News

Thanks to the Morrisburg and District Lions Club, students attending Morrisburg Public and St. Mary/St Cecilia schools continue to have access to the No Child Without (NCW) program. 

Sponsored by the local Lions, in partnership with the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation, the NCW initiative focuses on children who suffer from childhood diabetes and asthma, and allergies like peanuts. It also protects children with other pre-existing medical conditions.   

NCW provides elementary students with a MedicAlert bracelet or necklet custom-engraved with the child’s medical information, member ID and the MedicAlert 24-hour Emergency Hotline number, free of charge. 

This service is available to all children in our community, ages four – 14 with pre-existing medical conditions or allergies to ensure first responders have access to the student’s vital health information during a medical emergency. 

By calling the Hotline, school staff or health care providers have immediate access to vital information from the child’s electronic health record, including existing medical condition. 

The emergency numbers found on the back of the MedicAlert bracelets and necklets provide Morrisburg Publilc and St. Mary/St. Cecilia schools with important information to assist a student in an emergency situation. 

In addition, parents are immediately notified by MedicAlert when the Emergency Hotline receives a call about their child. 

As a result, parents of children who wear MedicAlert bracelets or necklets have peace of mind knowing they will be advised in the event their child has a medical emergency and furthermore the comfort that proper care was quickly provided.

Parents are encouraged to contact their school to obtain a brochure about the No Child Without program, providing more information and how to participate in this initiative.     

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Never leave it unattended: That’s the most important advice South Dundas Fire Chief Chris McDonough has for area residents using space heaters.

He understands the need for people to make use of these heaters, especially during the extreme cold weather. 

In fact, he himself uses one in the municipal office where he works. 

“These heaters create such an intense heat that you just can’t have any combustibles anywhere near the units,” said McDonough.

The two recent house fires graphically demonstrate the consequences of leaving a heater unattended. One was left on with no one at home, the other just in a back room, with the resident nearby. One home was completely destroyed and the other seriously damaged.

“If you need to use a space heater, just don’t leave it alone,” reiterated McDonough.

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Last week, the conditions of the Dundela house fire were just right for the South Dundas Fire Chief to use a Dry Sprinkler Powder Aerosol extinguishing system that he has had at his disposal since the summer.

When he was the first to arrive at the scene of the fire he assessed the situation and found that the DSPA would be quite effective. 

“It won’t put the fire out completely, but they do work well in a confined space,” said McDonough. Since the windows of the home were still intact, McDonough opted to throw in the DSPA. It landed very near the fire source. 

The DSPA is a type of extinguisher with a string attached to an igniter. When the igniter is pulled, a foamy agent is released from the canister, trapping and dousing the flames. 

“This is the first one I’ve used and it certainly worked very well,” said McDonough. “It certainly slowed the fire,” he said explaining that by slowing the fire, some of the smoke cleared and the internal temperature of the structure was lowered, to allow fire crews to immediately access the source of the fire when they arrived on scene minutes later. 

“I’m very pleased with how the DSPA worked,” said McDonough. “It’s a great tool for us to have, especially in the rural areas, where I can often get to the scene before the fire crews.”

McDonough said that the DSPA is a very cost effective tool as it may result in saving structures.

The cost of each DSPA is about $1,500. The fire chief’s truck and each of the first to call vehicles are presently equipped with a DSPA. The cost of the DSPA may, in some cases, may be reimbursed by the insurer.

[…]

 Spring is just around the corner, and so is the new South Dundas Recreation Guide.

Ben MacPherson, recreation programming coordinator for South Dundas is planning to finalize the spring/summer guide by the end of February.

Already some new offerings will be part of the guide including a gluten-free cooking class and a Qigong movement and meditation class.

New offerings like these are made possible by new instructors coming forward to share their talents. 

Samantha Gove will be leading the gluten-free cooking class and Kim Hutt the Qiqong class.

“What I am looking for right now is for any other instructors interested in sharing their skills by teaching a new class to contact me,” said MacPherson. 

Anyone with a program or a program idea is welcome to contact MacPherson to discuss the details. 

Most importantly, contact him before February 15 so that the new program can be included in the next edition of the Recreation Guide. 

MacPherson can be reached by telephone at 613-543-2937 or via email at bmacpherson@southdundas.com

The Rec. Guide is scheduled to be distributed before the March break, to let the community know about the March break programming that is available within South Dundas.

[…]

 

When the government offered up more time, South Dundas pounced on it immediately.

The government has offered more time for South Dundas and other municipalities to complete ongoing, government funded infrastructure projects.

In South Dundas that ongoing project is the $18 million reconstruction of waste water treatment plant in Iroquois.

Although South Dundas plans to meet the original completion time frame of March 31, 2014, they did not hesitate in taking the government up on their offer. 

The amendment to the agreement approved by South Dundas council at the January 15 meeting changes the date of completion to December 31, 2015. 

The entire project must be complete by that date to take full advantage of the government funding allocated to the project. 

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South Dundas council granted its support to another small rooftop solar project in South Dundas at the January 15 council meeting.

A handful of similar projects were supported at the December meeting. 

This month the support is for a project on the property of Glenn and Margaret Swerdfeger, located along Carman Road.

The support or non-support of the municipality truly has no bearing on whether or not a project will proceed, according to municipal officials.

Council is firmly divided on the issue. Out of protest against the program which has a negative impact on the rates paid by hydro users, Mayor Steven Byvelds and Councillor Jim Graham refuse to support any of these projects. 

However, they are the minority, so in the end council is supportive of all of the applicants seeking similar support.

Rather than waste time at council meetings having the same discussion over and over again, council has asked staff to prepare a policy that will provide blanket support for these small rooftop solar projects taking place on private property.

