South Frontenac Council - Sep 10/13

Wilma Kenny | Sep 11, 2013

South Frontenac receives fire report 

Fire Hall Study Report Lynn Quann, of Emergency Management and Training Inc. summarized the findings and recommendations of a four-month study of South Frontenac’s Fire and Rescue services and equipment. This had been commissioned by Council as an aid to budget planning.

Quann complimented the fire department on the quality of their training which met both Ontario Fire Marshall and Health And Safety standards, and on the excellent quality and maintenance of both vehicles and equipment.

He recommended the fire department develop a strategic plan, including goals and objectives, for the next five years, using information from the Township’s 2013 growth study. Although a large section of the report reviewed the conditions of the fire halls and outlined recommended repairs and upgrades, Councillor Vandewal commented “I was pleasantly surprised the facilities were not as badly off as I’d feared.” The report called for more time (the equivalent of one full-time employee) to be spent on fire prevention and public education. Recruitment and staffing is an ongoing issue for all volunteer fire departments: South Frontenac is no different, with a low number of firefighters at three of the least busy firehalls.

In summary, Quann said “Your volunteers are truly dedicated to the community they serve, and your Council, CAO and Chief are sincerely committed to ensuring the safety of the community and the firefighters of SF.”

Rideau Heritage Route Tourism Association:

AnnMarie Forcier of the RHRTA described some of the ways the Township could benefit from connecting with this association, which serves to link communities, events and tourist attractions in the general area of the Rideau Canal and neighbouring districts. She distributed maps and tourist guides, which feature hiking, biking and paddling trails. More information is available on the website www.rideauheritageroute.ca.

Official Plan Review

Planner Lindsay Mills asked Council’s direction concerning three outstanding issues where Council differs from the recommendations of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Council agreed to: 1) Support the proposal to permit five severances from a lot that existed in 2000, using information from the recent Growth Study done earlier this year. This study justifies the need to allow some continued development in the rural areas of the township. 2) Permit development of waterfront lots on private lanes, as long as these lanes have been constructed to the minimum standards required by the township, to allow access by emergency vehicles. 3) To not extend the boundaries of Sydenham Village, until it can be clearly shown that the water treatment plant has capacity to serve an enlarged area.

The updated Plan will be brought to a public meeting, before going to Council for draft approval, then forwarded to the Province for review and final approval.

Trailers: if we’ve warned you once...

In 2004,a bylaw was passed prohibiting the use or keeping of a trailer on any property other than a trailer park. Those already existing were to be removed or licensed until 2010, by which time they would all have to be removed. In 2009 this deadline was extended to 2015. In 2005,169 trailers were licensed: in 2013 that number has dropped to 94. However, CAO Orr reports that the Township has received indications that there are an increasing number of unlicensed trailers, and that old trailers have been replaced with new ones, contrary to the Township’s rules.

Council agreed to look at budgeting funds to pay for a new inventory of trailers presently in South Frontenac, so the Council in 2015 will have full information when they face the task of removing all trailers that year.

Who Owns the Desert Lake Causeway?

A lengthy letter from the Desert Lake Property Owners’ Association raised questions about the ownership and management of the causeway at Desert Lake, particularly in relation to the public’s use of the causeway for recreation and the associated risks and liabilities. Planner Mills reported that he has been advised by the township solicitor that the township does not own the causeway: it is “unpatented land owned by the Provincial crown’, and as such, falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Council agreed that they should take a leadership role in connecting the MNR with the the lake association, to address the association’s concerns.