News

 

A crowd of 30 residents of the Lockewood Heights subdivision in Morrisburg packed South Dundas council chambers December 5 to express their objections to a minor variance application.

This was the second consecutive Wednesday evening that the group raised their concerns with the minor variance committee.

Those who are neighbours to the house for which the variance is being sought see the minor variance being applied for as anything but minor.

The house, which is already built, is  a rental property. It has an accessory apartment, which is allowed, but the owner wants a minor variance to allow that apartment to be much larger than the 25 per cent size of the primary dwelling unit which is allowable. He applied to have the apartment be about 75 per cent of the size of the primary dwelling unit.

The property owner said that he was not aware of the apartment size limitation when he built the home, but neighbours say he is simply trying to use the minor variance application process as a loop hole to allow him to legally have, what is essentially a horizontal duplex, in a part of the subdivision, not zoned for multi-residential housing.

The minor variance committee, stating that they could not ignore the objections of area homeowners, denied the minor variance application.

The decision can be appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board.

[…]

 

Every year since he has been at the Morrisburg Canadian Tire store, owner Michel Proulx and his staff have made a tradition of handing out Christmas donations to a handful of local charities.

Monday, Proulx, who will be leaving this store for a larger store in Niagara Falls in February, made his final holiday donations.

“This will be the last one for me, but hopefully not the last for these charities,” said Proulx, hoping that this tradition of giving will be one that is continued by the new store owner.

The largest share of the $11,000 went to the Dundas County Food Bank, who received $5,000.

Terry Triskle was thrilled with the donation. 

Although many holiday food drives and cash donations have helped the food bank recently, only a few weeks ago the food bank was in the red, overspending their food budget. 

“This year, the amount of food we are giving out is way up,” said Triskle. Even higher than the past couple of years which have seen annual increases.

The local Jumpstart committee received $3,000 to help local children in need participate in sport.

“This has been a record year for Jumpstart,” said David Lapier of the Jumpstart committee. 

“We’ve supported about 100 kids this year. Michel (Proulx) is a great supporter of Jumpstart and a great supporter of the community.”

Naomi’s House and the South Dundas Christmas Exchange each received $1,250, to help provide help for those in need during the holidays.

Naomi’s has a Christmas room where families who have accessed Naomi’s services can shop for their family members at no cost.

The South Dundas Christmas Exchange provides Christmas baskets, which include everything for a Christmas dinner, to those in need. 

“This year we have 171 families and 31 singles registered for baskets,” said organizer Carol Richer.

The final $500 was donated to the Lions Angel Tree. Bob Bechard of the Morrisburg and District Lions Club accepted the donation on behalf of the club. He explained that the trees allow the community to buy Christmas gifts for those children, who may not otherwise get a gift. 

The angel trees are organized by Wayne and Jane Domanko, and Bechard reported that the Morrisburg Angel tree will provide gifts to 201 children this Christmas. 

[…]

 

Thanks to a DuPont Pioneer Canada donation of $2,500 a team of South Dundas firefighters will receive some important specialized training in the near future.

The grant is being put towards confined space and high angle training to make use of new grain extrication equipment that is especially important in a farming community.

When South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan heard about this funding opportunity, he saw it as a natural fit for the South Dundas community, and brought it to the attention of South Dundas Fire Chief Chris McDonough.

“We’re seeing more and more on-farm (grain) storage all the time, and the more on-farm storage you have, the greater the risk,” said Mellan.

Chief McDonough explained that the equipment will be stored at the fire station in Williamsburg. A small group of firefighters there will receive the training, because if this equipment is needed, it will be in rural South Dundas.

Because Leeder and Quintan Products donated the grain extrication tool, the entire $2,500 from the DuPont community investment grant will go towards the costly training.

“We’re just glad that we can be involved with something like this,” said Leeder. “Hopefully you’ll never have to use this.”

South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds was pleased to be receiving this donation and for the generosity of all involved in working together to bring this equipment to the community. “In theory, it’s nice to have,” he said, adding that he too hopes that it is never needed.

