ND Times Issue 17 2021 May 5

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The Voice of North Dundas

Vol 2, No 17

Mas 5, 2021

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to all families. We hope that the Ontario government will work cooperatively with the Federal government to build a system that will benefit Ontario children and their families."

Waiting lists at most daycare centres have been known to already have extensively long waiting lists. COVID-19 has had an even more negative impact on waiting lists.

Cheryl has stated that COVID-19 has been one of the reasons most families have not returned to care. With all the new COVID protocols that daycares have been mandated to put into place, daycares are required to have more staff with smaller group

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by Stephanie Seaver A North Dundas child care centre is pleased to hear the announcement of a $30 billion federal investment into day cares with a promise to create new spaces and reduce fees. It means a great deal to local daycare providers who are now juggling to keep spaces affordable.

According to Cheryl Firlotte, Executive Director of Happy Face Nursery School Child Care (locations in North Dundas): "We are very excited that the federal budget made this huge commitment to work toward a Canadawide system of quality early learning and child care that is affordable and accessible

sizes. Happy Face currently has fifty-two children waiting for care. Although part of the new budget discussed creating more spaces, details of how that will work and how the funding will be allocated have not been released yet.

According to Living in Canada, the average wage for childcare workers ranges from $14 per hour to $17 per hour. They are required to take a two-year course and have an Early Childhood Education Ontario College Diploma which qualifies them as an educator of children in a variety of early learning settings.

It is apparent that Early Childhood Educators work-

ing in daycares are underpaid.

Cheryl hopes that the new funding will assist in raising wages for these hard workers.

"Happy Face makes educator compensation a priority, but since we rely heavily on parent tuition fees, we are not able to pay our staff as well as we would like. Child care is a major expense for many families, so we keep our tuition rates as low as possible while continuing to provide quality programs. The federal budget recognizes that Early Childhood Educators are at the heart of the child care system, so we are hopeful that wage increases will be included in the new funding formulas," says Cheryl.

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North Dundas High School News

First Virtual Spirit Day

by Jamie Wilson Last Friday, April 30, we had our first virtual spirit day of the year. We chose pyjama day as the theme, as we figured that would not be too difficult with everyone likely already in their pyjamas while studying at home. Students and teachers sent in photos to the Student Council of themseleves in their favourite pyjamas to participate. We hope to see more participation in virtual spirit days as we continue with online learning. There are plans for some online challenges as well!

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. We want to thank the teachers at North Dundas for everything they do. This year has undoubtedly been difficult for students, but many may overlook the difficulties teachers have faced. They have had to adapt to many changes this year, including the entirely new quadmester system. They have had to learn how to effectively teach online and deal with technical difficulties and interruptions at home during online classes. Not to mention switching back and forth between in-person and online learning throughout the year. We thank them all so much for doing their best to continue to provide the students with the support they need and making this year the best that it could be!

when I espied some action coming from the direction of my large nesting house. This activity wasn't from what you would normally expect to see in the form of birds, but from a Red Squirrel, who was relocating his/her four youngsters, from one of the nine nesting compartments, to their new lodgings in a tree, or bush, somewhere else in the garden. I knew that they were in there from when I had tried to clean the boxes out a few weeks ago, prior to the Spring birds returning. One of the compartments was stuffed full, with what seemed like wool, and there were four babies in the midst of it, so I just put the roof back on and left it. Today was the Squirrels "self eviction day", so that I can now go and clean it out again, for some birds to use, hopefully! I spent over an hour watching, photographing and movie making all the action, as the parent coaxed, dragged and carried the babes from quite high up, down a metal frame-work, and took them into the nearby Pine trees. Three of the little ones were relocated, without too much fuss for the parent, quite quickly, but the fourth one kept going back inside the box. The parent would go back inside and try to get it out, but wasn't having much success. Parts of the babe would appear through the hole and then disappear back in, even when the grown up was inside urging it out! The parent tried what looked like food bribes to no avail! Then, after about 10 minutes of these antics, the parent finally decided that enough was enough and went in and grabbed junior, by the scuff of the neck, and out they both came! He was then re-positioned in mouth and carted down and into the trees, to join the rest of the gang! Quite the exciting event to witness.

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Submitted by MP Eric Duncan, Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry Four more Royal Canadian Legions in our region will be receiving much-needed funding through the federal government’s Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund.

Royal Canadian Legion branches in Morrisburg, Iroquois, Winchester and Finch will all be receiving funding in the amount of $10,845 each.

“I am pleased to see more of our Royal Canadian Legions across our region receive much needed support. Despite the challenges over the past year, many Legions continue to give back and fundraise in unique and safe ways. I will continue to push for support for our Legions, so they may continue the work they do for our veterans in the years to come,” said Eric Duncan, MP Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry.

The Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund provides grants to non-profit and registered charitable organizations that support Veterans and their families. These grants will help organizations with operational costs and financial shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of funding provided support to four other local branches: Cornwall, Lancaster, Long Sault, and Chesterville.

Julianne Lamb When are bird nesting boxes not? -When a nesting red appointed to squirrel takes over!

Good Day dear readers, Supreme Court I hope you are all fit and well and taking care of yourselves and those around you. Today I had a special treat, and a pleasant change from the usual bird activity, of B.C.

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Julianne (Julie) Lamb was recently appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Julie was raised in Mountain Township and is a former graduate and valedictorian of North Dundas District High School. She is the daughter of Jill Lamb and the late Robert F. Lamb.

She earned a Bachelor of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo in 1990 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1993. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1994 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2018.

At the time of her appointment, Madam Justice Lamb was one of the managing partners at Guild Yule LLP, a firm that became family to her over the last dozen years. She was a civil litigator who focused on professional negligence matters, complex personal injury claims, and insurance coverage disputes.

She also defended professionals in regulatory proceedings.

Over the course of her career, Justice Lamb volunteered regularly for continuing legal education, including as co-author of the insurance chapter of the British Columbia Annual Practice for the last ten years. From 2014 to 2019, she was an adjunct professor at the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, teaching the insurance law course. She was elected bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia in 2020 after serving as a non-bencher member on two Law Society committees. Having learned from the best of mentors, she has tried to pay it forward to the younger generations.

Justice Lamb is the devoted mother of Matthew, Megan and Liam. They officially welcomed her husband, Dan Abel, and his son, Hunter, to their family in July 2019. www.ndtimes.ca

The North Dundas Times

Conservative Party secures $8.47 million in donations in first quarter Canada's Conservatives have broken yet another fundraising record, this time by raising over $8.47 million from over 45,000 donors - a new first quarter fundraising record for any Canadian political party in history. This beats the previous alltime high also set by the Conservatives in 2019 when $8.01 million was raised.

The next fundraising report will cover April to June 2021, and will be released by Elections Canada at the end of July.

We would like to thank our family, friends and community for your love and support you have shown us over the last month. The phone calls, messages, meals, flowers and donations to charities that have been sent our way have been heartwarming.

We are forever grateful.

A big thank you to Daley Funeral home in Metcalfe for your guidance.

The tractor rally is something Pete would have loved, it showed us he was a big part of this wonderful community.

Cropping 2021 has begun and I am sure you are smiling down on us.

Rest in peace Peter, we love you and think of you everyday.

Charmaine, Mikayla, Jacob, Logan and James Verspeek

Ontario 4-H Foundation announces new trustees

The Ontario 4-H Foundation recently held its annual meeting and congratulates Kim Turnbull of Canfield for being elected chair for the next two year period.

