Month: March 2013

The approximately 80 Williamsburg library supporters who packed the Chesterville library March 21, will get another chance to show their support for the small town library.

The SD&G library board, which decided late last year that the Williamsburg and Morrisburg branches of the SD&G library will be consolidated at the new Morrisburg location, later this year, met in Chesterville last week. There, Lisa Vreman, one of many strong supporters of keeping the Williamsburg branch open, in Williamsburg, was allowed to make a presentation.

“One of the most frustrating things about this announcement is that there was no discussion or consultation with the Williamsburg community about this closure,” Vreman told the board.

After her presentation, which outlined the importance of the branch to the small community, which strongly supports the branch, board chairman Bill McGimpsey announced that the board will hold a public information meeting, including a question and answer session, in Williamsburg in late April or early May. 

“We are not hiding anything. This is about the survival of the library system. No one at this table wants to do a disservice to the community. Libraries simply aren’t what they were,” said McGimpsey.

At the upcoming meeting he plans to release details about some alternatives they are working on to maintain some level of service within the community. 

“I was really pleased with the turnout at the meeting,” said Vreman after the meeting. “I think the library board heard a lot about our Williamsburg library that they didn’t know before.”

At the meeting, board member Chris McDonell said that he is not in favour of closing the Williamsburg branch. “This board is here to promote the library, not to close it,” said McDonell. 

When someone in the audience asked if there was any possibility that the branch could remain open until the building that houses the library is no longer available, McGimpsey re-iterated that the plan is to move in to the new location in Morrisburg as soon as it is ready. 

[…]

“We have inherited a fantastic situation,” said Shaun Telfer, who with his wife Tracy took over ownership of the Morrisburg Canadian Tire Store nearly a month ago.

“Michel and Ninon (Proulx) did a fantastic job with this store,” said Telfer of the previous owners, who have moved on to a store in Niagara Falls.

With a modern store concept and a fantastic team who are very customer oriented and take great pride in their store, Telfer doesn’t see much need for change in the near future.

“I love it here. We’re very excited to be here and are very impressed with the community,” said Telfer. “We have great customers. They are warm and welcoming .”

Traditionally, the Canadian Tire Store owners in Morrisburg have established themselves as strong community supporters, jumping on board to support various charitable organizations.

That community support is something that the Telfers plan to continue.

“We want to carry on that legacy,” said Telfer.

Also continuing will be the customer-oriented philosophy. “We like to meet, greet and acknowledge our customers and ensure that we are meeting their needs,” he said.

Shaun and Tracy Telfer officially took over the Morrisburg Canadian Tire Store on February 22. This is their second store.

Their first store was a small 3,700 square foot store in Mount Forest Ontario. The Morrisburg Store is a  20,000 square foot store.

Tracy is originally from Espinola. She worked at the Canadian Tire Store there for 25 years and was manager there and ran the garden centre.

Shaun grew up in Manitoba. We worked for the Canadian Tire Store in Winnipeg. For the last 10 years he has been with Canadian Tire’s home office in Toronto, having most recently been a regional manager.

Shaun and Tracy purchased a home here, and are now living in South Dundas.

[…]

The South Dundas Community Playground Committee achieved its initial aspirations when the South Dundas Community Playground was built in Morrisburg’s Earl Baker Park in 2011, but the group still has even grander aspirations.

“The ultimate goal would be to celebrate the beginning of summer 2014 with a grand opening for a Splash Pad,” the committee noted in a recent letter to South Dundas council.

To that end, the committee is collecting data from area splash pads in Brockville, Cornwall and Long Sault and pursuing potential funding opportunities. 

By this summer, the group hopes to have a report on the timing, construction costs and operational costs for such a project to guide planning and fundraising. 

Once the report is ready, the group will begin discussions with South Dundas council regarding use of land, funding contributions and the potential of including a washroom facility. 

[…]

The final step in the 2013 budget process took place at the March 19, council meeting.

At that meeting, South Dundas council approved the bylaw to adopt the operating and capital budget.

Approval of the $5.1 million budget, which consists of $4 million worth of operating expenses and $1.1 million worth of capital projects, will mean the average residential property owner can expect to pay about $15.47 more on the South Dundas municipal portion of their tax bill. 

[…]

Almost $25,000 will be spent on trail improvements in the Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area in South Dundas.

Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area is located north of County Road 2, across from the west end of Lakeshore Drive.

The money will come from funding received from the Great Lakes Community Guardian Fund, a fund which helps communities take action to protect and restore their corner of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin.

The upcoming project will mostly consist of signs for educational purposes.

As part of the funding requirement, a public information session regarding the project will take place April 9, 7:30 p.m., at the South Dundas municipal office in Williamsburg.

The purpose is to find stewards to help with trail management, sign installations and educational program delivery through interpretive signs.

[…]

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced March 22, the opening of the Seaway’s 55th navigation season with the transit of Canada Steamship Lines’ newly built Baie St. Paul through the St. Lambert Lock. Marking the first of a series of new vessels being constructed specifically for use in the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Baie St. Paul ushers in a new era in domestic shipping.

“Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) ranks prominently among a number of Canadian shipowners who are committing hundreds of millions of dollars to build new vessels, testifying to the confidence these firms have in the future of the Great Lakes-Seaway System,” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC. 

“The new vessels coming into service will bolster marine transportation’s competitive edge as the most energy efficient means of moving cargo.”

“The Baie St. Paul is the first of CSL’s Trillium Class of vessels, which sets new standards in operational and energy efficiency, reliability and environmental protection,” said CSL’s President Louis Martel.   

“The Baie St. Paul is 15% more fuel efficient than CSL’s previous class of ships – vessels that were already among the most efficient in the Lakes – and will save approximately 750 tonnes of fuel per year, amounting to a yearly carbon emission reduction of 2,400 tonnes.”

