Latest / North Shore News / November 13th, 2024

Transcript

November 13th, 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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Loyalist Township is standing up against the new alcohol laws in Ontario.
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They'll be requesting the province reverse its decision on allowing alcohol sales in
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more locations.
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The resolution calls for the province to develop and implement a provincial alcohol
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strategy that prioritizes health and safety and considers the costs of alcohol consumption.
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Staff are also requesting the province dedicate a portion of its alcohol revenue to addressing
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alcohol related issues.
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Deputy Mayor Nathan Townend describes why he supports a change to the new laws.
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I guess there's no way of avoiding the political nature of this topic, but the government's
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current policy around alcohol and the sale of alcohol in independent grocery stores and
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corner stores is counter to all the available and substantial public health evidence about
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the adverse health impacts to society of alcohol.
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I think the government needs to rethink it.
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Our own Dr. Keir and Moore in his annual report, Balancing Act, details it far better than
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I can articulate it, but I think where this motion is going is in the right direction
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and in fairness to the government they have shown ability to listen when the public has
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pushed back and I think this is something to push back on.
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Mayor Jim Hagedorn explains why he supports the changes and mentions the new billboards
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at service centers along the 401.
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Typically as a chair I try to stay fairly neutral, but I am going to speak on this one,
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I fully support it.
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The effects of alcohol on our healthcare system alone is astronomical, not to mention in some
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social aspects as well.
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I try not to bring my day job into this position either, but when I drove past an on-road and
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on the big billboard out front it said beer here, that's not local traffic, that's long
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distance travel.
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Normally there is some commuter where people work a distance from home, but for the most
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part that's not the local traffic that's going home from work and they just want to
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pick up some spirits to have with their meal at once they're home.
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So I think they need to rethink where's appropriate, where it's not appropriate and how much can
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society actually endure.
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Next time you're getting on to the 400 series highway, check the outside of the shoulders,
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the roundings when you're getting on and look at the number of bottles that are there because
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they're on the freeway as well, you just don't see them at 110 or 130.
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Councillor Paul Proderick notes the local impact and details a personal experience while
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driving.
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I was driving home from a hockey game the other night along the 401 and stopped to get
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gas wherever one of the on-routes and they were selling alcohol and I thought I was thinking
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of our township and how many times our emergency services go to the 401, our OPP goes out to
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the 401 and in our general area of the 401, how much trouble that causes for the residents
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of Odessa who for hours will watch transport trucks go up and down.
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That is something I can't equate that, raising the speed limit and let's sell some boos on
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the side just you know whatever that just it doesn't make any sense to me.
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Staff's recommendations include a requirement for health warning labels on all alcohol containers
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and the ability for municipalities to opt out if they want.
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Staff noted local businesses that are already selling alcohol and made sure they wouldn't
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be affected by the recommendations they're sending to the province.
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Councillor Mike Booderick noted the potential impact.
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I do know as much as it is a health thing, don't want to hurt local businesses.
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I do know that Foodland is selling about $10,000 a month of spirits and they're seeing three
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to five times uptick in business associated with the person that is actually buying the
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alcohol.
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Councillor Lorna Willis notes how responsible local businesses have been.
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We do have two established businesses in the township that have been doing this for a long
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time but they've been doing it as LCBO licensees which means they have skin in the game, they
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have something to lose, they take great care in making sure that they're following the
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rules.
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Willis made a friendly amendment at the meeting regarding the sale of alcohol at gas stations.
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I would make a friendly amendment that a number four says prohibit the sale of alcoholic gas
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stations except as provided by LCBO licensees.
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Booderick also added a friendly amendment regarding the proximity of alcohol sales to
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schools, daycares or substance use facilities.
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I'd like to see if I could throw another friendly amendment out on number three that no alcohol
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pre-permitted within 300 meters of the school daycare or substance use facility just that
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150 meters is less than 500 feet that's too easy.
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I think it should be set a little further.
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Both friendly amendments were accepted and council unanimously backed the resolution.
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Along with a list of recommendations for improvements to the laws, the township will be sending the
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resolution to Premier Doug Ford, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, the Honourable Sylvia
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Jones, Attorney General, the Honourable Doug Downey, Minister of Transportation, the Honourable
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Prabmeet Sarkaria, Rick Brazee MPP, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Rural Ontario
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Municipalities Association and Kingston Frontenac Lenox and Addington Public Health.
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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 will see its first ever holiday pantomime event this year in Odessa.
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Torrent Productions, a production company formerly based in Toronto that has recently relocated
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to Lenox and Addington, are preparing to host the event.
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Cinderella, a merry magical pantomime, will be running from December 19th to 24th at a
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manual United Church in Odessa.
