Latest / North Shore News / October 17th, 2024

Transcript

October 17th, 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 New York City Council's new-found plan will be back a $50,000 request from the Partners
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  and Mission Food Bank.
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  The recommendation will be brought forward to Council's meeting next week.
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  Due to growth they've experienced, the food bank has outgrown its current space and has
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  had to purchase a larger one.
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  The new building requires renovations, such as new walk-in freezers, offices, a client
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  shopping area, and larger spaces for volunteers to sort food and build food orders.
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  Councillor Lorna Willis described the committee's discussion around the decision.
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  There was some discussion because the actual facility they're building is not located in
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  Loyalist, but they do provide service within Loyalist so it was determined by the committee
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  that was appropriate.
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  A $60,000 grant for the Caterrockway Region Conservation Authority for their Well-D commissioning
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  project was not supported by the committee.
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  Willis explains.
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  Basically, the discussion with the committee was they didn't think that it fell within
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  the realm of what the grants are intended for.
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  This was also the case for a $3,000 request from the Ernestown Barracuda's swim club.
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  Willis describes why their request didn't fit the requirements.
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  Primarily because the speakers that they're bringing in, it's not a public event, it's
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  only a private event, and the policy doesn't allow for private events.
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  Willis notes why the committee chose not to back Kingston Get's active for a $9,700
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  request.
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  A bulk of the money was being paid to a person who was being contracted to do work for them,
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  and it's always a fine line because one of the considerations in the grant policy is
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  it's not to provide wages or salaries, and so it was determined by the committee that
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  we didn't believe it really fit within the guidelines of the policy.
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  Among other requests, the committee will be backing, where the Amherst Island Recreation
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  Association requesting just over $2,500 for their Jingle and Mingle event, Lennox and
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  Addington Resources for Children requesting $2,000 for food for their early on program,
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  a request for just over $5,200 from the first Amherstview Bath Scouts group, and the Loyalist
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  Skating Club of Amherstview requesting just over $2,500 for their End of Year ice show
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  plus costumes and equipment storage rental.
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  Willis describes the importance of community grants and why the committee exists.
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  One of the things about the grants is they're really intended for things that the township
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  would not normally have funds to do, and that's one of the, you know, that was part of the
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  discussion that the committee had in what we should be funding and what we shouldn't,
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  but that's kind of the, you know, that we look through is, is this something that we
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  wouldn't normally be able to do that adds some vibrancy to the community.
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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 Libraries will be reducing their monthly checkout limit, setting price
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  caps on items, and implementing a daily budget cap for items loaned through their digital
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  media service Hoopla.
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  This is to help manage a projected budget deficit of over $16,000.
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  So far this year, they've spent over $43,500 on the service with an average monthly cost
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  of over $5,000.
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  Library Services Manager at Lennox and Addington County, Christine DeSousa, explains their
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  concerns regarding the projected deficit.
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  Our present concern is the fact that due to rising demand and increased publisher prices,
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  our budget is going to, the cost of the service is going to far exceed our budget.
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  Usage has increased by 12.5% in 2023 and by 16.5 so far in 2024, and the publishers have
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  also increased the price of these items by approximately 12%.
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  Unfortunately, with the current model, we cannot control the prices and our projected
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  year end, we have a projected year end deficit of $16,000.
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  Ultimately, these measures are to help avoid future deficits while ensuring libraries are
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  able to continue providing clients with access to a wide range of resources.
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  DeSousa explains the numbers behind each of the measures they'll be implementing.
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  Reducing the monthly checkout limit from 5 to 4, this would result in approximately
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  11% savings.
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  We'd also set a price cap, so the maximum price per item that people could borrow would
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  be $3.78, which would result in a 14% savings.
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  And then we would also introduce a daily spending cap based on our annual budget so that way
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  we cannot surpass our actual spending and we would prevent budget overages.
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  So we are hoping that these measures will sustain our budget.
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  DeSousa describes the importance of digital content.
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  Although 65% of our library usage does come from our physical collection, the digital
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  content is also very popular and also essential for accessibility.
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  Our most popular digital format is audiobooks, which unfortunately just due to the dying
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  nature of CD players being phased out, we do have to replace them with a digital source.
