News

HIRA BRIEFING NOTE- August 19, 2021

This is a brief note to HIRA members and other residents of Howe Island about the Township of Frontenac Islands council meeting held on Monday August 9, 2021. In light of Covid-19 restrictions, the meeting was virtual. The public was provided with Zoom access to the meeting. A couple of our HIRA directors called into the meeting. Only matters of particular interest to Howe Island residents are highlighted here.

STATUS OF ROAD MAINTENANCE INITIATIVES 2021:

• North Shore Road:  Stone application and grading is complete. Hard surface to be completed in spring 2022.

• Baseline Road: Reconstruction and double surface treatment is complete.

• Spithead Road: Double surface treatment is complete.

• Howe Island Drive (@ Quinn Bay curve): Double surface treatment is complete.

• Lower Sideroad: Unspecified maintenance for Lower Sideroad is to be done after Oak Point Road (?) project on Wolfe Island is complete.

FACILITIES & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT UPGRADES:

• Howe Island Administration Office & Library:

New windows installed. Painting and flooring is complete.

• Howe Island Recreation Trail Maintenance:

The trail has been mowed. Grading of the trail is to be completed before end of August.

• Upgrades to Patrick Norris Park:

Federal, provincial and municipal funding approval for upgrades to Patrick Norris Park are now in place and the project is expected to be completed during the current construction season.

Upgrades are expected to include

1. Construction of accessible public washrooms
2. Install multi-use tennis courts with capability to accommodate other sports e.g. pickleball etc
3. Construction of shelter/pavilion to house picnic tables, host musical/cultural events
4. Complete improvements to ball diamond
5. Install safe base underneath children’s playground equipment

Township council has convened an ad hoc committee of interested residents to provide community input to a site plan and to assist staff to implement the plan. The committee (the Howe Island Recreation Committee) held an initial meeting on June 17, 2021. A project plan is being developed to guide completion of the upgrades.

The committee plans to provide updates to Howe Island residents via a communication sheet as the project progresses. Improvements to the parking lot are expected to be completed in the fall of this year. Cutting and clearing of brush is ongoing.

HOUSEHOLD WASTE BAG TAG PROGRAM:

• 2021-2022 waste bag tags are now available to all Howe Island residents . Each residence is to receive 104 tags at no charge.
• Tags may be picked up at the Howe Island township administration office. Residents will be required to provide proof of residence to township staff to receive their tags.

Proposed Development Charges By-Law:

HIRA has presented Council with a request that annual ferry costs be included in the calculation of costs associated with the township road network.  Road network costs are a component of the cost base used to calculate development charges levied on builders/developers. Although the provincial Act does not make specific references to costs associated with the operation of a ferry system, HIRA takes the position that the ferry system is an integral part of our municipal transportation network and should, therefore, be included in any development charge cost base.

Support for this position was not unanimous at the council level but our submission has been sent to staff for further consideration. Stay tuned. 

END of COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Other Items of Interest

• 2021 Howe Island Terry Fox Run:

The 16^th annual Howe Island Terry Fox Run will take place on Sunday, September 19, 2021. All funds raised are directed to cancer research. This event depends heavily on volunteer assistance. If you are interested in volunteering your services please contact Allison Hinton @ (613) 561-5851 or email Allison@HallofFlame.ca.

• County Ferry to close overnight August 30:

The County ferry will be out-of-service from 8:00 p.m. on Monday, August 30 until 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31. The closure is necessary to allow maintenance staff to replace hydraulic lines.

The township ferry will be operating throughout this period.

END of BRIEFING NOTE

HIRA BRIEFING NOTE- July 18, 2021

This is a brief note to HIRA members and other residents of Howe Island about the Township of Frontenac Islands council meeting held on Monday July 12, 2021. In light of Covid-19 restrictions, the meeting was virtual. The public was provided with Zoom access to the meeting. A couple of our HIRA directors called into the meeting. Only matters of particular interest to Howe Island residents are highlighted here.

STATUS OF ROAD MAINTENANCE INITIATIVES 2021:

• North Shore Road:  Ditching work and culvert installation is complete. Stone application is ongoing. Completion expected soon.

• Baseline Road: Reconstruction and double surface treatment is complete.

