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Wednesday, 29 March 2017 14:54

Lavallee’s Inverary store

Christine Lavallee was ready for a change. She used to own a restaurant in Kingston, and more recently spent seven years working at a corporate job for WTC (Westport Telephone Company). She lives on the Washburn Road in the Sunbury area and over the years driving through Inverary she became painfully aware that the community was lacking a grocery store, something that Inverary had always had in the past. With her husband Keith, who runs Lavallee and Sons construction, she looked at the former Bilow’s lumber barn on Perth Road in the middle of the village. The space had two garage doors, and a lot of potential, Christine and Keith thought, so they took a lease out in December. It was Keith’s idea to put in windows where one of the doors was located, and to leave the roll up door in place to roll down at night for added security. It turned a dark space into a bright space and in January Lavallee’s Inverary store opened.

Christine carries basic groceries and convenience store items, but her real passion is locally produced quality food and craft products.

“I decided to go slow and see what kinds of products I could find locally, and in two and half months you can see what has happened.”

Lavallee’s carries bread and Cinnamon buns from Oomen’s bakery, a well known brand in Kingston that is produced just down the road from her home, honey from Inverary and Battersea, Hanna’s Meat pies and Barb’s Peroghi’s from Sydenham, Bear Roots seeds from Verona, chocolate and greenhouse greens from Seeley’s Bay, and the list goes on from there.

“There are so many talented and committed people in this region that I will soon have this store full. And the products are so good that customers come in the door out of curiosity and spend 30 minutes looking around. And then they come back.”

Once the summer season hits, Christine is planning to roll-up the second garage door and open up a fresh air vegetable market stocking local produce from the many farms in the local vicinity.

She will keep stocking some of the canned and other grocery items that she has on two of the aisles in the store, but is planning to completely over haul the display over the next couple of months.

Another new business, Luki’s takeout, shares the building with her, and between them the two businesses are sprucing up the Inverary retail scene.

“I believe everybody is getting back to their roots. Now everybody wants less stress and healthier local food. They want to know where their food comes from and they want to know the people in the stores where they shop. We can do that for them. They can shop here, at Garrett’s, at Northway, and save a trip to Kingston. They like that.”

Christine said that she is planning to continue to bring in new items that her customers are looking for, and will not back down from buying local either. Soon, hot meals will be available at the store in addition to coffee and baked goods. The food will be prepared by Ruthie’s catering, from Verona.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Every couple of years, Elphin’s Jenny Whiteley seemed to put out a record. They were all different, all expressions of the things she was thinking about, the music she was making at the time. Then, after her fifth solo record, she stopped releasing records. She did not stop making music or even recording some music, but did not release a record for several years.

“I never planned to stop putting out records just as I never really planned any part of my musical carreer,” she said this week over the phone as she was preparing to enter a clothing store in an outlet mall in Kanata in search of suitable clothes to wear to the Juno Gala this weekend. After shopping she was headed to the CBC studios to be interviewed by Alan Neil of the CBC Ottawa afternoon show.

The Original Jenny Whiteley is both a departure and a re-visiting of the songs Jenny learned when she was a kid, performing with her brother Dan in the Junior Jug Band,  and with her father Chris and Uncle Ken of the Original Sloth Band.
It features Old timey classics; In the Pines, Oxford Town, Groundhog, modern classics such as Chris Coole’s $100 and Banjo Girl, which she wrote with her husband Joey Wright, and a French tune of her own called ‘Malade’.

It is also the first album that she has recorded “off the floor” after working on the songs with her friends Sam Allison and Teillhard Frost of the band ‘Sheesham and Lotus’. Sam Allison, who has an old timey bent to his own music, produced the record.

It was recorded within a strict time constraint in 2015, because she was off to live in France with her family for nine months and wanted to get the record done before leaving.

“I contacted Chris Brown to see if he could find time for us in his studio, and he did, which turned out well because he became key to the sound of the record because he was mixing it live as we were playing the songs. For me it was more like the way I always make music, playing with friends and family, than how I have recorded in the past,” she said.

Teillard Frost lives on Wolfe Island, which is where Chris Brown has his home and studio, so the record is a Lanark-Frontenac hybrid, with a Kawartha influence via Sam Allison, who lives in Peterborough.

The record sat and waited until Jenny came back from France, and ended up being released in September of last year.

“I was really pleased with the response. Critics liked it and people bought it and are enjoying it, and when they called to ask me to come to Toronto for the announcement of Juno nominees I was pretty happy about it.

