Discover Smiths Falls - Hometown News December 2014

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Council gives green light to proposed plastics plant AMY HOGUE In a 5-1 recorded vote on Dec. 15, Smiths Falls council voted to approve the Summit Energy zoning by-law amendment to allow for a plastics-to-fu-

el oil conversion plant at 1 Hershey Drive.

The Dec. 15 council meeting became heated and needed to be called to order as those in opposition and support of the development voiced their

differing opinions. Montague Reeve Bill Dobson, was one of many who attended the meeting, and asked council to defer the issue to allow the community more time to gather information.

Council assured Dobson, and others in opposition that the operation will be highly regulated and monitored by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC). Council voted 5-1 in favour after three

readings of the by-law.

Council Joe Gallipeau was the only dissenting vote.

In a previous Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, Senior Planner, Niki McKernan, acknowledged the many of the concerns about the development will be addressed by the scrutiny of the proposal by the MOECC. The solution was the wording of the by-law, to include a Holding Zone, or condition of approval, for the

development, which was approved by council on Dec. 15.

The Holding Zone designation will require that the applicant (Summit Energy) “provide written confirmation from the MOECC that approval has been granted for the operation of the facility, to the satisfaction of the municipality.”

Further, the Holding Zone would require the applicant to enter into a Development Agreement with

D EOCcEt Mo bBeEr R2 02 10 41 4 the municipality that would establish a threshold for truck volume before a Traffic Impact Assessment is required, securities respecting site cleanup and emergency preparedness, specifications for the storage of trailers on site, and any other terms required by council.

With the passing of the by-law, council’s decision is now subject to appeal through the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Neil Doef injured during World Junior A Challenge

RYAN HOLLAND/PHOTO

Children gathered around Santa at The Ivy on William Dec. 13. The venue hosted a Christmas Tea Party with Santa, complete with snacks, takehome goodies and a visit with Santa himself. The venue owners hopes to make this an annual event.

KINDERSLEY, Sask.

– Following a collision with a Swiss defenceman in the first period of Sunday afternoon’s game at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge, Canada East forward Neil Doef was transported by ambulance to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Sask.

Neil underwent surgery on Sunday night, and is resting comfortably with his parents, who arrived Monday morning from Ontario, at his side. He will continue to undergo tests, and is receiving tremendous care from the staff in Saskatoon.

Hockey Canada would like to thank Dr. Dan Johnson and the local EMS for their quick response, and the World Junior A Challenge host commit-

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO

tee in Kindersley, Canadian Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League and Smiths Falls Bears for their support.

The focus is on Neil and his family, and Hockey Canada will not have further comment until more information becomes available.

Hockey Canada asks that you respect the Doef family’s right to privacy and not contact them at this time.

Source: Hockey Canada.

Community

lifestyle

culture

explore

An exclusive, in-depth look inside the Montague water scandal.

Snowshoe Running: The new frontier in winter cross-training.

‘Healing Ceilings’ offer unique view for hospital patients

Former mayor Dennis Staples sat down with HomeTown News to discuss Smiths Falls, his time in office, and his plans for the future.

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25 Ferrara Drive, Smiths Falls

S’

ES ANDR

• Groceries • Produce

283-2999 Pharmacy • 283-1855

• Fresh Flowers • Fresh Fish • Fresh Deli • Bakery

Andress’ cover banner

• Butcher’s Counter • Salad Bar

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COMMUNITY EVENTS Dec. 19

Dec. 22

• 2nd Annual Community Christmas Run - Leaving from Coffee Culture, 6:00 p.m.

• Holiday Movie Night- Rise of the Guardians - Smiths Falls Civitan Club, 7:00 p.m.

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

• Tim Horton’s Free Skate, Youth Arena, 1:00 p.m.

Dec. 20

Dec. 24, 25 & 26

• Santa at the County Fair Mall, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Dec. 21

• Santa at the County Fair Mall, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m • Legion Jamboree - Smiths Falls Canadian Legion Branch 95, 1:00 - 6:30 p.m.

• Movie & Skate - Smiths Falls Youth Arena, 4:50 - 8:00 p.m.

Dec. 23

• Holly Days Children Workshop.

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

• Tim Horton’s Free Skate, Youth Arena, 1:00 p.m.

• Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day :)

jan. 2, 2015

• Tim Horton’s Free Skate, Youth Arena, 1:00 p.m.

jan. 5

• Taoist Tai Chi Open House Week at the Seniors Activity Centre, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

ONGOING

pdg media • 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.

PUBLIC SKATING - $2 per person

Youth Arena - Monday - 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Wednesday - 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Friday - 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Saturday - 12 - 2:00 p.m.

Community Centre - Monday - Friday - 11:00 a.m. - 12 Sunday - 11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.

NOTE: Skating is cancelled during special events such as hockey tournaments

PUBLIC SWIMMING FOR ALL AGES AT THE HUB

361 Queen St. in the Gallipeau Centre Mondays - 6-7 p.m.; Tuesdays - 6-7 p.m.; Fridays 6-7 p.m.; Saturdays 2-3:30 p.m.

Cost: Drop In Pricing or Membership Fee apply

Sunday ladies dart league

Every Sunday - 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. - RCAFA Hall

MONDAY DUPLICATE BRIDGE

Held at the Royal Canadian Legion every Monday evening at 7:00 p.m.

MONDAY BID EUCHRE

Held at the Royal Canadian Legion every Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Canadian Room.

TUESDAY NIGHT BINGO

Smiths Falls Civitan Hall, Doors open at 5:45 p.m. Bingo starts at 7:00 p.m.

THURSDAY NIGHT BINGO

Smiths Falls Legion in the Lancaster Hall, 7:00 p.m.

FRIDAY NIGHT BINGO Rotary Collegiate Hall, 2 Gould St. 7:00 p.m.

WALKING CONCOURSE

Smiths Falls Memorial Center open 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. 7 days a week

MIXED DARTS

Every Thursday from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the RCAFA Hall on Abbott St. New Players welcome.

Publisher

Editor

Reporters:

photographers:

Patricia Krotki Email: pmkrotki@pdgmedia.ca

Sabrina Bedford Email: sabrina@pdgmedia.ca

Amy Hogue Howaida SorourRoberts

Jason Code Ryan Holland

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

December 2014

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community MONTAGUE WATER: NO ANSWERS UNTIL MARCH FOR ATIRONTO RESIDENTS amy hogue

After years of complaints of high water bills in Atironto, it appears Montague may now have found the source of the problem.

A water main leak was discovered beneath a section of Fifth Street in late November, and Montague’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Glenn Barnes, said the leak may help to explain the high water usage in Atironto.

Barnes confirmed that the Atironto water system currently operates with a staggering two-thirds, or 66 per cent water loss.

According to Barnes, industry standards allow for somewhere between three and six per cent water loss. In layman’s terms, this means Montague is billed

by Smiths Falls for all the water that passes through Smiths’ Falls meters, but two-thirds of that water never reaches the residences in Montague.

“The leak is not the cause or the effect of high water rates, that’s the agreement with Smiths Falls,” Barnes said, explaining that Atironto residents are billed based on readings from the water meters in their homes and they receive a bulk rate from Smiths Falls for that usage ($1.320 per two cubic metres).

Bill and Trudy Shappee, of Atironto, said their water usage is billed to them at approximately $1.90

by Montague, a $0.60 increase over what Montague

is charged for the water by Smiths Falls. Bill Shappee explained that their water bills doubled between six and eight months ago. The Shappees spend time at a cottage during the summer months but say their water bills stay the same all year long.

“I can’t understand how we could use the same amount of water all summer long as we are right now,” Bill said. “They’re reading these meters, it doesn’t make sense to me.”

According to a Township of Montague report, in the first eight months of 2014 household meters in Atironto recorded $13,387 worth of water usage, while Smiths Falls billed Montague for $40,436, a difference of $27,049, or 66 per cent. The difference in amounts comes from water loss in the line, which is paid for by Atironto residents.

August Report Pinpoints Issue

In a council meeting on Oct. 7, 2014, Council received a report dated Aug. 28 from Echologics, a PVC Leak Detection Report as information only. According to the staff report, Echologics was retained in June to “investigate and gather further information on the 2.4 kilometres of polyvinyl chlorice (PVC) water mains in Atironto.”

The Echologics report, which was received by Montague staff on Aug. 28, states “a water balance showed a discrepancy between the supplied and used water in the township.

The water balance indicated an estimated 18 gallons per minute water loss in the Atironto area. A leak in the water main is the suspected cost.”

The report located a “Point of Interest” at a location at the northeast end of Fifth Street, specifically along 33 Fifth St., where the leak was recently located.

Barnes explained the municipality is moving forward with next steps to determine if the leak at 33 Fifth St. is the source of all water loss, or if there are other leaks that remain undetected.

