Year: 2015

MPP Jim McDonell is urging all local municipalities and seniors’ non-profits to apply for the new Ontario Seniors Community Grant Program. 

The grant is available to municipalities, senior-focused non-profits, local service boards and aboriginal groups for projects that provide seniors with opportunities to network, volunteer, learn and be otherwise active in their community.

“Our seniors built a community and province they can be proud of, and they are dedicated to sharing their experience and abilities” MPP McDonell commented. “This grant will provide $1,000,000 across the province to local services organizations who want to bring more senior clients together and offer them a greater variety of activities.” Individual grant amounts are expected to range from $500 to $8,000.

“Having our seniors as active participants in our community sharing their wealth of knowledge and wisdom is an essential step in maintaining their quality of life and both physical and mental health,” MPP McDonell said. 

“I encourage all local service organizations to identify projects that would help enhance our seniors’ quality of life and apply for the grant by the March 27th deadline.” Program guidelines and application forms are available at www.ontario.ca/seniors

[…]

Charles Crober and Christopher Rowntree, representing Concerned Citizens of South Dundas, are the applicants appealing the issuance of a building permit that will allow for the construction of a new grain elevator/storage facility at the UTI property owned by Morrisburg Dock Expansion Inc., located at 11610 County Road 2, Morrisburg.

The permit issued January 30, 2015, is for the construction of a new grain elevator/storage facility on the M1 zoned land, with a construction value of $2.8 million.

According to Lesley Rowntree, Concerned Citizens of South Dundas, is supported by over 600 signatories on a 2013 petition.

“We communicate with about 40 people on a direct basis when something actually occurs in the way of new information and to ask for their ideas and opinions,” says Lesley, who with her husband Chris, “have served as a sort of ‘office’ for the group and been spokespersons for them.”

Because the grain terminal issue seems to be a divisive one, Lesley says, “We have tried to respect absolute privacy and confidentiality for those who support us with resources of time, effort and money.” She would not say exactly how ‘many’ people are financially supporting the effort.

Chris and Lesley live less than one kilometre from the proposed grain terminal site, and have been there about 3.5 years. They say many of the people they are representing through the concerned citizens group have lived in the area much longer and most are a much greater distance from UTI. 

“We need to dispel the erroneous idea that this group of people all live close to the proposed grain terminal,” says Lesley.

As a core value of the group, Lesley says, “We are working to try to reaffirm in our community the democratically mandated voice of all citizens to express their own interests and concerns, based on honest and open information.”

“We are being driven to court as the only way to prove that the proposal does not fit the zoning. Once that is established, proper procedure can be initiated whereby proponents make an application which requires zone changes and thus enables the proper process mandated by the Ontario Planning Act to come into operation.”

[…]

Monday, March 2, the newly elected council of South Dundas kicked off 2015 budget deliberations.

“Nothing here is in stone,” South Dundas mayor Evonne Delegarde told council, urging them to ask lots of questions and take time to consider what’s presented. Council plans to spend the rest of this week discussing the budget, and expects deliberations to conclude Thursday.

The ‘wish list’ – if all that each of South Dundas’ managers requests is approved, would amount to $750,000 more tax dollars than last year.

From the managers’ budgets, South Dundas treasurer Shannon Geraghty and South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald pared the budget down considerably. 

The budget tabled for council Monday, if approved as presented, represents a 7.27 per cent dollar for dollar increase over 2014.

That increase would mean a 2015 budget of $5,611,220, up about $380,000 from last year.

Such an increase would mean about $18 more on the municipal portion of an average residential property, with a home valued at $176,000. That would be added to the approximately $23 increase already proposed to the Counties portion.

The rest of this week, South Dundas council will be looking to make budget cuts to reduce the size of the proposed increase.

Every $52,300 that council cuts from the budget, drops the 7.27 per cent proposed increase by 1 per cent.

At Monday’s budget meeting, council was unsuccessful at making any significant cuts, in fact, adding more money into the budget. They suggested that the allotment for legal fees be increased, recognizing that this year, the budgeted amount of $15,000 will not likely be sufficient.

[…]

Council and staff of the Corporation of the Municipality of South Dundas have received many inquiries concerning the issuance of a building permit at 11610 County Road 2. As a result of the inquiries, Council wishes to clarify certain aspects of the building permit process.

The issuance of building permits is governed by the Building Code Act. 

The Chief Building Official, while appointed by Council, is given authority under the Building Code Act in order that they remain impartial and independent from the Municipality’s interests. 

The actions and decisions of the Chief Building official are therefore mandated by statute. 

Council should not, and cannot, interfere with the decisions of the Chief Building Official.

If and when the Chief Building Official is satisfied that an application for a building permit meets all applicable law, he or she is required to issue the permit. 

In the case of the building permit for the Morrisburg Dock Expansion Inc. Property, as with all other permits, the Chief Building Official carried out the required due diligence, including obtaining legal advice and professional planning advice confirming that the application met existing zoning requirements. 

Council has been advised that upon being satisfied that all applicable law had been met, the Chief Building official issued the permit as required by the Building Code Act.

An Application has now been issued and served appealing the decision of the Chief Building Official to issue the permit. 

As this matter is now before the Courts no further comment will be made by the Municipality of South Dundas.

