Latest / North Shore News / September 20th, 2024

Transcript

September 20th, 2024 · North Shore News

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  Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on Amherst Island Radio.
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  Each week we keep you updated on newsworthy events, happenings, and conversations that
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  we've had with people in the local community and beyond.
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  The John M. Parrot Centre has been funded for over $400,000 to update and replace a
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  range of equipment and infrastructure around the centre.
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  This one-time funding from the Ministry of Long-Term Care has seen all long-term care
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  homes in Ontario receive $2,543 per bed for installation of sprinklers.
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  The initiative is designed to help homes meet Ontario fire code requirements by January
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  1, 2025.
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  The John M. Parrot Centre already had sprinklers installed and were able to use the funds elsewhere
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  to address key priorities in the home.
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  Having received $427,224, the centre will be undergoing a number of upgrades.
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  Director of Long-Term Care Services, Atlantic and Addington County, Angela Malcolm, explains
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  how they chose where to spend the funding.
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  What I've tried to do is balance things that we had anticipated from a ten-year capital
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  plan, so things that we know are upcoming, and then also try to look at things that we
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  wouldn't have normally considered because we just didn't have the funds in which to
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  do, so it's trying to balance both of those things.
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  The phones the centre currently uses are at the end of their life and replacement parts
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  are no longer available.
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  Malcolm breaks down the costs for the new wireless phone system.
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  The wireless phone system would be using $50,000, which we had already planned for within our
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  2024 capital budget, and then $40,000 would be used out of the one-time funding.
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  Malcolm notes the centre's need for the new digital call-bell displays.
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  Two years ago we put in a new call-bell system, and so these digital call-bell displays will
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  be down each of the hallways so that the staff can see what is, see who is being called,
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  which room is calling, and they wouldn't have to be wearing pagers and losing pagers, and
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  we go through a lot of pagers, so this would help eliminate that issue as well.
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  Director of Infrastructure Services, Atlantic and Addington County, Chris Wager, explains
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  why staff chose to go with one company for both the new phone system and the digital
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  call-bell displays.
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  This wireless phone system has been in place for over 20 years, almost 25 years.
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  Most municipalities have replaced those about 10 years ago, and I've actually even further
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  replaced, started replacing those replacements, so we've got extended lifespan out of our
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  existing infrastructure, but we're at the point where we can't even get backups or hardware
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  to support that.
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  So we really need to replace the entire system.
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  So tying into the call-bell system with the SimTel, staff's recommending that we sole
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  source, so it's a better service for residents.
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  That way if we go with a different company and there's a hardware patch or a software
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  patch, you run the risk of the two systems not being compatible and they need to talk
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  to each other.
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  So that's why we're suggesting we go with the one system, one supplier, and they'll
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  be able to meet all of our needs, whether it's for the call-bell system or the wireless
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  phone system.
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  Malcolm describes how the funding will go towards new chairs for residents' bedrooms.
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  The resident bedroom chairs, this would purchase 70 chairs.
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  The number that we require changes from year to year.
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  Many families like to bring, or residents like to bring in their own lazy boy chairs,
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  so depending on what the mix is at the time, I thought we would start with 70.
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  The chairs that I've quoted here are very eye-pack-friendly, very wipe-able.
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  The ones we currently have are most certainly not and require a lot of dry cleaning and
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  steam cleaning in order to maintain them.
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  Malcolm explains why they need to replace handrails in the center as well.
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  The Clorox and all of the cleaning that we're doing is taking the surface right off of our
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  handrails, and so they're becoming a significant infection control issue.
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  So we budgeted 28,000, and that was actually to start this year, and then moving forward
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  for the next six years.
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  But the quote actually came in at 54,000, so there was a significant increase in that.
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  So we thought we would start with the core, the center core up and down, and then we would
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  start with three RHAs, one of them being our secure unit, because they do tend to hold
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  onto the handrail the most, and then two other areas.
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  So that would leave us with three RHAs left to do that we would again plan for within
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  the capital moving forward.
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  Lennox and Addington County Council approved staff spending report at their meeting this
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  week.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
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  This is North Shore News.
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  Lennox and Addington County will be applying for nearly $3 million to reconstruct a portion
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  of County Road 6 between Taylor Kidd and Highway 33.
