News

 

The Ministry of Finance has released the education rates for 2012. With this, the three numbers needed to decipher this year’s municipal taxes are complete and property owners can expect to pay a slight increase.

“By my speculation,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds on Tuesday, “it will be just over three per cent, but I can’t be 100 per cent positive without all the numbers.”

“There’s a small decrease from the South Dundas end.”

The Township of South Dundas completed their 2012 budget deliberations on March 12th while the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry completed their budget on March 19th. 

Byvelds pointed out that “the Counties had a 3.1 per cent increase and ours is 3.5 per cent.”

To determine the amount to be paid out by a residence for the education portion of the tax bill, South Dundas treasurer Shannon Geraghty provided a comparison example:

• A 2011 assessment at $149,090 equates to taxes of $344.40.

• A 2012 assessment with phase-in at $157,260 equates to taxes of $347.54.

The education rate, determined by the Ministry of Finance, is standard on all assessments regardless of school board, whether it be public, Catholic or French Catholic. 

As explained in the March 14th edition of The Leader, each home’s taxes are affected by the Municipal Property Assessments.

There has been a 5.48 per cent average increase on assessments due to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation’s four-year phase in.

What all of this boils down to is an approximate overall increase of just over three percent in municipal taxes for South Dundas. 

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The results of the St. Mary/St Cecilia Catholic School Movember Campaign that centred around four teachers, Chris Veltkamp, Jeff Vynckier, James MacIntyre, and Marvel Booyink were turned over to the Canadian Cancer Society last Thursday. The Movember Campaign included a number of school activities. “Four of us grew moustaches, and we had little events throughout the month of November that involved the kids,” explained Veltkamp. “The kids designed moustaches for us and participated in their own moustache day.” Donations were collected throughout November and thanks to the generosity of the school community $825.89 was raised. The Movember event involves the growing of moustaches during the month of November and is aimed at promoting awareness, understanding and funding of men’s cancers, in particular prostrate cancer. On average 11, Canadian men die of prostrate cancer every day. Pictured  for the cheque presentation, l-r, are Chris Veltkamp, Len “Skippy” Bisson (representative of the SD&G Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society), Jeff Vynckier and James MacIntyre. Marvel Booyink was not available for the photo.

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Families and friends were delighted to meet an old friend on Sunday, April 1, when the Easter Bunny stopped in for breakfast at the Iroquois Legion. A large number of people came out and enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by the Legion, received a special greeting and treat from E.B. and took part in face painting and colouring. Live, gentle bunnies supplied by Lee Carruthers of Dundela were a big hit with young and old. Breakfast with the Bunny was sponsored by the Iroquois and District Festival Committee, which is using the funds to support their September 15 Festival in Iroquois, "Dundas Militia – A Call to Arms – War of 1812."

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Media Release

Following on the heels of three Festivals & Events Ontario ‘Top 100 Events’ honours for Upper Canada Village’s Alight at Night festival and Fort Henry’s World Heritage Sunset Ceremonies and Fort Fright, the St. Lawrence Parks Commission (SLPC) has been awarded $225,000 from Celebrate Ontario to support three events in 2012.

“Our entire team was elated to receive this Celebrate Ontario event funding news.” said Darren Dalgleish, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.  

“We appreciate the long term support Celebrate Ontario has shown the SLPC, substantially assisting with our plans to develop new products and experiences,” he continued. “Since these funds will be directly applied to the capital portion of our event budgets, it fits with our corporate plan to move towards a sustainable business model, building on our foundation for growth established through our new strategic pillars.”

“This funding relieves some budget pressure and aligns with our plans,” he added.

The funding breaks down to $75,000 per event for the 1812 Overture and Fort Fright at Fort Henry and for a new fall event at Upper Canada Village called “PumpkInferno”.

“This incredible funding news substantiates the importance and focus we’ve placed on event development over the past decade,” said Bryan Mercer, Marketing Director for the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.  

“We’ve understood for a long time that our organization and experience offerings need to hold relevance to the new emerging demographics and events are the perfect conduit to do that.”

“It’s particularly satisfying to see that Celebrate Ontario sees the development and growth potential for a brand new event like ‘PumpkIinferno’ positioned in the shoulder season at Upper Canada Village,” continued Mercer. “Our event teams are charged with this news!”