• Spithead Road: Double surface treatment is complete.

• Howe Island Drive (@ Quinn Bay curve): Double surface treatment is complete.

FACILITIES & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT UPGRADES:

• Howe Island Administration Office & Library:

Window installation scheduled for completion on July 14, 2021. Flooring installation yet to be scheduled.

• Howe Island Recreation Trail Maintenance:

New tractor & mower for Howe Island has been delivered. It is our understanding that the trail is to be mowed this week.

Trail is to be graded and stone surface to be applied after work on North Shore Road is complete.

• Upgrades to Patrick Norris Park:

Federal, provincial and municipal funding approval for upgrades to Patrick Norris Park are now in place and the project is expected to be completed during the current construction season.

Upgrades are expected to include

1. Construction of accessible public washrooms
2. Install multi-use tennis courts with capability to accommodate other sports e.g. pickleball etc
3. Construction of shelter/pavilion to house picnic tables, host musical/cultural events
4. Complete improvements to ball diamond
5. Install safe base underneath children’s playground equipment

Township council has convened an ad hoc committee of interested residents to provide community input to a site plan and to assist staff to implement the plan.

The committee (the Howe Island Recreation Committee) held an initial meeting on June 17, 2021. The committee members are:

           Noreen MacDougal (Chair)

           Sue Byrne

           Deb Holtom

           Natalie Nossal

           Rory Chamberlain

The committee plans to provide updates to Howe Island residents via a communication sheet as the project progresses.

We are grateful for the efforts of the committee members and we thank them all for the contribution of their time and their expertise.

We also would like to thank C.A.O. / Clerk Darlene Plumley for the excellent work done to successfully navigate the grant application process and to secure the funding for this project (approx. $295,000). Congratulations to Darlene for a job well done!

HOUSEHOLD WASTE BAG TAG PROGRAM:

          No change to the plan described in previous briefing notes….

• 2021-2022 waste bag tags will be available to all Howe Island residents as of August 2, 2021. Each residence is to receive 104 tags at no charge.
• Tags may be picked up at the Howe Island township administration office on or after August 2, 2021. Residents will be required to provide proof of residence to township staff to receive their tags.

Proposed Development Charges By-Law:

HIRA has presented Council with a request that the township ferry be included in the calculation of costs associated with the township road network.  Road network costs are a component of the cost base used to calculate development charges levied on builders/developers. Although the provincial Act does not make specific references to costs associated with the operation of a ferry system, HIRA takes the position that the township ferry system is an integral part of our municipal transportation network and should, therefore, be included in any development charge cost base.

Support for this position was not unanimous at the council level but our submission has been sent to staff for further consideration. Stay tuned. 

Financial Report-June 2021:

Per report submitted to Council by Deputy Clerk / Deputy Treasurer Scott Kerr revenue and expenditures recorded to date re Howe Island are in line with 2021 budget. The only variances are positive:

• Fire revenue higher than anticipated due to grant received for the Ontario Fire Safety Program…..$2,500 for Howe Island
• Road revenue higher than anticipated due to 2017 flood relief funding from Municipal Affairs ….$65,082. Funds have been transferred to the Howe Island transportation reserve.

Police Services Board – Leeds Detachment (OPP):

The Township of Frontenac Islands, in cooperation with the other 6 municipalities in the County of Leeds, has requested approval from the Solicitor General to the formation of a single Police Services Board to provide oversight for the Leeds detachment of the OPP.

Each municipality in the county is to be provided with a single seat on the eleven member board. Two seats are to be extended to representatives of the county- at- large and two seats will be occupied by members to be appointed by the province.

By-Laws Adopted:

• By-Law 2021-18
• A by-law to regulate open-air burning in the township. The by-law replaces three existing by-laws that regulate the use of open-air fires on Howe Island and Wolfe Island. The new by-law requires residents to apply for a permit from the township before conducting open-air burning on their property. Cost for a permit is $5.00 per day.

Permits will be available from both the Wolfe Island and the Howe Island municipal offices.

• Amendments to By-Law 2016-28, Schedule “A” and “C”

The by-law in question regulates maximum speeds on township roads. The amendments do not involve changes to speed limits currently in place on Howe Island. Amendments were made to address traffic issues on Wolfe Island.

