Month: March 2012

Since elected in 2004, I have heard from many constituents of SD & SG concerned with those who abuse our fair and generous immigration system. People reacted very strongly to ships showing up on Canada’s shores with 400-500 supposed refugees aboard. Many of my colleagues reported receiving the same feedback from Canadians across the country. That is why I am happy to report that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, listened to concerned citizens and introduced the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, to crack down on this abuse. 

This legislation will restore integrity to our asylum system by making Canada’s refugee determination process faster and fairer, resulting in faster protection for legitimate refugees and faster removal for bogus claimants. Further, it will put a stop to foreign criminals, human smugglers, and bogus refugees abusing our generous immigration system and receiving lucrative taxpayer-funded healthcare and social benefits.  

There have been many stories in the news reporting on bogus refugees, serious criminals and those who have committed crimes against humanity exploiting Canada’s generosity and taking advantage of our refugee system. This type of abuse means that legitimate refugees have to wait in line while resources are used on these bogus claims. These bogus refugees aren’t actually fleeing from persecution, but seek to take advantage of Canada’s refugee system to receive our taxpayer-funded healthcare, welfare and other benefits. As soon as they land in Canada, they are eligible for many taxpayer-funded benefits and can receive these until their bogus claims are thrown out. This legislation aims to fix this problem.

I believe this legislation will give overworked immigration officials the tools they require to protect legitimate refugees and get them the help they need while at the same time, quickly removing claimants that abuse our generosity. 

 

Guy Lauzon 

Member of Parliament

Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry

[…]

Legion Branch 370 News by Shelley Cumberland

Wasn’t that a beautiful summer? Just kidding… but I think we got spoiled…

A few upcoming events that you will want to know about:

Ambush will be taking to the stage on Saturday, April 14th from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the IL (Iroquois Legion). Tickets are available at Mustards, the Hair Studio and the Branch, $15 per person advanced sales.

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny will be held at the IL, this weekend, Sunday, April 1st from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. There will be live bunnies, face painting, a colouring contest and guessing contest, crafts and lots of fun. Cost is $4 per child ages 5-12 years, and $6 each for children over 12, and adults. This event is sponsored by the Iroquois & District Business Group, Branch 370 Iroquois Legion and the Branch 370 Ladies Auxiliary.

Steak barbecues are set to resume, with the first planned for April 21st. Look for the barbecues on the third Saturday of every month until the cold weather arrives in the fall. Cost is $14 for steak and all the trimmings. 

Hot lunch this coming Friday is cabbage roll casserole, with pineapple upside down cake for dessert.

Next wing night will be Friday, April 13th. After this, wing nights will be held the first Friday of  each month.

Cheers

 Thought of the week: A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. James Dent 

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Welcome to Care Close to Home – written by the people who are at the heart of Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH). This ‘inside view’ is designed to help our communities get to know the WDMH team – in their own words. This month, we hear from Cindy Kerkhof – a member of the Pharmacy team.

I was born at WDMH and have lived in Winchester all my life. I have worked as a Pharmacy Technician in the community for last 31 years, with the last nine at WDMH.

I have a passion for WDMH and our patients. I love helping people and making a positive difference in someone’s life.  I include this philosophy in all my pharmaceutical tasks right down to smiling to the patients and making them feel special and appreciated. My main goal when I start each and every day is patient safety. In fact, in January, I received my designation from the Ontario College of Pharmacists as a Registered Pharmacy Technician after two years of study.

As a Registered Pharmacy Technician, my days are busy and fast paced. The tasks include filling prescriptions for the patients. This is not a task that I take lightly.  There are a number of checks to consider: Do I have the correct patient? Are there any allergies? Are there any interactions? Is this the correct dose? Do I have the correct drug? Is the patient on similar therapy?  I work closely with our pharmacists to ensure accuracy and timeliness for everything we dispense. Medication safety is key in all my daily functions.

The same attention to detail goes into preparing chemotherapy and the safe management of cytotoxic drugs.  I also make other medications such as intravenous mixtures, syringes, and eye drops. 

Over the years, I have taught many students. This is one of my favorite tasks. I teach them to take pride in their profession and tell them to make every product as if they were making it for a loved one. 

As a professional at WDMH, I am grateful to help each and every patient and hope to make a difference in their lives.  It gives me the opportunity to provide care that is important to me.

[…]

The issue of who will operate the Iroquois Beach Canteen this summer was raised at the March 20th South Dundas council meeting.

Clerk Brenda Brunt recommended “that council authorize the Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club to operate the Iroquois Beach Canteen for 2012.”

According to Brunt, the Lions Club has already received approval for a provincial grant to hire student workers. 

“It’s the same idea as last year, they’ll keep it clean,” she said.

The recommendation was accepted and Mayor Steven Byvelds closed the deal, saying, “we wish them good luck.”

[…]

Media Release

On Palm Sunday, April 1st, you are invited to attend a Harmony Church Celebration service at Timothy Christian School in Williamsburg at 10:30 a.m. 

