News

 

Trying to warm a back bedroom on a very cold night had drastic consequences for a local family.

January 20, firefighters from the Iroquois station were called to 10781 County Road 40, at 9:10 p.m. 

When they arrived, they found a two storey single family dwelling, fully involved. Firefighters from the Williamsburg Station were called to assist.

“With the extreme cold temperatures and strong winds it was very difficult for firefighters to contain the flames to the two storey structure and not have exposure travel to the adjacent properties on both sides,” said Fire Chief Chris McDonough of South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services. 

They did manage to contain the damage to the house, but it was a total loss.

The family, including two children under four years of age, was home at the time of the fire. 

They managed to escape and were safely at a neighbour’s home when firefighters arrived. The father suffered minor injuries to his hands when he tried to extinguish the flames. His injuries were treated by EMS workers on-scene.

A space heater was left running in the back bedroom, while the family was in the front living room. They smelled smoke and when the mother investigated she discovered the wall and dresser adjacent to the heater on fire. 

Fire crews cleared the scene at 3:30 a.m. Damage is estimated at $160,000.

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Anyone who owns land in or around a provincially significant wetland will now have a new regulating authority.

South Nation Conservation will take over the duties after their board voted resoundingly in favour of a staff motion, tabled at the January 17 meeting.

South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds tried, in vain, to gain enough support from his fellow board members to allow local municipalities within the conservation authority, like South Dundas, to maintain some local control over any projects happening in and around these provincially significant wetlands.

South Dundas council supported Byvelds’ efforts to maintain local control, by providing a resolution of support. However, even with that resolution, Byvelds was unable to sway any of the other board members which include representatives from the City of Ottawa, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Prescott-Russell, and Leeds and Grenville.

“I emphasized that our (South Dundas) staff could do the work of looking after wetlands from a local perspective,” said Byvelds.

“It has always worked fine. I don’t understand why they want to change it,” said Donald Lewis, South Dundas manager of planning and enforcement, head of the department which has looked after regulating the wetlands here. 

“I’m a bit concerned,” he said explaining that with a new authority comes a new interpretation of the regulations used to govern the land. With that new interpretation comes the potential to stymie development. South Dundas council shared his concern.

After a long, lively debate, the SNC board decided to support the staff motion to take over regulation of provincially significant wetlands in all of South Nation Conservation’s jurisdictions.

South Dundas will respect the board’s decision. 

“In the end somebody has to regulate PSWs. South Dundas was just looking at a more local way of dealing with local property owners and their plans,” said Byvelds.

Any work in or around a PSW will need permission from SNC which will have permit fees and a set of rules which must be followed.

As of yet, the Morrisburg Industrial land that has the potential to be declared a provincially significant wetland, is still designated as a local wetland, so it is not yet subject to the new regulation changes. 

[…]

 

South Dundas council gave final approval to a new garbage collection and waste disposal bylaw at the January 15 council meeting.

The biggest change in the bylaw: Farm waste is now being considered commercial waste and therefore subject to larger tipping fees at the township’s waste disposal sites. 

“We should be treated like a business. We are a business,” said South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan.

As a result of this change, farmers, as always, will be allowed to put two bags at the roadside for collection for their dwelling, but will now be allowed another two bags for their commercial establishment, if they are at the same location.

The bylaw also contains a provision for home health care waste.

Those South Dundas residents with medical conditions that result in the creation of additional waste that exceeds the municipality’s two bag limit, are now eligible to receive up to 26 bags for additional waste, free of charge. Those interested and eligible can apply at the Township office in Williamsburg. 

All residents are required to obey the bylaw, to recycle and are encouraged to actively reduce garbage.

South Dundas’ two bag limit remains in tact. Any additional garbage for roadside pickup must be in special bags purchased from the municipality. The new version of the bylaw is now in effect.

[…]

 

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.

[…]

 

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.

[…]

 

Dogs Looking for forever homes…

The South Dundas Animal Shelter is operated by Kevin Casselman who is contracted to work with the Municipality of South Dundas and a number of other neighbouring municipalities. Currently the Shelter is extremely crowded with 12 dogs now receiving help. And indeed, it is your help they need…under circumstances they don’t understand.

