Latest / North Shore News / December 1st, 2025

Transcript

December 1st, 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 held its second
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  of three budget meetings, and saw the proposed
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  residential tax rate increase drop to 3 .64%.
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  The first meeting saw a proposed 4 .93%, but
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  members of the committee said they wanted to
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  see it under 4%. The Township's Director of Finance
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  and Treasurer, David Clasey, explains how they
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  came to the new number. We've been made aware
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  of some additional supplementary assessment through
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  MPAC. And as well, we have also received the
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  final 2026 assessment rule. at the end of last
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  week. So in conjunction with that new assessment,
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  that will generate an additional 165 ,000 in
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  new taxation revenue, which has the potential
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  alone of decreasing our tax requirement by 0
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  .7 of 1%. So when you basically... put those
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  all together, that has a net reduction in the
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  tax levy requirement of $303 ,000. We're now
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  looking at a revised tax, residential tax increase
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  of 3 .64%. So that results in a 24 .457 million
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  of tax levy requirement. And again, the amount
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  of debt and the contributions to capital is unchanged
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  from the previous day. The township's third and
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  final 2026 budget meeting will take place December
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  2nd. 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. Habitat for Humanity has proposed building
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  two four -dwelling units in Bath by 2030. The
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  units would be affordably priced through an affordable
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  mortgage structure with the organization. According
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  to their report, the organization's preliminary
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  cost estimate excluding the land would be $1
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  .4 million per fourplex. Funding is to come from
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  government grants, land asset contributions,
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  revenue from the organization's restore location
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  in Kingston, donations and fundraising events.
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  Mortgage payments are set at 25 % of the household's
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  gross income and families are not required to
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  make a down payment. As part of the agreement,
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  Habitat for Humanity retains a portion of the
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  home's equity and upon resale, both the homeowner
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  and organization share in any market appreciation.
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  Homeowners would also have to contribute 500
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  hours of volunteer work. If plans move forward,
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  the company would be asking Loyalist Township
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  for rezoning and site plan approvals, as well
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  as exemptions for building permit fees, development
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  charges, and impost fees. Construction of roads
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  and services to the property line would need
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  to take place, along with land transfers as well.
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  The company noted these builds often involve
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  community volunteers and student programs. These
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  partnerships help reduce construction costs and
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  provide training opportunities. CEO of Habitat
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  for Humanity for the Kingston and Limestone area,
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  Gary Lees, explained the timeline and what the
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  company is looking to contribute. Subject to
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  municipal terms and conditions of land transfer,
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  timelines to build permits, et cetera, one fourplex
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  in 2027. We've built this before. We feel confident
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  we can pull the build off. It's so nice to build
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  something that we've already built. It just makes
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  life a little bit easier. So we could pull that
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  off in 2027. I'm confident of that. In the second
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  fourplex, we're doing 2028, 2030. We'd want to
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  work with needs a little bit as well for permitting
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  and some of those things. Site servicing, of
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  course, is important. Connection to municipal
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  water and sanitary and sewer services. Offsite
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  storm. water management. All of those things
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  need to get in place, of course, but we'll hustle
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  and do our part with Build. We will enlist volunteers
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  to help us with the project, try to keep the
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  costs down. Lee spoke about the need for affordable
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  housing. Affordable mortgage structure, no down
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  payment. It's a big stumbling block for folks
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  out there is coming up with that down payment.
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  When we're paying high rent and then we need
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  to save so that we can put a down payment on
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  a home. it's a daunting task and Canadians are
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  losing hope and vision of actual affordable home
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  ownership. 80 % of renters out there right now
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  wish they owned their own and that's a wish that's
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  becoming very difficult. So the more equity that
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  we can create in the home by keeping costs down
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  by donated product using volunteers. Anything
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  that we can do to keep those costs down, we reinvest
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  in building more affordable home ownership. And
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  that's an investment in this country, this township,
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  and our vicinity, our whole area. It's one I'm
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  very proud of as well. Lee spoke about the materials
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  he has available now and the investment they'll
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  be making in Loyalist Township. I have containers
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  of insulation right now. I have 400 sheets of
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  drywall I need to get out of Home Depot's inventory.
