Issue 1 2022 January 12 NG Times

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The Voice of North Grenville

Vol. 10 No. 1

January 12, 2022

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by David Shanahan The old Kemptville Town Hall on Water Street, also known as the Courthouse, is being leased to the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville [UCLG] to be the location of nine new affordable housing apartments. The lease arrangement has been negotiated over the past few months, and involves the UCLG allocating $1.3 million to fund the alterations to the historic building. The financing comes from the Social Services Relief Fund, and the project was approved by the UCLG in November, 2021.

The renovations to the building are expected to begin soon, and the lease agreement means that the municipality will maintain ownership of the old Town Hall for the life of the lease. The project is a

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response to the already serious housing crisis which exists in North Grenville. There have been many examples of individuals and even families being evicted from their rental accommodations when a landlord decided to sell the property, or move family members in instead of the tenants. Some of these evicted residents have been forced to leave the municipality because they couldn’t find suitable and reasonably priced housing in North Grenville.

In 2020, a Task Force on Affordable Housing, established by Mayor Peckford, reported on the situation facing tenants and outlined a series of measures to support affordable housing, including funding partnerships with the Counties and province, changes to zoning and the Official Plan allowing for additional residence in acces-

sory buildings and increased density for more townhouses, and requiring developers to include low-cost housing as part of new projects.

The problem has been exacerbated by many years of rising land prices, and the belief among former councils that North Grenville had to “grow or die”, as one former mayor put it. This led to official encouragement of large scale residential developments, particularly in the Kemptville urban area. The municipality is one of the fastest growing in the province, and demand for housing has been increasing exponentially, with a similarly rising cost for the new homes. Rental accommodation, which has never been plentiful and often sub-standard, has failed to keep up with the needs of the population.

In announcing the Town

Hall project, Mayor Peckford underlined the issue: “We have a housing crisis in North Grenville. I regularly get calls from people saying they are getting evicted and don’t know where to go. These are families, seniors, and other residents who, in the face of an increasing shortage of rental options here, are being forced to relocate outside of the community”.

The building has been the home of the North Grenville Society’s Archives for over a decade, and the news of the lease arrangement came as a shock to the Society’s Board when it was first informed, unofficially, of the proposed lease deal. The job of packing and transporting the contents of the archives to a new location will be extremely disruptive to the work and activities of the Society, and the mucontinued on page 2

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Historic building cont'd

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nicipality has committed to covering the cost of the move, as well as paying rent on as new location for a period of five years. This, it is hoped, will allow the Society time to find new fund raising options that will eventually allow it to pay the commercial rates on their new headquarters.

A location has been found by municipal staff at 148B Prescott Street, although the property is smaller than the Town Hall, and will require some adjustment by the Society in the way they house the archives. However, there was no alternative for the Society, once word was received that the lease arrangement with the UCLG was a done deal.

Officially, the Society has expressed its understanding of the need for affordable housing, and is at least grateful that the historic building will be preserved, when former councils had threatened

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to demolish it completely. In 1873, the Corporation of the Town of Kemptville bought a parcel of land on South Water Street from the McIntyres, Helen Scott, and Ambrose Clothier, on which they built a new Town Hall for Kemptville. Over the years, the building contained an upstairs Court House, and offices of various Town departments.

Council meetings were held here until after amalgamation in 1998, when the Municipal Offices moved to the new Municipal Centre.

The Fire Department occupied part of this building from about 1881, and renovations were made to accommodate the fire trucks. There was a special fire dock on the river.

The Fire Department moved to the old Armoury building in 1968. A tall tower for hanging fire hoses up to dry was a landmark of the Town until it was damaged by fire in

1935, and later demolished in 1957. In front of the building were the Municipal Scales, on which were weighed wagons and goods. This was the official weigh station when goods such as hay were being bought. The town charged a fee for this service. In 1937, an extension to the building was erected at the rear to house the new Kemptville Hydro Electric Commission.

The Town Hall was a meeting place for various societies and organisations in Kemptville, and was the location for concerts and practice sessions for the Kemptville Band over the decades. It is a shame that the housing situation has become so serious that heritage has to take a back seat. But the needs are great, and sacrifices have to be made. And this, too, will become part of North Grenville’s history for future generations.

Parents and experts disagree with latest school closures

by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Last month, 500 Ontario doctors authored an open letter to Doug Ford and his Progressive-Conservative government, giving their strong professional opinion that schools in the province should open on schedule following the regular Christmas break period. The letter puts forth four reasons for the recommendation, the first and longest of which is that “the harms of school closures are extensive and have impacted academic, social, and emotional, and physical and mental health domains.”

Other reasons point to the low risk of severe illness in COVID-19 in children, the apparent lesser severity of the Omicron variant itself, and the low COVID-19 transmission rates in schools thus far.

The letter was penned a full three days prior to the Ford government deciding first, on December 30, that schools would delay reopening until January 5, and finally, extending the closure until at least January 17. It is unclear why the letter did not impact the decision making, though a widely circulated press conference video shows Doug Ford proudly stating that it took him only “30 seconds” to decide to close schools, citing high case counts and hospitalizations in

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January 12, 2022

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the province.

Writing for the National Post in a January 5 article, Chris Selley points out that Canadian schools are not following global trends by being closed at this time. Many experts around the world have recognized that the science does not support school closures as a necessary step to ensuring public safety. In fact, school closures provide far more psychological harm than physical protection. In addition to the 500 doctors who signed the open letter, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s top doctor, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, stated in a CTV News interview in the last week of December that schools should be the last thing in the province to close.

Yet another professional who criticized the province’s decision was Ottawa Doctor Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, who pointed out in an interview with CTV News that any COVID-19 transmission in

schools is very unlikely to have an impact on hospitals.

He further posited that since parents often have to miss work when their children are engaged in online schooling, many hospital staff will need to miss work due to the school closures, meaning that closing schools may impact hospitals more than keeping schools open. He also pointed out that daycares have been allowed to remain open, despite the school closures. “We just need to make schools a priority,” he said in the interview.

It is certainly not too late for the Ford government to reverse its position on the reopening of schools. Many parents are hoping for just that, and a petition has been started to exert some pressure.

The petition had about 2,500 signatures as of January 5, and had climbed to over 4,000 signatures by early in the day on January 6. The petition can be found at https://chng. it/Y5zzV9P4B7.

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The North Grenville Times

Kemptville Campus Forest thinning update

Forest thinning operations are proceeding as planned on Kemptville Campus, scheduled for the first six weeks of the New Year. These operations will affect several popular trails in the Campus Forest. Residents and students are asked to avoid the affected trails and watch for closure signs at the trailheads.

Trail closures: The attached map shows the two areas and trails affected by the forestry work: Site A: Trails 1 (Discovery Trail), 2 and 3. Trails will be closed from approximately January 3 until January 28.

Site B work will be done from January 31 to February 15. Trails affected include

the Rail Trail, Trails 4, 5 and 5A (5 and 5A are Sugar Bush Trails). Please note the Rail Trail section south of Curtis Ave. to Bedell Rd. will only be closed the first 3 - 5 days only of work in Site B. To ensure safety for all, residents and visitors are asked to avoid these areas during these times. Signs will be posted in the affected areas.

The harvested logs will be transported off the Campus grounds as follows: Site A traffic flow will be along Pebble Drive onto Curtis Ave., and out to County Rd 44. Site B traffic flow will be out College Drive to County Rd 44.

NG Poetry Guild movie event Join Métis academic, actor, singer, composer, filmmaker and poet Paul Chaput for a screening of his film, “Planting Stories, Feeding Communities”, followed by a Q & A with Paul. It will be held via Zoom on Sunday, January 16 at 2 pm as part of North Grenville Poetry Guild’s monthly events.

Please register in advance at www.experienceartfest.com/ events.

Paul completed his PhD in Geography at Queen’s University in 2015. His dissertation uses film (Planting Stories, Feeding Communities: Knowledge, Indigenous Peoples, and Film) as a research methodology to bring findings back to Indigenous communities and to engage the public on the subject of Native Studies.

Paul has co-produced, hosted, and narrated 26 episodes of Finding Our Talk: A Journey Through Aboriginal Languages, that aired on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). In addition to five episodes he wrote and directed for Finding Our Talk, he has produced, written, and directed two docudramas on Restorative Justice for Nishnawbe Aski Legal Services to

The thinning affects about 29 of the Campus’s approximately 350 acres of forest.

The work in the red pine plantations will concentrate on thinning over-crowded forest areas to maintain forest health and increase growth potential of the remaining trees. All forest management activities will meet the high standards of FSC® certification. Campus Forest Manager, Jim Hendry, is supervising this project, and the harvesting is being done by Lavern Heideman & Sons Ltd, based in Eganville.

Watch for further updates as the project proceeds.

Cross Country Skiing, Toboggan Hill and Disc Golf return to Ferguson Forest Centre

by Doug McCarthy, FFCC President Carl Doucette is pleased to announce that the Ferguson Forest Centre Corporation has recently finalized new use agreements with three local entities to allow continued access by North Grenville and area residents to a variety of outdoor recreational activities.

The Corporation is again excited to partner with the Kemptville Winter Trail Inc. (KeWi), Kemptville Disc Golf Club (KDGC), and the Municipality of North Grenville. The new three-year

January 12, 2022

agreements will mean that groomed cross country skiing trails, tobogganing, and disc golf will again be available in the arboretum during their respective seasons, up to and including the year 2024. Cross country skiing and tobogganing seasons are generally December through March, with the disc golf season being May through November. In their upcoming seasons, both KeWi and KDGC are looking at the potential to expand their operations into the woods north of the arboretum.

Carl Doucette said: “Come out and enjoy the fresh air at the Ferguson For-

The Voice of North Grenville

est Centre, whether it is at the toboggan hill, groomed cross country skiing trails, dog park, many walking trails, disc golf course, our park areas, or the arboretum. Please follow applicable COVID-19 protocols.”

The mission of the notfor-profit Ferguson Forest Centre Corporation is to provide policy and direction to the Ferguson Tree Nursery, and use the profits thereof to promote the awareness of, and interest in, forestry (in particular, afforestation and sustainable forest management) and maintain, enhance, and promote the responsible use and stewardship of rec-

reational and conservation lands managed by the Corporation for the benefit of the residents of the Municipality of North Grenville.

For more information on the Ferguson Forest Centre see our webpage at www. fergusonforestcentre.ca, or follow our Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/FergusonForestCentreCorporation.

Operational information regarding KeWi, KDGC, and the Municipality of North Grenville can be found on their respective Facebook pages.

help Treaty 3 frontline workers introduce Restorative Justice practices in northern fly-in communities.

Two CDs of his original compositions were nominated at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards for Best Male Vocalist and Best Folk Album.

He was a founder, and the Artistic Director for the first three years of the Métis Arts Festival in Toronto.

In 1995 he was awarded the Star of Courage by Governor General Romeo Leblanc.

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Final KDHA Hey Day 50/50

Faith & Science start 2022 with us!

by Aleta Karstad The NG Faith & Science Forum is a diverse group of North Grenvillians who meet regularly to discuss books, articles, videos, and other material involving Faith, Science, and often other topics.

The group has existed for over twenty years, a small, comfortable group of 6 - 12 friendly locals. We began meeting in Leslie Hall, and more recently at the Christian Reformed Church, now shifting our meeting online via Zoom, where we can see each other’s smiling faces (without masks).

We come together on the second and fourth Thursday of every month, starting at 7:30 pm, for 90 minutes of sharing, learning, and enjoying on a wide range of topics, usually based on a book, but sometimes a video. We sometimes touch on creation-evolution, and often swerve into subjects like ecology and the environment, personal faith or doubt, local concerns and, of course, politics, although we usually stop before getting into heated debate.

I’ve been attending fairly regularly since 2011, enjoying the casual banter and growing friendships. The exposure to theoretical sciences and philosophy (with which I’m

by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Cody Allen receives a cheque for $5,440 from members of the KDHA.

by Jolene Stover The Kemptville District Hospital Auxiliary Hey Day 50/50 is pleased to congratulate our final winner, Cody Allen. For the KHDA, it was a challenge to pivot to online fundraising, but, with the support from this remarkably generous community we live in, it was a success!

Without the support from so many of you, we could not have done it. Thank you to the Farmers Market, as well as all the businesses that put

up our posters and handed out our flyers. Thank you to everyone who supported us with FB posts, including Mayor Peckford and so many local FB groups.

A special thank you to our Early Bird sponsors, Stoneworks, Motor Trendz, EQ Homes, McDougall Brown, Jonnson’s Independent, Grahame’s Bakery, and our generous Auxiliary Member, your donations made a difference.

We live in an incredibly generous community that

continues to support the fundraising efforts of the KDH Auxiliary. 100% of the funds we raise go directly to the Kemptville District Hospital to be used for equipment and technology upgrades that contribute to the exemplary care the doctors, nurses, and staff provide.

The KDH Auxiliary will continue to fundraise for our local hospital and we thank each of you for your ongoing support!

COVID-19 impacting youth mental health

deaths” – which refers to Local Journalism Initiative Reporter deaths that would not statistically be expected, but not all There is no doubt that lo- of them were caused by COcal children and youth have VID-19 infections. A statistibeen through a lot in the last cally significant number of two years. Few people alive deaths in younger Canadians today had ever lived through were caused by unintentional a pandemic of COVID-19’s poisoning and overdoses, magnitude before 2020. The suggesting that at least some youth who are living through younger Canadians are findthe current pandemic have ing the impacts of the panhad much less of their lives demic to be overwhelming, to develop a foundational and are turning to substances understanding of what is “nor- to cope. Many of these people mal” during non-pandemic are socially or economically times. It is impossible to know disadvantaged, meaning that what may have driven recent they disproportionately feel incidents, such as reported the impacts of pandemic increased rates of discrimi- restrictions.

The scope of the pannation against LGBT2QS+ individuals in downtown demic’s impact on children Kemptville, and a slew of and youth is one that was vandalism incidents in Win- studied by The Hospital for chester and Chesterville, but it Sick Children (SickKids) is possible that such incidents during the first wave of the are related to new pandemic pandemic. What they found was shocking. Over 66% mental health challenges.

