Latest / North Shore News / March 20th, 2025

Transcript

March 20th, 2025 · North Shore News

• 0:07
  Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on
• 0:10
  Amherst Island Radio. Each week we keep you updated
• 0:14
  on newsworthy events, happenings and conversations
• 0:17
  that we've had with people in the local community
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  and beyond. Lennox and Addington County Council
• 0:27
  recognized the hard work and achievements of
• 0:29
  the county's emergency medical services department
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  as they presented their 2024 annual report. The
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  report focused on support for paramedics and
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  the department's partnership with MediVee Health
• 0:39
  Services. The report noted that MediVee Health
• 0:42
  Services has made significant progress over the
• 0:44
  past year in alignment with the county's strategic
• 0:46
  plan. The company is in the process of executing
• 0:49
  its 2021 to 2026 strategic safety plan, including
• 0:53
  measures for the county. Strategic direction
• 0:55
  focuses on the continuous improvement of health
• 0:58
  and safety for patients and employees. Councillor
• 1:00
  John Wise spoke about the success of the partnership
• 1:03
  with MetaVee. We did take a chance at going the
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  route we did with MetaVee. And to see it paying
• 1:09
  off, just the attitude that's coming through,
• 1:12
  the enthusiasm is just really encouraging. Former
• 1:16
  Interim Chief of Emergency Medical Services with
• 1:18
  the county and current member of Medavie, Mike
• 1:21
  Adair, noted the company's focus with the county.
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  We looked at efficient and best practices to
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  make sure that we're doing things well. We looked
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  at focusing on our paramedics and on our operations
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  and We also focused on the patient, of course,
• 1:41
  in terms of how we want to advocate. Some of
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  the highlights, at least when I was here, was,
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  you know, evolving our leadership in paramedic
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  services to make sure that we learn, that we
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  reflect, and that we're accountable for our actions
• 1:56
  and our behaviours and making sure that we are
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  role models for our paramedics. Emergency Medical
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  Services Chief and General Manager Craig Jones
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  spoke about leadership roles within the department.
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  We saw with our staff that there was an appetite
• 2:10
  to be engaged in leadership and succession planning.
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  So we expanded the role of PTL. We expanded our
• 2:16
  paramedic team leaders. So these are our union
• 2:18
  members that actually step into a quasi -supervisory
• 2:21
  role and allow them to learn whether this is
• 2:24
  an avenue that they would like to explore in
• 2:26
  the future. We invest in them. We invest in education.
• 2:29
  We invest in time and training. So that's been
• 2:32
  a great opportunity for our staff. Our last allotment
• 2:35
  was approximately 12 individuals. that signed
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  up for that and thought they might be interested.
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  So we saw that as an opportunity to show our
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  employees we cared about them. We wanted to invest
• 2:43
  in them and help them grow and become leaders
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  in the future. Jones highlighted the positive
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  financial impacts as well. Financial side of
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  the house, we've leveraged Metavie's bulk purchasing
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  power. Obviously Metavie is Canadian wide. corporation
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  and we've been able to leverage the purchasing
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  power on medical supplies, uniforms, preferred
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  pricing on defibs, all of the equipment we use.
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  Because Medavie is able to secure those contracts
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  because they're buying for Canada wide, we've
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  been able to leverage that. So that's been an
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  amazing opportunity that's found efficiencies,
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  not only financially, but human resource efficiencies.
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  Jones explained their focus on the patient experience.
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  We've ensured that You know, our patient experience
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  is our primary focus. How are the people we're
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  serving? How are we taking care of them, ensuring
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  that those gaps are filled and that they're getting
• 3:29
  the care that they need? So our community paramedic
• 3:32
  team has been able to integrate with the community,
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  identify gaps, work with partner relationships
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  and partner organizations to ensure that if there
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  is holes in our community, we're there to do
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  everything we can to support those individuals
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  in filling those gaps and taking best care of
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  our community. Jones details how the department
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  supports the mental health of its employees.
