Latest / North Shore News / May 21st, 2026

Transcript

May 21st, 2026 · North Shore News

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  Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on
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  Amherst Island Radio. Each week we keep you updated
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  on newsworthy events, happenings and conversations
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  that we've had with people in the local community
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  and beyond. Loyalist Township welcomes visitors
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  to Doors Open Ontario on June 20th. Residents
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  and visitors are invited to explore the stories,
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  places and people that helped shape the community.
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  Doors Open Ontario takes place Saturday, June
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  20th from 10 a .m. to 4 p .m. As part of the
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  province -wide celebration, this free community
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  event offers a unique opportunity to discover
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  historic landmarks, cultural spaces, museums,
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  churches, farms, galleries, and community hubs
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  throughout Loyalist Township. This year's event
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  features 20 participating sites across Bath,
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  Odessa, Wilton, Amherstview, and Amherst Island,
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  each offering visitors a chance to connect with
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  the township's heritage through guided tours,
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  exhibits, demonstrations, family -friendly activities,
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  and behind -the -scenes experiences. Visitors
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  can experience everything from heritage architecture
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  and local history to art studios, agricultural
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  traditions, dry stone walls and live demonstrations.
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  Featured activities include meeting rescue animals
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  at Second Chance Ranch, exploring hiking trails
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  from farm experiences at Topsy Farms, learning
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  about basket making at Babcock Mill and tasting
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  locally made cheese at the Wilton Cheese Factory.
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  Admission is free at all participating sites.
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  This year there is also a chance to win one of
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  two $100 prizes for anyone who visits five or
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  more sites. For event details, maps, and participating
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  locations, visit loyalist .ca slash doors open.
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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. The County of Lenox and Addington has started
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  a Schedule C municipal class environmental assessment
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  to review and improve key intersections along
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  County Road 2. The study will look at options
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  to enhance safety. traffic flow, and long -term
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  design at the intersections of County Road 1
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  and County Road 2, as well as County Road 5 and
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  County Road 2. Public information centers where
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  residents can learn more and share feedback are
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  planned for June and another in late fall. Dates
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  and venues will be provided as part of a formal
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  notice from the county. Attendees will be invited
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  to review the information presented and provide
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  feedback, questions, and comments that will be
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  considered as the study progresses. Once the
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  study is complete, an environmental study report
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  will be prepared and made available for comment.
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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. Community members in Loyalist Township
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  have come forward with a petition for council
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  to reconsider the closing of the Leisure and
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  Activity Center in Amherstville. In April, staff
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  met with a working committee made up of residents
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  who were looking to preserve services at the
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  center. During this meeting, staff received the
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  petition consisting of over 1 ,500 signatures.
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  After receiving the petition, staff received
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  a request from a member of council to add the
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  petition to their latest agenda. Council originally
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  approved a staff recommendation to formally close
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  the center as a direct programming space on August
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  1, 2026. This came after a close three to two
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  vote. Residents who use the space regularly have
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  brought concerns to council including the size
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  of the new space, privacy and the costs associated.
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  The matter will come before council again at
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  their June 9th meeting. Loyalist Township resident
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  Lorna Thorne explained the petition and noted
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  the response from the community. We have collected
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  over 1 ,500 signatures for residents in Amherstview,
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  Odessa and Bath and the rural areas. Our petition
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  states that we would like Council to take the
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  necessary steps to make a reversal of the 3 -2
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  vote taken on March 10th regarding the decision
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  to close the lack and move existing programs
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  to the Henderson Community Centre. Going door
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  -to -door was a new experience and daunting for
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  many of us. We were overwhelmed with the positive
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  response we received from the constituents of
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  Loyalist Township. Resident of Loyalist Township
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  and former Recreation Director, Cindy Lawson,
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  speaks about the need for the Centre. Following
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  my retirement in 2013, the space was renovated
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  and since then people of all ages have been enjoying
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  a great variety of programs. Disappointment is
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  an understatement. When I learned on March 10th,
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  a staff report recommended the closure of the
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  Leisure and Activity Centre and Council approved
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  it. I cannot understand how a facility that took
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  over 25 years to acquire is no longer needed.
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  This community is growing. We currently have
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  a space that serves us well. Now is not the time
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  to give it up, as we all know to replace it is
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  not in the foreseeable future. Loyalist Township
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  resident Barbara Usman Goldhar notes the importance
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  of spaces like the Leisure and Activity Center
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  within a community. As a widow recovering from
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  illness, I looked to find a center where I could
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  begin my healing process. Being a retired physiotherapist
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  with 35 years experience in rehabilitation, I
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  knew the benefits of exercise. I looked for an
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  exercise center and found the lack just five
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  minutes from my home. I realized quickly that
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  this was the place that I needed. As I joined
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  the exercise classes, I found an energetic group
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  of like -minded people who were exercising to
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  keep fit. For example, to maintain diabetic control,
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  blood pressure, and weight gain, prevent aging
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  complications such as osteoporosis and dementia,
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  and recover from serious health issues. Morning
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  classes with instructors who educate and model
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  are particularly helpful as they establish routines,
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  prevent stiffness, and improve energy and mental
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  clarity. The LAC offers a cohesive center where
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  participants get to know each other, find support,
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  and have fun. Large, safe, and well -designed
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  exercise centers like the LAAC are essential
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  to accommodate group classes effectively. It
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  is vital to create a community where people can
