Month: December 2014

Across South Dundas hundreds of traffic signs are out of compliance with the Ontario Traffic manual which sets the standards for sign condition, mounting heights and proper placement at intersections.

This finding and a summary of the work that needs to be done to bring the signs into compliance was reported to South Dundas council at their December 16 meeting by Chris Bazinet, manager of public works.

“Signs are one of the most proactive safety measures we can take,” said South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan, who lives in the Matilda ward where most of the signage deficiencies were found.

To rectify the sign situation, South Dundas council agreed to hiring a contractor, Advantage Data, to install 180 new signs at uncontrolled intersections, at a cost of about $35,000.

The replacement of non compliant signs, 354 of them, will be done over time, in house by South Dundas staff at a capital cost of about $17,000.

Committee wanted for South Branch Fund input

South Dundas council approved an application form for the South Branch Community Fund.

The form will be filled out by those seeking funds from the $30,000 per year, 20 year fund which was established by EDP Renewables, as part of the South Branch Wind Farm project.

Eligible projects must be located within the established wind farm boundaries.

Funding decisions will ultimately lie with South Dundas council, as administrator of the fund, with larger contributions needing EDP approval.

Although council approved the application form drafted by their manager of recreation programming, they expressed a desire to form a committee of area residents to help in the decision making process.

“It is a community fund and we want community input,” said South Dundas mayor Evonne Delegarde.

Councillor Archie Mellan suggested that they look to such a committee for a larger scale vision for the area to ensure that these significant funds are put to good use. South Dundas staff will draft terms of reference to seek interest for such a committee.

Local steam rocket jump plans fizzling

As further details come forward about a proposed manned steam rocket jump across the St. Lawrence River, it becomes less likely that it will take place in South Dundas.

South Dundas economic development officer Nicole Sullivan has been in discussions, not only with the South Dundas Chamber of Commerce but with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

“In order for the Seaway Management Corporation to consider accommodating this event, they will require that the Municipality become project lead and assume all liability and financial responsibility,” she said in a December 16 report to council. Even then there is no guarantee that it would be permitted by the Seaway and Transport Canada.

“We would be on the hook for a lot of money, and we could end up looking like fools,” said councillor Archie Mellan. Council agreed that they were not willing to commit tax dollars to this event.

However, council then directed staff to continue communications with Mike Hughes, the event proponent and its promoter.

According to Sullivan, the Morrisburg waterfront park was one of the jump sites being considered in South Dundas.

Butternut cut is finally permitted

“Completion of the Campbell Street extension is imminent,” reported South Dundas chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald, at the December 16 council meeting.

“We have received our permit. We can now cut down a butternut tree.”

One endangered butternut tree located right in the centre of the Campbell Street extension put a stop to the work taking place to open up land in the Morrisburg business park.

The work was stopped back in 2013, and could not proceed until the Municipality was granted this permit through a lengthy process.

Work will proceed as soon as the contractor is available to complete the project.

Edna Schell

A lifetime resident of the Williamsburg area, Edna Schell passed away at the Dundas Manor Nursing Home in Winchester, on Sunday, December 7, 2014. She was 95.

Edna was born in Matilda Township, on June 26, 1919, to her parents John and Sarah Whitteker (nee Casselman).

On September 27, 1938, she married Keith Schell at the Williamsburg Lutheran Church. After her marriage, Edna moved into the Schell family home in Williamsburg, and she and Keith had three boys, Robert, Douglas and Larry.

Edna worked in a restaurant, a hair salon and a boarding room in the Dr. Locke days. She cooked many meals for boarders who stayed on the Schell farm while there to visit Dr. Locke. She also cooked many meals for the farm hands who worked on the Schell farm.

Edna performed the secretarial duties in the Clerk’s office when Keith became Williamsburg Township Clerk until 1976, when her daughter-in-law Joan took over.

Edna enjoyed cooking, baking and gardening, and she and Keith did some travelling with close friends and relatives. They took their grandchildren on many summer vacations. They travelled abroad to the Shetland Islands, to visit her brother-in-law Lyle’s grave site.

