News

 

While the Carefor Cornwall Hospice is gearing up for their annual fund raising telethon through which they hope to raise $80,000, there is another way that the community can help them double that amount. 

Cornwall Hospice, is a 10 bed residential facility that provides free end of life care for those who prefer not to stay in hospital or can no longer stay at home.

The services of the hospice have been used by many local residents, yet many are unaware of the facility and the service it offers.

Rhonda VanBeilen, a broker at Brister Insurance in Morrisburg had been unaware of the Cornwall Hospice until she learned about it from her brother David Lapier.

Once she learned about the facility she did something that could help Cornwall Hospice in a big way.

She nominated Cornwall Hospice for the national Aviva Community Fund contest which gives away $1 million to various organizations across the county.

For this nomination to become funds for Hospice, community support is needed.

VanBeilen explained that all you have to do is register at avivacommunityfund.org and then you are eligible to vote for this medium project once per day per email account. 

“You only have to register once, so it’s easy,” said VanBeilen.

The top 30 projects according to number of votes will move on to the contest semi finals. 

Last week the Carefor Hospice nomination was among the top 30, and VanBeilen hopes that they will be able to maintain that good standing to move on to the semifinals.

Carefor Cornwall Hospice is partially funded by the government, but $500,000 in fund raising over and above that funding is needed to keep it operational.

[…]

 

Saturday, the Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area hiking trail in South Dundas will be named in honour of its champion, Don Graham.

The Township of South Dundas, South Nation Conservation, and other supporters will hold a dedication ceremony this Saturday, November 3, 2012 to name the Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area hiking trail as the “Don Graham Trail,” in honor of long time resident and volunteer Don Graham.

The dedication is planned Saturday November 3, at 11 a.m. at the trail head of Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area, on County Road 2, between Morrisburg and Iroquois, near the west end of Lakeshore Drive.

South Dundas and South Nation Conservation will host a nature outing following the ceremony at noon, which will include a hike along the trail.

Local officials decided to name the trail after Graham because of his work in creating it. 

“Don has worked tirelessly to promote a natural trail system for our area,” said South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds. 

“The Don Graham Trail will honour his desire to ensure that the residents of South Dundas have such a trail for our enjoyment.”

Don Graham, a professional Landscape Architect, Harvard trained, has been offering his time, imagination and expertise towards development in this area for well over 30 years.

South Nation Conservation owns and maintains the Two Creeks Forest Conservation Area, which has trails as well as other amenities.

“We are so proud and pleased to partner with South Dundas to honor Don Graham in this way,” said Angela Coleman, Director of Marketing and Communications with South Nation Conservation. 

“He is held in such high regard by his peers and staff – we are so fortunate to have worked with him on the Two Creeks Forest Project.”

[…]

 

The Ontario government announced, October 9,  that it will be easier than ever to get a free flu shot close to home, and that will definitely be the case here.

Anyone who missed the lone flu shot clinic hosted by the Eastern Ontario Health Unit within South Dundas, can simply visit a local pharmacy.

Among the participating pharmacies who are trained and ready to give flu shots to Ontarians, age five and older, is Morrisburg’s Seaway Valley Pharmacy.

Owner, Scott Lane is trained and ready to administer the dose. 

“We’re ready, we’re just waiting for the vaccines to arrive from the government,” said Lane last Thursday.

Once those arrive, Lane will announce the clinic dates when he will be administering the free flu shots.

Upper Canada Remedy’s Rx, which is also located in Morrisburg will not be offering the flu shots this year.

“This year we are not offering it. Most likely next year,” said pharmacist Solymar Galindo. “The training is still needed.”

Gilmer’s Pharmacy in Iroquois is not planning to offer the service, according to Doug Gilmer.

The flu vaccine is publicly funded as it aims to keep Ontario residents healthy. 

The flu vaccine is safe and effective, and getting it early helps you and the people around you stay healthy.

The flu can lead to serious health problems. Those most at risk are the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

Free flu shots are also available through family doctors.

[…]

 

South Dundas township and the Upper Canada District School Board have come to an agreement to build a new sidewalk that will make for a safer trip to school for students who walk to Morrisburg Public School.

South Dundas chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald confirmed that the new sidewalk will be located on township property along the fence on the north boundary of the old high school property.

What that means is that the Ottawa Street crosswalk will go back to its original location near Alice Street, rather than its more controversial present location at Second Street.

