Serious Incident Closes Campbellford OPP Detachment

The OPP have advised that the Campbellford Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be closed for the next 24 hours to allow officers to investigate a serious incident that occurred outside of the detachment today just before 9:00 am.

Industrial drive will be closed to traffic from County Road 30 to the Ranney Gorge Bridge on Trent Drive. Anyone needing assistance is being asked to attend either the Cobourg or Brighton OPP Detachments or by calling 1-888-310-1122.  

No officers were harmed during this incident and updates will follow when more information becomes available.

 

Support Haldimand Memorial Arena in Kraft Hockeyville competition

By Cecilia Nasmith

The Haldimand Memorial Arena has just been entered in the annual Kraft Hockeyville competition, and Alnwick-Haldimand Township parks-and-recreation manager Chris Curwin believes there is no more deserving ice surface.

And it's not just the honour. The winning facility will receive $250,000 in arena upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season game, with three runner-up prizes of $25,000 worth of upgrades each.
The competition is about the host community as well as the arena, and the case set out for both can be viewed at https://www.krafthockeyville.ca/#community/11E8F416EEB18A088ADD692DEA662A63

Part of the entry includes the history of the long-beloved facility, a place built and supported by the community that still draws people.

“The arena is the heartbeat of our community,” the entry declared the entry prepared by township chief administrative officer Robin Van de Moosdyk. In fact, it was community volunteers who came together in the 1970s to provide a massive upgrade to the facility.

As for Grafton, where the arena is located, Van de Moosdyk's entry argues that the village a classic example of small-town living at its best. There has been growth, it allowed, but “it still holds true to the small-town vibe. Ultimately, this is what has attracted new residents.”

In short, Grafton represents the basis of Canada, “a community coming together, a sports-loving town that embraces the game and promotes it, and ultimately welcomes anyone.

“It embraces hockey at all levels and strives to ensure that all feel welcome to play and can afford to play.”

This spirit can be seen on any given night during hockey season, he said, when the stands are packed with parents and spectators eager to cheer on the players.

And many of those grown-ups virtually grew up at the arena, as a players, officials, coaches and fans. The structure was the heartbeat of the community, the place where they met friends, played and enjoyed life.

And it goes beyond hockey, she said. The arena is a place to meet, a venue for ball tournaments that create decades-old traditions, and even the odd wedding.

“When people think of Grafton, the first thought most have is the arena,” the entry said.

“It is known throughout Ontario for its facilities and access. Minor hockey is growing, with our highest registration this year – this community loves its sports.”

In the event of a win, Curwin said, even greater days are ahead with a facility that can boast improved ice surface, expanded dressing rooms and enhanced accessibility for all.

“We like the 'quaintness' of it, but everyone recognizes that, despite the love and attention that has been show to it, as with any building, they need to be maintained and massive upgrades need to occur,” the entry said.

In order to cinch the competition, Curwin said, massive community support is needed.

“Eighty per cent of this final score is based on community pictures and stories, so the community really has to get involved now. We are really looking to get the word out. That's a huge part of it,” he stated.

“Anyone who has pictures, past or present, stories to tell – the more we can get the word out, the more we can get the community involved, the better chance we have of being successful with this.”

This is a good time for local residents to share their shots from old hockey and ball tournaments, figure-skating carnivals and special events held at the arena. He sees people drop into the arena to relive things like this, usually remarking that being there brings back so many memories.

Now's the time to share those memories, he said.

He urges supporters to go on-line to share – and to check out the bonus points available for sharing on Facebook, Twitter or other social media.

Voting will take place March 29 and 30, with the winner declared March 30.

County withdraws bid to host 2019 Ontario Indigenous Summer Games

By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland County council voted at its Jan. 30 meeting to withdraw the bid it made in partnership with Alderville First Nation to host the 2019 Ontario Indigenous Summer Games.

Council supported the bid in September to Indigenous Sport and Wellness Ontario for the event.

At the time, the bid-review committee indicated that a host community would be announced in November. It has since extended the timeline for bid review and will not confirm when an announcement might be expected. The concern is that the time remaining between a later announcement and the summer event might well be insufficient to organize the support and engagement of local venues, sports officials and other community partners in case their bid was accepted.

Council voted unanimously to withdraw their bid with regret.

