Month: December 2013

Homestead Organics of Berwick is moving to Morrisburg. 

Homestead Organics took over ownership of the former Chinook building along Allison Avenue in Morrisburg, Friday, December 6.

The new site for the Berwick organic processing operation, is the focus of a $2.4 million project that will eventually see all of Homestead’s operations moved from the former feed mill site in Berwick to this Morrisburg location.

The 27,000 square foot building, is more than triple the size of the Berwick operation, which has only 8,000 square feet of space, including trailers and a tent.

“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t stay in Berwick,” said president Tom Manley who did point out that the company will be staying in SDG and that all of the company’s 14 employees will eventually make the move with them to the Morrisburg site.

The two part move will be phased in over time.

This week, Homestead already started to make use of the building’s warehousing space.

 The bulk of the first phase will involve moving the soybean cleaning operations of the business. 

The cost of moving that part of the business is about $900,000 including the purchase of the building and the necessary site upgrades. 

The cost of phase one is being covered by about 30 private investors.

By March, that part of the project should be operating from the Morrisburg site, with about two employees.

Manley says that Homestead will be a two site operation, over the next couple of years, but eventually they plan to move all of their 12 staff, processing and administration to Morrisburg, and maybe even add a retail area.

Manley is extremely pleased with this new location, which offers ample warehousing  and processing space for Homestead, but also has enough extra room to offer leasing to other small organic processors. Manley has a vision of the site becoming “organics central”. 

“Morrisburg could be a hub of organic food activity in the near future,” he said.

For three years, Manley has been in search of an appropriate new location for Homestead Organics, which is growing incrementally, year after year. 

Just 16 years ago, Homestead was processing about 500 tonnes annually, and now, in their 25th year, they annually process over 7,000 tonnes of organic whole grains. 

“Organic is becoming very mainstream, just walk down the aisles of your grocery store and you will see it,” said Manley, estimating that the organics sector is growing at a rate of 10-15 per cent annually.

During the search for an appropriate facility to house their growing business, Manley looked at a number of options including large facilities in Chesterville, Long Sault, and two buildings in Morrisburg before purchasing this Allison Avenue facility. 

“We had a number of false starts over the years,” said Manley, adding that capital is often difficult for a business to access.  

Homestead Organics was founded by Tom Manley’s father Murray. Tom, the current president, returned to the family business 16 years ago. Three years ago, Tom’s son Yannik, joined them. 

All three were at the press conference hosted at the new facility last week. Joining them were project supporters, local dignitaries and media.

“We are very pleased that you found the right fit for your business here in Morrisburg and we are happy to have a new business in our municipality,” said Chuck Barkley, president of the South Dundas Chamber of Commerce.

“I will be glad to see this facility up and running,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, adding that this new venture for this community fits nicely with the community’s backbone, which is its agricultural base. 

[…]

Helping Hands of Matilda president Lorne Strader welcomed 68 members and four guests to their annual Christmas dinner, December 4, at Matilda Hall.

The dinner was catered by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 370, Iroquois.

Gwen Bosma played piano for the singing of O Canada. Rev. Valerie Vandewiele, United Church minister said grace before a delicious turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, was served to members and guests.

 

Entertainment by Mattie and Fred Zandbergen, Bill Horner and Ralph Jollata and Mary Perry followed.

Non-perishable food items were donated by members and packed by Velma Casselman and Gwen Bosma, and were donated to the local food bank.

Dinner party closed with God Save the Queen, again acccompannied by Bosma.

Helping Hands next meets January 8, 2014, at Matilda Hall. Everyone welcome.

[…]

Following the resignation of Bill Shearing from the role of Emergency Management Coordinator for South Dundas, municipal officials went looking for someone to take over the position, and it turns out they didn’t have to look far.

Chris McDonough, fire chief for South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services, will take on an additional role, starting in the new year.

In this role, McDonough is responsible for coordinating the emergency management program.

In the event of an emergency, it is the emergency management coordinator that consults with the municipality.

In situations like the 1998 ice storm, the emergency management coordinator consults with municipal officials on the declaration of a state of emergency. Emergency training efforts and emergency preparedness are also part of this role.

South Dundas did contract and pay for Emergency Management Services provided by Shearing. With these services assumed by a municipal employee, that employee will receive no additional compensation, according to South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald.

[…]

December 6, over 200 people packed United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Council Chambers to witness the inauguration the youngest Warden in its history.

Twenty-six-year-old North Dundas Mayor Eric Duncan was nominated as 2014 Warden by North Dundas deputy Mayor Gerry Boyce. South Dundas Deputy Mayor Jim Locke seconded the nomination, council supported it. Duncan replaces Bill McGimpsey in the seat at the head of county council.

Duncan was proud to have his former school principal Brenda Whitteker (pictured right, with him) speak at the ceremony. Not only is she connected to his education, which he values so much, but she also has a strong connection to municipal government, her father, Johnny Whitteker, having served as SDG Warden and on council for over 50 years.

“In the room just behind these walls hang the pictures of 160 men and women who have stepped forward, taken the oath, and served these United Counties,” said Duncan. “When I look at the names and the achievements they have made in their public and professional lives, I am so humbled to join their ranks as Warden.”

Leading any council during an election year can be challenging, but Duncan is planning for a year of “tackling issues, making progress and getting things done.” His plans are to move SDG forward through simple but effective means. Three key pillars set out by Duncan for his first term as Warden – education and the pursuit of knowledge, continual improvement and embracing technology. 

“To show taxpayers in SDG that we are serious about addressing the challenges we face head on. That we are innovative. That we are forward-thinking. All while respecting the fiscal restraint needed as always,” he said. “I love what I do, and I am thankful to be in this job every day. And that is because of where I live, the people around me, and the amazing things that we have going for us here.”