“We took some readings of pit readers last Monday and then we’ll probably do more the next couple of Mondays and see how we’re doing,” Barnes said. “We want to monitor the pits for a while until we understand the water usage or at least water flows.”

If the leak is plugged, it could save Atironto residents upwards of $25,000 annually in billing for water that was previously lost underground.

According to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the municipality is required to provide a five year financial plan indicating the water system, in this case the Atironto Water Distribution System, is financially viable. All funds related to the maintenance and repair of the water system must be supported by the system, which has become an issue in recent years when the financial reserves for the water system became

depleted.

“Because the province requires the system be 100 per cent recoverable any leak would have to be reflected back into the cost of the operation,” Barnes explained.

“Any money that we spend upgrading or repair-

ing any maintenance costs for the water and sewer system that has to be recovered through the water use rate.”

Montague Reeve Bill Dobson said it’s important to take things slowly and plan carefully for the next steps.

“What’s important for

PATRICIA KROTKI/PHOTO

me is that we do the proper things in the right order because any money that we spend will eventually come out of the agreement. The people of Adironto have to pay for it, so we have to make sure we’re doing the right thing at the right time in the right order.”

A gesture worth so much more than mere words Howaida Sorour-Roberts They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and it takes at least a thousand words to describe being pregnant!

Last month Bill Davidson and Elizabeth Fewer of WMD Photography offered the residents of the Susan Shirley Program a free photo shoot.

“It was just a gesture from us to do something for these young women who might not be able to afford something like that on their own,” said Davidson.

The Susan Shirley Program is a residential maternity home and

parent-training centre, that supports young new mother and mothers-tobe through their pregnancy and in the first few months after their baby is born.

“Our clients vary in age from 15 to 24, and we can accommodate up to eight young women at a time,” said Nichole Anderson, founder and executive director of Susan Shirley House.

According to Anderson the ladies who took part in the shoot are ecstatic over the photos.

“Normally they could never afford a luxury like that and Bill managed to capture the personality and essence of each one of

the girls beautifully,” said Anderson.

The photos showcase each pregnant young woman separately, recording that very special time of life in a way that made each feel special, according to Anderson.

“The way the photos were taken and the style of each photograph is different for each of the girls,” said Anderson.

The idea for a private photo shoot was dreamed up by Davidson and Fewer this past Autumn, shortly after they were asked to set up a photo booth at the Susan Shirley Program’s gala dinner.

“At the gala, they took photos of all the girls

present, in their evening gowns and some with their newborns, and I know the girls really cherish them,” said Anderson.

According to Davidson, that experience left quite the impression with him and Fewer and after some discussion they decided they wanted to go one step further.

“So we approached Nichole Anderson and asked if they would be interested in letting us do a photo shoot with the pregnant women for free in return for permission to publish them for our portfolio,” said Davidson.

With the executive director’s blessings, WMD Photography invited the

young ladies accompanied by support staff for a photo-shoot at their studio on Russell Street. Apparently Davidson and Fewer pulled out all the stops for the photo shoot, spending hours with the young women, feeding them and making them feel comfortable about posing for their photographs.

“One of the girls is very quiet and shy, but Bill managed to capture her personality perfectly,” said Anderson.

Each girl was then given a copy of the digital photos taken during the shoot.

“Elizabeth and I have discussed this and have decided to make a framed

8X10 print of each young woman’s best shot, and we’ll be dropping them off to the ladies as Christmas gifts,” said Davidson. “We’ve also invited them back to do newborn photos and two of them have since given birth so we’re looking forward to seeing them soon,” said Davidson.

The simple gesture has proven to be much more than the physical photographs each girl is receiving.

“It really helps their sense of self worth as well, to see themselves in a really good photograph that captures them at their best,” said Anderson.

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community

Taking it one breath at a time Howaida Sorour-Roberts Just talking on the phone leaves her breathless and struggling, and yet she doesn’t give up. Suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Jacqui Bowick-Sandor is a determined fighter who is working hard to fundraise so that she can afford the associated costs of a double lung transplant.

“There are a lot of expenses that aren’t covered,” she explained.

There’s the weekly travel to Toronto for three days in every seven and back. Then there’s the four months in Toronto after the surgery and the homecare support she’ll need. Meanwhile she has no idea when she’ll be asked to move to Toronto to be closer to the hospital or how long she’ll need to be there before her surgery.

“They’ll tell you to move if you start to get sick or if the weather gets bad and there’s no schedule so you just go day by day,” said Bowick-Sandor.

She does receive some support from the government but it’s barely enough to cover travel expenses for one week let alone a month or six

HOWAIDA SOROUR-ROBERTS/PHOTO

Jacqui Bowick-Sandor is busy fundraising right now to help cover the many expenses associated with going in for a double lung transplant. Already she has travel to Toronto for three days of every week, she’s going to need home care support after the surgery and the months she will have to stay in Toronto before and after the surgery.

months.

“You can’t get much for $650 a month in Toronto,” she said.

She’s only been on the transplant list for just over a month and she’s already had to spend 12 days in Toronto spread over four weeks.

Although she can’t wait for the surgery and being able to take

a deep breath again, she says making the decision to get onto the transplant list wasn’t easy.

“It was a hard decision, you have to do a lot of soul searching, but I’m lucky to be surrounded by a great community, family and friends,” said Bowick-Sandor.

Besides the danger of the

surgery there are the side effects of anti-rejection drugs, which can frequently lead to complication such as diabetes.

The 49-year-old was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2010 after many years of struggling with respiratory issues that were repeatedly misdiagnosed because of a lack of awareness

and the complexity of the disease’s manifestations.

Pulmonary fibrosis just means scarring of the lung tissue. As the scars increase and becomes thicker, the lungs have difficulty transferring oxygen into the bloodstream and patients become short of breath while the brain and vital organs become increasingly deprived of the oxygen necessary for survival. The scarring can be caused by a lot of different factor but in most cases it’s hard to pinpoint what’s causing the problem and when that happens the condition is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

In the first few years after her diagnosis, Bowick-Sandor was able to manage with medications and therapies that eased her symptoms.

Eventually she had to accept the use of an oxygen tank just to do the simplest of every day tasks like walking up to her front door.

“I had mixed feelings when I was put on oxygen therapy.

I was so grateful to finally be able to breathe normally again and participate in activities, but I was also self conscious wearing it,” wrote BowickSandor in her blog.

She soon got over the self-consciousness dubbing her new companion Whoopi, for the noise it would occasionally make!

Now that she’s made the decision to get onto the transplant list she has to wait and while she’s waiting she has to work doubly hard to build up her strength for the surgery.

“Once you’re on the list, you do a lot of physiotherapy to get your muscles strong ahead of the surgery,” said Bowick-Sandor.

She still goes on regular walks with Whoopi and a friend, and she still does water aerobics regularly at the Hub community pool. Busy as she is trying to build up her strength, she still manages finds the time to fundraise and delight in the community, and the family and friends that have rallied around her.

“I couldn’t imagine taking this journey without the support of a community like Smiths Falls, or all my friends and family, it must be terrible for people who don’t have all that I have,” she said.

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community

Living donor encourages others to give the gift of life AMY HOGUE

Organ donation can be a sensitive subject; one that some people tend to shy away from while others embrace wholeheartedly.

For Cindy Rivington, organ donation is a subject with personal meaning.

Cindy is not only a living donor, but her life has been personally touched by organ donation, and she is hoping to increase awareness of organ donation and encourage others to participate in this lifegiving process.

Organ donation can not only saves lives, but can also help recipients improve their quality of life, allowing them to live their lives as productive members of society. According to the Ontario organ donation website, there is a chronic shortage of organs and tissue available, and nearly 1,500 Ontarians await life-saving organ transplants. One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation or enhance up to 75 through tissue donation.

Organ donors need to register to ensure their organs are preserved in case of death, but organ donation is not only something to think about if someone dies, people can also become living donors for a kidney, part of a liver and a lobe of the lung. The

organ most in need by Canadians is a kidney, which can be received from a living donor.

“You don’t realize how precious life is until you live with some one that’s sick,” Cindy explained, touching on a topic that is meaningful for her and her family. Her husband, John, has suffered from kidney failure for many years and was facing a future of dialysis when Cindy donated a kidney to him in 2009.

Before deciding to donate one of her kidneys, Cindy and her family had already been personally impacted by organ donation. Cindy explained that when her brother passed away in 2001, his organs were donated through the organ donation program.

Although families of organ donors aren’t informed who the organ recipients will be, Cindy said her family received a four page letter from a Toronto man in his mid-twenties who received one of her brother’s kidneys. The letter thanked Cindy’s family for donating her brother’s organs, and explained how the kidney literally gave him a second chance at life.

Cindy’s and John’s feedback from their experience with organ donation is incredibly positive. Cindy explained she began test-

ing her blood in June 2009 to see if she was a match, and the surgery took place only two months later, in August 2009. Although Cindy said she took two weeks off work for the surgery and recovery, she said the recovery was remarkably smooth for her and her life hasn’t changed at all now that she has only one kidney instead of two.