[…]

“We had two full draws taking part in the Bonspiel, 48 players,” said Greta McGann, who organized the 2015 Morrisburg Curling for Heart & Stroke, “and we hope to give over $1,000 to Heart & Stroke this year.”

This is the sixth year that McGann and her volunteers have put the fund raising tournament together. It was held at the Morrisburg Curling Club on Saturday, February 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

“It’s definitely a for fun bonspiel,” McGann said. “But there’s lots of action and lots of fun for everyone who takes part.”

McGann and fellow volunteers, Joanne Baker and Linda Murphy, provided a delicious lunch for participants. Wally Baker prepared the excellent ice for the tournament.

“We had over 40 prizes donated by local businesses,” McGann said. “People bought tickets and placed them in the containers near the prize they were interested in. Then the winner was drawn. The funds raised by these draw prizes also goes to Heart & Stroke, once our expenses are covered. We really appreciate the generosity of our area businesses. They really help us out.”

McGann appreciates the importance of fund raisers like the bonspiel.

“Lots of people in our area have heart issues. It’s due to events like this that the Heart & Stroke Foundation and the SD&G Emergency Management Services were able to place defibrillators in public places like the curling club. I have no problem getting people to come out to curl with us. The support is strongly there.”

Cindy Rowe, area manager of the Heart & Stroke Foundation, was on hand to thank participants and to answer questions about the work the Foundation does.

“I think it is important for people to realize that every seven minutes someone dies of heart disease,” she said.

[…]

“This is an awesome day, and awesome work by our students,” said Seaway District High School principal, Don Lewis, as he joined teachers and members of the community in examining the displays at the annual SDHS Science Fair. 

“We brought the grade sixes over to see these science projects,” he said, “because it’s great for kids to get a look at the ideas of others, and for our young Seaway scientists to act as mentors, communicating about their projects with others. We were also pleased that members of the community also came to look at the Science Fair.”

Seaway held its Science Fair in the school gym on Friday, February 27. All of the intermediate students as well as 15 grade nines took part. Judging of the projects was done by teachers, community people and by senior high school science students.

There were three types of projects for the fair entrants: experiments, research and design. “We wanted them to focus on scientific enquiry,” said Seaway science teacher, Melissa Ringler. “We wanted students to ask a question, to work to find the answer, and then to communicate that knowledge to others.”

Senior student judges, Joshua Casselman, Jaime Garlough and Bronwen Fowler, indicated that it was a bit of a tug-of-war, evaluating the junior school projects. “We want them to share information, but we didn’t want to intimidate them. There was quite a range of projects and skills out there, and we made a point of giving constructive criticism as we went along.”

The range of skills and interests on display at the fair was very impressive. Student Grant Wells created a virtual hunter training simulator (V.H.T.S.) which is designed to make a person familiar with different types of game and different firearms. “Kids are getting housebound,” Grant said. “This simulator is meant to get them outside, working with animals and the environment, becoming better and safer hunters.” 

Gabriel Baker and Alex Stewart, who both say they really like science, examined the properties of bleach on organic and non-organic materials, while Maiah Horne’s work, Rust Never Sleeps, studied the problems of rust in automobile steel.  

Abigail Jordan studied the relationship between density, colour and nutritional values in selected fruits and vegetables in Eat A Rainbow Every Day. Aaron Tibben explored ways to clean even the dirtiest water, without the use of costly chemicals, by building a long filter that incorporates the earth’s natural filtering properties. “This is important for third world countries,” he said.

Other projects looked at tsumanis, oil versus wind energy, the effect of different liquids on diffusion, the electrolyte challenge and the nature and uses of uranium. 

Science fair winners will move on to a board-wide competition.  

[…]

It was a tough decision for the three official, and one slightly unofficial, judges who had to choose the best chili entry at the Iroquois Legion Branch 370 Great Chili Cook-off on Saturday, February 28.

When all 12 entries had been sampled (and greatly admired) the judges selected Gail McCallum first, Lyle Fickes second and Anita Gilmour, third. Vicki Tetley took home an honourable mention and the People’s choice awards.

“It’s never easy for the judges to choose,” said contest organizer Shelley Cumberland. “We had 12 great contenders for the title of Chili Champion, 2015, with bragging rights for the year.”

This was the ninth annual Chili Cook-off held at the Legion. After the official judging, guests enjoyed a delicious dinner and the music of Keith Johnston, King of Karaoke.

Official judges for this year’s cook-off  were  Michael Tryon, chief cook on the Canadian icebreaker ‘Griffon’, South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services Chief, Chris McDonough, and South Dundas mayor, Evonne Delegarde.

The somewhat unofficial  fourth judge was one ‘Juan Pedro de la Rodriques’, apparently from Tijuana, a noted chili eater, visiting in Iroquois to get away from all that hot weather down in Mexico. (In another life, Judge “Juan” is also known as Justin Mayhew).

“The chilis are all submitted anonymously, with none of the cooks on hand,” said Shelley Cumberland, “so there is not a hint of favouritism. The decisions are based on the judges’ personal tastes. We don’t have a set criteria.”

The funds raised at events such as the Great Chili Cook-off allow the Legion to continue its support of many community efforts.

[…]