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  We've engaged with an additional mental health
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  support. The paramedic services can be a challenging
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  job and so we not only have our peer supports,
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  we've invested with Breakwater to provide during
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  CME this year, so our continuing medical education
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  days, an additional mental health support for
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  them to better understand, protect themselves,
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  prepare themselves to serve as a paramedic. And
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  if they identify struggles, deal with them earlier
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  rather than later therefore preventing you know
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  a long -term illness and a PTSD type injury.
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  Jones spoke about an upcoming ceremony where
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  staff will be recognized. Something that staff
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  asked for in the identified things that they
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  were looking for was a long service medal. We
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  plan to have a ceremony including of the warden
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  this year to acknowledge those paramedics who
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  have worked 12, 20 and 30 years. Very important
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  to medics. Not many of us make 30 years but to
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  acknowledge that long service it is a tough job
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  and we want to you know reward those even if
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  it's just a small thing with a medal on their
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  chest it means a lot to them and we're very excited
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  to be able to implement that within our service.
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  Warden Nathan Townand showed his support for
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  the department. Leadership is a term that gets
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  bandied around a lot, but it's really nice to
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  see what leadership truly looks like. And the
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  results achieved in the short amount of time
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  is really quite astounding. Medavie Health Services
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  is Canada's largest contracted provider of emergency
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  medical services, serving three million Canadians
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  across six provinces. They partnered with the
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  county to deliver comprehensive paramedic services
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  to residents through a performance -based contract.
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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. Lennox and Addington's Economic Development
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  Office is finalizing a two -prong approach in
• 5:41
  response to tariffs on Canadian goods. The plan
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  includes supporting local businesses and a consumer
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  -focused marketing campaign to promote buying
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  local or Canadian. Director of Community and
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  Development Services, Stephen Paul, explains
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  the plan. We're really looking at a two -prong
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  approach of how we can support our businesses.
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  The first would be really down to the nitty -gritty
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  of coaching, business coaching, of how we can
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  support them. And I can say over the last...
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  month those numbers have dramatically increased
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  we're fortunate that we have right now a part
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  -time business coach who is extremely busy supporting
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  our businesses in many cases just answering questions
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  and and trying to make people feel as good as
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  possible with the the unknown that's there as
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  well so we'll continue that we'll understand
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  hopefully soon what the tariffs truly mean Maybe
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  we may never know that, but it's hard to react
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  at this point in time based on just new cycles.
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  So hopefully it has a little bit more clarity
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  with regards to programs that might be available
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  and supports that might be available and we'll
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  do our best to help businesses with those. Paul
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  speaks about the number of exports that come
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  from the area and go to the United States. Regionally,
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  from an Eastern Ontario perspective, approximately
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  $42 .5 billion is exported annually from the
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  region. So we can't necessarily do the math and
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  know exactly what our exports are, but we know
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  they're significant, absolutely. And you're looking
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  at probably 70 % of everything that's made here
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  crosses the border. So again, we're at a point
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  that is making many of us, of course, extremely
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  nervous. Paul compared the process to the pandemic.
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  I hate to say that this is probably a similar
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  process to what we went through with the pandemic.
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  We're kind of dusting off some of those things
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  as well, but it's probably fair to say that it's
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  going to be a full court press of what we can
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  do with businesses to support them and make sure
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  that they thrive. And I think probably most importantly,
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  look at how they adjust their business planning,
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  who their customers are, because there's probably
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  not an end date with regards to this. It's now
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  kind of the next generation of our businesses
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  and where their customers need to be. I think
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  if it's anything that's happened with regards
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  to this, it's brought it very clearly to light
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  that we need to be broader based when it comes
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  to who we're selling to. And I think if we do
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  that properly now, that'll help us in the future
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  too. County Clerk and Communications Manager
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  Tracy McKenzie noted resolutions that have come
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  forward from Ontario and national organizations.
