Summer day camp at Old Homestead

South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services has been hard at work this past week.

Thurler Farm

A fire at the Thurler Farm on  Snowbird Road was called in at 2:50 p.m. on November 11th. The first vehicle responded within three minutes of the call. Chief Chris McDonough was on the scene by 3:18 p.m.

According to McDonough, all three stations – Iroquois, Morrisburg, and Williamsburg – responded. In addition, McDonough also called in the South Mountain Fire Department.

McDonough told the Leader that “an off-duty fire fighter from Williamsburg drove directly” to the Thurler Farm.

Two coveralls used to cover the straw supply, tied down using tires, were on fire. Fire fighters went straight to work putting out these fires while also trying to eliminate the exposure to the barn, which held 500 head of dairy cattle.

The dairy barn and all cattle were saved thanks to the efforts of the fire fighters and mother nature. The chief said the strong wind blowing in the opposite direction was a great help to fire fighters in saving this barn.

Fire fighters were on location until 6 a.m. November 12th. They were called back in November 13th to put out more “hot spots.” McDonough said they were back for five hours putting out those fires.

In the end, the damage included 600 acres worth of crop. McDonough estimated the damage to be in the $220,000 range. No one was harmed in the fire.

As for the cause of the fire, “there was a lot of fire damage and there was nothing really we could go by.”

It is thought that a skid steer, which is “a piece of equipment used to supply straw bedding for the dairy barn,” created sparks “from the bucket scraping against the concrete.”

“I’m suspecting that. I’m not confirming that,” emphasized McDonough.

“We had help from Ault’s squatter tankers. We couldn’t keep up because we were taking up so much water,” including the entirety of Matilda’s water supply.

McDonough also mentioned the abundance of generosity: “The wives made sandwiches. The Thurlers ordered in pizza.”

12756 County Road 18

November 14th, at approximately three o’clock in the morning, a house fire was reported on County Road 18 just east of Williamsburg.

McDonough said it was a “coach house attached to an old farmhouse.”

“They extinguished the fire as soon as they got there.”

In terms of damage, McDonough said the “exterior and up to the roof line” was damaged. He estimated the damage to be “not more than $1,000.”

Again, no one was physically harmed in the fire.

[…]

South Dundas council is not willing to declare this municipality as ‘not a willing host’ to industrial wind turbine projects.

A year and a half ago, South Dundas was asked to consider the designation, but the request was shelved at that time, as it did not have sufficient council support to even bring the resolution to the table. 

A couple of months ago, the South Branch Wind Opposition Group again asked South Dundas council to pass a resolution to declare South Dundas as ‘not a willing host.’

Finally, at the July 16 council meeting, the proposed motion from the  SBWOG made it to the table, only to be defeated.

South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde brought the motion forward, “We’ve been sitting on this request a couple of years. I think we should deal with it,” she said.

South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke seconded the motion.

“I’m only seconding it to get it to the table,” said Locke.

Once put to a vote, Locke voted against the motion. 

“I do not support the resolution and a will not support or deny any potential future project until the time comes,” said Locke.

“In my view, the South Branch wind project is already going ahead. I think council will be in a better position to understand the pros and cons of wind farms after is project is completed.

“We won’t stop the South Branch wind project. I’d rather work with them than fight with them,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, who also opposed the resolution. “Will find out within a year what these things are all about,” he said, and added, “The province approved this project, so if there are problems, the province will have to deal with those problems.

South Dundas councillor Jim Graham stated that he would not second the motion, nor support the resolution because he of his strong opinions about the Green Energy Act.

“My problem is with the Green Energy Act. I don’t agree with it. I think the Ontario government should pull back on all of this. It’s almost criminal what they are doing to the taxpayers of this province,” said Graham.

“This resolution is moot. It’s a waste of our time.”

The motion was defeated.

South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan did not vote on it as he had declared conflict of interest.

Leslie Disheau, president of the South Branch Wind Opposition Group, released a  statement regarding council’s decision, saying she was not surprised by the outcome. She does not believe working out any potential issues that may arise with the wind developer is a viable option. “Council should have read the complaint process written on this wind project, and read the documentation given to them on how flawed the complaint process is in this province. I’m not sure how they think there is a different process for our area,” said Disheau.

[…]

The Children’s Treatment Centre established itself as a respected organization in Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry and Akwesasne, helping around 2,400 abused children since 1996.  The CTC – which is funded solely by the communities it serves […]