END of COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Other Items of Interest

• 2021 Howe Island Terry Fox Run:

The 16^th annual Howe Island Terry Fox Run will take place on Sunday, September 19, 2021. All funds raised are directed to cancer research.

This event depends heavily on volunteer assistance. If you are interested in volunteering your services please contact Allison Hinton @ (613) 561-5851 or email Allison@HallofFlame.ca.

• Second Dose Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic Conducted June 13, 2021:

In the spring Howe Island was granted the privilege of running our own COVID-19 vaccine clinic for those who were at risk medically and the over 75’s.  As you know the Moderna vaccine requires two shots so a few weeks ago we were given about 72 hours to get the second dose clinic up and running and we are very grateful to all the volunteers who gave up their Sunday afternoon on June 13, 2021 to help out. 

Some people thought this was a walk-in clinic and unfortunately we could not offer them the vaccine, but the nurses on the island did link those people to clinics where vaccine was available.   We are very grateful that so many people pulled together as a team and worked with the Fire Hall staff to offer a seamless process that kept every one safe.  A prime example of how small communities can work together to pull off amazing events.  Thank you to everyone involved

END of BRIEFING NOTE

Thank You to All Participants in the 2021 Howe island Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics:

On behalf of the Howe Island Ratepayers Association we would like to extend congratulations to all who participated in the Covid-19 vaccination clinics held on Howe Island in March and June of this year.

Many volunteers worked tirelessly together to provide older islanders and those with health issues a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on the island.  The first clinic was on 27^th March 2021 and the second doses were administered on 13^th June 2021.  We were ready to go but the timeline between being notified that vaccine was available and running the clinics was short for both events.  Most volunteers worked at both clinics and a few others joined for the second one to replace those who had other commitments on the second Sunday.

We wish to acknowledge the incredible contribution of many people who gave their time and energy to make the clinic a success.  The county ferry crew who held the ferry to ensure the vehicle with the vaccine was not delayed in getting to and from the island.  To Fire Chief Mike Quinn and the team of firefighters who cleared the Firehall of trucks, cleaned the floors and set up the clinic and then tidied up afterwards we offer a heartfelt thank you.  To Marg McReynolds who as a long-time resident of island is a tireless advocate and consummate nursing professional who liaised with Public Health and the team of the volunteers and led the health care team of vaccinators.  The outside volunteer crew were immensely cheerful and helpful in pre-screening for COVID-19, parking cars, and helping people walk to the Firehall west door.  To Holly and Phil Doughty, Jay Medves, Murray Holtom, and Bill Worona – thank you.  Firefighter Emily Wood-Quinn spent all day helping those who had been vaccinated get back to their cars and Mike Quinn for his car park management that meant islanders had a short walk.  Mae Squires and Larry Quinn ran a mobile clinic that went door to door to those who are house bound.  Thank you to them for volunteering as we were able to vaccinate islanders who would not be able without great difficulty to go attend the clinic at the Firehall or to go a clinic in Kingston.

Registration was managed superbly by Natalie and Kim Nossal who checked health cards, email addresses and contact information and helped islanders fill in the extensive consent forms required by Ontario Health.  Shelley Anthony joined the team for the second clinic.  Volunteers Jo Beaty, Judy Mundell, Barb Worona, Shelagh MacDonald, Debbie Nesbitt, and Rick Doyon escorted volunteers, helped them change into medical masks, cleaned furniture, and monitored people post immunization.   

Finally, the immunization team Marg McReynolds, Mae Squires, Deb Holtom, Pauline Chamberlain, Veronica Mohr, Jeremie Hurtubise and Mark Lawler whose professionalism and reassurance to islanders was exemplary and ensured everyone was safe and comfortable with their vaccination experience.  

Thanks also go to the staff at KFL&A Health Unit who provided all the supplies and logistic support to ensure islanders information was put into the Ontario Health database and they received their vaccination certificates.   The main difference between the first and second clinic was the weather cooperated in June while the March event was very wet and cool.

Sincerely, 

Gary Johnson, HIRA Chair , Jennifer Medves, HIRA Vice-Chair