heritage House Museum. 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Dec. 24, 25 & 26

ONGOING • Jack and the BeanStock. Station Theatre.

December 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 @ 7:30 p.m.

December 7 & 14 @ 2:00 p.m.

• 2nd Annual Celebration of Lights. victoria park.

Nov. 29 - Dec. 31 Nightly 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• 33rd Annual Art Show & Sale. Heritage House Museum.

Nov. 9 to Dec. 21 Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.

• Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day :)

Proposed plastic recycling plant sparks questions of emissions, safety howaida sorour-roberts It was a phenomenal turn out at the Public Meeting held on Nov 17 at Smiths Falls Town Hall. More than 90 clearly concerned citizens turned out in response to a lack of concrete information and a great deal of misinformation that had circulated over the weekend, following a Town of Smiths Falls Notice of Public Meeting was circulated to residents living within 400 feet of a proposed zoning amendment.

“I came with my mind completely closed to this project partly because of the lack of information,” said Bill Dobson, Reeve Montague Township.

The letter the town sent

out did include an additional page with an explanatory note stating that the purpose and affect of the amendment was to add “anhydrous pyrolysis operation and “ancillary plastics storage” as permitted uses. No further explanation of those terms was given.

Luckily Jake Jenkins from Summit Energy was on hand to present his company’s proposed plastics-to-oil recycling plant to the public.

“The process we are proposing doesn’t burn plastics, it heats plastic in an oxygen free environment,” said Jenkins. He went on to explain that the gases released by the ‘cooking’ of the plastic are then captured and condensed to yield oil, any gases that don’t condense are directed through a catalytic

converter.

“The only emissions are carbon dioxide, equivalent to what three people would produce in a day, as well as 0.004 lb of methane per year,” said Jenkins.

To put that in perspective a cow produces about 200 to 400 lb of methane a day according to the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Jenkins continued that the operation would only process certain types of industrial plastics with a view to expanding to some consumer plastics down the road.

To start, he told the gathering, they would be recycling quantities of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene and styrofoam and very little polypropylene to produce

a fuel that is 95 to 97 octane depending on the mix of plastics used. They would not, he said be dealing with PVCs or ABS plastics which were implicated in the plastics fire in Hamilton in the late 90s.

The plant would be recycling approximately eight tonnes of plastic per day and according to Jenkins would employ approximately 18 people in full and part-time positions. Meanwhile before the plant can go into operations it would have to go through environmental assessments and meet stringent Ministry of Environment requirements and regulations.

“My partner and I come from the aviation industry so we will have very stringent

safety measure in place,” said Jenkins.

Following the presentations the still hostile crowd had numerous questions regarding emissions, plastics storage, safety, water usage, fire preparedness, accident clean up, proximity to residential areas and schools, fuel storage and transportation. There were questions about on site safety measures and the origins of the plastics and destination of the fuel as question period ran to two hours after the presentation.

By the end of the meeting it was clear that a great many more questions would need to be answered before residents could be satisfied.

“I’ve always noticed it’s often fear of the reality

more than the reality itself that galvanizes people,” said Shawn Merriman, of the Rideau Environmental Action League.

The issue will be revisited at a Committee Of the Whole meeting on Dec. 8 at Town Hall at 5:00 p.m., when the new council will begin to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed amendment and the business behind it.

“The unknown is always terrifying, this gentleman has given us a lot of information.

Before I make a decision on this I will try to know as much as I can,” Coun. Dawn Quinn assured residents before the meeting was adjourned.

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community WWII veteran artilleryman opens up about life at war Howaida Sorour-Roberts His blue eyes are still piercing and bright at 93, as he recalls the five and a half years he spent overseas as a member of the 23rd Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery, Fourth Division.

“I was 18 years old when I immigrated from Newfoundland to join the Canadian army in 1940,” says Jim Parsons. “I’m the last living one out of 70 of us that joined from Newfoundland.”

While today he suffers from asthma and uses a walker sparingly, he still makes it out to the Remembrance Day ceremonies every year, because he has not forgotten.

His regiment trained for three months at CFB Petawawa and then was deployed overseas to England, where the training continued.

“We trained and retrained, just marking time but we knew that someday there would be an invasion,” says Parsons.

In the meantime he learned to play badminton and excelled at it.

The regiment eventually joined the fight seven weeks after D-Day, participating in the campaign to free Europe from the Nazi grip, travelling from Normandy through France, into Belgium and the Netherlands, ending the action in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

“We fought in Holland and we fought on the Rhine, that was terrible – our job was to soften up the enemy so the infantry could go in and clean up. It’s a terrible thing to say, but it’s what we did. We must have killed a lot of people and that bothers me today, but at the time I was just a young lad and didn’t give it much thought. You see in those days we could hit a town but we couldn’t hit a specific target.”

When his regiment finally entered Wilhelmshaven even he was taken aback by the devastation.

“It was a big city and after we went in and saw what we had done – that was the hardest, when I think about it now,” says Parsons, clearly uncomfortable.

The only thing he has left from his years in the service is the artillery badge on his beret.

“I’m sorry now that I didn’t keep my uniform, but after five years in it….” he shrugs.

Today Parson counts himself very lucky. He not only survived the war but was one of the luckier men who mostly avoided the worst of the hardship as he recalls it.

“I grew up in the depression, so in the army we thought we had it made, we had food every day,” he chuckles, before continuing more seriously, “I never slept in a trench, but I slept under a truck quite a few times when I was on transport,” he recalls.

While he kept very little of his army kit, he held onto his memories and the deep camaraderie he shared with his

HOWAIDA SOROUR-ROBERTS/PHOTO

Jim Parson, 93, sat down with HomeTown News to share the story on his life during WWII and beyond. His regiment joined the fight seven weeks after D-Day, participating in the campaign to free Europe from the Nazi grip, travelling from Normandy through France, into Belgium and the Netherlands, ending the action in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

artillery buddy Clarence Renee, who sadly passed away last year.

That relationship was one that lasted more than 70 years.

“We were closer than brothers,” says Parsons.

When the war ended it was three months before Parsons made it back to Newfoundland and then Canada where he settled in Smiths Falls thanks to the charms of a young lady. It had been during his training in Petawawa that he met his future wife, a young nurse from

Smiths Falls.

“We corresponded during the war, but all our mail was censored so I couldn’t tell her where I was and there were times she thought I was gone, because I couldn’t write to her for periods when we were in action,” remembers Parsons.

With no trade to fall back on, Parson applied for and got onto the Smiths Falls Police force where he served for 18 years before he and his wife started Broadview nursing home

together.

“We started with four patients back then,” he recalls.

“My grandson owns it now, it’s been in the family for three generations,” he says proudly gesturing around his room at the Broadview Lodge.

While his wife has since passed away, a sadness he will always carry with him, Parsons continues to find joy in seeing his three children, three grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

smiths falls remembers RYAN HOLLAND/PHOTOS Hundreds of Smiths Falls residents gathered around the Cenotaph on Nov. 11 to pay thanks to our soldiers.

The ceremony saw a larger-than-usual crowd this year, along with a seemingly increased police presence. This is being attributed to the Oct. 22 attacks at the War Memorial in Downtown Ottawa, resulting in the murder of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.

Cohen Rogers places a cross during the Smiths Falls Remembrance Day ceremony on Tuesday morning. Hundreds of residents of all ages took part in the assembly, which continues to grow in numbers every year.

Retired Chief Petty Officer Paul Kavanagh marches in the Smiths Falls Remembrance Day parade on Nov. 11. Hundreds of area residents gathered to pay their respects to active and fallen soldiers.

Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington MPP Randy Hillier presents a wreath on behalf of the province of Ontario during the Nov. 11 Remembrance Day ceremony in Smiths Falls.

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community

New hospital president and CEO brings new philosophy to Smiths Falls and Perth AMY HOGUE After spending 35 of her working years with the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital (PSFDH), and serving as both President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 2012, Linda Bisonette announced her retirement, officially handing over the reins to her replacement, Beverley McFarlane.

McFarlane comes to her new position with PSFDH after working as the Chief, Quality and Chief Nursing Executive at Muskoka Algonquin Health Care, a two-site hospital in the Muskoka region. McFarlane’s previous position was for an organization very similar to the Perth and Smiths Falls hospitals in that it featured two separate facilities operating as one organization.

With a daughter working in Belleville and a son working in Carleton Place, McFarlane said when the position at PSFDH was announced in early 2014, she saw is at an opportunity to

relocate to this region, and to a progressive organization.

“I did my research and saw the hospital was doing well with patient satisfaction, saw they were working hard on creating a sustainable future and thought this might be a great place for the next phase of my career,” McFarlane explained, adding that now that she’s been here a month, she can already “see it was the right decision.”

Coming from a hospital that also went through an amalgamation like Perth and Smiths Falls, McFarlane said it speaks highly of PSFDH that the amalgamation took place voluntarily a number of years ago and the hospital organization has become more financially stable as a result.

McFarlane said so far she’s been impressed with both the Perth and Smiths Falls hospital sites and can see that the volunteers, staff, the foundation and hospital physicians are committed to providing great patient care, and interact in a positive

way, “much like a family.” She considers positive working relationships as crucial to making hospitals a place people want to work.

“When you see people here who have worked here for a long time and retire here and then come back part time is a big clue,” McFarlane observed.

McFarlane said much of her career in health care has been in a leadership and a clinical role, leading to her “from bedside to boardroom” philosophy for health care, meaning one which combines a patient care focus with administration, something she says she can see in the functioning of the PSFDH system.

“I’m impressed that when boards are meeting, the reason why we’re all here is front and centre, and that’s the patients and families we serve.”

McFarlane says she hopes to bring her passion for improving the quality of health care to the PSFDH hospital, and continue to build on the success the organization has

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

New CEO and President for the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital, Beverley McFarlane, sits in her new office at the Perth hospital following a month-long transition period working closely with outgoing CEO, Linda Bisonette.

had under Bisonette. She also would like to work to partner with other health care services and develop a strategy to further patient and family-centered care.

Describing her role as President and CEO as supporting the valuable work taking place at the hospital, her mission and goal at PSFDH is to ensure every

patient who comes through the doors has a positive experience. She explained that her work will be about patients and families, stewardship and working with human resources to make sure PSFDH is a good place to work.

“In health care there is a triple aim, to balance patient experience, deliver effec-

tive and high quality care and use resources wisely,” McFarlane explained. “If we balance those things, that’s what it’s really all about.”

McFarlane said she will soon be house hunting and is looking forward to settling in the Lanark County area.

“I’m happy to be here, I hope to become a part of this great community.”