If the record wins this weekend, it will tie Jenny with David Francey as the Juno award winningest resident of Elphin.

Francey has won 3 Junos, and Jenny has 2 so far, and all five of them have been in the same category, Traditional roots (aka the Elphin category).

The category has been split this time around, into traditional folk and contemporary folk, and the Original Jenny Whitely is nominated in the traditional folk category.

The awards will be given out at the Juno Gala on Saturday Night in Ottawa.

Published in Lanark County

Godfrey native Matt Villalta was named Vaughn OHL goaltender of the Month and OHL Rookie of the Month following a stellar May with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds with a 1.34 goals-against average, a .957 save percentage and a 5-1-0-0 record including one shutout. (The Greyhounds are currently up 2-1 in their best-of-seven first round playoffs series against the Flint Firebirds.)

He finished his rookie season with a 25-3-0-0 record to go along with a 2.41 gaa and a .918 save percentage. He’s the OHL’s first 17-year-old rookie to win 25 games in a season since 2006-2007 and the 2.41 gaa sets a new Greyhounds record.

Of course dad Lawrence is very proud of his son’s accomplishments but he says “we’re a quiet family” and knows it’s a long haul.

“Matt just needs to stay focused and committed to continue on,” he said. “There is a lot of talent (in the OHL) and as a rookie, he’s still a work in progress.”

But actually, Matt isn’t the only Villalta playing junior hockey in the Soo. Matt’s twin brother Wyatt is a defenceman for NOJHL (Junior A) Soo Thunderbirds and to have both sons playing in the same city is a huge plus for the family, Lawrence said.

“They both have great coaches and great billets,” he said. “This is an especially big thing for our family.

“We just feel blessed that the boys can share this experience together.

“We sent them nine hours away but we sent them to a good place.”

Although Lawrence played a lot of sports himself, hockey wasn’t his top game, but that’s OK, the boys like it and he’s there to support them wherever he can.

And, he’s done his best to teach the boys there is more to athletics than statistics and such.

“I told Wyatt ‘you’re only going to be this age once – you gotta have fun.

“‘Enjoy it while it lasts.’”

He said he’s become quite impressed with The Soo as “a great hockey community” but stresses this advice for young hockey players “character in a hockey player is just about everything.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 22 March 2017 14:21

Inquest into the death of Bob Srigley

Bob Srigley died on July 28, 2013, three days after being shot 6 times by two OPP officers at his property on the Arden Road in Central Frontenac late on a hot summer afternoon.

On February 25, 2014, the Director of the Special Investigations Unit of Ontario, Tony Loparco, released a report on the circumstances of Srigley’s death. The concluding paragraph of the his report reads as follows: “having reviewed all the evidence in its totality I am duty bound to ask: ‘Were the subject officers justified in the use of lethal force in these circumstances?’ I am of the view that they were and accordingly, I have no reasonable grounds to believe that any of the officers committed a criminal offense in relation to this unfortunate death. His actions put him into a position where the officers had no other recourse than to use deadly force. To do otherwise would have been to put their lives or the lives of their partners at risk.”

Three years and two months have passed since Director Loparco released his report, and the Coroners Office of Ontario has set the date for a mandatory inquest into the events surrounding the death of Bob Srigley. The inquest is mandatory because Srigley was technically in custody at the time of his death.

Dr. Paul Dungey, the regional supervising coroner for the East Region, said that the coroner’s office intends to hold inquests within 2 years of the end of any police investigation into an incident, but scheduling issues have meant for a delay in this case. The 8 month gap between the death of Srigley and the release of the SIU report was also unusually long.

The coroners inquest will be presided over by Dr. John Carlisle of Toronto, and his counsel will be Michael Blain.  Approximately 9 witnesses are expected to testify and 5 days have been set aside. A five member jury will hear the testimony and will submit a report, which may include recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.

According to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correction Services (CSCS) website, The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario “serves the living through high quality death investigations and inquests to ensure that no death will be overlooked, concealed or ignored. The findings are used to generate recommendations to help improve public safety and prevent deaths in similar circumstances.”

According to Paul Dungey, the inquest is intended to answer five questions: who died, where did they die, when did they die, and how did the death occur (ie medical cause) and by what means did the death occur.”

“Inquests do not assign blame. They are not a trial. They are held in a court like setting but they are not an adversarial process,” Dungey said.

