MacEwens helps to Deck the Halls for Seniors Christmas Party

It’s been about eight years since the Municipality of South Dundas has increased its building permit fees, and now it’s catch-up time. South Dundas director of planning Don Lewis recommended that residential building permit fees […]

“We’ve talked about being open and fair so much that we thought we should go back and look at our procurement policy,” said Clerk Brenda Brunt at the March 6th South Dundas council meeting.

Brunt presented council with a recommendation to amend the procurement policy in an effort to “change some of the wording to ensure it was an open, fair, and transparent process.” 

Council agreed. Councillor Archie Mellan said, “I think it’s a very good document.”

The submitted report stated that seven “principles will be upheld to ensure the process is objective, accountable and fair.”

The principles are as follows: 

• “The underlying concept of procurement shall be to obtain the best quality of goods or services at the lowest possible price;

• The process shall be fair and the policies shall apply equally to all bidders;

• Procurement decisions shall be made in an unbiased manner without influence of personal preferences, prejudices or interpretations;

• Purchasing ethics, or moral principles or code, shall be respected and followed by personnel who are responsible for buying goods or services;

• There shall be clarity and disclosure in arriving at procurement decisions;

• Environmentally friendly procurement shall be encouraged, as will group purchasing across departments, with other municipalities and/or organizations, when beneficial and practical;

• The lowest or any tender shall not necessarily be accepted due to non-compliance with criteria set in the tender document.”

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Organizers Brian and Tracey Shaver couldn’t have imagined any better results as they set to work on their second decade of running their annual Ball Hockey Tournament in Support of the Dundas County District Council of Easter Seals in Williamsburg.

For their 11th event at the outdoor rink in Williamsburg this past Saturday, the Shavers were absolutely thrilled to see records set in the money raised, $6,020, and the number of teams (11) participating.

The only constant of the day was the third consecutive tournament win by team Morrell which included James Morrell, Ben and Jon Macpherson, Billy DeJong, Greg Millard, Colin Moran, Kelly Verhoeven, Lindsay Waddell, Laura McDonnell and Meghan Macpherson.

The Morrell team defeated Jamie McIntosh’s Delft Blue Veal in the A final.

For the first time ever, the event included a dance which was held at the Cedar Glen Golf Club with music by Wreckless.

The dance was sponsored by area businesses Wells and Son, Sevita International, Pioneer Winchester and Whitford Construction and added $518 to the day’s returns through ticket sales and another $156 when Wreckless passed the hat and collected another $156 to play another hour.

Through the community’s generous pledges to the ball hockey players and donations, the tournament raised a record $5,346, well up from last year’s $4,208.

“Brian and Tracey have done an amazing job getting this all in place,” said Easter Seals administrator Deanna MacKillican, who with Dundas County Easter Seals council chair Ian McLaughlin attended the event. “They organized and got all the sponsors. They do everything. They are amazing.”

In total, this year’s event received the support of 52 area businesses and individuals who put up prizes and/or made cash donations.

“It’s been a good year for businesses to donate,” said Brian Shaver. “This is really impressive for a small community. We had a handful of businesses step up and pay for the band so all of the ticket money is going to go back to Easter Seals. That is fantastic.”

“And as well, the prizes are very impressive, and for probably only the second time in 11 years, the weather is great.”

Coming in with the most pledges for the second consecutive year was Ben Henry at $700. Once again he was followed by Jason Rooney with $300. Jon MacPherson brought in $270, Janet Mackey $225, Scott Barkley $157, Bill Streng $145, Christine Carswell $140, Tammy Merkley $140, Greg VanBridger $124 and Adam Froats $105.

Each of the players is asked to raise a minimum of $25 in pledges.

“We have all set the bar high for next year, so we look forward to the challenge of beating it,” said Tracey Shaver.

The Easter Seals Society assists families who have children with physical disabilities.

Last year, the Dundas County District Council of Easter Seals counted on just under $20,000 raised at various local fund raisers which include the annual Ball Hockey Tournament, along with the Paper Eggs Initiative, Snowarama, a Curling Bonspiel and a Blooperball tournament.

There are approximately 11 families in Dundas County that are registered with Easter Seals Ontario.

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