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community COUNCIL BRIEFS Information compiled, written

by Amy Hogue 1) Arena User Fees Reduced for Elizabethtown Kitley, MerrickvilleWolford Opts Out Elizabethtown-Kitley has agreed to a revised user fee agreement with the Town of Smiths Falls, resulting in a lump sum payment from the municipality and a reduced fee surcharge for arena users of $111.16. Merrickville-Wolford, whose residents will also be affected by increased user fees, has opted out of the agreement. This will mean residents from Merrickville-Wolford will face more than $300 in increased user fees for taking part in Smiths Falls programs like hockey and figure skating.

At a Council meeting on Nov. 3, Mayor Dennis Staples expressed his concern after hearing of a news report from a Merrickville-Wolford Council meeting where Council indicated they had not received enough information from the Town of Smiths Falls to make an informed decision on the user fee agreement.

Staples said he was surprised to hear this, since that information had been provided to all surrounding municipalities. “I’m surprised and disappointed Council decided against this,” Staples said, “Why wouldn’t Mayor Struthers have asked for [more information]?”

Staples stressed that “our door is open” and if Merrickville-Wolford has any questions, “please have the courtesy of sending them so we can respond to them.”

2) Council Debates 2015 Budget Process It’s that time of the year again – budget time. Only this year Smiths Falls’ budget process is complicated by a Council that will change as of Dec. 1, a looming service review, and revenue uncertainties for 2015.

At a Special Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting on Nov. 3, CAO Malcolm Morris requested direction from Council for the 2015 budget process, suggesting using the 2014 budget as a “good starting point,” coupled with a cost of living index for Ottawa Gatineau of 2.3 per cent, a percentage Morris acknowledged was high.

Morris also highlighted the unknowns that could affect the 2015 budget, including the Ontario Muncipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) allocation, which has seen annual reductions by the province. Staff expect more information on Smiths Falls’ allocation of the funds by mid-November.

Other unknowns for 2015 include an increase in tax assessments, the total 2014 year end surplus or deficit, a decline in Provincial Offences Act (POA) revenue, an expiring contract with members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and potential savings from an upcoming service review.

Councillor Ken Graham

expressed concerns with beginning budget deliberations when there are two members of Council who will not be part of the process, himself included, and those votes “could potentially change the landscape.”

Councillor Shawn Pankow asked Morris if a delay in timeline would be an issue. Morris’ response was if Council wants to delay until the new Council is in place it “could be a challenge.”

“I’m concerned we won’t be able to bring a budget Council wants within the short timeline.”

Pankow said his preference would be to look for efficiencies, and to look at the cost of living, and “find a way to continue on for next month.”

Morris’ report contained a timeline for the 2015 budget process, with an upcoming date of Dec. 15, 2014 for Council to look at the Community Donations Program.

3) Rideau Hotel Owner Requests Reduced Cash in Lieu of Parking Fees A request from the Rideau Hotel owner for a reduction in cash-in-lieu of parking space fees has been deferred by the COW on Nov. 10, pending further consultation with the owner, Marc Gravelle. Gravelle made the request to reduce the fees from $750 to $375 per parking space at a Council meeting on Oct. 14 after being unable to acquire enough land to meet the parking requirements.

A staff report from Senior Planner, Niki McKernan, noted that a thorough parking analysis and strategy for the downtown is needed to fully assess the impact the request will have on municipal parking, and that staff believe the owner “may still be able to acquire such on-site parking through the acquisition of adjacent land parcels.”

Council agreed that establishing a policy is important but raised concerns about the impact a delay could have on Gravelle’s timelines. Councillor Chris Cummings suggested Gravelle defer the fees and repay as he sells units.

“I’m open to taking half up front,” Cummings said, adding that he hopes something this minor won’t affect Gravelle’s ability to move forward.

Mayor Dennis Staples said if Gravelle will be phasing the development then he could potentially phase in parking requirements, but added “I think we should hear from Mr. Gravelle.”

4) Ferrera Meadows Residents Want Speed Lowered A petition containing the signatures of more than 90 concerned residents was presented at a COW meeting on Nov. 10, requesting Council respond to safety concerns on Harold Street and reduce the speed to 40 kilometres per hour and establish a Community Safety Zone.

The request comes after a lengthy timeline stemming back to 2013, where residents began to bring forward

concerns with the volume of traffic and the speeds in their neighbourhood.

In June 2014 the town recorded traffic counts of more than 3,500 vehicles daily on Harold Street, with 16.83 per cent of the vehicles exceeding the current speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour.

The staff report presented to COW indicated that Police Chief Robert Dowdall does not support the creation of a Community Safety Zone, but did advise that the Police Services Department will be purchasing a speed sign in 2014 that could be used at that location.

Ferrara Meadows resident, Dave Thornley, addressed the committee with his concerns, saying the residents on Harold Street “still feel there is a problem,” adding that “a couple of stop signs would make a world of difference.”

Thornley acknowledged that the report says the numbers don’t indicate speeding is an issue, but pointed out that if there are 4,000 vehicles on the road daily, if five per cent are speeding, that’s 200 vehicles speeding.

“The street has 25-28 homes on it with driveways… it’s a community. The amount of traffic and speed of traffic is significant.”

Councillor Ken Graham said he doesn’t “see any relief in sight in terms of volume” on Harold Street, that it is a collector street and will always have high traffic volume. “I think the answer to the problem is enforcement,” Ken stressed.

Councillor Chris Cummings pointed out that if the municipality puts in stop signs people will just begin using another street, but noted that the ministry is considering dropping the speed limit from 50 kilometres per hour to 40 kilometres per hour throughout Ontario, which will have an impact throughout Smiths Falls.

Councillor Shawn Pankow suggested obtaining feedback from the Traffic Advisory Committee about reducing the speed limit to 40 kilometres per hour. “Maybe if it’s reduced some of these speeding issues will diminish,” Pankow said, acknowledging there is “no one solution, but we need to look at possibilities here.”

5) Staples Boulevard – Coming Soon to a Street Near You Residents of Smiths Falls may soon encounter a new street in Smiths Falls – Staples Boulevard. The street, located in one of the new subdivisions, will be named for outgoing Mayor Dennis Staples, in recognition of his long term commitment to the Town of Smiths Falls.

Mayor Dennis Staples thanks Council for their consideration, calling the street naming “an honour.” Staples added that he would like to see other names considered for street naming, bringing up Smiths Falls’ Kenneth Spooner, a soldier who was killed in World War II.

Commuter bus service in Smiths Falls to Ottawa possible, with support Amy Hogue Boyne Saunders from Classic Alliance Motorcoach told council on Monday, Oct. 20 he is looking for someone to “take the ball and run with it” to bring commuter bus service to Smiths Falls.

Saunders, who has been working to bring a commuter bus service to Smiths Falls similar to the one already in place in Carleton Place, first garnered support from the owners of Classic Alliance Motorcoach, as well as the General Manager. Now, after placing an ad in the local paper and receiving roughly 20 favourable responses, he told council

he is looking to get either grassroots or Council support for the endeavour.

“We need council or someone in community to pick up the ball and run with it,” Saunders said.

According to Saunders, in order to make the bus service feasible, a minimum of 20 participants would need to purchase bus passes, at a cost of $325 monthly. That fee would give purchasers a roughly 6:00 a.m. pick-up in Smiths Falls, with a return pick-up from Ottawa at approximately 4:00 p.m.

The fee would also include access to Ottawa’s OC Transpo bus service.

Saunders explained that because the com-

muter bus is able to use bus lanes along the 417 highways in Ottawa, total travel time to and from the city is shorter than if someone were to drive it. He expects bus passes to be available for sale at Town Hall in Smiths Falls and at participating local businesses.

In a letter to council, Saunders wrote that local business owner, Joe Gallipeau, has committed to pay for one bus pass for a year, and Saunders would like to see council help find businesses willing to do the same.

“I really see this working if we have someone to spearhead it,” Saunders stressed.

Downtown ground floor residential zoning issue deferred by committee Amy Hogue Leave the matter for the next council to tackle was the consensus on a proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-Law Amendment for 18-22 Main St. E. discussed at a Special Committee of the Whole meeting this evening. The proposed amendment had become a contentious issue within the community throughout the application process, which included a public meeting and a previous committee meeting.

The amendment would have allowed the permanent continuation of a three-year temporary agreement allowing ground floor residential

use of a commercially-zoned building on Main Street East. Concerns over the proposal centered on the loss of viable commercial space downtown and worries of setting a dangerous precedent. Proponents for the amendments claimed allowing ground floor residential use downtown would fill otherwise vacant storefronts and help offset costs for property owners.

At the Special Committee meeting, the committee voted unanimously to extend the existing agreement between the property owner and the municipality for another year, giving the incoming council and the property

owner more time and opportunity to explore the issue further before making a decision.

“We want to get this right,” Mayor Dennis Staples explained, recognizing it is a challenge for communities to come up with a realistic mix of commercial, residential and industrial uses in the community. “There is a danger in rushing through and missing an opportunity for building some consensus.”

Staples’ hope was that the incoming council can take a more extensive look at the downtown core and the implications of allowing ground floor residential use might have there.

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community

Doef receives Princeton Scholarship, plays at Central Canada Cup Challenge AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

AMY HOGUE How does one handle becoming a minor athletic celebrity in a small town while still remaining firmly grounded and completely unassuming? One would have to look to Smiths Falls Bears’ forward, Neil Doef, to find the answer to this question.

The seventeen-year-old Smiths Falls native has become something of a local celebrity and with good reason. Doef ’s list of accomplishments seem to be growing longer by the day. Among the most recent include being named on the Central Scouting Preliminary 2014 Players

to Watch list; being selected, along with three of his teammates, Jared Henry, Chris MacMillan and Cole Skinner, to play in the Central Canada Cup Challenge mid-November; and receiving a scholarship offer to the prestigious Princeton University.

Weighing in at 183 pounds at 5’10”, Doef has been playing hockey since second year Novice, where he played for the Smiths Falls Minor Hockey Association (SFMHA). He went on to spend one year with the Rideau St. Lawrence Kings, followed by spending the remainder of his minor hockey days with the Upper Canada

Cyclones before moving on to the Bears last year.

Doef spends approximately one and a half hours a day at the rink, with extra time spent on weight training, all while maintaining an over 90 per cent average in high school. With such obvious dedication and commitment, not to mention time management skills, it’s easy to see why officials at Princeton University would want Doef to attend their school, and be willing to pay to do it.

After learning he was named on the Central Scouting Players to Watch list, Doef said he was “very excited,” calling it a “big honour” to be named on

the list. When asked why he thinks Central Scouting would find him a valuable player and a potential NHL candidate, Doef shrugged and smiled humbly, finally offering that it could be because he works hard and can play at both ends of the rink, a valuable skill for a forward.

Although drafted to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) at 16 years old by the Mississauga Steelheads, Doef said he elected to go the NCAA route, and continue his hockey development at Princeton.