Cobourg Mayor John Henderson asked for official notification of the withdrawal of the bid for his town, as they had expressed interest in being a partner.

“We have a list of partners and venues we have to advise,” chief administrative officer Jennifer Moore said.

County supports extension of Go service

By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland County council reiterated its support for a Go Rail service extension to Bowmanville in response to a letter from the Regional Municipality of Durham received at their Jan. 30 meeting,

The county supports the need for improved regional transit connections, the motion of support said, especially to the Greater Toronto Area. In fact, county staff are in the process of developing a business-case study for an expansion right to Northumberland.

Cobourg Mayor John Henderson said that the same recommendation will be coming forward to his own council.

“Anything we can do, along with Northumberland County, to assist and help in this endeavour, we certainly would be glad to assist in any manner, because we do see it as a viable option,” Henderson stated.

“I want to reiterate how important it is that we continue our goal to have Metrolinx connect through to Bowmanville,” Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson added.

“Durham is bringing it forward to make sure the provincial government understands the priority placed on it by the previous government, particularly for our work force and our youth who need post-secondary education connections to Oshawa – we need to have economically appropriate, reliable transportation, so I absolutely support this and recommend county council support it.”

Copies of the resolution will be sent to each Northumberland member municipality, the Regional Municipality of Durham, Metrolinx, as well as Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Kim Rudd and MPP David Piccini.

County puts safety first at event venue

By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland County's support of two youth- and family-oriented events is endangered because of safety concerns that are becoming evident with the venue.

A letter from organizer Rod Simpson expressed appreciation for the support over eight years in which he has been associated with the Northumberland Forest Turkey Trot (a YMCA Northumberland fundraiser) and the Kawartha Pine Ridge Elementary Athletics Association South Area cross-country meet.

Simpson noted, however, that the county will no longer issue permits for these events because they far exceed the capacity of their venue, the Cobourg Scout Reserve camp on County Road 45 north of Cobourg. As a result, parking overflows onto the county road with very risky consequences.

County forest manager Todd Farrell was accompanied by a roads engineer at county council's Jan. 30 meeting in describing their Dec. 12 meeting with Simpson and explaining the problems that the two autumn events present.

Fourteen schools and perhaps 400 students participate in KPREAA, and parking space is inadequate for this and the estimated 90 cars the event draws. For the Turkey Trot, they typically draw 400 people in 200 cars. The maximum the parking lot can hold is about 120 cars, Farrell said.

The roads staffer offered her own numbers. The 80 km/hour speed limit means speeds of 100 km/hour are not uncommon, she said, and it's a high-volume road with 8,000 to 10,000 cars per day. This makes parking on the highway a high-risk proposition for participants and spectators, as well as the travelling public. She had heard of cars backing into ditches while maneuvering to get out, and shared concerns about excited children who might not exercise sufficient caution near the road.

In the end, she said, there is a risk in such a situation that the liability could come back on the county.

Suggestions to arrange parking off-site and shuttle buses to transport participants were declared unsatisfactory or unworkable.

As a retired teacher, Cobourg Mayor John Henderson stated that the safety of children must be paramount.

Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander noted that it's not the school buses that cause the KPREAA congestion but the many parents who turn out to watch their children participate.

“It's unfortunate we can't host an event like this at that venue, but safety comes first,” Ostrander agreed.

For smaller events, Farrell said, the venue offers so many amenities. It's the site of the former Northumberland Ski Club, with a small ski chalet, toilet facilities and picnic structures in a beautiful hilly setting.

They now give a careful look to expected attendance numbers when they review proposed events for the Scout camp.

Meanwhile, Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson expressed his hope that the two events can continue in another local venue. Warden John Logel suggested, for example, that there is a ball diamond that is no longer in use in Alnwick-Haldimand Township, probably no more than three kilometres from the camp. Cramahe Township Mayor Mandy Martin suggested looking into possibly using conservation areas.

Ostrander was the only councillor voting against the subsequent motion to direct staff to continue to talk with Simpson and examine this issue. Suggestions for alternate venues have been made, he reasoned, so what more is there for staff to do.

“The assumption is, we don't want to lose these events,” Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson said.

“We want to make sure these events can go on, simple as that.”

Northumberland recognizes 66 long-serving employees

By Cecilia Nasmith

Dozens of long-serving Northumberland County employees and new retirees were recognized at the Jan. 30 county council meeting.