A recently released Sta- of children 2-5 years old, tistics Canada report analyz- and over 70% of youth 6-18 ing death data from March, years old, were found to have 2020, to May, 2021, makes experienced a worsening of for startling reading. There at least one facet of mental were over 19,000 “excess illness during the first wave

by Brandon Mayer

January 12, 2022

The Voice of North Grenville

of COVID-19. These facets included depression, anxiety, irritability, attention span, hyperactivity, and obsessions/ compulsions. The study’s recommendation was clear – the mental health impacts of the pandemic should be considered just as much as the health risks of the virus itself.

Another SickKids study measured the impact from the loss of in-person schooling during the pandemic, and similarly found that the impacts were profound. One major point arising from the study is: “The bottom line – kids need school, friends, and fun.”

Area children and youth are currently experiencing their fourth lengthy school closure in two years, and have also gone through several

cycles of losing and gaining options for recreation. At points last year, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, and basketball courts were all closed.

Indoor recreation centres have been shuttered on and off. Even places that provide comfort to adults and youth alike, such as restaurants, have experienced several closures. Until the pandemic is over, and perhaps even for years afterword, local youth will need guidance, support, and a whole lot of patience.

Parents wishing to access free mental health supports for their children, including counselling, are encouraged to contact their child's school principal directly as free third party services are usually offered in conjuction with local hospitals

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The Voice of Our Community 4

quite ignorant) has not hurt me a bit, and I’ve not felt my Christian faith to be challenged either.

People of all ages and faiths are welcome to join us. Our tone is inquiring, never disparaging. Every person, with their unique backgrounds, beliefs, and individual perspectives, is respected by all. Everyone has a chance to suggest the next book.

Sometimes it’s a new book, hot off the press, and sometimes a timeless classic.

We've ranged from Francis Collins’ “The language of God”, about the human genome project, the science of DNA, and how Collins’ studies affected his religious beliefs, to ”The Phenomenon of Man” by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, published in 1959.

The last book we discussed in 2021 was John Polkinghorn’s book, “Belief in God in an Age of Science”, which focuses on the collegiality between science and theology, maintaining that these "intellectual cousins" are both concerned with interpreted experience and with the quest for truth about reality. He argues eloquently that scientific and theological inquiries are parallel.

For our first meeting of

2022 (Thursday, 13 January at 7:30) we will be meeting via Zoom to start on William James' "The Varieties of Religious Experience,” a classic of psychology from 1917, the first scholarly attempt to look at religion as experienced. The text of the book is available for free at https://www.gutenberg.org/ ebooks/621. Wikipedia has a good introduction at https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_ Varieties_of_Religious_Experience.

We will begin with the first "lecture" in the book, and see where it takes us.

Try us out for an evening, or come when you can. We will add your name to our e-mail distribution for details of upcoming meetings, discussion-starter materials, and random eclectic sharing between meetings. You may find, like us, that faith and science needn’t threaten each other, and in fact, usually supplement each other - and the discussions will challenge and expand your understanding of life and the cosmos.

The next Faith & Science Forum is scheduled for 13 January, 7:30 - 9:00 via Zoom. For more information, or to get on our announcement list, e-mail Ed Norman at ed.norman.ok@gmail.com.

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New Executive Director announced for Kemptville Campus

Following an extensive search, the Kemptville Campus Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Ms. Liz Sutherland will be the new Executive Director of the Campus as of January 10, 2022. Ms. Sutherland succeeds Ms. Pat Remillard, who has been Project Manager since the Campus began to transition from the University of Guelph to the Municipality of North Grenville in 2016.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to congratulate Ms. Sutherland in her new role as Executive Director of the Campus,” said Board Chair, Karen Cooper. “Her work in the nonprofit sector,

and her significant experience with community economic development, will ensure the Campus’ goals for the future are met.”

Liz Sutherland is a collaborative leader, with 25 years of policy and program experience in the nonprofit and public sectors. Liz has worked on issues ranging from social enterprise policy to child care, women’s health, and active transportation.

Most recently, she led the policy team at the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) for seven years, focusing on public policy issues affecting the non-profit sector.

“The hiring of a new Executive Director is a significant step forward for Kemptville Campus,” stated North Grenville Mayor, Nancy Peckford.

“On behalf of myself and my Council colleagues, we enthusiastically welcome Ms. Sutherland, and look forward to her leadership, collaboration, and vision.”

Ms. Sutherland has a passion for inclusive and sustainable local economies, and

participates in national tables educational, funding, and on community economic communication plans for the development. With a back- Campus. Other key responground in political science, sibilities will be to foster Liz holds a B.A. (Hons.) relationships with governfrom Trent University and ment ministries, NGO’s, unian M.A. from the Univer- versities and colleges, school sity of Victoria. She has just boards, and industry associacompleted seven years on the tions, and identify and faciliboard of a community health tate strategic partnerships in centre serving youth, and each of the Campus’ Three now volunteers on the board Pillars to ensure financial of a community foundation. sustainability.

Kemptville Campus EduRaised in Nepean/Ottawa, Ms. Sutherland is happy to be cation and Community Centre back in Eastern Ontario and is is an educational and multi• facility Brakesserving the com• based Vehicle repairs use now in Perth.

• Suspension • “I'mClass “A” Mechanic munity of North Grenville really excited about • surrounding Tire Sales area. The • Sale upon of Quality embarking this Prerole, and • Air Conditioning Owned Vehicles includes 630 acres and look forward to working Campus • Alignments • Flat Bed Tow Truck and 17 main buildings, as with the Campus Board and community,” explained Ms. well as woodlands, cropland, Sutherland. “I 613-989-3839 appreciate wetland, greenspace, green o u n t y RI dhave 1 , M houses, o u n t a an i n agroforestry O n t a r i o centre the warm Creception received thus far – and can't and maple bush, trails, and wait to spend time listening other buildings - sports faciliand learning as we prepare ties, residence, and catering to move the Campus Master facilities. The Campus Master Plan was completed with sigPlan forward together.”

Reporting to the Kemp- nificant community input, and tville Campus Board of Di- can be found at https://www. rectors, Ms. Sutherland will kemptvillecampus.ca/regen. lead the development of business, strategic, operational,

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Annonce d’une nouvelle directrice générale pour le campus de Kemptville À la suite d’une recherche approfondie, le conseil d’administration du campus de Kemptville est heureux d’annoncer que Mme Liz Sutherland sera la nouvelle directrice générale du campus à compter du 10 Janvier 2022.

Mme Sutherland succède à Mme Pat Remillard, qui est gestionnaire de projet depuis le début de la transition du campus de l’Université de Guelph à la municipalité de North Grenville en 2016. « Au nom du conseil d’administration, je tiens à féliciter Mme Sutherland pour son nouveau rôle de directrice générale du campus », a déclaré la présidente du conseil, Karen Cooper. Son travail dans le secteur sans but lucratif et son expérience considérable en développement économique communautaire permettront au campus d’atteindre ses objectifs pour l’avenir. » Liz Sutherland est une leader collaborative qui compte 25 ans d’expérience en politiques et programmes dans les secteurs public et sans but lucratif. Liz a travaillé sur des questions allant de la politique d’entreprise sociale à la garde d’enfants, January 12, 2022

à la santé des femmes et au transport actif. Plus récemment, elle a dirigé l’équipe des politiques de l’Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) pendant sept ans, se concentrant sur les questions de politique publique touchant le secteur sans but lucratif. « L’embauche d’une nouvelle directrice générale est un grand pas en avant pour le campus de Kemptville », a déclaré la mairesse de North Grenville, Nancy Peckford. « En mon nom et au nom de mes collègues du Conseil, nous accueillons avec enthousiasme Mme Sutherland et nous attendons avec impatience son leadership, sa collaboration et sa vision. » Mme Sutherland a une passion pour les économies locales inclusives et durables et participe aux tables nationales sur le développement économique communautaire.

Ayant une formation en sciences politiques, Liz est titulaire d’un baccalauréat (avec mention) de l’Université Trent et d’une maîtrise de l’Université de Victoria. Elle vient de terminer sept ans au conseil d’administration d’un centre de santé communautaire au service des jeunes, et

les partenariats stratégiques dans chacun des trois piliers du campus pour assurer la viabilité financière.

Le Centre d'éducation et communautaire du campus de Kemptville est une installation éducative polyvalente qui dessert la communauté de North Grenville et les environs. Le campus comprend 630 acres et 17 bâtiments principaux, ainsi que des terres boisées, des terres

elle est maintenant bénévole au conseil d’administration d’une fondation communautaire. Élevée à Nepean/ Ottawa, Mme Sutherland est heureuse d’être de retour dans l’Est de l’Ontario étant maintenant basée à Perth. « Je suis très enthousiaste à l’idée d’assumer ce rôle et j’ai hâte de travailler avec le conseil d’administration du campus et la communauté », a expliqué Mme Sutherland. « J’apprécie l’accueil chaleureux que j’ai reçu jusqu’à maintenant et j’ai hâte de passer du temps à écouter et à apprendre alors que nous nous préparons à faire avancer ensemble le plan directeur du campus. » Relevant du conseil d’administration du campus de Kemptville, Mme Sutherland dirigera l’élaboration de plans 'affaires, stratégiques, opérationnels, éducatifs, de financement et de communication pour le campus.

D’autres responsabilités clés consisteront à favoriser les relations avec les ministères gouvernementaux, les ONG, les universités et collèges, les conseils scolaires et les associations de l’industrie, et à déterminer et faciliter 5

cultivées, des terres humides, des espaces verts, des serres, un centre d’agroforesterie et une érablière, des sentiers et d’autres bâtiments - installations sportives, résidences et services de restauration.

Le Plan directeur du campus a été élaboré avec la participation importante de la communauté et se trouve à l’adresse https://www.kemptvillecampus.ca/regen.

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IPM Quilt Competition categories

Grenville OPP Locate stolen goods following pursuit

OPP picture of the arrested suspect Male arrested and released, presents returned to victims On December 25, 2021, shortly after midnight, members of the Grenville County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) observed a 1957 Paris Manufacturing Company sled traveling at a dangerously high rate of speed, southbound on Mount Crumpit Road, just north of the Town of Whoville. At that time the sled was being guided by an unknown mixed-breed canine.

Officers attempted to stop the sled and engaged in a short pursuit, following it as it entered the Town of Whoville. The pursuit was then called off due to public safety

concerns.

Shortly after sunrise, officers again located the sled on Mount Crumpit Road.

The sled was hung up on the edge of a cliff. Officers also noted the sled appeared to be overloaded with presents and decorated trees, suspected to have been stolen.

Police quickly ran toward the front and located the driver, identified as Mr. GRINCH. He immediately yelled for help as the sled began to slide further over the edge.

As officers and the driver began to lose their footing, a young female, identified as Cindy-Lou WHO, was found on top off the presents.

At that time, officers observed Mr. GRINCH's heart

to grow three sizes, and he miraculously found the strength of ten Grinches plus two. Mr. GRINCH was then able to push the sled and WHO back to safety.

Police confirmed the presents had indeed been stolen from residents of Whoville.

The sled was also determined to be overweight.

Mr. GRINCH voiced his regret and stated that just prior to officers' arrival, he heard the residents of Whoville singing; he added this sound wasn't sad, why this sound was glad. He said after hearing the singing he intended on returning the gifts.

Mr. GRINCH, his dog Max, and WHO were then escorted back to Whoville, where the presents were returned to the victims. He brought back their snoof and their tringlers and fuzzles. He brought back their pantookas, their dafflers and wuzzles.

All of the residents rejoiced and declined to press charges, and in typical Whofashion, forgave him for his actions. Police were told he later joined them for dinner even had the honour of carving the roast beast.

The International Plowing Match Quilt Committee has finalized the categories for the quilt competition. The quilts will be shown at the “Home on the Farm Quilt Show & Tea Room” to be held on August 19 and 20 at the W.B. George Centre in Kemptville. There are a variety of categories of interest to all levels of quilters, fabric artists and sewers.

First, second and third prizes will be awarded in most categories in the amount of $100., $75., and $50. Entries to the quilt competition will be for work completed after August 2020. The entry fee is $10. with one entry maximum per category by an individual.

There are two classes for youth to show their quilting skills, one for youth under 13 years of age and the other for youth between the ages of 14 and 18 years. They can use any category and any technique. There is no entry fee for the youth with one entry allowed per youth.

The categories include Art Quilts, which should be an original design; Crib or Toddler Quilts, these can be for a child or home decor; Miniature Quilts, entry must be a reduced scale and miniaturization of a full-size project; Pandemic Projects, these can be items such as a tablerunner, tote bag, tree skirt, wearable art; Wall Hangings; Applique Quilts where the applique is the predominant technique; Pieced Quilts where the piecing is the predominant technique; Modern Quilts, modern quilt designs often reflect minimalism, asymmetry, use of negative space, improvisational piecing, solids or modern prints and alternate grid quilting; Quarantine

Local pair’s charity initiative a success

by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Kemptville duo is celebrating another successful year after wrapping up one of their annual campaigns to raise much needed supplies for homeless people. Ryan Deville and Dakota Boal were featured in an article in the Times in late October of last year, after news of their generosity was revealed by their friend, Andrea Sargeant.

The duo’s campaign, called CarePackage4Homeless, has become a yearly tradition, and focuses on providing hygiene and survival items to help get those without a home through Ottawa’s long, cold winters.

Writing on the campaign’s Facebook page, the duo provided an update on the outcome of the initiative, writing: “This week we were able to complete the packages and make the trip into Ottawa to deliver them to individuals at the shelters and living on the streets. We were very fortunate to have such great individuals, companies, and clubs promote and donate this year. With everyone’s help, we were able to expand on January 12, 2022

last year and provide more packages for the homeless in Ottawa. We were able to make and donate over 85 bags this year (plus boxes of toothpaste, clothes and food to donate to the shelters).” The post lists what was included in each care package, including survival items such as socks, hats, a scarf and gloves, and a bag to put it all in. The packages also included hygiene supplies, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, lip chap, soap, and shampoo.