Rounding out the executive is Vice-Chair Naomi Lutes (Toronto), Secretary Stuart Budd (Paris) and Treasurer John Mayes (Ottawa). Turnbull replaces John den Haan (Loretto) who remains on the Board as past chair.

Two new Trustees were voted in. Congratulations go to Tayler Black of Fergus and Ingrid Larmer of Blackstock, who replace the retiring Brian Little and Barry Fraser. Tayler brings strong digital communications skills to the Board, whereas Ingrid will provide strength with her business and financial experience. Many thanks go to Little and Fraser for their many years of dedication to 4-H in Ontario.

The Foundation wrapped up a relatively successful year in 2020, despite having to cancel their two golf tournaments, the major annual fundraising events. Despite the effects of COVID-19, the Foundation was able to return 8.3% on investments in 2020.

This return applies to all

funds managed by the Foundation including the County Endowment Funds, the Local Association Investment Accounts and the Foundation Endowment Funds.

The investing goal of the Foundation is for stable, long term growth of 4.5% to 5% annually and monies are in a mix of conservative stocks and bonds. The return in the most recent five year period is 5.6%.

In 2008, The Foundation started an Endowment Fund for each of the 50 local associations in the province by depositing an initial $5000 (a $250000 investment) to which the counties can add to build for the future. Each year the counties can withdraw a percentage to support their local activities. The funds also act as a vehicle for further charitable donations at the local level. In 2020, local associations withdrew nearly $9,000 to assist in the delivery of 4-H programs locally.

Last year, additional funds from the Foundation were freed up and sent to local 4-H associations and clubs to pay fees for video conferencing, something which allowed many clubs to pivot their programming successfully.

In 2020, the Foundation also disbursed $3,400 in scholarships, including the Bertram and Hazel Stewart 4-H Dairy Education Award presented at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair each year.

Since its start in 1995, the Foundation has raised close to $3 million for 4-H in Ontario.

In just the last five years, (2015-2019), the Foundation has distributed $635,600 with $433,000 going to support provincial programs and $202,600 going to support community programs and scholarships.

Over the next two years, Chair Turnbull and the Trustees will continue to tackle the challenge of fundraising during this COVID-19 era, beginning to raise the next $3 million.

The goal of the Foundation has always been simple - to acquire and invest funds through endowments and donations for the long-term benefit of 4-H in Ontario.

About 4-H Ontario: 4-H Ontario is a non-profit organization that supports young people in becoming leaders within their communities and assets to the world.

With roots in rural Ontario, today 4-H is available across

the province. 4-H youth ages 6-21 and volunteer leaders come together to learn about selected topics through fun, hands-on activities and mentorship. There are also provincial camps, conferences, competitions and national and international travel opportunities available to further develop skills in leadership, professional development, resilience and more. 4-H is passionate about preparing young people for the future and showing them that with the right skills and attitude, anything is possible.

About the Ontario 4-H Foundation: The Ontario 4-H Foundation raises funds to ensure the long-term financial health of 4-H in Ontario. As a federally incorporated non-profit charity, our mission is to attract, manage, and grow endowment funds that support the future of 4-H in Ontario. Through sound fiscal management, the Foundation Trustees manage approximately $2.8 million on behalf of the organization with the objective of an annual return of 5%. For the past ten years, the Foundation has met or exceeded that goal.

MPP Jim McDonnell tests positive for COVID-19

In a statement on his website on April 30, MPP Jim McDonnell for Stormont Dundas and Glengarry announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. In an open letter, he said he thought he had a common cold and made an appointment to get tested for COVID-19. “ I am unsure of where I may have contracted the virus. My symptoms are very mild, and I can attribute this to the recent vaccination I May 5, 2021

had received recently, but under the two-week timeframe required to develop its maximum protection. Public health has followed up with me to provide guidance and for contact tracing. I am currently following the necessary protocols and quarantine requirements. I share my experience as a caution to the more contagious variants and to the need to follow public health guidelines.”

The constituency office

will continue to operate but is closed to walk-in service.

MPP McDonnell said that, “of the 34 health units in Ontario, our unit is one of only 14 that has reduced the per capita weekly cases since April 12. I want to thank everyone for their increased vigilance. As we welcome warmer temperatures, local vaccine efforts are ramping up to administer the anticipated increased deliveries in May. Locally, Dr. Paul and his team

will have administered close to 60,000 doses by the weekend, surpassing the provincial average. He also reported that there are 57 local pharmacies approved to participate in the local program, but they can only be added when more supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine are available.”

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Service Clubs, Charities and Non-Profit Associations If you are keen to let readers know what you are up to, The North Dundas Times welcomes submissions of your articles and photographs.

Please send your submissions to: editor@ndtimes.ca Articles are accepted at any time, however there is a Friday deadline for publication.

Tid-Bit Musings

by Elva Patterson Rutters, RSSW Feedback. From a young age we are trained to listen, and respond to feedback. It is not long before we are trained to respond to stimuli by being quieter, more restrained, or perhaps to be more vocal. Especially when injustice is being administered, we may have a tendency to take up retaliatory actions or the polar opposite- of hiding in the corner pretending it is going to blow over. The saying is, “ignorance is bliss.”

However you react, the onus is on you to understand the why and the extent of your reaction.

It is becoming fearfully prevalent to provide negative feedback without supplying a positive alternative. To criticize is almost second nature when society would be more positively served with constructive suggestions. Negativity is just chaff blowing in the wind. Feelings, reputations, and morale are destroyed by thoughtless and bitter incrimination. Now is the time to begin by uttering honest, positive affirmations and credits. An old adage passed down is the understanding that if you can't say anything nice, then be quiet! God created us with our tongue behind a set of teeth and behind a set of lips.

He told us the tongue is a powerful weapon. You are offered the opportunity today to start a refreshing of your words and actions. Both you and the community are well worth the affirmation of positivity. Go for it! www.ndtimes.ca

Editorial

The North Dundas Times

A pandemic and some political football

by Lorraine Rekmans We have an opportunity before us to “build back better.” We can do it now, while we are in the midst of it, or go through the same types of machinations again at some point later down the road.

Last week, Premier Ford announced we would be getting “one of the best” paid sick day programs in North America. Then he announced the temporary COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Program, which would reimburse workers for up to $200 a day for three days.

I heard someone recently who said, "this is a medical crisis that has been politicized." I couldn't agree more, that politics is a major barrier to us navigating our way out of this crisis. It's not time to lay blame or poke fingers at what is wrong. It is time for ideas. This virus is mutating rapidly, and we are speeding along through so many changes. There is no time to stop and look in the rear-view

mirror. We should be looking out the windshield, and getting ready to swerve, or apply the brakes, depending on where we are headed.

At this point in time, there is a projected $35.8 billion cumulative deficit in the Employment Insurance Operating Account as of December 2020. Generally, employees pay 1.58% on every $100 earned. Employers match that contribution at a rate of 1.4 times what the employee pays. This is what we mean when we say the EI fund shouldn't be part of the federal government's revenue pot and shouldn't be treated like the consolidated revenue fund.