Warden John Logel offered words of praise for “the knowledge and skills you bring to our organization, and the core values you demonstrate every day as part of your work of making the county a wonderful place to live, work and visit.”

While chief administrative officer Jennifer Moore normally presides at these twice-yearly celebrations, she was the first one of 66 recognized, as Logel announced she was marking 10 years of service. After accepting congratulations, she proceeded with the honours to staffers representing every department from paramedics, economic development, roads and community services to workers at the Golden Plough Lodge and Material Recovery Facility.

In addition to herself, the group recognized included employees of five to 20 years' standing, as well as five retirees with terms of service ranging from 19 to 29 years.

“For every new idea generated, for every problem solved, for every question or concern addressed, for every project completed, you truly have an impact on our community,” Moore stated.

Of the retirees, only paramedic Blake Manley was present, and he took the opportunity to offer both thanks and kudos.

“I do better on the job looking after people than speaking publicly, but there's something that should be said today,” Manley said.

“This county is way ahead of other counties in a lot of ways. Our paramedic group is seen as the best around, and that doesn't necessarily mean the people. It means the management, it means the vehicles, it means as a place to work.”

Manley said he based this on discussions with paramedics from other municipalities, who expressed dissatisfaction with different aspects of their jobs.

“I want to let the county know our paramedics' program is looked at as probably number-one in all of Ontario,” he said.

“You can give yourself a pat on the back, because you are doing something right.”

Manley's compliments also extended to other departments, like roads.

Before he retired, he moved to the Peterborough area for family reasons and commuted to Northumberland, he explained.

“I would drive out of Peterborough County in the wintertime and, as soon as I got to Northumberland, your roads are plowed. And that's at 7:30 in the morning, so that's appreciated.

“Recycling – you're far ahead of other counties,” he added.

“Just keep looking toward the future. Councillors, management and the workers who are all doing a great job – it's showing up in a lot of different ways.”

County taxes to rise 2.27%

By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland County council has determined that its levy increase for the 2019 taxation year will be 2.27%.

This consists of a base-levy increase of 2% and a dedicated infrastructure levy of 0.27% for the county's $56.2-million budget, councillors heard at their Jan. 30 meeting.

Treasurer Glenn Dees had originally recommended a 2.5% increase in the base levy, but councillors achieved the savings by voting to discontinue the practice of distributing bulky-waste vouchers to Northumberland households, The measure drew support for a number of reasons, such as the cost of administering the program, although they acknowledged that the move does increase the potential for road-side dumping.

As a full-service upper-tier municipality, Dees said, Northumberland presents an intricate budgeting challenge. The process is typically seven months long, and there are an anticipated 2,900 budget lines to be uploaded into their software.

Expanding on what exactly a full-service municipality means, chief administrative officer Jennifer Moore noted that there are 13 upper-tier municipalities in Eastern Ontario that all provide some degree of service.

“We check every single box – no other municipality checks every single box,” Moore said.

Two major extraordinary future projects (the Golden Plough Lodge rebuild and the new Campbellford bridge) will account for $100-million worth of construction costs over the next few years. Challenges like this demand the dedicated infrastructure levy council has approved as an annual levy addition.

Other challenges include asset-management budgeting and the very real possibility of reduced provincial funding in terms of grants and subsidies, In Northumberland, this accounts for 35% of revenues as compared to 20% for municipalities overall.

Dees said that the initial levy increases that had been requested would have produced a 5.2% increase. He provided a list of reductions that had been made that virtually cut that increase in half.

Even so, Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson said, people in the community are struggling.

“In Port Hope, the levy increase is down to 1.9%, specifically targeted because of taxpayers, with whom we are in fairly close contact,” Sanderson said.

“We are getting quite a bit of resistance in our community relative to the levy.”

In Cobourg, Mayor John Henderson said, the budgeting process is extensive and features quite a number of public meetings where different departments make presentations – all of which have been told not to exceed a 2% increase under any circumstances.

Henderson decried the downloading of expensive responsibilities like roads to municipalities but, in the end, noted that taxes at all levels are paid by the same taxpayer.

Hamilton Township Mayor Bill Cane said the message he is hearing from his citizenry is that they want careful scrutiny of the county.