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  I've got stuff to build homes right here in Loyalist.
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  And we just want to tap into that and keep the
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  costs down so that when we sell the home to the
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  family and then hold that mortgage at zero or
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  a portion of the mortgage at zero, we can create
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  as much equity as we can so we can reinvest in
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  Loyalist and keep this ball rolling with affordable
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  homeownership. Lise speaks about the restore
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  location in Kingston and a new one opening in
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  Napanee. So our restores are social entity that
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  generate revenue and we pump that revenue back
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  into our home build programs. We are opening
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  a second restore in Napanee that opens on January
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  1, will soft open on January 1 as well. So we're
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  going to book and loyalist and you'll know where
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  to go for your product either in Kingston or
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  Napanee. For Amherst Island Radio and the Local
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  Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is
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  North Shore News. Loyalist Township Council heard
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  from Carbon Free Technology, an Ontario -based
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  company looking to build a new solar project
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  in Millhaven. The company presented plans to
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  council noting the project would include a community
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  benefits agreement. It would also look to increase
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  local tax revenue and contribute to the province's
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  grid reliability. The project looks to use up
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  to 20 acres of fenced -in land that is over one
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  kilometer away from residences. Before moving
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  forward, the company is looking to engage with
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  the public and local groups. VP and legal for
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  the company Emma Coyle explained the company's
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  next steps going forward. We've begun neighborhood
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  camp scene. We have a public meeting on November
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  24th. The First Nation Partnership, we do have
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  the support of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
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  We don't yet have the official resolution from
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  them, but we fully expect for that to be finalized.
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  On November 26th, there will be a staff report
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  to council with respect to the project. And on
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  December 9th, we'll be coming back with... request
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  for a municipal support resolution with respect
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  to this project. VP in engineering and special
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  projects for the company, Meghadsami, noted the
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  different approaches they're taking in community
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  engagement. Through the website, we've already
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  received a comment or a query and we've engaged
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  with that party already and had a few phone calls
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  and we've been trying to arrange a longer discussion
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  as well. So it might take a few different approaches.
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  Carbon -free technology has projects worldwide
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  and has worked on projects locally as well. In
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  2015, the company was a development partner to
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  Samsung for Kingston Solar. For Amherst Island
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  Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm
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  Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. Loyalist
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  Township announced the lap pool in the new Aquatic
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  Centre located inside the WJ Henderson Community
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  Centre has been sponsored by Latham Pools. The
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  new name, the Latham Lap Pool, will be used in
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  Township marketing materials and signage adjacent
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  to the pool. The Township officially entered
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  into an agreement with Latham to recognize their
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  significant donation to the W .J. Henderson Revitalization
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  Campaign. The gift agreement is for $75 ,000
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  over a 10 -year period. Latham is the largest
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  designer and manufacturer of in -ground residential
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  swimming pools in North America. The company
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  officially opened its state -of -the -art manufacturing
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  facility in Loyalist in May of 2023. The plant
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  is the company's largest fiberglass facility
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  to date and serves markets across Eastern Canada
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  as well as parts of the United States. The plant
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  created over a hundred jobs locally. Staff noted
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  they were grateful that Latham is continuing
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  their investment in the region. CAO Rebecca Murphy
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  showed her appreciation. We're very grateful
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  for Latham Pools to be sponsoring the lap pool
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  so it will be the Latham Lap Pool and we're very
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  excited that our organizations in our community
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  are stepping up and being part of this. wonderful
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  community center that we're building. Councilor
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  Paul Prodereck spoke about the significance of
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  the company's donation. We've had several meetings
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  with Latham over and tour there that appreciate
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  their commitment given the current economic downturn,
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  I guess I would say in many communities and it's
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  every little bit helps. Latham will also be recognized
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  in a prominent position on the donor wall inside
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  the center. 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. This township has announced
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  the new name for the Aquatic Centre at the W
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  .J. Henderson Community Centre. Through a gift
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  agreement for naming rights with Barr Homes and
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  a $250 ,000 donation from the company, the space
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  will be named the Barr Homes Aquatic Centre.
