News

The Chesterville & District Agricultural Society (Chesterville Fair Board) announced last Friday that gate admission would be free for everybody on Sunday, July 28th. The gate fees will be covered by sponsorships from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and the fair board.

July 2nd, the fair board announced free admission for children 12 and under, which it promised to do after its Facebook page received 1,000 Likes, and the challenge to Facebook users was continued. 

If the page could get 1,500 Likes, then everybody would get free admission; however, between OPG’s sponsorship and the board’s appreciation of the community’s support – both online and offline – it was decided that everybody will have access to Sunday’s festivities at no charge.

Fair-goers taking advantage of free Sunday will get access to an exciting day, including beef and goat shows, Dr. Kaboom, the baby show, dog agility shows, a pet show and a medieval show. The free admission will not include admission to the midway.

While not free, the rest of Chesterville Fair weekend still offers excellent value to provide an affordable day out for families. 

Friday kicks off with the midway opening early afternoon, a classic car show and Landmark. 

Saturday will feature a horse show, kickboxing and SportMMA demonstrations, Switchgear and, of course, the demolition derby. 

All-inclusive bracelets will be available throughout the weekend, giving access to the fair and all rides for only $25 per day.

For more information about all upcoming events at the Chesterville Fair, visit chestervillefair.com

[…]

BMO Bank of Montreal representatives delivered $25,000 to Upper Canada Village July 11.

This is the first installment of a $75,000 three-year sponsorship renewal with the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.

The sponsorship continues the BMO’s support for the operation of the miniature train, The Moccasin, at Upper Canada Village during the regular season and for Alight at Night. 

It too will fund the construction of a Tribute Wall at the Fort Henry Discovery Centre in Kingston.

BMO Financial Group has been a sponsor of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission since 2006.

“We are pleased to support such great local attractions as Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry.  At BMO, we understand the importance of local community support,” said Katherine Scarlett, Personal Banking Area Manager, BMO Bank of Montreal. 

“Both the Village and Fort Henry are wonderful family attractions and we are pleased to be a continued partner of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission,” said Katherine Scarlett, Personal Banking Area Manager, BMO Financial Group.

“Due to the continued support of BMO Financial Group, we are able to continue to deliver quality experiences to our many visitors each year. The Moccasin train experience is a favourite activity for families visiting Upper Canada Village during our main season as well as during the Alight at Night festival. BMO has been key partner of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission since 2006 and we appreciate their continued support,” said Geoff Waycik, Manager, Upper Canada Village, St. Lawrence Parks Commission.

[…]

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is warning residents of the five Eastern counties to avoid Wild Parsnip plants when spending time outdoors this summer. 

Wild Parsnip, also known as Poison Parsnip, is a toxic plant that is rapidly spreading throughout the region.

Certain individuals may be affected by Wild Parsnip more than others as they may suffer from a heightened sensitivity to the plant’s sap. 

When the stem is broken or the plant is brushed against, exposure to the sap can cause severe rashes, blisters or burns resulting in brown scars that can last for several years. 

If a person’s eyes come into contact with the plant’s sap, it can cause temporary or permanent blindness.

The most effective way of protecting yourself and your loved ones is to avoid the plant. 

Wild Parsnip plants vary in height from 50 to 150 cm and produce yellow flowers with five petals forming a head shaped like an umbrella. 

Leaves are branched and are characterized by a saw toothed edge. 

Wild Parsnip is usually found in disturbed areas, such as roadside ditches, along railroad right of ways, through cracks in parking lot pavement, around sports fields and recreation areas, fields, pastures, fence rows and yards during July, August and September.

If you see a Wild Parsnip plant on your property, the best way to avoid an infestation is to remove it. 

When removing Wild Parsnip, you must wear goggles, rubber gloves, rubber boots and coveralls. 

And don’t forget to thoroughly wash your boots and gloves with soap, water and a scrub brush before taking them off. 

It is best to mow the plant before it flowers (late June to early July) to prevent it from spreading. Wild Parsnip can also be pulled out by hand or dug up.

For more information about Wild Parsnip plants and how to remove them, visit www.eohu.ca or call Health Line at 613-933-1375 or at 1 800 267-7120.

[…]

As of Monday, July 15, the Williamsburg branch of the SD&G Library is closed.

This closure is in response the municipality’s order to vacate the space in the Williamsburg building by August 1, 2013. 

Williamsburg will be without a library until a new location is agreed to by South Dundas council, who were expected to decide on a new location at the July 16 meeting.

