Month: September 2012

 

September 16 2012, 200 years to the day after the War of 1812 First Engagement Along Front Toussaint’s (Toussand’s) Island was fought by the 1st Dundas Regiment and 1st Grenville Regiment, Sedentary Militia of Upper Canada, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, a couple of dozen people, some of whom are directly descended from those who fought that day, gathered at the site to for a small commemoration ceremony.

The ‘Battle of Matilda’ site is marked as a historic area within South Dundas and is located just west of Iroquois at the edge of the St. Lawrence River at Galop Lane.

The event was organized by a small but dedicated committee comprised of SD&G Highlanders Honorary Colnel (ret’d) William J. Shearing, Carol Thompson Goddard and Kimberley Baldwin McInnis.

To mark the anniversary of the engagement, also known at The Battle of Matilda, a group of Highlanders marched to the site for the small ceremony, which included information about Toussaint’s Island and an account of the battle which had two casualties.

Following words from the dignitaries on hand, who included Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MP Guy Lauzon, MPP Jim McDonell and South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds and Major Jim Mills of the Highlanders, floral tributes were laid at the shoreline and a moment of silence was held for those Canadians who gave of themselves in 1812 and in the 200 years since.

Members of the 1812 Grenville Militia reenactment group, led by Captain John Zaluska fired three times towards the American side.

Lauzon pointed out that battles like this one were pivotal in the rich history of our country which was built on ordinary people doing extraordinary things. 

The loyalists took up arms to fight for their homeland. “They faced great hardships and fought fiercely to keep what they had,” said McDonell.

Major Mills spoke about the present saying, “I am constantly amazed by what I see. Today I see you people here, these busy dignitaries who have taken the time to be here and these re-enactors who have invested their time, effort and money in perpetuating the past. You have all taken time out of your day, 200 years later to commemorate this event. On behalf of the SD&G Highlanders I thank you for that.”

The organizers thanked the participants and attendees for their recognition of this local historical event which is part of the fabric of our National history.

In addition to his participation in this event, Mayor Byvelds urged everyone to take in other events that will take place over the next year. “This is a very important year of commemoration,” said Byvelds.

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Ontario Power Generation’s Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group advises users of the St. Lawrence River, including recreational boaters and anglers, that the gates raised for the passage of recreational boat traffic through the Iroquois Control Dam, will be lowered from September 24 to October 26, 2012 inclusive.  

This is for the installation of new marine navigation beacons, warning signs, and safety lighting, and is a public safety initiative related to the passage of small boats through these gates.  

Boaters are advised that they must use the Iroquois Lock for passage during this period.

This notification is in accordance with the operating regulations of the International St. Lawrence River Board of Control.

Ontario Power Generation would like to remind all users of the river to take every precaution around its dams and generating stations across Ontario and to practice safety on Ontario’s waterways.

[…]

 

Total utility bills in excess of $800,000 annually have municipal officials thinking that there has to be a way to cut those costs.

At the last South Dundas council meeting, council agreed to retain I.B. Storey Inc. Professional Energy Solutions to provide professional energy auditing services at various municipal facilities.

They were selected from  South Dundas’ recent request for proposal process that garnered nine proposals ranging in price from about $12,000 to over $77,000.

The proposal accepted was not the highest, nor the lowest priced proposal, but was the highest ranked for quality by the review team. The cost of their services is just about $16,000.

The facilities that will be reviewed during this audit will include the public works depots at Matilda and Williamsburg, the arena in Morrisburg, the water treatment plant, the buildings that house the Morrisburg and Iroquois Fire Stations and the Matilda Community Centre at Dixon’s Corners.

According to South Dundas chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald, the scope of the work will entail four major components for each of the buildings including; energy and utility data analysis, on-site facility audits and equipment inventories, and audit report and training and education.

The 2012 budget includes $10,000 for this energy audit. The balance will be funded through OSWAP funding allocations. Staff plans to examine other funding assistance opportunities and incentives available through the utility companies. The $800,000 annual utility cost includes annual street lighting costs of about $100,000. Staff are looking at ways to reduce these costs as well, but they will be dealt with in future through a different report.

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This year the big celebrations centred around the Iroquois Plaza focussed on commemorating the War of 1812, in this its 200th anniversary.

In addition to witnessing the fun enjoyed by crowd on hand for the various activities and events, the Iroquois and District Festival Committee, received much praise for their efforts from the dignitaries on hand for the opening ceremonies.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the committee for choosing to commemorate the war of 1812,” said Guy Lauzon, MP for Stormont, Dundas, South Glengarry. He added that this war was a hugely important turning point in Canada’s history. “I would like to commend the committee for recalling that and I would like to thank the committee for underlining its importance.”

After thanking the committee for all their hard work, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds also spoke about the importance of commemorating the war of 1812. 

“It’s a part of our history that is not so well known anymore, but events like this one will help bring it back out,” said Byvelds. “We have a whole year to commemorate this, and I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to take part in any commemorative event that occurs.”

1812 Grenville Militia Captain John Zaluska spoke about the War of 1812, explaining that the St. Lawrence and Iroquois areas have a rich history. He explained that the locals and loyalists of this area formed and joined local militias to work together in all of the engagements of 1812. “The smaller, lesser known battles were just as important and I encourage you to learn about your local history during the war of 1812,” he said.