The partnership between the municipality and the board will see the board paying a substantial amount of the $12,000 sidewalk project cost and the municipality taking on the maintenance costs.

“This is a priority project, and it will be done ASAP,” said McDonald.

[…]

 

Saturday, (October 27) representatives of the Branch 48 Royal Canadian Legion in Morrisburg and the local Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit Sicily (C.A.V. Sicily) got together to complete their mission in support of Operation Leave the Streets Behind for the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund. 

In July, C.A.V. Sicily ran its first major fund raiser, since its inception in the summer of 2011, the SD&G Highlanders Highway 43 Memorial Ride which started in Perth and ended up at the home base in Morrisburg. 

The ride, which the C.A.V. had hoped would raise between $1,500 and $2,000, did just that and then some when Morrisburg Legion Branch 48 topped it up with a $2,000 donation for a total of $4,669.69 for the Operation Leave the Streets Behind campaign. 

C.A.V. president Bill “Justus” Aitken was absolutely delighted. He credited the 52 bikers who participated in the July 8 run and the community (businesses and individuals) from Perth to Morrisburg that supported it. 

“The Morrisburg Legion really went above and beyond,” he said. “They donated $2,000 on behalf of us in addition to helping us to facilitate the ride.” 

C.A.V. Sicily, named for the 1943 Battle of Sicily when the Allies launched one of the largest combined operations of WWII for control of Sicily, was formed last summer with seven members. The unit has now grown to 17 members which is a mix of 11 Veterans and six supporters, most of whom ride motorcycles. 

C.A.V. Sicily members have become familiar to the community thanks to their participation in various events. This past Saturday they were out and about as they joined the Williamsburg Scout groups, for the launch of this year’s Poppy Campaign. 

[…]

 

 It took steady hands and an eye for design, but the students in 7.1 and 7.2 at Seaway District High School proved they were up to the challenge of creating their own pumpkin extravaganza. 

Grade seven teacher, Andrew Carson, with the assistance of teachers Mr. Benton and Mme. Driscoll, and LRC teacher Mrs. Fowler, took the 43 students to the art room for some serious pumpkin work on Monday, October 29. 

“We had been preparing for today for about a week,” Carson said. “The students had to choose the individual stencils to create their designs. And of course, they had to clean out the pumpkins themselves. That’s been a little messy, but they are enjoying themselves.”

Choices of pumpkin stencils ranged from bats and ghosts to were-wolves and aliens. 

All the carvers were hard at work when the Leader arrived.

“The students have been really excited about this. Some of them have never used stencils before. Others have never actually carved a pumpkin. So they were ready to dive in this morning: it’s really a new and fun experience for most of them.”

Smyth’s Apple Orchard provided the 45 pumpkins needed for the classes.

“Those pumpkins were a very generous donation by Smyth’s Apple Orchard,” Carson said, “especially since this is their busy season. We are really grateful.”

Tuesday, October 30, all the pumpkins went to the Seaway gym for the grand lighting ceremony, “sort of our own Pumpkin Inferno,” Carson laughed. At the end of the day, each student took home the pumpkin he or she had created.

And nothing was wasted.

All the pumpkin seeds from the activity were collected and taken to the Developmental Room kitchen where they are going to be baked.

“We’ll be eating them as treats at the Hallowe’en dance this Wednesday,” Carson said. 

[…]

 

For information or to adopt Mooch and Chester please call the South Dundas Animal Shelter at 613-543-2980. There are no adoption charges. However in order to provide homes for the animals past the four days the municipality provides for their care, the shelter counts on donations (cash or food). It is also strongly suggested that animals that are adopted be spayed/neutered asap. 

 

[…]

 

Many members of the Iroquois community have come to expect more than just ‘trick-or-treators’ knocking at their doors on Hallowe’en.  

For the past 12 years, a group of teens in grades 9 to 12 from Dixon’s Corners Community Christian Reformed Church has organized a food drive between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on October 31st. 

They walk, in small groups door-to-door, collecting non-perishable items for the Dundas County Food Bank. 

The group choses this specific date to collect food because it is an evening when most families are home and already expect people knocking on their doors.   

This drive has become one of the largest the food bank relies on each year.  

With increased interest and a few new groups joining the DC youth, they plan to expand the drive into Morrisburg in an attempt to out-do the 1,700 items collected last year.  