Candies and snacks were also included, with the added bonus of a Tim Horton’s gift card in each package.

“We have enjoyed doing this with the help of everyone since we started last year,” the post continues. “All individuals were very thankful of all the donations. The smiles that we were able to put on faces that day of delivering were priceless. We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s hard work and generosity, and appreciate all of you so much.

Thank you all for your support; without everyone, this wouldn’t be possible.” The post ends with an allusion to next year’s campaign.

The Voice of North Grenville

In correspondence with the Times, Andrea wanted to emphasize that Ryan and Dakota are eager to give credit to the community for the success of this year’s campaign, noting that “they received some amazing donations.” After such a great act of giving, the pair has some time to rest before they buckle down and do it all again next year.

Quilts, these quilts could include quilts made with re-purposed material such as shirt quilts, jean quilts or memory quilts. The categories are also broken down by method of quilting.

Printed panels may be used in a number of the categories. The panel would have added borders and/or blocks.

A special category will be Barn Quilts, these would be constructed on wooden or graphic sign boards approximately 24"x24". The winner of this competition will be chosen by viewers’ choice. For further information on the quilt categories as well as the entry form and rules go to the 2022 IPM website at www.plowingmatch.org.

There are five groups who have come together to plan, organize and execute the quilt show. They are the Kemptville Quilters Guild; the Thousand Islands Quilters Guild; the Upper Canada Quilters Guild; Victoria’s Quilts Canada, Kemptville Branch, and the Kemptville District Hospital Auxiliary.

The Kemptville Quilters Guild is now in its 22nd year.

The guild is based in Kemptville with 73 members who come from Kemptville and the surrounding area. The guild meets on the second Monday of the month between September and June, at this time the members are meeting virtually on Zoom.

The meetings provide inspiration and sharing through guest speakers, quilt shop information, block of the month, and a Sew and Tell section. The guild members make and donate quilts for outreach giving the quilts to a number of or-

IPM Quilt Block Challenge

The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo, set to take place between September 20-24, recently held their annual IPM Quilt Block Challenge.

Congratulations the winners of the IPM 2022 Quilt Block Challenge: 1st Place: Janice Toonders, Williamsburg.

2nd Place: Kathy Colwell, Spencerville.

3rd Place: Ann Creasey, Kemptville.

During the challenge, quilters and sewers were encouraged to purchase a kit and assemble their own quilt block to enter into the competition using four preselected

6

pieces of fabric, with the addition of one cotton fabric piece of their choosing. The theme for the block is 'Home on the Farm: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'. The fabric from the Quilt Block Challenge was generously donated by Northcott Fabrics.

All finished blocks received will be made into two quilts.

One will be presented to the Ontario Queen, who will be crowned during the event, and the second will be raffled off with the winning ballot to be drawn on the final day of the event.

The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) is North America's largest

outdoor agricultural and rural expo. The event is expected to attract over 80,000 visitors over the five-day match. The large crowds will spur tourism and economic activity in the surrounding area during the event and for years to come.

Further, profits generated during the event will be donated to groups and organizations in the host community.

The event will host a range of activities for people of all ages including plowing competitions, numerous opportunities to learn about agriculture, live entertainment, hundreds of vendors and exhibitors, a wide variety of food, and much more.

ganizations in the community.

They hold workshops, have an extensive library and send out a monthly newsletter.

The Thousand Island Quilters Guild will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary in June of 2022. It has 124 members. The Upper Canada Quilters Guild was formed in 1989. They currently have 75 members with an abundance of quilting knowledge amongst them.

The Kemptville Branch of Victoria’s Quilts Canada will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2022. It has sixty-seven members who make quilts to be donated to anyone diagnosed with cancer in Canada. The quilts are a gift, no cost is ever passed on to the quilt recipient or to the person who requests the quilt.

The Kemptville Branch raises its own funds to purchase the quilting supplies. Over the years the branch has delivered over 2,000 quilts locally as well as providing VQC with quilts which are sent out all across the country.

The Kemptville District Hospital Auxiliary provides volunteers for every area of the hospital and raises funds for the direct benefit of the patients. The Auxiliary volunteers are recognized by their red smocks working all over the hospital. The Auxiliary has donated more than $1.8 million since it was founded in 1959. The Auxiliary raises funds for the hospital through the coffee bar/gift shop, memorial donations and several events throughout the year.

The Auxiliary has agreed to look after the tea room at the quilt show.

It will take many volunteers to promote and deliver the “Home on the Farm Quilt Show” and the Quilt Tent at the IPM to be held on the former Kemptville College Campus the week of September 20 to 24. The five groups mentioned above have many willing volunteers to make these events a success.

For more information on the quilt show contact the IPM 2022 Quilt Team at QuiltsIPM2022@gmail.com.

For general match enquiries contact IPM2022NG@gmail. com. The 2022 IPM website is www.plowingmatch.org, and over the course of the coming weeks and months more information will be posted as it becomes available.

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The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

New Acting Director of Finance/Treasurer for North Grenville

North Grenville has a new Acting Director of Finance/ Treasurer. Mr. Femi Ogunrinde will be taking over the role of Acting Director of Finance/Treasurer following the resignation of Mr. Brad Brookman on December 24.

“On behalf of Council, we would like to thank Mr. Brookman for his service to the Municipality and wish him well with his future en-

deavors,” said Mayor Peckford.

Mr. Ogunrinde, who has been the Deputy Director of Finance/Treasurer since September, 2020, will immediately assume responsibility for the Municipality’s financial management. Mr. Ogunrinde is a seasoned financial manager and leader with over 14 years of experience in finance and accounting.

COVID-19 Vaccine Status Report Vaccination Statistics as of January 4: For individuals 12 plus, our first dose vaccination rate is 95.8%, fully vaccinated is 93.6% and with a booster the rate is 36.1%.

For individuals 5 plus, our first dose vaccination rate is 92.5%, and fully vaccinated rate is 87.2% and for boosters it is 33.6%.

Vaccination rate for 5 to 11 is 50.1% with a first dose – that is up from 43% last week As of Jan 2, 2022 a total of 366,948 vaccinations have been administered in the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit (LGLDHU) region.

Our vaccination dashboard has all the details and will be updated again next Tuesday, Jan 11 Vaccination Booking: Many community vaccine clinics were full in December and into January. LIMITED walk-ins MAY be available at clinics based on vaccine supply and clinic capacity and will be posted on our social media. If you are choosing to wait in line at a clinic, please ensure social distancing is maintained.

Priority is given to those with appointments.

Our Pfizer-Adult supply is limited and will be prioritized for ages 12-29. Moderna will be the primary vaccine given at clinics for those 30+.

A list of upcoming clinics is available on our website: healthunit.org/health-information/covid-19/protection/ vaccine-clinics.

Check a participating pharmacy here or call your doctor’s office. Please cancel a clinic appointment if you book at an earlier one. We can then make this appointment available to someone else. Cancel an appointment by filling out this online form or using the link in your confirmation email.

Other Vaccine Information: If you have symptoms, we advise you to cancel your appointment and rebook when your symptoms are gone, and you are feeling well. Whether it is COVID-19 or not, you are fighting an infection and the vaccine may not yield the best response. Even if you have had a COVID-19 infection you still need to be immunized There will be a form available soon for those who need Medical Exemptions. Information will be on our website in the coming weeks.

Children turning age 5 in 2022 are eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccine on or after their birthday.

Our local Call Centre can provide support for residents who cannot access their COVID-19 vaccine receipt through the Ministry website.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit the COVID-19 Protection and Vaccines section of our website.

4th Dose being given to highest risk: A fourth dose will be made available to residents of longterm care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges and other congregate care settings. Individuals must wait three months, or 84 days, between doses.

The province will also be mandating third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for all staff, students, volunteers, caregivers and support workers in long-term care settings. Workers have until January 28, 2022 to get the booster, if eligible.

January 12, 2022

“I would like to thank Mr. Ogunrinde for accepting the Acting Director of Finance/ Treasurer role, and continuing to provide us with his financial management expertise.

His significant knowledge and experience in overseeing major accounting and finance accounts will ensure a smooth transition, and move our municipal financial operations forward,” said CAO Gary Dyke.

Prior to starting at the Municipality, Mr. Ogunrinde held the position of Controller with JL Richards, managing a budget of approximately $25 million. He has also been a key contributor at the Municipality during these pandemic times, working very closely with Mr. Brookman and the province of Ontario to secure COVID recovery dollars for municipal operations.

OPP Report

GRENVILLE COUNTY SEEKING TO IDENTIFY On December 28 around 3:30 p.m. and December 30, 2021 around 6:00 p.m., Grenville County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers responded to reports of an indecent act.

The incidents occurred in parking lots in Ferguson Forest and a store parking lot off of Colonnade Drive in the Municipality of North Grenville.

An unknown person was conducting an indecent act in his vehicle. The OPP is asking for public assistance in identifying the person of interest with the following descriptions: Male 20-30 year old Wearing glasses Wearing a toque with the front flap lifted up Driving an older red or maroon-coloured car with no spoiler or roof racks If you or anyone you know are aware of the male's identity or have any further information about this incident, please contact the Grenville County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-(TIPS) 8477 or submit your tip on-line at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca. Crime Stoppers does not want your name, you don't go to court, and you could earn cash reward.

GRENVILLE COUNTY OPP FESTIVE R.I.D.E. PROGRAM

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) 2021 Festive R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign commenced on November 18, 2021 and continued throughout until January 3, 2022. During the campaign officers from Grenville County Detachment of the OPP conducted 179 RIDE checks throughout their area and charged 130 drivers with impaired driving.

Over the 46-day campaign, OPP officers worked 24/7, conducting 1,720 RIDE events across East region.

Over and above the charges, officers issued 67 Warn Range suspensions to drivers.

The OPP would like to thank citizens for making 366 calls to police to report suspected impaired drivers during the annual campaign. The OPP also thanks all those who stepped up as designated drivers, or took other measures to ensure family and friends did not get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Drivers are reminded that the OPP conducts RIDE events throughout the year on roads, trails and waterways. Citizens are encouraged to continue reporting suspected impaired drivers to police. By doing so, you could be saving a life.

In addition to the Festive RIDE program, from December 24 until today, officers responded to the following impaired driving incidents.

On December 28, 2021 at around 8:45 p.m., members of Grenville County OPP responded to a single motor vehicle collision into a fence. The 19 year old driver from Spencerville was issued with a 3 day driving suspension for driving with a blood alcohol concentration in the 'warn range' and Provincial Offence Notices for Careless Driving and Disobey Stop Sign.

On January 2 at 8:45 p.m. officers from Grenville County OPP were dispatched to Dennison Road, North Grenville Township, with regards to a suspicious vehicle. Members located a truck and driver and after a short investigation arrested and charged a male, aged 35 years old, from North Grenville with the following Criminal Code (CC) offence: Operation while Impaired (over 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood) CC 320.14(1)(b) The accused was released on an Appearance Notice with a scheduled appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brockville on January 28, 2022.

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UPDATE For updates related to COVID-19 and the North Grenville Municipal Centre visit: www.northgrenville.ca/coronavirus

MUNICIPAL OFFICE HOURS

As a result of the modified Step 2 COVID-19 protocols, Municipal offices – including the Municipal arena – are currently closed to the public until further notice with staff working remotely during this period. The Municipality remains operational to provide essential services and assistance to the public by appointment only. Please visit the Municipal website at northgrenville.ca for departmental contact information and updates with respect to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sign-up to Mayor Peckford’s e-newsletter at: northgrenville.ca/ connect.

UPCOMING MEETINGS COUNCIL MEETINGS

Council meetings will be conducted virtually via Zoom.

For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting virtually, pre-registration is required by e-mailing clerk@ northgrenville.on.ca. To make a deputation in relation to an item on the agenda, please pre-register with the Clerk’s Office at the same e-mail address. Please provide your comments no later than two hours prior to the start of the meeting. If you require accommodation, please advise the Clerk’s Office when preregistering so that they may best assist you.

Council meetings will be live streamed on YouTube at: youtube. com/user/NorthGrenville/featured and on the Municipality’s website at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendas-and-minutes.

Council agendas are available at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendas-and-minutes.

• Council Meeting (Open) – Virtual – Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

• Council Meeting (Open) – Virtual – Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Committee meetings will be conducted virtually via Zoom. For any members of the public wanting to attend the meeting virtually, pre-registration is required by e-mailing the Clerk’s Office at clerk@northgrenville.on.ca.

• • • • • •

Council Compensation Committee – Monday, January 17, 2022 at 10:00 am Accessibility Advisory Committee – Monday, January 17, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.

Arts and Culture Advisory Committee – Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Environmental Action Advisory Committee – Monday, January 24, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.

Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee – Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.

Active Transportation Advisory Committee – Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

VOLUNTEER AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Please visit northgrenville.ca/careers for updates on volunteer and employment opportunities.

The Municipality of North Grenville 285 County Rd. 44, PO Box 130, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0 Tel: 613-258-9569 Fax: 613-258-9620 general@northgrenville.on.ca www.NorthGrenville.ca

Building: 613-258-9569 x130 Fax: 613-258-1441 Fire Services Info: 613-258-9569 x201 Fax: 613-258-1031 By-Law Services: email: bylawinquiries@northgrenville.on.ca 613-258-9569 x211 Police Administration: 613-258-3441 Animal Control: 613-862-9002

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Editorial

The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

Days of future past

by David Shanahan It is always a strange thing to face up to a new year and write something to welcome the new in and usher the old out. This has been made even more challenging in the new reality we’ve come to know over the past two years. I looked back at the first issue of 2020, wondering if there was anything there that might seem prescient now. Lots of comments about 2020 vision, and the eerie phrase “hindsight is 2020". Indeed, it is.

But nothing could have prepared us for what was to come that January. Just three months later, we were being told that we had to stop meeting together, stay at home and stay safe. No-one knew at the time how long that new reality would last, that it was, in fact, a new reality. Maybe, we thought, this may have to be endured for a few weeks. The idea that it could last a month or more was almost literally inconceivable. Yet, here we are, two years later, and there is a general feeling of resigna-

tion mixed with impatience, anger, and worry that this is never going away.