[…]

 

Forty years ago Helping Hands of Matilda was formed, and Corrie Byker was there.

Byker, pictured left, has been part of the organization since day one, and still attends the monthly meeting of the seniors group regularly. 

She was among the 75 members and guests who were at the December 5 holiday luncheon, which featured a special turkey dinner catered by the Iroquois Legion Ladies, followed by an afternoon of entertainment.

Byker recalled the first time the Helping Hands met. “We started in the fall of ‘72. Mrs. Leverdink was the president and I was part of the kitchen committee that looked after the meal and refreshments.”

The group has changed over the years, but it remains today a regular place for seniors to gather and socialize. “I have always liked it,” said Byker.

“When it first started it mas more about making crafts that we sold,” said Byker, recalling that they later met and invited guest speakers to help the group learn about things they were interested in.

The group has always recognized members anniversaries and birthdays, and now enjoys a potluck meal at their monthly meetings, which take place the first Wednesday of every month.

“The potluck works really good,” says Byker. 

Anyone over 50 is welcome to attend any meeting. They can join in the meal by bringing something to share with the other club members.

[…]

 

Looking for someone to 

give a guy a chance!!!

This mixed breed lad is about three years old and has a beautiful brownish red colour. His stay at the shelter is beginning to stretch out, mainly because he obviously has some hound in him. However, looks can be deceiving and in this case are. Like all dogs, this poor guy is just looking for someone to love him, so that he can love them back. He has impressed everyone at the shelter with how well behaved and good natured he is and how much he wants to please. According to the shelter he is “one of the best behaved dogs  to be at the shelter in a very long time.”

[…]

 

The contract is now signed and December 6 Bourgon Construction had the shovel on site to start the $4 million construction project to renovate the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute.

“The first steps are the demolition and abatement,” said South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald.

As part of the demolition, a small entrance way was removed from the old high school building, the canopy was removed from the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic building and the main entrance was blocked off. McDonald explained these exterior demolitions will make way for the addition that will house the elevator.

The contractor is eager to get the services into the building and the foundation poured for the addition while the weather is still good. Tuesday, a section of Ottawa Street was closed while the street was dug up to get those service into the building.

While work is taking place on the outside, interior demolition is also taking place, with doors and entrances being removed.

While the construction project is taking place right next to the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic, Stephen McCann the clinic’s operations manager, said that it is business as usual at the clinic.

“The parking lot has been sectioned off for the construction, but we have retained about a third of it for parking,” said McCann. Access to the clinic is, one way, off Ottawa Street as usual, but they are asking that patients exit around the rear of the building on to Second Street. “We are working on some fencing to help guide people along the preferred route.”

Patients will enter the clinic using the door on the north side of the building and once inside that door are asked to proceed through the secondary waiting room to the reception desk in the main lobby where they would normally enter the building.

McCann asks that motorists using the clinic parking lot take extra caution as those pedestrians exiting the building are very close to the roadway.

[…]

 

 “We have such incredible citizens here in our community, who are incredibly giving of their time day after day,” said MP Guy Lauzon, at the ceremony to honour 31 area recipients of the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. “I can’t thank all of you who volunteer in your communities enough. You all make me very proud.”

Five members of the South Dundas community, Doug Grenkie, Joan Farlinger, Helen Tupper, Dr. Graham Houze and Trevor Tolley were among those honoured with medals. 

St. Andrews Catholic Church, the site of the Sunday, December 9, ceremony was packed with family and friends and dignitaries gathered to acclaim the area medal winners. 

The commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebration of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne and honours significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

Joan Farlinger broke the “glass ceiling” and was selected as the first female chair of the Winchester Hospital Board of Directors, and also served six years as the president of the WDMH Auxiliary. She represented the auxiliary and this community as the president of the Hospital Auxiliary Association of Ontario.

Joan has served with the Morrisburg Curling Club, Knox Presbyterian Church, the Dundas Junior Farmers and as provincial director for the Junior Farmers of Ontario. She currently acts as a board member for the Rural Healthcare Innovations overseeing the former Dundas Manor in Winchester.  

