Latest / North Shore News / May 7th, 2026

Transcript

May 7th, 2026 · North Shore News

0:07
Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on
0:10
Amherst Island Radio. Each week we keep you updated
0:14
on newsworthy events, happenings and conversations
0:17
that we've had with people in the local community
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and beyond. Construction of the new pump track
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at Loyalist Park in Amherstview will begin on
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May 11th. with an expected completion date of
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July 30th. Thanks to a confidential donation
0:35
of $500 ,000, the construction of the pump track
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will not impact the Township's budget. It will
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be developed at no cost to Loyalist Township
0:42
other than staff time to oversee it. The entire
0:45
project, including the skate park, is estimated
0:48
to cost approximately $1 million and is being
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completed in two phases. Phase 1 is the construction
0:53
of the pump track, including a skate bowl, while
0:56
Phase 2 will include the completion of the remaining
0:58
skate park features, subject to securing additional
1:01
funding. Council heard a presentation in June
1:04
of 2025 from New Line Skateparks, an engineering
1:07
firm with expertise in skate park construction.
1:10
Now with approval, the company is beginning construction.
1:12
A public consultation process is currently taking
1:15
place on the Township's website. Vice President
1:17
and Director of Business Development with New
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Line Skateparks Trevor Morgan spoke about the
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benefits of the skateparks and pump tracks they
1:24
build and the one they're looking to build in
1:26
Loyalist Township. Very integrated, green space,
1:30
connections to pathways, colour, texture, art
1:34
installations that can be very exciting to...
1:37
Put a signature, I guess, of the community within
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the architecture of the park, even through different
1:42
lighting schemes, if that's something that's
1:44
desired, and then accessibility. You're likely
1:46
to have folks from the adaptive community who
1:48
would like to ride this park. So yeah, every
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park has its story, and we hope there's a story
1:53
to be told here for the Township. Morgan noted
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the potential boost in tourism the facility could
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bring. A network of these parks are being created
2:02
in communities across Canada and across Ontario,
2:05
and... There's a large population that will want
2:07
to experience each different unique park and
2:10
communities and they'll purposely travel around,
2:13
stop in these communities, visit, spend money
2:15
at local businesses, maybe even spend a night.
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I know when I was 12 years old on the family
2:20
trip and I was avid skateboarder, I could be
2:23
very influential to spend an extra night in the
2:25
community if they had that one skate park. Morgan
2:27
spoke about the potential of events at the facility
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as well. You're likely to have user groups and
2:33
community groups that will say, hey, we would
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love to have some some level of organized events
2:37
there that could be lessons nights some community
2:41
-based contests and so forth and so we really
2:44
try to design a modern park with that in mind.
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Councillor Paul Proderick spoke about neighboring
2:50
communities and their skate parks as well as
2:53
what a new one in Amherstview could do for the
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community. I think the closest one to us is Napanee
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and then you go to Picton's got a great site
3:00
but again it's it's probably 20 years old now
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I think it becomes a hub. for gathering and it
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fits into the master recreation plan also an
3:11
opportunity to add something to the community
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and I think we haven't had a recreational facility
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addition in well over I'm going to say 40 years
3:20
and again it's just through the the leadership
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of a community member who wishes to help out
3:26
in times where we don't have a lot of money to
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do a lot of things that we'd like to do. Councillor
3:31
Jake Ennis spoke about the donation and choice
3:33
of the donor. It's a very generous donation.
3:37
They're very appreciative for the donation and
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I think the donor is chosen well. It's an amenity
3:45
that focuses on youth and one that I think will
3:49
be very well used. Deputy Mayor Nathan Townand
3:52
showed his appreciation towards the donor as
3:54
well as what the project will do for youth in
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the area. It's incredibly generous and provides
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an amazing opportunity for us and to appreciate
4:03
the particular kinds of youth that something
4:07
like this can engage, based on the whole lifestyle
4:10
and culture that goes with it. Not one I claim
4:12
to understand. I think it's not just youth engagement
4:17
writ large in some sort of big, broad context.
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This is something quite specific that I think
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will cater to members in our community that otherwise
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don't have a facility like this. I do go by the
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one in Napanee quite regularly and it is a gathering
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place. You see all sorts of demographics and
4:39
ages and different usage of it so I fully support
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this. Mayor Jim Hagedorn spoke about the progress
4:45
in access to skateboarding facilities and shared
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a story from his youth. I was in my teens on
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probably a $10 skateboard trying to go down the
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largest hill where I lived at the time called
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Big Hill and with blind corners. It's come a
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long way. When I was young, I've actually seen
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some of the like may dock, they have a nice one
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there. I remember when they were building the
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first phase. And I was kind of like, what is
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going on in there? And now to see it now, it's
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been developed into the whole park is basically
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devoted to this now. And it's packed all the
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time. It is something that is what I believe
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will be well used. And this is a Great opportunity,
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I think, for Lilas Township to be able to provide
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another amenity new to the community that will
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be used, very well used, I believe, for an extended
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period of time. For Amherst Island Radio and
5:40
the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
5:44
This is North Shore News. Loyalist Township will
5:55
defer discussions on a new ICE allocation policy
5:58
until staff come back with a more refined policy.