It is hard to look forward to 2022 with the same optimism with which we greeted 2020. We know too much now, we’ve seen too many scenes of crowded hospitals, we’ve read the stats of the dead, the new cases coming day after day. We’ve had to deal with isolation, with the anti-vaxxers (a new word to add to our vocabulary, along with new meanings for words like jab and booster). Many of us have had the experience of the Ice Storm of 1998. A very few of us have been in dangerous areas of conflict and threatening violence. There are those who have dealt with medical crises, loss and pain.

But none of us have ever dealt with a pandemic like covid-19, a long, drawn-out drain on our physical and emotional reserves, and it has brought us face to face with aspects of people and society that we had managed to ignore before. We have been shocked and saddened,

even angered, by the attitude of those who differ from us regarding restrictions, vaccinations, isolation. Alongside generosity and self-sacrifice, we’ve seen unwillingness to consider the health and welfare of others, a rising tide of conspiracies and rumours that have weakened public trust in traditional institutions that had been respected.

It does sound depressing, doesn’t it? Perhaps it would be better to write an upbeat, positive, optimistic article for the new year, one that makes everyone feel good about life. I would love to live at a time when we could blithely transition from one year to the next: “another year over, and a new one just begun”. But that would not be real. This pandemic time has opened wounds, some of which came as a shock to us.

Canada stockpiled vaccinations far and away above what we needed to take care of our people, while most countries went without. We are, justly, proud of the high number of fully-vaccinated citizens, but

we seem to ignore the words: “none of us are protected until all of us are protected”.

But national self interest is not the only aspect of the pandemic that should make us rethink our own image as a people. What about those indigenous communities where the virus is running rampant, where there is no comfortable feeling of safety and protection? Why are so many of those communities still without safe water to drink, proper housing, basic amenities such as electricity? The pandemic did not cause any of these things, they have only exacerbated them.

But, if there is a positive note to emphasise here, and I think there is, it is that we have an opportunity to revise our attitudes towards many of the unwelcome aspects of life. At the start of the pandemic, when we began to realise that it was more than a passing irritation, there was a genuine sense that we could come out of it with a greater sense of purpose. We believed that society could change the

way it went about things.

The environment seemed to prosper through lockdowns.

Wildlife returned to urban areas in ways that had not been seen before. People rethought work habits, the hours they spent commuting were exchanged for a more laid back working at home schedule.

It did seem, for a while, that the world would learn something from the short, sharp shock of covid. But then it wasn’t short any more, and the shock began to wear off, to be replaced by an impatience, a turning in and away from bright hopes and ideas about how to make things better. We got tired waiting for the whole thing to be over.

Much of the optimism and idealism of those early days, when we felt united

Dear Editor, 2021 has been a trying year to say the least. And with the virus mutating, I am sure 2022 will be off to a challenging start. I have to share with everyone what a generous community we live in here in North Grenville. The Christmas season started off with an amazing Santa parade coordinated by a caring, ambitious group of people using every method possible to produce a great parade for kids and “big kids” alike, while keeping everything safe following all the COVID protocols. Royal LePage Team Realty, at their new office on Prescott St., opened their doors to once again be a toy drop off for the “Mountain of Toys” collection, keeping within all the safety protocols. It’s fun seeing the smiles on the faces of both the young and old as they dropped off their toy donation.

Even though a lot of people are having a tough time financially this year, those that can were extra generous this year. We had a total of 380 toys dropped off, compared to 360 last year.

Because the food banks are seeing more families requiring assistance this year, we resurrected our Christmas BBQ as best we could, following the safety protocols.

Rain and cold weather would not stop the generous people coming out for a burger and visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. We raised an amazing $1,100, which was split between the two local food banks. I have to share a story about a generous lady who pulled over while driving by, ran out of her car and handed a $100 bill as a donation. No one knew who she was. This shows the generosity of North Grenvillians! My heart melts when I think of how kind and generous people of North Grenville are. I am so proud to call Kemptville my home.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Stay safe and healthy.

Regards, Judy Littau Office Administrator Royal LePage Team Realty, Brokerage

Dear Editor, To all residents of the Municipality of North Grenville: This letter is to ask all residents with internet issues within the Municipality of North Grenville to take action against paying for internet services not being received from your internet provider.

We have been, and currently still are, dealing with Bell internet issues for four months now, and paying for services not being provided after numerous Bell calls, live chats, tech and linesmen visits – issues not resolved, and they just continually go over the same things. Basically, we were told from one Tech that it is due to outdated technology and ancient Bell equipment and lines (our line out front is dated 1967). Bell should be made responsible to replace all outdated infrastructure that they are responsible for, in order to provide us with the services we are paying for. We have, over the months, looked into other providers, none of which can provide us service where we live.

This quote received di-

and ready to deal with the entire mess, has been dissipated. The fear is that we will gradually return to a new kind of normal, without really changing the fundamentals of how we live together. Perhaps that’s inevitable. Or perhaps we can hang on to a little of that early sense of possibility and vision and start a new conversation about how and why we do things. There will be two elections this year; provincial and municipal. A perfect opportunity to talk about these things, to reassess what we want from our representatives, and what kind of community we want them to lead us into. At the end of the day, it is a new year and we can use that, admittedly rather artificial, sense of new beginnings. Some new year’s resolutions can become real.

Help Support Your Local Businesses SHOP LOCALLY

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Merry Christmas !! to ALL. Stepped out this morning to a breathtaking view; A White Christmas !! Fresh snow, birds flying around the "english garden" backyard enjoying a variety of treats. Indeed, a winter wonderland, peaceful, quiet full of yesterday’s memories with our neighbours, shoveling "wet" snow and yakking up a warming storm.

A lot to take in at 68, resting after another year guiding a big yellow bus around the back country picking up and returning a growing gaggle of laughing, joking some "ear budding" young folk into a public and a high school in our beautiful valley.... my wonderful wife still settled and asleep.... her year spent guiding a private school through its active in-school success in these challenging times.

I write to you because I hold deep memories of the times I spent in the Ottawa Valley, farming outside North Gower, busy being a teenager

at South Carleton High AND rolling around the valley on beautiful winter days plowing out farm driveways in an open cab "Ferguson 35".. praying it doesn't pour freezing rain.

I just received a card from my 91 year old Mother who's safe, secure and well cared for at Kemptville Retirement .... another town I hold so dear from 4-H days... There was Metcalfe, Winchester, Osgoode, Kars ... etc fall fairs and great thrills.

I digress.

In her card was a clipping; John Baldwin's poem about his birds...... hmmm. Where we live I enjoy each day before work, after work, whenever doing the same thing. It is incredibly delightful......

So thank you John, thank you North Grenville Times, thank you from my heart.....

YOU have made my Christmas Day, because you see my wife and I live in the Comox Valley, Courtenay to be exact, on Vancouver Island.

Bless YOU All, Michael

the north grenville

The North Grenville Times is published weekly by North Grenville Times Inc.

Marketing/Sales Hayley Bedford hayley@ndtimes.ca 343 777 2702

January 12, 2022

ISSN 2291-0301 www.ngtimes.ca

TIMES Marketing Gord J. Logan gord@ngtimes.ca 613-258-6402

Editor David Shanahan editor@ngtimes.ca 613-215-0735

OFFICE 613-215-0735

Accounting Pat Jessop cfo@ngtimes.ca 613-258-4671

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Staff Reporter Brandon Mayer brandon@ndtimes.ca

rectly from the office of our MPP: “The Ontario government has an ambitious plan to bring reliable, high-speed internet to 100% of Ontario by 2025.” Whomever is having issues, we can’t wait another three years for something to be done.

All these big providers need to be made responsible to give the services we are paying for. Please contact your MPP, keep emailing/ calling your provider, email your municipality.

Without all of us pushing to receive better broadband within the municipally, it will never happen.

Name withheld by request

Send in your letters to the editor to editor@ngtimes.ca

Mailing Address P.O. Box 1854 Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0 Production production@ngtimes.ca 613-215-0735

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The North Grenville Times

Ontario COVID-19 cases at a peak, but with a glimmer of hope

by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On January 1, Ontario set a record for the highest daily count of newly reported COVID-19 cases. The reported 18,445 cases broke the previous record of 16,713 which was set the day before. Officials have noted that the actual numbers are likely higher, since there is insufficient availability of PCR testing for all those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

Case numbers have declined slightly since the record was set, but have remained well above the 10,000 mark on average. Case numbers last month and this month have been much higher than numbers previously seen, likely due to the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant.

Prior to last month, the previous daily new case record in Ontario was just 4,812, set in April of 2021. A year prior to that, from March to June of

2020, schools in Ontario remained closed for over three months, and many businesses were either closed or partially closed as well, even though case counts were consistently below the 800 mark and averaging much less.

With over 81% of all eligible Ontarians fully vaccinated, many are likely wondering why cases have reached an astounding peak.

Though Ontario has stopped publishing the percentage of new cases who are fully vaccinated in their daily reports, reports for the last week of December showed that the percentage of fully vaccinated new cases was approximately equal to the number of fully vaccinated Ontarians, suggesting that vaccination does not slow the spread of COVID-19. Many early studies have suggested that this is because the vaccine simply isn’t as effective against the new Omicron variant. Others have suggested that a hid-

Happy New Year! booster shots will have very little impact on the spread of the Omicron variant. After nearly two years of pandemic life, people need hope of an eventual return to “normal” life, and the top doctor of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, has recently provided exactly that. At a press conference on December 31, Dr. Roumeliotis revealed that the massive spike in COVID-19 cases is good because it signals that the pandemic will likely shift to endemic status early in 2022. With cases spiking, and more people developing natural COVID-19 immunity with few hospitalizations and deaths, the virus is turning into one that we can live with in the near future, even with little to no restrictions and a return to a more normal life, according to Dr. Roumeliotis.

All we can do is wait, and hope.

den benefit which vaccines have likely provided is the protection from severe COVID-19 infections. Indeed, COVID-19 deaths in Ontario reached their peak in early 2020, when the vaccine did not exist, and treatments were still experimental. Another peak in deaths occurred around the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, and again in April and May of last year. Currently, COVID-19 death rates are relatively low compared to those “deadliest” periods, sitting at a reported average of about 10 per day.

Currently, COVID-19 booster shots are available for anyone 18 years of age or older who received their second vaccine dose at least three months ago. Whether booster shots will reduce the COVID-19 infection numbers, or lower the severity of illness for those who do catch the virus, remains to be seen. Many preliminary reports are suggesting that

Letters to the Editor cont'd Dear Editor, I must say I was surprised to actually agree with David Shanahan on a couple of points in his most recent Mythunderstandings article. David and I would agree that despite the existence of deniers such as the "Flat World Society'', we can be reasonably assured that the earth is in fact not flat. I would also agree with David that there are sufficient reports on the existence of Jesus to support the likelihood that the man, at the very least an inspirational religious teacher, did in fact exist.

But after that our agreement starts to diverge.

I am more interested in focusing on David's claims of dates and authorship, but in doing so I will not refer to the New Testament. I have presented arguments refuting many of its authors previously, so I have no wish to go there yet again.

Instead I will turn to another set of early Christian texts; The Nag Hammadi, also known as the Gnostic Scriptures. Gnostic schools began to emerge within Christianity and Neoplatonism, until both agreed to excluding them as being heretical. When they were written, or re-written January 12, 2022

remains a mystery, but they were buried around 400 A.D. and discovered in 1945.

I turn to the "Prayer of the Apostle Paul" that appears in the Nag Hammadi.

Is this the same Paul as the one in the New Testament?

Maybe yes; maybe no.

Whether Paul or other biblical authors appear in the Gnostic Scriptures, or the New Testament, much must be attributed to "purported" authors. Much of Paul's gnostic writing was in Greek and bears a striking resemblance to invocations found in magical texts. How do we reconcile the Apostle Paul appearing in a heretical codex? James, the supposed brother of Jesus, also appears in gnostic texts through the "Apocryphon of James". Experts have suggested that it is a pseudonymous work trans-

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lated from Greek to Coptic.

It does however, profess to be a letter written by James and must have been written before 150 A.D., when it was still possible to recall orally delivered sayings of Jesus and to write them down. The language used would not have been used after the fixing of the Gospel canon. And these two are not the only apostles that appear in the Gnostic Scriptures, we also find writings attributed to John, Thomas, Peter as well as sections attributed to Mary Magdalene.

I bring up Nag Hammadi to illustrate that authorship and dates are at best "guesses and possibilities" and to declare these as absolute is a stretch at best.

We know that the dating the birthday of Jesus to December 25th was an invention of Pope Julian I in 330

A.D., not because of evidence discovered in some ancient text, but rather to compete with the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice. Most experts would agree that Jesus was likely born in the spring. So why do we celebrate Jesus' birth on a day we know was not his birthday? Likely for the same reason we celebrate many Christian beliefs, not because they are true, but because they are a tradition.

So by all means everyone should be free to believe in whatever they wish, but let's not try to compare the known scientific fact regarding the shape of the earth to the rather convoluted, apologistic evidence supporting the "truth" of the New Testament.

Don Palmer

THOMAS M. BYRNE Barrister and Solicitor

General Practice Corporate / Commercial Family Law Estates Real Estate Wills & Powers of Attorney tom@tmblaw.ca 613.258.1277 222 Prescott St., Kemptville

Happy Birthday

To my coffee supplier, who keeps me in touch with the big bad world outside the store.

Best wishes, Judy Beveridge.

NOMINATIONS WANTED! Do you know someone between the ages of 6 - 17 who is making a difference within their community? Nominate them for an Ontario Junior Citizen Award today!

DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 11, 2022 Nomination forms are available from this newspaper, and at www.ocna.org/juniorcitizen.

Email jr.citizen@ocna.org for more information.

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SCS carried by the community

by Jill Woodley Glancing in the rearview mirror, the face of 2021 is not what one might expect, given it was a year full of much doubt and uncertainty.

It is not a look of contentment from the challenges levied on so many of us, but rather a face with wise eyes and an encouraging smile, reminding us to remember the resilience, the good, and the hope for a better year ahead.