“As a donor, I actually forget at times that I even gave a kidney,” Cindy said.

“I don’t even know the difference.”

For John, the impact Cindy’s kidney had on his health was almost immediate. Cindy’s parents, who accompanied her to the hospital for her surgery, noted the rapid change a new kidney made for her husband, John.

“When John was going in for surgery they said he was very grey and discoloured and after the surgery the change in skin colour was almost immediate,” Cindy said. “You don’t realize how important kidneys are in getting toxins out of your system until you’re sick with it.”

The only other alternative to a kidney transplant is dialysis, which Cindy said “is good, but not the best.”

Cindy’s aunt is another person in her family touched by organ donations, and has received

two unsuccessful organ transplants. She currently travels from her home in Westport to the hospital three times per week for dialysis.

Cindy pointed out that although dialysis keeps people alive it makes it difficult to lead a normal life because so much time is spent in hospital receiving treatment.

Beyond dialysis, patients with kidney failure also have to monitor their water intake very carefully, which can also be time consuming.

Cindy is so passionate about organ donation that she’s taken over an annual five kilometre walk, the Kidney Foundation of

Canada’s Give the Gift of Life Walk, to raise funds for kidney research. The walk is held on the last weekend in September at the Crystal Palace in Perth and features door prizes and silent auctions.

Cindy said she participated in the walk for the past two or three years, but 2014 was her first year organizing it. The walk is open to anyone, and dialysis recipients don’t need to walk, they are encouraged to just come and enjoy the afternoon.

Cindy said she’s trying to do more to promote organ donation in the community, and partic-

ularly bring awareness to the process. The walk is one of the ways in which she hopes to accomplish this, and she has big plans for its continued success.

“I’m actually just starting to get into it, this was my first year (2014) trying to organize the walk…we raised a little better than $11,000,” Cindy explained. “I’m hoping next September it will be fairly big.”

For more information about organ donation, or to register as a donor, please visit www. beadonor.ca.

It has been a privilege to provide employment services to Smiths Falls & area for the past year.

Wishing everyone all the best in 2015 from the staff at

Community donations policy draws $112,300 in funding requests, deadline extended AMY HOGUE Although Smiths Falls has received several Community Donations requests in response to council’s newly-adopted policy, Town staff say there will likely be more coming from organizations who were unaware of the Nov. 30 deadline for submissions. At the time of the Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting on Dec. 8, town staff had received nine requests for funding from the Town of Smiths Falls, but expect more to be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

The requests came from Lanark County Interval House, $2,000; Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), $3,000; Rolling Thunder Car Show, $1,500; Horticultural Society, $800; Gordon Pipe Band, $1,000; The HUB, $75,000; Together Smiths Falls, $10,000; Healthy Living Festival, $10,000; and the

Rideau Environmental Action League (REAL), $9,000. Total requests amount to $112,300, while the 2014 budget for community donations was only $84,800.

Director of Corporate Services, Kerry Costello, recommended that each organization requesting funding be allotted a five minute time period at an upcoming COW meeting to address council and outline the basis for their request. In the meantime, staff have created a placeholder for the 2014 budgeted amount of $84,800 until council sets the 2015 community donations budget at the upcoming budget meeting on Jan. 7.

Councillor Chris Cummings pointed out that the purpose of creating a community donations policy was to ensure they didn’t delay budget discussions. He suggested the community groups be given a delegation time at the meeting immediate-

ly following the budget discussions on Jan. 7, to ensure council can continue on track with budget discussions.

Because some organizations may not be aware of the new policy, including the deadline, Costello asked the committee for direction in handling late funding requests. Mayor Shawn Pankow noted that his understanding was the delegation was for people who have submitted requests and others who haven’t met the deadline but would still like their requests to be considered by council.

“Because this is the first year we set the deadline, I’m fine with flexibility for this year,” Pankow said.

The committee directed staff to continue to accept funding requests from organizations and to schedule delegations first thing in the new year.

Merry Christmas from our families to yours

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community COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE BRIEFS WRITTEN BY AMY HOGUE Committee considers Kia use of municipal land, reconsiders land lease policy The question of the town’s leasing policy for municipal land became an issue at the Dec. 8 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, after staff presented a report identifying a complaint received for an unopened road allowance on Lombard Street.

The report revealed that Smiths Falls Kia has been using a portion of the lands as a parking area for vehicles for the past five or more years. Following the receipt of the complaint, Kia management removed the vehicles and will not be using the property until the issue has been resolved.

Senior Planner, Niki McKernan, suggested that the town establish the terms and conditions specific to the use of the property with Smiths Falls Kia. In similar situations, McKernan said, municipal land was leased at the rate of $75.00 for five years and noted there have been only five such agreements in Smiths Falls in the past 15 years. McKernan also suggested council look at raising the rates, and potentially pursue leasing land as a revenue source for the municipality.

Mayor Shawn Pankow was surprised by the low rate to lease municipal land. “It probably costs more than $75 to do this report,” he pointed out. “At this stage I think we should discuss what we do.”

McKernan informed council that should the road allowance be needed by the municipality, Smiths Falls Kia would be required to return it to its original state and would have 90 days to remove the vehicles. She also informed council that the vehicles have been removed from the property and suggested she come back with a reassessment of leasing fees.

Councillor Chris Cummings agreed with Pankow that the leasing fees don’t reflect the value of the properties, while Councillor Quinn suggested the municipality enter into a temporary agreement with Smiths Falls Kia until they could review the leasing policy. The committee elected to defer the matter until the new year to allow staff to come up with reasonable options for leasing rates for municipal properties.

By-Law enforcement, animal control to be contracted out As a stop gap measure following the resignation of former Property Standards By-law Officer, Mark Russell, and Animal Control service providers, Smiths Falls will enter into a temporary Property Standards Bylaw enforcement and Animal Control

contract with Frontenac Municipal Law Enforcement Inc. The Manager of Planning and Sustainable Growth, Lynda McKimm, presented to committee a report outlining the quotations received from both the Corps of Commissionaire and Frontenac Municipal Law Enforcement Inc. Corps of Commissionaire quote came in at an hourly rate of $17.05 plus HST, while Frontenac came in at $25.50 plus HST, along with 52 cents per kilometre for mileage.

Despite the higher hourly rate from Frontenac, McKimm’s recommendation was to contract with that company in part because staff provided

by Frontenac will all be certified by the Ontario Association of Property Standards of Ontario, while Corps of Commissionaire staff will not be certified, but instead will be willing to be trained in May 2015. In addition, McKimm pointed out that Frontenac provides by-law enforcement services, including property standards, to a number of area municipalities.

McKimm also recommended contracting Animal Control services with Frontenac, based on services operating on an as-needed basis, which could result in lower costs. McKimm recommended entering into agreements for both Animal Control and Property Standards By-law enforcement for a four month period, at which time staff can prepare a report for council outlining the options from that point forward.

Chief Administrative Officer (CA) Malcolm Morris explained to committee that despite the fact the town is disappointed to see staff leave, “every change presents the opportunity to look at how we do things.”

Election sign by-law coming soon Councillor Jay Brennan brought forward a suggestion that the town set some sort of policy restricting the amount of time municipal candidates can have their election signs posted within town limits. Currently, Brennan stated, the town has no policy in place, which means candidates can post signs nine or ten months in advance of the election date.

“I think it would give candidates more of a level playing field,” Brennan explained. “We need more control on signage during election time.”

Brennan also pointed out that there are regulations in place in surrounding municipalities, and in the provincial and federal elections. Councillor John Maloney acknowledged he had put up his election signs early on in the campaign, but that he waited until after the provincial election so there wouldn’t be any confusion.

Councillor Chris Cummings said

he travelled extensively around the area prior to the election and didn’t see any election signs other than in Smiths Falls. Mayor Shawn Pankow said he agrees there should be “some restrictions,” suggesting a 60 or 90 day time frame, and potentially a restriction on size.

Staff were directed to review the existing by-law and bring forward recommendations at a later date.

Midget B2 Minor Hockey boot drive permitted A request for a boot drive in front of Town Hall from the Smiths Falls Midget B2 Minor Hockey team to fund a February trip to Montreal to attend the Can-Am games. The request led to discussion about the number of street tolls currently permitted in town and the possibility of adding another.

A report presented to the Committee of the Whole (COW) on Dec. 8, stated that since 2000, the town allows for three organizations to hold street tolls within the town, with the provision that any other requests be brought forward for council’s consideration.

The organizations currently permitted annual boot drives are the Smiths Falls Fire Association, Canadian National Institute of the Blind, and District Club of Youth. Council discussed the consequences of allowing the minor hockey boot drive, and if this would result in an inundation of other organizations looking for fundraising opportunities.