In 2004, the Auditor General criticized the government for collecting far more in employment insurance premiums than it needed to pay out in benefits. Sheila Fraser, Auditor General at the time, estimated that accumulated surpluses amounted to about $46 billion. In 2008, the NDP charged that the federal government was taking money from the country's employment insurance fund, money that rightfully belonged to Canadian workers. The NDP said that successive Liberal and Conservative governments used $54 billion from the EI fund to help pay down the national debt.

There is a commission

that oversees EI and must set premium rates every year, and attempt to reach a 7- year break even rate. So, if there are deficits or surpluses, the trick is to try and balance it all out in a 7-year period. This type of math and forecasting is beyond me, so I will leave it at that. The point is, the program is always forward looking, it’s national, and it is funded by us because it’s part of our social contract to protect people.

The only reason I brought it up was to initiate a discussion on the current federally paid sick days program which offers a taxable $500 per week sick benefit to workers. The machinery of the EI Fund is in place and was a logical choice when looking at how to respond to the needs of sick workers, or people who couldn't work because of quarantines. It's not much to live on, but from what I understand, it is delivered quickly. In contrast to the CERB, which came about from specific legislation and offered a $2,000 per month from the federal government, it is the worker's money which is being paid out in sick benefits. Isn't it so typical that politicians are fighting about how to spend our money.

At this moment, there is a bit of push and push back going on with the province and

the federal government on who will or should pay sick benefits because of the pandemic. The province argued that the federal government should have addressed it in the budget, and the federal government is saying that the province needs to open its own program for paid sick days, because businesses in Ontario are provincially regulated. In the middle of this argument, here we stand, the workers and employers who are bewildered by this political struggle to do what is right, and what is needed, and to do it quickly.

Last week, a bill dealing with paid sick leave was voted down in a vote of 20 to 55. This was one of many previous attempts to address the issue. Premier Ford has been saying that the federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is what is needed to encourage people to stay home if they are exposed to COVID-19, and avoid spreading the virus to others. The CRSB was announced after temporary changes were made to the EI program. These changes are in effect until September. It's pretty safe to guess where this benefit is coming from and what impact it will have on the $35 billion deficit in the fund, and the projected 7-year forecasts to balance the fund.

Like the CERB, the sickness

benefit is temporary, while with the pandemic, we can see no end in sight. The federal sick benefit can be claimed for 4 weeks. Premier’s Fords’ proposal is also a temporary fix.

But, it was initially an unprecedented offer. Premier Doug Ford's government offered to contribute to the federal program so that benefits to workers in Ontario could be doubled, but the federal government rejected the offer, saying its program is intended as a stopgap while provinces move to mandate their own paid sick leave.

Labour leaders are saying that the government needs to change the Employment Standards Act to offer at least three paid sick days a year and accrues more with each pay period, up to a maximum of 10, much the same way vacation pay works.

I say, here we stand, with the Premier willing to whip out his cheque book to fund a federal insurance program.

We should grab this chance.

The Progressive Conservative government's ideology has always been to support business, reduce payroll taxes, cut red-tape etc. Their reluctance to burden their political business base in this case is understandable, so it is not surprising they are offering to pay, and not take money

out of the pockets of business.

The federal Liberals don't want to deal with it. It's being kicked back and forth.

What if we all agreed that we together, workers, employers, provinces and the federal government, would cost share sick benefits through increased premiums shared equally all at 25% each. What if we enhanced our national EI program so that it actually met the needs of workers and prepared us for the next economic shock, climate catastrophe, or pandemic heading our way. What if we worked together to finally implement a living wage in this province so that people wouldn’t have to live hand to mouth on poverty wages? We have a chance to build back better, now, and we don’t have to wait until the pandemic is over. We don’t need programs that end in September.

What we need is cooperation. What we need is collaboration. What we need is action, rapid-testing, PPE, vaccines, and ideas. We also need to set our political stripes aside and stop trying to prove who are the best friends to business and the economy.

We need to demonstrate our humanity. People need us now.

VID-19, resulting in the deaths of 14,000 residents and close to 30 staff.

"Now is the moment for the federal government to collaborate with provincial and territorial governments to create a system that functions, one that ensures that all residents of LTC receive the care they need and deserve. It's important to acknowledge that residents of LTC are not only the elderly; there are many others who find themselves in need of round-the-clock support. For all those who lost loved ones, and for those who remain terrified for family members still

in LTC, I say Enough! We must implement solutions now, not in a year from now."

"Yesterday's Ontario Auditor General's report highlights multiple failures within the LTC system that contributed to the avoidable humanitarian crisis that unfolded," said Mike Schreiner. "We owe it to

elders and the staff who care for them to seize this moment to show that we are serious about caring for elders. This means not only creating national standards, but also investing in the staff who work in LTC."

Greens call for national long-term care strategy

by Lorraine Rekmans In the Auditor General of Ontario’s report on the issue of COVID-19 infections in long-term care facilities in Ontario, Bonnie Lysyk noted that any actions, “taken over the years have been insufficient to ensure that we would be better prepared as a province for the‘next time’.”

She noted that longterm-care homes were initially not partnered with hospitals or public health units to benefit from their expertise in infectious disease outbreaks, and that there was a lack of structured collaboration between different government bodies and agencies on issues such as infection prevention and control inspections.

Green Party of Canada Leader, Annamie Paul, reMay 5, 2021

sponded to the report in a joint press conference with Green Party of Ontario Leader, Mike Schreine, calling for a national strategy on long-term care in Canada that would contain national standards for care and staffing.

They also called for an end to profit-making by government-funded longterm care facilities.

"For over a year now, Greens have been sounding the alarm on the tragic situation that has unfolded in Canada's LTC homes, and still the federal government has not provided a plan for national standards," said Annamie Paul.

"During this pandemic, we witnessed the unfolding of a humanitarian crisis, one that shamed Canada as the country with the worst record for COVID-19 deaths in LTC homes compared to other wealthy nations. Thousands of families, including my own, lost loved ones and we know that many of those deaths were preventable."

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reported that between March 2020 and February 2021 more than 80,000 residents and staff members of LTC homes were infected with CO-

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Lack of pandemic preparedness and poor infection control practices in long-term care

Bonnie Lysyk Auditor General The Auditor General’s report on the response to the pandemic contained 16 recommendations with 55 action items. The actions recommended were much the same as previous recommendations made by the Auditor General.

The report states, “There should be no surprises in the content and recommendations in this report.

Many of the issues and recommendations have either been highlighted or recommended previously by this Office.”

There was no requirement to prepare for a pandemic, which was coupled with long-standing, unaddressed weaknesses in infection control and prevention in Ontario’s longterm-care homes and these contributed to the tragic impacts of COVID-19 on long-term care residents, concluded Auditor General, Bonnie Lysyk in her special report on COVID-19 Readiness and Response in Long-Term Care.

“Despite very specific observations and recommendations on preparing for future SARS-like outbreaks by our Office and others, actions taken over the years have been insufficient to ensure that we would be better prepared as a province – and Ontario’s long-term care homes were among the first to be impacted,” Lysyk said following the release of the report.

“Unfortunately, neither

the Ministry of Long-Term Care, nor the long-termcare sector, was sufficiently positioned, prepared or equipped to respond to the issues created by the pandemic in an expedient and effective way.”