Much like the ‘rules’ of trick-or-treating, the teens will only knock on doors where the lights are on.  The goal is to eventually have enough help to cover all roads in both Iroquois and Morrisburg. But, given the volunteer numbers for this year, not every road will be covered. If your road is missed, you can still donate by bringing your food items directly to the food bank. 

The DC youth group is thankful for the support each year and looks forward to another fun and successful night helping their local communities.

[…]

 

Upper Canada Village’s launch of the new Pumpkinferno, billed as ‘Eastern Ontario’s largest, boldest and most unique’ event has surpassed expectations with over 12,000 visitors through the gates in just seven days of operation.

That figure grew dramatically, this past Saturday night when 5,000 people showed  up causing back ups on County Road 2 and a long wait despite the St. Lawrence Park’s Commission’s effort last week to speed up the entry process.

“Once again we will be trouble shooting,” said the Commission’s Corporate Marketing and Development officer, Susan Leclair, on Monday morning. 

Leclair explained that after the big crowds on the weekend of October 11-13, measures were put in place last week that were expected to keep the flow moving. They included overflow parking and improved schematics for check in/ticket sales.

However, says Leclair, it didn’t take into account that there would be 5,000 visitors on a single night.

While the overflow parking and the entry (separate entry for prepaid, and five cashes open for sales) was in fact better for the visiting public,  their success pushed the problem further up the line to a bottleneck which occurred just inside the village. 

As one exits the Visitor Centre, the Pumpkinferno begins with a light show. Visitors then proceed to the first few exhibits along a narrow pathway around the grist mill. It was at the start to the narrow pathway, that the process slowed down Saturday night.

“While our team was prepared to have a robust visitation, the public reaction surged early in this event, resulting in some extended line ups,” said SLPC General Manager & CEO Darren Dalgleish, in a press release that was released late last week, prior to Saturday night’s huge attendance.  

In the press release, Dalgleish added that, “our team has reacted quickly and streamlined the entrance processes which will be able to get visitors into the parking lot and through the gates much quicker this weekend. Other small adjustments inside the attraction will keep our guests moving at a timely pace during their walk through. It looks like Pumpkinferno is here to stay; based on the attendance to date and stellar feedback we are receiving from our guests.”

“We are driving a strategy of “product mix enrichment” and Pumpkinferno embodies this priority,” said Dalgleish.  “The visitor response has been absolutely astonishing, far exceeding expectations.”

The phenomenal early success of Pumpkinferno has led to the addition of three extra days – November 1, 2 and 3 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights) – in order to accommodate the tremendous popularity of the event.

Pumpkinferno, an event to be enjoyed by all ages is a 45 minute walking tour through a mesmerizing installation of thousands of LED-lit pumpkins of all sizes.  It is a unique blend of creative artistry and must be seen to be appreciated. 

To speed entry into Pumpkinferno, advance ticket purchase is recommended and can be bought online at www.Pumpkinferno.com.  

With a ticket in hand, visitors can then proceed directly to the Express Line-up for pre-paid tickets which will ensure quicker entry. 

Combo tickets Fort Fright / Pumpkinferno ($20 general admission) or Pumpkinferno / Alight at Night (Adult $20; Senior/Youth $15) are also available.

Here’s what visitors are saying about their Pumpkinferno experience:

• “You have outdone yourself with this festival event. The level of artistry and imagination is outstanding.”

• “Awesome, fabulous carvings and display, a must see for all family members.”

• From OTTAWA:  “Hundreds of pumpkins stacked into enormous scenes of stunning originality. The displays literally took our breath away. My kids asked if we could come back the very next night. Well worth the drive and affordable!”

• From CORNWALL:  “This is Upper Canada Village’s new event SUPERSTAR! Original, creative and mind-blowing!”

• From KINGSTON:  “So much buzz about this event we had to see for ourselves. It exceeded our expectations by miles!  What a cool idea! Such energy and talent!”

•From WINCHESTER:  “We did not really know what to expect. We found it difficult to move to the next display because the carving detail was overwhelming! Proud to have this event in our own backyard!”

• From MONTREAL:  “Been to Alight at Night for years – had to think this was worth the trip. It sure was and then some. What an incredible creative idea – executed to the max! Nothing like this in Quebec!  Tres Bien!”

