North Frontenac Council Sept 23/13

Jeff Green | Sep 25, 2013

North Frontenac to request community paramedicine

As part of a push to make more use of the skills of paramedics while they are between calls, North Frontenac Council is making a formal request to include community paramedicine as an added service at the new Robertsville base, which is slated to open next spring.

“We were specifically asked by the Frontenac Chief of Paramedic Services to make this request for community paramedicine,” said North Frontenac and Frontenac County Councilor John Inglis. “It could be particularly beneficial for some of our elderly residents in the northern part of the township."

Community paramedicine, an initiative that has been championed by Frontenac Paramedic Services, can take a number of forms. In some cases, such as at Wolfe Island, it involves setting up clinic hours, wherein paramedics can test blood pressure and offer other pro-active medical services. It can also involve pro-active visits by paramedics to patients recently released from hospital or to the infirm.

Although it is gaining some favour with government officials and politicians, community paramedicine is not funded by the Ministry of Health. While 50% of operating costs for ambulance service is paid by the ministry, paramedicine initiatives are funded entirely by the municipal ambulance service providers. This leads to some unusual costing calculations.

In the Wolfe Island case, for example, the paramedics, who hold clinic hours at the medical centre that is located next to their base, are paid entirely by Frontenac County when they are providing service in the clinic. While they are sitting in their base next door waiting for a call instead of holding the clinic, half of their salaries are covered by the Ministry of Health.

Easy may be not be as easy as hoped

A proposal that was designed to help North Frontenac access some small scale sustainability project grant money from Frontenac County seemed to get more complicated as it was being discussed at Council. The idea is to put in a dry hydrant for fire crews as well as a boat wash station at Grindstone and Canonto Lakes. The county grant would provide 1/3 of the money, the township 1/3, and the respective lake associations the remaining 1/3. But as it was discussed at Council, it first became clear that the boat wash equipment, which might need maintenance, should remain in the possession of the lake associations, making it ineligible for the county money. The hydrants would necessarily remain a township asset, managed by the fire department, but at least in the case of Grindstone Lake, the land where the dry hydrant would be located could be owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The entire matter will require more study. Meanwhile the County money is still sitting waiting for a suitable applicant to come forward.

Catch-22, big bucks, and jelly beans

A recent review of the rules by which townships dole out licenses for various raffles and draws has revealed that contests that require any kind of knowledge or skill in order for a prize to be won cannot be given a license.

This might have a severe impact on fishing derbies next summer, and it has put the upcoming Conservationists of Frontenac Addington (COFA) Big Buck contest in doubt.

“Giving a prize for the largest buck that is killed, or the largest fish that is caught, even for counting jelly beans in a jar, is not permitted under the rules that we are supposed to follow,” said Township CAO Cheryl Robson. “It has always been that way, but we didn’t know it. The draws that COFA draws along with their contest are fine, but we cannot sell a license to do the contest itself.”

“COFA is having trouble determining how to proceed this year," said Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, who is a COFA member as well.

COFA holds its Big Buck contest each year at Bishop Lake Outdoor Store on the east side of Highway 41, the border between North Frontenac and Addington Hig