Lawyer Doug Grenkie, a Morrisburg & District Lion for 40 years, and a member of the Cornwall, SD&G Shrine Club, has been president of the Dundas County Cancer Society and past president of the Eastern District of the Cancer Society for the Ontario division. 

He serves on the board of Partners for Children in Development, and  has acted as a fund raiser for the Children’s Treatment Centre in Cornwall. He has served with the Morrisburg & District Canadian Club for 40 years.

Doug completed a stint as chair of the Morrisburg Waterfront Committee and acted as chair for the Close to Home campaign for WDMH. He was also a founding member of Upper Canada Playhouse. Doug was awarded the Law Society Medal in 2009, and has served in many roles with  prestigious Bar associations.

Dr. Graham Houze was a family doctor in Morrisburg for 40 years, acting as Chief of Medical Staff at WDMH, and serving as past representative to the Ontario Medical Association Council for the Winchester-Kemptville Medical Society. He also acted as provincial coroner for SD&G for 43 years. 

In retirement, Graham serves as a member of Council for the Physicians’ Services Foundation. He is currently president of Branch 48, the Morrisburg Royal Canadian Legion, and has served in leadership positions with the Dundas Chapter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and with the Morrisburg & District Canadian Club.

Trevor Tolley is a retired Professor Emeritus of Com-parative Literature from Carleton University who has also authored several publications focusing on English language and literature. 

He served as councillor for the former Township of Williamsburg, and as president for the Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing Corporation. He was instrumental in bringing additional social housing units to Williamsburg, where the housing project now bears his name. He received the 20 year service award from the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association in 2008. 

He acted as president of the Community Living Dundas County and remained on its board until 2009.

Trevor was a spokesperson and volunteer for the New Democratic Party of Ontario, chosen as president of the SD&G Provincial NDP Association for 25 consecutive years. He also received the Community Activist Award from the Cornwall & District Labour Council in 2009.

Helen Tupper has been a key organizer for over 12 years with the South Dundas Soccer Association. She has also been a committed planner for a yearly soccer tournament in Iroquois which involves over 600 young players, dozens of teams and hundreds of parents.

She has served for five years as Hulbert-Valley Playgroup Co-ordinator and 14 years with the Iroquois Public School/Seaway District High School Councils. Her efforts have provided great programs, healthy active living and education for thousands of area children in South Dundas.

“May we be ever mindful of the contributions these people have made to our communities. May we be inspired to lead as these people have led,” said Eric Duncan, executive assistant for Guy Lauzon. 

[…]

 

 Just a day after the project that will put the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic in a newly renovated space in Morrisburg broke ground, South Dundas municipal officials announced that the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic in Iroquois will also be getting a new home.

A partnership between the SLMC and Township of South Dundas will see the former St. Cecilia Catholic School building in Iroquois retrofitted to provide a new modern clinic in Iroquois.

Earlier this year, the Township and the SLMC had been discussing a partnership to provide modern, accessible space on a long-term lease basis, similar to the arrangement that will provide a modern Clinic in the redeveloped Morrisburg High School. In August, the SLMC backed away from the project citing an uncertain future with respect to Provincial support of rural medicine. But now, the SLMC has a renewed interest in the project.

Mayor Steven Byvelds welcomed the news of the expanded partnership. 

“As I stated back in August, the Township of South Dundas is willing to work with the SLMC to provide for the health care needs of our residents,” said Byvelds. “Expanding our partnership with the SLMC in Iroquois will put in place a community owned medical facility that will aid in attracting new physicians, provide greater efficiency and accommodate growth for the next twenty years. The two new clinics will provide great health care for years to come.”

South Dundas has purchased the former St. Cecilia school for $80,000, an amount that was based on an appraisal, according to McDonald.

The lease between the township and the SLMC will be structured such that all costs, including the purchase, retrofit and operating costs will be paid by the SLMC. “This will be a full cost recovery project,” said McDonald.

[…]

 

 South Dundas council met with the project managers and the contractor who will be renovating the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute November 27, at a special council meeting to better pin down the cost of the renovation of the old high school.