This monthly article in the NG Times is very important on so many levels. It is a place to speak to the services at SCS, a platform to cheer on our volunteers, and an opportunity to speak to the challenges facing older adults who choose to remain home as they age. The latter is, after all, what Seniors’ Community Services is all about – sup-

porting seniors and adults with physical disabilities to live well at home and in the community we all share.

Let’s take a good look in that rearview mirror before we cross the threshold to the new year. It would be remiss not to extend our thanks to everyone who played a role in ensuring SCS remained a vibrant and key part in this community. Thank you to our clients, who have been patient and kind, and offered their own sense of humour when we needed it most. Flexibility has been the key, and, thankfully, so many have stayed nimble while engaging in our virtual exercise programs!

Thank you to the families of the clients who have been remarkable champions for their loved ones. It has been a privilege to provide them

the assurance of care during a time when isolation and loneliness are so widespread.

The SCS volunteers have paddled us through 2021 with grace, strength, and confidence. Meals on Wheels, Footcare, Tele-visiting, and transportation did not take a pause, even during some of the darkest days. It was our volunteers who were often the only point of contact for clients who were heeding the stay at home orders.

They were bringing food to porches, and offering drives to critical appointments. Behind the scenes, the Board of Directors remained dedicated to supporting the staff, and providing leadership with excellence in navigation and collaboration.

The turbulent waters of the last year put a damper

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Footcare

Exercise Programs Transportation Meals on Wheels

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on fundraising, but in that rearview mirror it is clear we launched ourselves over deep puddles with the help of a community that jumped into every event with so much vigor we sold out every time.

Our 40th anniversary year

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Some of the people who carried us through 2021

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Live WELL at home and in your community!

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may not have been what we expected, but, in hindsight, it may have been more than we ever could have hoped for. Soup & Go, Photos in the Park, Holiday Wreaths, and, of course, the world-famous Morris Tortiere – thank you to our small but mighty fundraising committee for your superhuman efforts.

2021 showed us the kindness and commitment of this community to ensure no one is overlooked, and everyone is cared for equally. When the Diners’ Club could not meet, Shoeless Joe’s delivered every week to twenty seniors.

Not only did they provide delicious food, they gave the gift of connection. At Thanksgiving, the Driscoll-Peca Team donated 20 handmade baskets that were delivered

to clients who got a very special pick-me-up. Local businesses donated critical funds, and the 100 Women and 100 Men Who Care both chose SCS as the recipient of their generosity.

Val and Byron Morris made 22 handmade tortieres as a fundraiser, and one community member bought ten –not for herself –to give to clients alone during the holidays. Ok, rearview mirror, you are making 2021 look pretty darn beautiful.

To you, year 2022, we step in your direction with confidence and support and a few tricks we have learned along the way. Cheers to our 41st Anniversary! We know this community will make it one to remember.

Mayor Peckford responds to concerns about doctor shortage

by Brandon Mayer

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

North Grenville Mayor, Nancy Peckford, reached out to the Times to weigh in on the issue of a lack of local doctors in Kemptville, after Merrickville pharmacist, Steve Gabell, raised the issue recently. Steve had wondered in correspondence with the Times whether Council members in North Grenville were aware of the issue.

“I think we’re increasingly aware, especially in the last couple of years with the increased interest in North Grenville,” Mayor Peckford said. “When I moved here 10 years ago, there was actually fairly good availability at that time; but it has become much more obvious to Council that there is now a shortage across the board. There are wait lists almost everywhere now. It’s definitely something January 12, 2022

that I think we’re going to have to tackle. Clearly, the healthcare system, overall, is extremely stressed owing to COVID, and that certainly hasn’t helped matters.”

Given that there are only anecdotal reports of doctor shortages from concerned residents, the Mayor was asked whether a study should be conducted, or what other means could be used to understand the extent of the problem. She responded, “I think at this stage, in the new year, the Municipality and Council will have that opportunity to look at how we can sort of quickly discern… what the status is in terms of the various primary health clinics in town, so that’s obviously a first step. We are also going to get new census data from Statistics Canada… and they are coming out with very important demographic data. My impression is that

the demographics are shifting a little bit. We have a very large population of older residents, and we have quite a large number of younger families on both ends of that spectrum, and it’s exerting pressure already.”

Mayor Peckford did not feel comfortable giving a firm answer on the method by which the Municipality might attract new doctors to the area, but she did mention that there are often provincewide approaches to doctor shortage issues, particularly because attracting a doctor to North Grenville may mean pulling them out of a different community, which will inevitably have its own underlying context. Mayor Peckford confirmed that the doctor shortage issue is one that Council plans on addressing in 2022.

In several online posts recently, comments from local 10

residents strongly suggested phoning all local doctors to be put on their waiting lists, because of a perceived shortage of doctors in the community.

Some locals revealed that they have been on local doctors’ waiting lists for years.

Two area physicians – Dr. Evans and Dr. Leonard – have recently retired. Their replacement, Dr. Gill, moved his practice to Barrhaven shortly after taking over. It is not known if any doctors are planning to start a practice in North Grenville in the near future.

Paul A. Jansen, BA, LLB.

Rachel S. Jansen, B.Comm., J.D.

215 Van Buren Street, Kemptville 613.258.7462 jansenlaw.com

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CO2 Down to Earth 6

A New Year's Agenda for Environmental Adaptation

by Philip Fry I was spurred to begin this column by the October 2021 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and a survey indicating that only a small percentage of Canadians knew the meaning of “natural solutions” to the environmental crisis. Because I had been experimenting since the 1980's with gardening techniques based on the observation of local relict forests and the dynamics of plant succession, I thought I had useful insights to offer. So I jumped in, writing about details found in local woods and fields that could be applied as practical ways of enhancing our natural heritage.

It was a false start for the column. Like an art student trying to create a drawing by working on an interesting

detail while forgetting that its placement on the paper was critical for the over-all composition, my descriptions of the “pit-and-mound structure” and “stick planting” fell flat for lack of being situated in the larger picture of our regional landscape. So, I backtracked, briefly reviewing the history and values which continue to frame our understanding of what I called our “patchwork landscape.” I barely touched upon the serious, but emotionally fraught, task of delving into the colonial assumptions and attitudes that still guide our behaviour within our patchwork home.

We persist, it seems, to think as owners of the land, rather than its stewards participating in its inevitable transformation.

Adopting measures to

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mitigate the processes of climate change, and developing techniques of adaptation, are urgent. But the way forward is rife with problems, not only because the reasons behind the crisis are complex and snarled up, but also because we tend to resist questioning our way of life. Many steps we need to consider will challenge deeply felt assumptions about our traditions, our values, and our behaviour.

To begin, we will need to sort out the entanglement of the problems we face. One useful way, I suggest, is to think of the structure of our patchwork landscape as an olden days quilt.

Like a quilt, our habitat is three dimensional, built physically of vertical layers of diverse materials, and horizontally distributed parcels of land, all stitched together by a network of threads and subject to the pressures of time. The quilt's backing is our bedrock, which has its own textures and flow; the batting is our soil, including a thin padding of organic substances; the top is pieced together in a pattern, sometimes regular, as the traditional Log Cabin design illustrated here, or at random, as in a Crazy Quilt.

The top is assembled by stitching small pieces of various cloths – or differentiated parcels of land - into blocks.

As can be seen in the illustration, each piece has a particular shape, texture, colour, and resilience (some fray or disintegrate faster than others), and each contributes to the construction of a block. The

blocks, in turn, are assembled according to the design. With a quilt, the design governs each block's placement; in our landscape, the pattern concerns both the block's location and role – domestic, commercial, institutional.

Three kinds of stitches determine the governance of the landscape quilt: provincial, dominion, or jurisdiction, which binds the quilt's three layers together; township regulation, which deals with the connections composing and connecting neighbouring blocks and their activities; and stewardship practice, which sees to the optimal functioning of the parcel of land placed in one's care.

Should any of the quilt's patches fray, or should the stitches be too loose, too tight, or for some reason fail, the whole quilt eventually becomes tattered and in need of repair.

The agenda I am proposing for the new year is to trace weaknesses in our quilt's stitches and patches, starting with a look at the implications of the measures taken by our current provincial government with regard to environmental protection. There will sometimes be disagreement among us about our beliefs, and the causes of the crisis, which will lead, at times, to emotional turmoil and the depressing temptation of self-doubt. But with care and respect, we can do this.

I would be happy to receive your ideas and comments at wildflowerguy@ gmail.com.

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Kemptville resident wins $50,000 with INSTANT LUCKY ACES

Elizabeth Loken of Kemptville is $50,000 richer after winning with INSTANT LUCKY ACES (Game #2269). "I've been playing the lottery for over 25 years," shared Elizabeth while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her winnings.

"I noticed this new ticket, so I started to play it."

Elizabeth thought she won $50 at first. "I had to go get my glasses. My husband asked if I won anything, and I calmly turned to him and said, 'I won $50,000'. It didn't really hit me until I went back to the store to validate my ticket."

She plans to invest and purchase a new vehicle with her winnings. "Winning this money is like a dream come true," she smiled. The winning ticket was purchased at Mac's on North Rideau Street in Kemptville.

OLG is currently booking in-person prize claim appointments at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto only for those claims that require a face-to-face interview. Customers with prizes over $50,000 are asked to call 1-800-387-0098 to discuss available prize claim options. Prize claims up to $49,999.90 should continue to be submitted by mail. The health and safety of our customers and employees remains our top priority and OLG looks forward to providing future updates on the further availability of in-person prize claims.

INSTANT LUCKY ACES is available for $10 and the top prize is $250,000. Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.49.

Visit the INSTANT page on OLG.ca for more information on this and other great games. the north grenville

TIMES

Hayley Bedford

Marketing Consultant

Phone: 343-777-2702 Email: hayley@ndtimes.ca www.ndtimes.ca

Book HAPPY your Summer TODAY NEWtune-up YEAR!

Well here we are again; lockdown number 4. Oddly enough this lockdown came into effect on the very day that Get Cronk'd Fitness Studio should have been celebrating its 5 year anniversary. A bit ironic don't you think?! I can remember 6 years ago, when dreaming of opening my own facility, people told me that the first few years are the hardest. While it is very true that years 1 and 2 were no cakewalk, let me tell you they were nothing compared to navigating a business through a global pandemic.

These past 22 months have tested us over It's no secret that gyms have been among the hardest hit business sectors; in fact we still haven't and over AND recovered from the first lockdown because of the 1000s of dollars we invested in equipment aimed at over again. keeping our community safe; such as, a commercial grade electrostatic sprayer, a hepa air purifier,

#stronger together #wewillnotbreak

touchless sanitizer station, as well as equipment which would allow everyone to train without having to share any equipment. Every time things seem to start to pick up, we get sucker punched yet again! If not for the encouragement and unwavering support of my family, my amazing coaching team and many of our clients, we would no longer be here. For that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I think the most disappointing and frustrating thing for me throughout this whole ordeal is the fact that not even once has our provincial government OR Ontario's top doctor acknowledged the benefits of proper nutrition and exercise in fighting illness. That coupled with the fact that we provide an essential and invaluable service to MANY; including front line workers (doctors, nurses, paramedics etc) who rely on our services heavily for their physical, mental and emotional health.

Hopefully this latest lockdown will in fact be short lived and we can get on with doing what we do best.

We've made it this far. WE WILL NOT BREAK! WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! In the meantime we invite you to join us virtually. Email admin@getcronkd.ca or visit www.getcronkd.ca for details.

Rebecca Cronk, Owner/Operator/Fitness and Wellness Specialist, Honours BSc HK at University of Ottawa, CSEP-CPT, EIMC Level 1, CanFitPro Personal Training Specialist, OAS, NWL & CFC, IHP Exercise Specialist. Get Cronk'd is also a member of North Grenville Chamber of Commerce.

January 12, 2022

11

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146 Prescott St. Kemptville

@bubbaandbugscoffee

Heritage wood-fired brick oven operating since 1885 115 Clotheir St., E., Kemptville 613.258.2317 www.grahamesbakery.com

of minutes we were dragged backwards to face renewed provincial restrictions again with some businesses (restaurants, coffee shops and health & fitness businesses) closing and others facing significantly reduced customer capacities.

With so much energy and attention focused on the negative aspects of what’s happened over the past two years, it has become too easy to forget about the many positive developments over that same period. Both large and small, there have been many things worth celebrating. It’s important that we retain some

by Deron Johnston, Executive Director, BIA 2020 was a rough year as it seems we made countless sacrifices in order to deal with the realities of the pandemic.

Then 2021 comes along and it felt like it turned to face 2020 and said “Oh ya? Here, hold my beer and watch this!”.

Towards the latter part of 2021, it looked like we were finally seeing some daylight as restrictions were being lifted and some sense of normalcy seemed just around the corner. Then, the Omicron variant struck and in what seems like a matter

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of our attention to focus on the positive outcomes that have happened in our community and across the country.

Instead of just listing all of those many things that we should be grateful for no matter the circumstances, we also encourage you to consider the remarkable people behind them. So many people in North Grenville alone should be recognized for the incredible work they have done over the past 22 months.

It seems as if some people have raised the bar ever higher in their efforts to help others during these troubled

times. Yet their names won’t appear in any headlines, news releases or social media posts.

We salute all of those who have made immeasurable contributions to enrich their communities. If you ever come across someone who you know who has dedicated themselves to make our collective lives better but doesn’t get the appreciation that you feel is deserved, feel free to take a minute to thank them, from all of us.

Greetings from the Salamanders Team. We have so much to be thankful for: our great staff, an understanding landlord, and, most of all, our loyal and appreciative restaurant supporters. All through the pandemic, we have received kind messages from a great many people, all wishing us well. We also wish to thank Deron and Megan of the BIA, and Matt from the Municipality; they have done their usual fine work in keeping businesses “in the know” on provincial restrictions. The North Grenville Times has been a champion for local business all through these tough times: thanks to you, David and Maggie. We will continue to provide our “good food prepared by good people” on a takeout basis on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and for as long as we possibly can, in the hopes that spring will bring the revival we are all hoping for.

Best to you, the amazing community of North Grenville!

