Santa Parade, Morrisburg, Saturday, December 6

The St. Lawrence Parks Commission (SLPC) has announced its plans to move forward with changes to improve its offerings to visitors and at the same time its fiscal sustainability.  

Among the changes for 2012, is free access to drive along the necklace of 11 islands connected by the 11 kilometer Long Sault Parkway between Ingleside and Long Sault. 

The Parkway is home to the McLaren, Woodlands and Mille Roches campgrounds and two beach day-use area (Woodlands and Mille Roches).

For a number of years, a day-use entry fee was charged at the entrances to the Parkway in Long Sault and Ingleside even for drive-through customers during the operating season.

This change is hoped to increase traffic along the Parkway by giving more visitors and local residents the opportunity to enjoy the scenic drive’s natural beauty.

The day-use fee will only be charged for visitors stopping to use the picnic and beach facilities at Woodlands and Mille Roches Beaches of Lock 21.

“The SLPC is working diligently in Ontario’s eastern region to revitalize our unique tourism products and experiences and now, with a strong value proposition to support increased visitor engagement,” said Darren Dalgleish, General Manager/CEO, St. Lawrence Parks Commission

Other changes have been announced for the check-in procedures at the entrances to the campgrounds themselves. 

Camper registration will now take place right at the campground entrances to McLaren, Woodlands or Mille Roches Campgrounds in new storefront facilities that offer shopping for all camping essentials. 

This move will improve check-in times, reduce line-ups on busy weekends and get campers to their campsites faster.

Other infrastructure investments at the campgrounds, currently underway, include two new cabins for McLaren Campground named the ‘Santa Cruz’ and the ‘Maple Grove’ after two of the hamlets of the Lost Villages, 113 RV site upgrades also at McLaren Campground and improvements to drainage and beach facilities at each park.

At check-in, campers will be treated to two free passes that can be used for admission to either Upper Canada Village or Fort Henry during the regular season including visits to the new Discovery Centres at both sites as part of a new Reciprocal Program.  

The offer is intended to encourage visitation to the SLPC’s other attractions in the region, improving visitor experience and encouraging a longer length of stay in the campgrounds.

“The Board of Directors and I are excited and encouraged by the direction Darren and his team is taking SLPC,” said Ron Eamer, Acting Chair, St. Lawrence Parks Commission. “We have a clear and aggressive focus that aims to serve the community in a thoughtful and entrepreneurial manner.”

SLPC operates an array of attractions and recreational experiences located in The Great Waterway region in Eastern Ontario along the St. Lawrence River.

The St. Lawrence Parks Commission’s campgrounds open for 2012 camping reservations both online (www.StLawrenceParks.com) and via telephone (1-800-437-2233 or locally 613-543-4328) on February 27: Monday, February 27 – Long Sault Parkway only; Tuesday, February 28 – Long Sault Parkway and Ivy Lea Campground only; Wednesday, February 29 – all parks.

The SLPC is in the process of conducting an analysis of the adventure/geo tourism opportunities to generate new revenues through its own business initiatives and through partnerships with the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.  

Results from this study are anticipated by late spring. 

The SLPC generates approximately $100 million in economic impacts annually through its tourism operations.

Approximately 300,000 people in Ontario are directly or indirectly employed by the tourism industry. 

[…]

The Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) held a Community Ambassadors’ Breakfast on May 18th at the McIntosh Country Inn and Conference Centre in Morrisburg.

The breakfast got underway with a brief overview of what has been happening in Winchester over the past year in the following areas: primary care; acute care; seniors’ care; community and health partners; education and research; and, technology.

CEO Cholly Boland touched on several advancements during his presentation, including the fact that “the area served now includes part of South Ottawa.”

According to Boland, the WDMH is becoming a Centre of Excellence for Rural Health and Education. In fact, he reported that more medical residents are becoming interested in WDMH. Last year, there were 50 applicants for only two resident openings whereas this year there were 75 applicants for only two resident openings.

Boland, who is now the administrator for Dundas Manor, said that he couldn’t comment on plans for Dundas Manor yet as he’s “still learning.”

Following Boland’s presentation, Dr. Jim Blakslee, chief of surgery, spoke about the women’s cancer program in Winchester.

“One of our focuses in surgical services is to take on women’s cancers,” said Blakslee. However, the hospital doesn’t just focus on  surgery, but rather on the whole cancer continuum from diagnosis forward.

He informed the attendees that “any woman aged 50 and up should be getting a mammogram every two years. You don’t need to be referred by your doctor. You just call the hospital.”

He pointed out that if 200 women have a mammogram, 16 will need more testing. Out of those 16, one will discover they have breast cancer.

“We’ve streamlined that process,” said Blakslee, “women used to go back to the family doctor, but we’ve eliminated that.”

“We’ve at least shaved two weeks off” the process. 

WDMH provides a “safe, nurturing environment close to home,” he continued.

While Winchester is providing more cancer services than before, there are still some things that require a trip to Ottawa. Chemotherapy can be done in Winchester, but for radiation therapy, patients must still travel to Ottawa.

Linda Johnson, a registered nurse working in the oncology department, said “we have a breast cancer program that we’re very proud of in Winchester.”

“Our role is just to support them, give them the information and be there for them,” said Johnson of patients who are awaiting diagnosis or who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“We sit and talk with them. We might see them several times throughout the journey.”

According to Johnson, there are six chemotherapy nurses and “100 per cent are de Souza certified. We’re all very proud to say we’re 100 per cent.”

The de Souza Institute, according to their website, “provides ongoing educational support, professional development and career counseling at no cost to Ontario nurses caring for oncology patients in any setting and phase of the cancer care journey.”

Johnson pointed out that while the community at large could benefit from a cancer support group, Winchester’s group of oncology nurses are there and ready to offer whatever support they can.

[…]

The response for the Kraft Food for Families initiative has been inspiring and for the Mountain House of Lazarus Food Bank a local success story.

Kraft Food for Families is a community-based program designed to help Canadian families get food on the table. 

The original goal was to donate up to $50,000 to 30 food banks across Canada and award a $10,000 bonus donation to the food bank with the most names in support.

According to the Kraft Food for Families website, “people from across Canada came together and added thousands of names in support of their local food banks, helping us to reach that goal.”

Leading the way were the people in the Owen Sound area. With each vote translating into a $1 donation, some 22,232 people there voted for the Salvation Army Food Bank which serves 600 people each month.

The Owen Sound total, in combination with other votes across the country, allowed the contest to quickly reach the 50,000 vote maximum set by Kraft Foods.

Also as a result of the voting, the Owen Sound Food Bank received over $30,000 ($1 per vote and the $10,000 bonus donation). 

Shortly after the Owen Sound victory, Kraft Food for Families announced a phase two initiative to support community banks, which was $1,000 weekly donations for 10 weeks, to the food bank collecting the most names in each of the weeks.

It began on December 2 and wraps up February 10.

In week five, thanks to a great response from the local public, the House of Lazarus Food Bank in Mountain, was the $1,000 winner.

[…]