From the new information and small project changes outlined in a post-tender addendum document that the project team has been preparing over the last couple of months, council now knows that the cost of the renovation project will be $4,093,882.

The team has been working to find savings within the project originally tendered at $3.8 million.

They identified areas of savings through small structural changes, such as keeping an existing stairwell, the use of metal siding on a small portion of the building and changing the elevator specifications.

The document also reflected changes to the project made by council that will add costs.

Council decided that they want the brick on the entire building re-pointed for the sake of both longevity and appearance, which is an added expense.

The project managers and contractor were asked to provide council with a more accurate cost estimate for abatement costs, and within the context of that work they found some added project expenses.

“We didn’t expect the abatement costs to be that high,” said Ron Rivet of True North Group, the project managers. 

“Asbestos was the least of our worries,” he said, explaining that almost $150,000 of abatement costs will have to be spent on mitigation measures for the lead paint, which is throughout the building.

The abatement costs for the asbestos in the building will be about $34,000.

Whether the building is renovated or demolished, the municipality is on the hook for the abatement costs.

“Actually, if you demolished the building it would be a much higher cost,” said Dick Markell, president of Bourgon Construction, the contractor hired to renovate the building. He estimated that in the case of demolition, the abatement costs would likely triple.

“What you will have when we are done is a building that is pretty close to new, and in some ways better than new,” said Markell explaining, “New buildings are not designed and built like this building was built.” According to Markell, the structure of this building is much like that of a hospital.

Once Bourgon Construction gets the official go ahead from council, likely in the form of a resolution at the December 3 council meeting, they expect the project to be complete in nine to 10 months.

“The structure’s up, so the hard part is done,” said Markell. “I’m hoping to get in the ground before Christmas. Getting the services in before the frost gives us a huge jump on the project.”

The contractor was asked about the handling of hazardous material, in close proximity to a public school.

“Anything that is air borne is tarped. We have industry standards that we have to follow,” said Markell. 

“Bourgon has an excellent safety record. That’s one of the reasons we chose them for this project,” said Rivet.

[…]

 

Twenty community members joined in the conversation about tourism that took place at the McIntosh Country Inn, November 29.

Our Passport to the Future: A Tourism Stakeholder Discussion Forum provided the opportunity for interested community members to speak one on one with the community members who helped identify initiatives to strengthen South Dundas’ tourism sector.

As part of the session, those who attended were asked to rank five sectors on their potential to increase the number of visits, length of stay, repeat business and overall economic benefit in South Dundas. The sectors included; arts and culture, cycling, fishing and boating, history and motorcycling.

Although the question was very definitive, the answer provided by the participants was not.

“In terms of ranking, there is almost an even spread between the sectors,” said South Dundas Economic Development Officer Nicole Sullivan.

“Attendees generally agreed with the sectors and initiatives identified. Much of the feedback spoke to different ideas on applying the initiatives or ways to enhance them which can easily be applied to the implementation plan,” she said.

A common theme noted by the discussion facilitators was the desire to focus activity to the waterfront.

“The need for Lakeshore Drive to be paved was mentioned by several participants,” said Linda Wilson, who was facilitating discussions about cycling and motorcycling.

“The waterfront being a hub of activity is being talked about by a lot of people,” said Donnie Bowes who was facilitating discussions about arts and culture. “People see the waterfront as the place for farmers markets and markets where artisans can showcase their produce and crafts, the place for festivals, the place for people and artists to congregate.”

Susan Le Clair was facilitating discussions about history and noted that people, in the context of history, also believe the focus should be the waterfront. 

“What people are talking about is a critical mass of different activities along the waterfront. These are things that we can probably accomplish,” she said pointing to examples of historical plaques and walking tours. “Things we can accomplish are as important as anything, because anything you can accomplish fuels the community’s enthusiasm.” 

“The next step, and one of our most challenging given how many assets our community has to build on, is narrowing down to two or three areas of focus,” said Sullivan. 

Information from this meeting will contribute to the final tourism development strategy. It will be presented to council in the new year.

[…]