“If I get drafted (to the NHL) I’ll still go to Princeton and finish four years and see where it leads me,” Doef said, although he stressed his end goal is definitely to play professional hockey.

Being a local celebrity is a new experience for Doef, who is only in his second year playing for his home town team. As a Bears’ player, Doef can now find many of his classmates in the stands during games, a new experience for him, and one that can definitely add to the pressure to perform.

During his interview with HomeTown News, Doef was approached by a

fan who asked if he would be playing in the upcoming game, and expressed how much he looked forward to seeing Doef play.

That kind of attention can be difficult for a teen to manage, but Doef said he is happy to embrace being a role model for other kids.

“It’s cool the kids are considering me as their role model,” Doef said. “I have to play the role well, I don’t want to disappoint them.”

Doef may be reluctant to sing his own praises, but Smiths Falls Bears’ Head Coach, Mark Grady, isn’t so shy. Grady clearly identified what makes Doef valuable from a coaching perspective, a player he calls “a very humble person, a good human being.”

“That he (Doef) garnered a scholarship to a prestigious school like Princeton says a lot about his off-ice intelligence and his on-ice intelligence,” Grady explained. “He’s the kind of player every coach wants because of how cerebral he is on and off the ice.

He’s very low maintenance to coach…I wish I had four more of him.”

Grady pointed to other Bears’ players who have been successful in playing

NCAA hockey, adding that today the amount of young men signing as free agents is significant, giving Doef more opportunity to continue playing professional hockey after obtaining his education at Princeton.

Grady also pointed to another 16-year-old from the Bears’, Zachary Senyshyn, who was drafted to the OHL to play for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, noting Senyshyn and Doef are two players who have chosen two different routes, and are both having success.

“What you have to take a real hard look at his how many kids actually make the National Hockey League,” Grady said. “He’s (Doef) very intelligent and decided to take the conservative route to becoming a pro hockey player, so he can get his education.”

In the meantime, Doef is handling his local celebrity status with aplomb, and offers the following advice to younger hockey players.

“I know it’s cliché, but work hard and just stick with it, you never know where it will lead you.”

JASON CODE/PHOTO

Number 6, Bears Kevin Groulx, sets up Neil Douf, #9, for a goal. Deof has received a scholarhip to prestigious American university, Princeton.

Nov./Dec. 2014

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community

New program will see more students walking to school at Chimo AMY HOGUE Let’s get students walking or biking to school is the message being delivered by a new program at Chimo Elementary School, the Upper Canada School Travel Planning program (UCUCSTP).

Chimo will join two other UCDSB schools who have participated in the program, Naismith Memorial Public School in Almonte and Westminster Public School, in Brockville.

According to UCSTP, the upside of students walking or biking to school are numerous, including improving physical health, academic performance and reducing the numbers of cars or buses on the roads. Despite these benefits, allowing children to walk to school can be a difficult decision for parents, with street crossing safety concerns and other hazards students may encounter along the way acting as impediments.

The UCSTP program is designed to reassure parents, address safety concerns and encourage students to get off the bus and start moving.

Smiths Falls Councillor, Lorraine Allen, is part of the UCSTP planning committee for Chimo Elementary, and said she is excited about the project.

“When I began my career, kids who were bused had to be so many blocks away from the school, and that has continually shrunk until most kids are bused,” Allen said, “It’s gotten to the point now where people could be a block away getting picked up and if they walked they could be at school in a third of the time.”

Allen also noted that even when some children aren’t bused, they

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

School crossing guard Gary Lackey has been handling the after-school rush of students looking to cross a busy Brockville St. for five years. More students walking or biking to school could mean a need for more crossing guards, something UCDSB’s School Travel Planning program will look at.

are driven to school by their parents, creating congestion, another safety issue for students arriving at school.

Supporting a shift from busing to walking is a community effort, and the success of Chimo Elementary’s UCSTP program will rely on the efforts of more than just parents, teachers and students. Local community organizations such as the Town of Smiths Falls, the Smiths Falls Police Department, UCDSB, Healthy Communities Partnership of Lanark Leeds and Grenville, the Health Unit and the Rideau Environmental Action League (REAL) will also play a role.

Allen explained timelines for implementation at other UCDSB schools have varied depending on the number of volunteers who become involved, but that it typically takes a full year to

“

implement the program.

One of the first steps is holding meetings with teachers and parent

to school.”

Suzanne Rivard, Chair of UCSTP, recently coordinated the meetings

“IT’S GOTTEN TO THE POINT NOW WHERE PEOPLE COULD BE A BLOCK AWAY GETTING PICKED UP AND IF THEY WALKED THEY COULD BE AT SCHOOL IN A THIRD OF THE TIME.” - LORRAINE ALLEN, UCSTP planning committee for Chimo Elementary, Smiths Falls Councillor

councils to introduce the program and seek their support.

Following these meetings, the collection of data becomes the next step, which includes mapping traffic flows to determine the best locations for school crossings and recording how many students are currently walking to school or travelling by bus or car.

“There is quite a large area around the school that is residential,” Allen explained, “My guess is that there are already many families that walk

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with Chimo Elementary’s Parent Council and teachers, to explain the program and garner support. Rivard called the meetings “very positive” and said parents and teachers were welcoming to the idea and recognize the need to see children physically active again.

At the meetings, Rivard distributed an information sheet, providing teachers with curriculum

adopt-a-pet and a pleasure to walk in a harness. Bentley will wake you up by putting both paws up on the bed and waving “Good Morning!”

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tie-ins to the UCSTP program, and recruited parent and teacher volunteers for the committee. Rivard said she has been pleased with the response the program has received thus far.

“I’m very excited,” Rivard said, “We’ve gotten great support from the community of Smiths Falls. That’s what makes this work, the community collaboration.”

As part of the data collection stage, Rivard plans on undertaking a school walkabout to assess the environment and see where some of the risks might be found. A family survey

will also be sent home to learn how students travel to school and what could be done to make parents more comfortable with their children travelling to school.

One of the next steps in the program will be the introduction of “Walking Wednesdays,” which Rivard plans on introducing in the spring. According to Rivard, Walking Wednesdays “encourage families to park their car, to engage in physical ways to move to school on Wednesdays, just to get the action started and the community used to kids walking again.”

Rivard added that the more students are on the streets the safer they will be as driver awareness will be heightened.

Chimo Elementary Principal, Carole Dufort, said she is thrilled with the new program coming to Chimo, something she feels will have a positive impact on student well being.

“We want to look at the whole child, and believe [the program] will have an impact on academic result,” Dufort said, “I’m very excited to work with different partners and am hoping to launch this very shortly.”

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community

Pankow sees investment in the community as a need, not a want From Page 1

Finally in a position to effect some change in the direction Smiths Falls is heading, Pankow is eager to get started. First on his radar is the 2015 budget and surmounting upcoming financial challenges, an issue Pankow pointed out also formed the basis of most political candidates campaigns. Although Pankow noted the municipality will be limited in what can be done with the 2015 budget, a long term strategic financial plan can help lay the groundwork for instrumental changes to the 2016 budget and beyond.

Pankow proposes undertaking a gap analysis to determine the shortfall between revenue and necessary expenditures.

When considering what constitutes a necessary expenditure, Pankow said he sees investment in the community as a need, not a want, something that is necessary to drive growth and expand the tax base.

Pankow hopes to have the strategic plan completed by mid-year 2015, and to accelerate the service review in areas that could affect the 2015 budget. He plans on looking at finding efficiencies in every area of the municipality, even if that means taking a closer look at emergency services.

“Some services we provide are at a high cost compared to other municipalities. We need to determine why and what we can do about it.”

Pankow said he doesn’t believe the current status quo is sustainable, and noted that “if emergency services are consuming half of every tax dollar that comes in, we need to figure out how to do that more efficiently.”

The Inaugural Ceremony for the new Council and Mayor will take place at Town Hall on Dec. 1.

In Case You Missed It *Editor’s Note: Here’s a short summary of the results from the 2014 Smiths Falls Municipal Election, taken from our on-scene reporting on election night: There will be two new councillors around the Smiths Falls Council ta-

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO Shawn Pankow, shown above, will the first new person to sit in the mayor’s chair in Smiths Falls in more than 20 years. Accountability and a revitalized downtown core were some of the main tenets of Pankow’s election platform.

ble in December, Councillors Joe Gallipeau and John Maloney. Both men are business owners in Smiths Falls and ran on a platform of change and progress for the Town of Smiths Falls.

Gallipeau explained he feels the next four years working with the new council that was elected Oct. 27 will “get this town back on track,” while John Maloney said he would have been pleased with the results whether he was elected or not. He explained that he enjoyed the election process and learned a lot about the Town of Smiths Falls in the process. He did add that he although he is “not a politician, he might have to kiss a baby or two” over the next four years.

Returning Councillors Jay Brennan, Chris Cummings, Lorraine Allen and Dawn Quinn also expressed their pleasure with the results from the Oct. 27 vote.

Brennan said he is “humbled” by receiving the confidence of the populace of Smiths Falls, adding that another term on council is “a responsibility I look forward to having over the next four years.”

For Quinn, she is looking forward to working together with the new Council, acknowledging the differences of opinion at the Council table will “help the town move forward.”

Allen’s excitement with the results was obvious. “There’s so much potential and possibilities here I’d like to get started!” Allen laughed, “I’m excited. I think this is going to be fun.”

Also, Susan Richards will represent Ward 3 (Rideau Lakes, Westport, Smiths Falls and Merrickville-Wolford) school boards for another four years. Susan won the

trustee selection with a total in Smiths Falls of more than 1,800 votes.

Her competitor, Erin Watson, earned a little more than 600 in the Smiths Falls election.

Your new Smiths Falls Council

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO From left to right: Mayor Shawn Pankow, Councillors Lorraine Allen, Joe Gallipeau, John Maloney, Jay Brennan, Chris Cummings, Dawn Quinn.

The new council will be in effect as of Dec. 1, 2014.

Smiths Falls Council digs in heels over Official Plan changes AMY HOGUE At a Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 20, members of Smiths Falls’ Council voted unanimously to adopt the Town of Smiths Falls’ Official Plan (OP), as presented by town planner, Nicole McKernan.

The draft plan, which was forwarded to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH) several months ago, was returned to the municipality, along with 18 pages of comments, most of which were accepted by the planning department, with three notable exceptions.

McKernan, along with planning consultant, Tim Chadder, Chief Planner from J.L. Richards and Associates, recommended to Council that the plan be adopted by Council while leaving three of the changes commented on by the MAH for future negotiations.

Two of the changes involved relate to the Gallipeau Centre and the potential for future development.

