Year: 2012

Before the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute is transformed into a new municipal and health centre, it and the surrounding area will become a construction zone.

In preparation for the upcoming construction, municipal officials have had to re-locate the crossing guard on Ottawa Street and divert those students who walk to school from the east, away from the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic parking lot.

“We don’t want the kids walking through a construction site,” said Stephen McDonald, South Dundas chief administrative officer. According to he and South Dundas clerk Brenda Brunt, the municipality has been trying to work with the school to choose the best route and to inform students and parents of the needed changes since about June.

The new route the municipality has chosen for students has gotten a lot of attention and raised concerns among some of the parents whose children are now crossing Ottawa Street at Second Street.

They are concerned with the danger of having the children walk along one of the town’s busiest roadways along a sidewalk that is nothing more than two painted lines from the corner to Trillium Street.

Second street is the street which includes the school bus loading zone for Morrisburg Public School, is used by many parents who drop their children off at school, and is also home to the Morrisburg arena, Dundas County Food Bank and the office of the South Dundas fire chief.

The painted lines that denote a sidewalk run between Second Street and the length of the Morrisburg Arena parking lot.

Parents are especially worried about how the new route will be maintained during the winter months.

According to Brunt, this route was not the municipality’s first choice, explaining that they wanted to leave the crossing guard where she was, at the intersection of Alice Street and Ottawa Street. Students would enter the school yard there, through a gate that is unlocked only during the time when the crossing guard is on duty.

However, the board would not agree with this walking route.

Brunt says the reason she was given by the board is that the board would be required to install a sidewalk for the students.  

School board officials were contacted for comment on the matter but declined saying only that this entire matter is the municipality’s responsibility.

“This was all done in consultation with the Upper Canada District School Board and the school’s principal,” said Brunt.

Nevertheless, the municipality has implemented a number of changes to help ease the transition to a new walking route for area students.

A new cross walk has been painted on Ottawa Street, parking barriers have been installed in the arena parking lot, no parking signs have been painted along Second Street, which will soon have signs that limit the no parking regulations to school hours, and temporary road blocks have been set up at both ends of Clinic Road to eliminate any through traffic.

In an effort to help the children become familiar with the new route township staff were out over the last week guiding children along the route and keeping them from passing through areas that will become part of the construction site. They too were available to speak to the parents and explain the reasoning for the changes.

Asked if more crossing guards would help the situation Brunt said, “We believe we have sufficient crossing guards to get the children safely to school.”

“Construction will commence shortly and safety of the children is first and foremost,” reads a staff report to council.

[…]

Hi. Our names are Fang (tan coloured husky pictured left) and Austin (black and white husky-husky/mix right) and we are both currently staying at the South Dundas Animal Control Pound. We are looking for forever homes. Both of us are estimated to be about two years old and we are both males. (Fang has been neutered, Austin has not.) Anyone interested in providing homes for either of these two beautiful dogs, should be prepared to handle a high energy dog. The Siberian Husky is a medium sized dog and is a working dog breed. They are very active and energetic, and if trained can make a great family pet. The Husky is affectionate with people but independent. Obedience training is recommended. Huskies tend to run and are excellent escape artists which could be why these two have landed at the South Dundas facility. Huskies need physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis. Many are used for recreational mushing and skijoring, and they absolutely love the activities. For more information on Fang and Austin, or to meet them please call Kevin Casselman at 613-543-2980

[…]

Pictured are members of the local Golden Gears car club with one of two truck loads of food they delivered to the Morrisburg Branch of the Dundas County Food Bank on Wednesday, September 19. In addition to approximately $3,000 worth of food which was collected at last weekend’s celebration in Iroquois and the Club’s Car Show, the delivery included cheques totalling $1,100 which were presented to coordinator, Norma Smith. This represented donations from the club and proceeds of the 50-50 draw held  at the September 16 Car Show.

[…]

 Locally, we are all well aware of the event now known as the Battle of Crysler’s Farm, but what is not so widely known is that on two occasions Point Iroquois witnessed notable armed conflict.

The Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club is planning a to commemorate these armed conflicts with a memorial Cairn, and  a re-enactment at the point on November 9, 2013.

They requested, and received, South Dundas council support and approval for the Cairn and the event at the September 18 meeting. Township support is the first step in a process to work to obtain funding.

“We are taking this first step to try and revive one historic event that has been dormant for many years,” reported Jacques Asselin, chairperson for the War of 1812 project for the Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club.

“We are proud of the contributions made by our fore-bearers of Stormont-Dundas and Glengarry to the creation of Canada,” wrote Howard Kirkby who is also working on this project. 