Pumpkinferno is open on select nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. throughout October and into November: Thursday to Sunday, October 25, 26, 27, 28; Wednesday to Saturday, October 31 (Hallowe’en), November 1, 2, 3.

The event has affordable family friendly pricing of $10 Adult (13 to 64 years of age), $7 Senior (65+ years of age) / Youth (6 to 12 years of age) and is absolutely free for children five and under. 

[…]

 

 “These men cared nothing about what we thought. I know that there was not one of them in that unit who, if given the command, would not have immediately beheaded us.”

Former Special Envoy of the UN, Robert Fowler, kidnapped in December, 2008, in Niger, by an affiliate of al-Qaeda, was the guest of the Canadian Club of Morrisburg and District, on Wednesday, October 17, 2012. A large crowd was on hand.

The former diplomat was Canada’s longest-serving Am-bassador to the United Nations. He acted as foreign policy advisor to three prime ministers and, in 2011, was named Officer of the Order of Canada. 

At the time of his abduction, Fowler was posted to Niger as a Special Envoy to Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. His task, in the increasingly unstable, desperately poor nation of 18 million, was to try and find a diplomatic resolution to the “low-grade” rebellion of the Taureg people. During three trips into the Taureg territory, he and his colleague, Louis Guay, had convinced the rebels to agree to sit down. What they could not move was the government of then president Mamadou Tandja. 

Fowler now believes that Tandja harboured private ambitions to continue to rule Niger, depending on an ongoing state of “civil unrest.” It is Fowler’s stated contention that the president “arranged to send our itinerary to al-Qaeda so that these people could come after us.”

They were ambushed by men  armed with Kalashnikovs on a highway well inside the capital region of Niger. 

This was the start of a terrifying off-road journey into the desert as the kidnappers fled back to their desolate campsite, ironically nicknamed Camp Canada.

“The commander of our kidnappers, called Omar One by Louis and me, demanded our papers (probably to be sure they had got the right men). Louis produced his passport, but I had absolutely no papers on me. Omar furiously exclaimed that it was illegal to travel in Niger without documents,” Fowler told the audience sardonically.

Every day, the captives lived with the very real fear of being beheaded on camera. Hauled into a tent on two occasions to make  videos, Fowler quietly recalled looking around “for plastic. The kidnappers don’t want blood getting on their few possessions.”

The gang ranged in size. But there were never fewer than three rifles aimed at the hostages.

“These were fundamentalists of the most extreme kind. Omar often told us, “We fight to die. You fight to go home to your families. How can we lose?” They were kidnappers and killers, but utterly dedicated to their cause. They absolutely believed in Jihad, absolutely believed that the moment they died, they would sit in paradise by rivers of milk and honey,” Fowler said. 

“They exist in a 7th century bubble, but are festooned with 21st century cell phones and weapons. They hate democracy, liberty, freedom. 

And any Muslim who espouses a view contrary to theirs is an apostate and should be assassinated.” 

Sweltering in 52 degree Celcius heat, deprived of even basic resources, Fowler and Guay struggled to keep up each other’s spirits. They had no idea if anyone was even looking for them.

Fowler later learned that president Blaise Campaoré of Burkina Faso, through his envoy Mustapha Chaffi, had agreed to take on the complex negotiations for their release. (“Ironic,” Fowler commented, “as I had, the year before, called Campaoré an ‘international criminal.’”). Also stepping in to help was Baba Ould Cheikh, envoy of Mali’s president Touré: Cheikh made 11 perilous journeys into the rebel region on behalf of the Canadians. 

“The government of Canada swears it did not pay any ransom for us,” Fowler said. “But al-Qaeda does not carry out humanitarian acts, such as releasing hostages. I truly do not know what was paid for us or to whom. Apparently it was ‘enough.’ In a way, I do not want to ever know.”

Finally turned over to the “good guys” after 138 days of captivity, Fowler said that he took five showers and still felt sandy. He also drank three cokes. “But I knew I was truly free when I asked for a beer, in a Moslem country, and eventually someone produced a room temperature LaBatts 50.”

Fowler, who is now with the University of Ottawa, was a riveting and thoughtful speaker. His address obviously struck a strong chord with the audience. 

He was asked, at the end, how he and Louis Guay, stayed sane.

“We had these rules,” Fowler explained quietly. “No “what ifs.” No talking about bad stuff after lunch. And, if one of us fell into despair, the other was to haul him out of that pit.”

[…]