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Home & Gardens
see pages 18 to 24 SERVING SCUGOG, UXBRIDGE, BROCK, MANVERS AND SURROUNDING AREAS
Something fishy in Seagrave DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
“Every day presents new challenges,” is how one Scugog resident describes the situation on her property, the result of anglers trespassing to gain fishing access to the Nonquon River. And with the first long weekend of the summer almost here, those challenges may be just beginning in earnest In an interview with The Standard, the resident, who asked not to be named, described what has become a daily occurrence over the past year: people setting up camp and fishing on her property, which sits on 600 feet of shoreline on the Nonquon River. The people using her property as an impromptu campground typically gain access through breaks in the fence, and no trespassing signs are typically taken down within a day of going up. The residents have taken it upon themselves to confront some of the trespassers and, according to the landowner, “They’ll pretend they don’t understand what we are saying.” The property owners have approached Scugog Township hoping that staff might be able to remedy the situation, however, there is confusion over just who owns the shoreline - the township, the Kawartha Conservation Authority or perhaps another agency. “I was told to talk to the conservation authority about a grant,” the property owner told The Standard. “And my response was ‘Why should I clean up someone else’s mess?’ There should be some-
one responsible for this land and I’m more than willing to help with the cleanup but I don’t want all of the burden.” The property owners also have grave concerns about people who set up camp on their property, and light bonfires, sometimes with firewood that has been taken from a carefully stacked pile on the couple’s property. “The fires are especially concerning for us. If anything were to happen, there would be an outrage.” Inquiries made to the Ministry of Natural Resources were not returned to The Standard as of press time. However, under the provincial Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, trespassing for the purposes of fishing or hunting is prohibited, as is interference with signs stating that fact. Sgt. Nancy Van Rooy of the Durham Region Police said that, although police can lay trespassing charges, a trespasser must either be caught in the act or a property owner must be able to identity an offender to police, making it difficult for charges to be laid. She added that this leaves much of the enforcement up to property owners in the form of signage and, if need be, a citizen’s arrest. The couple moved to Scugog from Scarborough last year, in part because they wanted to live in a greener, more rural environment and hopefully make a difference in the conservation of the area, but the continuing influx of fisherfolk squatting on their land is making that difficult and frustrating. T U R N TO PAG E 3
BACK TO BASICS: ‘Pioneers’ Rachel Sutherland (front) and Amy Barron, both of the Scugog Shores Heritage Centre and Archives, took to Lake Scugog last Thursday (May 12) in pioneer dress and a birchbark canoe made by Dan Denby of the Scugog Shores Museum. they were paddling to promote the upcoming Canoe The Nonquon race, and were joined by a number of residents who chose to stay on dry land. Read more on Page 24. BLAKE WOLFE The Standard
Police make 21 arrests in drug enforcement blitz at local schools Durham police made more than 21 arrests for drug-related offences on or near local high school properties, parks and businesses in North Durham, the conclusion of a two-week campaign targeting such activities. The campaign, known as Project Kelso, was kicked off by North Division officers with the Community Resource Unit on April 26, targeting individuals involved in drug activity on or near high school properties, parks and local businesses. The initiative was in response to numerous complaints received from the community and Durham District School Board officials.
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The project resulted in 21 individuals being arrested for drug-related offences. Eleven youths were provided with an opportunity to participate in diversion contracts, requiring them to attend drug treatment programs and perform community service work instead of proceeding through the traditional judicial system. According to police, school administrators were extremely supportive of the initiative and police and school officials have seen a marked reduction in the number of people arrested in the past few years after similar enforcement efforts. Police have noted a significant decrease in the quantity of drugs seized
as well and believe this is a direct result of their increased presence and zero tolerance approach when dealing with drugs in local high schools. Similar enforcement campaigns will be conducted in the near future in an effort to further reduce drug use. Anyone with information about illegal drug activity in North Durham schools is asked to contact Cst. Shawn Heitzner, Youth Officer for North Division, at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 2696. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or on-line at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
$564,900