The first refers to the usage of the term “development reserve,” around the Gallipeau Centre, something which McKernan noted was simply a term that was selected as applicable, but acknowledged the planning department would be happy to consider other wording suggestions from MAH. The second involves a corridor of commercial lands in front of the Gallipeau Centre that the MAH were not happy with the zoning designation. The

third refers to a proposed zoning change made by McKernan, changing the zoning in selected town lands from industrial to residential use, which would recognize existing residential uses on the properties.

McKernan advised Council she would like to bring forward the OP as it exists now, without making these three changes. “It’s time to dig in our heels a little bit,” McKernan said.

Mayor Dennis Staples said he hopes Council “does what it needs to do” to ensure the town’s hands aren’t tied for development in the future. “I hope there’s no attempt by the ministry to constrain this,” Staples said, asking, “Is the province playing hardball with us?”

Chadder explained adopting the OP as presented sends the message to the ministry that “we heard you but we disagree” and could make the path slightly easier to navigate in future negotiations with MAH. When the time came for a vote by Council, Councillor Ken Graham asked for a recorded vote, noting that it might help “send a message to the Ministry there is solidarity” with Council’s decision. The vote was unanimous in support of accepting the OP as presented by McKernan.

Chadder explained the best case scenario for receiving a response from MAH would be three months, but a more realistic timeline would be six months from the date of resubmission.

RYAN HOLLAND/PHOTO

Four-year-old Veronica Stoddard holds still while having her face painted during Mickey’s Halloween Party at the Gallipeau Centre on Oct. 24th. The event featured special appearances from. several cartoon characters, snacks and a haunted walk through the basement.

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lifestyle Smiths Falls Bears: An update on the team’s rollercoaster season Jason Code

JASON CODE/PHOTO

(613) 205-0555

The season is well underway and your home town junior A Bears have had a rollercoaster ride so far, from being close to the bottom of the league standings to fourth best (currently sitting fifth as of Nov. 10).

September was a month where the Bears saw players come and go, which worked out to a .500 average record (4-4-1-2). The team’s coaching staff, consisting of Head Coach Mark Grady and assistant coaches Rob Dopson and Walt Dubas, have had their work cut out for them figuring out lines and defensive pairings until they discovered one of the top producing lines in the league.

Smiths Falls’ own Neil Doef (‘97), rookie and Bears first pick in the 2014 draft Cole Busschaert (‘96) and Kevin Groulx (‘96) (from the Ottawa 67’s) have a combined total of 81 points (30 goals, 51 assists) with only 14 minutes in the penalty box in the clubs first 25 games.

Defensive duo of Ryan Duhaime (‘94) and Chris MacMillan (‘95) have helped returning net minder Michael Pinios (‘94) to a healthy (7-2-1-3) start with a low goals against average of 2.98. The club also acquired Kanata Lasers goaltender Cole Skinner (‘95) Last month and has proved to be a first string goalie posting 2 shutouts with a 2.31 goals against, .917 save percent

to put him in at 6th overall in the league standings.

The club’s October record was a vast improvement going (8-4-0-2) with big home victories against the Kemptville 73’s and a late third period thriller versus rivals Brockville Braves. The team had back-to-back home and road wins against the Hawkesbury Hawks and a penalty-filled night in Pembroke. The two clubs combined for 114 penalty minutes that were the result of misconducts, fighting misconducts, roughing penalties and game ejections, and after being outshot 38-24, the Bears came out as 6-3 winners.

The Bears saw the last game (as of Nov. 7), against the Ottawa Jr. Senators, result in a loss in front of a home town crowd of 675. It was a special night hosted by the Lanark County United Way Volunteers.

Bears being down early in the game 2-0 did manage to claw their way back and outshoot the Jr. Senators 23-17, but still ended up short one goal resulting in a 3-2 game loss.

Four of your Smiths Falls Bears played in the The Central Canada Cup challenge, a four league tournament in Etobicoke, ON. Bears top scorer Neil Doef, defenseman Chris MacMillan, defenseman Jared Henry and goalie Cole Skinner represented the Robinson and Yzerman divisions of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL).

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Gift certificates available Dental Insurance Accepted

JASON CODE/PHOTO

Nov./Dec. 2014

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lifestyle

OACP endorses Trace Pen, a technology allowing property owners to mark, register valuables online

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

Scenic Sound singer and songwriter, Tim Stead, handed out information following the Live Different presentation at SFDCI, where more than 600 students were treated to an uplifting presentation explaining how to live their lives differently and make a difference in their community.

Smiths Falls students receive message of hope from presentation AMY HOGUE “Courage to Connect – Life is About People” was the message delivered by the Live Different organization at a presentation for more than 600 young people at the Smiths Falls & District Collegiate Institute (SFDCI) on Wednesday, Oct. 29. SFDCI hosted grade sevens and eights from five elementary schools – Chimo, Lombardy, Wolford, Duncan J. Schoular and Montague and grades nine and ten from SFDCI and TR Leger for the performance.

Live Different is an organization promoting the embrace of a lifestyle of caring for people.

According to their website, they offer advice to young people to help make different choices in their day-to-day life such as becoming active in social issues and causes, and showing kindness towards others and living simply. They offer a live, concert-style motivational assembly to inspire students to make a positive difference in the world.

TR Leger Child and Youth Worker, Melanie Fielding, began organizing the SFDCI event in May 2014 after seeing firsthand a presentation

by Live Different.

“They give a different message every year; last year’s was about kind-

ness,” Fielding said. “It was phenomenal.”

Fielding explained as someone who works with youth she sees how there is a prevailing negativity and she wanted to help young people see “messages of hope in meaningful, caring ways.”

And a message of hope is something Life Different delivers in abundance.

Their performance on Oct. 29, which was repeated twice throughout the day, was an hour long presentation featuring live music, interactive discussions and video messages for students. The featured band, Scenic Sound, had students rocking in their seats to the catchy music as they performed.

Among the topics brought forward for contemplation during the presentation was discussion about disconnecting from social media and cell phones and taking time to explore relationships instead, referring to the theme of Courage to Connect.

Students watched several presenters discuss sensitive issues from their own youth and shared experiences that young people could relate to such as financial issues in their family or stress related to academic performance.

One of the presenters, Jamie Lobban, discussed the issues he had as a teen in making friends.

Lobban told Smiths Falls

students that “happiness isn’t defined by the number of friends you have, it’s defined by the quality of relationships in our lives,” stressing that someone’s value isn’t tied to what other people think of them.

Lobban outlined some things students can do to change their lives and create more meaningful relationships, such as having real conversations, getting to know the people around you, challenging yourself to really care about people and discovering the “Courage to Connect.”

Duncan J. Schoular grade eight students, Haley Murphy and Krissy Draper, were among those present for the event, and both agreed that it was a thought-provoking presentation.

“It was very inspiring…they tell you how to turn off your phone and actually communicate,” Murphy said.

Draper explained she could relate to what was being presented and see similar situations in her own life and said she felt inspired to “just talk more and open up more.”

In addition to inschool performances, Live Different offers programs for students giving them the opportunity to travel in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Thailand or Haiti to help build schools, houses and children’s homes.

Ontario’s police leaders are endorsing a crime prevention tool that helps property owners prevent crimes resulting from break-ins and personal property theft. The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) announced in October that the association is endorsing the new Trace pen, which allows property owners to invisibly mark and then easily register their valuables online in a secure Canadian centralized database. The database and product detection tools will be utilized by police to identify stolen property with the goal of reducing property theft in Ontario.

The Trace pen is an application device filled with thousands of tiny plastic discs suspended in a phosphorus adhesive (visible with a black light) that is difficult to remove and hard to find.

Property owners can easily mark and register their valuables on-line on a centralized, secure database.

Each tiny disc, about the size of a grain of sand, is laser-etched with a unique PIN (Personal Identification Number)

that can be linked to the property owner through the Trace Identification Network, essentially creating DNA for the user’s property. Property owners can mark roughly 50 items per Trace pen across Canada. The pen will initially be available through participating Home Hardware stores.

“Home Hardware is focused on providing expert advice to our customers,” said Jason Schierholtz, Product Manager at Home Hardware Stores Limited. “We are proud to partner with Trace in our efforts to deliver innovative products to our communities across Canada.”

RSR Solutions Inc., the company that developed the Trace Identification Network and sole Canadian licensee of the Trace pen, has now moved from the development stage to work with the OACP to inform the public, second-hand stores, and pawnshops as to how they can be active participants in property theft prevention, detection, and conviction.

“Having something stolen is a traumatic ordeal to go through,”

said Karey Davidson, President & CEO, RSR Solutions Inc. “Often, very personal and sentimental items are stolen and lost forever. Marking and registering your valuables with Trace will reduce your chances of becoming a victim and improve the likelihood of those things you hold so dear being returned.”

OACP President Chief Jennifer Evans, Chief of Police of Peel Regional Police, noted that the OACP is pleased to work with Home Hardware and RSR Solutions Inc. to make this crime prevention tool available to property owners.

“The Trace pen does three important things: it enables police to identify stolen property, assists in returning owners’ stolen property, and empowers property owners, through theft prevention, to make a difference in their community, said Evans.

“Preventing property crimes is a priority for all police services. When such crimes do occur, we want to reunite property owners with their stolen property. Empowering property owners and working with retailers is an important component in fighting property crimes.”

For more information on Trace please visit: www. traceidentified.com.

Source: Smiths Falls Police Service

Smiths Falls’ H&R Block Honoured for Achievements

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

Smiths Falls H&R Block franchise owners, Donna Bennett and her son, Steve Bennett (shown here), were honoured not just once, but twice during a recent H&R Block operations meeting. Bennett received two awards in recognition of her achievements, one for providing 25 years of service to the Smiths Falls community, and another for overall client retention. Bennett has owned the Smiths Falls H&R Block franchise since 1996, located on Beckwith St. S., in the downtown core. Bennett explained there are 500 H&R Block franchises in Canada but only three achievement awards given annually. Here, she is shown holding the award received in recognition of overall client retention and overall improvement.

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Nov./Dec. 2014

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lifestyle

Surprise tea party for Linda Bisonette

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital President and CEO, Linda Bisonette (centre), was all smiles on Thursday, Oct. 23, when she was treated to a surprise tea party hosted by Lanark County Support Services, held in honour of Bisonette’s retirement. Bisonette is retiring after working with the hospital for 35 years, serving as both CEO and President since 2012. Here, Bisonette poses for a photo during the tea party, joined by David Leslie (left) and Debi McEwen, Director of

Lanark County Support Services. Bisonette said one of her greatest joys from her work with the hospital “has been working with Lanark County Support Services, a program we are very, very proud to sponsor.” McEwen explained they hosted a surprise tea party for Bisonette to show their appreciation for her efforts. “We wanted to make it special for Linda for the support she’s given us.” McEwen and Bisonette have been working together for 34 years.