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  In this case either a hoopla or one of our other streams.
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  While changes are being made to hoopla, clients will still have full access to a collection
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  of over 62,000 ebooks and 18,000 audiobooks through another service called Libby Overdrive.
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  This service has no checkout limits or daily caps ensuring continuous access to its materials.
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  DeSousa describes the user experience on the website and their plans for notifying users
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  of the changes.
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  When you go onto our website you can see all of the different formats available including
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  hoopla as well as Libby so they can see that both are available.
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  We can also put messaging on our website and we will be sending out information to our
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  clients about it.
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  DeSousa noted similar strategies that have already been successfully implemented in other
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  neighboring areas.
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  It should be noted that Belleville has introduced a daily spending cap and the Kingston Public
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  Library has reduced its monthly checkout limit to four as well and they have set item price
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  caps as well.
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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 examining strategies to take on a rapid increase in
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  homelessness in the area.
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  Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Social Services brought forth a report to council detailing
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  the issues and possible solutions for the increase.
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  The report also noted opioid based overdoses in the area.
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  Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Social Services currently has a list of 87 people
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  who are known to be homeless in the area.
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  Out of those, 69 are in Lennox and Addington County and 18 are in Prince Edward County.
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  Director of Social Services at Lennox and Addington County, Lynn Chenye, explains what
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  the county is doing for people in need.
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  Some of the things that we are doing as well, really we're doing everything in this report
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  with the exception of the 24-7 emergency shelters.
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  So we're really trying to focus on providing permanent solutions for people who are in
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  need.
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  So transitional housing, it is a temporary position, however it's a much needed gap between
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  homelessness and permanent accommodation.
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  Councillor Terry Richardson made a note of difficult circumstances in specific situations.
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  There's a term that I've most recently come across which is the term of being unhousable.
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  The Supreme Court has obviously, or the spirit court has obviously suggested that people have
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  the right to shelter.
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  However, if they're unhousable, I don't believe that we need or we should have the ability
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  to allow them to park anywhere they want because the system is set up and designed to put people
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  in housing but those folks don't seem to have the ability to go into housing.
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  Shenye explained how Pallas views these situations.
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  We would always be working with the person for them to become housed, whether that's
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  in transitional housing or in permanent accommodation.
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  Nobody is ever permanently unhousable.
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  They may be unhousable today in the private market renting of an apartment but that's
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  what we use our transitional housing for, moving people from homelessness into transitional
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  housing, offering them supports, connecting them to resources so that they would then
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  be able to maintain their own accommodation at some point in time in the future.
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  I think everybody has the opportunity to become housed.
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  What that housing looks like though can be different for a number of people.
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  Shenye notes the list of homeless people in the area only includes those who have consented.
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  This by name list only includes, it includes everyone that we know of that is homeless
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  or precariously housed if they consent to be on the by name list.
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  So there would be people out there that we maybe know about but have not consented to
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  be on the list so those people are not included in the list.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
• 9:54
  This is North Shore News.
• 10:04
  Flu shots for residents and staff at the John M. Parrott Center started this week.
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  Staff brought forth their monthly compliance report to council noting some highlights.
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  Director of the John M. Parrott Center, Angela Malcolm, notes the vaccinations taking place
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  at the center.
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  The flu shots started this week for residents and staff and COVID vaccinations will be ongoing
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  and then we've also started with RSV vaccinations for residents so that's going very well.
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  And then the AstraZeneca vaccine describes a program developed at the center to help
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  families dealing with dementia.
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  We were able to feature through the BSO integration day in Kingston.
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  Our BSO nurse Michelle Hickey Clark is a GPA coach, which is gentle persuasive approach
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  coach.
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  And she took the content of that curriculum and turned it into a one that would be applicable
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  to families who are going through the dementia journey with their loved one and often very
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  much struggling.
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  And so she condensed that to a six hour day and our families are finding this incredibly
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  helpful and so we were able to share that success with other partners within the southeast.
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  Malcolm noted some of the other highlights from their monthly compliance report.
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  We are less reliant on agencies.
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  Now we actually were fortunate enough to secure three RPMs to work for the Parrot Center
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  coming from the agency.
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  So that was very exciting for us.
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  By users we are seeing a good consistent user users of that service which is also very good.