“If we allow one, we could open the door for others,” Mayor Shawn Pankow pointed out. Pankow said he is not concerned with the prospect of allowing for another boot drive within the town limits, but pointed out the level of accountability for the minor hockey association is different than that of a charity.

Councillor Lorraine Allen suggested the fourth toll be rotational, to allow other organizations to fundraise in future years, and this was agreeable to the other members of council.

Dennis Durant, Smiths Falls Midget B2 Minor Hockey assistant manager attended the COW meeting and explained that the main reason for the street toll request this year is because for many players this will be their last year playing hockey.

“We wanted to go out with a bang for them,” Durant said, adding that the team is 11 and 0 so far this season, and he considers them the best in the league so far.

Police Services Board, Lanark County Corporate Services appointments hot topics Amy Hogue A seat on the Police Services Board was a hot topic at a Dec. 8 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting when council reviewed and discussed council appointments on various boards and committees for the duration of the new term.

There were five names in the ring for only two seats: Councillors Maloney, Brennan, Cummings, and Gallipeau were interested in sitting on the committee, as was Mayor Pankow.

Cummings, who sat on it for the past four years, told council there will be changes coming with labour negotiations and contracts coming up for renewal and he was looking for council support to allow him another term on that board to continue the work he started the previous term.

He explained he felt his past experience on the board would be beneficial at such a critical time with negotiations.

Brennan said he didn’t realize there would be so many people interested in the appointment, and that he would defer to Cummings and agree that he has one term under his belt and consistency would be important going forward.

Maloney said he would still like to be considered for the appointment and hoped for council’s support.

“Sometimes I think it’s nice to have fresh insight into things,” Maloney said. “I’d like it to have a nice fresh set of eyes on it.”

Cummings pointed out there would be a new set of eyes on it if Mayor Pankow was appointed to the committee, which would satisfy Maloney’s wish for a new perspective. Council members supported Cummings’ bid for the appointment and he and Pankow will serve on the Police Services board.

A few minutes following that decision, another debate ensued over an appointment on the Lanark County Corporate Services Committee (LCCSC). Councillors Quinn, Brennan, Maloney and Allen, along with Mayor Pankow were all interested in the appointment.

Councillor Quinn said she felt “very passionate” about representing Smiths Falls on the LCCSC, an opinion that Maloney echoed on his own behalf. Brennan said he had wanted to sit on the committee four years ago but had deferred to two more experienced members and would like the seat for the coming term. Councillor Allen said she looks forward to learning something new through the appointment.

Cummings, who had at first refrained from commenting on the debate, suggested they amend the appointment to a two-year term per person, but Brennan argued that he wasn’t sure how much anyone would learn in two years. Cummings suggested that Pankow be the constant on LCCSC, while the other candidates rotate through the position.

The four candidates agreed to this suggestion, and Pankow will hold his seat for the four year term, while Councillors Allen, Brennan, Maloney and Quinn will each participate for a one year term, in that order.

613-283-5941

613-796-4226

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community

digital marketing trends for 2015

CRUMMY MEDIA/PHOTO

Sherry Crummy Many business owners are currently working on their goals and objectives for 2015.

You may be doing the same.

When it comes to creating your marketing plan, digital marketing is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the overall marketing strategy. It used to be that businesses would just hop on Facebook, as they felt that’s what they needed to do to join social. Now, many of them realize that they have to make informed decisions in which networks to invest their financial and personnel resources to achieve the best results. Social media is no longer about following the masses, it’s about following your target audience.

A major challenge which arose for businesses in recent years is how to collect, analyse, and interpret the data, and in 2014, companies have still only scratched the tip of the iceberg.

If marketers want to succeed, they need a coherent and

engaging content strategy with compelling visuals and authentic stories.

Here’s a few trends that emerged in digital marketing during 2014, what to expect in 2015, and how to prepare your business in social’s ever-evolving ecosystem.

Scommerce – Social media meets shopping Social commerce is becoming a large driver of online shopping. User-generated content around shopping can have some major impacts. The first successful steps to push forward more sophisticated Scommerce were seen in 2014, for example with the introduction of Twitter Product Cards and innovative campaigns on Pinterest. We recently saw increased efforts to simplify the social network-driven buying process for online shoppers with both Twitter and Facebook pioneering the testing of “Buy” buttons. The more relevant and tailored your social advertising is, the fewer users will feel commercialized.

Facebook becoming more of a News Source In 2014, Facebook debuted Trending Topics, which appear to the right of your News Feed as a list of topics and hashtags that are spiking in popularity on Facebook. This list is personalized based on a number of factors, including Pages you’ve liked, your location, and what’s trending across Facebook.

Businesses will need to create content around current conversations. Use Trending Topics to know what Facebook members are talking about, and capitalize on that buzz by creating content that fits with relevant keywords and/or hashtags.

Location-based mobile marketing Google reports that 71 percent of in-store shoppers who use smartphones for online research say their device has become more important to their in-store experience. With technological progress in terms of geofencing and geotargeting

adopt-a-pet This beautiful boy is Orlando! Come visit and fall in love with this gorgeous boy at Laura Janes Pet Food and Supply on Dufferin street in Perth.

His idea of a perfect day would be having a good bowl of kibble for breakfast, followed by a nap in a windowsill, maybe a little cuddle time, followed by a snack, more cuddle time and then some din din.

If you would like a sweet qui-

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Sometimes he doesn’t make friends real fast so it might be best that he is the only cat. A nice quiet home would be perfect!

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retailers should put mobile and owned mobile apps at the core of their marketing activities reaching their customers with timely and highly contextual messages on a one-to-one basis. Considering a worldwide mobile penetration of 93 per cent, major social networks are constantly improving their mobile presence. Social websites and apps being among the most used features on mobile.

Visual Marketing Already big in 2014, the appeal of visual marketing will reach still more brands.

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Vine will play a greater role in content marketing strategies, but so too will individual pieces of content

like infographics and data visualizations. B2B marketers will recognize the value of visual social media. “The strongest brands are adapting and creating a clear visual social media strategy. Being consistent in the way you create content will help maintain a strong brand online” said Canva’s Zach Kitschke.

The social landscape is constantly changing, and it can be challenging for most business owners to keep up. Remember to follow my posts to discover the latest digital marketing updates at crummymedia.com.

I’ll keep an eye on these and other trends, and keep you posted as we venture into 2015 and beyond.

December 2014

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community

Viewpoint: A LOCAL OPINION Local hockey player Brett Costello has started journey When reason leaves the room as NCAA freshman SUNY Canton in New York

Howaida Sorour-Roberts Summit Energy proposed a plastics to fuel plant here in town and even before anyone had heard their proposal or the facts surrounding the proposal or its purpose, a letter had been circulated that fed into every fear a community can harbour; the fear of air pollution, fear of explosions, of food poisoning, of fire, and traffic overload. All valid fears, just not based, in this case, on any actual information. Sure one could reasonable argue that sending out a notice on Friday of a public meeting on Monday is the kind of short notice that could breed suspicion of a cover up, but again that brings us back to fear. At the very least, it fed the suspicion that governments at all levels really don’t have our best interests at heart. And there, you have it – on the whole when it comes to our air and water we’ve all become rightfully cynical about our various governments willingness to protect assets versus glomming onto the almighty dollar.

But I digress. Back to Summit, information, listening and this community. I attended that meeting, as an observer, to find out what the proposal was. I was impressed with the turnout, at least 100 people had managed to take the time or rearrange their lives to attend the meeting. It was the first time in more than a year and about five municipally-called public meetings that I’d seen that kind of attendance. At least I was impressed until I realised that most of the attendees were there less to find out what the proposal was and more to express fears that had been richly nourished by a letter that had little research, few facts and a great deal of misinformation. I certainly understand the concerns, who wouldn’t, but I’ll go back to something my dad always said “always understand all the facts before you make up your mind.” Good advice, in any situation but particularly important when those facts force us out of our comfort zones and demand research into processes that stretch our minds a little beyond

high school chemistry.

Back to the meeting.

What I saw at that public information meeting was reason walking out of council chambers. Instead I saw fear. At its most basic level fear is a chain reaction that starts with a stressful stimulous that sets off a chemical reaction in our brain. We need it for survival but on the downside when our brains are hopped up on fear they short-circuits more rational processing paths and reacts immediately to signals from our ‘primitive’ brain. When in this overactive state, we tend to perceive events as negative and remember them that way because we’re not able to weigh pros and cons in that state. Second I saw anger. Now normally I would say that both those emotional responses can be very good motivators..... except when they’re not.

In this case what I saw was fear and anger paralyzing a normally reasonable and thoughtful community and preventing normally reasonable and thoughtful people from either hearing or processing information that was presented and that was/is available at libraries and the internet for all to research and learn.

Ok. Yes I understand we’ve all been sold a bill of goods when it comes to various processes that affect our health and safety, but we know that. So let be smart about this. Let us not automatically react negatively simply because we don’t understand. In 2014, we have technologies we didn’t have in 1990, we have checks and balances that we didn’t have ten years ago, we have the MOE, can we trust all that?