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  A resolution came forward from EOWC in early
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  February and council did support that. Many of
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  them are quite similar. Some of them have just
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  a little bit of a different edge to them. Some
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  are more about sovereignty. Some are about breaking
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  down barriers for inter -provincial trade. Some
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  are just encouraging the government to fight
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  the tariffs. Deputy Warden Jim Hagedorn showed
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  his support for resolutions they've seen. I believe
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  that for the most part the municipally led organizations
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  such as the EOWC, AMO, ROMA and FCM, and that's
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  just to name a few that we've seen the motions
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  come through. They're providing concise and effective
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  motions which provides a unified voice as well
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  and I think that that's quite important. Councillor
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  John Wise speaks about the severity of the situation.
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  We are bound to follow international and national
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  trade agreements in our purchasing policy. And
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  yet the crisis that we're in is the result of
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  a rogue president on the false premise of stopping
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  fentanyl crossing the border and immigration
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  problems. In fact, breaking the trade agreement
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  that we are supposedly legally obliged to abide
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  by. I'm hoping that the national and provincial
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  leadership will find a way to suspend or modify
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  those requirements based on the blatant violation.
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  by the Trump administration of those agreements.
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  Warden Nathan Townand spoke about the importance
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  of clarity in their message and noted other ongoing
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  issues across the country. I think messages are
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  always more powerful if they're clear. And if
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  there's one voice and one message, I think, to
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  be honest with you, from my point of view, that's
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  why we have AMO and Roma and EOWC, et cetera.
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  And that's that is not to disparage, you know,
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  other individual municipalities from feeling
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  the need to do so themselves. I think we are
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  in extraordinary times. My concern is that we
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  as the municipal order of government don't lose
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  focus with what our responsibilities are in the
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  sense that whilst I completely agree. that we
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  should support our other orders in defending
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  our sovereignty and defending our economy. It's
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  our services that take care of Canadians and
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  we take care of our services. And we have a new
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  government that was just sworn in with a majority
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  mandate and their hands on the levers of power.
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  And there are issues that we need them to address.
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  There's still 80 ,000 homeless people in Ontario.
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  There's a primary care physician shortage. There's
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  a housing crisis. The list goes on. We have a
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  fiscal framework that doesn't work. So in terms
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  of resilience of Canada in the coming challenges,
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  there are lots of issues that are going to be
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  on our plate. And I think the public ought to
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  be inspired that we are. We've got our finger
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  on that pulse and I'm happy to leave the nuances
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  of international relations to the other orders.
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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. A citizen -led group focused on trails
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  in the area is looking to find alternative trail
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  routes leading to the Cataraqui Trail in Strathcona.
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  The group presented plans including work in collaboration
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  with the Town of Greater Napanee going forward.
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  The group presented a Plan A and Plan B for Council
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  to consider. Plan A for County Road 1 to the
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  Riverside Cemetery Loop includes closing the
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  CN Rail Bridge and creating trails on town land.
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  Plan B listed as a long -term plan includes a
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  crossing of the 401. Trails in this scenario
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  could include a protected pedestrian lane or
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  a bridge overpass. Plan B also outlines a Catarock
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  Way Trail connector in Strathcona East. Once
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  staff and the group have reported back, council
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  will need to decide if the project will be run
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  by the town or the citizen -led group. The group
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  will also be tasked with studying the feasibility
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  of a connection that links the in -town portion
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  of the former CN rail line to the development
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  of an in -town urban loop. The group's mandate
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  noted they looked to broaden conversations related
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  to permitted user groups to ensure wider, safer
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  uses while acknowledging the growing needs of
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  the entire community. Member of the committee
• 12:58
  Mike Sewell explained one of the reasons they're
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  looking to partner with the town. This is the
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  interesting thing, we're a citizens group and
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  so for us we've met with the ministry but these
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  are unofficial conversations and I can say that
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  I personally had three unofficial conversations
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  with the ministry and again they've given me
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  Good information, but at the same time, it's
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  the kind of information that's unofficial simply
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  because we don't really hold any position, so
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  to speak. So we'll note the vision of the group.
