The Queen & The Monarchy; What Have We Lost?
Grief over the loss of a person is a complicated affair. On the surface, we commemorate the passing of an individual from this world. That loss is, in and of itself, important – whether it be the loss of a family member, a friend, or a prominent member of a… READ MORE
Mathew Street - Controversy, or branding opportunity
Mathew street has existed in obscurity for decades. Dwarfed in size and stature by the two other streets in downtown Sharbot Lake, the bustling Elizabeth street, home to two churches, a pharmacy, a post office, grocery store, and the local township office, and the crosstown Garrett street with the township… READ MORE
Why a one-way street in Sharbot Lake?
Two months ago, Central Frontenac Council approved the concept plan and awarded the contract for the same project at the same meeting for the final small part of the Sharbot Lake Road reconstruction project. The plan was about the repaving of a short downhill street called Mathew that runs between… READ MORE
Strong Mayor Would Be Dangerous In Rural Municipalities
The Strong Mayor legislation that has been tabled by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark is quite alarming when looked at through a rural lens. Among other things, it permits the Mayor of a municipality to hire and fire the Chief Administrative Officer of their municipality and to… READ MORE
Southern Frontenac Community Services
Those of us here in Frontenac's Townships have many blessings to count. I have lived in Southern Frontenac full-time for the past 22 years and before that as a seasonal resident since 1967. The peace, quiet, beauty, and diversity of the forests, lakes, and fields in which we live is,… READ MORE
We Like Our Rural Lots. The Province Does Not.
It is no secret that the Province of Ontario wants people to live in cities and towns instead of on rural lots scattered across the vast province. Part of the advantage of this is that they can drink treated water, which can be managed, as long as water treatment plants… READ MORE
Canada Day Is Back, But Time Has Not Stood Still
I've probably been to 25 Canada Day breakfasts at my local fire hall. For most of those years, the icons of the day, red and white and the maple leaf, seemed as sweet and benign as the maple syrup we pour into our coffee cups. In our part of rural… READ MORE
The Best-Laid Offical Plan Of South Frontenac
When you get down to it, South Frontenac politicians don't have that many options when it comes to changing the draft Official Plan document that has been presented to them by a team of consultations and their own development/planning department. The key elements of the plan were discussed at a… READ MORE
The Provincial Election That Ground To a Halt
Everything about the provincial election seems to have been done according to a plan that may have been drawn up in Progressive Conservative Party Headquarters. Any potential controversy over the decision to end COVID mandates in the midst of the widespread 6th wave of the virus, did not materialise. The… READ MORE
The Lackluster Provincial Election Hides The Rift In Our Communities
I asked the organiser for one of the election candidates this week, if they thought that the provincial election hadn't really started yet, and they said “You think?” There has only been one candidate meeting, but it was a taped event for COGECO TV, filmed in Smiths Falls last week,… READ MORE
A crowd on the left, and on the right
As of Monday, there were 7 registered candidates for Member of Provincial Paliament in Lanark Frontenac Kingston. Four of them represent the four parties with members in the legislature: Amanada Pulker-Mok represents the Liberals, Drew Cumpson, the NDP, John Jordan the Conservatives, and Marlene Spruyt the Green Party. The presumptive… READ MORE
Why do people keep dying of COVID in Frontenac County?
Over the pandemic, one of the major points of pride, and relief, in Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington has been our extremely low case and death rate from COVID compared to the rest of the world. The numbers for the entire pandemic are still good in the region, about 27%… READ MORE
Boring election? The Ontario Health Coalition wants everyone to pay attention
Ontario is a couple of weeks away from the start of a short, one month election campaign, but you would think the election is years off judging from media coverage this week. In a scan of the home pages of 5 major news websites this morning (April 19) I came… READ MORE
Unanswered questions
Buried in some of changes in the Ontario COVID response that were announced by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Kieran Moore, on Monday afternoon (May 11), was a side comment he made that Public Health estimates that over 5.3 million Ontarians, over 1/3 of the population, have likely contracted COVID since… READ MORE
The Shape Of Things To Come
Cheaper Dental & Pharmacare & Unfettered Development In recent weeks, the prospect of a second Doug Ford term in government has been coming into focus, and we need only look back to the first few months of the first Ford term for some hints about what that will look like.… READ MORE
Are we ready for the end of COVID protocols?
Kingston Frontenac Public Health (KFLAPH) , Public Health Ontario, and the Public Health Agency of Canada, have all been front and centre for the last two years providing information, advice, and directives to follow as we have collectively dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. We knew of their existence before the… READ MORE