Well within reason, yes.

And there’s the rub – reason – fear shuts down reason and anger can’t be reasoned with, so perhaps we should all head the words of a wiser man than I, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself,” - Franklyn D. Roosevelt.

Reason and rational analysis are what should inform any decisions about Summit Energy – if it does what it purports to do and recycles one of the worst compounds that man has managed to pollute this planet with, then lets embrace and welcome it. If it turns out to have real dangers associated with it, then let’s get them out into the open and reject it. First let’s understand all the facts before we make up our minds.

JASON CODE/PHOTO

Jason Code After playing the last two seasons with his home town Smiths Falls Bears, Costello has put on the blue and green school colours of the Canton Kangaroos. Studying as a business major Costello has played in all eight games (as of Dec. 1) and has had a major impact on the Roo’s defense core. Known to play as a forward with the Bears, Costello has played defense in the past and feels solid as a hard-nose grinder on the blue line but also brings his offensive style of play back this year.

After a tough loss in the CCHL finals last season Costello and two of his Bears teammates (Ben Beasley and Brandon McMartin) have made up a very young portion of the blue line at Canton. “We’re a young team this season, better for years to come,” said Costello on a sit-down interview after the game against Hamilton College late November. “On the ice I want to be offensive defensively. The last few games

I’ve gotten a few points, I got my first goal the other night [Nov. 25 vs SUNY Cortland],” said Costello.

On his NCAA experience so far this season, he said “it’s been pretty good, you know it’s fun getting back in school, I took four years off so it’s a big change for me but I’ve settled in well now. I just want to keep on track, keep my grades up, maintain that big GPA.” After going from a 62-game season in the CCHL to about 25-games at the college level, how has that affected your style of game?

“It’s definitely a big change, we have a very tight schedule, 25 games. I’m used to playing 62 games the last four years, it is a big difference for me so I’m just working as hard as I can every single game to get the last out of every moment, that’s for sure.”

As a Bear, what was your favourite memory playing in Smiths Falls?

“Probably being with the boys, hanging out with everyone, and Friday nights at home that’s always best play-

ing in front of the home crowd, I miss that for sure,” he exclaimed.

Any advice for the younger junior players looking for success?

“Work hard,” he said. “It’s a good league to get involved with, you’ll achieve, just be gritty and play the roll you’re given.”

In the past two seasons with the Bears, Costello played in 95 games which resulted in 45 points (9 goals, 36 assists) and with 84 minutes in the penalty box. His all time stats in the four seasons that he played in the CCHL consist of 66 points (17 goals, 49 assists) in 156 games and 147 minutes in penalties. Playoff numbers were 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 29 games with 26 minutes in penalties with Smiths Falls and Hawkesbury.

The Town of Smiths Falls and the Smiths Falls Bears organization are very proud of Costello’s achievements and wish him success on his future goals, on and off the ice.

december 2014

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merry christmas

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Christmas in the Falls...

From the staff at Smiths Falls HomeTown News & Discover Smiths Falls

Starter Company

JASON CODE/PHOTO

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Starter Company is an Ontario program that provides young people with the resources and knowledge they need to start and grow their own business As a Starter Company entrepreneur, you get: . Funding of up to $5000 . One-on-one guidance from the Small Business Enterprise Centre Advisor . Mentoring with a local successful Entrepreneur . Access to business workshops on topics ranging from writing a business plan and budgeting, to executing a marketing campaign

JASON CODE/PHOTO

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RYAN HOLLAND/PHOTO Top: Smiths Falls Civitan Club 16th Annual Festival of Trees. Middle: One of the many displays at this year’s Smiths Falls Celebration of Lights in Victoria Park along the Rideau Canal. Bottom: The CP Holiday Train rolled through Smiths Falls Nov. 28 to a very generous crowd. The Holiday Train is North America’s longest rolling food bank fundraiser and travelling stage.

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Christmas recipes from Smiths Falls Council HomeTown News asked the Smiths Falls council for their favourite family recipes for the holidays. Try them - and enjoy! Merry Christmas.

Pankow's Perogies On Christmas Eve, the Pankows have a traditional Ukranian feast with Cabbage Rolls, Bigos, Ham, Kolbassa, Boiled eggs, Dill pickles and of course Perogies.

These are very labour intensive but can be frozen and used later. It takes a day to make perogies, basically. My famous perogie recipe is a secret but here it is: DOUGH 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup butter 1 tsp salt 2/3 cup warm water CHEESE FILLING 2 cups sharp cheddar (sometimes more or I mix cheeses) Mashed potatoes whipped with milk and butter Salt and pepper to taste SAUCE 1 large onion chopped 1/2 cup or more of butter DOUGH - Mix all ingredients except water. Add a little bit of water at a time until used. Knead until dough is firm and elastic. Cover and rest ten minutes. The dough that is. :) FILLING- Make potatoes. Mix cheese and salt and pepper into the potatoes.

SAUCE- Saute onion in butter until onion is golden.

Assembly: This part takes the longest amount of time. Divide the dough into 3 parts. On a floured surface, roll out one part of dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch rounds. (I use a glass to do this) Place a small spoonful of filling into corner of each round. Fold over and press edges together to seal. Repeat with ALL of the remaining dough. If you do not want to make them right away, you can flour them a bit and place on cookie sheets. Put cookie sheets into the freezer and freeze perogies. Once frozen they can be removed from the cookie sheet and place in freezer bags for a later use.

Bring an extra large pot of water with a teaspoon of oil to a rapid boil. Drop perogies in a few at a time, do not over crowd. When they float, remove with a slotted spoon and place in large casserole dish. Continue until all perogies are done. Cover with the sauce. I usually have to add more butter to stop sticking. BAKE at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

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december 2014

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Jay Brennan’s Devils on Horseback

Chris Cummings Chinese Noodle Cookies

Ingredients 24 large dates - pitted 12 slices of bacon - cut in half 1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese (or any other blue cheese)

Indgredients 1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch chips 1/4 cup margarine 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 cup peanuts 2 cups Chinese Chow Mein noodles

Preparation Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Place 24 toothpicks in water for 15 minutes Line baking sheet with parchment paper Halve the dates lengthwise but do not cut right through Place small amount of cheese in the center of each date and wrap with 1/2 slice of bacon - insert toothpick to hold together.

Preparation Melt the first four ingredients in a large saucepan over low heat.

Stir often until completely melted. Remove from heat. Mix in peanuts and noodles. Spoon into small mounds on wax paper lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate until set. Enjoy!

Bake 20-30 minutes - until bacon is cooked -- serve warm.

Joe Gallipeau’s Cauliflower-Broccoli Casserole Ingredients 10 oz. (284 g) Frozen Cauliflower 10 oz. (284 g) Frozen Broccoli 1/3 cup (75 ml) Finely Chopped Onion 10 oz. (284 ml) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/3 cup (75 ml) Grated Low-Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese (less than 21% MF) 1/4 cup (60 ml) Corn Flake Crumbs Preparation Layer cauliflower, broccoli and onion in 2 quart (2 L) casserole.

Cut in large chunks with sharp knife.

Place soup in bowl, add cheese and stir. Spoon over casserole.

Sprinkle with corn flake crumbs.

Bake, uncovered in 350F (175C) oven for about 60 minutes.

John Maloney’s Barolo Wine Stew 2 1/2 lbs. stew meat 2 medium onions 5 medium potatoes 5 carrots 2 celery stalks 28 oz. canned tomatoes 1 c. Barolo 3 1/2 c. beef bouillon 4 tbsp. minute tapioca 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. Worchester sauce 1 tsp. sugar salt & pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in a baking pot. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 4 hours.

This is a great dish for those cold winter months. This wine stew is tasty with fresh bread and a glass of wine. YUM!

Lorraine Allen’s Boiled Raisin Cake

Dawn Quinn’s Traditional Tourtiere

Ingredients: 1 cup of raisins ½ cup of water 1 egg ½ cup of butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of baking powder 2 ¼ cups of flour

Ingredients 2 whole Prepared Pie Crusts, 1 pound Lean Ground Pork, 1 pound Extra Lean Ground Beef, 1 whole Onion, Minced ½ cups Boiling Water, 2 cloves Garlic, Minced, 2 teaspoons Salt ½ teaspoons Sage, ½ teaspoons Thyme ¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves, ¼ teaspoons Cinnamon ¼ teaspoons Nutmeg, ¼ teaspoons Fresh Ground Pepper 3 whole Medium White Potatoes

Directions: In a small saucepan, boil the raisins in the water until they are soft and swollen.

In a mixing bowl, mix the egg, butter and brown sugar well and then add the raisins.

Mix the baking soda, baking powder and flour together then add to and blend with the raisin mixture. Spread into a 9”X9” Pyrex baking dish.

