Month: March 2012

On March 21, Brian Porter of Brockville will again delight the Canadian Club audience with his presentation of the Brockville Infantry. 

An amazing actor, this is Porter’s third time presenting to the Canadian Club. He has written a book on the Brockville Infantry Company, and will perform in full period costume.

Porter is replacing the previously booked speaker, Dave Phillips, who had to withdraw his speaking engagement. 

The doors for the March 21 evening will open by 6:30 p.m. at the Legion in Morrisburg, and the Canadian Club executive will great members and visitors with a reception of juice, crackers and cheese. As well, the Legion bar will be open. 

Canadian Club, president Dave Black will begin the formalities at 7 p.m. A full pork dinner will be followed by guest speaker, Brian Porter.

Charlotte Grey, one of Canada’s best known authors will speak to the club on April 18. Her topic of “Gold Diggers Striking it Rich in the Klondike” is the eighth and most recent of her best sellers. A turkey dinner will precede her presentation.

The final meeting for the Canadian Club season will be on May 16, and will bring Adrian Harwood as guest speaker. 

Adrian is news anchor at CBC TV, Ottawa. He has a special interest in volunteers and the work they do in society. 

This will follow a prime rib dinner – a perfect night out – all for $20.

The Canadian Club averages just over 100 members/visitors at each meeting. Visitors and new members are always welcome. Visitors can attend, simply by reserving a ticket.

Prior to each dinner, a member sells tickets on a Canadian Flag. The proceeds (approximately $150 ) go to a different local charity from each meeting.

Tickets are $20 and are available by reservation by calling Clara at 613-774-2407 or 613-447-8167 (cell).

[…]

“It’s a wonderful thing to have,” said Syd Drennan, a long-time Morrisburg resident, “I’m glad to have it.”

Drennan was talking about the Aging at Home program run by the J.W. McIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre.

According to Executive Director Janet Lever, the centre, “under the umbrella of the Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing Corporation was successful  in their application for Aging at Home funding to provide assisted-living services for high risk seniors.”

“Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) approved the proposal for the 20 spaces of assisted-living services, 10 in Iroquois and surrounding area and 10 in Morrisburg and surrounding area.”

In a recent release, the LHIN stated: “Seniors in the Champlain region are benefitting from a new assisted-living program that help them maintain their independence.”

The program is “funded by the Champlain LHIN and operated by various community agencies.” These include several agencies in Ottawa, as well as agencies in Barry’s Bay, Arnprior, Hawksbury, Almonte, Carleton Place, Cornwall and Williamsburg.

Levere revealed, “since we started, 17 individuals have been supported with this service. We are waiting for a couple of assessments to be completed and expect to be up to 20 soon.”

“The aim of the program,” according to the Champlain LHIN,” is to increase health services for seniors in their own homes. This relieves the pressures on hospital emergency rooms. It also prevents premature admissions to long-term care homes, freeing these beds for people who need them the most.”

In agreement, Levere said, “we want them to stay independent and this can help them stay independent. We are in the business to help people stay at home and stay in the community.”

“And, stay out of the emergency department,” added Joyce Alguire, supervisor of the Aging at Home program for J.W. McIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre.

The Champlain LHIN professed that “early results show that clients in the program – even though they are generally more ill – visit the emergency room less often than seniors who are not enrolled in the program.”

In fact, Alguire revealed, this is the first winter that Drennan “hasn’t had hospitalization.”

According to Drennan, he has been in the program “pretty much since it started – about a year.” He was first referred to the program following a lengthy stay at the Winchester District Memorial Hospital last winter.

While he said he was well cared for by nurses and doctors who were “great,” he was happy to get home and would prefer not to go back.

While referrals for the program can come from different sources like a physician or caregiver, it’s the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) that assesses applications and makes decisions.

The Aging at Home program, Drennan said, “is good for anybody that needs it. It’s a good thing to have. It’s excellent.”

In Drennan’s case, he has regular visits during the week. “I’m going to be fine with the ladies coming every day,” he said with a smile.

Alguire pointed out that Drennan also has family members living with him who also help out a lot. “When families are involved, they stay involved,” she said. “We don’t try to take over.”

“Everybody works together,” added Levere.

Drennan does things for himself as well. While his personal support worker might start dinner, for example, he will often finish it. “I get to do a little bit,” he said. 

As for the service provided, Drennan said, “there’s nothing that has to be changed. It’s great. The ladies are wonderful.”

In a pamphlet circulated by the J.W. McIntosh Senior’s Support Centre, Assisted Living in Dundas County, the available services are listed as: personal care, light housekeeping, medication prompts, exercises, meal preparation, shopping, laundry and linen change, security checks, Emergency Response System installed in the home, and 24 hour Urgent Response.