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  The vision is really to just try to tie existing
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  trails in town to potential routes that could
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  get us out of town and back and in many cases
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  make these loops that are enjoyable to a wide
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  range of users. Sewell spoke about the group's
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  different members and the benefits of their varied
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  backgrounds. We represent a varied amount of
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  background and ages and professions and with
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  that we bring different things to the table which
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  I think has really been good for us. Rather than
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  hear always the like -minded individuals talking
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  it's been really good for us to have that mix.
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  We represent stakeholders. Landowners and in
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  the stakeholders, they're active transportation
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  supporters and just simply citizens. And so the
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  mix was really good. So we'll mention some of
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  the work the group does. We've had quite a few
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  walking meetings. We've had site visits. We've
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  had robust discussions that did include town
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  officials as per needed. We had conversation
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  with previous administrations and for myself,
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  for example, I've had several conversations with
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  several councils over several years. This is
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  not a new issue by any means. We have to have
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  the conversations, get them out on the table,
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  find out where we're at and what we're looking
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  for. Suell explains what a walking meeting is.
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  It would be very difficult to talk about trails
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  or potential trails if we haven't actually been
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  out and walked some of these routes. So there
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  were quite a few times where the entire group,
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  we got together, we met. We said we're going
• 15:00
  to designate an area and we'd go and meet on
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  Dariav or we'd meet over at the Riverside Cemetery
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  or we'd meet down by the boardwalk or the riverine
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  and we would do these walks and as we're going
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  we're looking around. So it was more than just
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  sitting in a room, we actually got out and started
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  to look at some of these places. Sewell spoke
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  about other locations they visited as well. We
• 15:21
  also ended up hiking some of these out of town
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  locations and in doing so when we were doing
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  the hydro line walkabouts and we did meet landowners
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  some were happy to see us some maybe not so happy
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  to see us but again we were trying to be very
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  mindful and respectable of where we went again
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  we were on foot and we were just simply exploring
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  options. Sewell noted the importance of conversation.
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  The conversation has also evolved. And I think
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  this is one of the things that I felt was really
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  good about this committee is that we came together
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  as a group as an individuals, but we started
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  to gel as a group in the sense that we started
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  to understand that there's a bigger, wider conversations.
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  So we started to look at even a wider vision
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  of what active transportation could look like
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  so that we conclude more people. So we'll outline
• 16:12
  some of the other groups they've spoken with.
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  We have on occasion met with some of the administration
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  with the Cataraqui Trail administration and also
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  the KMP Trail Association to try to get their
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  perspective and to find out how they make things
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  work, what they do. And we've talked to them
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  around logistics and setting up. And it's been
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  really valuable for us. And again, this has helped
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  expand our conversation not only out of town,
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  but what that might look like. heading to town,
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  in town, in the core area. CAO Matthew Grant
• 16:47
  noted the work of the group. I've had the pleasure
• 16:50
  of sitting down with the group on a couple of
• 16:52
  occasions and they've done some great work. At
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  the meeting, Councillor Dave Pinnell had a question
• 16:56
  about the group's Plan B proposal. When does
• 16:59
  the conversation need to start with the MTO on
• 17:03
  these Plan Bs because in your unofficial meetings
• 17:07
  that you've had with them, have they given you
• 17:09
  any indication of when that they'll be passing
• 17:12
  through here with the expanded lanes? Grant noted
• 17:15
  conversations that have happened with the MTO.
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  I'm pleased to say those conversations have already
• 17:20
  begun. So through Michael and his team, we have
• 17:24
  already registered official interest with the
• 17:26
  MTO about being able to go under or over or around
• 17:33
  the 401, both for purposes of recreation, but
• 17:37
  also utilities. And so they have registered that
• 17:42
  interest. They haven't necessarily come back
• 17:44
  with an answer, but we have it on file and we
• 17:47
  will continue to follow up. Grant spoke about
• 17:49
  the work that needs to be done going forward
• 17:51
  and what council will be deciding on. First,
• 17:54
  the reports specifically about the bridge. I
• 17:56
  think we can do that. you know, that report relatively
• 18:00
  quickly and bring that back, that body of work.