Cook at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes. Cool and then ice with the Brown Sugar icing.

Preparation Preheat oven to 450ºF. Prepare your own pie pastry or defrost the frozen ones.

In a heavy saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, water and seasonings (feel free to add more of your favorite spices to taste). Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the meat is fully cooked and browned. Then lower the temperature and continue to simmer for 45 minutes.

While the meat is simmering peel and boil the potatoes. Mash potatoes when they are done. When the meat mixture is done, mix the potatoes thoroughly with meat mixture. Let the mixture cool.

Take the defrosted (or fresh pastry) and put one of them into your pie pan.

Fill the pastry with the meat and potato mixture. Put the second pastry shell on top of the pie. Seal the edges well. Then flute the edges and poke the center of the top pastry 3 or 4 times with a knife to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven at 450ºF for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350ºF and continue to cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden on the top.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Brown Sugar Icing 1 cup of brown sugar ¼ cup of butter 3 tablespoons of milk 1 teaspoon of corn syrup Mix the ingredients together in a pot and bring to a boil.

Boil until it forms a ball when a small amount is dropped into cold water.

Remove from heat and ice the cake while still warm and then refrigerate.

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december 2014

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lifestyle sports

Snowshoe running: the new frontier in winter cross-training AMY HOGUE

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO Members of the Snow Squall team turned out at Mill Pond Conservation Area on Saturday, Dec. 13 for a training session. From left to right: Corey Turnbull, Susan and Andrew Moizer. Turnbull and Susan are both members of the Snow Squall racing team while Andrew is a recreational snowshoe runner.

Dedicated runners are often challenged by the winter road conditions that come along with a Canadian climate, where snow, slush and ice are constant hazards for anyone in a pair of running shoes.

For those training for triathlons, duathlons or competitive racing, winter can make a serious dent in a training schedule. This could be why running guru, Corey Turnbull, has looked to a new and challenging sport to add into his cross training schedule in the winter months – snowshoe running.

Snowshoe running is an activity that must be experienced firsthand to truly appreciate it. Essentially, runners race in specialized lightweight snow shoes on trails, most often through naturally wooded areas.

What that description doesn’t tell you is the experience that accompanies the activity, including the silence in the forest and the winter scenery you travel through, which is spectacular.

Turnbull said he was encouraged to try snowshoe running four years ago after talking to ‘ultra marathon runner’ Derrick Spafford. “We were just chatting back and forth about different things… he sells Dion snowshoes and had a pair to lend me,” Turnbull said, adding that for him part of the special appeal of the sport is the winter scenery on the running trails used for snowshoe running. “I fell in love with it instantly. It’s like trail running, which is great, but it’s just simply stunning. It’s such a different picture than what you see in the summertime.”

Snowshoe running also allows you to get a more intense workout in a shorter time frame. According to Turnbull, running a kilometre on snowshoes will give you a similar workout to running twice that distance on a flat surface.

It is also well suited to strength training and cross training through the winter and is more friendly for your body. Because of the intensity of the sport, Turnbull said training is typically less than 10

kilometres in a single run, which gives you a better workout in less time.

“For you to go out in the summertime and do a drop dead interval, the impact of running on the road is huge, whereas in a snow shoe you get the same benefit without impact on your body,” Turnbull explained.

“The difference is you are able to get off the road, get off the slush. And the physical benefit is incredible because you get so much strength and power out of this and cardio, but you don’t have the impact.”

Turnbull’s local snowshoe running team, the Snow Squalls, train on the track at the high school when there isn’t any snow, and then at Mill Pond Conservation Area, near Lombardy, where there are several trails to choose from. Turnbull said he is still scouting out different locations to use for training. The Snow Squalls currently have about 12 members, but there are another 20 people on the fringe that train with the team but aren’t committed to competing.

Turnbull has plans to try

and get a race going out at the Mill Pond or in and around the Smiths Falls area in the new year.

“It’s something I’d like to do in January, have a demonstration day maybe at Lower Reach Park, people could try it, have a little fun run, or people that are racing on the team could do a little play race,” Turnbull said.

Although competition is something Turnbull enjoys, he stressed snowshoe running is not all about the competition, it’s about the activity itself. “It depends what you’re chasing, if you want to go in and get some fitness, maybe substitute one of your runs a week with this, you can. If you’re more on the competitive edge you may want to do this a couple of times a week and as an add on to your regular training schedule, that’s good, too.

Whatever level you want to race at, either recreational or competitive, you’re going to find it.”

Although there are a number of competitions coming up this winter, Turnbull said he is looking at the world championships in Quebec in February, and at the possibility of entering the competition with a national team. This wouldn’t be Turnbull’s first kick at the can on a national team, he was on Team Canada’s Duathlon team a few years ago, but he said this would be a totally different experience.

Turnbull stressed that even if you are competing in races, the atmosphere between competitors is far more relaxed than at your typical road race, and the participants far friendlier. At the end of the race, participants often chat and catch up with friends while enjoying a bowl of hot chili.

“A few of us are kind of eyeing it up,” Turnbull admitted. “I’d like to go in as a national team.”

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lifestyle jason code The month of November started off with the same intensity as how October ended. The Jr. A Bears started their winning ways in Pembroke with a 6-3 win. After a tough loss at home against the Ottawa Junior Senators (3-2), the Bears went on a six-game win streak spanning from Nov. 11th to 28. Winning games against Gloucester, Cornwall, Nepean, Kemptville and two big games verses rivals Brockville Braves, four out of six games were won by shootout. In those eighteen days the Bears put up 23 goals with 15 against. The Gloucester Rangers ended their November campaign with a 4-3 loss on the road, giving the Bears a 7-2 month record.

Bears Josh LeBlanc (‘97) won CCHL rookie of the month with 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 9 games and Michael Pinios (‘94) also won CCHL goalie of the month with 7 wins, 2.31 goals against and a .924 save percentage. The Bears made some transactions nearing the end of the month, picking up Connor

hockey corner Rankin (‘95) off waivers from Pembroke and shipping out Brandon Lesway (‘94) to Kemptville for Olivier Chabot (‘96), the rights to Brodie Barkley (‘98) and a first round pick in 2015 player draft.

The first of December has seen some of the Bears leave for a higher level of hockey, Neil Doef (‘97) and Jared Henry (‘96) both have been selected to play on team Canada East in the World Junior A Challenge in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, also along for the trip is head coach Mark Grady as one of the assistant coaches. Kevin Groulx (‘96) has been called back to the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL where he scored his first OHL goal (Dec. 12), this is Groulx’s second call up this season. Groulx was also named CCHL player of the week (Nov. 30 - Dec.6) he had 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 4 games.

This past weekend (Dec. 12-14) the Jr. A Bears had a tough two games against Highway 15 rivals Carleton Place Cana-

dians, dropping both games (5-2 Friday, 4-2 Sunday) being outshot (64-61).

BEAR TRACKS The Bears 8th round pick in the 2014 draft forward Quinn Gordon (‘97) played his first CCHL game Sunday December 14th against Carleton Place Canadians.

Injured forward Sebastien Barrette (‘96) will be out until after the Christmas break. As a precaution, he had an MRI to see if there’s any permanent damage, but the Bears are pretty sure he’ll get a clean bill of health.

Bears defenseman Chase Hawley (‘97) has been a great addition to the squad, after being released from the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) back in late October.

Hawley has been an aggressive force on the blue line, in 17 games Hawley has put in 45 minutes in penalties adding a physical style of game that the Bears were lacking in their home end.

For your number one source of Jr. A Bears photos check out Smiths Falls HomeTown News on Facebook for upto-the-minute game-day action.

Merry Christmas!

looking forward to serving you in the New year

Shawn Pankow

Coach b column

Nine secrets to achieve your New Year’s resolution 1. Make sure it really is your goal (be careful, many people chase what they profess to be their goals but in reality there are really someone else’s goals…parents, spouse, peers etc..)

2. Now you have your resolution, don’t ever call it a resolution again! How is your track record with “resolutions”? Many set but few achieved?

If so then your brain has made an unconscious relation to any resolution you will set from now on.

“Oh, here is yet another resolution that won’t be achieved or followed through on” Call them promises.

How does your brain react when you use that word?

Most people take promises to a deep and serious place.

3. Clearly identify your promise. “if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will take you there.”

4. Identify your personal motivator…

“We often do more for others than we do for ourselves.”

Are your motivator positive or negative?

Negative motivators can be sometimes more powerful than positive ones.

- Positive motivators you normally do “for” another (family, friends, love interest) - Negative motivators you normally do to “show” others 5. Create a “promise plan” (by failing to prepareyou are preparing to fail) WHAT: is your objective, be clear WHEN: by what date WHERE: identify a location WHY: “for” someone or to “show” someone, your positive or negative motivator WHO: what help will you need, who will be on your team HOW: what are the necessary steps?