It is Alguire’s job to meet with prospective clients to determine what their specific needs are and to set up a schedule reflecting those needs.

Levere hopes to spread awareness that this service, which is free of charge, does exist here “in the rural area. It’s not just in the city.” 

“The J.W. McIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre has provided community support services since 1991,” Levere reported, “including adult day programs, meals on wheels, and transportation.” 

“The Assisted-living Services as well as the Supportive Housing Services, Respite Apartment Services and the Going Home program are all part of the J.W. McIntosh Centre’s Aging at Home initiative to keep seniors at home and avoid hospital admissions.”

For more information about assisted-living services in Dundas County, contact the CCAC at 1-800-538-0520 or the J.W. McIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre at 613-535-2924.

[…]

On March 2nd, the St. Lawrence Parks Commission (SLPC) announced they would be taking back control of Farran Park in Ingleside from the township of South Stormont when the lease expires at the end of the month.

On March 9th, South Stormont Mayor Bryan McGillis told The Leader the decision came as a surprise and a disappointment. “Residents have expressed disappointment too,” he added. 

“St. Lawrence told us last week that they were going to take over the park,” said McGillis. “We were upset, but there’s nothing we could have done about it.”

“We’ve done everything we could. Nobody can say we didn’t try.”

McGillis referred to several attempts at reaching an affordable lease agreement with SLPC who, as McGillis pointed out, has a new procurement policy that doesn’t allow for long-term leases. “There wasn’t much in the way of negotiations,” he said.

A feeling of loss for the township is palpable when speaking with McGillis. “There’s an untapped resource here,” lamented McGillis. “The potential that we’re losing out on is significant.”

“There’s a lot of upset local residents that use the park. They felt it was more intimate with our own municipality running this park.”

During the March 9th discussion, disappointment remained at the forefront for McGillis. However, he also recognized the need for cooperation between South Stormont and SLPC saying, “their door is open and ours is too.”

“They assured us everything is going to run the status quo. Hopefully they’ll hire the same people.”

“They have a lot of ideas,” he continued. “Hopefully they’ll come to the conclusion of doing what they’ve said.”

And, “hopefully it works out in the long run for the betterment of the community.”

South Stormont has been responsible for the operation of Farran Park since July of 1990. As reported in the October 10, 1990 edition of The Leader, the park had been closed by SLPC due to “cost-cutting measures.”

Following a July invitation for bids on five of their parks, SLPC granted a long-term lease for Farran Park to South Stormont. 

[…]

After two full days of deliberations, March 5th and March 12th, the South Dundas 2012 budget is now complete.

At the first meeting on March 5th, Mayor Steven Byvelds began by reminding council that “it’s still tough times out there.”

Chief Administrative Officer Stephen McDonald said, “our budget process is evolving every year. The municipality is in a good financial position with a healthy reserve.”

As for the 2012 budget, “it’s really a no-frills budget. There’s really nothing in this budget that’s not needed. The capital budget is up. That’s where most of the increase is located.”

According to Treasurer Shannon Geraghty, there is a 3.5 per cent increase, dollar for dollar, over last year’s budget. This year’s budget is $4,886,565 whereas last year, in 2011, the budget was $4,721,453.

In terms of money allocated for capital projects, last year council spent $1,190,214 on capital projects. This year, the budget for capital projects has increased to $1,657,113 with the bulk being taken up by the roads department ($1,532,361) and the fire department ($225,855).

The tax rate for South Dundas has gone down by 3.24 per cent.

This doesn’t mean that South Dundas resident’s taxes are going down by 3.24 per cent, however. Each home’s taxes are based on the MPAC (Municipal Propertay Assessment Corporation) as well as the combination of tax rates from three sources: South Dundas township; United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and the school board.

Geraghty explained that “right now we’re looking at tax rates decreasing, but people will be paying more because their assessments (MPAC) are increasing.”

There is a 5.06 per cent average increase on assessments due to MPAC’s four-year phase in. If an individual’s assessment is over that percentage, they could see an increase. If their assessment is below that percentage, they could see a decrease.

According to Geraghty, last year’s average assessment was $149,090, which equated to $739.90 in taxes for the municipal portion of the tax bill. 

Following the same format this year, adding in the 5.06 per cent assessment increase, the average assessment for 2012 could be $156,634, which would equate to $752.15 in municipal taxes.

The Counties of SD&G council will meet for budget discussions again on  March 19th.

The South Dundas budget will be officially passed at the upcoming March 20th council meeting.

[…]