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  Council approved staff at their meeting this week to make the application under the Municipal
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  Housing Infrastructure Program through the Housing Enabling Core Servicing Stream.
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  Local applicants could see up to 50% of their costs matched by the province.
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  Projects funded through the program will include repair and expansion of municipal roads and
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  bridges that will help promote growth for developing communities.
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  The estimated cost for the County Road 6 project is $6 million.
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  Although staff found the County Road 23 extension and the new roads in Greater Napa Nei to be
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  projects that would enable development opportunities and promote growth, they don't meet the requirement
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  of having property purchased prior to submission.
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  Director of Infrastructure Services, Atlantic and Addington County, Chris Wager explains
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  the program and what projects staff were considering.
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  We did look at some other projects as well.
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  The whole purpose of the Housing Enabling Core Services Stream is meant to repair roads
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  and bridges or expand on your current infrastructure that will promote growth and help develop
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  your communities.
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  The two main projects that came to mind was the Taylor Kidd extension as it does connect
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  to communities and the western extension north-south road here in Napa Nei that we just recently
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  completed the EEA on.
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  Unfortunately, as part of the application process, all the land has to be acquired by
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  the municipality prior to an application.
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  We're just not there yet.
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  We've only acquired a portion of the land, which means we'd only be able to fund the
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  portion of the road extension that the land has already been purchased on, which is that
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  we have zero for the Napa Nei portion and only about 10% of the Taylor Kidd extension.
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  Wager notes why the County Road 6 project was their best option.
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  Looking at all of our projects, the County Road 6 project was planned for rehabilitation.
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  It was only planned for a short-term rehabilitation just to tie us over until the Amherst View
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  West started to build out.
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  But if we can get funding now, we could build that out with intersection improvements and
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  turn lanes that will be required for those subdivisions because we don't have development
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  charges and it would be funded by the province in this case.
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  And it's just it's money, not that we have to put on our tax base, but from the province.
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  Councillor Terry Richardson brought forth a motion for county staff to further explore
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  options for the new roads in Greater Napa Nei.
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  I would like to see make the motion that staff at the county level would explore and to
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  bring back a report with respect to the obtaining or purchasing the lands required to facilitate
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  the north-south extension of Jim Kimba Boulevard through to Bridge Street in the town of Greater
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  Napa Nei.
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  The motion was then voted on and passed by Council.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
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  This is North Shore News.
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  Lenox and Addington County staff addressed concerns this week regarding the current closure
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  of Highway 41.
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  The construction for culvert replacements requires closures along the highway that started on
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  September 16th and will span until the 25th.
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  Director of Infrastructure Services at Lenox and Addington County, Chris Wager, describes
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  that there isn't a real solution to the concerns being raised.
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  We have received some concerns from Addington Highlands as well as a lot of residents in
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  Stone Mills, Napa Nei and in Addington Highlands regarding the temporary closure of Canter
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  Road 41 from a staffing point.
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  The county does not want to close Canter Road 41 ever.
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  We really recognize that it's the main connection point between the north and the south for
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  emergency services, economic development and just travel to work and school.
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  Unfortunately due to the depth of the culverts, the elevation of the road and the type of
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  fill and adjacent environment, nothing is really possible.
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  An option the county considered was building temporary bypasses on the highway.
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  Wager explains why this wasn't a feasible option.
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  I know from an engineering standpoint a bypass is really the only thing that was possible,
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  but we don't own any of the property.
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  It's extremely environmental habitat that would be disrupted.
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  In fact, even though the one bypass is right in the in Caledar or just at the south end
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  of Caledar, we'd be going through like someone's garage in order to build a bypass.
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  So it's really not possible because of the extent of damage to private property.
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  We looked at relining, we looked at trench boxes and just due to safety concerns because
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  of the depth and the type of material, it's just not possible.
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  To address potential service reductions, the Emergency Services Division are planning
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  to add staff in the northern area of the closure.
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  They've coordinated with the Central Ambulance Communication Center to ensure neighboring
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  services are informed and to mitigate delays in critical situations.
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  Transporting patients from this area will require rerouting to hospitals in Perth,
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  Belleville or Kingston as Napa-nee would be significantly longer.
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  A road closure notice was issued on August 30th.
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  These adjustments are aimed at minimizing impact during the closure but offer no solution
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  other than detouring around the closure.