In addition, any owner who sees their dog featured in  a "Looking for Forever Homes" column, can always come forward and reclaim their loved one. Just last week, we were prepared to show two dogs, whose owner had been searching (by car) for days and who had finally contacted the shelter…you can imagine the reunion. And while dogs wearing their tags can usually be hooked back up with their owners, we also understand that in the rural areas, dogs often don’t wear their collars. Sometimes they even pull lose of their collars when tied up.

 

The dogs are the responsibility of the municipality for four days, after which they are signed over to Casselman who, with the help of some locals, tries to find these beautiful creatures, permanent, loving homes.

There are no adoption fees, although a cash donation or dog food donation, both determined by the dog’s size and length of stay, are expected.

Casselman does his best to determine the age and temperament of the dogs and only allows them to be adopted when he feels they are over their trauma and ready to join loving families.

 

The following are six of the 12 dogs currently up for adoption. Other dogs not featured can be seen by contacting Casselman at 613-543-2980.

 

Donations can also be made to the shelter in the way of cash or dog supplies (food, bedding, toys etc) and can be dropped off at the Animal Hospital in Morrisburg.

Dog #1–Dog number one is a Bull Mastiff, and so a good sized dog. He is one of the calmest dogs currently at the shelter and is a beautiful rich tan colour. He is house trained and appears to like children and other dogs. He is so looking for a family to love him and can be expected to give a lot of loving back. He is like a big loving teddy bear.  Adopted Sunday, January 20.!!!

 

Dog #2–Dog number two is a special needs purebred American Bulldog. This four-year-old female is house trained, and very protective. She has some special issues that will need to be addressed and anyone interested in her adoption should call and discuss the issues with Kevin. A confident, social and active dog, the American Bulldog should be socialized early with children and they tend not to be sociable with other dogs. Please contact Kevin to help determine what he has seen of this dog’s nature.

 

Dog #3–Dog number three is thought to be a Shepherd mix…perhaps with some Husky. How this dog ended up at the shelter is everyone’s guess. It is a beautiful brown/red and tan color with white markings. A male, it is about two years old and has been neutered. He is house trained, good with children and so very friendly that he would make a loving addition to any family home.

 

Dog #4–Dog number four is a charming little puppy which has been at the shelter for a couple of weeks and was featured last week. It is quite surprising that this female puppy with the adorable spotted feet has not been adopted. She appears to be a lab-shepherd mix and is now about six months old, so she is ready to be trained to fit into any family setting. She was so very excited to have her photo taken and so very excited to play with the photographers that it was unsettling as to how much love she has to give and how this wee young puppy has found herself in such an unfortunatepredicament.  She was found in the Moose Creek area.  Adopted Sunday, January20

 

Dog #5–Dog number five was also featured last week and has been at the Shelter for a couple of weeks. It is always a concern when a older dog is rescued, but time and again, they have gone out for adoption and their new families report back the wonderful out-pouring of love they received for these poor sad animals who suffer so from being removed from longtime homes. This dog is a beautiful female, shepherd mix (4-5 years old, so really not that old). She was rescued in the Dundela area. She is very calm, very friends and house-trained.

 

This is a public service column provide by The Leader. The Leader accepts no responsibility for the dogs or the adoption process.

[…]

 

Twenty-five applications were received for the manager of public works position that will be vacated later this year when South Dundas’ first manager of public works, Hugh Garlough retires.

Given the nature of the job and the number of municipalities seeking to fill similar positions, South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald was pleased that so many were received by the January 9 application deadline.

The next step will be to screen those applicants and choose the best contenders for an interview.

McDonald expects to select about five applicants to interview.

He will also form a hiring committee to include himself, possibly a peer (public works manager from another municipality) and one or two members of council to sit in and observe the interviews. 

After that process is complete, a recommendation will be made to council.

Although Garlough’s retirement doesn’t take effect until the end of this year, the CAO would like to see a replacement selected as soon as possible.

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