Proposed grain terminal represents economic growth and competition

“Music, I think, comes out our pores, and expresses itself in all sorts of ways,” laughed Raven Kanatakta, who, with partner and wife ShoShona Kish, is part of an extraordinary  multi-member musical group, Digging Roots, which will perform at the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage on Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. “Music is like food to us,” he added.

Digging Roots, which originally formed in 2004, has garnered extensive critical and popular praise. Nominated for numerous awards, the group won a Juno in 2010 for Best Aboriginal Album of the Year, Best Pop Recording at the 12th annual Native American Awards and Best Blues CD at the Aboriginal People’s Choice Awards.

Bill Carriere, on the board of the SLAS, is simply awed by the musical versatility and talent of the band.

“One number finds you immersed in reggae, the next…the music is clearly blues with vocals and guitar working together. Next up one hears something that might have…been done by the Fifth Dimension. Then you’ll be treated to something that is clearly contemporary hip hop. Terrific voices, amazing harmonies…it all comes together beautifully.” 

I asked Raven about the band’s eclectic approach to music.

“Well, I come from the 70’s generation, a kind of ‘hippy child’ on the Rez,” he explained, laughing. “I was always listening to the Beatles, to rock bands, jug bands, classical music. It was the same for ShoShona, growing up in Toronto. 

I was attracted to a wide variety of music. Listening to music, playing music, and travelling (Digging Roots has toured throughout North America, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand), all these influences come out in our music.” 

I asked Raven about the themes, the ideas, the group find themselves exploring through their compositions and performances. 

“We spend a lot of time on identity and understanding the world around us. ShoShona and I fell in love in Hawaii, and one Christmas I bought her a ukelele. A uke just seems to lend itself to love songs, and we wrote a whole series of those.”

However, reflecting  their rich heritage, Raven and ShoShona have also begun working on a traditional form of composition called Song Lines.

“The Anishinabe were  nomadic people who often followed the rivers and waterways, camping at night on the beaches. People sang by the water, sometimes just to hand drums. By the waterside, you could look out, right or left, and see the landscape spread before you, mountains, hills, valleys, forests, and the melodies literally followed the contours of the scenery, rising and falling. 

Modern chord progressions allow us to take the same approach, creating songs from the land. We take panoramic photos wherever we go to inspire our melodies. I always say that we are nomadic ourselves in our musical travels.”

Raven and ShoShona are strong advocates of the importance of introducing children to music and the arts. 

On Friday afternoon, April 12, in collaboration with the St. Lawrence Stage, and with the support of the Akwesasne Mohawk School Board, they will be performing with, and for, grades 6-8 students at the Akwesasne Mohawk School.

“Holding workshops with students is vitally important,” Raven said. “This is the next generation, and the education children get dictates the kind of adults they become. I believe that exposure to music, dance, culture is important. We need to bring creativity to our schools.”

Finally, I asked Raven the origin of the band’s name.

“Well, Digging Roots is about understanding where we came from. But it also has a symbolic meaning for us as well.” 

For seven years, despite conventional medical therapies, Raven’s hands caused him serious health issues. Finally he approached a medicine person on a Northern Reservation. “He took me into the bush, and said to bring a shovel.”  Directed to dig up certain roots and plants, (“some in the middle of a bog!”), Raven made a special tea and began drinking it regularly. “In two months, my hands were back to normal and I was playing again. That is also why we chose our name.”

With a new album, For the Light, due to be released in June of 2014, and a cross Canada tour scheduled for the summer, Digging Roots has a very busy schedule. “We are really looking forward to the intimacy of the St. Lawrence Stage, to doing numbers from the new album. It will be fantastic,” said Raven Kanatakta.

Tickets to the Digging Roots concert April 12 are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. Contact www.st-lawrencestage.com

[…]

What can 100 women, armed with just a pen and a checkbook, accomplish in South Dundas? 

That is what organizers of thenewly formed, 100 Women Who Care About South Dundas, are asking themselves and others, as they launch a campaign to recruit 100 women prepared to write cheques for $100 to benefit a local organization/charity to the tune of $10,000.

The 100 Women Who Care About South Dundas Club membership drive launched on social media January 23, quickly gained momentum with 32 South Dundas women now committed to writing a check to a yet to be determined South Dundas charity/group.

The initiative will not advance until the magic ‘100’ is reached and organizers are betting on their belief that there are 100 women or more who would like to have their $100 become part of a “big” contribution to the community.

While everyone is used to donating a dollar here and a dollar there, and buying this ticket and that ticket, organizers are excited that the 100 Women will provide a one-time huge, and much needed boost to a charity/organization selected by the women themselves.

“It is like a local  charity will be winning a lottery,” says Christyn Veinotte who with mom Tracey and good friend Janeen Wagemans are behind the 100 Women Who Care.

100 Women Who Care About South Dundas came about when Wagemans was listening to a CBC morning show, and, “they were talking about a 100 Women who Care about Ottawa group.” Thinking it would be a good idea for South Dundas, she set to work on developing a website [www.womenwhocaresouthdundas.com] and a Facebook page [100 Women Who Care About South Dundas].

“I called Tracey [Veinotte] and asked her if she was on board. She said absolutely. Then Christyn asked if she could be involved, and I said absolutely. So here we are. We feel that the three of us represent three very different generations who will attract a good mix of women.”

By noon on the 23rd, Wagemans had a website and a Facebook page ready to go. By 12:01, she was asking herself what she was doing.

After researching various 100 clubs/groups, it has been decided 100 Women Who Care About South Dundas will be kept as simple as possible, with minimum rules and little to no paperwork for application and/or charity nominations.

