Month: January 2013

The South Dundas Peewee B House 1 Lions are asking the community to get their fingers tapping and to cast an online vote for them in the Stagg® Chili, Save for Success Campaign.

The Peewee B House Lions have entered a contest hosted by Stagg® Chili in which they can win $3,000. And as a result they are inviting the community to get behind them by simply casting a vote in their favour.

Through the course of the 2012/13 regular hockey season, the makers of Stagg® Chili are contributing $1 for every save made by every goalie in every Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Western Hockey League (WHL) regular season game.

The program is expected to contribute up to $30,000 to minor hockey teams at all levels through Ontario and West Canada.

Five teams in each of the two areas (Ontario and Western Canada) will be awarded $3,000 each to help them fund their team jerseys.

The South Dundas Lions have submitted their team photo and the voting has begun.

In the east division they are holding their own in fifth spot with 218 votes as of Monday of this week.

The east division leaders are the Barrie Colts with 812 votes followed by teams from Hanover, Ontario (679) and Aurora (511). A Kitchener team has 411.

With a little help from the community, the South Dundas Lions are looking to move up in the standings and secure a chance at winning $3,000.

You can help them make their move up by going to www.staggchili.ca/vote/ and casting your vote.

Busy time for local curlers

The senior men hosted Prescott for a friendly this week. Our fellows turned out to be very friendly. While the games were all close, our curlers finished second on each sheet. Wally McDonald, Al Harriman, Dave King and George Rutley were on Sheet 1, Eric Orgee, Raymond Benoit, Fred Langlotz and Bob Youmelle were beside them, and Pete Zeran, Len Bellamy, Keith Robinson and Al Gowanlock were on Sheet 3.

Friday, two senior men’s teams were in Prescott for the Parnell Cup. Sid Morrell, Raymond Benoit, Neil Williams and George Rutley, and Pete Zeran, Karl Duncan, Bud Perry and Earl Jeacle won their morning games against Lancaster and Prescott respectively, and were tied for first when they took to the ice for the afternoon. Sadly, they missed the chance to bring home the trophy, won by Lancaster.

Greta McGann took a team to the North Grenville club. With her were Susan McIntosh, Kathy Hardy and Claire Locke. They won their first game against Granite, and their second one against Carleton Heights. Well done, ladies!

The next day Greta went to the Robbie Burns bonspiel in Prescott, with a kilted team, enjoying the haggis and the bagpiper’s effort. Kathy Johnston, Claire Locke and Linda Murphy were with her as they won their morning game against North Grenville, and dropped their afternoon match. Brockville won the overall title.

Another day ladies’ team was in Navan for a bonspiel last Thursday. They were Alice Thompson, Susan McIntosh, Betty Locke and Sharon Van Allen. They defeated a team from Granite, and then defeated their opposition from R.C.M.P. Morrisburg finished second on the day.

In a 2-2-2 bonspiel last week, Jack Barkley, Ruth Kelly, Fred Langlotz and Joanne Baker were in Richmond. The requirements are: two men, two women, and ages to total at least 222 years.

Our curlers defeated a Navan foursome in the morning, and then won out over Richmond to finish first on the day. What a team!

Susan McIntosh and her committee ran an excellent two-person bonspiel on Sunday.

With a full draw, the 12 teams did battle and winners were declared as follows: in “C” division, Greta McGann and Rob Stitt defeated John and Jason Toonders, in “B” division, Rick McKenzie and Dave King won out over Sam Locke and Linda Murphy, and in “A” division, the champions were Mahlon Locke and Denis Thibault, defeating “Boomer” Langlotz and Keith Robinson in their three thrilling finals.

As usual, the profits on the day were turned back to the club in the way of specific improvements. So far this year, a new measuring device, five new club brushes, and several grippers for curling shoes have been made available for curlers’ use. Thanks again, Sue!

Finally, members will note the e-mails sent by President Mahlon Locke. They relate to the Canadian Tournament of Hearts in Kingston. A deal for accommodation for all or part of the event is outlined, and the chance to win tickets, generously donated by Kathy Norg is also mentioned.

Junior B Lions hang tough, end in sight

As the end draws near, the Morrisburg Junior B Lions picked up another pair of losses in Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League action, a close one to the Winchester Hawks, 5-4 and a 5-2 loss to the Alexandria Glens.

Friday night, the Lions were in Winchester where they put up a solid effort against the division’s fourth place Hawks. Up against their former longtime goaltender Mikael Dion they collected a single goal in the second period to cut the Hawks advantage to 2-1, and then traded goals evenly in the third as they collected the 5-4 loss.

Josh Stubbings put the Hawks on the scoreboard late in the first period, and at 14:15 of the second they went up 2-0 on a Christopher Rossi tally.

Grant Cooper got one back for the Lions with help from Steven Savage and Eric Evans just 1:57 before the end of the second period.

Then in the third period it was back and forth, with the Lions able to stay close but never able to take control.

