This is a brief note to HIRA members and other residents of Howe Island about the Township of Frontenac Islands regular council meetings held on Monday, September 12, 2022 and on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. The public was provided with Zoom access to the meetings and a couple of our HIRA directors called into both meetings. Only matters of particular interest to Howe Island residents are highlighted here.
2022 municipal election materials:
Election day is Monday, October 24, 2022. Electronic voting will be available at various times from Monday, October 17 @ 8:00 a.m. to October 24 @ 8:00 p.m.
Paper ballots will still be an option. They will be available at both the Wolfe Island and the Howe Island municipal offices on October 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
If you have any questions on the voting process please contact the Voter Help Line @ (613) 385-2216.
The following candidates are standing for election:
Candidates for Mayor (choose 1):
- Judith Greenwood-Speers
- Barbara Springgay
- Randy Rixten
Candidates for Councillor, Howe Island (choose 2):
- Bob Ackley
- Tim Kirkby
- Bill Saunders
- Noreen MacDougall
- Bruce Higgs
By-law 2022-21:
The by-law was passed September 12, 2022 to appoint Tom Berriault as Acting Chief Building Official responsible for administration of the Ontario Building Code within the township.
By-law 2022-26:
The by-law was passed to set ferry fees and fares for 2023. The by-law leaves fares and fees related to the Howe Island ferry service unchanged from those in place for 2022.
By-law 2022-27:
The by-law was passed to prohibit overnight parking and camping on Lighthouse Lane. Appropriate signage is to be installed in the near future.
Ferry Service Issues:
As most residents are aware, capacity on the County Ferry (West) has been reduced from 15 cars to 10 cars in response to an order issued by Transport Canada. The order was prompted by a complaint from an island resident who claims to have concerns about safety issues.
We understand township council and staff are working to arrange meetings with MTO and Transport Canada to discuss restoring capacity to 15 cars. We do not know, at this point, if any progress has been made in this regard.
- Re the promised replacement of the drive system on the County Ferry (West). At the September 12, 2022 meeting of township council, the director of marine services advised the replacement was being put out for tender once again and the work will now be scheduled for “early Spring of 2023”.
Re the proposed new building at the Foot Ferry landing. The design work for the building is complete and has been approved by MTO. Construction of the new building is expected to be completed by December 31, 2022.
Miscellaneous Road Issues:
- Reflective roadside markers are to be reinstalled on the steep section of North Shore Road (above the former Nokomis Lodge). The public works manager has committed to completing the work before winter road maintenance is required.
- The annual “facilities tour” to identify road and infrastructure issues for the 2023 budget process will be delayed to allow the incoming council to participate. The incoming council will be sworn-in on November 15, 2022. The 2022 “facilties tour” will be scheduled for a date after the new council is sworn.
END of COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
Other info of interest
- Norris Park Celebration:
Howe Island residents celebrated the recent upgrades to the facilities at Patrick Norris Park on August 31, 2022. The event was a resounding success. Festivities included free hot dogs and sausages, live music and an impressive fireworks display at dusk.
HIRA would like to thank the members of the Howe Island recreation committee for their efforts to organize and stage the event. Members of the committee are:
Noreen MacDougall
Deb Holtom
Sue Byrne
Natalie Nossal
We thank Bruce Higgs for supplying and leading the installation of the tents and awnings used at the event.
Thanks are also extended to Fire Chief Mike Quinn and his team for providing a top-notch fireworks display (and scaring the hell out of my dog in the process!!).
- Howe Island Flu Clinic:
The Township of Frontenac Islands will be staging a Flu clinic on Saturday, November 5, 2022. The clinic will operate from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Howe Island Fire Hall on Base Line Road.
Please wear short sleeves and bring your Health Card.
If you have a mobility issue or you are a senior citizen who needs a high dose flu shot, please contact Marg McReynolds @ (613) 542-8349.
- 2022 Meet the Candidates Event Successfully Concluded:
HIRA organized and staged a Meet the Candidates event on October 8, 2022 at St. Philomena Parish Hall. All three mayoralty candidates attended the event as did the five council candidates running in the Howe Island Ward.
The event was attended by approximately 120 residents.
The feedback we received has been positive.
We thank the candidates for thoroughly preparing their presentations and for participating in the event on Thanksgiving weekend.
We thank the residents who attended for their thoughtful interest and participation. We hope attendance at the event will help to inform their election choices.
- More on the Ferry Issues:
Island residents receive constant “thanks” from township staff for our “patience and understanding” around steadily deteriorating levels of service from our County Ferry. We are not convinced “patience and understanding” is paying dividends.
Accordingly, HIRA intends to stage a ‘town hall” meeting before the end of November to solicit public opinion on responses that would shine a brighter light on the role of MTO and Transport Canada in this debacle. We think the first order of business should be to clearly identify the agencies that are obstructing and preventing an effective resolution of the problem. We are quite certain the source of that obstruction is not the Township of Frontenac Islands.
HIRA is in the process of securing the venue for the proposed event and deciding on the format of the meeting. There will be ample opportunity for constructive input from residents at the meeting.
We will communicate dates, time, venue, format etc to the HIRA membership over the next few weeks. So, stay tuned.
END of BRIEFING NOTE
PLEASE NOTE: If you are a member of HIRA, thank you for your support. If you are not a member, please consider joining at $10 per year. Yearly membership dues are due on January 1 of each year. If you have paid, thank you.
If you have not paid, please send or deliver a cheque payable to HIRA to one of our Directors or place a cheque into the HIRA mailbox at the roadside at the Township Office. You can also pay by e-transfer to memberservices@howeisland.org.
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