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Pants are now on sale.
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Torrent Productions is run by husband and wife team Rob Torr and award-winning choreographer
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Stephanie Graham.
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They are hoping to make this an annual tradition for the community in Lenox and Addington.
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Co-artistic producer Rob Torr explains what pantomime is.
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Pantomime is a wonderful medium because we have music, we hope, that satisfies all the
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different generations.
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There's voodoo comedy, there's silly comedy, there's classic music, there's up-to-date
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music.
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Wordplay.
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Wordplay.
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It's all the things.
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There really is something for everybody.
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Torr describes the company's history and his own personal connection to pantomime.
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We're from Toronto.
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We moved out here about three and a half years ago.
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We've done four successful pantos downtown Toronto.
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In a very small town feel, we were doing it at the local Legion.
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Panto is my passion.
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It was before we started them, but after producing them and seeing the magic that they created
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is why I want to continue doing it.
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We saw memories being formed.
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That's what I want to do.
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I want families to be able to come to this and have memories and remember having a good
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time together.
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Silliness.
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I always say that Panto is not going to change the world, but it might make it a better place.
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Co-artistic producer Stephanie Graham explains what they do at Torrent Productions.
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We have three core mandate things about Torrent production.
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We want to bring affordable professional theatre to Southern Ontario.
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We're interested in developing new shows and then encouraging and nurturing bridges between
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generations and the diverse demographics in our community.
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Those are our three pillars.
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For right now, we're focusing on the Panto and building that, but who's to say what might
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happen more in the future?
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The couple notes how the show could expand and what they may be working on in the future.
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I've got three more shows written and ready to go.
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Our hope, like this year, we're only, at the moment we're scheduled to do eight shows,
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but we are able to extend if possible.
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If we have enough, and again, that's all based on ticket sales.
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But I mean, I'd like to make this in the future.
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I'd like a six-week run.
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I'd like people coming from all up and down the seaway to come to Odessa, come to Lenox
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and Addington, come to our little part of the world and enjoy all the things we have
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to offer here.
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I want to give the couple note how the show is currently run and how they'd like to foster
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more local talent in the future.
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We're asking Toronto-based actors to come out here for four weeks at the holidays.
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We have to pay them and we have to house them.
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What I really would love to do is to be able to attract Kingston actors who've gone abroad
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and bring them back home so that they can be with their families during the holidays.
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But also so that we as a community can celebrate the talent that this community has helped
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create.
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We live in the area too.
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We get it.
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We would like to foster something.
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Not just truly, not just the talent that's on the stage, but also...
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Stage managers and technical...
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And also teaching audiences how to enjoy live theatre, because that's something that we
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don't do in this country and pantomime is like an entry level form of live theatre.
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Because it's not children's theatre, it's family entertainment.
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The couple spoke about the long-standing tradition of pantomime in the UK.
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My ultimate goal is to have a child that comes to see our show when they're seven or
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eight and then we probably don't see them when they're 15 or 16, but then they go away
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to university and they come back and they go, you know what, let's go to the Panto and
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then they come back with their kids.
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That's the tradition in the UK.
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We didn't invent this format.
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It comes from a long, long tradition in the UK.
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And it's that thing that you do during the holidays.
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You go to a Panto and you have some silliness.
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Tor describes why he's so passionate about pantomime and is excited to bring it to Lenox
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in Addington.
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There's a magic that happens between the actors and the audience.
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And that's something that, you know, as the director, writer, producer, that relationship
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is something that, you know, I nurture.
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But what we find with this style of theatre is a magic that I don't have control over.
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And that's the moment when a parent and a child laugh at something together and then
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look at each other and notice that they're sharing that moment together.
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And that's the magic I'm interested in creating.
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I think those are the special moments.
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Those are the special moments that we hope and we saw them every show.
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And it really was, it sort of become my raison d'etre to nurture an opportunity for that
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to happen.
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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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Staff at Loyalist Township have noted the success of their family physician recruitment
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incentive program.
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The program has brought three new doctors to the area in just over a year.
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All three new physicians have joined the Loyalist family health team in Amherst View to replace
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three physicians who have retired.
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The success of the program means its reserve fund is now spent and staff are now looking
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at other funding options, incentives, and the potential of adding funds to the township's
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2025 budget.
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CAO Rebecca Murphy describes the success of the program and where the township currently
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stands.
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We're in the position where we have early uptake of our physician recruitment program.
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Originally the program was, we thought it would take some time before that that would
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happen and that we were going to have one physician a year and we actually got three
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this year.
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Currently, we have financial obligations to those three physicians into 2028 and that
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we do have interest from two others, including a new physician who would potentially take
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on all new unrostered patients.