Companies seeking to bolster their supply chain’s sustainability are taking note that ships have a very small carbon footprint. 

The SLSMC’s Bowles said: “A peer-reviewed study, released in February of 2013, confirms that marine generates the least greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of any transportation mode. 

The new vessels can move a tonne of cargo very efficiently, and when compared to the state-of-the-art equipment in alternate modes, generate 38% less GHG emissions than rail and 88% less GHG emissions than trucks.”

In terms of the outlook for cargo volume on the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2013, the SLSMC’s Bowles noted that he continues to be upbeat.  “Seaway tonnage is forecast to exceed a total of 40 million tonnes for the year,” said Bowles.

Craig Middlebrook, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, stated: “The resurgence of manufacturing in North America is fueling demand for both traditional and new Seaway cargoes, having positive implications for Great Lakes shipping. Just as the private sector is investing in new vessels and new engines, public sector investments in lock rehabilitation, port infrastructure, and new navigation technologies are laying the foundation for sustained future growth.”

Over 227,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity are supported by the movement of goods within the Great Lakes-Seaway System. 

For more information on the St. Lawrence Seaway, including the findings of the recently published environmental study comparing transportation modes, please consult the www.greatlakes-seaway.com website.

[…]

 “Breakfast with the Bunny just seems to get bigger and better every year,” said Iroquois and District Business Group member, Evonne Delegarde. “This is our third annual event in Iroquois, and we are hoping to get over 200 attendees.”

The 2013 Breakfast with the Bunny was held on Sunday, March 24, at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch # 370, in Iroquois, and ran from 8 a.m. until noon. 

A delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage and beans was served up by the Legion’s Ladies Auxiliary to hungry visitors. Face painting, Easter crafts, a jujube guessing contest, a colouring contest and small chocolate gifts were available for all the children.

JoLee Menagerie of Dundela was a big hit. 

Joanne Carruthers, co-owner, brought nine bunnies and ten guinea pigs for children to admire and pet. Some of the bunnies even went home with new families.

Presiding over everything, from her balloon throne, was the Easter Bunny herself. Dozens of children came up to sit on her knee and share stories and treats.

“This Breakfast is not a fund raiser,” explained Evonne Delegarde. “It’s really a com-munity event: a lot of people volunteered their time to help us today. The Breakfast was co-sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion and the Iroquois and District Business Group and several members of both organizations, as well as student volunteers, were on hand all morning. I hope that a community and family event like this just keeps on growing.”

[…]

“There is just something about World War One,” Norm Christie, author, and creator of the acclaimed History Channel series, For King and Empire, told Kim McInnis. “When people begin to delve into it, it becomes an obsession.” 

For McInnis, who has just published the new book, “In a lonely soldier’s grave…”, the famed writer and director’s words have proved prophetic. 

In 2009, McInnis began compiling her new book about the generation of young men from Mountain Township, and surrounding areas,  who were lost to World War One. Her research was initially sparked by the names commemorated on the Mountain Community Park Hill 70 Memorial. Hill 70, fought near the French village of Lens, proved to be one of the bloodiest and most crucial Canadian battles of the Great War. 

Yet today, there is only  a single memorial to it anywhere: the park in Mountain.

In 2009, under the strong leadership of Bill Shearing, then honorary colonel (ret.) of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, the North Dundas History Stewards, under Carol Goddard and the North Dundas municipal council, the Mountain Hill 70 Memorial was rededicated. 

This ceremony took place on October 31, 2009, in Mountain on what Kim (who was one of the speakers) described as the “coldest, wettest day of the year. Hurricane force winds a lot of the morning.”

A number of dignitaries, including MP Guy Lauzon, then MPP Jim Brownell, members of the History Stewards, veterans and councillors were in attendance. Guests of honour were the SD&G Highlanders, who marched to the ceremony, following a training exercise, led by their officers.

“The original intention in 2009 was to preserve the park as it was, with the marker stone set up in 1922, a commemorative stone from the Highlanders, and a World War One German machine gun,” McInnis explained.

The site was later taken over by the Mountain Lions Hill 70 Refurbishment Committee in 2010.  That committee put up different markers in 2011-12, while preserving some of the original artifacts. 

With the encouragement of Bill Shearing, Carol Goddard, Ian Raveler and many members of the Historical Society, McInnis undertook, in 2009, to research and write her hard cover book based on the memorial.

She found uncovering memories of World War One a huge, but fascinating task. “I began going through honour roles, finding old documents and stories, tracking down diaries, letters and the military records of the men named on the monument, even listening to old taped interviews.” She became “well acquainted” with Archives Canada, and exchanged two years of emails with many historians and researchers. She even entered into correspondence with the present mayor of Lens, France, whose town near Hill 70 was utterly destroyed by the Germans in 1915.

The more she learned, the closer McInnis felt to the local men lost in the Great War. “I sometimes found the research very sad. There are often no descendants left who can even vaguely recall those terribly young, lost boys. Sometimes, I actually felt drained looking at all their faces.”

Her book includes collections of stories, photos and letters from  area Canadian soldiers dating back to the Boer War and 1812. 

However, the key focus remains World War One and our men who served. Still, the more McInnis learned, the more she realized that Norm Christie was right.

“Next year it will be 100 years since World War One began, and there is probably no one left alive in the whole world who actually knew the young men as they went off to war. Preserving the memories of those who were lost, and of those who returned but suffered physical and mental scars, is important. And these soldiers all came to life for me as I put this book together.”

“In a soldier’s lonely grave…” is available to order by contacting Kim McInnis at 613-989-2607. The funds raised by book sales will be going to the Chesterville District Historical Society.

[…]