6:01
Staff's report noted they did a comprehensive
6:03
review of the existing ICE allocation practices
6:05
to ensure transparent and efficient access to
6:07
Arena ICE for all user groups and to improve
6:10
clarity and consistency of the policy. As part
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of the review, staff conducted a community survey
6:15
and received over 50 responses. Feedback mainly
6:18
surrounded programming, ICE allocation, and maintenance.
6:21
Staff considered historical ice use, local user
6:24
groups, and the changing needs based on population
6:26
trends. President of the Loyalist Skating Club,
6:30
Jennifer O 'Neill, explains why the policy matters.
6:33
For my family, the rink has never just been a
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facility. It is where I myself learned to skate,
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where my parents watched me from the boards.
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Our neighbors met year after year in the stands.
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Now, I go to the same place and watch my own
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children learning to skate and obtaining their
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goals. The rink is not simply a place that we
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go to practice. It's a community space and it
6:56
connects generations of loyalist families. And
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this is why the policy matters. I do believe
7:02
that the Township has the best of intentions.
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However, intent does not replace policy clarity.
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And once approved, the policy, not intent, will
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guide outcomes. Board member with the Loyalist
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Township Minor Hockey Association, Erin Armitage,
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speaks about the policy and why it's important
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for the association and the skating club. Together,
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our two organizations represent Loyalist Township's
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two primary youth ice users. We support the goal
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of fair, transparent and consistent ice allocation
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process. A formal policy and defined prime youth
7:35
hours are positive steps that we support. However,
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the current proposal raises significant concerns
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that should be addressed before approval. O 'Neill
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noted her main concern. There are several areas
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where clarity is still lacking, but I want to
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be very clear. The single most important unresolved
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issue for me is the definition and application
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of a community sport organization or CSO. Although
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the CSO definition wording has not changed from
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the previous policy, How it is being used has
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changed significantly. Under the new ice allocation
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policy, CSO status along with standard of play
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directly determines priority access on prime
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time allocation. As written, the policy allows
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CSOs to be either loyalist -based or regional
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without a clear hierarchy, which creates a real
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risk. In a limited high -demand ice environment,
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This ambiguity could allow regional organizations
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to compete directly with loyalist -based community
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organizations for prime youth hours, even though
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loyalist organizations are rooted here in the
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community and serve the community directly. Good
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intentions have been stated, but policy must
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do the protecting. Armitage speaks about priority
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among different user groups. We feel that a few
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of our concerns have not yet been addressed.
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First, transparency. The report references five
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impacted users, but does not identify them. There
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are only two community service organizations
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that are based out of Loyalist Township. Loyalist
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Township Minor Hockey and Loyalist Skating Club.
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In their response to our concerns, staff still
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have not identified who the other three organizations
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are. Our concern is that regional user groups
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will be given equal priority in prime youth ICE
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allocation decisions. And if that's the case,
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we want to know what the data is to show participation
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numbers by Loyalist Township residents in those
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organizations. We also feel that staff should
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share which municipalities were consulted and
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how their communities are comparable to Loyalist
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Township. For example, comparing an ice allocation
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policy to Kingston would be inappropriate, whereas
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comparisons with small municipalities with a
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single ice pad would be more meaningful. O 'Neill
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says locals should have the priority. Facilities
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funded by Loyalist residents should first and
9:51
foremost serve Loyalist children, families, and
9:54
community organizations. This matters because
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Loyalist -based organizations give back directly
9:59
to the community, not just financially, but socially.
10:03
For those of us who have grown up here and are
10:06
raising our children here, the rink represents
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community, continuity, and belonging, and I ask
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council to protect that. Armitage notes community
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work that the two organizations have done. We
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want to emphasize that Loyalist Township Minor
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Hockey and Loyalist Skating Club are deeply rooted
10:20
organizations in the community. Our players support
10:24
local initiatives like food drives, the Lions
10:27
Club holiday, toy drive, and the hamper program.
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We host games and tournaments that bring hundreds
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of people to Loyalist Township every year, and
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we consistently support local businesses with
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our events, our meetings, and our team activities.
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With Loyalist Figure Skating, we feel that we're
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in a unique position of offering truly local
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youth programming that benefits our community
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in many meaningful ways. At its core, the policy
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has to ensure that our two local organizations
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serving hundreds of loyalist township families
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have reliable access to prime ice and the ability
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to grow with our community need. Councillor Paul
11:02
Proderick explains the importance of getting
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the policy right. First time I ever came to council
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was around 1978 as part of a number of youth
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who were... basically the same the same argument
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about ice time and so on. So I can appreciate
11:16
the staff efforts on this and again I'm the one
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I think that asked for this review and I think
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it still needs to be tightened up you know once
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a policy is in place it's in place and this goes
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back to all my time in minor hockey it it's hard
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to find out who's got what ice when and that
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seems I don't understand that but I'll leave
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it at that I've got lots of questions but I think
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this isn't the time and place to be fair to staff
11:38
and move ahead. Councilors Mike Buderich and
11:41
Jake Ennis agreed that the policy needs more
11:43
work. There's a lot of things to be discussed,
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but I think we could just move forward and wait
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for a refined policy to come back. I do think
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this is, even this conversation and the feedback
11:55
is a positive step forward. But I agree, I think
11:58
some further consultation is necessary and I
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look forward to that. The revised policy will
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be brought back to council in the spring prior
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to ice allocations for the 2026 -2027 season.