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To do that would be a significant increase in the operating budget or alternate funding
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and staff are pointing out there's still the community grant available if Council wishes
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to do that to fund this program.
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He notes the potential of another physician who might come to the area under the program.
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I have spoken with one gentleman who wants to set up an independent clinic in Amherst
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View at the Amherst View Pharmacy and it would be a new physician.
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He has somebody in the wings, a physician, and asked all the questions about what's
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the incentive program like, could they join the health team?
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You know, I've put him in touch with the health team and he was looking to do that this fall,
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early New Year, and then I was also approached by another doctor, the Loyalist Family Health
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team, who is retiring in 2025 and wishes to be able to offer this incentive program to
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be able to get filled his retiring position.
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Murphy notes other options that staff are looking at.
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There are alternate models, however, to incentive programs to individual physicians that are
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developing in our region.
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Kingston has had such an individual incentive program for a number of years and has spent
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over $3 million and did get 17 new physicians, but they also are providing incentive money
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to clinics to expand.
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And they're also being part of the new Midtown Health Home.
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This is a new model.
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Greater Napa-nee is also developing that program.
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It's really an extension of community health centers.
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Murphy went on to describe the program in Napa-nee.
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They hope that through hiring physicians through a different model whereby the administration
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is performed by a separate organization like the Community Health Center, then the physicians
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are paid that way that they'll be able to roster all of the unrostered residents in
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Napa-nee through doing that.
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Councillor Lorna Willis notes the need for physicians in the area and the ongoing situation.
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It is a big problem in our township and in the area in general.
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And it's been unfortunate that the gains in Kingston and Napa-nee haven't helped loyalist
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township people who are trying to find doctors.
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This is a provincial problem and they should be funding it.
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And this is a downloading to municipal taxpayers.
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So that causes me concern.
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Mayor Jim Hagedorn spoke about taxes as well.
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It does really bother me that there's other levels of government that have already taxed
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for this and we're being taxed for it again.
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And went on to explain the potential of exploring and expanding a health phone option in the
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area.
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There is a doctor or some doctors that provide those services and the pharmacist in Bath
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actually has it.
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And it doesn't matter if you're rostered or not, you can go there and it costs, there
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are fees.
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But I was looking, I was thinking that might be possibly an option too instead of rostering,
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bringing in doctors.
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It may be, we may be able to service more of our residents out of the pharmacist with
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something like that.
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That's another option that I've recently become more aware of.
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And so there may be options other than doctors, which may be a little more financially viable
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for the township.
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Hagedorn notes how a health phone option may operate.
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It's not a family doctor, but they can do all the requisitions for blood work and everything
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and give prescriptions and do a fair bit of work.
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Obviously, if they were bad enough, it would still be an emergency room trip.
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Councillor Jake Ennis notes his support for a health phone model.
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I think that's probably the way of the future.
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And it's also to have an interdisciplinary clinic.
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I think it's also a venue to access provincial funding if you can get a proposal together
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for your area.
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So just to say that I would be supportive of loyalists continuing to look at that model
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as an option in the future.
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Councillor Paul Proderick describes the importance of bringing physicians to the area and funding
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initiatives such as their incentive program.
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We had two doctors here, and I don't know what it cost to get them through to the process,
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but I said to Councillor Willis, there's 45 years of doctors in loyalists.
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So I think it's worth the investment.
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And I know it's the tax thing, it's that.
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But eventually we're at a crisis in this, and I think anytime we can get a doctor to
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serve our populace, especially these young doctors, you hope their young families, they
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think loyalists is a good place for them to be.
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And I think it's worth the investment.
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And I guess the big question is, where do we get the money to invest?
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And I think we have to do it.
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Councillor Carroll-Parks notes her personal experience and why it's so important to bring
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physicians to loyalist township.
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I've been with her for almost two years.
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I do use the pharmacy program.
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It works well.
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It is mostly covered by OHIP, so there doesn't seem to be any additional costs that I've
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experienced with that.
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However, my family doctor was originally from Napa-Nee, and with the new doctors that are
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coming into Napa-Nee, I just kind of assume that because my family doctor retired from
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Napa-Nee that I would go on the wait list for Napa-Nee, that's not the case.
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It's specific to where you live.
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So I think as loyalist township, we need to start to encourage those doctors to come
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into our community because we're sandwiched between Napa-Nee and Kingston.
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Murphy touched on why funding such programs is so important.
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I think it would be a bit of a shame if there were new physicians that may come, but we
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don't have incentives unless they go elsewhere.
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The original reserve fund for the program was established in May 2023 and included $100,000
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to be paid over five years in return for five years of practice in Loyalist with a roster
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of at least 1200 patients.
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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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