What is Not new: Harmony Community Church is an evangelical church that has been serving the Lord in Dundas County since 1885. 

What is New: We will be hosting three Sunday morning celebration services at Timothy Christian School on the first Sunday for the months of April, May and June.

Our plan is to offer a satellite service in South Dundas (Williamsburg) that will be a complete sample of Harmony Church’s style of worship and preaching simultaneously with our North Dundas location on Ormond Road.

The purpose is fourfold:

•First, to give our existing South Dundas families an opportunity to worship closer to home and thereby “bring Harmony home” to their family, friends and community. This will save them time and gas by having a local celebration and increasing opportunities for them to get to know each other better. Sometimes “smaller is better” and the larger Sunday service doesn’t always allow you to get to know people as well. We have so much musical and preaching talent that it takes more than one service to allow people to use their God given gifts.

•Second, to re-enforce the message that the “Church” is not a building with an address but it is the people of God wherever they may meet.

•Third, to proclaim the Full Gospel of Jesus Christ as Saviour, Healer and coming King in South Dundas thus giving opportunities for those who have heard of Harmony but find distance an obstacle to be able to “come and see what we are about”.

•Fourth, because we just like to worship God all over the place.

For more information, call 613-774-5170 or visit the website at www.harmony-church.org.

[…]

“Sixty people who live and work in Dundas County gathered at the Christian Reformed Church in Williamsburg on November 18, 2011, to map out some strategies and concrete steps to make our communities more resilient in the face of increasing poverty, and to create a sustainable future for all of us in Dundas County.”

This is the first paragraph in a report made by representatives of the House of Lazarus Community Outreach Mission Linking Hands Project, initiators of the forum.

As a result of the forum, six working groups were set up, each with a coordinator and a first meeting date.

On March 20th, the working group for “Access to Basic Health Care Needs,” coordinated by Lynn Richards, met in Winchester. 

Invited speaker, Muriel Milne, secretary for the United Senior Citizens of Ontario, talked about the advocacy work her organization is involved in, specifically on access to basic health care.

Going forward, this working group plans to show the film “Poor No More.” In addition, they intend to continue gathering information on where Dundas County might have gaps in terms of access to basic health care needs.

On March 22nd, the working group for “Community Connectivity,” coordinated by Cathy Ashby, took place in Morrisburg.

They discussed business from their last meeting, refined their Terms of Reference, and made plans going forward.

Discussion revolved around information databases in terms of what’s out there now and what still needs to be done. The group discussed creating a new ‘database’ versus working with what is currently out there.

The group was keen to promote “211”. According to their website at www.211ontario.ca, “211 is a three-digit phone number and website that provides information and referral to community and social services in Ontario.”

 Going forward, the group hopes to work with the two municipalities, North and South Dundas, to link both “211” and the Linking Hands website to the township websites. 

In addition, they’re hoping to have the online community calendar for each township website refined and updated with information for residents.

A follow-up meeting was set for mid-May following the Homelessness Maze event in Iroquois on May 9th.

The “Strategies for Increasing Participation in Physical Activities” working group, coordinated by Lynn Richards met for a second time on March 27th in Williamsburg where they heard from the developers of the South Dundas Charter for Active Living, Stephanie Caissie of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and Ben Macpherson, Recreation Program Coordinator for South Dundas.

The “Access to Transportation” working group, coordinated by Nanda Wubs, met initially on February 24th where they welcomed Robert Dupuis and Harry Gow, both of whom had experience creating and running non-profit transportation services for rural communities.

Following the meeting, Wubs said the group’s next step is to “continue investigating other models of transportation networks, send out a survey to agencies to determine current transportation ‘stock’ and to the community to do a transportation needs assessment.” 

The two remaining working groups will meet in May. 

The “Access to Safe, Nutritious, Primarily Local Food” group, coordinated by Dana Kittle, will hold their meeting on May 11th at the South Nation Conservation Authority in Finch. 

The “Economic and Entrepreneurial Development and Training” group, coordinated by Ed DiZazza, will also meet in May, but at the South Mountain Library Resource Centre. 

The group is currently working on a website for the project. The address is www.linkinghandsdundas.ca. 

[…]

A by-law was passed at the March 20th South Dundas council meeting to accept the operational and capital budget plan for 2012.

During the discussion, Treasurer Shannon Geraghty introduced council to the possibility of sending out information sheets to taxpayers.

Geraghty informed council that it is a “double-sided document, something we’ll probably send out in the tax bills to show tax payers their money isn’t being spent foolishly.”

Mayor  Steven Byvelds said, “it certainly is a lot more information than we’ve put out in the past.”

Deputy-Mayor Jim Locke added, “that’s good. The more information, the better.”

“I think,” said Councillor Jim Graham, “it’s certainly a step forward on communicating with ratepayers on where their dollars are spent.”