• 18:03
  And a motion to bring back a report that would
• 18:06
  explore both what it would look like to have
• 18:08
  this project remain a citizen -led initiative
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  and then what would it look like if the town
• 18:13
  were to take this on. And then we can bring back
• 18:16
  what both of those bodies of work would look
• 18:18
  like and the expectations of the municipality
• 18:21
  in terms of cost and staff time. Mayor Terry
• 18:25
  Richardson commended the work of the group. The
• 18:27
  work that this committee has done has been absolutely
• 18:30
  marvelous. You know, it doesn't surprise me because
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  of the quality people that we have on this committee,
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  but with respect to plans and phases, getting
• 18:38
  this thing done is extremely reasonable. And
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  I'm glad I've heard from other members of council
• 18:47
  how they support and want to see this come to
• 18:50
  fruition. Richardson went on to note what has
• 18:52
  been accomplished so far. We've come from something
• 18:55
  that wasn't going to be possible right at our
• 19:00
  fingertips at this point. So I think we've come
• 19:04
  a long way in the last year and a half or two
• 19:06
  years. For Amherst Island Radio and the Local
• 19:09
  Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is
• 19:12
  North Shore News. Loyalist Township Council approved
• 19:24
  the draft plan for a subdivision in Odessa that
• 19:26
  would include 584 new residential units. Creekford
• 19:30
  Developments submitted the plan at council's
• 19:33
  meeting this week. The proposed subdivision is
• 19:35
  located south of County Road 2 in the west end
• 19:38
  of Odessa. The 584 units would include 390 semi
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  -detached units and 194 single -detached units.
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  Four new streets are proposed along with the
• 19:48
  subdivision as well as extensions of Babcock
• 19:50
  Boulevard and Fields Way. The site also contains
• 19:53
  an environmental protection block, two park blocks,
• 19:56
  and a multi -use path that connects the south
• 19:58
  end of the development and County Road 2. Staffs
• 20:01
  report noted the design of the subdivision complements
• 20:04
  the layout of the adjacent Babcock Mills neighborhood,
• 20:06
  which is expected to reach full build out by
• 20:08
  2025. A statutory public meeting was held April
• 20:12
  24th, 2023, where a number of residents detailed
• 20:15
  concerns regarding parking, drainage, park location,
• 20:18
  school capacity, traffic design, and speed enforcement.
• 20:22
  At their November 26th, 2024 meeting, council
• 20:25
  brought these concerns to the company and directed
• 20:27
  them to bring forward a new draft, which is now
• 20:29
  approved. Approvals planner David Case -Moore
• 20:32
  explains the benefits of the proposed subdivision.
• 20:35
  From the planning perspective, the design doesn't
• 20:39
  consume too much land. It is compact in its form
• 20:43
  and provides housing types that aren't readily
• 20:45
  available in Odessa. Appears to conform to the
• 20:49
  Planning Act, the Provincial Policy Statement
• 20:53
  2024, the Official Plan of the Township and the
• 20:57
  County. Casemore speaks about public input from
• 20:59
  residents. Public comments we really haven't
• 21:02
  received any except for that from that first
• 21:04
  public meeting. The consultant had made quite
• 21:07
  a few changes. We had had a lot of feedback from
• 21:09
  council and the public at that point but once
• 21:12
  those changes were made moving forward we really
• 21:14
  didn't hear anything come from the public from
• 21:18
  that perspective. Casemore outlined some of the
• 21:20
  work and studies that went into the plan. We
• 21:23
  did have a few peer reviews on traffic. noise
• 21:27
  as well as environmental impact assessment that
• 21:33
  was done. The arborist for the applicant worked
• 21:36
  with our peer reviewer and that's some requirements
• 21:39
  that the MECP had regarding species at risk.