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

SFDCI Redhawks started their season with a bang with a senior basketball tournament on Nov. 14 and 15. Here, Redhawk #25, Devin Wilkinson, jumps through the air to block a shot from the opposing team. The junior basketball team will also be hosting a tournament Nov. 21 and 22 at SFDCI. The first regular season game will be at SFDCI on Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m. against Carleton Place High School.

Smiths Falls appoints Art Manhire as Manager of Community Services There’s a new guy in town as Smiths Falls announced Nov. 14 it hired Art Manhire as the town’s new Manager of Community Services.

Manhire brings significant facility and program experience to the Town of Smiths Falls.

Manhire has held several key leadership positions in his career, most recently as director of Community Services for the town of Chestermere, Alberta. He provided strategic and operational leadership within the Community Services

Department including parks and recreation, family and community support services, emergency management, and early childhood services.

Manhire was previously the manager of Indoor Facilities for the City of Whitehorse, Yukon where he was responsible for all indoor recreation facilities, including the Canada Games Centre, a state-of-the-art athletics and recreation facility built to host the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

He’s also held senior positions with the City

of Ottawa Public Health and Family & Community Health divisions as well as Queen’s University.

“I’m excited about joining the committed team at the Sensational Town of Smiths Falls,” said Manhire. “I am looking forward to working with all stakeholders to create sustainable services that enhance the quality of life for residents of the town.”

Officials from the town agree this is a good partnership for all involved.

“Art comes to Smiths Falls with a broad range of experience and skills within the community services sphere,” said Malcolm Morris, Chief Administrative Officer for Smiths Falls. “His

demonstrated abilities in community engagement, enhancing recreation capacity, and improving financial performance will enable the town to leverage our asset mix and evolve our recre-

ation programming.”

Manhire commenced his duties on Nov. 17 and is based at the Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre.

Source: The Town of Smiths Falls.

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lifestyle

Marijuana as medicine: Tweed’s National Medical Outreach

TWEED/PHOTO

Tweed, Canada’s first publicly traded Licensed Producer of medical marijuana, continues to find innovative ways to lead the sector. Our diversification has us well positioned in a mar-

ket where demand presently outstrips supply. Large harvests from our Niagara-on-the-Lake facility continue to arrive in Smiths Falls for processing.

The company announced on Oct. 28 John K. Bell joined

the organization as the most recent addition to its Board of Directors. Tweed describes Bell as a “key addition,” declaring he’s joining the team at a time when Tweed is preparing to

release the largest crop it has ever harvested.

To ensure that harvest is put to market efficiently, Tweed is engaging the medical community across Canada to educate doctors and health care professionals of the diverse benefits of medical marijuana.

“Studies and clinical information are available, we’re working with doctors to connect the dots,” said Bruce Linton, Co-Founder and Chairman of Tweed.

Tweed is making strategic investments in medical conferences this fall, notably, the Primary Care Updates series. The series is taking place in Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver and is attended by more physicians than any other national continuing medical education (CME) program.

Members of Tweed’s Medical Advisory Board are among the faculty who will be speaking on the topic.

The Medical Advisory Board members specialize in various areas of medicine. Their collec-

Value added individual fitness and health right here in town Howaida Sorour-Roberts When Marilyn Dunlay realized that she was having trouble getting out of a chair without supporting herself she knew she had to do something.

“I was 71 years old and getting weaker and realized I was going in the wrong direction,” said Dunlay.

She had seen ads for Natatia’s One-on-One fitness in Smiths Falls, and decided to give it a try.

“I felt comfortable with her immediately,” Dunlay says.

A year later and Dunlay says she’s stronger and has more energy than she’s ever had in her life!

“I felt older than 71 when I started but I don’t feel that way anymore,” she says.

Located at the Gallipeau Centre in the newly-opened fitness wing, Natatia’s Oneon-One Fitness is a brightly-lit cheery space accented by bright energizing colours.

As the name indicates the business specializes in oneon-one individually tailored fitness training with instructor Natatia Gemmell.

“At the beginning I usually

focus on corrective exercises to work on individual imbalances, because correcting the imbalances early on, will make future exercise easier and prevent injury,” says Gemmell.

A former fitness model with an infectious passion for fitness and health, Gemmell has both the credentials and the personality to help and motivate others.

“Give me five more – I hear it in my dreams,” chuckles Susan Parsons, a client in her 50s. “She’s a good motivator, and gets you to do things you never thought possible.”

She never raises her voice but nobody ever seems to ague with her when she pushes a little harder. Her magnificent physique undoubtedly helps and her enthusiasm and positive attitude don’t hurt either.

“She’s good, she’s fun and even manages to make it fun for me to give her my money,” says Andy Moxley writer and gentleman with a passion for military re-enactments, who lost a leg a few years ago.

Moxley joined Natatia’s Oneon-One fitness six months ago with a goal of weight loss.

When asked if he’s achieving his goals he seems surprised

613-283-5941

tive expertise guides Tweed’s approach to medical education and provides the company with insight into the medical community.

In conjunction with a number of other Licensed Producers, Tweed is also co-sponsoring through an unrestricted grant, a 5-City CME program to be held in February-March 2015 in partnership with the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids (CCIC).

These collective efforts will encourage informed, fact-based dialogue around the emerging marijuana industry and the best medical applications.

“Six months ago, accessing medical marijuana changed dramatically for Canadians allowing Tweed to lead the sector as it grows. At the end of the day, Tweed wants to facilitate the conversations that keep that momentum going,” Linton said.

Background Information: • Tweed is a licensed producer of marijuana under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes

Coach b column

HOWAIDA SOROUR-ROBERTS/PHOTO

Natatia Gemmell demonstrates and explains a new exercise with client Susan Parsons during one of their sessions in the cheery, bright, workout studio at Natatia’s One on One Fitness, at the Gallipeau Centre.

to admit that there has been some progress.

“I believe it’s doing good, I have a pair of pants that are too large now, and it’s undoubtedly getting easier, she’s also on my case for all the bad stuff I eat,” says Moxley.

That’s the other side of Gemmell’s business. Unlike many fitness trainers Gemmell doesn’t push supplements or weight loss foods, she just thoughtfully educates her clients on healthy nutrition.

“I work with each individual on nutrition to help them find the right foods that are suited to them,” says Gemmell.

Her clients, if they’re interested, can take advantage of her value-added nutritional expertise and start by filling out a nutrition log, recording everything they consume every day. It doesn’t take long, says Gem613-796-4226 mell for her and her clients to figure

out what nutrients they’re missing or over consuming.

“When I started I didn’t know I was sensitive to a lot of foods,” says Dunlay, but a year with Gemmell has shown her the foods that her body tolerates the best and the ones that she should avoid.

Again as with everything else she does, Gemmell is not pushy – just persuasive in a pleasantly dynamic way.

While the bulk of her business is carefully calibrated individual training, she also does small group training.

This can take the form of couples or groups of four, up to 10 individuals.

“I will train a group together but still maintain the individual focus and lead each to their goals,” explains Gemmell.

No slouch herself, her clear skin, bright eyes and figure are testaments to her hard work and dedication to her craft.

She’s always adding to her certifications and actively expanding her knowledge of the field she’s chosen or, perhaps more accurately, that’s chosen her.

There is no such thing as a bully. That’s our goal right?

That is the endgame - to eliminate bullying, to make it extinct?

Sounds good.

But it’s never going to happen, so give it up.

If we keep making our children vulnerable and weak by not allowing them to stand up for themselves, we’ll just create more prey for the predators to hunt.

When we remove their ability to stand up for themselves, it will: 1: Kill their ability to be strong, 2: Eliminate their ability to overcome obstacles, 3: Empower a victim mindset, 4: Weaken problem solving skills, 5: Propagate the “bully” mindset as ‘the bully wins’ in this scenario.

They are so powerful that no one can stand up to them and the school or an adult has to step in - especially if we keep labelling kids as bullies every single time they do something mean.

Hey, true story, sometimes kids are mean to each other.

It doesn’t automatically make them a bully. So don’t say they are “bullying” if it is an isolated incident. Some kids are just mean, or jerks or anti-social sometimes. Remember when we were kids? The bully was well known because it was an ongoing pattern of behavior.

Now anyone can be considered a bully.

Children are experiencing anxiety, depression and sui-

Regulations.

• Head office, R&D facility and indoor production area is located in the former Hershey Chocolate factory in Smiths Falls, ON and started shipping premium marijuana to registered patients in May 2014.

• Tweed Farms, the company’s second production facility is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON in a greenhouse roughly the size of 8 football fields.

Through its acquisition of the Tweed Farms facility, Tweed has become the first geographically diversified, multi-location, multi-licensed public operation in Canada.

• We went public on April 4th, the first Canadian company to do so. We are listed on the TSX Venture board (TWD).

• Tweed has engaged the executive recruiting firm Stonewood Group to identify a permanent Chief Executive Officer.

For more information, visit www.tweed.com.

SOURCE Tweed Marijuana Inc. cidal tendencies in epidemic proportions. Is this because bullying has gotten so out of hand, or is it because we don’t teach our children to be strong enough to deal with the hardships that life will definitely present them in the future?

Are we, as a society, making our children so politically correct and sensitive that they are fragile?

I can’t say for sure, but I know that the best way to avoid making people a potential victim or target is not to focus on turning everyone around them into a potential bully, but by making your child strong and confident.

There is only one person I trust to handle and deal with a bullying situation appropriately - that person is the child itself. I want their actions and reactions to be something that they will be comfortable with on a physical, emotional, moral and intellectual level.

I want my child to feel like they can fend for themselves.

Stop protecting your children. Teach them how to protect themselves.

Every time you fight a battle for them, every time you don’t let them figure something out for themselves, every time you do not encourage them to solve the problem in front of them, to face the obstacles in their path you take away their strength and it in turn passes the power to the obstacle.

It empowers fear.

False Evidence Appearing Real (F.E.A.R.) Give them a chance to be strong and innovative, I guarantee they will surprise you.

Nov./Dec. 2014

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lifestyle

Be part of organizing team for 2015 Relay For Life in Smiths Falls If you would like to be part of an enthusiastic team working on an exciting event in support of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), consider becoming a member of the Steering Committee for the Relay For Life (RFL) in Smiths Falls.

With plans just commencing for the 2015 RFL, which will take place on Saturday, June 13, the following positions still need to be filled on the Steering Committee: • Online/Offline Fundraising Coach • Fight Back Zone – Educational displays and activities • Activities Children and Adult • Logistics • Parking and Campsites • Accounting • Information “The Relay Steering Committee is the committee that organizes and sets up, with the help of others, each year’s Relay,” explained Bill McNicol, Chair of the 2015 RFL in Smiths Falls. “Without this committee, there would be no Relay. We meet once a month to plan the event. You will work behind the scenes on your own area and bring back to the committee your

ideas and put your input into the overall event.”

