News

The lights went out on the 14th annual Alight at Night Saturday, January 3, 2015, ending one of the brightest seasons yet for the Upper Canada Village attraction.

“This year was an amazing year for Alight at Night,” said Susan Le Clair, manager, customer service and corporate communications with the St. Lawrence Parks Commission. “We had almost 40,000 visitors in this our 14th year.”

That’s about 5,000 more visitors than the next best attended Alight at Night season.

Le Clair credits a number of factors with this season’s success.

“For sure, great weather provided us with the perfect backdrop,” she said. The Ferris wheel and Saint Nick’s Merry Mansion, were a couple of new additions to this year’s event.

Also, the success of Pumpkinferno has helped spread awareness of Upper Canada Village and Alight at Night.

Le Clair was not yet willing to share any details that could be in the works for next winter’s Alight at Night, which will be the 15th annual event, but says the team is already thinking about it. 

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With the new year, came a new year’s baby.

The first baby born in 2015 at Winchester District Memorial Hospital was Lilah Shay Thurler.

She is a very considerate little girl. 

She let her parents, Robert and Brittany, attend a family New Year’s Eve party before making her debut at WDMH  January 1, 2014 at 12:26 pm.

“She gave us an hour’s sleep before Brittany began feeling labour pains,” says proud father Robert Thurler. “We got home from the party at 2 a.m. and headed to the hospital three hours later.”

Lilah is Robert and Brittany Thurler’s first child. The Thurlers live in South Mountain.

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South Dundas mayor Evonne Delegarde is much more interested in looking ahead to 2015, than looking back at 2014, as we head into the new year.

Much of 2014, for her, was focused on the fall election where she ultimately achieved her goal of becoming mayor of South Dundas: South Dundas’ first female mayor.

Speaking with media days after being sworn in as mayor, she had already noticed that things are a lot different as mayor than they were as councillor, a position she held for six years.

“There’s definitely more pressure as mayor,” said Delegarde. “It’s totally different.”

She said that in preparing for a council meeting, she has always been pretty well-read and well prepared for the issues at hand, but she is nervous to be at the head of the table. “Part of the job in this position is to get all the facts. I have to listen to everything so that I can make decisions that are in the best interest of South Dundas. We all have to do that, with every issue,” she said. 

“We have to try to think with our heads and not our hearts. That’s a challenge. We all grew up here.”

As soon as she was elected mayor, she noticed a big difference in the number of comments and inquiries that she is fielding. “On average, I probably get about three or four inquiries everyday. I get more calls now than ever before and numerous emails.”

Despite the increased workload, she plans to continue with her part-time job at the Sears in Iroquois.

Being at the head of the council table, Delegarde says, “I know that I may have to provide more direction for council.” 

She wants the process to be a little less formal than it has been over the last four years.

Delegarde sees the next year as a time to work at mending relationships and opening the channels of communication. 

“We have to get staff, and everyone working together again. That’s a goal of this council as a group,” she said.

She will hold regular office hours open to the public at the South Dundas Municipal Centre in the mayor and council office on the third floor, likely twice a month, the Friday before a council meeting.

“This is not a one pony show. We want people to tell us what they are thinking. As a council there is no possible way we can know everything. We need people to tell us, and to feel free to speak to us about their concerns,” said Delegarde, who will encourage the other council members to make use of the office too. 

Delegarde wants to see the municipality be more proactive than reactive in how they deal with complaints, and the complaints to be tracked to ensure they are dealt with in a timely manner. 

Over the last year council and staff have been working on five draft bylaws, and Delegarde would like to see those drafts dealt with as soon as possible, having already scheduled a special council meeting in mid January. Those bylaws include parking, signs, exotic animals, entrance and sewer use bylaws.

One of the first big tasks or council every year is the budget.

Delegarde acknowledges that the budget will be handled a little later this year than it has in the past, but in the coming years it is her aim to get the budget completed as early in the new year as possible.

As far as a tax increase, she is not making any solid predictions, although she was quick to point out that the cost of the South Dundas Municipal Centre alone means that six percent more is needed. But, acknowledges there have been significant savings in other areas that help offset some of that cost. 

“We want minimal increases, but it’s hard to do with no increase,” she said.

For her, village roads are a priority.

In the coming year she says that council will decide whether or not open question and answer sessions will become a part of the regular council agenda.

She plans to stay on top of landfill issues and succession planning, as staff retirements are likely over the next four years. 

Areas for review, according to Delegarde, include the rehabilitation of the Morrisburg Plaza, an inventory of municipally owned buildings and land, and the whole user fee system.  

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“The strain on food banks is always high at this time of year, but for the Dundas County Food Bank this is unprecedented,” said Ian McKelvie, DCFB administrator.

While the food bank has been fortunate to receive much community support over the holiday season, the generosity hasn’t been enough to keep the shelves stocked.

Over the last several weeks, food is going out the door as fast as it is coming in.

