Latest / North Shore News / December 18th, 2025

Transcript

December 18th, 2025 · North Shore News

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  Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on
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  Amherst Island Radio. Each week we keep you updated
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  on newsworthy events, happenings and conversations
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  that we've had with people in the local community
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  and beyond. Loyalist Township is reminding residents
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  as winter sets in, stormwater ponds are not safe
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  for any type of winter recreation. These ponds
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  have constant water movement, incoming runoff
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  and fluctuating water levels that prevent ice
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  from forming evenly or safely. Ice may look solid
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  but can be extremely thin in hidden areas. Snow
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  can cover weak or unstable spots and winter salt
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  applications entering the ponds can weaken ice
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  and speed up melting, even during very cold temperatures.
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  The township reminds parents and guardians to
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  take a moment to speak with your children about
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  the dangers of walking, playing, or skating on
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  stormwater ponds. Loyalist Township does not
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  permit recreational activities on or near stormwater
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  ponds at any time of year. These facilities are
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  designed for water management, not recreation,
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  and can be hazardous, especially in winter. For
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  Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
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  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
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  News. Lenox and Addington County Council has
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  elected their warden and deputy warden for 2026.
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  Council elected Nathan Townend, deputy mayor
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  of Loyalist Township, as warden, and Jim Hagedorn,
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  the mayor of Loyalist Township, as deputy warden.
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  Warden Townend and Deputy Warden Hagedorn also
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  served in these positions in 2025. Townend has
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  served on county council since the spring of
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  2022. As a member of council, he's been actively
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  involved in public health and was active in achieving
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  the merger of three public health units in Eastern
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  Ontario. Townend now serves as a board member
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  of the newly formed Southeast Public Health.
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  In addition, Townend serves on the boards of
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  Roma and AMO, having been elected to rural caucus
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  at AMO in 2024. He is currently completing a
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  master's in political management at Carlt. University.
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  Deputy Warden Hagedorn has been a member of County
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  Council since 2018. During that time, he has
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  served on various committees including Seniors
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  Outreach Services, the Accessibility Advisory
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  Committee, and the Lafarge Community Liaison
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  Committee. Hagedorn currently works for the Ministry
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  of Transportation. For Amherst Island Radio and
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  the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
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  This is North Shore News. Loyalist Township is
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  inviting families, schools, organizations, and
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  individuals to help make their community trees
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  sparkle this holiday season. Free ornament supply
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  kits will be available for pickup until December
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  24th at the following locations. the Municipal
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  Office at 263 Main Street in Odessa, the Leisure
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  and Activity Center at 177 Upper Park Road in
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  Amherst View, the W .J. Henderson Community Center
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  at 322 Amherst Drive in Amherst View, the Manitou
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  Office at 18 Manitou Crescent West in Amherst
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  View, and the Nielsen Store Museum and Cultural
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  Center at 5220 Front Road in Stella on Amherst
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  Island. Alternate arrangements can be made by
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  contacting the Township's Heritage, Culture and
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  Tourism Division or emailing the Community Enhancement
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  Coordinator. Once your decoration is complete,
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  you can visit one of the trees during December
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  at one of the following locations. and Cultural
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  Center at 5220 Front Road in Stella on Amherst
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  Island. For more information, visit Loyalist
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  .ca. For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
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  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
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  News. Loyalist Township Emergency Services announced
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  that they were successful in their application
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  for mental health supports for public safety
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  personnel funding. According to the department,
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  the $25 ,000 worth of services they've been approved
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  for will play a significant role in increasing
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  the awareness, training, and programming of mental
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  health supports available to all its members.
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  The province has committed to supporting public
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  safety organizations through this grant stream
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  to help with training and programming through
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  a company called Warrior Health. The grant program
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  is part of the Ontario government's plan to help
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  public safety organizations provide access to
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  specialized mental health services for first
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  responders and public safety personnel. Fire
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  chief Kent Reedman said the funding was the first
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  of its kind. This is the first type of grant
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  that we've seen from the province for this type
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  of support ever in the history of the Ontario
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  Fire Service. It's an exciting time to see significant
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  changes coming in the mental health support world
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  that our firefighters deserve and need in a lot
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  of cases. So this is a really nice gesture from
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  the province. Councilor Carol Parks and Mayor
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  Jim Hagedorn shared their support for the program.
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  I think it's great that they're finally actually
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  starting to recognize that our first responders
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  need help too. I'd just like to echo that I'm
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  glad to say that they're finally stepping up
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  and making sure that everyone is healthy at the
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  end of the day. Staff's report noted this is
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  an important part of their current review and
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  modernization of the department's critical incident
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  stress and post -traumatic stress incident program.