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  The center also has three managers participating in the long term care management training program.
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  This is a four month training program through Advantage Ontario.
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  It includes small group sessions, one on one coaching sessions and sector specific management training.
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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 will be applying to the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund
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  to help complete the W.J. Henderson Recreation Center renewal project.
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  Staff recommended making an application under stream one for the ice pad, boards and glass
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  with a total estimated cost of approximately $1.5 million.
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  They also recommended applying under stream two for the renewal project in its entirety.
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  Director of Corporate Services Strategy and Innovation at Loyalist Township Jenna Campbell
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  explains the possibility of being funded for both streams.
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  If we are to apply to both streams as is recommended and were successful under both streams,
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  we would need to decline the stream one funding and accept the stream two funding only.
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  Campbell notes how all work included would still be funded.
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  Staff have reached out to staff from the province and understand that
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  since these streams are reviewed and intended for one another,
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  the work that's contemplated under stream one, which is the lower cost program,
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  is included in the stream two project as it's presented.
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  So put another way, the pad, boards and glass that are contemplated under the stream one project
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  are included in the $15 million work plan identified by the work stream two application.
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  The focus of the fund is to foster healthier and more active lifestyles for families
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  and to make sport more accessible.
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  Stream one of the program is focused on extending the lifespan of existing facilities,
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  maximizing the use of existing facilities and improving health and safety, accessibility
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  and environmental standards of facilities.
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  Under stream two, the program looks to help more communities across the province host local,
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  national and international sporting events and competitions.
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  Staff noted that the renewal project aligns well with the objectives in stream two,
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  as upgrades could see the potential for investment and economic growth.
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  Campbell explains why applying to both streams made sense for staff.
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  It would be a reduction of about $1.5 million from the ask on your stream two.
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  It's just the question of what's likely to be successful.
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  The project on a whole level, I'm very well to the objectives of the stream two program,
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  which include, you know, things like competition, ready facilities, accessibility,
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  like a number of things that the project really focuses in on for the stream two application.
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  So I wouldn't want to remove it from stream two and then not successful in stream one.
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  And we said, I'm a potential funding associated with that work.
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  According to their report, staff estimates that by April 1st, 2025, 32% of project costs
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  will be unspent representing $15.8 million of the total $49.5 million project.
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  The Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund would fund 50% of eligible project costs
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  up to $10 million per project.
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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 Council agreed to apply to round two of the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund
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  in the coming weeks.
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  The funding will help with peak flow equalization and headworks upgrades
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  at the Amherst View Water Pollution Control Plant.
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  The township's application to round one of the program was unsuccessful.
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  Director of Corporate Services Strategy and Innovation at Loyalist Township Jenna Campbell
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  notes their application will be focused on the same project.
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  Although we were unsuccessful in the first round application,
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  that recommends submitting the same project to round two because the project
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  had best aligns to the objectives of the program.
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  So that project is the Amherst View Water Pollution Control Plant's
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  peak flow equalization and headworks updates, which has a budget of $4.3 million.
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  Councilor Paul Praderick mentions the importance of provincial funding.
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  Mayor Jim Hagedorn describes the work taken on by staff to make the application.
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  While going ahead with the application to round two of the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund,
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  Council decided to not go ahead with an application to round two of the Green and Inclusive
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  Community Buildings Program.
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  With the township having secured $16.5 million in funding for the W.J. Henderson
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  Recreation Center Renewal Project under the first round of this program,
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  Campbell noted that approval of additional funding is unlikely.
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  This is a second round of that same funding program.
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  It's a very involved application process that includes energy modeling and a whole bunch of
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  other things and so staff's recommendation is not that we don't have something that might
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  align to the program objectives but that does not likely to be successful a second time.
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  And so spend that much time on this very involved application is probably not a central.
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  Campbell went on to explain there were no major changes in round two of the program.
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  The objectives of the program have not changed and the work plan for the project have not changed.
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  We just still feel that it's the project that has elements to the program of everything that we have
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  that's in the budget and it wasn't another project that that felt like it really aligned with the
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  program objectives.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
• 17:57
  This is North Shore News.
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  This has been North Shore News and Interviews. If you have an idea for a story or want to create
• 18:07
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