Edna is survived by her sons Bob of Morrisburg and Larry (Annie) of Williamsburg and her brothers Ivan (Shirley) of Williamsburg, Rex (Mary Ruth) of Morrisburg and Glen (Lois) of Perth.

Edna will be fondly remembered by grandchildren Lorie Hutt (Mitch), Lisa McNairn (Allen) and Lyle Schell (Kim) and by her great-grandchildren Chelsey, Drew, Matt, Derek, Casey, Kylie and Lacey. She is also survived by nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband Keith “Casey” Schell, her son Doug, her daughter-in-law Joan Schell, her brother-in-law Lyle, her sisters Doris Casselman, Velda Steinburg and Flora-Belle Whitteker and her brother Ward.

Friends called at the Marsden and McLaughlin Funeral Home, Williamsburg, on Tuesday from 11 a.m. until time of the funeral service at 1 p.m., which was conducted by Rev. Duncan Perry. Interment followed at Spruce Haven Cemetery, Brinston.

Honorary pallbearers were great-granddaughters Kylie Schell and Lacey Schell. Pallbearers were great-grandchildren Chelsey Schell, Drew Hutt, Matt McNairn, Derek Hutt and Casey Schell.

Donations to South Dundas Lutheran Community Church or Dundas County Hospice would be gratefully acknowledged by the family. Online condolences may be made at marsdenmclaughlin.com.

Perspectives with Rev. George Frey

The Christmas Story

The scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is God, who came to earth as a man to make full provision for our eternal salvation. (John 1:1>14; 1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 7)

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14

This prophetic utterance by Isaiah, was spoken some 735 years before the birth of Christ.

In the historical narrative, the virgins conception and bearing of a Son, is a sign of both impending judgment and the provision of salvation. Judgment for the unbeliever, and salvation for the believer. (Isaiah 7)

Immanuel, the prophetic name of this Son who will be born of a virgin, means “with us is God.” This Son is more than just a man, He is the Christ. He will possess the full nature of man; also possessing the full, unmingled, nature of God. (2 Peter 1:1b)

The Holy Spirit was responsible for Mary’s pregnancy. He created and placed an original seed in Mary’s womb. Therefore the Scripture records that, “she was found with child of the Holy Spirit,” and “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18, 20)

The child to be born, will be a special Son; the Son of God; the only begotten Son being born to die a horrific and unjust death, to “save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21; John 3:16; Hebrews 10:5-10)

In Christ, God has subjected Himself to the human experience. According to Philippians 2:7,8, when coming into the world, Jesus “made Himself of no reputation;” kenoo Heautou, meaning that He “emptied himself,” that He divested Himself of His rightful dignity and privilege as God, subjecting Himself to the human condition.

He did not empty Himself of His essence as God; but He did set aside at least three aspects of the dignity and privilege He had eternally enjoyed as God.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:9

•Jesus, coming into the world, set aside His divine glory. (John 17:5) The glory He demonstrated in His earthly life is the glory of Original Righteousness, like that which Adam enjoyed before sin, and like the glory to be restored to man by Jesus’ victory over sin. (Hebrews 2:10)

•Jesus, coming into the world, set aside the independent authority He had the right to as God. Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane demonstrates His perfect submission to the will of another; i.e. God the Father. (Matthew 26:39; see also, John 5:30; 15:10)

•Jesus in coming into the world set aside His inability to be tempted by evil, or to suffer certain external results of Adam’s sin. Scripture clearly reveals God’s inability to be tempted by evil (James 1:13); but it also reveals that Jesus, in His human nature was tempted. (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15)

The Christmas story is much more than the circumstances of Jesus’ birth; it is the beginning of the great climax of history, and the confirmation of the purpose of creation.

May your heart rise above the normal activities of the Christmas season to embrace the eternal significance of the coming of Immanuel; God with us; Jesus the Christ.

Tie, win for South Dundas Atom B Lions

The South Atom B House Lions got tangled up in some very closely contested games last week, that resulted in a 2-2 tie against the South Stormont Selects on home ice Thursday night, December 11, followed by a 3-2 road win over the Char-Lan Rebels, Saturday.

The Lions got off to a good start last Thursday against the Selects, but were unable to capitalize on some early scoring chances as Owen Villeneuve made several key saves for the Selects early.