The CSCS website says “An inquest is an inquisitorial process designed to focus public attention on the circumstances of a death. It is to be a dispassionate public examination into the facts and all participants have a responsibility to conduct themselves with dignity and respect.”

In the case of Bob Srigley, the public already has answers to the first four questions. The only information that has been made available about question number 5, the circumstances surrounding the death, is contained in the Loparco report.

In his synopsis of the moments preceding when shots were fired in the case, Loparco wrote the following:  “As the officers descended the laneway toward the man’s trailer, one of the officers called out the man’s name. The man burst out of the front door of the trailer, empty-handed and naked. While screaming and yelling, the man sprinted across to a picnic table, picked up a scoped rifle lying on the table, raised it and pointed it at the officers. The man was ordered to drop his weapon, but would not do so. One of the officers deployed his CEW [taser device], but was too far away for it to have any effect. While still holding his rifle, which was pointed at the officers, the man turned around, began walking toward the front porch of his residence, and stopped at the porch stairway. The man did not heed repeated commands to drop his weapon. Two of the officers discharged their firearms, striking the man six times.”

Loparco also wrote that during the investigation into the incident, one of the two “subject officers” (ie shooters) took part in the interviews but did not provide his notes, and the other “declined to provide an interview or his notes to the SIU, as is his legal right.”

Aside from OPP officers, there were no other witnesses to the shooting.

The entire incident was instigated by a 911 call that came from the Frontenac News office. Among the first responders were the Central Frontenac Fire Department. The department took a bit of time to get to the scene because the fire chief, Bill Young, had to retrieve a boat before answering the call. Mr. Srigley had threatened to burn himself to death in his boat when talking on the phone to a member of the Frontenac News staff, hence the 911 call.

By the time Bill Young arrived at the Arden Road, police had already set up a roadblock. To our knowledge, subject to confirmation at the coroners inquest, the only witnesses to the shooting were 6 members of the OPP.

The complete SIU report into the incident is provided below:


The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to charge either of two Ontario Provincial Police officers with the Lanark County detachment with a criminal offence in relation to the death of a 45-year-old man in July of 2013.

The SIU assigned five investigators and two forensic investigators to the incident. As part of the investigation, five witness officers and 10 civilian witnesses were interviewed. One subject officer took part in an SIU interview but did not provide his notes, and the other subject officer declined to provide an interview or his notes to the SIU, as is his legal right.

The SIU investigation found that the following events took place on Thursday, July 25, 2013:

• At approximately 4:30 p.m., four officers were dispatched to a home on Arden Road to deal with reports of a suicidal male who had indicated that he intended to burn himself to death. They parked their vehicles at the top of a graveled laneway. The officers were armed with service firearms and other use of force options including an ASP baton. One of the officers was carrying a fire extinguisher and another one of the officers was also equipped with a conducted energy weapon (CEW).

• As the officers descended the laneway toward the man’s trailer, one of the officers called out the man’s name. The man burst out of the front door of the trailer, empty-handed and naked. While screaming and yelling, the man sprinted across to a picnic table, picked up a scoped rifle lying on the table, raised it and pointed it at the officers. The man was ordered to drop his weapon, but would not do so. One of the officers deployed his CEW, but was too far away for it to have any effect. While still holding his rifle, which was pointed at the officers, the man turned around, began walking toward the front porch of his residence, and stopped at the porch stairway. The man did not heed repeated commands to drop his weapon.

• Two of the officers discharged their firearms, striking the man six times. The man underwent surgery for his injuries at Kingston General Hospital. He died the evening of July 28, 2013 of ‘complications from multiple gunshot wounds’.

Director Loparco said, “In light of the information about his suicide threats the police in this case had a duty to apprehend the man under Section 17 of the Mental Health Act. They properly engaged emergency services to assist them if necessary. Because of information they had about the man’s unpredictability and his hatred of police, one of the officers attended with a CEW and another brought a rifle to the scene.

“The moment the man ran naked screaming and yelling to the picnic table in his yard and picked up his air rifle - which appeared to be a lethal high powered scoped rifle with a flared barrel - and pointed it at the officers, he initiated the sequence of actions that led to his death. One of the subject officers who discharged his service pistol indicated he believed that the man intended to kill him. The other witness officers also indicated a fear of death and helplessness or vulnerability. Objectively, factors which informed the reasonableness of this subjective fear included the following: (1) the loud music at the scene and its secluded location, (2) the man’s alleged proclivity for violence and hatred of the police, (3) the man’s mental state, (4) the man’s pronouncements about committing suicide, (5) the pointing of the rifle at the officers and (6) the rapid speed at which the incident occurred.”