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  Council approved the 10 -year agreement at their
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  latest meeting. CAO Rebecca Murphy spoke about
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  the agreement with Barr Homes. Barr Homes has
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  agreed to sign on, be a major donor in the Tier
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  3 category, to name the Aquatic Centre at the
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  facility. at the WJ. This is very great. We're
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  very gracious and very thankful to Barr for stepping
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  up and being part of this vital community project,
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  and we're excited to be naming it. and recommending
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  that it be named the bar homes aquatic center.
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  The renewal of the entire center has been a large
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  ongoing project for the township. The revitalization
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  campaign was approved by council on December
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  10th 2024 with a goal of raising $2 million.
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  The new space will feature an eight lane 25 meter
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  pool, a new warm water leisure pool, updates
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  to arena infrastructure, enhanced accessibility,
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  updated change rooms, green energy upgrades,
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  and a new indigenous legacy space in partnership
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  with the Downey Wenjack Fund. Residents can expect
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  to see the new name used in township marketing
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  materials. It will be displayed inside on the
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  west wall of the space as well as a location
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  on the exterior of the building to be agreed
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  on at a later date. Barr Homes will also be recognized
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  on the donor wall to be located in the atrium
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  of the building. Barr Homes has over 70 years
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  of history in the construction industry within
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  Kingston and the surrounding areas. According
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  to the company, they build approximately 60 homes
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  annually in Kingston and Loyalist Township. 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. Loyalist Township will be accepting naming
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  ideas for street names in the area until December
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  31st. The Township's commemorative street naming
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  program gives residents the chance to put forward
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  suggestions that celebrate the people, places,
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  and stories that make the community unique. Approved
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  names will be added to the Township's road registry
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  for future developments. Learn more and submit
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  ideas at 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. Torrent Productions
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  is returning to Lennox and Addington with their
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  second annual Merry Magical Pantomime. This year
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  the company is presenting Jack and the Beans
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  Talk, a Merry Magical Pantomime. Shows will take
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  place at the hall at Emanuel United Church, 63
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  Factory Street in Odessa. It will be premiering
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  Tuesday, December 23rd at 7pm and run for 15
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  shows until January 4th. Established in 2008,
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  Torrent Productions is a professional theatre
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  company composed of Rob Tor and Stephanie Graham.
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  They've developed and produced new musicals at
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  the Toronto Fringe Festival and Next Stage Theatre
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  Festival in Toronto, as well as an annual holiday
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  pantomime in Toronto from 2016 to 2019. Both
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  Tor and Graham have extensive theatre credits
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  from the Stratford Festival, Charlottetown Festival,
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  Neptune Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Mervish Productions,
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  Thousand Islands Playhouse and many other companies
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  across Canada. Most recently, Graham was the
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  co -director and choreographer of the sold -out
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  run of Mary Poppins at Thousand Islands Playhouse.
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  Tor has spent seven seasons as a performer at
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  Thousand Islands Playhouse as well as many other
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  theatres across the country. For showtimes and
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  more information, visit torrentproductions .com.
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  T -O -R -R -E -N -T productions dot com. For
• 13:33
  Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
• 13:36
  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
• 13:39
  News. This has been North Shore News and Interviews.
• 13:45
  If you have an idea for a story or want to create
• 13:48
  stories for the show, consider joining our 100
• 13:51
  % volunteer team. Contact Amherst Island Radio
• 13:55
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