The audit found that long-term-care homes were ill-prepared to prevent or minimize COVID-19 outbreaks due to chronic staffing shortages and inconsistent practices in infection prevention and control prior to COVID-19. As well, many residents were in rooms with three or four occupants, in homes which had not yet been required to redevelop to the one- to two-occupant standards set by the province in 1999. The audit found that homes with more than two residents sharing rooms tended to experience more severe outbreaks. The audit, which has 16 recommendations, also notes that the long-term-care sector is largely disconnected from other institutions in the health-care sector.

The report notes that many homes were not able to draw on the staffing and infection prevention and control expertise of hospitals and public health units when they needed it most.

“In recent months, a number of government commitments have been made to improve longterm care and this, along with continued attention to our recommendations, would go a long way toward ensuring seniors living in Ontario’s long-termcare homes are accorded the well-deserved dignity, safety and comfort that is clearly envisioned in the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007,” said Lysyk.

Background and Other Findings: This report examines the provincial and longterm care sector responses

to COVID-19 from when the virus was first detected in Ontario in January 2020 to December 31, 2020.

This chapter is one in a series undertaken by the Auditor General’s Office on the province’s response to the Coronavirus Disease.

Chapters 1 to 3 were released in November 2020.

• Long-term-care homes were not required to prepare for a pandemic as part of their emergency planning. Regulation 79/10 provides a list of emergencies they must prepare for, but a pandemic is not included on this list.

• Infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures were not consistently practised, understood or inspected in long-termcare homes even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expertise in this area resides with hospitals and public health units, but given the structure of Ontario’s healthcare system, and lack of agreements with these institutions, many homes could not benefit from their expertise in infectious disease outbreaks in the initial wave of the pandemic.

• Direction from the Chief Medical Officer of Health to contain the spread of COVID-19 in long-term-care homes was often unclear in the first wave of the pandemic, and initially left to long-term care home management to decide what actions to take, such as rules for resident trips outside the homes, and for staff who

worked at multiple locations.

• Restricting family caregivers from visiting homes and assisting with the care of their loved ones eliminated a valuable source of care providers, which contributed to a decline in residents’ mental and physical health.

• A lack of space prevented homes from isolating residents with COVID-19 effectively, but the Ministry provided no guidance for off-site alternatives.

• The transfer of patients designated as alternate level of care (ALC) from hospitals to longterm-care homes contributed to crowding in homes; some were already at 98% capacity.

• The Ministry decided in 2018 to discontinue proactive comprehensive inspections solely to address a growing backlog of complaints and critical incident reports.

• While non-compliance by homes with the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 and its regulation remains an issue, including non-compliance with infection prevention

requirements, the Ministry has chosen not to implement fines or penalties.

• The Ministry did not conduct on-site inspections of homes for two months during the COVID-19 pandemic because concerns about inspector safety were raised

Hayley Bedford

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

The Voice of Our Community

Auntie Anabel

“Anytime you got nothing to do - and lots of time to do it, come on up,” - Mae West Do your ever listen to the news some days and spit out your coffee because you hear things that demonstrate a great lack of intelligence or common sense. I gotta admit honey, it happened to me this week, when I heard a woman say she was bored of talking on the phone and watching tv, and she wanted this pandemic to end, because she was bored! Now doesn’t that just take the cake? Yup, I had to mop up that spit out coffee. Sometimes, I yell at the radio. “PLEE-EEAA-ESE, bored? bored?”

We are in the fight of our lives, our volunteers are burnt out, there is so much to do. How could anyone be bored? Get on that phone and find a way to help. Email a local charity to see if they need a hand.

Knit some sweaters for some ducks. If yer gonna be on the phone smackin yer yack anyway, you might as well be helpin someone out.

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Agricultural Digest • Forecasts • News • Views Ontario Woodlot Association AGM and Conference

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This pandemic has changed the way we all do business, and the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA) is no exception to this. The OWA held its AGM and Conference virtually this past week and featured a variety of presentations by woodlands experts.

Woodlander.

OWA President, Paul Robertson, said he was impressed and proud of the range and depth on issues that were offered in this year’s conference.

It was a, “stellar and solid lineup of presenters, and the themes are highly relevant to our membership’s diverse interests, and to what we are trying to accomplish with our on-going major projects,” said Paul.

The conference hosted three evenings of presentations and discussions. The theme of this year’s conference was -The Opportunities and Options our Woodlands Give.

The Keynote presentation was offered by Rob Keen, R.P.F and CEO of Forests Ontario. Rob spoke about the Two-Billion tree program, which is a major climate change mitigation initiative by the federal government. There was a special student event that was designed to promote careers in forestry.

The conference topics included science and technology

There were 380 people who attended the conference which John Pineau, Executive Director, said received rave reviews.

The OWA was created in 1992 and has a history of navigating many changes over the decades, including the change to virtual conferencing.

The line-up of presentations was notable, including a presentation by Head Forester, Geraint Richards, who manages the Duchy of Cornwall woodlands in England.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, John Yakabuski, offered congratulations to OWA on their conference and the 100th issue of the OWA publication, the

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in woodlands, and a discussion on the social benefits that woodlands offer to communities.

No conference would be complete without a bit of fun, so the Canadian Ecology Centre also hosted a livebroadcast wolf-howl and owl hoot. The live wolf howling and owl hooting took place over a half hour period from remote locations to try and attract a response from wolves and owls. Sadly the wolves and owls were unavailable to answer that evening.

“Our Association has remained steady and strong during the pandemic, and we have in fact grown and strengthened in some respects, despite so many challenges,” said Paul Robertson.

The OWA Executive Committee is comprised of President, Paul Robertson, VicePresident, Art Shannon, Kerry Coleman, Dave Ferguson, and Don Willis. The Board is comprised of 20 representatives from the various provincial chapters of OFA

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(NC) Running a small farm with a garden and animals such as chickens, goats and pigs can be very rewarding. For many of us, it’s both a therapeutic experience and a way to be more sustainable and self-sufficient.

But it can also be daunting, and if you’re new to the world of hobby farming, there are countless things to consider.

Here are five key tips to remember: 1. Do your research Whether you’re just starting out or expanding your existing setup, it’s important to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Educate yourself on the crops and animals you

might be thinking about having on your farm and get to know the laws and best practices in your area. Online research and courses can help get you up to speed.

2. Expect the unexpected Though research is crucial, it’s also important to stay flexible. On a farm, not everything happens the way you plan, so a positive experience depends on being flexible and staying open to adjusting your plan. Even if you follow all the guidelines for planting a certain crop, it may not grow the way you hoped.

Taking care of certain kinds of animals may be more work than you expected. Write down what

you do each season so you can keep track of what works for you from one year to the next.

3. Get to know other farmers Community is the core of sustainability and self-sufficiency, and that’s what drives many of us to the hobby farm life. So, try to get to know nearby farmers—with big and small farms.

Ask for their advice and offer to help out on their land so you can learn from their experience.

4. Learn to DIY and know when to call a pro There’s always maintenance to take care of on a farm.

As you build your skillset and confidence, it can be tempting—

and often quite doable—to tackle many repairs yourself.

Just remember that it’s best to call in the professionals for certain tasks. Even a small mistake with electrical or highly complex mechanical work could cost you more and create much bigger problems.

5. Follow biosecurity protocols Whether you have 1 animal or 100, it’s critical to maintain good on-farm health and safety practices. For instance, it’s illegal to feed pigs meat or products containing meat—even pet food. Though it might be economical and even customary to feed your pigs scraps from

the table, it could actually put their health—and the health of pigs in nearby farms and across the country—at risk.