• 21:43
  The traffic consultant worked with our engineering
• 21:45
  department, instituted some traffic calming,
• 21:48
  jet outs, roundabouts, etc. Based on the direction
• 21:52
  received from Township staff during the pre -consultation
• 21:55
  meeting, the primary entrance to the development
• 21:57
  will be located at the northwestern end of the
• 22:00
  site on the south side of Main Street. The report
• 22:02
  noted most of the commercial development and
• 22:04
  institutional facilities within Odessa are located
• 22:07
  along Main Street. with Ernestown Secondary School,
• 22:10
  Odessa Public School, a local convenience store,
• 22:12
  three churches, and the Loyalist Fire Department
• 22:14
  all situated within 600 meters of the northern
• 22:17
  boundary of the site. A sidewalk along the southern
• 22:20
  side of Main Street and a marked pedestrian crossing
• 22:22
  connect these services to the site. Full transit
• 22:25
  service is not currently available in Odessa,
• 22:27
  but the report noted that should it be introduced,
• 22:29
  the grid pattern of the street design and connection
• 22:32
  to the adjacent subdivision will allow for logical
• 22:34
  route planning through the area. For Amherst
• 22:37
  Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative,
• 22:40
  I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. In the
• 22:52
  face of U .S. tariffs on Canadian goods, Loyalist
• 22:55
  Township is asking the federal and provincial
• 22:57
  governments to ensure municipalities are part
• 23:00
  of the coordinated Team Canada approach. The
• 23:03
  request was sent along with a letter of support
• 23:05
  from the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus for
• 23:07
  the action the governments have already taken.
• 23:10
  The request calls on the Canadian and Ontario
• 23:12
  governments to remove any barriers for municipalities
• 23:15
  in choosing Canadian companies and services for
• 23:18
  capital projects or other supplies. The letter
• 23:20
  notes the importance of continuing to invest
• 23:23
  in infrastructure to provide stability, jobs,
• 23:26
  and to support the social and economic prosperity
• 23:28
  of communities now and into the future. Deputy
• 23:31
  Mayor of Loyalist Township and Warden of Lenox
• 23:34
  and Addington County Nathan Townend spoke about
• 23:36
  the work of the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus
• 23:39
  and noted the importance of working together
• 23:41
  going forward. This is coming from the Eastern
• 23:44
  Ontario Wardens Caucus who've been quite outspoken
• 23:47
  since the issue of tariffs, you know, have emerged.
• 23:49
  I think and I'm sure the mayor will have comments.
• 23:53
  I won't speak on his behalf as head of council
• 23:55
  but I can speak as the warden of the county.
• 23:59
  I think the approach that all municipalities
• 24:01
  are taking in close partnership with our various
• 24:04
  advocacy associations like AMO, like ROMA, like
• 24:07
  EOWC, is to try and work very closely with the
• 24:10
  provincial government in trying to leverage as
• 24:13
  much as we can leverage to support other orders
• 24:15
  of government in protecting our Canadian and
• 24:19
  indeed our Ontario economies. And I think all
• 24:22
  of us support that endeavor in principle. Mayor
• 24:24
  Jim Hagedorn noted the difficulty for municipalities
• 24:27
  and why a team approach is so important. It puts
• 24:30
  some municipalities at a little bit of a different
• 24:33
  spot because we do have to adhere to all the
• 24:36
  legislations and all the agreements that are
• 24:39
  still in place despite what's going on. But I
• 24:43
  believe this covers a lot of ground where we
• 24:47
  work with the province and the other levels of
• 24:49
  government to make sure that everything is set
• 24:51
  up so that we can work to the best for our residents
• 24:55
  and for the country. According to data from the
• 24:58
  Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario
• 25:01
  municipalities are expected to spend between
• 25:03
  $250 and $290 billion on infrastructure in the
• 25:07
  next 10 years. The letter also calls for the
• 25:10
  removal of all legislative barriers that impact
• 25:12
  the ability to buy local, including the removal
• 25:15
  of trade barriers between provinces. This would
• 25:18
  also include compensation for municipalities,
• 25:20
  should there be challenges to buying Canadian.
• 25:23
  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
• 25:26
  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
• 25:29
  News. This has been North Shore News and Interviews.
• 25:35
  If you have an idea for a story, or want to create
• 25:38
  stories for the show, consider joining our 100
• 25:41
  % volunteer team. Contact Amherst Island Radio
• 25:45
  for more details.