A message from Scott and Luc at Bubba & Bugs Coming into the current semi-lockdown, we both agreed that we felt sort of numb. We felt that we should be scared, upset, angry, and tired, and yet we just sort of got up, got ready and started the day. Really, we’ve spent our short career as café owners under some sort restriction or other and, quite honestly, today doesn’t feel much different. Yes it’s hard to not watch the clock and find yourself counting the minutes (sometimes the hours) between customers, but we have each other, and during those in between times that’s what has gotten us through. No one could do this alone.

We know that with each announcement it isn’t just the measures themselves that dictate what will happen next, it’s what people do with that information. If they decide the world around them is shut down, they adapt and they hunker down. If they read the fine print and see that many of us are still open and are operating in whatever limited capacity we are able to, be it online services, curbside only operations, or takeout, then they are more inclined to maybe get out that day and shake off the fog.

There is also a lot of social guilt/pressure that we have to contend with (“stay home”, “did you really need to go out and get a coffee today”?). For that reason, we always want to make it clear that we have, and will always, adhere to January 12, 2022

12

all Public Health measures and the safety of our customers (and ourselves) is paramount. We won’t let you leave here feeling uncertain or scared if we can help it, you are in good hands.

Bottom line is we are so grateful for the support we have received from day one. Those people who waited outside during a brutal first spring in rain, sleet, snow…. we remember you every day, and every time we think about you, we break a little bit. We are still here because of you and everyone who got up and faced the day today. You have allowed us to be here, and we hope you don’t give up on us just yet. If we can only promise one thing, it is that we will be here for you too, no matter what, and that we are currently only screwing up about 30% of your drink orders. So come on folks, things are looking up!

Scott & Luc Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar

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The Voice of North Grenville

A quiet revolution

The statue of Edmund Burke stands outside Trinity College, Dublin

by David Shanahan History is full of exciting events, turbulent times, and violent change. But some revolutions can pass people by as they live through them, and can even be forgotten by those who were most affected by them. This is especially true of major constitutional revolutions: debates about constitutions can leave people quite unmoved at times.

In the summer of 1791, the future of Canada was being discussed in the British Parliament. What was decided in just a few days of debate was to determine what kind of place Canada would become, what the political and social characteristics of the new nation would be for generations to come. But even those making such important decisions, with few exceptions, didn’t seem particularly impressed by what they were doing.

After three thousand or so Loyalists settled along the shores of the Saint Lawrence west of the Ottawa River, they came under the system of government that had operated in the colony since 1763. Canada was Quebec, and stretched from the Gaspé to Lake Huron. The original French population, known simply as the Canadians, formed the majority of the population, even after the influx of English refugees.

There was no Assembly to represent the views of the people. Land was held under the French seigneurial system, so the Loyalists found themselves unable to own outright the land they were granted.

These new circumstances were unwelcome to them, January 12, 2022

and numerous petitions had been submitted asking for the “natural rights of British subjects”.

In 1789, William Grenville, Secretary of State for the Colonies, drew up a draft constitution to be introduced in Canada. Known as “The Quebec Bill”, it was not introduced into the British Parliament until early in 1791.

The Bill provided for the division of Quebec into two new provinces, to be known as Upper Canada and Lower Canada, each with its own form of Assembly, land system, and civil laws. It came before the Committee of the House of Commons on May 6, 1791, to be debated and approved; but the session proved far more involved than anyone expected. One historian has noted that, of the 36 pages of debates on the Bill recorded in the Hansard for that session, discussion of the contents and its implications only filled three pages.

What has to be remembered about this debate was that it was not only dealing with the future of Canada, it was also taking place in the context of the unfolding Revolution taking place in France at the time. The Revolution had sparked a reevaluation of the role of the people in forming and carrying on their own government. It had sharply divided opinion in Britain, especially in the days before the execution of Louis XVI and his Queen, and the dark months of the Terror, the mass executions on the guillotine that disillusioned many of the Revolution’s early supporters.

The man considered one

of Parliament’s finest orators and thinkers, the Irish philosopher, Edmund Burke, had condemned the Revolution from the beginning, and when he rose to address the House on the Quebec Bill on May 6, 1791, he was clearly conscious of the importance of what the House was about to do: “They were going to exercise the most ample and extensive powers which one man or a community could exercise upon another. They were not going to make laws, but they were going to make and organize a body which should make laws. They were about to form a machine, an organ by which those people should contribute to their own happiness or their own misery. They had assumed to themselves a power of performing this act of sovereignty.”

This sums up perfectly the revolutionary and historic nature of what was being introduced to Canada. Perhaps it was this awareness, and how dangerous a precedent was being set in France, that caused him to launch into an attack on that Revolution, pointing out the dangers of choosing the wrong system of government for a people.

In fact, Burke continued his vigorous attack on the Revolution for so long that other members, as well as the Chair, began to call him to order, without much success. The debate then largely turned into a loud and rancorous series of attacks on, and de-

fenses of, the French Revolution, rather than a considered discussion of the Quebec Bill.

What made the headlines, then and in history, was the manner in which the debate ended the long friendship of Burke and Charles Fox, who had been close allies in Parliament, and leaders of the opposition to the governments of William Pitt, for almost a quarter of a century.

The session ended shortly after order was restored, and debate on the Bill continued on May 11, with a more relevant focus on the actual contents of the Bill. It passed with only a couple of minor revisions, and was approved by the King in June. It came into effect in December, 1791, and Upper Canada, later to become Ontario, came into being for the first time. This revolutionary event in Canadian history arrived, almost completely overshadowed by the fierce arguments in Parliament over the French Revolution, and the subsequent parting of the ways between Burke and Fox. Even the people in the new province of Upper Canada were not to know about it until the following spring, when word finally arrived from London. Today, it is relatively unknown to most Canadians, who know little about the constitutional and social revolution that came about when the Quebec Bill became the first Constitutional Act in the country’s history.

Compassionate Cultivation Training at Beth Donovan Hospice

The Beth Donovan Hospice is excited to be offering an 8 week Compassionate Cultivation Training (CCT) free of charge to the community, facilitated by Shireen Mansouri.

As a family physician and certified Compassion Cultivation Teacher, Shireen considers Compassion Cultivation to be a potential antidote to empathic distress and burnout. This training opportunity integrates evidence-based meditation techniques, interactive discussions and lectures, as well as practical at-home exercises, all of which support the infusion of joy, purpose, and understanding in our relationships.

No previous meditation experience required. Beginning January 20, this offering will take place virtually from 7pm 9pm weekly, through March 10.

For more information, including how to register, please contact the Beth Donovan Hospice at 613-258-9611, or visit our website at www.bethdonovanhospice.ca.

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WDMH First Baby of 2022 keeps the celebration going

The first baby of the year, Asher Jeremiah Chapman.

by Jane Adams Asher Jeremiah Chapman’s parents stayed up until midnight on December 31 to ring in 2022 with their family – not knowing that the celebrations would continue well into the next day! Asher was born at 3:43 pm on January 2 at Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH), weighing 9 pounds, 11 ounces. His parents, Kayla and Paul Chapman, say he was well worth the wait.

“I felt something at the party and things got worse during the night,” says Kayla. “We called the Birthing Unit and decided to head to the hospital around 4:00 in the morning.

It was snowing so hard, and roads weren’t plowed, so we had to take our time.” The Chapmans live in Kemptville.

Kayla says the experience at WDMH has been great.

“I’ve only heard great things about Winchester Hospital, and I didn’t want to go into Ottawa to have our baby. I have family and friends who have had their babies here too. Everyone has been great.”

Congratulations from everyone at WDMH!

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CROSSWORD

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ACROSS 1. Young cow 5. Algonquian Indian 9. Not true 14. Pearly-shelled mussel 15. Animal companions 16. African virus 17. The light of the stars 19. More or less 20. Twilled fabric 21. Heavier-than-air craft 23. Greatcoats 25. In lieu 28. Chap 29. Australian bird 32. Spay 33. Cool, once 34. "What a shame!"

35. British title 36. Yours (archaic) 38. Anagram of "Tine"

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HANDYMAN SERVICES Call Bill 613 774 2922

39. Press 40. Jump 41. A literate person 43. Donkey 44. French for "Friend" 45. Remedy 46. Convulsive 48. Narrowed one's eyes 50. Rub 54. Edge tool 55. The same 57. Of a pelvic bone 58. 3 times 3 59. Leveling wedge 60. French for "Our" 61. A certain trade agreement 62. Anagram of "Nets"

DOWN 1. Swear 2. Blind (poker) 3. Teller of untruths 4. Overlooked 5. Consumer Price Index 6. Consideration 7. Set of principles 8. Female sex hormone 9. Loyalty 10. Religious fathers 11. Diving bird 12. Swing around 13. Consume 18. Embankment 22. Made poor 24. Terran 25. Large Asian country 26. Approaches 27. Japanese wrestlers 29. Leave out 30. Married partners 31. Utilizers 33. Pelvis 34. Radical 37. Hauling up 42. Decree 44. Per 45. Rat or mouse 46. Sweetener 47. TV, radio, etc.

48. Alone 49. Resign 51. Throb 52. Gladly (archaic) 53. Shade trees 54. Martini ingredient 56. Mesh

Solutions to last week’s Sudoku

Send in your letters to the editor to editor@ngtimes.ca

Easy

Medium

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Solution to last week’s Crossword

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January 12, 2022

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2021 Astronomy Year In Review How much longer can parents take it?

Remember the movie, “Network”? Howard Beale, the TV news anchor, encouraged viewers to go their windows and yell out, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” How many parents feel that way about school closings?

Uncertainty about openings and closings is bad enough. But now schools face severe staffing shortages. Entire classes may be disrupted because teachers are falling sick or required to isolate.

Substitute teachers are nothing new, but the scale of the problem is concerning. Just as hospitals can shut down due to insufficient workers, so too can schools.

School boards are scrambling to figure out what options they can offer students for online learning. Some offer synchronous learning (in real-time). Others offer asynchronous learning (independent, on no fixed schedule).

Some are giving students a choice between these or other options.

How will this work in practice? Due to COVIDrelated isolation requirements among symptomatic teachers, students can expect frequent reassignment of teachers, merged classrooms, and confusion.

Good students may fend

sufficiently well. But others most certainly will not.

Parents are ill-equipped to fill the gap. Many are dealing with their own shifting work requirements. Adding supervision of home-based learning for their children is not in the cards.

There is little that is more important to a child’s healthy development than quality education. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), says, “Nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible.” She added, “When COVID-19 community transmission increases and stringent public health measures become a necessity, schools must be the last places to close and the first to re-open.”

The interests of children should be paramount. Ms. Fore notes, “Another wave of widespread school closures would be disastrous for children.” She knows that interrupted learning leads to lower academic achievement.

She could add, for millions of children around the world – especially girls – school closures result in permanent drop-out of education, a lifealtering tragedy.

Ms. Fore has done her economic calculations too.

“This generation of school-

the north grenville

TIMES News Reporter Wanted The North Grenville Times is an independently owned publication serving the population of North Grenville and surrounding area. We are seeking to hire a talented and motivated journalist. Responsibilities include collecting and analyzing information of public interest and writing news articles for a weekly publication. The successful candidate will be gathering information, conducting interviews, writing articles and taking photographs of events in the local community.

Please consider submitting your resume if you are a person with: • Excellent news judgment • Strengths in accurate, clean reporting • The ability to initiate stories and features • Excellent reporting and writing skills • Experience at a news organization in a deadline-oriented reporting/writing role • Ability to work quickly and independently, meet multiple deadlines, and make efficient decisions • A valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle If you have your finger on the pulse of your community and you are willing to work both independently and as part of a news team, to tell this community’s stories, please submit your resume to: editor@ngtimes.ca January 12, 2022

by Gary Boyle The Backyard Astronomer Looking back to 2021, there were many great space stories in the news, including two lunar eclipses back in May and November. By coincidence, two more total lunar eclipses will occur in May and November, 2022.

We were also entertained by three great meteor showers in January, August, and December, but the moon ran major interference. The Northern Lights were prominent last month, particularly in western Canada, painting the sky green.

The never-ending list of exoplanets continues to grow, with a total of 4,884 confirmed worlds and another 8,288 candidates. This search continues via ground and space-based telescopes.

So, next time you look up at those twinkling points of light, you are looking at mini solar systems of at least one planet orbiting its parent star.

After all, the sun is but one of 300 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

It was this time last year that the Japanese Hayabusa mission successfully returned soil samples from the asteroid Itokawa. The sample shows that water and organic matter that originate from the asteroid itself have evolved chemically through time. It has long been the thought by astronomers and scientists that building blocks of organic compounds needed to create life began in the solar system and were delivered to the young earth via meteorites. Missions such as this have shed new light on this theory. Meteorites and comets contain small amounts of water.

Comparable to the list of exoplanets, 70 more rogue planets have been detected floating through space. These are “outcasts” from their solar system by some event such as the star exploding, thus launching them on a path to nowhere. Or, some could have been overpowered by larger planets in their solar system and slingshot out of their system, from the light and (possible) warmth of their sun.

Until now, the sun has been studied by earth-bound telescopes and orbiting satellites. The amount of information learned is outstanding, but the missing key was a physical examination. Never before has a spacecraft touched the sun until the Solar Parker Probe launched in 2018. Over the years, the craft

children could collectively lose US$17 trillion in potential lifetime earnings.” That’s bad enough for children and their future families. But it’s also horrible news for governments. The last thing governments need now is projected lost income tax from this generation. The U.S. is already trillions in debt. Canada and many other nations are in terrible debt too.

What about the health of these children? One fact many ignore is that, for some children, the school meal is the most nutrition they’ll receive for the day! Moreover, prolonged isolation at home does nothing for their physical health, as they sit inside for hours. You can bet your last dollar they’re gaining weight and inching closer to Type 2 diabetes.

Authorities also report an increase in eating disorders and mental health problems.

Recall the Gifford-Jones Law: “One health problem leads to another and another.”

Closing schools are not the answer. We must get far more ambitious with creative solutions. Retired doctors, and not-yet credentialed medical students, are being called on to assist with vaccination clinics. Why can’t retired teachers be invited back into schools, for example?