The memorial Cairn to the First Regiment of Dundas Militia will be constructed of field-stones and mortar and include four plaques highlighting key historical facts. It is proposed to have a prominent location at Iroquois Point.

In addition to that static tribute, the organization is proposing a dynamic tribute for the dedication of the memorial, a re-enactment take place at Iroquois Point.

According to the documents provided to South Dundas council, re-enactment regiments from Canada and New Your State have expressed enthusiasm and sincere interest in performing a re-enactment of the 1813 skirmish on the 9th of November 2013 with approximately 100 re-enactors. They will also participate in the public dedication ceremony of the memorial and perform a solemn memorial service at the grave sites of those militia members who are buried in the Iroquois cemetery.

For the re-enacting regiments this event would occur in association with the planned re-enactment at Hoople’s Creek and memorial service at the Crysler’s Farm Battle Monument on the 10th and 11th of November.

This Iroquois-Matilda Lions 1812 project also includes an educational component whereby they plan to prepare online and printed materials and make them available to the public to help raise public awareness and appreciation of the exploits and sacrifices made by the First Regiment of Dundas Militia.

“To conclude, this project, with broad-based community involvement and support, will put South Dundas on the War of 1812 commemorative map,” reads the report.

[…]

A ten year Community Strategic Plan received in principle approval at the September 18 South Dundas council meeting.

The plan, based on much public consultation and input, including that of local high school students, sets out seven guiding principles for the municipality and its decision-makers.

South Dundas’ Seven Community Directions are as follows:

-encourage and facilitate waterfront development;

-develop our municipal identity to celebrate South Dundas’ rich history and culture;

-create recreational programs, opportunities and facilities that will attract and retain families, children and youth;

-strengthen resident and visitor’s connections to South Dundas’ agricultural sector through awareness building and increased availability of products/produce;

-support business expansion and job creation;

-sustain South Dundas’ small town lifestyle through appropriate development;

-implement beautification projects to strengthen our sense of pride and community.

The plan includes an implementation strategy that sets out what actions need to be taken to fulfil the guidelines of the plan, when these should take place and which department of the municipal government should be responsible for those actions.

Late 2012 the expected actions include:

– advertising the availability of land/business space through the municipality’s website and through billboards adjacent to Highway 401 and County Road 31;

– promoting community clean up days in the township newsletter; and

– implementing a sign bylaw.

[…]

A 12 year relationship between the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Community Futures Development Corporation is about to come to an end.

For 12 years, the SD&G CFDC has provided economic development services on behalf of the counties, but at the last meeting of counties council it was decided that the counties will look after its own economic development. The decision was reported to South Dundas council at the Sept. 18 meeting.

“It was felt that there was a disconnect between the CFDC, counties council and counties staff,” explained South Dundas mayor and counties councillor Steven Byvelds. The counties now have a new strategic plan, and with this plan, felt now was the time for them to start looking after economic development themselves. So, they will be doing so in 2013.

According to Byvelds, this should lead to a lot of positive synergies, as he sees the counties economic development work tying in significantly with the economic development work being done through the lower tier municipalities in SD&G.

“This is an opportunity for the Counties and the lower tiers to work together on a central goal of economic development,” said Byvelds.

[…]

Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) has been named Ontario’s Top Performer in Maternity Care in a new report from NRC Picker Canada and the Ontario Hospital Association.

Of new Moms who gave birth at WDMH, 89.5 percent say they would recommend the hospital to their family and friends – making WDMH the most highly recommended maternity program in Ontario.

WDMH also scored in the 90th percentile in the acute care inpatient – one of only eight hospitals in Ontario to do so.

“The purpose is to highlight excellent performance based on patient perceptions and to identify those hospitals that may have good practices in place that others may be interested in,” note the authors.

“We are very excited to be singled out in this important report,” notes Cholly Boland, WDMH CEO. “We are very proud of the care provided by our staff, physicians and volunteers and it is gratifying to see that our patients agree.”

The report is entitled Patient Ratings of Overall Satisfaction and Likeliness to Recommend for Ontario Hospitals: Percent Positive Scores and Associated Percentile Rankings for Acute Care Inpatient and Maternity, Emergency Department and Rehabilitation- 2010/11. 

It focuses on patient experiences in acute care, emergency, rehabilitation, and maternity. 

Patients were asked two key questions: “Overall, how would you rate the care you received at this hospital?” and “Would you recommend this hospital to your family and friends?”.

NRC Picker (NRCC) is an independent research institute that surveys and compares all hospitals in Ontario. 

This report will be updated by NRCC later this fall to include data from hospitals that surveyed patients, using an NRRC Patient Experience Survey between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012.

[…]