If you have a really good “WHAT” and a really good “WHY” then the “HOW” will show up.

6. Review your “plan” and your “promise” (put it in a place where you have to see it and review it, study it for 20 minutes every day) Make it a habit, revise as necessary because your “plan” will change as you achieve results, and the “HOW” will once again present itself.

Use visual reminders of your promise: - Index cards, posters, photographs, pocket promise card 7. Tell yourself that you will succeed “Whether you think you can or think you can’t…you’re right” 8. Tell others of your promise It is okay to fail if nobody knows, put yourself under some pressure.

- Success requires commitment - Put some skin in the game, increase the stakes You can get 3 outcomes from sharing your promise with others.

I. They will help you achieve it II. You will learn to articulate it III. People will become a motivator for you (“SHOW” them) 9. ENVISION THE RESULTS - See the conclusion and use the sensation of future success to empower the now.

- Reverse worry (worrying is imagining something that hasn’t happened yet and putting a negative outcome on it….reverse it.)

-FOLLOW THROUGH (run, jog, walk, saunter, crawl, ROLL IF YOU HAVE TO…but keep going) Slow down, but never quit.

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culture ‘Healing Ceilings’ offer unique view for hospital patients AMY HOGUE Next time you’re in the obstetrical, dialysis or emergency sections in the Smiths Falls campus of the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital, take a moment to look up, you might be surprised at what you find. Local artist and cancer survivor, Donna Scanlan, has brought her creativity and a healing view to the hospital with her donation of hand painted ceiling tiles, called ‘healing ceilings.’

“It’s a difficult time for a lot of people when they find themselves in hospitals, and I thought maybe it’s time we created something to brighten it up a bit,” Scanlan explained.

Although Scanlan has been cancer free for seven years, she said when she was in the hospital frequently for treatments, she spent a lot of time staring up at the ceiling and thinking “we’ve got to do something about these

ceilings.”

As a lifelong painter, painting was the first thing that came to her mind after her diagnosis.

“The first thing I thought was nobody’s going to stop me painting, so I’m going to do it anyway…. so I painted wall murals at home, painted on the ceiling, painted everywhere. Then I started painting on tiles and donating them,” Scanlan explained.

So far Scanlan has painted and donated 17 tiles to the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital, and 18 to the Smiths Falls campus of the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital.

In January, Scanlan will be donating another 16 or 17 to the Perth campus as well.

Looking beyond the local area, Scanlan has also approached the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and said they are looking at putting some tiles at Rog-

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ers House. The Cancer Centre at the Kingston General Hospital is where Scanlan herself had her treatment and is another potential location for her work.

More than just a creative and inspiring view for hospital patients, Scanlan’s ‘healing tiles’ can also be used as a fundraiser for the hospital. “We’re sort of talking about that, people could donate something towards the hospital and have a tile installed in their name,” Scanlan said.

Although Scanlan calls the tiles ‘healing ceilings,’ she said the healing benefits go both ways. “I think even though I call them healing ceilings I think people look at them and get some healing benefits, but I also get a healing benefit from creating them.”

“It’s not about money, I just want to do it for the joy of it, and if it brings a smile to someone or

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO Local artist and cancer survivor, Donna Scanlan, has brought her creativity and a healing view to the hospital with her donation of hand painted ceiling tiles, called ‘healing ceilings.’

makes someone feel better then we’ve done something good.”

For more informa-

tion about the ‘healing ceiling’ or for information about making a donation to the hospital,

please visit www.healingceilingtiles.ca or contact sfchfoundation@ bellnet.ca.

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culture

column: Vickie Dickson As Canadians, our skin takes a beating in the winter months.

Cracked, dry skin can be more than aesthetically challenging as it can also let in bacteria, causing infection. There are many things that can be done, nutritionally, to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.

1. Water – Did you know that our cells are approximately 70% water?

Water is not only a transporter of nutrients; it is a nutrient in and of itself and as such, is vitally important for the health of your entire body. Water moves nutrients into and through the body and helps to usher toxins out. If you are looking for further information on the importance of water in your diet, I recommend, “Your

Body’s Many Cries for Water – You’re not sick, you’re thirsty.”

2. EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) Fat has gotten a bad rap in modern society, but the pendulum is swinging back in its favour. Healthy fats are immensely important for skin health. Ideally, we should be eating Omega 6’s and Omega 3’s in a 1:1 ratio, as our ancestors did, however, the nature in which we are consuming fats in our diet today has become pathological.

85 per cent of North Americans are deficient in Omega 3 fats, but are getting 20 times the Omega 6 requirements, due to a highly processed diet. Good sources of fats in the diet include nuts (walnuts especially), wild salmon, and ground flax seed.

• Vitamin A – Food sources such as leafy greens and red and

Do you have the winter itch?

orange vegetables contain beta-carotene, but our body needs FAT to convert beta-carotene to the usable form of Vitamin A. • Antioxidants – Fight free radical damage and aid in collagen production. Vitamins A, C, and E are some examples that come to mind. Good food sources include leafy greens, berries, citrus, nuts and seeds.

• Selenium – Prevents oxida-

tive stress, which damages cell membranes. Good food sources of selenium are Brazil nuts (just an ounce will do!) tuna, poultry, and whole grains.

• Avoid sugar, including white and processed foods. Remember, in addition to causing inflammation, excess sugar is stored in the body as fat.

A few other good health practices for healthy skin include:

• Topically applying organic, virgin coconut oil • Using a humidifier in your home with an essential oil of your choice • Dry brushing your skin – always work towards the heart.

This will also stimulate your lymphatic system and boost your immunity.

• Exercise In short, the health of your skin is dependent on the same practices you use to promote heart & brain health, control your weight, and live better & longer.

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in learning more, catch me on my blog at vickiedickson.com.

Vickie Dickson is currently studying Holistic Nutrition at CSNN.

opinion MANY TAXPAYERS WITH DISABILITIES ENTITLED TO $20,000 OF GOVERNMENT GRANTS Steve Bennett

Senior Tax Professional

JASON CODE/PHOTO Amberley Beatty showcased her first Original Country Christmas show at the Gallipeau Centre on Dec. 6.

Wishing you a very W

MERRY CHRISTMAS a happy

NEW YEAR Councillor Dawn Quinn

Last month, I discussed the Disability Tax Credit certificate at CRA and briefly mentioned that there are many tax breaks available to taxpayers with disabilities.

I wanted to expand on one important program that is not very well advertised: the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). This account assists Canadians with disabilities with long-term savings.

For those of you who are familiar with Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP), you will see a lot of similarities in the administration and government financial support. It works in a very similar fashion, but the government subsidies are higher and there are fewer restrictions on withdrawals.

From an income tax perspective, the account functions exactly like an RESP. A contributor deposits money into the account on behalf of a beneficiary. The deposits are not tax deductible, but the funds grow tax-free. When a withdrawal is made by the beneficiary, the investment income and any government subsidies are taxed in the hands of the beneficiary. In Ontario, withdrawals from the plan will not affect social assistance payments.

To open an account, beneficiaries must be a Canadian resident under 60 years of age and have a disability tax credit on file with CRA – the disability tax credit was discussed at length in last month’s column.

To be eligible for the grants and bonds discussed below, the beneficiary must be under 50 years of age. An RDSP can be set up on behalf of a beneficiary at any major financial institution – generally done by the taxpayer, a guardian, or a family member.

The most exciting part of the RDSP is the government support. The government matches deposits with the Canada Disability Savings Grant. The amount of the grant is determined by the family net income of

the beneficiary. For income up to $87,123, the grant will be 300% of the first $500 and 200% of the next $1,000. A contribution of $1,500 will give the beneficiary a total of $5,000 in their account!

In addition to the grant, the government also provides a Canada Disability Savings Bond for lower income families. To receive the bond, an RDSP just needs to be open – no contributions are required. The bond is $1,000 for family income under $25,356 and is gradually phased out as income rises to $43,561. Grants and bonds will still be paid retroactively back to 2008, but there are maximum lifetime limits of $70,000 and $20,000, respectively.

If a beneficiary opens an RDSP when they are 25 and their only source of income is the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), then they will get $20,000 of bonds over 20 years. Assuming they make no withdrawals and earn a 5% return, they will have over $70,000 saved by the time they turn 60 - without making a single contribution themselves!

Withdrawals can be made at any time and used for any purpose, but there are some annual restrictions determined by the amount of government assistance. In addition, a portion or all of the grant and bond money that has been in the RDSP for less than ten years will have to be repaid. Due to these restrictions, the RDSP is really geared towards long-term savings.

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.

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food & drink Food Hub General Manager brings wealth of experience to position

PDG MEDIA/PHOTO Two Rivers Food Hub has selected a logo as part of the marketing and branding of the hub. The new logo features two ‘waves’ to represent the two rivers of the Two Rivers Food Hub, and was created by the Smiths Falls graphic and web design firm, PDG Media, a division of Polcan Design Group.