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For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
12:13
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
12:17
News. Loyalist Township Council pre -approved
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$900 ,000 in the 2027 capital budget for the
12:32
purchase of a new tanker for the Amherstview
12:34
Fire Station. They will also use nearly $85 ,000
12:37
from the 2026 capital budget for the down payment.
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Council had already approved the purchase of
12:42
a new tanker for the Amherst Island Fire Station
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in the 2026 capital budget and were informed
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the tanker in Amherstview has reached the end
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of its useful life. With fire apparatus costs
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continuing to rise each year, staff noted that
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delaying the purchase would see an increase of
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at least $125 ,000 for 2027. Fire chief Kent
13:00
Reedman spoke about the importance of getting
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pre -approval. There'll be no cost incurred this
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year, no additional cost incurred this year by
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the Township. This will be all on the 2027 capital
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budget, so it will save $125 ,000 plus in next
13:16
year's budget if we can do it. this spring as
13:20
opposed to waiting eight months. It's there's
13:22
some significant price increases coming down
13:24
the pipe here and George is trying to get ahead
13:28
of it. Councilor Mike Boudreik noted the importance
13:30
of trying to save money. I just appreciate that
13:32
the chief's trying to get ahead of this and save
13:34
us a little money. So it's always appreciated
13:36
with how tight times are these days. Councilor
13:39
Paul Prodrick showed his support for the pre
13:41
-approval. 100 ,000 is a good savings. And given
13:45
the experiences of the last few months, The value
13:49
of our emergency services cannot be measured
13:51
in dollars and move ahead with this as soon as
13:53
possible. The emergency services department looks
13:55
to order the same tanker that was ordered for
13:57
Amherst Island and remain consistent with their
13:59
fleet for the next 20 to 25 years. The two old
14:03
tankers will be sold and are expected to generate
14:05
nearly $75 ,000. This will be applied to the
14:08
fleet reserve for future apparatus purchases.
14:11
For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
14:14
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
14:17
News. Loyalist Township has three community town
14:28
hall meetings coming up for the spring season.
14:30
On Thursday, May 14th at 6 .30 p .m., a meeting
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will take place in Wilton at the Wilton Hall
14:35
at 251 Simmons Road. On Thursday, May 21st at
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6 .30 p .m., a meeting will take place in Odessa
14:41
at the Odessa Municipal Office at 263 Main Street.
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On Wednesday, May 27th at 630 p .m., a meeting
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will take place on Amherst Island at the Amherst
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Island Fire Hall at 955 Stella 40 -foot Road.
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The meetings will provide updates on municipal
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programs and projects. There will be opportunities
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to share ideas, ask questions, and engage on
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projects that are currently open for community
15:02
consultation. For more information, visit Loylist
15:05
.ca. For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
15:09
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
15:12
News. The Bath Museum and Visitor Center are
15:23
welcoming the community back this spring for
15:25
another season of Culture Talks, a speaker series
15:27
celebrating history, heritage and storytelling.
15:30
Hosted at the museum, the series brings together
15:32
local historians, musicians and researchers who
15:35
share unique perspectives on the region's history.
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Held on the third Monday of the month from 6
15:39
to 7 p .m., culture talks offer an opportunity
15:42
to explore fascinating cultural topics in an
15:44
intimate setting. Tickets are $5 per person and
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seating is limited. May 25th singer -songwriter
15:49
David Archibald brings the maritime history of
15:52
the Great Lakes to life through original music
15:54
from his acclaimed collection, Spirit of the
15:56
Inland Sea. Through storytelling and songs, audiences
15:59
will hear tales of shipwrecks, heroic voyages,
16:02
legendary figures, and the lonely lives of lighthouse
16:04
keepers. Archibald's work has been featured in
16:06
parks across Ontario and frequently aired on
16:09
CBC Radio. June 22nd, local historian Lloyd Tarian
16:12
will deliver an illustrated talk examining the
16:14
opening years of the War of 1812. Tarian explores
16:17
the Alliance's personalities and decisions that
16:20
shaped the conflict's early course. His presentation
16:22
provides insight into how British, Canadian militia
16:25
and First Nations forces defended Upper Canada
16:27
during a pivotal period. Culture Talks take place
16:30
at the Bath Museum, located at 434 Main Street
16:33
in Bath. Tickets for each talk can be purchased
16:35
online. For more information about Culture Talks
16:38
and other upcoming programs, visit Loyalist .ca
16:40
slash events. For Amherst Island Radio and the
16:44
Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
16:47
is North Shore News. This has been North Shore
16:51
News and Interviews. If you have an idea for
16:55
a story or want to create stories for the show,
16:58
consider joining our volunteer team. Contact
17:02
Amherst Island Radio for more details.