Food bank use has increased by about 15 percent across Dundas County, but McKelvie says that it has increased even more here at the South Dundas location in Morrisburg.

With food going out the doors so quickly, the food purchasing budget for 2014 has been completely depleted. 

DCFB officials estimate that the food budget will be overspent by about $12,000 just to meet demand. “It’s possible that we could have our first deficit since the food bank was established in 1991.”

“We would like to appeal to the community to help us reduce this shortfall,” said McKelvie. 

Right now they are asking that people focus on monetary donations, cash or cheques payable to the Dundas County Food Bank.

Monetary donations allow the food bank to focus on their most immediate food needs, and gives purchasers a little more buying power to buy in bulk to turn the dollars into more food.

The need is immediate. 

Donations can be dropped off at the food bank.  They are open next January 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For added convenience, the Municipality of South Dundas and Township of North Dundas have agreed to accept donations for the Dundas County Food Bank at the municipal offices in Morrisburg and Winchester during regular business hours from January 2 on.

Donations are also accepted online at canadahelps.org : search for Dundas County Food Bank.

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A fundraising dance and silent auction is being organized for the benefit of Jessica (Beckstead) Blok and her young family.

Jessica, who is 19 years old, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer, and every cent of the proceeds will go to help her and her husband Dustin as they care for their six month old daughter, Autumn, through these difficult circumstances.

A committee of volunteers and the Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club have held an emergency meeting to organize the event that will take place January 10, 8 p.m., at Matilda Hall in Dixon’s Corners.

Eddy and the Stingrays will provide the entertainment.

Tony Hall, one of the organizers of the event, says Eddy and the Stingrays are donating their time to the event, so that all proceeds can go to help Jessica, Dustin and Autumn.

“That’s just fantastic,” said Hall. “Their popularity alone will mean that this could turn into a huge event, and a really big blessing for this family.”

Last week, Hall said that Jessica is not doing well. “We are hoping to have her with us as long as possible.”

If anyone wants to donate items to the auction they can do so by contacting Tony Hall (613-330-1901 or tonythomashall@gmail.com). Tickets for the benefit dance are $20 and available at Mustard’s Variety or from any Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club member.

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“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.

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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.

[…]

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.

[…]

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.

[…]

It didn’t take long for the nearly two year old Ontario Grain Terminal issue to land on the table of the newly elected South Dundas council.

December 16, at the first regular meeting of council, among the first delegations to make presentations to council were the concerned citizens of South Dundas who have long opposed the grain terminal proposed by Norag Commodities for the industrial UTI property of Tom Kaneb, located along Lakeshore Drive. 

Immediately following that presentation was a presentation by those who are in favour of the development. 

Both sides of the issue had different spokespeople making their presentations. 

The concerned citizens presentation was by Linda Nowicki, one time South Dundas resident and former mayor of Wawa, Ontario, who plans to return here as a full time resident.

The Ontario Grain Terminal presentation of support was prepared and delivered by former South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds of Bycrest Farms, a 1,000 acre cash crop operation and Warren Schneckenburger of Cedar Lodge Farms, a 3,000 acre cash crop farming operation.

The South Dundas council chamber was filled with over 80 residents, about half from area farming operations, with an interest in the issue.

South Dundas mayor Evonne Delegarde read a statement explaining that there would be no questions or discussion on the matter at the table since it has become a legal matter.

Nowicki urged council to officially take a position on the issue. 

“To date, council of the township of South Dundas has been silent on the matter. There has been no public official endorsement of the proposal by way of resolution, debate or a vote at a public meeting of council,” she said. 

She added that the chief building official is not the one who should be deciding which expert opinion is the most valid. “He is not a planning expert and does not have the authority to decide which report carries the most weight. That is up to council.”

“We are seeking an honest and open process whereby the costs/benefits of the grain terminal proposal will be thoroughly analyzed, discussed in public, and decided in accordance with established municipal council responsibilities, planning principles and zoning requirements applicable in Ontario. We appeal to you to recognize the authority that you have as a council and exercise that authority,” concluded Nowicki.

“South Dundas needs economic  development,” said Steven Byvelds who is in favour of the OGT project.

“South Dundas cannot afford to turn down any new development, especially one with the potential this project has. If council stops this project, it will send a signal to other potential developers that South Dundas is not open for business and they will go where they are welcome, like North Dundas and South Stormont.”

Farmers are unified in their support of the $6 million project, having letters of support from the Dundas Federation of Agriculture, Dundas Soil and Crop Improvement Association, District 14 Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Grain Farmers of Ontario. 

The project would open up a new local market for producers across the region as there are presently no significant end users for soybeans or wheat in the vicinity like there are for corn (Ingredion, Greenfield). 

“One ship replaces 625 trucks going further downstream to Montreal or Sorel,” said Schneckenburger, adding that the terminal is a clean land use. They urged council to allow the project to move forward and to issue a building permit.

[…]