The formula is simple: 1 hour + $100 x 100 women=$10,000 per year invested in making South Dundas an even better place in which to live!

Participants must commit to attending a one hour meeting each year; commit to donating $100 each year; be prepared to advocate for their chosen charity and be able to answer questions from the group.

Each woman also has the opportunity to nominate a charity/organization when registering. The nominee must be a recognized charity or organization that can issue a tax receipt either on its own or through the municipality. It must also be an organization/charity that has an actual physical presence in South Dundas.

Once 100 women have joined, a date and time will be announced for the big event which will take place at the Upper Canada Playhouse, thanks to the support of Playhouse Artistic Director Donnie Bowes.

The evening will kick off with a wine and cheese, to allow participants to meet, mingle and lobby for their charity/organization. Each of the 100 will then vote and from that vote the top three choices will advance to the final round.

At this time, representatives of the top three will have five minutes to promote their selection. A second vote will then take place. The winner will be announced and each of the 100 Women Who Care About South Dundas will write their cheque. Tax receipts will be issued by the winning charity/organization which will receive 100 percent of the donations. At 100 women that is $10,000!

That charity/organization will not be eligible to win again for three years and will be required to report on how the $10,000 was used to 100 Women Who Care About South Dundas when they meet one year later. 

The organizing committee is looking at and approving the nominations and when the 100 women meet, each will receive a ballot with approved recipients listed.

That is when the fun, in the form of lobbying, will begin. “I think it is great that it is going to be competitive,” says Christyn.

“Hopefully people will think this is so much fun, they will want to make it an annual event,” adds Janeen. “So next year the meeting will start with the winners coming in and telling us what they did with the money.”

The date for the 100 Women finale will not be finalized until 100 members have committed. “We can go over the 100, but we must have that number,” says Christyn.

“This is a significant chunk of money,” says Janeen. “And it’s to be absolutely local [South Dundas]”.

“It’s so exciting because it’s collective,” adds Christyn. “We are going to be part of something bigger, not just an individual donating $100.”

“We are hoping that the women will take a good look at the community and see where the needs are,” says Tracey. “It might also provide the initiative for people to come up with an idea and get something going. I think one of the appealing things to this is that it is just going to be an hour. It’s very convenient, and it will provide a great opportunity for women in the South Dundas Community to network. I can see everyone leaving, feeling a lot of pride.”

“Instead of being happy because they donated $100 to something, they can take pride in the fact that they are part of a group that donated $10,000,” says Christyn.

Participants can join 100 Women Who Care About South Dundas by calling 613-803-5547 or on the website at www.womenwhocaresouthdundas.com Registration is not possible on the Facebook page, but participants are invited to become a friend of the page and like and share, to help promote the effort. 

[…]

Mother Teresa once said, “if you can’t feed a hundred people, feed just one.”

On a chilly November 12th the OPP Auxiliary Unit held their second annual “Stuff a Cruiser with Food Drive” in locations across Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, including Riley’s Valu-Mart in Morrisburg.

OPP Auxiliary Constables Tyler Kelly and Mike Meagher were on hand from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. accepting donations of food, money and grocery gift cards at the Morrisburg location.

The chilly weather didn’t dampen the moods of the constables. Meagher told the Leader that “the energy and spirit keeps us going.”

The two were indeed kept quite busy throughout the day. In addition they were assisted by the Dundas County Food Bank (DCFB) as well as volunteers from Riley’s store, Karen Gelner and Shaina Lewis.

Meagher told the Leader that some people were coming to the store for the sole purpose of donating to the cause. He said one man had “heard over the radio and decided to make a swing over.”

Meagher applauded the community saying, “the need arises and they’re certainly here and supporting.”

Kelly said, “the kids like it too.” He had shown quite a few kids the inside of the police car, to great effect.

Some people filled entire grocery carts with donations, while others dropped money or gift cards into the donation jar.

“We love being involved in this and having the success we’ve had,” said Meagher.

DCFB Chair Brenda Millard greeted customers, handed out suggestion lists, and thanked people for their support. She bore witness to the extreme generosity of the people in this community. 

Once again, with the help of the OPP Auxiliary, the DCFB proved that together a community can make a difference. According to DCFB Administrator Donna Quesnel, “there were 11 trips made between Riley’s and the Food Bank.”

The Leader talked with a representative at the Morrisburg Food Bank location on November 14th and it was estimated that the six hour event raised 5,000 pounds of donations in addition to over $600 in money and gift cards.

On November 15th the SD&G OPP sent out a release outlining the success of the food drive throughout the United Counties.

“Once again, residents of SD&G showed their generosity in giving to worthy causes.”

The five locations raised approximately 13,900 pounds of food items and $2,925.77 in monetary donations.

Dundas

Proceeds from the Morrisburg and Winchester locations will go to the Dundas County Food Bank.

The total raised included approximately 6,400 pounds of food items and $1,155 in monetary donations.

This year, Dundas County collected 3,000 more pounds of food than it did at last year’s event.

Stormont

Proceeds from the Cornwall and Ingleside locations will go to the Agape Centre.

The total raised included approximately 4,000 pounds of food items and $947.27 in monetary donations.

Glengarry

Proceeds from the Alexandria location will go to the St. Vincent de Paul.

The total raised included approximately 3,500 pounds of food items and $823.50 in monetary donations.

SD&G OPP Auxiliary Unit Commander, S/Sgt Al Jodoin stated: “From all the members of the SD&G OPP Auxiliary Unit and Detachment, we wish to sincerely thank everyone for making this Food Drive a phenomenal success!”

For those wishing to make a donation to the Dundas County Food Bank, please phone one of the locations at 613-543-0065 or 613-774-0188.

[…]