The funding is divided between events as follows:

•1812 Overture at Fort Henry on Saturday, August 18th 2012 – $75,000

•Fort Fright from September  21 to October 31, 2012 (on select nights) – $75,000

•PumpkInferno at Upper Canada Village from Thursday through Sunday in October, 2012 – $75,000

From Thanksgiving weekend through to the end of October, an all new Halloween experience will unfold unlike any other in the region.  Visitors can take an evening walking tour through a hauntingly beautiful and stirring outdoor exhibit of thousands of hand-carved pumpkins.  

Based on the success of “Alight at Night, this second shoulder season event is planned to be a mesmerizing and massive installation of artist-inspired, glowing pumpkins set against the night-time backdrop of Upper Canada Village.

Celebrate Ontario funding will provide the start-up operational funds for the artificial pumpkin shells.

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Ontario’s 2012 Sunshine List was released last week, as per the article in last week’s edition of The Leader. Following a second study of the list, it would seem there’s a bit more to report in terms of those public sector workers who earned more than $100,000 in 2011.

Politically, former member of provincial parliament for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, Jim Brownell, made the list with $103,238.61 for his role as the parliamentary assistant of consumer services.

There were three employees listed for the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. treasurer Vanessa Bennett topped the list with $116,158.12. She was followed by county planner Michael Otis with $109,826.72 and county engineer Benjamin De Haan with $105,945.79.

As for the township of South Dundas, only one employee made the list: chief executive officer Stephen McDonald at $101,248.

The 2012 Sunshine List is quite lengthy. For those who might like a closer look, the list can be found on the Ontario Ministry of Finance website under “Public Sector Salary Disclosure 2012.”

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Why it’s positively criminal how funny the upcoming Iroquois-Matilda Lions pro-duction of Monday Always Leads to Murder is!

Some of the characters die laughing.

Following in a tradition that dates back nearly 30 years, the Iroquois Lions (and friends) are taking to the stage at Upper Canada Playhouse this month with their latest theatrical offering, Pat Cook’s Monday Always Leads to Murder. 

These highly anticipated plays, which are presented every two years, are one of the major fund raisers for the Iroquois-Matilda Lions. 

Lions clubs have long been noted for their support of charitable organizations and works in South Dundas. The community often turns to area Lions for financial and volunteer support. 

Funds raised  by the productions at the Playhouse are invested right back into the South Dundas community. 

Ticket holders for the 2012 production can look forward to an evening of laugh-out-loud comedy and to ensuring that the Iroquois-Matilda Lions can continue to be a strong presence in the South Dundas community. 

The show’s volunteer cast has been in rehearsals since early February. As opening night gets closer, the production is transferring April 4 to the Playhouse.  Rehearsals  have been held at St. John’s Anglican Church, Iroquois, and the Iroquois United Church. 

The cast is having a lot of fun with the play, which is set in the seedy New York office of one Harry Monday, private eye. The year is 1939: Prohibition has lately been repealed, Humphrey Bogart is big at the box office, Al Capone is big in Chicago and women (at least where Harry is concerned) are still “stacked.”

Harry will certainly have his hands full coping with dames, would-be actors, cops, burglars, mysterious Egyptian professors and bodies that just keep popping up at the most inconvenient times when he takes on the sinister Barnstable case. 

The fantastic set for the show has been designed by John Thompson of the Playhouse and constructed by a crew under the leadership of Lion Jim Locke.  Sean Free, technical director of the Playhouse, is operating sound and lights for the show. Wendy Gibb is directing.

Tickets are $20 each for the evening shows, April 26-28, and for the Saturday matinee: they are going very quickly. Contact any Iroquois Matilda Lion, Mustard’s Variety or Upper Canada Playhouse for tickets to Monday Always Leads to Murder.  

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Media Release

Three young volunteers have combined to contribute 385 hours of service at Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) in 2011. 

Heather Shantz, Cassandra Effenberger, and Michelle Scott greatly exceeded the provincially mandated high school requirement of 40 hours of volunteer service in varying volunteer roles throughout the hospital. For their outstanding commitment, they each received a personal letter of recognition from Cholly Boland, WDMH CEO.

“Volunteers are essential to our hospital and without volunteers, we would be much less than we are now. Volunteers provide services well beyond patient care and enrich the experience of everyone who comes through our doors. Student volunteers provide such great service and become part of a much larger circle of healthcare,” said Cholly Boland.

“Student volunteers play an integral role in the lifecycle of learners at WDMH,” adds Alan Archer, chief liaison officer for Volunteer Services. “Our hope is to engage students in volunteering and show them the opportunities in health care. As they progress through their education, they return to us for co-op and work placements, and hopefully as future nurses, technicians, doctors, information technology specialists, and administrators.”