[…]

“When I came here to interview for the Iroquois-Matilda pastoral charge, I just felt welcomed,” said the Reverend Valerie Vande Wiele, who took up her duties in her three point pastoral charge on September 22, 2013. We are sitting in her office in Iroquois United Church.

“When I met the people, heard their stories, learned who they were, I knew that I could walk with these people. It felt right.”

Reverend Valerie has been in Canada since 1996.

She was born in Belgium, “in the south, the French part,” (she is fully bilingual) and spent the first 29 years of her life there: then  she made the decision to immigrate. To come to Canada alone was an important, life-changing decision for her, and one that was not undertaken lightly.

“Immigrating to North America gave me the chance, I believe, to discover who I really was.”

For several years she had worked in a bank in Belgium, in the position of a debt collector.

“It was tough. I feel I was very green at that point in my life, and I needed to grow up. I needed to learn that the world could be a tough place. 

(In my position at the bank) I faced situations, and had to enter into people’s lives as part of dealing with their finances. Confronting the realities of divorce, mental illness, poverty, illiteracy, well, these all made me grow up in a hurry.”

Gradually, these experiences cultivated in her new feelings and attitudes.

“Cemented in my mind was the idea that I wanted to walk with people, to be there for them, rather than extracting money from them.”

She does not regret the time she spent in a difficult job.

“I feel I needed that experience to arrive at where I am today. It taught me compassion and caring and to see there are other points of view. But in that bank position I had to be someone I wasn’t, and that made me unhappy.”

Making a complete break with her old life, and undertaking the “adventure” of immigrating, gave her time to begin the process of finding herself. And as that process continued, what became louder and louder for her was a call to the ministry.

“I settled in Quebec City and studied to be a secretary, working for different companies for five years. But when my last secretarial job ended, I understood that I had just been hesitating, unwilling to make the leap of faith. Losing the job gave me the impetus to start studying for the ministry.”

She earned her bachelor of theology through McGill University, and her Master of Divinity in 2008, from the Montreal School of Theology.

How did the United Church of Canada become her spiritual home?

“I had been raised in the United Protestant Church of Belgium. In Quebec I tried several Protestant denominations, but I ultimately chose the United Church because it was the church, I felt, that allowed me to be who I was. It was the church I felt welcomed me with everything I am, and without judgement.”

She was ordained and served in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, and for five years in Richmond.

Although it was a hard decision to leave her Richmond church, she applied to the Iroquois-Matilda pastoral charge, interviewed and was invited by the congregations of Iroquois, Brinston and Hulbert Valley to become their spiritual leader. 

“I am the first minister of this new pastoral combination,” the Rev. Valerie said.

“My view of the ministry is that it is co-operative, minister and parishioners “walking together for the coming of the kingdom.”

I asked her about her hopes for the future.

“We need to cement the new pastoral charge, to build links among the three congregations. Through those links, we can celebrate who we are, respecting our differences. This is a primary goal for me. And we can have fun together,” she added with a laugh.

“A second goal for me is to help people discover and enjoy scripture, to see that scripture is still very relevant today.”

As the Reverend Valerie Vande Wiele settles into her new home, she is very much looking forward to her life in South Dundas.

“I hope to learn from my congregations as I am walking with them. Sometimes, I think, we will walk down some interesting side roads together.”

[…]

“I really love doing this parade,” said George Davies, the organizer and marshall for the 2013 Santa Claus parade held in Morrisburg, Saturday, December 7. “It’s not just the little ones, it’s the seniors and everybody in between who make it all worthwhile.”

And judging from the smiles and applause, people who lined the parade route through the town were enchanted with the big parade.

“It was a great day, weather wise,” Davies said, “you couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. I think we had a good turn-out to see the parade, and lots of people taking part in it.” 

Riding a 4-wheeler on loan from Jim’s Performance Plus, George was everywhere along the route. “Everything went pretty smoothly,” he said, “and the OPP were on hand to control the traffic in town and along county road 2. (Floats marshalled in the Canadian Tire parking lot and the Upper Canada Playhouse lot.) We also had spotters in key positions along the  route equipped with radios loaned by the South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services.”

The 2013 Santa Claus parade boasted over 50 floats with five bands providing seasonal music: the Brockville Lions Steel Band, the Royal West Academy of Montreal Band, the Cornwall Air Cadets Band, the Kemptville Legion Pipe Band and the Maple Leaf Brass Band from Ottawa.

There were some first time local entries this year. “Both the BIA and the Fire Services had floats this year. And we had many return participants.”

Crowds enjoyed the four legged friends who also took part in this year’s parade. These ranged from Eddie the Service Dog (who turned up on the Morrisburg & District Duck Dynasty float) to several therapy dogs, in full costume, walking the whole route, while  miniature horses, wearing their Christmas finery, either rode on a float or pranced along with the parade.

Responsibility for contacting and securing  participants and bands, organizing every aspect of the parade itself, then dealing with clean up and costume retrievals falls yearly on Davies’ cheerful shoulders, with the help of his wife and daughter. However, if you ask George who his volunteers on the actual parade day were, he laughs and says, “Everybody.”

Service clubs, schools, civic groups, many area businesses and the OPP and South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services all came to help on December 7.

Santa and Mrs. Claus were a definite high point to the parade.

They waved to the crowds,  and happily pointed out children who had been especially good this year. Later, Santa took time at the Fire Hall to listen to some small people’s Christmas hopes and dreams. 

(The word is the couple headed back to the North Pole by Elf Airlines later in the day.)

By every account, the 2013 Morrisburg Santa Claus Parade was one of the best ones yet. 

And volunteer organizer George Davies has already started work on the 2014 event. 

[…]