It will either be portables located at J. C. Whitteker Park or 1,000 square feet of renovated space, the more likely choice, at the former Canadian Tire building in Williamsburg. Either way, Williamsburg will have no library for the next couple of months.

The showcase library that the SD&G Library Board had in mind for Morrisburg, won’t be all they had originally envisioned.

“With the consolidation of the two branches into the new Morrisburg branch, the Library had planned to re-allocate resources to longer opening hours, to double-staffing at peak times and/or during the evenings, and to new program and community engagement initiatives at the new branch,” said Erika Heesen, communications librarian for the SD&G Libary. 

The library must find a way to allocate some resources to the re-located Williamsburg branch.

That means that improved service, for now, is not in the cards for the new Morrisburg branch. 

“The library will maintain the same level of service in Morrisburg in the new branch as the current branch,” said Heesen.

Jim Locke, South Dundas deputy mayor and member of the SD&G Library board, says that the board has not yet discussed any potential changes to staffing or programming.

He says that the Morrisburg branch, with its new, renovated location will still be a showcase branch. 

“The furnishings and infrastructure will all be new,” he said. “It will be a showcase branch. By the time the new branch is open we will be in a new budget year,” said Locke. 

“It’s a showcase branch, and we’ll have to run it as one,” he said, adding that staffing will have to be something discussed by the library board at their next meeting in September.

[…]

Iroquois is on the cusp of 1,400 km of new pipeline that will be constructed to carry oil eastward.

TransCanada Pipelines is converting 3,000 km of an existing natural gas pipeline that runs across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Eastern Ontario into an oil pipeline. 

That gas pipeline runs through South Dundas.

The proposed conversion ends at the Iroquois pumping station, and from that point on, the new construction starts.

The purpose of the project is to move oil from Alberta to Quebec and New Brunswick, including marine facilities for shipping exports to other markets.

TransCanada’s Energy East project will carry 500,000 to 850,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in Eastern Canada.

Enbridge, which has existing oil pipelines that run through South Dundas, is also in the process of a project that will carry 300,000 barrels a day from west to east. Their project is a flow reversal rather than a conversion and is not a new build. Inspection work for the Enbridge flow reversal project is taking place locally later this summer. 

Application for approval of this TransCanada conversion and new build project will be filed late this year with the National Energy Board decision and final approval expected in 2015.

Pipelines operate with a 99.99 per cent safety record in Canada, which is significantly lower that railway and truck transportation of oil.

Presently, 75 per cent of oil refined in Eastern Canada is imported from overseas. Projects like these will bring more Canadian oil to consumers.

[…]

About a month from now South Dundas municipal staff will have access to their new home, the South Dundas municipal centre in Morrisburg.

At this point in the $4 million renovation project to convert the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute into a new home for South Dundas administration and a new home in Morrisburg for the adjacent St. Lawrence Medical Clinic, municipal officials are well pleased.

According to South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald, the flooring is now going in on the second and third floors of the building that will be occupied by the municipality.

The millwork is starting this week, and then it’s on to final work and completion of the addition.

“From the municipal point of view, the progress on the project and the quality of the workmanship has been great,” said McDonald. 

“We have had excellent cooperation from our contractor on this project.”

He added that the renovation has progressed quicker than originally anticipated.

Throughout the project they have tried to create as few issues as possible for clinic patrons accessing the adjacent site.

“We’re pleased with this project,” said McDonald.

South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds expects that the August regular council meeting will be the last in South Dundas council chambers in Williamsburg.  

[…]

Micro-surfacing, a fairly new road surfacing technology that municipal officials see as providing good value for money, is a little costlier this year than last.

South Dundas council awarded the tender to the lowest bidder for the nearly 16 km of roadway planned for this year at the June 18 council meeting. 

The almost $460,000 worth of work represents a 13.3 percent price increase year over year, according to the report presented to council by Chris Bazinet, South Dundas manager of public works.

Two companies submitted bids. Duncor Enterprises Inc. was the lower bidder. Their bid was over $10,000 less than that of Miller Paving Limited, the company who has done all of South Dundas’ micro-surfacing so far.

Roads slated for micro-surfacing include Pigeon Island, Prunner Road, Zeron Road, Flagg Road, Waddell Road and the east end of Seibert Road.

[…]

The 30 mega-watt, 10 turbine South Branch Wind Project that will bring 10, 500’ tall industrial wind turbines to the Brinston area was approved, July 11, by the Ministry of the Environment.

Proponents of the project, EDP Renewables Canada already had a public construction meeting scheduled for July 17, at Matilda Hall in Dixon’s Corners.

Those opposing the project are disappointed to say the least.