Wishing you and your family a very

happy holiday season!

Local food is not just a hobby with Two Rivers Food Hub’s new General Manager, Matthew Brearley, it’s a lifelong passion. With 17 years in the restaurant industry and having been raised on a Renfrew area beef farm, Brearley brings a perspective from both ends of the local food spectrum to the food hub.

Brearley said he is looking forward to the challenges he will encounter in his new position. “I’m really excited to be on board with this project. I’m glad I’m helping chefs and local producers to reach a greater portion of the market.”

Brearley’s background includes graduating from two cooking schools, one of which featured a rigorous two year program at the Stratford Chef School in Stratford, O nt ar i o.

Brearley also owned his own ‘farm to table’ restaurant in White Lake, Castlegarth, which offered an innovative approach to serving local food.

“By farm to table, I mean that Castlegarth quite literally had a farm attached to it that supplied most of the

Councillor Lorraine Allen

Perfect

Thyming

HOLIDAY BUFFET

produce in the summertime,” Brearley explained, adding that he also worked with local farmers to fill in any gaps that might be missing from his local food selections.

Brearley’s background makes him well suited to his new role at the food hub. On the one hand he brings knowledge of the commercial ends of restaurants and institutions, and the work involved in sourcing local produce for his own restaurant. On the other hand his childhood ensures he understands the plight of the farmer, helped in part by growing and supplying local food for his own restaurant.

Brearley identified the burden placed on farmers to transport their products to various locations in order to sell it, and hopes the food hub will offer a bridge for farmers to take on part of that burden.

“I’ve encountered farmers who spend thirty or forty dollars in gas to bring their products to market, I’m hoping that the food hub will allow them to drop off as much of the product as they can in one central location,” Brearley said, “It all adds up, if you’re a farmer driving to ten or twelve restaurants you can spend fifty or sixty dollars in gas. We want to help them avoid that.”

Producers who are interested in providing food for the food hub for the upcoming season are invited to contact Brearley for details about that aspect of the food hub. One of Brearley’s first tasks will be to establish connections with local producers and ensure a consistent supply of local foods.

Since taking on his new position at the food hub, Brear-

ley’s spent the bulk of his time setting up the commercial kitchen space for the food hub that will offer local producers a location that meets all health and safety requirements and conforms to government regulations.

“What we’re trying to do is teach people how to ramp up their production using larger quantities so they don’t have to spend time doing four or five batches, they can do it all in one batch,” Brearley explained.

Brearley noted that once producers have a product that comes from a government inspected facility they will gain access to the retail market as opposed to the farmer or artisan market. So far, Brearley said interest in the commercial kitchen is building, and the food hub hopes to have the kitchen operational beginning in early January, to rent for anywhere between a half day, a full day, or weekly, depending on the individual business’s needs.

“There are already people lined up to use the kitchen,” Brearley noted, adding that the food hub kitchen use rates, which are available on the website, are “quite reasonable.” The website, which can be found at www.tworiversfoodhub.com, will soon be revamped and will include information such as a list of the equipment available in the commercial kitchen, along with rates for use.

For more information about the Two Rivers Food Hub, the commercial kitchen or to contact Matthew Brearley, please visit the website at www. tworiversfoodhub.com.

please respect the planet

Traditional Fixings

recycle this paper

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culture

explore Dennis Staples moves onto the next chapter with no regrets AMY HOGUE The day after passing on the Chain of Office to Smiths Falls’ new Mayor, Dennis Staples appears as a more relaxed version of the man most people will continue to associate with Smiths Falls for quite some time. After 29 years in politics, 15 of which were in the position of Mayor, Staples said leaving his role on council will be “an adjustment.”

“Basically for last 15 years I’ve been getting up and going to town hall,” Staples said, adding he’s been mentally preparing for this transition since his announcement in January 2014. Staples said he’ll now have more time to spend on other interests, such as time with family, playing hockey, playing golf, participating in his band and in the rotary club. Despite a number of areas of interest, he stressed that “family is the priority.”

Although Staples said he is looking forward to what comes next, he is not keen on using the word ‘retirement’ to describe the next phase of his life. “I don’t like the word retirement,” Staples explained. “I call it the next phase, the next chapter, like a good book you want to read.”

As someone who admittedly thrives on challenges, change and opportunities, Staples is not one to sit idle, and is not without future prospects to choose from.

He said he’s already been approached by seven or eight organizations looking to see if he’s interest-

ed in becoming involved in their group, but he’s in no rush to commit to any one organization.

During a recent radio interview, Staples said he was asked if he had any regrets about his time on council, to which he responded, “If I knew council was this much fun I would have run earlier.”

Staples likens it to playing hockey, in that you need to “put your gear on and get in the game.” And it was the decision to get in the game that was the kick starter for his council career in 1985, when Staples first ran for council.

According to Staples, the municipal world 30 years ago was far different than it is today, with today’s residents taking a more informed interest in their municipal council.

Although transparency and organization has improved in the years Staples has been on council, he said at one time it was an issue.

When he first decided to run for council Staples said he asked staff for three documents: a copy of the organizational chart, monthly financial statements, and minutes from fire committee meetings. He was shocked when he was told the municipality didn’t have an organizational chart, financial statements wouldn’t be available until mid-year and the fire committee hadn’t had a meeting since 1980.

He decided to make improving the organization a priority while on council.

Since his first inaugu-

gested they hold off for just a little while longer.

Staples’ faith paid off when a short time later Tweed approached the municipality about taking over a portion of the building.

Staples considers the new industrial business growth a sign of success.

“I’m glad we got the message out there we’re open for business.”

Although Staples’ painstaking and time consuming work has paid off for the town in economic development, he is reluctant to take credit for the community’s forward momentum, claiming it’s the participation of local citizens bringing their ideas forward to create new events and energy in the town.

He credits Highland on the Rideau, Open Stage, Celebration of Lights and the Healthy Living Festival, among others, as being instrumental in many of the changes appearing in Smiths Falls.

“It’s not just me, it’s the community…if you have an idea, bring it forward and let’s make it happen, anything is possible.”

Staples’ future plans are to continue lobbying for changes to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission regulations stipulating that profits from a licensed raffle can’t be used for projects on municipal property, a project he’s been working on for the past five years.

When asked if he has any regrets with his decision to step back from local politics, Staples was quick to answer, “I have no second thoughts.”

AMY HOGUE/PHOTO Former mayor Dennis Staples sat down with HomeTown News to talk about Smiths Falls, his time in office, and his plans for the future.

ration on council, Staples said he has been working with council and staff to create “basic structure systems” in the town, including being part of the development of the first strategic plan for the town of Smiths Falls, in 2002.

Staples considers the creation of a strategic plan a big step for the town, and a crucial one to make sure plans remained on track for the municipality.

“Can you imagine general motors not having a plan for where they want to be and what they want to do next?” Staples laughed, adding that Smiths Falls needed a strategic plan to maintain direction, no different than any other large corporation.

With specific economic challenges affecting Smiths Falls over the

years like the Hershey, Stanley Tools, Grenville Casting, ARB Coil Tech, and the Ottawa Valley Railway closures, Staples said there were many issues that needed to be addressed at the municipal and provincial level, and these challenges affected not only Smiths Falls, but the surrounding area as well.

“Some people said it was a Smiths Falls problem, it was also an area problem,” Staples said.

This understanding is what led Staples to link up with surrounding heads of council following the closures, to work collectively to problem solve.

Staples also worked with staff and council to find funding for necessary projects, including 150 million in infrastructure that funded the high

school, VIA station, the new OPP building, the arena, and Rideau Regional.

“When Rideau Regional closed I said we’re going to find solutions and we have, we created corporate confidence,” Staples explained, adding that he feels “we’ve done pretty well.”

Staples’ search for solutions has paid off in results. Rideau Regional was purchased and transformed into the Gallipeau Centre, Metroland bought the Stanley Tools building, creating 180 new jobs, and then there is the Hershey plant, which has come with its own unique challenges.

Staples explained that at one point the Hershey plant owners asked the town for a demolition permit, but Staples sug-

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classifieds/directory announcements SCOTT PILKINGTON & JULIE ECHLIN

Pilkington, Joyce In loving memory of Joyce who passed away October 26th 2013. A loving wife, mother, and nanny.

I thought of you today, but that is nothing new, I think of you every day. . . We all miss you terribly mum. There is not a day that goes Mark and Jean Bedford are by that you are not in our thoughts. And, as we approach the last of the rsts, the anniversary of pleased to announce the the day you left, I am grateful. I am grateful for engagement of their son, you...for the unwavering commitment you had toScott, to Julie, daughter of your family and to Dad. I am also grateful for the wonderful family that you made and that youBruce and Sandra Echlin. loved us so much. And...although our hearts still A fall wedding is planned. ache, I am mostly grateful that you do not suffer anymore. Breath easy Mum <3 We love you.

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