South Stormont opened the scoring 5:42 into the first period when Hunter Latreille (from Aiden Scott) had his shot deflect off a Lions defender past Lions goaltender Mateo Lacroix.

The Lions tied the game at one, just seconds after killing off a Selects power play when Zack Scarbeau fed Stef Kronstal back at the blue line. Kronstal pulled the puck back and let a booming wrist shot go that beat Villeneuve low on the glove side.

The Selects regained their one goal lead with the only goal of the second period. Once again, Scott orchestrated the play and Hunter Latreille got the goal.

The Lions came up empty with two late power plays and trailed 2-1 after two periods.

Early in the third, the Lions tied it up with a Monty Dejong goal.

It started when Jack McCann made a key stretch pass to fellow defenceman Nate Paulino to exit their zone with ease. Paulino then moved the puck up to Monty Dejong who took it from there to tie the game 2-2.

The Lions were guilty of some bad decisions without the puck, as they were penalized four times in the third period. This made it difficult to complete the comeback with a win.

The Selects took a penalty in the final minute of the game, but the time clock ran out before the game clock, thus the Lions were unable to take advantage on their power play.

Cam Shaver and McCann had a solid game on defence, blocking shots and making several smart first passes to get the Lions out of their zone quickly.

Sean Nicolaassen played every position except goal, as the Lions were short a few players. Lacroix had another solid game in goal.

Saturday, the Lions travelled to Char-Lan where they skated to a 3-2 win against the Rebels.

Monty Dejong opened the scoring for the Lions 5:01 into the first period after taking a nice pass from Shaver, then beating Michael Chaput.

The Rebels wasted no time tying it up, actually only taking eight seconds when Jacob Campeau beat Lions tender Quade Mullin.

Both goaltenders were flawless in the second, and it remained tied 1-1 heading to the third.

The Rebels went up 2-1 in the third period when Braden Flaro scored unassisted.

Shaver tied it 2-2 after picking up a rebound from a Dejong shot. The other assist went to Spencer Barclay.

Dryden Buter got the winner late in the game, assisted by Paulino.

The Lions carried the play, but once again had trouble capitalizing on their opportunities.

The Lions undefeated streak now sits at seven games. They were on the road, last night Tuesday, December 16, versus South Stormont and are at home this Thursday night, December 18 against the West division leading Athens 1 Aeros.

Jr. B Lions edged by Aeros, 4-3

A Josh Maley goal for the hosting Athens Aeros here Sunday night with just 2:24 left in the game, sent the Morrisburg Junior B Lions home with a tough 4-3 loss.

The Lions who are in last place in the St. Lawrence Division and the Aeros who hold the same spot in their Rideau Division were evenly matched throughout the game. The Lions put up 25 shots against Aeros goaltender Alex Daley and the Aeros produced 31 shots against Lions goaltender John Gilmer.

The Lions held a slight 2-1 edge after the first period, and the game was tied after two.

It was the Maley goal at 17:36 of the third period that was the difference.

Parker Grant opened the Aeros scoring at 4:13 of the first period, but the Lions came charging back with a Justin Lefebvre goal (from Cole Fowler) at 9:10 to even it.

Dallas Blacksmith struck (with help from Landon Veenstra and Eric Evans) at 15:38 of the first period to put the Lions ahead, 2-1, going into the second period.

Play was tight for the first 14 minutes of the second period, and then the Aeros came on strong to first tie it with a Nathan Foster goal at 14:06 and, then, 25 seconds later go ahead, 3-2, with a Ty Hannaford goal.

The Lions evened it on their power play at 16:56, with Evans getting the goal which set up by Dallas Blacksmith and Michael Paquette.

Third period action saw no results in the scoring department until Maley counted what would turn out to be the winner for the Aeros at 17:36.

The Lions sat out 22 minutes in penalties on seven infractions, and the Aeros were assessed five infractions for a total of 10 penalty minutes. The Lions were successful in one of three power-play opportunities while the Aeros did not score on their power play in six opportunities.

Coming up, the Lions are on the road to play the Char-Lan Rebels on Saturday night, December 20. Then on Sunday, December 21 they will host the Akwesasne Wolves. Game time is 2:30 p.m.