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  Councillor Henry Hogg brought forth a motion for more signage in the area.
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  If I could, I'd make a motion that we supply some additional signage at least in the area
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  of County Road 29 because the traffic count on Highway 41 in the past has been greater
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  than Highway 7 from the counts that I've heard.
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  Council then voted on and passed the motion after Wager explained that this would be a
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  possibility.
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  We could put additional signage up at Flintin, at County Road 29 to direct people to take
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  Flintin Road to go that way.
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  It is additional signage and it's well beyond the area of the detour but that is possible
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  if that's Council's wishes.
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  The project involves replacing four culverts in which two can be done with a lane closure
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  while the other two need a full road closure.
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  The closures will last until September 25th.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
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  This is North Shore News.
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  Loyalist Township has launched a new online engagement platform for members of the public.
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  The Engage Loyalist platform features a number of initiatives that the Township has opened
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  up for public input.
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  Along with each initiative, users can find background information, current statistics,
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  a project timeline, and see who among Township staff will be hearing their input.
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  Councillor Paul Praterick explains the idea behind Engage Loyalist and notes some of
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  the current initiatives on the platform.
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  Engage Loyalist is just one of the many methods that we are trying to use to communicate with
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  the local population.
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  They can learn about the projects ongoing, give feedback on some of the initiatives that
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  happen in the Township.
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  With the local media and the loss of the newsprint, we have to be proactive versus reactive in
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  some of our planning.
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  To give people an idea of what's on the site right now, you've got the Waste Management
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  Master Plan that people can comment on, the Ward Boundary Review, which will be hopefully
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  in place for the next election, Babcock Mill, the Reading Garden, Main Street Bath, the
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  Reconstruction, the changes in public transit that just happened in the last week or so.
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  One that I would encourage people to comment on is the 2025 budget process as we move through
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  it.
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  A lot of times people maybe have questions, but usually it's after the fact, well after
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  it's established, I'm still getting questions about some spending, and that's six months,
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  eight months later, so get involved and Engage Loyalist is just one of the many ways we
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  try to engage with the local population.
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  The platform asks users to sign up in order to have their say and stay up to date.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Tat Evans.
• 13:52
  This is North Shore News.
• 14:00
  The W.J. Henderson Recreation Center will be open on Saturday, September 21st for the
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  start of the 2024-2025 ice season.
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  Loyalist Township is inviting residents to celebrate the reopening with a free public
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  skate on Sunday, September 22nd between 11am and noon.
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  The free skate is being offered in lieu of the sneak peek that was originally planned
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  for September 20th.
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  While the arena is reopening on September 21st, there are still many more facility improvements
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  on the way.
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  Construction is still in progress in many areas of the recreation center.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Tat Evans.
• 14:36
  This is North Shore News.
• 14:46
  September 22nd from 10am to 3pm at the Bath Sunday Market, Loyalist Township will be celebrating
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  culture days.
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  The event will have family-friendly activities including a sing-along with the musical group
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  Panache A as well as workshops for illustration and dream catcher making.
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  The Lenox Community Theater will also be there hosting creative activities.
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  This is a free event taking place at Centennial Park North in Bath.
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  For more information visit Loyalist.ca slash events.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Tat Evans.
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  This is North Shore News.
• 15:27
  I'm Sarah Bridget Kingston.
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  This news is here at the top headlines that you need to know.
• 15:33
  The LNA County Detachment of the OPP have now confirmed that five vehicles were involved
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  in a fatal collision on the night of Wednesday, September 18th, closing one of the Westbound
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  Leames of Highway 401.
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  The collision involved two transport trucks and three passenger vehicles.
• 15:46
  Earlier this week, a package containing contraband and unauthorized items was seized at Joyceville
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  Institution.
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  The package included tobacco, cannabis, and cell phone accessory.
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  This is the 21st reported seizure to take place at Joyceville Institution in 2024.
• 16:00
  Kingston City Council is making a series of controversial changes to its procedural rule
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  book and an effort to streamline its regular meetings.
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  The new rule sparked an emotional debate at Council's regular meeting on Tuesday, September
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  17th.
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  For more on these stories and other local news, visit Kingstonis.com and subscribe.
• 16:17
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• 16:21
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• 16:25
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• 16:34
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