South Frontenac Council Report

Equine Assisted Treatment Centre

A public meeting was held to rezone 3.4 hectares out of a 34-hectare property with frontage on Battersea Road. The back portion of the property is an environmentally sensitive zone, but the portion in the rezoning application is in the Battersea settlement area.

The proposed zoning is for the “Eye of Storm Trauma Centre”, which will be offering a wide variety of mental health and trauma treatment options, including Equine Assisted Learning (EAL).

The applicant, Tamiko Ferguson, attended the public meeting. She said her plan is to construct a one-story structure with four treatment rooms, offering a variety of treatment options for patients suffering from mental issues stemming from trauma, all in one place. One of the options, EAL, requires the construction of a 10 metre by 10 metre round pen for horses and mini-horses, which would be brought in for treatment purposes, but would never board at the site.

In their report, township staff concluded that the proposed zoning amendment, “is appropriate, and represents good land use planning”.

Members of council asked questions of Tamiko Ferguson about projected traffic at the site and hours of operation, and a few neighbours weighed in as well, stating that a commercial operation is not consistent with their residential use of the land.

Staff pointed out, however, that a raw dog food business, in a former mink farm, is located across the road from the site, so there is already a commercial operation in the vicinity.

A bylaw to approve the amended zoning was approved by Council later in the evening.

Lake Ecosystem Grants – 2026

Three Lake Ecosystem grants were sent to Council by Staff, for a total cost of $23,375. The grants include $6,375 to the Buck Lake Association, for 10 information buoys and signage at boat launches, aimed at raising awareness of speed limit restrictions and wake reduction practices, and the benefits to individuals and the ecosystem. There is also a $10,000 grant to the Dog Lake Association, to be used in continuing efforts by the association to determine the causes of recurring algae blooms on the lake, by looking at existing data base information, conducting field studies and using drone-based multispectral imaging. The third grant is $7,000 to the Queen’s University Biological Station, to continue to enhance the turtle nest protector project at the Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre, near Perth Road Village.

There is $30,000 in the Lake Ecosystem Grant Program annual budget, leaving $6,625 un-allocated, in addition to $19,160 that went unclaimed in 2025. A staff report recommended doing a second grant intake for 2026, with a $25,795 limit, so that the surplus money in the program is used for its intended purpose.

Deputy Mayor Steve Pegrum said that instead of the township looking for people to take their money, the extra money could be moved to the private lane rehabilitation grant program, which is fully subscribed. Councilor Randy Ruttan disagreed, saying the money is intended for environmental stewardship, not gravel.

Mayor Vandewal agreed that opening a new intake at this time is not a good idea, but did not want to lose the money from the program either. He said that the township had been holding meetings each summer with lake association leaders, and that is where this program came from. Those meetings stopped taking place after COVID hit. He said that holding a meeting next summer to discuss a number of matters of mutual interest between the township and waterfront property owners, as well as the grant program, might entice lake associations to apply for funding from the program. This recommendation was adopted by Council.

Consultation Over Zoning Bylaw, Community Permit System

The township will pay $116,000 to Planscape to develop a new comprehensive zoning bylaw, based on the Official Plan that was adopted by this council, integrated with a community permit system for South Frontenac, based on a county wide template under development by the Frontenac County Planning department.

Verona Housing

In another step towards starting construction on the Verona Housing Project, Council approved an application to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for a ten-year loan of up to $17 million, at a 4.9% interest rate, with an option for a second ten-year term, with a 50-year amortisation rate on all of the buildings included in the project.

Chief Administrative Officer Louise Fragnito said that both the amount in the loan, and the projected interest rate are the highest they could be, and she expects both figures will be lower. Mayor Vandewal pointed out that the loan payments will be made using revenue generated by rent paid by people living in what will be a complex with up to 92 units, and not from South Frontenac ratepayers. The project has also received $16 million in provincial and federal grants. The grant money will be used to cover construction costs first, and the loan will be taken out after the grant money runs out.

Council accomplishments

A list of accomplishments over the four year life of this council was received. The four page list is “exhaustive” said Mayor Vandewal.

“This doesn't even include the day-to-day work that Staff do to keep the operation running,” said Councillor Morey. “I'm in awe of everything they do.”

The list includes about $18 million in grants received, out of $24 million in grant applications that were submitted in that time. In addition to the $16 million for Verona Housing, some of the larger grants include: $665 thousand for Centennial Park, $556,000 for Sydenham Water upgrades, $136,000 for fire protection, and $113,000 for EV Chargers.