Brandon Pantaleo and Cam Hughes counted for the Hawks as they fought to maintain a two goal lead, while Drew Veenstra (from Evans and Taylor Eamon) and Savage (from Evans and Eamon) answered for the Lions.

The Savage goal put the game back in reach for the Lions making the score, 4-3, with 7:55 left in the game.

Forty-seven seconds later, however, the Hawks fired back on their power play, when Adam Beveridge collected an empty net goal to again go up by two (5-3).

The Lions did manage one more from Taylor Eamon (assisted by Grant Cooper and Michael Paquette) with 15 seconds left on the clock.

The game saw only six minor penalties assessed, three to each team. The Lions were out shot, 46-31.

Sunday afternoon, the Alexandria Glens paid their final visit to Morrisburg this season and skated away with a 5-2 victory.

They led 2-0 after the first period and increased it to 3-0 just over a minute into the second.

The Lions came to life later in the period when a pair of Glens. penalties gave them power-play opportunities.

Eric Evans wielded the stick for both goals, the first at 8:23 with help from Steven Savage and Martin Lavallee, and the second at 18:03 from Savage and Taylor Eamon.

That cut the Glens advantage to 3-2 and made it a brand new game as the two skated into the final frame.

Just over five minutes in, the Glens went up 4-2 and they crushed the young Lions five seconds later with another goal that put them up 5-2.

Ryan Cooper was in net for both weekend games for the Lions. The Glens out shot the Lions, Sunday, 47-29. Both teams had seven power-play opportunities. The Lions scored twice, and the Glens converted one.

The Lions with just six wins in 38 games have four games left in the season.

They travel to Casselman to take on the first place Vikings this Thursday, January 31, and on Saturday night, February 2 they are on the road to play the St. Lawrence Division’s second place Rebels.

Their final weekend of action sees them in a home and home series against Akwesasne on Friday, February 8 (in Morrisburg) and Saturday, February 9 (on Cornwall Island).

The Wolves are currently holding the division’s third place, two points up on the Hawks. Both teams will be playing tough for the next two weeks as they battle for the division’s third place spot to avoid tackling the powerful Vikings in the first playoff round.

House fire ignited by space heater

Only two days after a Stampville home was completely destroyed by a fire sparked by a space heater, South Dundas firefighters were again battling a blaze ignited by a space heater.

Tuesday, January 22, just before 10 a.m., firefighters from the Iroquois and Williamsburg stations were called to the scene of a house fire at 11397 County Road 18.

The fire was called in by a neighbour and passerby who saw smoke coming from the home.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

Chris McDonough, Fire Chief for South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services, was the first to arrive at the scene.

“I kicked the door open and threw in a (Dry Sprinker Powder Aerosol agent) DSPA,” McDonough told The Leader. It landed very near the source of the fire and doused the flames somewhat until fire crews arrived minutes later to extinguish the blaze.

“A cat was able to survive the fire,” said McDonough.

The residents returned home about half an hour after fire crews arrived a the scene.

The fire was caused by a space heater left running in the kitchen while the residents had gone shopping.

Firefighters remained on scene until about 1 p.m.

McDonough said that the major difficulty in fighting fires in the extreme cold is keeping the firefighters safe from the effects of the cold and the equipment functioning properly.

Although fire crews were able to save the structure, damage is still quite extensive, estimated at $60,000.

Perspectives by Rev. Norine Gullons

January 29, 2013 Editor

God is always present

In 1984 there was a primetime television show that aired that captured audiences attention. Perhaps because the family scenarios that took place were familiar patterns of conflict in any family.

The Bill Cosby Show demonstrated to us how to resolve family tensions through the portrayals of the characters on view. Humour was a large part of the scenes, and as we look back at those shows now, we see other dimensions of “family life”.

We sometimes neglect or forget altogether, when trying to resolve conflict, that we all need to have some elements of patience and trust, mindfulness and flexibility.

Another modern philosopher, Erma Bombeck, in her column, “if I had my life to live over again” wrote words like; “there would have been more I love yous, more I am sorry, but mostly, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it, live it and never give it back.”

I believe that God calls each one of us by name. God always calls us in love, even the times when we have made mistakes or done something we shouldn`t have done.

God always says I love you . . . . . . (insert your own name.) we are claimed by him as part of his family – his sister and brother and mother, part of the kingdom, drawn into the inner circle of the mystery of the grace and love of God.

During difficult times in family life, we need to remember that God is always present to love us and guide us and make each day of our lives count for something good in His kingdom.

Pastor Norine +

Rev. Norine Gullons

South Dundas Evangelical

Lutheran Parish

Morrisburg/Williamsburg

Iroquois waste water treatment plant deadline extended

January 24, 2013 Editor

When the government offered up more time, South Dundas pounced on it immediately.

The government has offered more time for South Dundas and other municipalities to complete ongoing, government funded infrastructure projects.

In South Dundas that ongoing project is the $18 million reconstruction of waste water treatment plant in Iroquois.

Although South Dundas plans to meet the original completion time frame of March 31, 2014, they did not hesitate in taking the government up on their offer.