RFL is an inspirational, non-competitive, 12-hour fundraising event that brings the community together to celebrate life and fight cancer.

All proceeds raised from the event go to the CCS to assist with cancer research and support the many programs that the society’s Leeds, Grenville and Lanark community office offers to those who have cancer, cancer survivors and caregivers.

Having been part of Relay for many years, McNicol can attest to what an amazing experience it is to be involved in the organizing of this event and encourages others to come forward to volunteer of their time and talents on the Steering Committee.

“I find it very rewarding,” he said, “to know you are doing something to help eradicate cancer and bring people together for this very worthy cause.”

For further information on how to become a member, contact the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Community Office of the CCS at 613-2671058 (toll-free 1-800-3672913) or email lanarklg@ ontario.ca.

writer in the woods sabrina bedford As the name of my column suggests, I live in the middle of the woods.

This was a recent and transformative change in my life, as I lived the majority of my 20s in the downtown neighbourhoods of Ottawa and Kingston. By the end of my time in the city I was extremely ready to leave its fast-paced atmosphere and plant some roots somewhere quieter.

Now, as I write this, I’m surrounded by thousands of acres of Canadian forest while the first major dumping of snow slowly, quietly falls from the sky - a beauty I can’t describe with words. As a human, in general, I feel inspired by the serenity of my surroundings. I’m grateful to experience things like the four totally different atmospheres of each passing season all while being immersed in the beauty nature.

Because of this, I spend a lot of my time outside, so when I decide I want to be entertained, it’s more of a conscious effort than ever before. When I decide I want to read the news, I choose my sources and I can decide for myself what I deem to be newsworthy.

In the 24-hour news cycle of cable news and the Internet, it’s hard to distinguish between what’s news and what’s filler, and the overpopulation of useless information often blurs the line between fact and fiction. Because of this and oth-

er reasons, I don’t have cable television anymore. I know this is something that a lot of people are doing but I truly recommend it.

The unrelenting silence of my forest has made me more conscious of the entertainment I consume, because when I want to hear noise, basically, I’m going make a deliberate effort to make sure it’s something I want to hear.

Take listening to the radio for example.

Now when I hear new music, I feel like I do so with a shift in perspective. Listening to Top-40 songs after taking a lengthy and intentional break from pop culture allowed me to hear what the songs were actually saying. While some songs are undeniably catchy and others are downright amazing, there seems to be an underlying, unspoken theme of objectifying women from both male and female singers.

Even songs that are guised as body positive anthems don’t exactly hit the mark for me. For instance, when I first heard Meghan Trainor’s song All About That Bass, I really wanted to like it. And I tried, because it’s at least bringing up the conversation of unrealistic beauty expectations.

But after hearing the song only once from beginning to end, I wasn’t fooled by its positive façade. In fact I was kind of mortified.

The song is seemingly-positive, telling women to accept their bodies in a world

that otherwise doesn’t. Great idea, and initially, this is what it seems to portray.

However, laced in between the false probody message, she insults “skinny b*tches” and implies they’re less desirable to men.

Um, where did that come from? How is that supposed to promote the notion of loving yourself? What about the people that are naturally a size 0 and don’t have the body type you’re preaching to be the best? And why measure your worth on whether men find you desirable - let alone promote the idea and label it positive to your impressionable audience?

Body positivity is a complicated subject, and not one to be tackled without a morsel of thought.

Trainor was also quoted in an interview as saying “I wasn’t strong enough to have an eating disorder. I tried to go anorexic for a good three hours,” she said. “I ate ice and celery, but that’s not even anorexic.

And I quit. I was like, ‘Ma, can you make me a sandwich? Like, immediately.’”

This mindset proves that she doesn’t understand the delicacy of the subject matter; treating mental illness like a weight-loss trend isn’t something you should be proud of or joke about. So taking her seriously for even a minute was obviously just a waste of time.

I’m turning off my radio again for a while.

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culture

The Ivy on William

JASON CODE/PHOTOS

Fifty years after the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, Replay the Beatles was a big hit right here in Smiths Falls at the Gallipeau Centre Theatre! Here’s just a couple of our photos from the well-attended event.

Sabrina Bedford Nestled in its humble yet established home, The Ivy on William radiates with historical significance.

You’ve seen it before – chances are you drive past it every day. What you don’t see, however, is the bustling activity happening behind the doors of the once- forgotton building.

Don’t let the age of the building fool you - with over $200,000 invested in restoring the old Presbyterian church, the owners have completely reimagined the space, bringing it from an old, forgotten building into the 21st century.

“It was important for us to not only preserve but enhance the historical qualities of the building,” said Amy Rensby, co-owner of the new multi-purpose facility on William Street West.

Rensby’s business partner, Darlene Maclachlan, has moved her popular yoga and Crossfit classes into this new building in an effort to offer all of her services under the same roof.

The property had been on the market for a while when the two stumbled across the listing. Their combined love of restoring historical buildings

and an underlying love for all things health and wellness, the two decided to team up and offer something you can’t find anywhere else in Smiths Falls - An event hall, yoga and fitness studio, and commercial kitchen for catering all under one roof. The facility is accessible with a ramp at the entrance and bathroom, and has a seated capacity of 150 and standing 190.

The building’s unassuming frontage opens into a grand hall, elegantly lit by sunlight as it passes through 14 original stained-glass windows.

The facility offers an interesting array of services, and there are five individual businesses operating under the Ivy’s roof: The Yoga and Wellness Studio, Evolve Fitness, Crossfit Conexus, Magnolia Catering and Event Creations, and Eat Smarter, Feel Better. It also doubles as an event hall with its ideal location for possible business meeting needs or community gathering.

As you can imagine, a lot happens under the roof on any given day.

While Maclachlan’s side of the business is the fitness-oriented, Rensby’s involvement is with the catering and food.

She is certainly involved in fitness, as she’s certified to teach yoga and

TRX, but a recent food poisoning scare led her to re-evaluate her eating habits, sparking an interest she didn’t really know she had.

This experience inspired her to eat real food more often, which spawned Eat Smarter, Feel Better as well as Magnolia Catering and Event Creations.

She said these businesses were merely side projects until The Ivy became a reality, noting her first big gig was catering the Tweed grand opening. It’s snowballed from there.

“I quit my IT job,” she said with a huge smile on her face. “My intention was to do it part time, but I can’t believe how busy I’ve been. Everything that’s come up, we’ve been able to accommodate.”

She also holds workshops and seminars focusing on being a support system for people who want to make a lifestyle change, but don’t know how.

“It has nothing to do with willpower,” said Rensby. “It’s about coming up with a framework in which people can realisitically work.”

For more information on The Ivy on William, including a calendar with upcoming events like this, please visit their website at www.theivyonwilliam.ca.

SABRINA BEDFORD/PHOTOS

Above: Darlene Maclachlan (left) and Amy Rensby take a break from their busy night at The Ivy on William’s Grand Opening on Nov. 15. The event was held in the hall of their venue on William Street West, and was catered

by Magnolia Catering & Event Creations. The co-owners have invested around $200,000 into renovating the old Presbyterian Church into a yoga studio and gym, event hall with a full chef ’s kitchen for catering events.

7 Russell Street West . Smiths Falls Ontario

dawnscloset@hotmail.com

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culture

MOVIE NIGHTS AT STATION THEATRE: JERSEY BOYS On Nov. 21 and 22, The Station Theatre in Smiths Falls is showing the excellent new movie Jersey Boys. It’s a musical biography of the Four Seasons, which tells the story of the rise, the tough times and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation.

Far from a mere tribute concert (though it does include numbers from the popular Four Seasons songbook such as Sherry, Walk Like A Man, Big Girls Don’t Cry, and Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You), Jersey Boys gets to the heart of the relationships at the centre of the group. The central focus is front

man Frankie Valli, the small kid with the big falsetto. In addition to following the quartet’s coming of age as performers, the show is about how allegiance to a code of honour learned in the streets of their native New Jersey got them through a multitude of challenges: gambling debts, Ma-

of bringing that big screen movie experience to every viewer. The unique design of the auditorium ensures that all seats are obstruction free and as comfortable as an easy chair at home.

Tickets for Jersey Boys, sold only at the door for cash, are $10 for adults, $5 for students with ID. The Station Theatre

fia threats and family disasters. The movie is directed by Clint Eastwood.

The Station Theatre, located at 53 Victoria Avenue, has a 14-foot screen with a state of the art Panasonic projector system that produces a high definition picture quality with surround sound audio capable

invites patrons to keep in touch with all of its upcoming shows, plays, great movies, and special events. Simply sign up for the e-newsletter through a visit to their website at www.smithsfallstheatre.com.

Submitted by the Smiths Falls Community Theatre.

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Editor - Sabrina Bedford email: sabrina@pdgmedia.ca Reporters: Amy Hogue Howaida Sorour-Roberts

photographers: Jason Code Ryan Holland

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84 Lorne St. Smiths Falls, ON. K7A 2A5 Phone: (613) 206-0708 Fax: (613) 284-1094

Nov./Dec. 2014

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culture

Cast of Station Theatre’s Jack and the Beanstock to join in Santa Claus Parade The Smiths Falls Station Theatre is busy preparing for the upcoming holiday season with the production of a pantomime with appeal for the entire family.

This year it’s Ben Crocker’s adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk, complete with side-splitting gags, dancing and familiar songs.

Jack and the Beanstalk is a play with great appeal for young people. And the children of Smiths Falls will have a chance to meet some of the characters they’ll see later on the stage in the town’s Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 22, 2014. It’s a kickoff to the holiday season and The Station Theatre will be entering a float advertising the play. Cast members will be waving to the crowd and handing out little bags of jelly beans to help promote the production. The parade and the pantomime itself promise a good time for young and old alike.

The pantomime opens with the wicked Giant Blunderbore terrorizing the land and with poor Jack and his mum being hit with hard times. Trying to make ends meet, the family decides to sell their beloved cow, Daisy. When Jack comes home with gold coins that turn into worthless beans, the magic really starts.

The first time she saw it, director Emily Duberville said of the production, “the casting just fell into place with the appearance of some old hands as well as some new faces.”

Mike Adams is returning as the Dame, a male cast in a female role in the best tradition of the English pantomime. He will be joined by other highly amusing and talented principals. Bethany Duberville, who “acts because she loves it,” has

WWW.SMITHSFALLSTHEATRE.COM/PHOTO

been cast as the Princess.

She’s had numerous parts as a chorus member over the last five years, but this is her first lead role. Jenny Jasiak, age 15, has been cast in the leading role of Jack.

Although young, Jenny has had much experience within the theatre - in fact she’s been in 15 plays in total, four of them pantomimes.