The South Branch Wind Opposition Group had just recently met with council for information purposes and presented them with over 100 signatures of those in the Brinston area who support the idea of South Dundas declaring themselves ‘not a willing host’.

SBWOG had asked South Dundas council to vote on a resolution declaring that position, however, South Dundas council put off the motion until EDP was given the opportunity to make a similar presentation.

EDP was scheduled to make that presentation at this week’s council meeting.

In the meantime, the project was approved, making the resolution basically pointless, with respect to this project.

“I’m disappointed, but there is nothing I can do,” said Leslie Disheau, president of the South Branch Wind Opposition Group.

There is a 15 day appeal period to take the decision to Environmental Review Tribunal, but Disheau says the SBWOG will not file an appeal, as they do not have the resources to bring people in to testify on their behalf. 

“If this council truly values the residents of Brinston, they will put in the bylaws to protect them,” said Disheau. 

Disheau has suggested that nuisance bylaws for such things as noise and shadow-flicker be implemented and enforced by the Municipality of South Dundas, to protect area residents.

“The fight is just beginning,” said Disheau.

[…]

 

 Get out your lawn chairs, picnic blankets and picnic baskets and head for Cruickshank’s Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 20, from 3-5 p.m. Local musician, Cory Coons, will be putting on an outstanding free concert for every one at the amphitheatre that afternoon. 

Already a well known and popular artist in this area, Coons will be accompanied on stage Saturday by harmony vocalist Michelle Arthurs, with Mike McNeil on percussion. As a bonus, musicians Lana and Labarr, an exciting pop rock duo from Oshawa, are opening for Coons.

I had the opportunity to chat with Cory Coons about his music and his concert on July 20.

“I love music,” he explained. “It’s basically my passion in life, writing, creating and performing. Anything musically related I love.”

While he says that he doesn’t necessarily come from a musical family (“My mom played the organ, my dad loved to sing big band numbers.”) he laughed that “Michelle (Arthurs) is actually my sister-in-law, so that does sort of make it a family tradition.” 

He has been performing in concerts for over two decades now.

“I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 17 years old, still attending Seaway District High School.  I really love harmony. I turned professional around age 20.” He played for 12 years with a band called the Tycoons, but then decided to strike out in a solo recording career. His long term goal is to eventually work as a musician full time. He also shares his love for music as a Freelance Guitar Instructor.

Coons feels that certain other artists have served as an inspiration for his work.

“The 70s and 80s style of classic rock and newer country appeal to me. I enjoy Keith Urban and Neil Young, pretty much good music of any type. I would characterize my original work as roots rock meets country rock.” His most recent CD release (2012) is Here and Now and his single, Roses Need Rain, has generated some local airplay and interest. In the fall, he is looking at creating a new video.

I asked Cory about his song writing, since much of the work he will be performing at the Amphitheatre will be original.

“Every song is different,” he said. “Sometimes the melody comes first, and then the lyrics, sometimes the other way. I like to tell stories with my music. But I do have one rule. I believe that every listener should take his own elements out of my music. When they hear my songs, I want there to be a bit of a mystery there that they can solve themselves. After a concert, I like to talk to people, and I often discover that they have found ideas in the music that I hadn’t even thought of.”

Coons has opened for April Wine, Kim Michell, Glass Tiger, David Wilcox and Prairie Oyster. He has been in demand locally, performing at the Spencerville Stampede, Chesterville Hotel, Papa Gus in Chesterville and in Kemptville at the Old Coach House. 

The Cruickshank Amphitheatre is the perfect venue for an afternoon of great music with local artist, Cory Coons. The entire concert is free, and everyone is welcome. “People will enjoy themselves,” Coons said. “The whole event will be laid back, but lots of fun.”

[…]

 

A tradition several decades old will come to an end at Seaway District High School in 2014. Graduation October 11, 2013, will be the last one held in the fall for senior students.

“Our graduation committee has considered switching to a June graduation exercise for the class of 2014 and beyond. We have decided to make this change,” said principal, Terry Gardiner. “This change has been made to facilitate student attendance at the graduation  exercises and to align our practice with other schools in the Upper Canada District School Board.”

Friday, October 11, 2013, the last graduation on the Thanksgiving weekend will take place. In 2014, on a date to be announced later, graduation will be held in June. 

“Graduation is one of the highlights of our school year,” Gardiner said. He emphasized that the ongoing support of businesses and the community has always been very important to the school. “We hope that (businesses and organizations) will be able to continue supporting our graduates, and the fact that we will be having two graduation ceremonies in closer proximity to one another will not pose a problem.” 

[…]