The Wolves are in fourth place in the St. Lawrence Division with 23 points, while Char-Lan is fifth with 17 points. The Lions have 14 points.

The Casselman Vikings have pulled well away from the rest of the St. Lawrence division with 45 points, while the Alexandria Glens are in second spot with 27 points and the Winchester Hawks are right on their heels with 26.

Calling all artists IPM offers $1500 prize

The Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry 2015 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) has issued a call to local artists to submit original artwork for the IPM Official Poster Art Contest. The contest is open to all residents of Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, City of Cornwall and Akwesasne.

The artwork must showcase the rural lifestyle of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and incorporate the SDG 2015 IPM tagline “Link to the past…Look to the future”. “We have been receiving lots of positive feedback from our members” states Bruce Davis, Executive Director at Your Arts Council Cornwall & the Counties.

“The contest will be an excellent way for all local artists to showcase their work and illustrate the great community we live in”, said Shauna Baggs, Contest Coordinator. “The 2015 IPM is expected to draw over 75,000 people to Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The whole event will be filled with opportunity – for local businesses, attractions and now artists. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase what SDG is made of!”

One Grand Prize winner will receive a cash prize of $1,500. All of the artwork will be displayed in a silent auction during the week of the plowing match from September 22-26, 2015.

Contest Information:

• Must be a resident of Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, City of Cornwall or Akwesasne

• Artwork can be painted, pencil, pastel or photography

• Size: Vertical 18 x 24 canvas

• All artwork must capture the rural lifestyle of SDG (emphasis on plowing)

• Tagline for the S-D-G 2015 IPM is “Link to the past….Look to the future”

• Entry form must be submitted by email by January 17, 2015 by 12:00 midnight

• Final submission of original artwork to be dropped off January 31, 2015 at the IPM office in Finch, 9A John Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, along with a $25 entry fee.

• Full contest details at www.plowingmatch.org

The 2015 SDG International Plowing Match and Rural Expo will be held in September.

United Way may not reach goal

United Way/ Centraide of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry has reached 60 per cent of its $707,070 goal for the 2014 Annual Campaign, but is concerned that the target may not be reached.

“We are always grateful for the generosity of our Community and we hope that spirit of giving and caring will carry us through this year too!” said Danny Aikman, Board President. This sentiment is felt by all of the volunteers on the Board of Directors and Campaign Team, but the organization is realistically looking at the numbers and is concerned it is not on track to reach the Campaign goal by next Friday.

“We are extremely thankful for the money that has been contributed so far”, said Nolan Quinn, 2014 Campaign Chair. “We very much need to reach our goal to ensure we have the best and most significant impact in our community. We fundraise so that our agencies can concentrate on what is important – running programs to help those who need it most. Our volunteers and staff are motivated and moving forward with strategies to close the gap, and we are hoping our Community can help us to reach the end successfully”.

The organization has one week remaining to reach the 2014 target. 16 agencies provide 19 programs, directly impact the lives of thousands of local residents. Proceeds from the yearly campaign stay local and fund programs which assist people throughout SDG. The organization is not discounting the possibility of extending the Campaign end date in order to achieve its objective.

“We thank everyone who Believes in Community and chooses to give a gift to those who need it most”, said Lori Greer, Executive Director. “No amount is too small to give. If you would like to empty your change jar and bring it to the office, we will gladly accept it. Every donation helps us to help your neighbours, family and friends in our Community”.

Contributions to the 2014 Annual Campaign can be made online at unitedwaysdg.com, by mail or in person at 405 Fourth Street West, P.O. Box 441, Cornwall K6H 5T2, and also by calling 613-932-2051 to donate by credit card. Donations of $25 or more enters you into a draw for a $3,000 gift certificate for Algonquin Travel, supported by Bell.

The United Way of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry is governed by a local Board of Directors, who, with United Way staff and volunteers help to raise funds that assist 16 agencies (19 programs) throughout Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

Its is to improve lives by working together with priorities focused on moving people from poverty to possibility, healthy people, strong communities and all that kids can be. For more information on United Way/Centraide SD&G, or to donate, visit unitedwaysdg.com.