Director Loparco concluded, “Having reviewed all the evidence in its totality I am duty bound to ask: ‘Were the subject officers justified in the use of lethal force in these circumstances?’ I am of the view that they were and accordingly, I have no reasonable grounds to believe that any of the officers committed a criminal offence in relation to this unfortunate death. His actions put him into a position where the officers had no other recourse than to use deadly force. To do otherwise would have been to put their lives or the lives of their partners at risk.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Dr. Sabra Gibbens took over Dr. Laurel Dempsey’s practice at the Verona Medical Centre on July 1st of last year, a daunting leap for her. At the time, she had been practicing family medicine for three years, and was suddenly faced with the reality of managing a roster of patients, and running a business. She was also facing a shortage. The other doctor at the centre, Dr. Oglaza had taken a fellowship to study Public Health for two years, leaving Dr. Gibbens with responsibilities for his patients as well.

The result has been a steep learning curve in how to manage a business, a lot of scrambling to make sure that patients who need care the most get the care they need, a lot of work making sure referrals are made and records are kept, and the joy of learning all about the patients in a country clinic. All the while overseeing a major upgrade in digital record-keeping.

“When I first talked with Doctor Dempsey about taking over her practise it was as part of a two doctor clinic. Then Dr. Oglaza had this great opportunity that he was drawn to, and until now we have not been able to find a full time doctor to replace him. I have been lucky enough that since September Trish Warren, the nurse practitioner at the Sydenham clinic has been working here two days a week. Doctor Kalyniuk has been coming in on Monday and Friday afternoons to help cover the load, but she has her own roster of patients in Kingston and those are the only hours she has available,” she said.

Dr. Gibbens works most evenings and weekends, catching up on endless amounts of paper work, which was not what she had been planning, but other aspects of the clinic have gone very well.

“I have been lucky to have support from the staff here over the last 8 months. They have been with me from day one when we painted the waiting room on Canada Day. I also can’t say enough about the community. There is a committee in Verona that has been devoted to health care for years, and as soon as I arrived they began supporting my work here. Among other things, the community purchased an accessible treatment bed for one of the exam rooms, not a cheap item but one that is really necessary.

“It has also been wonderful, but a lot of work, getting to know the patients. Since they were new to me, I have had to spend more time with each patient to learn their history, to understand their needs,” she said.

One of the issues that she has faced, given the situation at the clinic, is having to turn down requests to join the clinic’s roster of patients,

“We have people calling every single day looking for a doctor, and we are saying no because we cannot meet the demands of the patients who are already here. How would they feel if I was taking on new patients? There are those exceptional cases where I have said I will take them on, for cancer patients or those who have recently suffered strokes or heart attacks and have no family doctor,” she said.

While the situation at the Verona clinic is difficult, it is only one of several in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties that is short of doctors.

The Rural Kingston Family Health Organisation (FHO) is an administrative body made up of the physician led clinics in Sydenham and Verona and the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team in Frontenac County, and the physician led clnics in Newburgh and Tamworth as well as the Lakelands – Northbrook (L&A) Family Health Team in Lennox and Addington.

“Within our FHO there are a number of doctor shortages, as there are elsewhere in Ontario” said Dr. Gibbens. The situation I am facing here is not unique in the region by any means. We need more rural doctors.”*
Taking on the clinic has certainly been a major challenge, but Gibbens is no stranger to challenges.

Her preparation for being a country doctor in Eastern Ontario began in an unorthodox way, by studying philosophy in Minnesota. It was there that she met her husband, and they eventually moved to New York City to do graduate studies. Her husband did his PHD at the University of Toronto and they moved to Kingston when he got a full time position at Queen’s. At that point, as they were starting a family, the idea of pursuing her 'dream job' in medicine, began to take form.

“Ever since I was a teenager I had been thinking about family medicine, and with all the publicity about the lack of family practioners that was in the media at that time, in 2004 or so, and the way our lives were going, the opportunity was there to finally pursue it.”

She did some online science courses through Athabasca University while home with young children and eventually finished her pre-med requirements at Queen's. In 2009 she started Med school at Queen’s and started practicing medicine in 2013. Her family moved to a farm property in Godfrey in 2014.