The amendment to the agreement approved by South Dundas council at the January 15 meeting changes the date of completion to December 31, 2015.

The entire project must be complete by that date to take full advantage of the government funding allocated to the project.

Tim Hortons cookies bring smiles to the Winchester Hospital Foundation

For a week last September, the Tim Horton’s locations in Winchester, Morrisburg, and Long Sault baked over 8,500 of their special “Smile Cookies”… and their customers ate them up!

On Wednesday, January 16th, Robert St. Denis, owner of three Tim Hortons franchise restaurants, presented the WDMH Foundation with the generous proceeds of their efforts: a cheque for $8,509 — one dollar for each Smile Cookie sold. St. Denis has been directing the proceeds of this special annual event to the WDMH Foundation for many years now, and this is the most that has ever been raised! Special thanks to all the customers who bought Smile Cookies and to Robert and Denise St-Denis and Corey Adams for making this generous donation possible.

All the funds raised through the Smile Cookie Campaign will be donated to the highest priority needs at WDMH.

Tim Hortons has been supporting local communities through the Smile Cookie Campaign since 1996. The campaign originally began in Hamilton, Ontario to help raise funds for the Hamilton Children’s Hospital. Since then, it has expanded across Canada helping a variety of children’s charities, hospitals and community programs.

Intern wanted

Several South Dundas municipal managers will be eligible for retirement in the next five to seven years, so South Dundas officials are now trying to plan for the future.

The Ontario Municipal Internship Program was developed to address the critical need to attract and train the next generation of competent, well-rounded municipal leaders.

South Dundas is hoping through the program to bring in a recent graduate for a 12 month internship where they would work alongside the chief administrative officer and other senior staff members.

If South Dundas’ application is successful, the government program would provide 50 per cent of the intern’s salary, up to $40,000, with an additional $5,000 available to subsidize ancillary expenses.

“At the conclusion of the program, the desired result is the development of a well-rounded, knowledgeable and grounded municipal professional who can ultimately rise to a leadership position in any municipality,” said South Dundas CAO Steve McDonald in his report to council.

“This fits very nicely with where South Dundas is going staffing-wise, with regards to succession planning,” he added.

“This is really a two-way street,” commented South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke. “We get someone with up to date knowledge, and they get valuable hands on experience.”

“This is a great opportunity for us to get another staff member and we could certainly benefit from that,” said South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde.

“After seeing the benefits of this program at the County level, I’m all for it,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, explaining that the Counties intern has done a lot of extra work and gathered a lot of extra information for which regular staffers don’t normally have enough time.

eReader, tablet training available

Got an eReader or a tablet for Christmas, and don’t know how to use it? Head on over to your local branch of the SD&G County Library for a computer training session.

The Library’s training sessions are tailored to each individual or small group’s needs, and include training with eReaders and tablets, online resources and the public library catalogue. “Providing resources for education and learning is an important part of what the Library does” said Erika Heesen, Communications and Marketing Librarian. “These training sessions are but one example of the many services the Library offers.”

These services include lending eBooks as well as print books. Using the Library’s OverDrive app or website at www.sdglibrary.ca, Library cardholders can borrow eBooks from the comfort of their own home. “The library is all about reading and learning, whatever format that might be in”, said Heesen.

Training sessions are a part of the Library’s regular programming, or can be booked by contacting any SD&G County Library branch.

South Dundas is already planning for next Christmas

This past Christmas holiday season may well have been the last time that the South Dundas municipal office will be open between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

South Dundas council passed a resolution at the January 15 council meeting to close the office from noon on Christmas eve day, 2013 and re-open January 2, 2014 with regular hours.

The extra 2.5 days that the office is closed, staff will be off without pay unless they choose to use vacation time or banked hours.

Over the past couple of years, council has been adamant that the office be open for some time between the two holidays to allow ratepayers the opportunity to have access to staff to do things like pay taxes or get information. South Dundas has always ensured that the office stay open, albeit with a skeleton staff.

“We have to have some line of communication with the public. We have to be user friendly,” said South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke.

“I would prefer we remain open,” said South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde.

“I realize that people have ample opportunities for information, and such, but people still like to be able to come in and see a face. I would like them to have the opportunity to come in,” said South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan.

“I was always of the opinion that we should have someone here (between Christmas and New Year’s), but we have to make sure it’s worthwhile,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, who this past holiday made a point to spend a little time at the office.

“I was here, I saw the abuse that our staff member had to take, here on her own. It was incomprehensible,” said the Mayor, who suggested that they try closing the office for one year to see how it works out.

The majority of council agreed.

In 2012, between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays 33 people visited the municipal office in Williamsburg in person: 20 people were paying taxes, one was getting a building permit, two were getting burn permits and the remainder were dropping off invoices or needed information that could have been accessed on the township website, phone system, newsletter or in the local paper.

The staffer on duty handled 103 phone calls: 41 for road conditions and the remainder for information that again could have been accessed through other sources, such as the webite or newspaper.

South Glengarry is the only other municipality in SD&G that is open between the two holidays.