That’s because even small amounts of contaminated raw, cooked or frozen food scraps can infect your pigs with animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF). Though ASF doesn’t affect humans, it’s extremely contagious and deadly for pigs. It could spread rapidly across the country if an outbreak were to happen in Canada.

Find more information on health measures for your farm at inspection.gc.ca/asfbiosecurity.

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Gaps in Canada’s agri-food workforce due to COVID-19

by Teresa Van Raay, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture A truth that is deemed to be universal, is the fact that the most valuable resource of any business is the people. Regardless of technology, automation or other means, human capital remains essential in ensuring the continued production of high-quality food, fibre and fuel. The entire food value chain relies on people to fill planting, production, quality control, processing and

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distribution roles to keep the agri-food system strong and viable.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the struggles of Ontario’s agri-food sector to attract and retain people to fill job vacancies. The Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council (CAHRC) identified key vulnerabilities within the industry as part of its recent report titled, Understanding the Effects of COVID-19 on Canada’s Agriculture Workforce. The report offers key findings from research gathered over the past year, identifying weaknesses of current labour strategies within the industry.

The data collected to compile the report came from over 450 farm operators across Canada between November 2020 and January 2021.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) continues to prioritize workforce challenges and address the issue of labour shortages within the agri-food sector. This work is being done by supporting organizations that promote agri-food careers to the next generation, developing and launching the Feeding Your Future initiative, and lobbying the government for COVID-19 regulations that ensure essential seasonal workers and temporary foreign workers (TFWs) arrive safely and securely to Ontario farm businesses. Feeding Your Future aims to connect Ontario agri-food employers with Ontario residents looking for meaningful jobs.

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Canada faced record levels of unemployment within the first few months of the public health crisis with around three million Canadians losing their jobs between February and April of last year. Still, agriculture employers struggled to find workers as 41% of employers surveyed could not find enough employees to fill their vacancies, and 86% of respondents believed this to be a direct result of COVID-19.

The delayed arrival or absence of temporary foreign workers in 2020 was the first shock to the agri-food sector as it left many farm employers scrambling to source local labour on short notice to ensure the planting and harvesting of spring crops was completed. It is estimated that employers were unable to fill 1 in 5 TFWS they would usually employ.

Canadian farmers, especially those in the labourintensive horticulture industry, have become reliant on essential seasonal and foreign workers. These workers come back year after year and bring expertise that only comes with experience. And yes, at times there is lack of domestic interest in farm jobs.

The challenges of getting TFWs across the border was tremendous last spring and have certainly remained an issue in 2021. Additionally, providing accommodations to meet all the new regulations, requirements and extensive documentation became a significant financial and red tape barrier for many employers to secure the arrival of foreign workers.

Rural location, seasonality, wages and physical re-

• • • • • •

quirements are all key barriers to local recruitment. To support our garlic and the pork business, we have relied on a combination of local labour and contract farm workers.

We did experience labour shortages this past year with our garlic harvest.

To fill gaps in our workforce, we were able to recruit local high school students.

This experience was good overall and gave us hope for the upcoming future workforce. A number of these students will be joining us again this year. However, when hiring students or local labour, a steep learning curve exists with the potential of a high turnover rate, impacting productivity.

Lower productivity, which is a direct result of labour challenges, has resulted in an estimated total loss of $2.9 billion in sales for farm businesses across Canada. More than 60% of respondents reported production delays which impacts the whole food system. For our pork business, we are very dependent on our processing plant to take weekly shipments. Plant closures because of COVID this past year caused havoc throughout the entire food chain. We have noticed however, that local sales are increasing because Ontarians have an appetite for eating local, want to know where their food comes from, and are making more meals at home.

The survey also noted that over 40% of employers expect a delay or termination of investments in their farm business. This poses a major issue because a lack of investment or expansion has

the potential to impact the economic growth of farms and the agri-food industry According to the data, the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) was relied on by 47% of employers.

Farm businesses had to learn to adapt to virtual sales and curbside pick-up which has been met with internet connectivity and broadband issues in rural locations.

During COVID, an increased demand for local food means that more consumers are consciously choosing to purchase Ontario made products. This is welcome news for producers, but we cannot grow and raise our products without human capital. As employers adapt to the future and a new growing season, 53% of respondents are concerned about finding enough workers for the new year.

Therefore, we must continue to invest in ways that attract and retain employees to continue to grow the industry.

The report concluded that industry stakeholders play an important role in attracting Canadian workers by promoting jobs in agriculture, improving broadband connectivity and providing education for Canadians who do not have a direct connection to the agri-food sector.

Together, we can help support employers from field-to-fork to fill labour shortages and encourage our youth to consider a career in the dynamic and innovative agri-food sector.

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Welcome to May Makers Month!

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The Premier from North Dundas

Alexander Cameron Rutherford, Premier of Alberta.

by Dr. David Shanahan While South Dundas may boast of producing a Premier of Ontario in Sir James Whitney, North Dundas, also, gave birth to a provincial Premier. His name is Alexander Cameron Rutherford, and he was the first ever Premier of Alberta, between 1905 and 1910. He is also referred to as the "Father of the University of Alberta".

Alexander Cameron Rutherford was born on Feb-

ruary 2, 1857, on a dairy farm in Ormond. He was the son of James Rutherford and Elizabeth Cameron who had immigrated from Scotland in 1855. Alexander was educated at the local public school; at a high school in Metcalfe, and at the Canadian Literary Institute, a Baptist College located at Woodstock, Ontario.

After graduation, he taught in a school in Osgoode for a year before attending McGill University, where he graduated

in 1881 with both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees.

When he was twentyeight, Alexander was called to the Ontario Bar and, after working with an Ottawa law firm for a few years, moved to Kemptville in 1888 and joined the law firm of Hodgkins, Kidd, and Rutherford as a junior partner. On December 19, 1888, he married Martha ‘Mattie' Birkett, daughter of William and Elizabeth Birkett of Ottawa. Two of the couple's three children, Cecil Alexander and Hazel Elizabeth, were born during the ten years the family lived in Kemptville.

Alexander was a dedicated Baptist and attended the Baptist Church on Clothier Street West, now a private residence, where he was President of the Young People's Union. He was also involved in the Masons, the Foresters and the Ancient Order of Independent Workmen. Aside from his law practice, Alexander operated a money-lending business at a time when there were no banks in town. This was an occupation he shared with G. Howard Ferguson, another lawyer working in Kemptville

at that time and another future provincial premier.

He made a trip out west in 1886, where, it is said, he was investigating the disappearance of his cousin. This visit apparently made a strong impression on him, and in August of 1894 he returned west on a second visit, this time staying in South Edmonton.

He was favourably impressed by what he saw as the potential of the small settlement and planned to start a new life there. In June, 1895 he and the family moved permanently to South Edmonton, District of Alberta, in the North-West Territories, now known as Strathcona. He almost immediately opened a law office and began a very successful career in law and property development before moving into politics.

After serving as Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Alexander campaigned vigorously for provincial status for the North West Territories, and was held in such high regard that he was elected leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and contested the first election to the new provincial assembly in 1905. He defeated the Conservatives under R. B.

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Throughout this month, we will be shining a spotlight on some of the wonderfully talented, local makers we have right here in North Dundas. Shopping locally has never been more important, and with products like these on our doorstep, why would we go anywhere else!