Nick Ritchie, another local talent playing the Giant, has had previous roles in several major productions.

Nicki Hayes joins the cast as Flunkit. She most recently had a role in Funny Money and co-directed Educating Rita. Heather Mitchell Adams, who plays Edena The Eco-Fairy, is excited about the part she will play and is very much looking forward to her first production. Shawna Merkley and Sheila Jasiak will strut their stuff as the front and back end of Daisy the cow.

In the British style of pantomime, everyone is expected to join in the fun

of heckling the villains and urging on the good guys.

All this hilarity will be supported by two chorus groups: The Villagers and the ever funny Cockroaches who keep up a commentary on the antics of the main characters.

This year’s production will run on the evenings of Dec. 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 7.30 p.m. There will be two matinée performances on Dec. 7 and 14 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students with ID, with special group rates also available. Call The Station Theatre at 613-2830300 for details. Tickets can be purchased at Special Greetings, 8 Russell St. East, (cash only), from our website smithsfallstheatre.com, by phone at 613-283-0300, or at the door half an hour before the performance (subject to availability and cash only).

Submitted by the Smiths Falls Community Theatre.

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

Longtime Mayor of Smiths Falls, Dennis Staples (left) congratulates Mayor-elect Shawn Pankow on his election night win at the Community Centre upstairs. Staples will officially give up his title to Pankow at a Dec. 1 ceremony.

www.discoversmithsfalls.ca

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culture

My Town’s Got Talent winners revealed

were Jessica Judd from Carleton Place, Clifford Glas from Smiths Falls and Breanne Murray from Almonte. The audience warmly welcomed back to MTGT the original Host and creator of the event, Jeff Gourgon, who announced that Clifford Glas won the hearts of the audience, with Breanne and Jessica following up.

“This was the second year for the host contest at the Finale and all three performed exceptionally well,” said Bindhardt.

“The contest allowed us to showcase youth in another role on stage. Radio hosts

in Lanark better watch out with these three out there.”

As the second part of the evening started, winning host Clifford Glas took over and introduced each of the final five acts, as they tried to win the audience’s hearts and votes with their second performance of the evening. During the counting of the ballots, Danny Albert, twice a top five finalist, returned to the MTGT stage for a spirited fiddle performance. Albert is currently rehearsing with the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society for their upcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof as,

of course, the fiddler – the show takes place in November at Centrepointe Theatre.

After Albert’s appearance, Bindhardt took to the stage to announce the winner of the logo design contest for the Human Library Project, sponsored by the United Way and the five libraries in Lanark County.

“A panel of librarians and artist Jessica Plager from JB Arts judged the designs, and selected the winner, Christian Van Campen of Almonte, with Liam Ryan of Carleton Place in second, followed

by Zach Dods of Almonte in third place,” said Fraser Scantlebury, Show Producer and Executive Director of the United Way Lanark County.

Finally, it was time to announce the winners of the 2014 MTGT Fifth Year Finale.

Drumroll, please.

The audience voted duo Sara and Isaac as the overall winner, with fiddler Jessica Wedden second, composer and animator Zach Dods third, singer Emily Richardson fourth, with singer Madelyn Fyfe taking fifth spot. As part of the prize package for wining, Sara & Isaac won two return tickets from Smiths Falls to Toronto courtesy of VIA Rail Canada, along with a complimentary two-night stay, courtesy of Toronto’s Fairmount Royal York Hotel.

“It was a great show, and all of the youth did an outstanding job for the audience, in all categories,” said Scantlebury. “It just proves how much talent we have here in the County.

Some of the MTGT top five finalists will be performing at upcoming events in the County.

Submitted by United Way Lanark County.

Additional relief for taxpayers with disabilities

STEP 3: With the T2201 approved and on file at CRA, you are now able to claim any of the credits or deductions that are restricted to taxpayers with disabilities.

If CRA approves the T2201 for any previous years, an adjustment may be completed for up to the past 10 years. If you are familiar with the process, you can do an adjustment yourself, or you can seek the help of a tax professional for as little as $30.

Looking at the most common credit, the disability amount, you can save you up to $1,559 in 2014 - or even more if you are paying the Ontario surtax. To benefit from the disability amount, you must be taxable – if you’re not sure, check line 435 of your Notice of Assessment.

If you are unable to use all or some of your disability amount, you can transfer it to a spouse or other supporting person who is providing you with financial support. In the 2002 court case of Courser v. The

Queen, the taxpayer’s claim for her grandmother was disallowed because she was not dependent on the taxpayer for any of the basic necessities of life. Though the court acknowledged that the taxpayer did assist her grandmother with errands and appointments, this was not sufficient to claim the unused portion of the disability amount.

This article provides only an

overview of the regulations in force at the date of publication, and no action should be taken without consulting the detailed legislation or seeking professional advice. Therefore, no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the material contained in this bulletin can be accepted

by Steve Bennett or H&R Block Canada, Inc.

There was a charge in the air at the Gallipeau Centre Theatre on Nov. 1 for the Fifth Year Finale of My Town’s Got Talent (MTGT).

It was a tough choice, but the celebrity judges managed to select the Top 5 from among 15 outstanding youth performances, and then it was up to the audience to select the final winner, along with the top host. During the evening, MTGT also announced the winner of the logo design contest for the Human Library project.

“It was an outstanding field this year,” said Artistic Director Christy Bindhardt. “One of the best groups of talent I have seen in the five years [of the competition]. [There were] Solo singers, duos, a trio, several Broadway musical presentations, a magician, and even a comedy act, making it a really tough choice for the judges to select the final five,” she said.

The judging team was made up of Catherine Clark from Almonte, who’s an actor and musician currently starring in Fiddler on the Roof in Ottawa; long-time Carleton Place MUDDs music director Laurel Tye; Montague Reeve and musician Bill Dobson; Lake 88’s Brian Perkin and Smiths Falls Mayor and musician Den-

WWW.MTGT.ORG/PHOTO

nis Staples. After a lengthy discussion, the judges chose five finalists.

They selected Madelyn Fyfe, Emily Richardson, Jessica Wedden, Zach Dods and the duo of Sara Milligan & Isaac Matthews-Hanna. All of the top-five contestants were from Perth, with the exceptions of Dods and Milligan who both come from Almonte.

While the judges were deliberating on the final five, the MTGT Team were counting the audience votes for Best Host from the three finalists. The finalists for this category

disability and taxes

STEVE BENNETT

Senior Tax Professional There are various tax breaks available to taxpayers with disabilities: the disability amount, additional medical expenses, the disability supports deduction, the child disability benefit, the WITB disability supplement, and the Registered Disability Savings Plan, to name a few. They are designed to help compensate Canadians with disabilities, and those who support them, for the extra expenses they are expected to incur.

For tax purposes, a disability is a severe and prolonged impairment which makes basic activities very difficult or time-consuming, even with therapy and aids. The taxpayer or their dependent must be severely restricted in any or some combination of the following areas: vision, mobility, speech, hearing, personal care activities, or

mental capacity.

Over the years, there have been new rules and court interpretations that have relaxed the criteria as to what constitutes a disability. For instance, diabetics have previously only qualified if they received life-sustaining therapy at least three times a week for a total of 14 hours. The rules regarding what qualifies as life-sustaining therapy have been expanded to include monitoring of blood sugar levels and dosage requirements, so more sufferers of diabetes now qualify.

The amount of money involved in some of these claims is substantial, so a number of businesses have popped up to help Canadians get these credits. The government has taken issue with some companies who charge a substantial percentage of the refunds obtained, which can add up to thousands of dollars.

To help protect disabled

taxpayers by restricting these fees and making the process simpler, the government is in the process of implementing the Disability Tax Credit Promoters Restrictions Act. Understandably, you probably want to avoid the aforementioned fees, so here is how you can get these credits for free or nearly so.

STEP 1: If you think you may meet the general criteria, have a medical practitioner complete Form T2201 – the Disability Tax Credit Certificate. It is a questionnaire that must be completed by your doctor or a specialist in the relevant field, and the practitioner usually charges a nominal fee.

STEP 2: Submit the completed T2201 to CRA. They will notify you when they have determined whether your disability meets their criteria and for which tax years you are eligible.

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food & drink a

Amsterdam: Banana Pankcakes

taste of Europe...

paris: Meat & Cheese Platter

brussels: Waffles

bruges: Beer

FOOD FOR THOUGHT OUR REGULAR SERIES ABOUT FOOD & DRINK-RELATED TOPICS. BECAUSE WHO DOESN’T LOVE FOOD?

‘Tis the season for squash

amy rensby Whether it’s butternut, acorn, delicata or summer, squash is a vegetable you can incorporate into just about any meal.

Whether it’s roasted as a side dish, blended in a soup or steamed and mashed, it’s easy to enjoy the delicate flavours of this fantastic vegetable.

Not only does squash taste great, but it’s also a healthy addition to your regular menu lineup. It is naturally low in calories and fat, while offering nutritional benefits including vitamins A and C as well as magnesium and potassium.

When selecting squash, look for ones without any blemishes or bruising and that feel heavy for their size.

Our 2 favourite varieties during the win-

ter months are butternut and acorn squash. When cooking these, we like to keep it simple and roast squash whole.

Pierce the squash with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife and place in a lightly oiled roasting pan.

Roast in a 350°F – 375°F oven for about 60 minutes, or until the middle of the squash feels soft when poked with a knife or fork. Let the squash cool, slice it in half and remove the seeds and

pulp from the center, just like cleaning out a pumpkin.

Spoon the squash into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Jazz it up by adding a dash of nutmeg and some butter, maybe even some local maple syrup. Mash and serve as a side dish. And most of all – enjoy!

Happy eating!

Amy Rensby is the owner of Magnolia Catering and Event Creations in Smiths Falls. www.magnoliacreations.ca

Please recycle this paper

Perfect

Thyming

Every Saturday

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explore Viewpoint: A LOCAL OPINION ON A GLOBAL ISSUE

ISIS a ‘different kettle of fish’

hOwaida sorour-roberts Canada is at war. On Oct. 7, Canada officially declared war on the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). Two weeks later, two soldiers were targeted by what appear to be freelance terrorists.

Will such incidents be repeated? Quite likely, even the federal government in its own Counterterrorism Strategy stated that “Terrorism will remain a dominant feature of the national security landscape for the foreseeable future.”

We know that while global counterterrorism apparatuses will be able to stop many plots, there will be a few that slip under the radar. Freelancers like the ones who stole the lives of WO Patrice Vincent , and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo too easily fall between the cracks.

Here in Canada we’ve been lucky so far. Not anymore.

This group they call ISIS is a different kettle of fish than its predecessors such as Al Qaeda, or the Brotherhood.

