Addington Highlands Give Go Ahead for Community Garden

Jeff Green | Apr 23, 2025

Council received an update from Deputy Clerk Patricia Gray about the com munity garden proposal that has been developed by resident Marlean McLean.

The report outlined plans for a series of raised beds for a garden to be located at the community centre in Flinton, including details regarding accessibility and other factors.

The beds will be 4' x 8' and will be located in a 100' x 100' space. The garden will be publicized on a dedicated Facebook page, which will be a forum for volunteers.

Councillor Ken Hook said “I think they've done everything that we've asked them to do. It's an ambitious project, and we will see how it goes in the first year.”

A motion to receive Gray's report and to approve the establishment of the garden was unanimously approved.

Boat Cleaning Station – The Invasive Species Management Project of Conservation has offered to rotate a portable boat cleaning station at lakes in the township for a week at a time, at a cost of $300 per week from the township. Boat cleaning has been identified as the best way to prevent invasive species from being inadvertently passed from lake to lake on the surface of boats. Councillor Hook said that the boat stations will only be effective if lake associations commit to providing volunteers when the cleaning station is located on their lake in order to explain how and why they can be used.

Council voted in favour of pursuing the station for use on some of the township's lakes, particularly Skootamatta, Mazinaw and Buckshot, that all have issues with Eurasian Water Milfoil. Although the station is the property of Quinte Conservation, they can be used in other watersheds within the township.

Debt Limit - The township received notification from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs informing them that the annual debt payment limit they can reach, without applying for an extension from the ministry, is over $900,000.

In 2023, the last year the ministry has updated information for, Addington Highlands’ debt payments were about $130,000.

Strong Mayors - Addington Highlands was left off the list of municipalities to be granted strong mayor powers, because the council has less than 6 members.

“I would support not being on that, because really this gives too much power to one person,” said Councillor Hook. “It sort of does away with the whole democratic process,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “I would not want to make those decisions single handedly.” “It shouldn't happen anywhere,” said Deputy Reeve Fritsch.

A number of municipalities have, or are, forwarding motions to be endorsed, all in opposition to the strong mayor powers, Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed told Council, and those motions will come to the next meeting of council. Tony Fritsch served notice of motion that he will be proposing a motion on the matter, at the next meeting as well. Public Works Report Public Works staff have mostly completed the clean up from the recent ice storm, said Public Works Manager Brett Reavie. Staff are doing their best to deal with potholes, but the on and off spring weath er has been a challenge. “We are trying to do road grading, but only when the weather is cooperating, be cause we do not want to make the roads worse,” he said. He also reported that waste sites have changed to summer hours, and that half loads have not come off township roads, and will not until the roads dry up.