Addington Highlands Council

Memorial Barn Quilt for Reeve Henry Hogg

Pat Dubyk, the creator of the Addington Highlands Barn Quilt Trail, appeared before Council to present the township with another “Tree of Life” themed work of art.

This one, of her making, was created as a tribute to Reeve Henry Hogg, who died while in office just over 6 months ago. The “barn quilt” uses classic barn quilt geometric shapes to form a stylised tree.

Dubyk said that in her work, the choice and use of colour is very much meant to convey specific emotions, and that she was caught up with many of those emotions as she was working on this particular piece. She said that the black in it signifies protection, and the red tile at the top left represents heart, and “who he was”.

The “barn quilt” will be installed in the foyer of the township office.

Reeve Tony Fritsch thanked Dubyk, and said it “will be a great reminder of Henry and we will be reminded of him every time we come into the office.”

This new piece is an addition to a number of “barn quilts” already installed in the township, which are included in a rack card that Dubyk provided to the township as well.

911 and GIS mapping on Weslemkoon Lake

Weslemkoon is in an area of Addington Highlands dominated by crown land and rural development, in the north and western part of the township. The sprawling lake contains 71 islands and is accessed from several directions, on a number of roads.

It is a challenge to bring the most recent version of GIS based 911 mapping to its shores, and islands. Three members of the Lennox and Addington GIS department, analysts Lianne Chu and Anthony Francioni, along with GIS Manager, Kevin Cruz, appeared before Council to provide an update on the multi-year effort of their department, working with the township, to name the islands and sync those names and locations with modern 911 GIS mapping, that will enable the dispatch of emergency services to the popular tourist lake.

The project is a County priority and it will be the framework used in the future for civic addressing elsewhere in Lennox and Addington. The township is responsible for signage, and $25,000 has been set aside for that part of the project, which has begun as well.

No endorsements

Council received but did not endorse letters of request from the City of Sudbury seeking to make the Sudbury region a special economic zone, and a letter of request from the City of Peterborough to endorse a national Guaranteed Minimum Income proposal.

Budget

As reported last week, the 2026 budget came to Council for approval. The budget includes a 7.71% increase in the total to be raised by taxation, which, thanks to assessment growth over the past year, will result in a 6.5% increase in local taxation. When combined with the L&A County and education levies, the net increase for the majority of township homeowners will be 5.14% over the tax bill in 2025.

Report on Denbigh Fire Department Renewal

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy reported that a successful recruitment drive last year in the face of a threat to the department's future viability, has been followed up by extensive training for new recruits.

“At the end of our current training stretch, we should have a total of 14 certified firefighters,” said Cuddy, in his report.

He added that there is a gap in supervisory personnel as a result, which the department is dealing with, but should be alleviated over time.

Call volumes were consistent with recent times last year, at 48. About half were medical calls, and a quarter were motor vehicle calls. Three percent were fire calls, and two percent were wildfire calls.

The department provides mutual aid to other departments, helping to give the new recruits experience and a chance to develop skills in live situations.

“The Denbigh Fire Department continues to deliver reliable emergency response while strengthening training, wildfire readiness, and regional cooperation to protect the community,” said Cuddy.

Deputy Reeve Ken Hook said he was happy to hear of the department's progress after its future was in some doubt recently.

“Quite a difference a year or two makes,” said Reeve Fritsch, and talked of the collective work that has been done “getting this fire department to where it is right now.”

“Ya, between the training officer, and the firefighters that were helping with the training, and the captains, and then the firefighters and the newer firefighters stepping up and going right at it and committing the time, and taking time off from work to do it, it's great,” said Chief Cuddy.

Bring Your Own Events, ‘No’

Council opted not to include a “bring your own alcohol” provision in their “municipally significant event policy”. The vote was split, with Councillors Thompson and Yanch supporting the “bring your own" option, leaving Reeve Fritsch to cast the deciding vote. This means Addington Highlands has opted not to take up the new policy that the Province of Ontario recently gave them the option to adopt. ■