To kick things off, we would like to introduce you to our first ‘Maker of the Week', Dawna Marquette Jewelry.

Dawna says: ‘I never set out to make Jewelry, it happened accidentally. I was making a piece of glass artwork and

wanted to use some unusual stones. A friend suggested I go to the local bead shop and when I did, I was hooked! I started out using beads but fell in love with metal and wire work. As soon as I felt confident enough, I started using sterling silver and semi precious stones. I am a hairstylist by trade, so am passionate about design and colour. Each piece I create is made with that in mind. I am always learning, and enjoy spending long hours in the studio. Each piece is created with love, attention to detail, and hope that the person wearing it will feel amazing wearing something unique that only they will have”.

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Bennett to become the first Premier of the new Province.

Bennett survived the defeat and went on to become Prime Minister of Canada.

Alexander was a man with many interests. He helped establish the University of Alberta (located in his adopted home town of Strathcona), ensured that Edmonton, and not Calgary, would be the capital of the province, as well as serving on the Senate of the University of Alberta (191127), the Advisory Board of the Y.M.C.A. (1913-41), and the Edmonton Branch of the Historical Society of Alberta (president, 1919-41). He cofounded the Great Western Garment Company in 1911, later known as GWG, which became the biggest clothing manufacturer in the British Commonwealth.

The young man who had turned his back on a career as a dairy farmer in North Dundas, ended his days as the first Premier of the new Province of Alberta. It was quite a journey.

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Revolutionizing the way kids learn to read

Tiffany Kalsi, Julie McDermid, April Hackett-Helmkay, Speech-Language Pathologists Submitted by the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario The Speech-Language Pathologists (S-LPs) at the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) have been working board-wide to revolutionize the way CDSBEO educators teach word-level reading and spelling in the classroom.

Speech-Language Pathologists in the CDSBEO Department of Special Education shared their system-wide work on how they are revolutionizing the way CDSBEO educators teach reading. Professional development has been delivered board-wide to train teachers about the science of reading and how the brain learns to read.

Currently, the Ontario Human Rights Commission is investigating reading instruction and intervention throughout the province through the Right to Read public inquiry. In Canada, Australia, Britain, and the USA, there is a push to align teaching practices with scientific research. Given that oral language is the foundation to reading, SpeechLanguage Pathologists are uniquely qualified to lead the way in implementing exceptional teaching methods.

Speech-Language Pathologists Julie McDermid, April Hackett-Helmkay and Tiffany Kalsi presented information to the Board of Trustees on this initiative, including teaching teachers how the human brain learns to read and providing them

with tools to align their practices with this science.

"Over the last year, our team has embarked on a journey in supporting the educators within the CDSBEO in aligning their classroom practices with the one way that the brain learns to read," began McDermid.

"Teachers leave teacher's college not knowing how to teach kids to read, and all of the research on the science of reading and how to teach reading has been buried deep in academic journals.

Our mission is to share this information with all educators in our board. Because as Dr Pam Kastner says, every teacher deserves to know the science of reading, and every child deserves a teacher who knows it."

McDermid noted that the reason is because there are a lot of myths about how children learn to read, however children need purposeful and planned instruction to learn how to read.

"Reading is not natural.

It is a human made alphabetic system and we must create the areas of the brain needed to read. This is done through connecting sounds to letters, and letters to sounds."

The team began by making changes to the assessment protocol so that it

aligned with the way students learn to read. Assessment is still done with oral language; however, a more in-depth literacy portion was added which allowed them to see who is most atrisk for reading difficulties.

"This allowed us to identify who would need a little support, and who would need a lot of support to develop their reading brain," explained McDermid.

The assessment provides the information that parents, and educators need to guide instruction and intervention.

Teachers can immediately put the recommendations into practice and see measurable growth in their students reading.

"The response has been overwhelming, as suddenly our most vulnerable students are starting to read.

Many students were struggling to read, and word level reading was not being taught explicitly in our classrooms, and so began our journey of changing how word level reading is taught across our classrooms."

April Hackett-Helmkay noted that 40 percent of students would benefit from a structured approach to literacy in order to learn to read, while the other 60 percent require it as an essential component.

"It is essential to have structured literacy, and therefore teachers need to implement a structured approach. Our goal was to empower teachers to think critically about their teaching practices in order to align them with the one way that the brain learns to read."

Teachers received training through a board-wide webinar series in the spring.

The first session focused on the science of reading, teaching educators how the brain learns to read to guide instruction. This was followed up with webinars on thinking in sounds, which helped teachers to shift their focus from letters to sounds.

Teachers then learned about high-frequency words, phonemic awareness, and the development of sound walls.

Once training was complete, the team moved forward with providing educators with the materials

tual and military records of an Eisenhower. He never got on with reporters and editors, and they responded by openly loathing him.

When he lost the election for Governor of California, he made that famous statement to the press: "Just think how much you're going to be missing, because gentlemen, you don't have Nixon to kick around any more."

And that was a decade before Watergate.

From Nixon onwards, no political or social leader has been exempt from intense scrutiny, as reporters everywhere dreamed of being the latest Woodward and Bernstein. With social media and new technology, it has never been easier for people to reveal hidden secrets of famous and powerful people. Sometimes, what is revealed is actually true.

Muckraking journalism, but also good investigative journalism, and somehow Nixon opened that door.

Yes, there have always been scandal sheets and yellow journalism, but that was looked upon as a lesser form of the profession, a disreputable thing in itself.

But now, every cable news network seems to have a permanent banner on screen saying "Breaking News". Old attitudes of respect are gone. When Phillip Mountbatten died recently, the BBC gave over its entire schedule on all channels to the event. In the past, especially in the

U.K., that would have been accepted and expected.

Not so today. So many people complained about the extent of the coverage that the BBC had to set up a special web page to handle the avalanche of complaints.

So, I blame Richard Nixon. Or perhaps I should credit Richard Nixon. After all, looking back on the "good old days" of respect, cover-up, and fawning admiration, it is not something we would want to see

required to teach word level reading effectively.

"We decided to create materials that teachers could use immediately," noted Kalsi.

These resources included a phonemic awareness binder, as well as embedded mnemonics and an interactive sound wall tool for posting within classrooms.

The team has also setup a Teams site which includes webinars, training videos, and additional resources for teachers.

In addition to working with the teachers within their school board, the team has recently created a Facebook page entitled The Reading Brain: Thinking critically about reading instruction.

Their call to action is to help teachers across Canada and beyond to think critically about aligning their literacy instruction with the one way the brain learns to read.

Hayley Bedford

Marketing Consultant

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The Voice of Our Community

Home thoughts

by David Shanahan I blame Richard Nixon.

It seems like we are daily bombarded by stories of political sleaze and corruption. People's trust in governments, in authority of any kind, is at a very low ebb indeed. And I blame Richard Milhous Nixon.

Yes, there was political corruption long before Watergate and Nixon's other foibles. Other leaders had concealed important things about themselves, and I suppose very few gain power by being completely honest and open.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for example, kept his polio hidden from the world, hiding the fact that he was unable to stand or walk unaided, and resorting to clever stratagems to appear strong and in control. I imagine this was rather important for the leader of the fight against Hitler and Tojo. In our own past, how many citizen voters knew about William Lyon Mackenzie King's May 5, 2021

habit of having conversations with his dead mother and pet dog via the exertions of mediums at seances? He said of Hitler that he "is really one who truly loves his fellow man". Yet he was Canada's longest serving Prime Minister, holding office between 1935 and 1948.