In all, 22 students volunteering at WDMH contributed more than 1300 hours of service at the Information desk, in the Gift Shoppe, in Surgical Daycare, and at special events like the Fall Bazaar and the Carkinator Car Rally. 

We are privileged to have such dedicated youth in the community supporting our organization.

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The South Dundas Chamber of Commerce will be holding their annual Spring Home and Trade Show at the Morrisburg Arena this month.

The weekend event begins at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 20th with an official opening ceremony at 6 p.m. and will finish at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 21st.

Of the approximately 80 spaces for exhibitors, to date over 95 per cent have been filled with businesses from all around the area, including a few from Cornwall.

According to Chamber manager, Geraldine Fitzsimmons, “we’re really excited. We’ve got some new local companies coming in and some of the traditional ones too.”

Businesses range from landscaping and home decor exhibitors to restaurant owners. There are businesses of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, all hoping to meet new customers and contacts.

In addition to free admission, visitors to the event have a chance to win one of ten $100 give-aways sponsored by the Chamber. 

The only stipulation, Fitzsimmons pointed out, is that the winner must spend the money at one or more of the businesses who participated in the show.

Along with traditional exhibitor set-ups inside and outside the arena, there will also be ongoing demonstrations on the stage. The demonstrations will be done by those exhibitors interested in taking part. So far, among those ready to participate are an Elvis impersonator, a Denmark inspired open sandwich maker, and a Hartford Retirement demonstration.

Three radio stations have signed up and will be  taking turns broadcasting live from the Morrisburg Arena location. Q Country 102.9 FM; Yes-FM 96.7 FM; and, Oldies PAC 98.7 FM are the three participating stations.

The arena will be decorated with royal blue curtains, which according to Fitzsimmons “makes a nice backdrop for our exhibitors to display. It transforms the arena into a real trade show look for the exhibitors.”

“The Chamber of Commerce really appreciates working with Donnie Lewis,” said Fitzsimmons, “he’s always accommodating and always goes overboard to help us.” Lewis is recreation manager for South Dundas.

The Morrisburg and District Lions Club is once again in charge of the very popular Friday night chicken barbecue. 

In addition, this year they’ve added a Saturday morning pancake breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m., complete with maple syrup donated by the Basket Case Café and Gallery.

The Lions Club canteen in the arena’s lobby will be open as well and offering their usual fare.

“We’re hoping people come out to see what South Dundas has to offer,” said Fitzsimmons.

The event takes place Friday, April 20th from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 21st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Media Release

On March 23rd, Guy Lauzon, Member of Parliament was pleased to report that the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment, announced funding of $140,000 to be allocated to the Raisin Region Conservation Authority under the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund.

Minister Kent announced more than $3.3 million in Government of Canada funding committed under the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund for 46 projects to clean up the severely degraded geographic regions officially designated as Great Lakes Areas of Concern. 

“I am pleased to report that the St. Lawrence River and the City of Cornwall will benefit greatly from these funds,” said Lauzon, “the Raisin Region Conservation Authority will use these funds towards four projects aimed at improving the water quality and protecting the fish habitat of the river.”

The federal government has allocated these funds to the Raisin Region Conservation Authority for the following projects:

•Septic Re-Inspection Program and Communal Waste Assessment for Westley’s Point, Nadeau’s Point, and Amandale Bay- $30,000

•Lake St. Francis/St. Lawrence River Tributary Restoration- $30,000

•Fish and Wildlife Restoration and Monitoring- $35,000

•St. Lawrence River Restoration Council for local RAP development, implementation, co-ordination, community engagement, monitoring and reporting. – $45,000 

“I would like to commend the Raisin Region Conservation Authority for taking the initiative to protect and enhance the St. Lawrence River in our community,” said Lauzon, “these improvements will benefit the environment and residents of Cornwall greatly.” 

The Great Lakes Sustainability Fund was established to work in partnership with other agencies and local community stakeholders to advance Remedial Action Plans that have been developed for each of Canada’s remaining “Areas of Concern” (AOC) located within the Great Lakes Basin.

GLSF provides technical and financial support to projects (up to one-third of the total cost) that implement remedial actions to complete the clean up and restoration in three key priority areas:  fish and wildlife habitat rehabilitation and stewardship; contaminated sediment assessment and remediation; and innovative approaches to improve municipal wastewater effluent quality.  

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