Church buildings sit empty most weekdays. How could community volunteers use these facilities to support parents for whom temporary home-schooling is not a good option? Can initiatives be set up to get kids outside and active in experiential learning?

This virus is far from dead. If we are going to beat it, part of the solution will be for governments to champion new ideas. And children should not be the ones to suffer when they fail to do so.

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made multiple manoeuvres as it gets closer to the sun.

In December of this year, the probe has touched the upper atmosphere of the sun’s corona, which is only seen from Earth during a total solar eclipse when the moon blocks the blinding light. Over the next few years, it will skim closer to our star and, by the year 2025, is will be racing at an unheard of speed of 690,000 kilometres per hour, or 192 kilometres per second.

Its 11.4-centimetre thick heat shield allows it to operate at about 29 degrees Celsius and not fry the electronics.

The newest addition to the Martian fleet came with the deployment of the SUVsized rover, Perseverance and Ingenuity helicopter anchored under it. The two blades of the small helicopter spin in opposite directions to help give lift in the thin Martian atmosphere. To date, it has logged 30 minutes in a series of short flights. This is the first time such a vehicle has been used on the red planet.

Private companies have proved they have the right stuff to launch into space, not just NASA. Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin allowed 90-yearold William Shatner and retired NFL Michael Strahan to touch space past the 100 Karman Line. But Elon Musk has taken space travel one step further by transporting astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station via the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship. It is the same Dragon capsule that was almost used as an emergency escape vehicle. The International Space Station was subjected to a dangerous debris field of a purposely blown-up satellite.

The danger has all but passed, but there were some anxious moments.

Space is dangerous.

Along with solar radiation from the sun and cosmic rays from the cosmos, more than 23,000 pieces of orbital debris larger than a softball are being tracked. Half a million pieces are the size of a marble or larger, with approximately 100 million pieces of debris about one millimetre and a bit larger. All moving at 28,000 km/hr or almost 8 km/sec.

In September of 2022, the DART mission will arrive at the 800-metre wide asteroid, Didymos, to deflect a small 160-metre wide moonlet, Dimorphos. This is a test to see if a potential asteroid coming towards earth can be slightly deflected, thus changing course and missing

our planet. This particular asteroid is only a test subject and is no way on a collision course with our home planet.

The long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope (successor to the Hubble Space Telescope) was launched on Christmas Day. It has a much larger mirror system and will study infant galaxies in the near-infrared, thus allowing us to see through the gas and dust of the earliest galaxies.

The sun shield measures the size of a tennis court, and will shade the telescope from the heat of the sun and block the light of the earth and moon.

It will operate at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the earth, where the temperature of space is -223 degrees Celsius.

Clear skies.

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS Support the local businesses that support your local newspaper.

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TIMES Gord Logan Marketing Consultant Phone 613 258 6402 Email: gord@ngtimes.ca

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The Voice of North Grenville

The Voice of Merrickville-Wolford

A New Year message from Mayor Struthers Life experiences. So often those experiences can be a solid foundation for our future. Twenty four years ago Merrickville-Wolford declared a state of emergency - as did most of municipalities in Eastern Ontario. Yes - it has been twenty-four years since the Great Ice Storm of 1998!

No doubt, it was a challenging time, with some having no power for up to 21 days. The task at hand was to keep people together, keep them warm, keep them fed.

Job done.

Definitely, a simplification of what we did individually and collectively. The stories are legendary of individual

sacrifices, volunteerism, and our municipal emergency response led by our volunteer Fire Department.

As much as we learned to help one another, we also learned the importance of helping those who help us … our front line workers. During the Ice Storm, it was indeed our Fire Fighters who put in 12, 14, 16 hour days serving and protecting us - and at the end of the day might have gone home to a cold, dark house. We needed to help them - and by and large we did.

And here we are in 2022, 24 years later. We need to remember to be kind, sup-

portive, and appreciative of those who are serving and working to protect us from COVID 19. Our Fire Fighters, our Municipal Staff, our business community.

We are at a stage of the pandemic where we are yet again being asked to reduce gathering opportunities, maintain practicing the recommended guidelines - wear a mask, distance, get your vaccines!

While the impact of this recent Covid variant may be mild, it is only mild for "some people". We cannot forget that it is still potentially deadly.

We need to protect our health care system, protect and pre-

Paper shortage impacting local newspapers

the shortages to continue well company was forced to pass along two price increases Local Journalism Initiative Reporter into 2022, meaning that many businesses are going to have to customers because of the A supply chain issue has to get used to a new reality. supply issues – there was been making its impact on He gave the example that his an increase in printing costs businesses which use paper business purchased about 38 in November, and another products, and the problem truckloads of newsprint from increase is anticipated in has been felt locally as well. a particular supplier last year, February. One such customer Drew McLaren, who is the but has been put on a ration is the North Grenville Times, President of McLaren Press of just one truckload per which also includes the MerGraphics Limited, spoke month – or 12 truckloads per rickville-Wolford Times, and with the Times about what year – by the same supplier sister paper the North Dundas is driving the paper shortage. for this year. “We’ve been Times. Papers who charge He pointed out that wood scrambling, trying to find subscription fees may have pulp is in short supply due other mills that are even en- to increase their rates in the to increased demand across tertaining taking on additional near future to cover additional many different industries. In tonnage, just to get to where costs, while those who rely particular, there is a move we were on last year’s levels,” on advertising revenue alone, away from the use of plastic said Drew. He revealed that such as the Times group, will when it comes to products the problem is so widespread need to recover their costs such as disposable drinking that, late last year, he heard with increases in advertising straws used in the restaurant that the reason an issue of the rates. No business likes to industry, and plastic bags in Toronto Sun didn’t get printed pass along a price increase, retail stores. As these plastic was because there simply but sometimes there is nothproducts get phased out and wasn’t enough newsprint. ing to do about it, except to replaced with paper alternaThe impacts of the paper hope that the source of the tives, the demand for wood shortage will not only be problem will be resolved pulp increases drastically. felt by businesses. Drew’s sooner, rather than later.

Another increase in demand that has been driven, at least in part, by changes brought on by the COVID-19 the north grenville pandemic, is the demand for cardboard boxes, as fewer people are picking up items in stores, and many are instead Hayley Bedford ordering online from retailers Marketing Consultant such as Amazon. “Everything comes in a box, right?” Drew Phone: 343-777-2702 told the Times.

Email: hayley@ndtimes.ca The wood pulp shortage does not have a clear end in www.ndtimes.ca sight. Drew has heard that paper suppliers are expecting

serve our essential service work force, protect our businesses and staff.

And a reminder that restaurants have great takeout menus. And, if concerned about retail shopping, well, most businesses offer online and/or curb side pickup. Yes, we can and need to continue to support our business community.

Merrickville-Wolford is a great municipality - full of amazing community spirit, support and appreciation.

We are at another phase of the pandemic where we are being asked to pull back so we can get back … back closer to normal life again.

Please continue to do your part. Your friends, neighbours, business, and municipal staff need you to continue to do your part; be part of the foundation of our future!

by Brandon Mayer

Tid-bit Musings

by Elva Patterson Rutters Again the time to make New Year’s resolutions rolls around with varying responses. It appears fewer folks are making resolutions based on the perception of failure to make the resolution stick, so why bother? Reality is that resolutions can be made at any time and be just as effective. In fact, by deploying the SMART strategy, goals or resolutions are made in increments of time. Change will be your constant companion.

SMART is a trade name for goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant (to your situation) and Time based.

Every person is different, and the resolutions need to apply to your individual situation, your capabilities, and your resources.

Take a long term goal and break it into smaller steps. Your desire to go to Europe by New Year’s Eve, 2022, will not be achieved if you don't start saving the cash, make an itinerary, get proper health clearance, and then it is dependent on Covid restrictions. Perhaps breaking that goal down into smaller steps will help achieve the long-term goal.

It is okay to not complete or achieve resolutions. The best part is you tried. You only fail when you fail to try. We learn through failures, and that failure is then perceived as a learning curve, or just plain old experience. Experience makes us wiser.

We then alter our resolutions and strive to commit to betterment of ourselves and our community.

You can't change the world, but you can change the world for one person by being kind, compassionate, and passionate.

No-one is perfect, and the person who believes they are perfect is fooling themselves. Only you can validate your existence.

Go for it in love and a caring attitude!

It’s all here.

Merrickville-Wolford ALLAN’S TOOL SHED

FIONA MACINTYRE SILVERSMITH

THE JOY OF OLIVES

VIOLETS ON MAIN

CHAIYA DECOR

TIMES

January 12, 2022

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GRAY ART GLASS

MARY LOOS ARTIST

Visit merrickvillechamber.ca for details on our shop local draw for $1000+ in gift cards.

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The Voice of North Grenville

Steve Clark supports Oxford-on-Rideau P.S.

by David Shanahan Local M.P.P. Steve Clark has written to the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) to express his support for keeping Oxfordon-Rideau Public School in Oxford Mills open. His letter followed a resolution passed at the last UCDSB Board

meeting instructing UCDSB staff to prepare a report on the enrollments, facility, and other conditions related to the school, which is set to close in 2022. The Board decided to have the report presented at their January meeting and would “look at any changes that have occurred since the decision to close the school

in 2017". The motion was put forward by Trustee Lisa Swan.

In March, 2017, the UCDSB made the decision that Oxford-on-Rideau was slated for closure as of September 2018, with the student body being consolidated with South Branch Elementary School. Since the closure was announced, a group of dedicated parents have been working hard to make their case to the School Board about why Oxford-on-Rideau should be kept open. The Oxford on Rideau Save Our School (SOS) group has been lobbying the UCDSB since the 2017 decision, and their efforts also led to the creation of the innovative Oxford-onRideau Tech Club program,

Support line for farmer wellness now live

A telehealth line to provide mental wellness support to all Ontario farmers and farm families is now live.

Through the Farmer Wellness Initiative, the provincial and federal governments are funding access for up to four free counselling sessions with a mental health professional for all farmers across Ontario including members of their family. The mental health professionals have received training to understand the unique needs of Ontario farmers.

Accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in English and French, farmers can call 1-866-2676255 to speak to a counsellor.

Developed and launched by the Canadian Mental Health Association – Ontario Division in partnership with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, this service is provided by LifeWorks.

“The Government of Ontario is proud to fund the Farmer Wellness Initiative and to partner with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture to help deliver an important program to provincial farmers,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This initiative will expand Ontario’s mental health supports for farm families to help them cope with the stresses of their work which will allow them to do what they do best; grow and produce some of the best food in the world.”

“The mental health of our farmers is a top priority for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture,” says Peggy Brekveld, President of the January 12, 2022

OFA. “Getting this phone line operational is a big first step in a larger, multi-year program that will facilitate easier access to much-needed mental health services for all farmers and their families.”

The program is a comprehensive, fully integrated mental health support package that includes: 24/7/365 Service intake handled by a designated and fully trained team who understand a day in the life of a farmer, available in English & French, creating a true partnership and unique care model.

Access to ongoing mental health support services and resources, available up to 4 sessions per issue per year, for all farming families across Ontario through multiple modalities; the telephone line will soon be followed by a website and an app containing thousands of self-guided support resources.

Integration with provincial and local level resources to provide members with the best level of support available to them, at the first request.

The support line will enter callers into an intake process to arrange counselling sessions with a mental health

which teaches kids the basics of robotics and code.

In his letter, MPP Clark repeated his stance taken at the time the decision to close the school was made in 2017.

“As I said at the Board meeting in 2017, the North Grenville area is the fastest growing in my riding, and keeping Oxford-on-Rideau Public School open recognizes that expanding population. I suggested at the 2017 meeting that boundary adjustments, additional programming, and working with new partners should be on the table by the Board before a school is closed”.

The UCDSB Trustees will meet on January 12 and January 26.

Happy New Year!

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professional available by phone, virtually, or in-person subject to public health restrictions. All information received through counselling sessions is confidential and in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (2004).

This initiative is funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program in partnership with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

“Providing farm families across the province with free counselling services and helping connect at-risk farmers with tailored support and resources is a greatly welcomed service in rural Ontario,” says Ms. Brekveld. “Availability of mental health services has been a big roadblock standing between farmers and their mental wellness. The telephone line is a first step in a process that will add more access points over the coming weeks and months for Ontario farmers and their families to take positive action to support their mental health.”

Ontario farmers looking for support can call 1-866267-6255.

It's a jungle out there!

Do you have the right eye wear?

Optometrist

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 212 Van Buren St.

613.258.7438 www.drcleamon.com

Register for Kindergarten "My daughter is turning 4 this year and I'm registering her for Kindergarten with the UCDSB."

Ron's Happy New Year!

Small Engine Repair 613.258.9720

Register online or call your local school

ronssmallengines@outlook.com 1 Jayland Drive, Kemptville

www.ucdsb.on.ca

(across from old Bingo Hall)

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Details on the temporary return to restrictions

Effective January 5, at 12:01 a.m., Ontario has temporarily returned to a modified Step 2 in the province’s Roadmap to Reopen. All regions of the province will remain in Step 2 for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.

The return to modified Step 2 restrictions and guidance is in response to the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases across the province.

According to the Ontario government, the rapid rise of Omicron cases may soon number in the hundreds of thousands, and could result in the province’s hospital capacity becoming overwhelmed if further action isn’t taken to curb transmission. The targeted, time-limited measures will help blunt transmission and prevent hospitals from

becoming overwhelmed, as the province continues to accelerate its booster dose rollout.

Students return to remote learning from January 5 to 17: Among the measures that are in effect starting January 5 is a temporary return to online learning for students, until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.

During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of healthcare and other eligible frontline workers.

School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely

and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.

Gathering limits: Social gatherings will be limited to 5 people indoors and 10 people outdoors. Organized public events will be limited to 5 people indoors.

Work from home: Businesses and organizations are required to ensure employees work remotely, unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.

Closure of indoor dining: Indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments will not be permitted. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.