Historians are usually the first to find out about the odd and eccentric character of politicians, as they pore through the papers and diaries of the departed.

Anyway, back to Tricky Dickie Nixon. Until he came along, most politicians were spared real scrutiny in public, largely because the media kept their secrets safe from public view. There was an attitude that private lives were private, and only a leader's public affairs were fair game. But Nixon broke through that tradition simply by being himself: paranoid, lacking in the style and grace of a Kennedy, or the intellec-

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return. We know we have a right to know whatever there is to know about the people we elect to lead us, or the celebrities we lavish time and money on. Is there a balance we can find between two extremes: the old deferential attitude, and the current fad for complete disregard for feelings, privacy, and respect? We decide these things by choosing what to watch, what to read, and, of course, what to write.

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The Food Corner

CROSSWORD

by Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville Bread: the staple of life. Both Ma's and my family originated in Nova Scotia. Beth came from the middle of the province and me from the Gaspereau Valley. So, this recipe for Nova Scotia Brown Bread is a winner. This bread, with homemade baked beans, was Saturday night's dinner in many Nova Scotia Homes.

Nova Scotia Brown Bread

Ingredients 1 ½ cups of rolled oats 2 cups of boiling water 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste) ¾ cup molasses ½ cup warm water 2 teaspoons of salt 1 tablespoon of shortening 1 package of active dry yeast 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar ½ cup of butter, melted

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Preparation 1. In a large bowl, mix the rolled oats, salt, boiling water, shortening and molasses.

2. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar; let stand 10 minutes or until frothy.

3. Add flour gradually to the rolled oat mixture, also mixing in the blend of yeast, water and sugar in the process.

4. Cover and let rise in a warmish place until about double in size.

5. Stir down and divide into two small, greased loaf pans.

6. Cover and let rise again until just about doubled in size.

7. Baked in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 45 minutes.

8. Remove the loaves from the pans and brush the tops with melted butter.

9. Let the loaves cool on racks.

By the way, this recipe was collected in the Friday, April 30th, 1993 North Bay Nugget Cookbook by my own mother Yvonne. Viola MacVicar was the author (mind you, it's a heck of trot from North Bay to Nova Scotia, so go figure).

All the best to you all and thanks for your kind feedback.

From Paul at pcormier@ranaprocess.com.

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Solutions to last week’s Sudoku

by Lorraine Rekmans In December, the federal government announced the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program making $33-billion in funding available through bilateral agreements between Canada and each of the provinces and territories.

The funding is designed to help reduce air and water pollution, provide clean water, increase resilience to climate change and create a clean-growth economy, build strong, dynamic and inclusive communities, and ensure Canadian families have access to modern, reliable services that improve their quality of life.

This week, MP Eric Duncan and MPP Jim McDonell announced a combined total of more than $5.2 million through the program. The Char-Lan Recreation Center will be getting a new ice pad, and there will be renovations to the Glengarry Sports Palace. These are among six recreation projects in Cornwall and SD&G that will benefit from the funding. North Dundas received the largest sum of money (just over $1.9 million) for the development of Hallville Community Park.

There will also be upgrades to the Centre Charles-Emile-Claude in Cornwall and for South Stormont’s pavilions, including a couple of play units for the parks. Each of the municipalities has to cover a share of the project under the ICIP agreement.

Local Member of Parliament Eric Duncan said: “A key role for ourselves as federal and provincial representatives is to make sure we get our fair share of infrastructure projects approved for our local communities. It is great to see several local recreational projects and upgrades approved to get underway in the coming months. Without a doubt, they will all be well used by many residents in the years and decades to come."

MPP Jim McDonnell said the Government of Ontario is investing over $2.3 million.

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Upper Canada District School Board Report

UCDSB student brings strong message of support for 2slgbtqia+ community

Photo: Kai Flicker The Upper Canada District School Board remains committed to ensuring that our students who selfidentify as members of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual/2SLGBTQIA+ community feel supported and contribute to making our schools and communities safe spaces for everyone. Brockville Collegiate Institute student Kai Flicker is committed to these outcomes.

The Grade 11 student spoke with the UCDSB about how the school communities can continue its work to stand up to bullying and work toward equity and acceptance.

"Nobody is asking you to understand the trans or binary experience, but to allow us to have a space," Kai said, adding that queer people of colour have some of the highest suicide rates and it's an issue that needs to be addressed. "To ignore that unique struggle is to contribute to it."

Kai's voice connects with last week's recognition of the International Day of Pink. The key message of the International Day of Pink, which is celebrated the second Wednesday of each April, brings awareness to how discrimination takes many shapes - whether it's based on race, age, disabilities, gender or sexuality - and this recognition day urges individuals around the world to put on a pink shirt and stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to continue to fight for equality and acceptance. Even if it means getting uncomfortable.

"In spaces where people like us don't make up half of the student body, it falls on the shoulders of educators to bring these May 5, 2021

topics to the table," said Kai. "While I understand that full blown activism may be uncomfortable for people in places of privilege, even doing so much as introducing the concept of implicit bias has an impact on your students."

The UCDSB is committed to an equitable education system that upholds and reflects the principles of fair and inclusive education, which should permeate all policies, programs, practices, and operations.

The school board recognizes that it must engage with communities that have not been historically honoured by the education system in order to truly prepare all students for the successful life they deserve.

As the UCDSB continues to integrate its value of equity and inclusion into its programming, supports and resources, UCDSB Director Stephen Sliwa said that it's imperative to

HEAPHYS CLEANING SERVICE

Trustees with the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) met virtually on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 for a regularly scheduled board meeting.

Trustees send best wishes to retiring Director Trustees gave their best wishes to retiring UCDSB Director of Education and Secretary to the Board Stephen Sliwa. Sliwa, who served in education for more than three decades, was present for his last trustees meeting.

Chair John McAllister spoke on behalf of the trustees and turned the attention toward the recent announced that Sliwa was named the recipient of the 2021 Eastern Ontario Staff Development Network's (EOSDN) Eleanor Newman Outstanding Service Award.

Roger Richard was appointed

by Trustees as the Acting Secretary of the Board until the new Director of Education and Secretary to the Board is in place. Richard filled the role of a Senior Business Advisor from 2018-2019 for the UCDSB. UCDSB reports on Environmental-Focused Education Plan Staff outlined how the school board is currently implementing environmen-

listen to students in order to learn, grow and make change.

"Our 2SLGBTQIA+ community's priorities about safety and support are important elements to the UCDSB family. We want to support our students and we accomplish this by engaging in the difficult and often complex conversations, at home, at work, and in our classes to address the disparities in our communities," said Sliwa. "We must continue our own work to ensure that every student within our schools feels heard and included, and we must challenge ourselves, at every level of our organization, to confront our own biases and blind spots."

Hear Kai's powerful message in its entirety on the UCDSB YouTube Channel.

The UCDSB wants to remind students, parents, guardians and community members that should you or someone you know be in crisis or simply need to talk, Kids Help Phone is a 24/7 free confidential professional online and telephone counselling and text-based support in English and French.

tally focused educational opportunities for its students.

Currently, staff are implementing environmental lesson plans through curriculum expectations outlined across all subject areas.