While the sheer volume of work required to run the Verona Medical Centre has certainly stretched Dr. Gibbens, it has not weakened her resolve to make a difference for her patients and the local community.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

On March 17, 2017 at approximately 10:15 pm, Sharbot Lake, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers responded to an altercation between two males at a residence on Clement Road in Central Frontenac Township.

Investigation indicated that the two males known to each other were involved in an argument, when one male stabbed the other in the neck with a knife. The victim was transported to hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect fled the scene but shortly returned and was located by police near the parking area.  

Andrew STONESS (22) of Central Frontenac Township was arrested and is charged with; Assault with a Weapon under the Criminal Code Section 267(a).

He was released and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston on April 25, 2017.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Darrell Green, 61, a nearby resident, drowned after his ATV went through the ice on the East Bay of Buck Lake, north of Perth Road Village on Sunday, March 11.

A family friend of the deceased became concerned when Green did not arrive to meet him at a certain location on Buck Lake. The friend began to search near the shorelines around the route that Green would have taken and observed a partly submerged ATV and a helmet in a narrow section of the Lake. Nearby this location South Frontenac Fire and Rescue recovered Green's body from the icy water.

The Frontenac OPP do not suspect any foul play.

This latest drowning occurred just one day after two men drowned in nearby Big Rideau Lake near Westport in the Township of Rideau Lakes.

Constable Roop Sandhu, of the Frontenac OPP, said that the ice conditions on all lakes in the region are particularly unpredicatble this season, due to the mix of warm and cold temperatures. Sandhu put out a release warning about unsafe ice conditions on February 25th, during the height of an unusual February warm spell, and  said this week that the warning has stayed in effect.

“Ice is constantly changing in response to weather and water conditions and is effected by many different factors including thickness, currents, age of the ice, pressure cracks and snow cover,” the release said.

At the time, OPP East Region Manager of Traffic and Marine, Inspector Paul Bedard said "The OPP is committed to saving lives on Ontario's highways, trails, and waterways through the reduction of preventable injury and death. This ice warning applies during any prolonged period of thaw or rain, and late in the season after ice begins to deteriorate from milder temperatures."

At this time the OPP has reiterated the warning that to stay off the ice, even with this week’s colder temperatures.

“The ice is very unpredictable right now,” said Sandhu.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 08 March 2017 13:32

Dancing the Night Away in Sharbot Lake

About a month ago, Roseanna Redmond got the idea that it might be fun to get some couples together for a bit of ballroom dancing.

Ken Fisher thought that was a good idea and “I put the wheels under it.”

But they kind of needed an instructor.

No problem. They recruited Tim White, who many might remember as The Music Man in North Frontenac Little Theatre’s production and/or his choreography in several other productions. White brought along Gillian Hofmann, another NFLT alumnus as his partner and co-instructor.

White would seem to be the natural choice to guide this group. His resume as a dancer/choreographer/teacher/actor/etc is a long one which began in St. John’s, Nfld, when he was 19 and includes a stint (1985-1988) at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a student and teacher. There’s also been aerobics, yoga and Pilates in there.

“I’ve done a lot of ballet and jazz,” he said. “I even did opera.

“(But) contemporary modern dance is my forte.”

But it seems ballroom dance comes quite naturally as well.

“We’ll be learning forms tonight,” he said. “Secondary moves, steps, how they transition, rhythmics, and promenades.”

In the eight-week course, participants will be going through the slow waltz, both contemporary and traditional, smooth jazz, and the nightclub two-step.

“We may even get to the tango at the end of the session,” he said.

Fisher said the spots for 17 couples filled up quite quickly and unfortunately they can’t accommodate any more for this session.

However, given the initial interest, it’s possible things could continue after this course is done.

“It may become a monthly event,” Fisher said. “Perhaps in the afternoon.

“It’s a great winter/spring activity.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 08 March 2017 13:23

Leah Neumann: Still a Champ

As The War Amps 2017 Key Tags are mailed across Ontario, local residents may spot a familiar face in the accompanying brochure.

Leah Neumann, 12, of Tichborne, was born a right arm amputee, and is a member of The War Amps Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program. As a Champ, she is eligible to receive financial assistance for the cost of artificial limbs, counselling and attend regional CHAMP seminars.

At the News, we've watched Leah grow up, and along the way new devices, such as new arms as she grew so she could always tool aroud on her bike, and a device she got in 2015 so she can hold a hockey stick and play with the Frontenac Fury. Fund-raising makes all this possible for her.