These guys are tech savvy and social media is their playground. Their funding is limitless and global through their online presence – check out their store! Meanwhile here at home we have far too many disenfranchised youth and a sorely-beleaguered mental health system that can’t help, much less prevent those most vulnerable and occasionally dangerous like the Ottawa shooter.

The trick for us as a nation will be to walk that fine line between vigilance and freedom. The moment we let down our guard, ISIS wins.

If we overreact, ISIS wins.

There will be changes to our collective landscape, we will see increased security around high-profile targets including crowd events, but we must

be very careful because it’s a slippery slope from openness and trust to police state.

Already individual rights are threatened, as anyone with a Middle Eastern background can attest. Most of us don’t mind, in part because we understand the difficulty and though we hate being painted with the same brush, ours is a fatalistic culture and we’re too willing to accept a responsibility that isn’t ours to take on.

While everyone is willing to accept heightened security at border crossings, people of colour and people of Middle Eastern descent are subjected to far more humiliation and scrutiny than the rest of the public. Understandable? Yes. But it does mean that our rights as Canadian citizens are somehow less than those of other ethnic backgrounds. So right there ISIS has claimed its first victory.

How we respond now is key. The word ‘resilience’ crops up again and again in the narrative discourse, but how does it play out? It’s relatively easy to suggest that we can mitigate the impacts of a terrorist attack by

quickly returning to normal life. Now tell that to the families of the innocent victims of a terror attack.

Perhaps more importantly we need to take the threat of ISIS and use that threat to propel us to deal with the ills

of our society. Only when we’ve fixed our mental health system, only when we’ve confronted and addressed poverty and the disenfranchisement of our youth do we stand a chance against these people.

As long as they can recruit

new members within our borders we will continue to lose freedoms and rights as we waste resources reacting to situations instead of channelling our energies into making our home a safe place for everyone.

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Nov./Dec. 2014

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www.discoversmithsfalls.ca

spotlight on business

CRUMMY MEDIA/PHOTO

Digital marketing strategy for your business Sherry Crummy Crummy Media

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Making your business stand out online takes a well thought out Digital Strategy Plan.

Digital marketing: everyone now knows they should be using it to promote their business. However, many business owners are lost in the buzzwords of the Internet and the constant changes to the tools. Digital marketing is both the most easily-producible and easily-accessible mode of promoting your business, but many don’t know where or how to implement a strategy.

Your customers and potential customers are utilizing social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, among others, every day. It is vital for every business, regardless of its size, products or services, to embark on a digital marketing campaign since content is king in this cyber era.

A successful digital marketing strategy varies from business to business, and there’s always some customization involved. But there are four main pillars upon which a successful digital marketing strategy is built.

Your Website is your Hub A successful digital marketing strategy all starts with your website. A good website is better than a social media page. It’s important to have a high quality website design rather than a cheap website. It’s something you own and control, which you can use to market yourself in exactly the way you choose rather than being at the whim of someone else’s platform. And of course, a website with a domain you own always does better in the search rankings than anything else.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO is an enigmatic topic, and everyone seems to have their own idea about what it does and how Google’s algorithm works.

SEO involves both on-site and off-site opti-

mization. In other words, you’ll need a website built in a way which makes it the most receptive to taking advantage of the power of external online properties. Backlinks originate from social media, high profile websites somehow related to your market, and other content marketing outlets such as press release websites.

Content Marketing Content marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The word “content” in the context of a successful online marketing strategy refers to articles, videos, blog posts and images from your business. Of the elements that Google takes into consideration when deciding search rankings, content affects two of them: the size of your website, and the frequency with which it’s updated.

To Google, the larger a website is the more likely it will be to have what you’re looking for. And a regularly updated website will be more likely to have up to date, relevant information about the search. So a successful online marketing strategy will be focused on growing your website, and growing it on a regular basis.

Social Media Marketing Most people spend a huge amount of time on social media today. With smart phones in our pockets, we always have access to it. If you can create a page with interesting content for people to follow, you’ll end up staying more in the minds of people. Your brand will be more ever-present. And so when people see your content showing up in their news feed every day, they’ll start to think of you as the go-to authority on whatever it is you do. And when they need someone who does what you do, you’ll be the first person who comes to mind!

Those are some of the critical components of a digital marketing strategy. Please follow me online www.crummymedia.com for more Digital Marketing advice and to share your ideas.

Nov./Dec. 2014

22

www.discoversmithsfalls.ca

spotlight on business

Starter Company Program offers Business Assistance for Young Entrepreneurs There is a new opportunity now available for youth who are interested in or who are thinking of entrepreneurship. The Small Business Advisory Centre (SBAC) of Smiths Falls and Lanark County, in partnership with the Province of Ontario, is currently running a new program called Starter Company, which provides young entrepreneurs with training and support to help them start, expand, or launch their business.

This new program is free and is targeted to individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 who are not attending school full time.

The Starter Company program offers training workshops, one-on-one business consultations, mentorship, and the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $5,000 to use within their business venture. The Starter Company is funded by the Ontario government as part of the Youth Jobs Strategy (YJS) and the ‘Ready. Set. Work.’ campaign. The YJS is part of the govern-

ment’s economic plan to create jobs for today and tomorrow.

Currently, the Starter Company program is up and running in the Lanark County and Smiths Falls area with five young entrepreneurs participating in the program and developing their business ideas. They have been taking part in consultations and training workshops, and when their business skills training is complete they are eligible to apply for funding of up to $5,000 towards their start-up costs.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to helping local youth turn their dreams of entrepreneurship in to a reality with the Starter Company program,” said Shannon McLellan, Client & Youth Co-coordinator at the SBAC. The Starter Company program intends to be an opportunity to support local youth who are seeking to become self-employed or expand their business, and to strength-

local business: art journey

en the local economy.

“There are so many young energetic entrepreneurs in this area, but don’t necessarily know how to get started or how to write a business plan properly,” said Cindy James, the manager at the SBAC. “This program offers them access to knowledge, mentors and the possibility of funding, while our region will benefit from their enthusiasm and inspiring ideas.”

The next Starter Company intake will commence in February 2015. We will be providing monthly information sessions for youth and for local service providers, so contact us if you would like to take part in any of the sessions. If you are interested in learning more about applying for this opportunity, please contact the Small Business Advisory Centre @ 613283-7002 ext. 108/109 or email Shannon McLellan at smallbusiness@smallbizcentre.ca.

SANDRA SCHOENHERR/PHOTO

Bryan Taylor (Pictured above) poses with his hand-carved art at the Smiths Falls Art Journey. The annual event, which took place at the Community Centre on Nov. 1, showcased art from local artists

What is the Cloud?

Bryan Mckay

If you go to Google and look for definitions of “the Cloud” or “Cloud Computing,” you’re sure to come across terms like Platform as a Service, Software as a Service, or other terms that probably mean nothing to you.

Quite frankly, unless you are in the technology business, these terms will be of very little use to you. They certainly won’t help you run your business more effectively or reduce costs. And yet that is exactly the promise of the Cloud and Cloud Computing. But what is the cloud?

I am the proud owner of an Apple MacBook Pro. I’ve had it for several years now and it’s performed beautifully.

The idea of installing software on servers has given way to the idea of “Cloud Computing” and I now work for a company that is a

partner of Google, arguably one of the leading companies in the Cloud Computing business.

While the nature of computing and the nature of my work have changed, I still need a computer to work with. When I originally bought my laptop, everything I needed ran on my laptop.

All the software I needed was on my laptop and so was my data, documents and even email. I have a home network and on that network is a file server and a utility for storing my backups. The whole setup was very much like my client’s data centres - in the event of disaster, everything was secure and backed up and I could fully recover.

When I moved into the cloud computing business the applications I worked with changed. I no longer have applications I install on my laptop. And I don’t store data on my laptop. All the applications now run in my browser and my data is

stored on servers somewhere in “the cloud”.

My laptop is now little more than a portal or window into the cloud. It is simply a device to run the browser so I can access the applications and data I need to do my work (the applications I use are Google Apps and Hangouts).

A couple of weeks ago disaster struck. My faithful MacBook Pro failed. It wouldn’t even start. Like all faithful MacBook Pro owners I booked my appointment at the Apple Genius Bar. The service was awesome but the best they could do was wipe the hard drive and reinstall the OS. Everything was lost… Almost!

The truth is this - nothing was lost except the time to drive into Ottawa and head to the Genius Bar. The folks at the Genius bar got my Mac back up and running. I got my browser reinstalled and in no time I was connected to Google Apps again. Nothing

lost. And I picked up exactly where I left off. I don’t even need to back up my laptop any more. In fact I don’t even need to run my home server any more. I only need a simple device to act as a portal to my applications and data in the cloud (note - I’m not referring to the web here since cloud-based apps are more than just web sites).

Drawing a parallel to power generation of a hundred years ago, the browser is a portal to an entirely new form of inexpensive computing power just like the plug in the wall has become a portal to the centralized supply of cheap power.

And that’s what the cloud is all about. The cloud is about a new way of working and a new form of computing. You

don’t have to worry about computers, networks, laptops, desktops, servers, security, applications to install and a host of other concerns. Cloud computing is a service and the service is computing itself in it’s multitude of forms. Just imagine what that could mean to your and your business.

No more servers to buy.

No more applications to install. No more setting up, provisioning, maintaining applications and computing equipment. A simple inexpensive laptop, netbook or Chromebook and a wireless network connection is enough to give anyone or any organization access to the same kind of computing power only the largest companies could afford in the past.

It used to be that infor-

mation technology gave companies competitive advantage because those who were visionaries and who had the budgets could buy the technology that increased productivity by a factor of 10x.

Today technology is simply part of the cost of doing business and the advantage goes the those who have the foresight to find the lowest cost alternatives that give them the same capabilities bigger and more affluent competitors have. Just like the centralized production of electricity in the past, this is the promise of cloud computing today.

Cloud computing is about economics.

Nov./Dec. 2014

23

www.discoversmithsfalls.ca

classiďŹ eds/directory birthdays & anniversaries KENDRA PILKINGTON

CHRIS ATKINS

THERESA GRIFFITH

AUDREY BEDFORD December 8

Happy Birthday Mum/Grammy!

We love you!

December 4 Happy Birthday to a wonderful coworker! May your future be full of amazing things! Jean :)

December 18 December 19

Happy Birthday to a wonderful and

Happy 11th Birthday to our favourite girl in the world!

crazy sister and aunt!

Love Gramma, Pops, Sabrina, Becky and Sean

Love Mark & Jean

RON & BEV GAIN December 2, 2014

Happy 40th Anniversary

We are so proud to have you as parents!

Love Kyle, Rachael and Jason

PHONE: (613) 284-9826 ADMIN@PDGMEDIA.CA

Love Mark, Jean, Becky, Sabrina and Sean

Information Technology Solutions SIGN

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