As well, schools across the district have implemented school-based environmental initiatives such as outdoor learning spaces, community gardens, community partnerships, and environmental clubs. Environmental education is also being addressed through experiential learning, Indigenous education, literacy, and outdoor education programming.

Finally, environmental education is being delivered through Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs in our secondary schools, that focus on the environmental sector and agricultural sector.

Budget Outlook 20212022 presented Staff provided trustees with a high-level budget outlook for the 2021-22 school year. With expected sustained lower enrolment projections as a result of the pandemic, the school board has implemented early planning using these projected numbers for the budget.

When it comes to funding,

staff predict stable funding for the Grants for Student Needs and don't anticipate any further funding for COVIDrelated budget line items.

However, staff anticipate a stabilization for these pandemic-related expenses in 2021-2022.

Based on this information, the finance team outlined a projected 2021-22 revenue of $371.8 million while expenses are estimated at $371.2 million. These budget projections result in a compliant budget with a preliminary projected surplus of $0.6M. Budget deliberations for trustees is expected to begin in May. Full details on presentations, reports and discussions can be found in the agenda or reviewed in the recorded broadcast.

Send in your letters, stories, events to editor@ ndtimes.ca

Watch out for Motorcycles- May is Motorcycle Awareness Month With the warmer weather coming, there will be many riders getting out their motorcycles to enjoy the season, and the OPP is cautioning all drivers to be careful, watchful and safe. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has already responded to four (4) fatal motorcycle collisions this year and is urging riders and other motorists to avoid contributing to a repeat of last year's tragic motorcycle season.

Last year marked one of the worst riding seasons in more than 10 years, with 42 motorcyclists killed on OPP-patrolled roads. There were 27 fatalities in 2019.

OPP collision investigators pointed to excessive speed and failing to yield right-of-way as lead contributing factors in the deaths. Two of this season's motorcycle fatalities are also linked to excessive speed.

"Aggressive and careless driving have no place on our roads, especially where motorcycles are involved. The OPP urges motorcyclists and other drivers to share the road safely and be alert. Motorcyclists are reminded to always ride responsibly, sober and drug-free, and to make themselves visible to other motorists. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Please help make it a safe riding season,” said, Chief Superintendent Rohan THOMPSON, Commander, OPP Highway Safety Division.

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Myth understandings An irregular column by David Shanahan One of us must know (sooner or later) This column has generated quite a lot of correspondence since it first appeared, not all of it conducted through the Letters page, I should add. What has become clear is that any discussion of spirituality and its place in life can be completely thrown off track when people find themselves using words in differing ways. What do you mean when you talk about "faith", or "truth", or even "God"?

But, undoubtedly, the biggest dispute centers on that old favourite, Science and Religion: are they compatible, or is religious belief anti-intellectual, anti-science? This is more than a dispute over words: the issues lie at the very foundation of how we perceive ourselves as human beings, how we relate to the world around us, and to each other. Both terms claim to be involved in a study of what really is, what lies behind the reality of existence.

The strange thing is,

that both terms, "Religion" and "Science", are actually quite nebulous and unsatisfactory, too general to allow for a proper examination of either in relation to the other. If "religion" is taken to mean any belief in the supernatural, or a spiritual reality outside of what we can experience with our senses, then that would include everything from people kneeling and worshiping trees, or rocks, to people with Nobel prizes writing serious academic works. It includes Islamic terrorists and Ghandi, Martin Luther King Junior and the Ku Klux Klan.

As a Christian, I can only speak from that perspective, really, and have no desire to ally myself, intellectually or spiritually, with those who are "religious", but don't accept the fundamentals of Christianity. I believe Christianity has a unique and universal truth, a perspective that provides a rational and comprehensive analysis of the universe, its origins, and our place in it as human beings. Even then, if we're going to have a good discussion, the

term "Christian" has to be further defined. People and organizations calling themselves "Christian" have been responsible for some horrific acts over history, and have imposed unsupportable burdens on men and women far beyond what was lawful or moral.

So, how can you distinguish the Christian from Christendom, as historians often call that worldly and politically powerful culture that has existed since the time of Constantine, around 300A.D.? There again, the only truly valid source of definition is Jesus himself, and the writings of the New Testament.

After all, if someone does something in God's name which contradicts how Jesus defines his people, then that person is misappropriating the name "Christian". That, surely, is an acceptable criterion for defining "Christianity"?

It is very much the same situation when the term "Science"is used. You will constantly hear phrases that start: "Science has shown..", or "Science has proved...", etc. But, tech-

nically, does "Science", singular, really exist? Traditionally, we have talked about "the Sciences", plural, or "the scientific method". Beginning with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, the sciences have sub-divided into many other areas of research and inquiry: so much so, that the average Paleontologist will have little knowledge of molecular biology. Similarly, the astro-physicist may have little insight into the most recent discoveries in Genetics, although there is a certain amount of overlap between various fields.

It is interesting to point out that Physics, for example, is considered a science, but Psychology isn't.

Nor is History for that matter. Why? Because Physics deals with an examination and observation of quantifiable and physical matter: how things work. History may be based on factual evidence, be reliable and accurate in its recording of events, the lives of people, etc., but none of the things it deals with can be directly observed or repeated. We cannot verify by scientific method that Napoleon lost

Kids Corner

the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The sciences, therefore, deal exclusively with what can be observed, with explaining the structure of reality as we experience it through our senses. What the sciences must not do is replace scientific data with assumptions based on philosophical bias.

For the sciences to say that the supernatural does not, or cannot exist is to go beyond the remit of the scientific method because there is no way to prove, or disprove, what cannot be observed and quantified.

To say that God does not exist, or that the human race must have evolved, is to move from the scientific method to assumptions and declarations that the sciences can neither prove or disprove, and so lie outside the proper sphere of the sciences.

Likewise, Christianity, or any form of religion for that matter, must recognize the same limitations. I can make a very good argument for what is called Intelligent Design - the belief that everything in the universe appears to have been specifically designed,

rather than the result of accidental and random changes in microorganisms, etc. But I cannot ever prove the existence of God through scientific inquiry, any more than the atheistic scientist can disprove it.

So, let the Christian and the scientist share data, theories and evidence in a mutually respectful discussion. My own experience of God and my decades of inquiry as historian and researcher in the sciences, more than convince me that Jesus is Lord, that I am saved by his blood, and all that this implies.

If I am right, then nothing the sciences discover will disprove that, but only add to the evidence in favour of Christianity. I would love to discuss these things further, and perhaps this coming year we'll have a chance to do so. If anyone wishes to put forward evidence to disprove my position, please feel free to do so in a spirit of honest inquiry. That will be fun, I hope, for all of us.

Preparing an Emergency Plan

1. Choose an out-of-town contact who you can connect with.

2. Establish a meeting place away from your home.

3. Build and customize an emergency kit to meet the unique needs of your family.

For more information on how to be prepared visit: ontario.ca/beprepared Joke Of The Week Person 1: Knock-knock.

Person 2: Who's there?

Person 1: Atch.

Person 2: Atch who?

Person 1: Bless you!

Hey Kids!

Get your creative juices flowing!

It's contest time!

The North Dundas Times wants your drawing for our daily weather repost on Facebook!

Email your drawings to: production@ndtimes.ca and we will post them on facebook. Best weather drawing will win a gift from a local business of their choice!

Contest will run until the end of June May 5, 2021

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Hello! To all my friends and teachers at Nationview Public School. From Archer B xxx www.ndtimes.ca