Each key tag has a confidentially coded number so if you lose your keys, the finder can call the toll-free number on the back of the tag or deposit them in any mailbox and The War Amps will return them to you by courier, free of charge.

The War Amps receives no government grants. Its many programs, including CHAMP, exist thanks to public support of the Key Tag Service. If you have not received key tags, they can be ordered at waramps.ca or by calling 1 800 250-3030.

As The War Amps 2017 Key Tags are mailed across Ontario, local residents may spot a familiar face in the accompanying brochure.
Leah Neumann, 12, of Tichborne, was born a right arm amputee, and is a member of The War Amps Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program. As a Champ, she is eligible to receive financial assistance for the cost of artificial limbs, counselling and attend regional CHAMP seminars.
At the News, we've watched Leah grow up, and along the way new devices, such as new arms as she grew so she could always tool aroud on her bike, and a device she got in 2015 so she can hold a hockey stick and play with the Frontenac Fury. Fund-raising makes all this possible for her.
Each key tag has a confidentially coded number so if you lose your keys, the finder can call the toll-free number on the back of the tag or deposit them in any mailbox and The War Amps will return them to you by courier, free of charge.
The War Amps receives no government grants. Its many programs, including CHAMP, exist thanks to public support of the Key Tag Service. If you have not received key tags, they can be ordered at waramps.ca or by calling 1 800 250-3030.
Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Sometimes the world of make-believe can bring-out the best in a person. Just ask Dalia Gesser, a theatre arts teacher from Battersea.

“I used to perform my own clown, mime and mask shows and toured all over Ontario for 20 years, performing for schools, libraries, festivals and theatre series,” says the petite 58-year-old with a smile in early March 2017.

“In the late 1990s, I began to shift my theatre arts focus to arts/education and received a bunch of grants from the Ontario Arts Council which allowed me to bring theatre arts workshops to many elementary schools in the Greater Kingston region. In the last two years, I've been focusing on programs for seniors.”

Majoring in dance in university in New York State then later attending the Canadian Mime School in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Dalia is bringing theatre arts to the area. She's doing this through songs, theatre games, mime, movement, original use of props and story sharing.

“In all classes and workshops, students are challenged to use their bodies, minds and imaginations in a fun and positive setting, building self-confidence and body awareness,” says Dalia. “Music is an integral part of every workshop experience, with an eclectic selection to enhance different exercises, set moods and inspire ideas.”

A resident of South Frontenac since 1992, Dalia wants the community to know the benefits of theatre arts.

“Being self-employed, I'm always for hire,” she says with a laugh about her teaching services. “Now I'm available to do seniors' programs.”

Dalia recently received her second grant from the Ontario Arts Council which will fund two senior programs in two different locations. This grant program is called Theatre Arts for the Young at Heart.

From mid-March to the end of June, she will lead a seniors’ group at the Hildegarde Centre, a day program located in Providence Manor in Kingston. From September to mid-December, she will work with seniors at Carveth Care Centre in Gananoque.

“Both programs will involve theatre games, mime & movement, songs as well as story sharing culminating in an informal presentation by the participants in both centres,” she confirms.

Creative and fun, Dalia has spent years working with youth. Now, she’s enjoying her time working with seniors.

“I’ve been working with kids for so many years, it’s nice to have a change and work with seniors,” she explains kindly. “The seniors who take part in my workshops tend to have a great sense of humour, enjoy participating and love to share their life stories. It's heartwarming to watch them interact with their peers. A few things I like to do with them is to use everyday objects in original ways, act out various activities in mime and listen to their stories. Everyone has endless stories. It’s nice to help seniors remember their stories and give them an opportunity to share their past.”

Dalia sees the arts as a component of a healthy society.

“My theatre arts programs help with cognitive ability and memory loss,” she notes. “Exercises help people physically, psychologically and emotionally. It’s great stimulation for any age, but especially for seniors.”

Speaking on behalf of Carveth Care Centre, Activity Director Shannon Buell is looking forward to the workshop for seniors.

“We know this is going to spark interesting conversations by the residents about their past,” she says wisely. “The classes will be well-received by the residents and appreciated by their families who will enjoy a presentation at the end. It’s great to see how much is accomplished by theatre arts.”

To learn more about theatre arts in South Frontenac, contact Dalia Gesser at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit her website at compacttheatre.jimdo.com

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
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With the participation of the Government of Canada