Cane added that he is most concerned with township residents on fixed incomes. His understanding is that the government pensions have just had a 2% increase, and he does not want to lose sight of that.

Cramahe Township Mayor Mandy Martin said one of her top concerns is the provincial government's drive to reduce costs.

“If we think we are going to continue as we are with the funding in the past, dream on!” Martin stated.

“We have to be able to plan for the future. We will be doing more of our capital protects on our own, if we do them at all. The services we are providing are not going to be subsidized as they have in the past. We have to be far more self-sufficient and responsible in terms of how we plan.

“I understand it's a tough decision – and in my municipality, I have a higher percentage than any of you of lower-income people. But if you want to continue to have the services that we have like subsidized housing, transportation to medical appointments, counselling, that money has to come from somewhere, and it has to be sustained.”

Trent Hills Mayor Bob Crate agreed that cuts can be expected from the province.

“I am not sure where they are going to happen, but you cannot look at a $15-billion deficit and cut that without somebody having to suffer. I think we are going to be the people to suffer,” Crate predicted.

Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander cast the only vote against the revised budget. His position was that the 0.5%-higher levy figure should stand and that the money saved from the voucher discontinuation should be reinvested in infrastructure.

“We should be looking at all the roads and bridges so we don't continue to get further behind – even more further behind,” Ostrander stressed.

Help La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra celebrate 20-year milestone

By Cecilia Nasmith

The La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra is having a milestone season this year, board president Jackie Nicholls says, celebrating their 20th anniversary.

You are cordially invited to join the latest celebration on Feb. 24, with their In The Spotlight concert.

Founding directors Michael Lyons and Laurie Mitchell are still involved with the group, Nicholls said, and a number of orchestra alumni have returned through the years as mentors.

“We have one adult mentor for each section,” Nicholls explained.

“One of our mentors has been with us the whole time – Tony Mancktelow.”

As a retired music teacher, Nicholls got enthusiastic invitations from students of hers who were in the orchestra and begged her, 'Madame, madame, you have to come see us play.'

“I'm a Port Hope person, and it had been a while since I had been to a La Jeunesse concert,” she recalled.

“I have seen them play for me, I have seen them play for strangers, I have seen their music travel over into their lives.

“We all know making music makes you smarter. These kids develop leadership qualities as they progress through the ranks from first chair to second to soloist to concert master to orchestra leader. They share in friendship and musicianship and partnership with adults, and learn from them how music enriches your life.

“I always say it's the kids you don't see on the news.”

Mitchell has a private violin studio and, when she feels a young student might be ready, she suggests joining the orchestra, A similar arrangement has happened with another instructor, Debra Henderson, resulting in some valuable members for the strings section,

Sometimes, it's just a matter of young people wanting to make music and looking for an outlet to make it happen, Thanks to a group of committed community members who are interested in the arts and want to help local youth, they are able to come through when assistance is needed – for a membership, for the purchase of an instrument and even in the matter of post-secondary education.

Nicholls said that they are able to make scholarships available in certain cases where local students graduating Grade 12 enroll in a post-secondary music program.

“We know how rewarding music can be, and this circle of friends and family and music is so rewarding in many, many ways,” she stated.

The orchestra has launched more than one professional career. For example, Nicholls said, one alumna is the principal bassoonist in the Latvian Philharmonic and one alumnus is concertmaster with the Belleville Symphony.

Even those young people who did not go on to play professionally are infinitely enriched by their time with La Jeunesse, and organizers hope their annual Sonic Bloom concert (this year on May 5) will be something of a homecoming.

“We have contacted over 300 of our previous members, and we hope as many of them as possible will come back. Our goal is to have one or two pieces where they will sit in and play with the current membership and mentors,” Nicholls said.

They are also working on putting together swag bags for their alumni with goodies like La Jeunesse shirts and key lanyards.

Meanwhile, their primary focus is In The Spotlight, where the featured soloists are what Nicholls called home-grown, chosen from within the orchestra. They include some of the younger students Henderson and Mitchell have nurtured along.

The Feb. 24 concert begins at 3 p.m. at Port Hope United Church (34 South St). You can get tickets from any orchestra member, as well as on-line (ljyo.ca) and at the door - $20 for tickets from members and $25 otherwise, with special student prices of $15 and free admission for those aged 12 and younger when accompanied by an adult.