Report to Ratepayers and Residents - August 2021

Hi, everyone:

As we start to enter the last month of summer, it’s a good time to reflect on the past few weeks and look forward.

Before going further, I would like to share some thoughts on the loss of our friend and colleague Elwin Burke. While I’ve known the family for a long time, working with Elwin over the past couple of years gave me a good opportunity to get to know him better. He was “old school” and spoke plainly. That has fallen out of fashion over the past few years, and yet it’s something we often need. Sometimes plain talk reveals truths. Elwin wasn’t coarse, nor did he say things to get a rise. It all came from a sincere place, and it was always intended for a greater good.

At times, I was reminded of the plain speaking of my father and grandfather, and I do miss it – and we will miss Elwin.

Official Plan:

The township’s Official Plan has been adopted, with the results of the various public meetings being incorporated in the final draft. A great deal of thanks to those of you who participated in the meetings or sent me your concerns and suggestions. The OP is the governing document that guides Township activity for the next decade, so getting it right is important.

On a personal note, the addition of language regarding “tiny homes” and communal services will have a big – and positive - impact in the years to come.

Noise By-Law:

Council voted to adopt a new noise by-law earlier this summer. There have been several issues for some residents where their lives and enjoyment of their property is being seriously affected by loud noise - sometimes around the clock.

The bylaw took time to develop because we wanted to ensure that we could adequately address problems without creating new ones. Because bylaws are not specific to individuals, when we pass one it applies equally to every property – and person – in the Township. It is a blunt instrument to fix an issue, and too easily you can obligate more than 5000 full and part-time residents to measures just to solve an isolated dispute between a couple of people.

The bylaw we passed will give legal recourse to those people who are faced with unreasonable difficulties without creating a new set of cumbersome rules for people to abide by.

K&P Trail – Parking at Godfrey / White Lake:

Council endorsed County plans to create expanded parking areas along the K&P Trail at Godfrey and White Lake Road. I know this is an issue that both Councillor Gowdy and myself have been approached about at times and we were both very happy to support the plan.

I raised a connected issue regarding the speed limit through Godfrey. Already there are several people who park along 38 while grabbing items from the store or a bite to eat. It is good to see this activity, but the rate that people travel down that specific stretch of the road makes pedestrian crossing or parking on the shoulder hazardous. While the expanded parking will help a lot, I requested that staff investigate creating a reduced speed section in and around the junction of 38 and Westport Road. Staff reported their findings and we’ve taken the step to have a speed reduction. This may not be popular with everyone, but the increase in traffic and pedestrian / trail activity in that area requires traffic calming measures. This is a transportation and business hub that is growing in importance and ensuring safety as numbers increase is an imperative.

Fire Department:

This week, the Deputy Fire Chief announced that the Piccadilly substation would house a 1-ton truck outfitted for medical responses. This is important as a significant portion of calls that the CFFD responds to are medical emergencies. In several cases, they are the first on scene and work in tandem with paramedics to ensure response times are as low as possible. Piccadilly is well placed for responses heading through Oak Flats, Second Lake and Echo Lake Roads, as well as the roads that connect from them. Having equipment and firefighters at the ready is vitally important.

Economic Development:

In my role as Chair of the Economic Development Committee, I’ve joined with other members to advance the Downtown Revitalization Project for Sharbot Lake. I am glad to say that work is proceeding well, and that we will be unveiling a comprehensive plan for the future of the village this fall. Just as important is the fact that the plan - and the research developed for it – are easily applicable to Parham, Tichborne, Godfrey and other population centres in the township. It is my view that once the Sharbot Lake work has been completed, we need to move immediately to the next hamlet, and I believe that Parham is a logical choice.

Frontenac Community Arena:

This summer has seen the last – and biggest – component of the multi-year refurbishment of the Frontenac Community Arena. The FCA may be well into its fifth decade, but when our doors open in September, we will have the newest facility in the region – with a newly refurbished icepad, new boards and protective glass, and supportive equipment and systems all less than 6 years old.

As a board member since 2014, and Board Chair for 2021, I’ve been proud to work alongside Councillor Whan in representing Central Frontenac at the FCA. As our community surely but steadily reopens, we are all eager and excited to share the work that has been done. There is no better sign that things are returning to normal than a return of hockey to the Frontenacs!

District 4 Recreation Committee:

If anyone wants to understand and appreciate the power of volunteerism, they need only look to the District 4 Recreation Committee. Bob and Christine Teal have provided leadership to a dedicated core of friends and neighbours who have remained busy despite the pandemic. The maintenance of the rink at Tichborne and the Community Pantry that people donated to so generously during the early days of the lockdowns, to the new basketball / pickleball areas at the Parham fairgrounds, to the annual Earth Day roadside cleanups are just a few examples. Councillor Gowdy and I are fortunate to work with such a great group of people who work hard to make our district the special place it is.

Parham Fair Vendors Fair:

In lieu of the traditional Fair in August, there will be a Vendor’s Fair on August 21st – rain or shine. Richard Benn and the Fair Board have assembled a good number of vendors, and it is good to see activity at the Fairgrounds. More than anyone, they are eager to see the Fair return, but the planning and activity now will go a long way toward making the first post-COVID Parham Fair a true celebration!

Internet:

Connectivity has been an issue for many years, and COVID only served to highlight it further.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) has done important work in getting past improvements in wireless and cell phone coverage. Currently plans are underway for Rogers to double the number of towers they operate across eastern Ontario. Mayor Smith has played a leading role in EORN and I congratulate her and others who got federal and provincial support for these projects.

Recently, it was announced that the federal and provincial governments would not be supporting EORN’s “Gig” project – looking to bring 95% of the region a standard of 1 GB of download speed. Instead, there have been announcements of alternative initiatives led by those governments.

Like the rest of you, my concern is not with “who” delivers high speed broadband to our door, but “when.”

I do believe that it may be time to explore other options. One may be for municipal governments to appeal directly for federal and provincial funds – possibly forming a municipal utility at the county level to lay down the fiber optic cable to operate itself, or lease to one or more internet service providers to operate as part of their network. Japan found itself with similar challenges, and by allowing their local authorities to get involved and receive support, they now have the best per capita broadband service levels among OECD countries.

It may or may not be the answer, but it’s a conversation worth having.

Going Forward:

As much as Council is about dealing with the here and now, it is important to think about the future.

After a couple of decades of little or no full-time population growth, we are seeing a huge spike in development. The value of construction in the Township has been steadily increasing each year, but this year marks a doubling. Among districts, Hinchinbrooke leads in the number of new units being constructed. What’s more, much of it is single family dwellings.

Council also received statistics on traffic in our waste sites over the last couple of years. We saw on average an enormous spike in use from 2019 to 2020. With full time residents spending more time at home, and seasonal residents extending their time in the township. So far, for 2021, we’ve seen the number dip a bit – but they have not dropped to 2019 levels. This means that while we may not see the growth in local population during COVID fully retained, a good portion of the growth is likely to be permanent.

What will this do to demand for services, the life expectancy of our land fill, or how we approach development? As much as we need to attend to the day-to-day business of the township, we must also have an eye to what things will be like in 5, 10 or 20 years.

In closing, as we start to near something resembling a normal life, I wish you all the best. All the sacrifice over the past couple of years will be worth it. We will be able to resume with renewed strength and purpose, and more appreciation for the blessings we have.

Stay well and take care.

Brent