Reduced capacity at certain businesses and events: Capacity restrictions of 50% will be in place for retail settings (including shopping

malls), certain personal care services (with additional restrictions) and libraries. In addition, indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies will be limited to 50% capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services will be limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance.

Business and service closures: The following services and settings will be temporarily closed: - Indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions (outdoor spaces may remain open with restrictions); - Indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas; rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions; - Indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities

Skilled Trades jobs among the most in-demand for 2022 “To learn a skilled trade is to have a job for life.” That is the pitch that the Government of Ontario and many in construction and building industries are promoting to attract more people to explore careers in skilled trades, which is expected to be among the most in-demand job sectors in 2022 and beyond. In fact, by 2025, as many as 1 in 5 jobs in Ontario will be in the skilled trades.

With a projected labour shortage of more than 100,000 skilled trades workers in Ontario over the next decade, and a significant four-year investment of more than $1.5 billion by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, there has never been a more opportune time to enter the skilled trades than right now.

As part of Ontario’s Skilled Trades Strategy to bridge the workforce shortage, there are a variety of introductory and apprenticeship programs, incentives, skills development, and support resources available to explore, whether you are a student in high school, starting a second career, or ready to take the next steps to financial security and a rewarding profession.

Most apprenticeship programs can be completed within 3-5 years; plus, apprentices get paid while learning The average starting wage of a journeyperson (someone who has completed their certification) is $40/hour; nearly

January 12, 2022

3X the minimum wage for most retail and food service jobs. Entry to most programs requires a high school diploma, and some programs require completion of certain courses like Grade 12 Math, English, or sometimes Physics; with some sectors, such as carpentry, that only require a minimum Grade 10 education in Canada, or proven equivalency.

The average age of people entering skilled trades is 29; however, the government of Ontario is hoping to lower the median entry age to 22. Most recently, Ontario committed another $90 million investment in the trades sector to attract more youth to skilled trades through the expansion of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), which will add more recruiters in 800 schools across the province to teach young people about the skilled trades.

The program also provides free pre-apprenticeships training for marginalized youth, and a more simplified existing apprenticeship system to minimize barriers to entry. In addition to attracting more youth, there are specific programs for new immigrants who want to transfer their skills, as well as for women.

Women currently represent less than four per cent of workers in the most indemand construction skilled trades; however, there are encouraging signs that the tides are changing, as governments

and construction companies are realizing that women are essential to filling the skilled labour shortage.

There has been a dramatic increase to 34,800 women working in skilled trades in 2018, despite fewer people working in the trades in Canada overall. More and more women are seeing the benefits of working in skilled trades that offer competitive salaries, health benefits, and job stability, and satisfaction.

The Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT), a committee of tradeswomen on a mission to educate underrepresented groups on the benefits of building a career in the skilled trades, says that breaking some of the misconceptions around the skilled trades is key to encouraging more women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups to consider a career in skilled trades.

For example, not all skilled trades jobs require heavy lifting; most jobs emphasize transferable soft skills, such as problem solving, strong math and communications skills, hand-eye coordination, attention to detail, and ability to work in a collaborative environment.

As well, to support women and families, many trades associations offer benefits and financial assistance during pregnancy, parental leave, and return to work. The UA (Union of Plumbers, Steam-

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fitters, Sprinkler Fitters, Welders, and HVAC Mechanics) offers its members who qualify, extended maternity leaves, financial support to help care for their newborn during their first year of life, and paid time off for members who are pregnant while working in the trades (as pregnancy progresses it may become difficult to continue working in particular environments associated with construction, such as being in high elevation). And, recently, the Government of Ontario also expanded its Skills Development Fund to include subsidized childcare support for trades workers.

With one of the largest investments by the provincial government to promote skilled trades, greater access to training and apprenticeships, financial incentives for employers and employees, job prospects in the skilled trades continue to be among the fastest growing and indemand.

The Voice of North Grenville

including gyms; - Museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals (outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy,

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where applicable, limited to 50% capacity); - Indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues.

For the full list of restrictions in place, please see Ontario Temporarily Moving to Modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen and COVID-19 public health measures and advice.

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Menu # 95 Wed Jan 12 - Fri Jan 14

happy new year!

1:30-4:30pm Pick up at 820 Heritage Drive. Kemptville Campus $37.50 Complete Meal for 2 + HST $70.00 Complete Meal for 4 + HST All Made From Scratch Meals include; Chef Inspired Side Dishes + Soup or Salad Add on a Dessert of the Week: Triple Chocolate Brownie $2.50/each Order & Pay online www.cateredaffairs.ca 613-324-3136 Beef & Guinness Pot Pie Stewed Beef, Mushrooms & Potatoes in a rich beef gravy | Chef’s Veggies | Salad Fish & Chips Beer Battered Cod | Hand Cut Thick English Style Fries | Tartar Sauce | Slaw | Veg & salad Grilled Chicken or Tofu Fajitas Seasoned grilled chicken (or tofu) | Sautéed Onions & Peppers | Pico de Gallo | Cheese | Sour Cream | Tortillas | Veg | Salad Casseroles… Great for Home or Office Holiday Potlucks or Easy Go To Meals to Stock Your Freezer $40 each Beef & Cheese Lasagna | Mac ‘n’ Cheese | Bacon Mac ‘n’ Cheese | Shepherd’s Pie Valentines Day Menu 2022 Curbside 4 Course $80 for 2 + HST Monday Feb 14th Pick up 2:30pm - 5:30pm Complete with gentle reheat instructions & a rose

STORE HOURS Monday to Friday 8:00am to 7:00pm Saturday 8:00am to 6:00pm Sunday 9:00am to 6:00pm

301 Rideau Street, Kemptville

613.258.3014

Course #1 Crudo Fruit & Vegetable Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette in Baby Bib Lettuce Course #2 Pot Likker Soup - A Southern lucky traditional; Soup to welcome the new year. Smoked ham, black eyed peas, vegetables, and nutrient rich greens in a hearty broth Main Entree -All Meat Entrees are served with Chive Whipped Potatoes & Vegetable Bouquet Choice of: Surf N Turf - Beef Medallions with Garlic Shrimp and Red wine Demi Glace OR Chicken Marsala with Cremini Mushrooms Or Vegan Ricotta Manicotti with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Course #4 - Petite Flourless Black Forest Cake For the kids - Mac n Cheese $10 Give them a night off from the kitchen with a Catered Affairs meal…

The Voice of North Grenville

WDMH making changes to help keep everyone safe Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) is making some changes to help keep patients, families, and WDMH staff safe. The changes are in line with the recent Ontario government directives.

“We want to keep our patients safe and keep Omicron out of WDMH as much as possible,” explains CEO Cholly Boland.

“We also want to protect our staff so they can continue to care for our communities. We are all in this together.”

Inpatient visiting has been further reduced and is now allowed for long-stay patients, maternity patients, specific Emergency Department patients, and compassionate situations such as palliative care. For full details, visit www.wdmh. on.ca/visitors.

WDMH will be reducing elective services according to the government’s recent directive. Any patients affected by this will be contacted by the hospital.

Changes have been made to protect staff as well. Those who can work remotely are doing so and volunteers are being asked to stay home. We are ensuring staff has the proper personal protective equipment including N95 masks and access to rapid testing. We have also implemented practices to help ensure physical distancing whenever possible such as when on lunch breaks. “99% of our staff and physicians have received all three COVID shots which reduces the risk of contracting and transmitting the virus,” adds Cholly Boland.

Everyone is asked to continue to follow public health guidelines by wearing masks, practicing good hand hygiene, limiting contacts, and most important, getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.

“We are taking considerable precautions throughout WDMH,” sums up Cholly Boland. “One of our most important messages to the community is for prospective patients to come to the hospital if they need hospital care – and not to stay away for fear of COVID. We are here for you.”

For the latest updates, please visit www.wdmh.on.ca.

Help Support Your Local Businesses SHOP LOCALLY

#14

Gift Certificates are available for meals for 2 or 4 ($37.50 - $70.00) OR Tickets to any of our upcoming Events. Please email or call for customized Gift Certificates Upcoming Events (RSVP ONLY) Visit www.cateredaffairs.ca for details: Upcoming Events (RSVP ONLY & Covid Restrictions dependant): CANCELLED *Robbie Burns 4 Course Dinner & Whiskey Pairing Jan 25th 6pm * Valentines Day Dine in Saturday Feb 12th 5pm- 8pm *Whalesbone (Ottawa) Oyster & Tapas Night & Live Music - Sat Feb 26 2022

Book your event with Catered Affairs at your choice of venue or on the picturesque Kemptville Campus Corporate Events | Special Occasions | Weddings | Christmas Parties

Ryan Cartwright Nickname: “Cartsy” Born: Ottawa, ON. August 31, 2004 Position: Right Defense Previous Hockey Club: Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U16AAA Hockey Hero: Bobby Orr Most Inspiring Person: Parents Favorite Movie: Goodfellas Favourite Food: Lobster Rolls Favourite Hockey Moment: St. Louis USA National Championship /2nd place Describe Life as a Jr.A Player: Hockey, training, hanging out,studying to excel One word that describes me: Funny

The Law Office of

Connie Lamble 222 Prescott Street, Kemptville

613.258.0038

www.cateredaffairs.ca January 12, 2022

19

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The North Grenville Times

The Voice of North Grenville

Baldwin’s Birds

by John Baldwin The last few days before Christmas proved quite interesting, as the birds, who actually have to travel south to get here, arrived. I am not referring to the transitory Canada Geese, who just use us a stopover point on their big journey farther afield, but our Snowy Owls and Snow Buntings. The latter are not so numerous yet, but the owls are doing us proud in numbers, as many as eight being spotted in one day in the area where they come to every year. Within the last few days, on two different occasions, I have seen two individual owls at different spots. Most of them are female, so the chances of seeing a male are a little bit scarcer.

Yesterday, I got to see one of each on their lofty perches.

The female was on the other side of a big field and only just visible to the naked eye in the cold afternoon sunshine. She stayed fairly still for quite some time, and just seemed to be listening, although at one stage she appeared to regurgitate, as they do, a very large pellet of waste from her mouth! These usually contain all the non digestible parts of their victim’s bodies, such as bones and fur. Unfortunately, although I witnessed this action through my camera lens, I didn't get a shot of it happening! Neither did I get a picture of her when she took off. I was January 12, 2022

momentarily distracted by a noise behind me and when I looked back she had gone!

I circled around the area for a while and happened to come across a hedgerow tree harbouring a flock of thirty to forty Snow Buntings. They stayed long enough for me to see what they were, and then they were off again, and so was I, doing another circuit, as the afternoon sun developed into a beautiful sunset.

The cloud formations were quite stunning, and I stopped now and then to capture them and the lovely colors in my camera's memory.

As the sun got lower, I came to the very last corner I would navigate before heading for home, and, looking across the road towards a building set back off a sideroad, I spotted a lovely white blob on the top of a high hydro-pole. Could it be another owl, and a male one at that? Yes, it was, confirmed by my camera's telephoto lens - wow, what luck! So, with the light fading, I crossed the road on to the small side-road and clicked away until the light went completely, hoping that he, too, would take off for me to get an in-flight picture, but that wasn't to be! It was dark and I was getting very cold when I called it "quits" and headed for home, leaving the owl in peace, as he readied himself for another night of

hunting. What a treat to see him at all, having already seen a female earlier.

The garden birds have been ignored, just a little, during my "winter bird" deviations, from watching their activity and that of a very industrious Red Squirrel.

This little fellow was, and still is, almost in a panic as it grabs food from a feeder and rushes to a "Stash Hole" in the ground, where it hurriedly deposits it, barely stopping for breath as it rushes back and forth to the feeder again and again! What a performance!

At one stage, he was climbing into one feeder, jumping across to another, and then, from there, back to the hole in the ground. A continuous circuit, time and time again! What energy! I hope that it can remember later in the winter where this "stash" is, and that it gets to it before the marauding Blue Jays do!

He is in such a rush that he scatters the ground, feeding a flock of eighteen Mourning Doves and the Juncos in

his rush to get to and fro! He causes a little consternation to our six Blue Jays too, but why should they worry, if they later get to sample food from his larder?

Whoops! Nearly forgot to tell you the answer to my puzzle about the number of Mourning Doves hidden in the rocks, in my last article.

The answer is five, and I hope you enjoyed looking for them. Hopefully you will also look in your own gardens and backyards and see some for yourselves.

Above anything else, please stay safe and well, Cheers, John Baldwin

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The Food Corner

by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville Your mails have mentioned comfort foods, and here’s another from our family’s archives. We think it’s a pretty popular recipe for a lot a families, because it is economical and very tasty. In our experience, kids particularly appreciate it and also like making it, especially making the meatballs. It is Grape Jelly Meatballs, which we generally serve on a bed of Basmati rice.

Grape Jelly Meatballs

Ingredients: For the meatballs: 2 pounds of lean ground beef or pork, or a mixture of both ½ cup of unflavoured oatmeal 2 large eggs 1/8 cup catsup A squirt or two of Worcestershire Sauce (this is pronounced: “Lee and Perrins”) For the grape/salsa sauce: 20

1½ cup of your favourite Salsa – as spicy as you like it 1 ½ cup grape jelly Preparation: Mix the meat (at room temperature) with the oatmeal, eggs, catsup and Worcestershire; Form small meatballs and place on a greased cookie sheet (you will likely need 2 sheets; if the meat is too loose, add a bit more oatmeal); Cook in a 350F oven till done (don’t overcook); Place the cooked meatballs in a slow cooker, e.g. a Crockpot; Mix together the Salsa and grape jelly and pour over the meatballs; Let cook on low heat in your slow cooker for the afternoon (4 hours).

With a slotted spoon, turn your meatballs out into a nice serving dish. If the sauce

appears watery, just thicken with a bit of cornstarch. Serve with a dish of freshly cooked rice and watch your meatballs disappear…A nice Grahame’s bun goes well with this dish.

All the best for this, our “recovery” year (we hope), and please keep in touch as you have been at pcormier@ ranaprocess.com.

P: 613.774.1672 F: 613.774.6612 12205 Gypsy Lane Winchester, ON, K0C 2K0

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