Members of council were given copies of the proposed document to consider and comment on before distribution. 

If all goes well, it looks like, according to Byvelds, that the information sheet will be included with the final tax bill at the end of May.

[…]

The township of South Dundas has declared the 397.31 acres of land opposite the Williamsburg Disposal Site on County Road 8, more commonly know as Church Road, as surplus land.

At the March 20th council meeting, Clerk Brenda Brunt recommended that the land be declared surplus and subsequently sold. 

The property is currently zoned as Rural Special Exception 22 & 27 as well as Wetlands and, according to Brunt, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has set out a list of conditions that must be met before the land can be sold. 

The most notable condition is a “species at risk” inventory which is expected to take between three to six months to complete.

Discussion arose in response to the cost of the inventory and how council might recoup the cost while waiting for a buyer. Brunt estimated the cost to be around $10,000 and, as Chief Administrative Officer Stephen McDonald pointed out, “any sensible buyer is going to want to see that before they agree to buy.”

As for possible MNR restrictions on the land, Brunt said, “they’re hoping they won’t clear it for farmland.”

“The other concern is there’s an allowance for a possible building,” said Mayor Steven Byvelds. He wanted assurance that should the buyer erect a building on the land, they do so on Mackenzie Road, rather than on “old Fifth Concession” which is not maintained.

[…]

With an expansion to his services, Morrisburg Chiropractor, Dr. Steven Morrow, is adding ‘wellness’ to the old adage that there is ‘strength in numbers’.

Joining Morrow at his Morrisburg Chiropractic office are Registered Massage Therapist, Sarah Whittam and Nutritional and Wellness Specialist, Laura Barclay. 

Morrow says he is very pleased and extremely excited to be in the position to offer his patients more services.

“I called Laura a couple of months ago, because I thought it would be helpful to have someone who could help my patients with their diets. The time is available and I have the office space.”

While Barclay runs her successful Health and Wellness business in her home, she says the move to the Morrisburg Plaza “is perfect for me. Steve has a business that is established and well-respected. It gives me more exposure and more opportunity to expand. This will also provide a more private setting for my clients.”

Morrow adds that although he originally sought Barclay out for the nutritional aspect of her practise, it is a bonus that she is a registered Reiki practitioner.

Barclay studied Health and Wellness at Algonquin College after high school, but put her career on hold while raising her young family. Seven years ago she completed the program and began to build her business as time permitted. Also during those seven years, she studied for certification as a Level 2 Registered Reiki Practitioner and trained in Hot Stone Therapy and Stress Management.

“My clients come to me for nutritional guidance or counsel,” explains Barclay. “I offer one on one set ups. Everything is designed specifically for the individual. They may just need their diet tweaked a bit, or it may be something a bit more serious such as dealing with diabetes. I can help them to plan a personal diet if that is requested or needed.’

Barclay says that she is a “big fan of clean eating and I can provide lots of different recipe tips.”

A Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation, Reiki promotes healing and for Barclay it was a natural fit to her Health and Wellness business.

While Dr. Morrow was aware of Barclay and her local business, it was Whittam who found Morrisburg Chiropractic.

Originally from the Winchester area, Whittam moved out west in 1994.

She graduated from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in British Columbia in 1997, where she received extensive training in anatomy, physiology, neurology and pathology. She was also introduced to Swedish Massage therapy and hydrotherapy in addition to numerous orthopedic techniques such as myofasial trigger point release, muscle energy, joint mobilization, passive stretching and PROM.

Last fall, with her family, Whittam returned to the area. It was by chance that when she was looking into the needs of the community she obtained the phone number of a therapist previously associated with Morrisburg Chiropractic. That call put her in touch with Morrow.

It was perfect timing. “She called looking for a space,” says Morrow. “We didn’t have a massage therapist at the time, so we met.”

Whittam says she is looking forward to becoming part of the community.

“I get enormous satisfaction in bringing relief to people living with chronic pain…i.e. fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic low back pain, headaches, jaw pain etc. I enjoy treating many different kinds of athletes, from dancers to triathletes, to people just starting out with a new exercise program.”

With the addition of the services provided by Barclay and Whittam, Morrow says it feels good to have an expanded program available to his patients. 

In addition to his chiropractic practise, Morrow has trained in Active Release Treatment Techniques (soft tissue techniques to get rid of scar tissue) and offers  Orthotics and Custom Braces services.

Barclay and Whittam will be located at Morrisburg Chiropractic beginning next week, and both say they will adjust their hours according to demand.

Barclay, who works a full-time job, is currently available for appointments on Wednesdays and Thursdays (late afternoons and evenings) and every second and fourth Saturday mornings. For information Laura can be contacted at, laura_@yahoo.ca or at lifestylestrategies.weebly.com.

Whittam will be available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

For information on any of the services at Morrisburg Chiropractic or to make an appointment, clients/patients are invited to call Morrisburg Chiropractic at 613-543-0500.

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