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  Staff will be creating a public announcement
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  thanking the province for their support with
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  this initiative. For Amherst Island Radio and
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  the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
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  This is North Shore News. Habitat for Humanity's
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  plan for bringing affordable units to Bath has
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  moved another step closer to becoming a reality.
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  Loyalist's Township Council approved an affordable
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  housing development agreement to donate a portion
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  of land on Church Street in Bath to Habitat for
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  Humanity. The Township will be donating approximately
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  half an acre of serviced and rezoned land to
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  the organization valued at an estimated $277
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  ,500 by using money the Township received through
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  the Housing Accelerator Fund. Staff looked to
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  propose mixed uses on the Church Street property,
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  including affordable rental units owned and operated
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  by Lennox and Addington County. The donated land
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  is expected to be enough to accommodate one block
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  of four town homes, which could be built before
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  the Housing Accelerator Fund's deadline in December
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  of 2027, with another block of four town homes
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  to be built by 2030. Based on Habitat for Humanity's
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  presentation at Council's November 25th meeting,
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  staff's report noted the proposed development
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  can be compatible and complementary to the other
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  potential uses. Staff will also be issuing a
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  preliminary expression of interest in January
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  2026 to gauge interest from other developers
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  for portions of the land to be sold on the open
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  market. According to staff's report, the potential
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  housing projects proposed by both the county
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  and Habitat for Humanity are in alignment with
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  the Township's strategic plan Balanced Growth
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  Objective to support more affordable housing.
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  affordable and attainable local housing. These
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  land donations towards the development of affordable
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  housing would also advance two of the Township's
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  Housing Accelerator Fund initiatives included
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  within their approved action plan. Councillor
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  Paul Proderick showed his support for the project.
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  I would just say that this is a small piece of
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  our strategic plan and it's good to see the Habitat
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  for Humanity project and that hopefully students
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  from our Local high school will be involved in
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  the building. We need not only homes, we need
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  builders too. For Amherst Island Radio and the
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  Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
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  is North Shore News. Loyalist Township will be
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  celebrating their partnership with Brooklyn Homes
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  as the naming sponsor for the arena at the W.
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  J. Henderson Community Center on January 4th.
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  The event takes place from 10 a .m. to 12 p .m.
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  with a ribbon cutting, check presentation, free
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  community skate, and free treats. For more information
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  and to RSVP for the naming ceremony of the new
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  Brooklyn Homes Arena, visit Loyalist .ca. For
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  Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
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  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
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  News. A seasonal overnight parking reminder for
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  Loyalist Township from December 1st until March
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  31st, 2026. Parking is prohibited on any road
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  or street in Loyalist Township between 1 a .m.
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  and 7 a .m. This restriction is in effect regardless
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  of weather conditions. Vehicles in violation
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  of this bylaw will be ticketed. For more information,
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  visit Loyalist .ca. For Amherst Island Radio
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  and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted
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  Evans. This is North Shore News. Loyalist Township
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  will be accepting naming ideas for street names
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  in the area until December 31st. The township's
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  commemorative street naming program gives residents
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  the chance to put forward suggestions that celebrate
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  the people, places, and stories that make the
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  community unique. Approved names will be added
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  to the township's road registry for future developments.
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  Learn more and submit ideas at Loyalist .ca.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
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  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
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  News. Torrent Productions is returning to Lennox
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  and Addington with their second annual Merry
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  Magical pantomime. This year the company is presenting
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  Jack and the Beans Talk. a merry magical pantomime.
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  Shows will take place at the Hall at Emanuel
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  United Church, 63 Factory Street in Odessa. It
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  will be premiering Tuesday, December 23rd at
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  7 p .m. and run for 15 shows until January 4th.
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  Established in 2008, Torrent Productions is a
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  professional theatre company composed of Rob
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  Tor and Stephanie Graham. They've developed and
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  produced new musicals at the Toronto Fringe Festival
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  and Next Stage Theatre Festival in Toronto, as
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  well as an annual holiday pantomime in Toronto
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  from 2016 to 2019. Both Tor and Graham have extensive
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  theatre cra - from the Stratford Festival, Charlottetown
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  Festival, Neptune Theatre, Theatre Aquarius,
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  Mirvish Productions, Thousand Islands Playhouse,
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  and many other companies across Canada. Most
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  recently, Graham was the co -director and choreographer
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  of the sold -out run of Mary Poppins at Thousand
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  Islands Playhouse. Tor has spent seven seasons
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  as a performer at Thousand Islands Playhouse,
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  as well as many other theatres across the country.
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  For showtimes and more information, visit torrentproductions
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  .com. T -O -R -R -E -N -T productions dot com.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
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  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
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  News. This has been North Shore News and Interviews.
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• 11:22
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