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A place to play and more is what’s offered by Ontario Early Years, when it holds play and learn time at St. James Anglican Church basement in Morrisburg every Tuesday from 9 a.m. until noon.

Just before the program took a break over the holidays, play and learn was moved to Tuesdays. 

With this small change, they were able to bring the Eastern Ontario Health Unit nurse back every week for the Watch Me Grow program which weighs babies, gives health advice for young children and can even do immunizations, if you call ahead first.

It has been two years since Watch me Grow has been available, in Morrisburg, and Fiona Carr, program coordinator of OEY is happy to welcome the EOHU back and is pleased with the success of the recent changes.

“Our first day after the move, we had 21 kids here representing 14 families. That’s wonderful for any drop in program,” she said.

OEY, which offers programming in both Iroquois and Morrisburg, is a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone with children 0-6 years of age.

The play and learn time in Morrisburg features some great toys, and a fleet of ride on toys, with ample space for the kids to enjoy them. 

This time to play and socialize with each other is an invaluable resource for young minds, and Carr said that she can see the positive affect it has on kids as they return again and again.

“Social skills are learned like crazy, just by playing with the other kids,” said Carr. “They learn how to share and to sit and listen, all in a friendly environment.”

“This is great,” said one of the caregivers who brought two young boys to Play and Learn just before Christmas. “There’s a lot of different toys here and the kids love that, especially the ride on toys. They really love the crafts too.”

While the kids are playing, learning and having fun, the time also provides their caregivers with the opportunity to talk to other parents and the child care professionals on site.

“Everyday I see new people come to the centre with their kids and leave with friends,” said Carr explaining that it’s a great place for both the parents and the kids to meet new people.

Carr encourages anyone with children aged 0-6 to drop by one of the play and learn sessions to learn about the OEY and all it has to offer. Play and Learn is offered from 9 a.m until noon, Mondays and Thursdays at Iroquois Public School and Tuesdays at St. James Anglican Church in Morrisburg.

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This past Christmas holiday season may well have been the last time that the South Dundas municipal office will be open between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

South Dundas council passed a resolution at the January 15 council meeting to close the office from noon on Christmas eve day, 2013 and re-open January 2, 2014 with regular hours.

The extra 2.5 days that the office is closed, staff will be off without pay unless they choose to use vacation time or banked hours.

Over the past couple of years, council has been adamant that the office be open for some time between the two holidays to allow ratepayers the opportunity to have access to staff to do things like pay taxes or get information. South Dundas has always ensured that the office stay open, albeit with a skeleton staff.

“We have to have some line of communication with the public. We have to be user friendly,” said South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke.

“I would prefer we remain open,” said South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde.

“I realize that people have ample opportunities for information,  and such, but people still like to be able to come in and see a face. I would like them to have the opportunity to come in,” said South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan.

“I was always of the opinion that we should have someone here (between Christmas and New Year’s), but we have to make sure it’s worthwhile,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, who this past holiday made a point to spend a little time at the office.

“I was here, I saw the abuse that our staff member had to take, here on her own. It was incomprehensible,” said the Mayor, who suggested that they try closing the office for one year to see how it works out.

The majority of council agreed.

In 2012, between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays 33 people visited the municipal office in Williamsburg in person: 20 people were paying taxes, one was getting a building permit, two were getting burn permits and the remainder were dropping off invoices or needed information that could have been accessed on the township website, phone system, newsletter or in the local paper.

The staffer on duty handled 103 phone calls: 41 for road conditions and the remainder for information that again could have been accessed through other sources, such as the webite or newspaper.

South Glengarry is the only other municipality in SD&G that is open between the two holidays.

[…]

 

Got an eReader or a tablet for Christmas, and don’t know how to use it? Head on over to your local branch of the SD&G County Library for a computer training session. 

The Library’s training sessions are tailored to each individual or small group’s needs, and include training with eReaders and tablets, online resources and the public library catalogue. “Providing resources for education and learning is an important part of what the Library does” said Erika Heesen, Communications and Marketing Librarian. “These training sessions are but one example of the many services the Library offers.”

These services include lending eBooks as well as print books. Using the Library’s OverDrive app or website at www.sdglibrary.ca, Library cardholders can borrow eBooks from the comfort of their own home. “The library is all about reading and learning, whatever format that might be in”, said Heesen. 

Training sessions are a part of the Library’s regular programming, or can be booked by contacting any SD&G County Library branch.

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Several South Dundas municipal managers will be eligible for retirement in the next five to seven years, so South Dundas officials are now trying to plan for the future. 

The Ontario Municipal Internship Program was developed to address the critical need to attract and train the next generation of competent, well-rounded municipal leaders. 

South Dundas is hoping through the program to bring in a recent graduate for a 12 month internship where they would work alongside the chief administrative officer and other senior staff members.

If South Dundas’ application is successful, the government program would provide 50 per cent of the intern’s salary, up to  $40,000, with an additional $5,000 available to subsidize ancillary expenses.

“At the conclusion of the program, the desired result is the development of a well-rounded, knowledgeable and grounded municipal professional who can ultimately rise to a leadership position in any municipality,” said South Dundas CAO Steve McDonald in his report to council.

“This fits very nicely with where South Dundas is going staffing-wise, with regards to succession planning,” he added.

“This is really a two-way street,” commented South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke. “We get someone with up to date knowledge, and they get valuable hands on experience.”

“This is a great opportunity for us to get another staff member and we could certainly benefit from that,” said South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde.

“After seeing the benefits of this program at the County level, I’m all for it,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, explaining that the Counties intern has done a lot of extra work and gathered a lot of extra information for which regular staffers don’t normally have enough time.

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