Events included special meals at various locations, workshops, a parade, car club displays, a farmers market, sidewalk and yard sales in the plaza and fun for the kids which included a magic show, petting zoo and historical displays.

The winners of the colouring contest were Sarah Stewart, Heather Drew and Bryanna Whitford. The winner of the 50/50 draw was Scott Durant. who took home $455. The other $455 will go to the festival committee to cover the operating costs of the event

[…]

 

South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds recently tabled a motion that will help govern the rules conduct for council members, now and into the future.

Deputy Mayor Jim Locke seconded the motion, with every member of council supporting the formation of such a document.

Prefacing the need for such a document, Mayor Byvelds said, “I will first state that we, as a council have not had any major issues. However, I believe it is a course of action that will make us a better council.” 

He called the formation of a code of conduct, “a proactive approach to avoid problems that can occur. “This is a proactive approach that we and future council’s will abide by.”

Staff will draft a code that will provide confirmation of each individual councillor’s role. 

It will lay out protocol for how council responds to the community and council’s behaviour within it. 

It will set standards of confidentiality and outline how council will work with staff concerning operational issues. 

It will deal with respecting the decision-making process and lay out protocol for litigation or possible litigation issues.

Communication process for both the public and the media will also form part of this document, along with reputation management and accepting gifts and benefits.

Byvelds list of goals for this documents also lists engagement of incompatible activity and defining more closely conflict of interest.

Professional development, interpersonal behavior and compliance and implementation are also part of his list.

“A code of conduct certainly is not unique to South Dundas, as many municipalities have implemented various versions,” said Byvelds. “I will work with staff to have them bring forth a code that is fairly complete and will certainly be one that council can work with. It will have a fair process for issues to be dealt with.

As seconder to the motion, Locke was supportive, only adding that other communities have had issues and that this type of document is being put into place in many municipalities across the province.

“I totally support the concept of a code of conduct,” said South Dundas councillor Jim Graham. “Situations have arisen showing that we do need this, so I support it 100 percent.”

“I think from time to time there is likely a need for a code of conduct,” agreed councillor Archie Mellan. 

“This is a good proactive exercise to do, and to get taken care of before there are any issues,” said councillor Evonne Delegarde.

This is only the first step in the process of implementing a council code of conduct, drafts will be prepared and reviewed before the final vote is before council. 

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The latest $1,000 change collection at the Mustard’s Variety Store in Iroquois has been donated and thanks to the generosity of the store’s customers a child will soon see his wish become reality.

Friday the latest coin collection totalling $1,000 was handed over to Terri Jones, who is in charge of Fund Development for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario.

In thanking Jim Mustard, owner of the popular variety store located in the Iroquois plaza, Jones said this $1,000 would be put towards the fulfillment of an 11 year old boy from the Mountain area whose “wish is to go to Disney world. He is crazy about planes and machines and Mickey Mouse, so this will be his first time in a plane and his first time to see Mickey Mouse.”

Mustard was delighted that the money was going to grant the wish of a local child.

He explained that “what we started doing a few years back was putting jars beside the cash register where people could drop in their change.”

Over the years, Jim has selected a number of different charities that could benefit from a $1,000 donation.

As each $1,000 donation is reached and handed open, a new collection project is launched. The jars are once again back in action and this collection will benefit Mental Health Awareness.

“We have some very, generous customers here,” said Mustard. “I have a lady who comes in once sometimes twice per ($1,000) cycle with her bag full of pennies, nickels and quarters. Some customers drop money in the jar every time they are in.”

Donations made to Make A Wish of Eastern Ontario remain in the area. “All of our money comes from donations,” said Jones explaining that wishes are granted to children facing terminal illness and to those who suffer from debilitating illnesses.

“A wish can cost from $6,000 to $10,000 because it is not just the child but a trip will include the entire family, sometimes a caregiver,” said Jones.

While travel is a popular wish sometimes wishes are to attend a hockey game, or to meet a singing star. “One little boy wished for a playground in his back yard, and we had a wish from a little girl (medical issue with her muscles) for a hot tub.”

“All donations are appreciated. There is nothing too small,” said Jones. 

[…]

 

Sunday’s Terry Fox Run in Morrisburg was an incredible success, bringing in a total of $9,801 for the Terry Fox Foundation.

“We had 81 participants, which is better than usual,” said organizer Scott Robinson. “And, we raised a grand total of $9,801. That is our largest amount to date.”

At 8 a.m. Sunday, Robinson spoke to the 40 participants on hand, thanking them for showing up on a chilly Sunday morning to support such a great cause. 

“I see some familiar faces that I see here every year, and that’s good. But, I also see some new faces, and that’s good too,” said Robinson who has been involved with the even for the last 12 years.

Not sure why this year’s fund raising effort was so successful, Robinson simply said that they did get more runners out and that larger donations came in.

“I really appreciate all the support of the participants and the donations made,” he added. “I couldn’t do this without the support of my volunteers, the support of the Legion who donates the space to us and to South Williamsburg Riverside Recreation who donated the snacks and the water for along the route.

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