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  live healthier, longer, and more connected lives.
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  Another resident, Carla Rogers, explains the
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  concerns residents have brought to Council. We
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  have provided Council and staff with the petition,
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  several documents, foot and photos explaining
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  the opposition to the concept of moving the fitness
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  programs to a room that is half the size with
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  low ceilings, epoxy flooring, and as well as
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  the downfalls of reducing class sizes and spreading
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  them throughout the day. We have explained the
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  shortcomings of the proposed room for the purpose
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  of the children's programs due to the lack of
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  cooking facilities and the reduced space. Community
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  recreation facilities are not just line items.
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  They are infrastructure that support health,
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  connection, and equality of life in our township.
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  Councillor Jake Ennis spoke about the potential
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  reconsideration at their June 9th meeting. I
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  think residents have been very clear about their
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  concerns. I think they've been very clear that
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  they don't want to see a reduction in service,
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  sympathetic to those concerns. I think it's a...
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  positive step that staff are looking at alternatives
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  and I think it's important for us to consider
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  those alternatives and for the public to consider
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  those alternatives in addition to a potential
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  reconsideration in June. Councillor Carol Park
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  spoke about the original decision and coming
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  back to council in June. I believe that council
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  made the wrong decision. That's my personal opinion
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  and as a swing vote that was part of that meeting,
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  I do take responsibility for that. So I do support
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  this motion and I look forward to this coming
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  back before council in June so that we can revisit
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  this. Deputy Mayor Nathan Townhoun spoke about
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  council's role in decision making and the importance
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  of municipal politics. We're elected to be decision
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  makers that make decisions based on... all of
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  the available information and have that be transparent
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  to the public and so you know from that point
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  of principle we're principally hamstrung until
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  until June 9th and and maybe council's decision
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  will be to reconsider and and to maintain status
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  quo. I won't comment on on on what that will
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  be that could be but the point is council needs
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  all the information available and the public
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  needs that information. Municipal politics is
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  incredibly important. It's the level of government
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  closest to the public and that's never more evident
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  than a chambers full of people concerned about
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  what's happening in their community and regardless
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  of where anybody stands on an individual issue,
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  that's incredibly important. For Amherst Island
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  Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm
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  Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. Construction
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  of the new pump track at Loyalist Park in Amherstview
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  has begun. The expected completion date is July
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  30th. Thanks to a confidential donation of $500
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  ,000, the construction of the pump track will
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  not impact the township's budget. It will be
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  developed at no cost to Loyalist Township other
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  than staff time to oversee it. The entire project,
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  including the skate park, is estimated to cost
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  approximately $1 million and is being completed
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  in two phases. Phase 1 is the construction of
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  the pump track, including a skate bowl, while
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  Phase 2 will include the completion of the remaining
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  skate park features, subject to securing additional
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  funding. Council heard a presentation in June
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  of 2025 from New Line Skateparks, an engineering
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  firm with expertise in skate park construction.
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  Now with approval, the company is beginning construction.
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  A public consultation process is currently taking
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  place on the Township's website. Vice President
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  and Director of Business Development with New
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  Line Skateparks Trevor Morgan spoke about the
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  benefits of the skateparks and pump tracks they
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  build and the one they're looking to build in
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  Loyalist Township. Very integrated, green space,
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  connections to pathways, colour, texture, art
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  installations that can be very exciting to...
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  Put a signature, I guess, of the community within
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  the architecture of the park, even through different
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  lighting schemes, if that's something that's
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  desired, and then accessibility. You're likely
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  to have folks from the adaptive community who
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  would like to ride this park. So yeah, every
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  park has its story and we hope there's a story
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  to be told here for the Township. Morgan noted
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  the potential boost in tourism the facility could
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  bring. A network of these parks are being created
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  in communities across Canada and across Ontario
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  and there's a large population that will want
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  to experience each different unique park and
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  communities and they'll purposely travel around,
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  stop in these communities, visit, spend money
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  at local businesses, maybe even spend a night.
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  I know when I was 12 years old on the family
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  trip and I was avid skateboarder, I could be
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  very influential to spend an extra night in the
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  community if they had that one skate park. Morgan
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  spoke about the potential of events at the facility
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  as well. You're likely to have user groups and
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  community groups that will say, hey, we would
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  love to have some level of organized events there
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  that could be lessons nights, some community
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  -based contests and so forth and so we really
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  try to design a modern park with that in mind.
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  Councillor Paul Prodrick spoke about neighbouring
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  communities and their skate parks as well as
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  what a new one in Amherstview could do for the
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  community. I think the closest one to us is Napanee
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  and then you go to Picton's got a great site
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  but again it's probably 20 years old now. I think
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  it becomes a hub. for gathering and it fits into
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  the master recreation plan. Also an opportunity
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  to add something to the community and I think
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  we haven't had a recreational facility addition
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  in well over I'm going to say 40 years and again
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  it's just through the the leadership of a community
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  member who wishes to help out in times where
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  we don't have a lot of money to do a lot of things
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  that we'd like to do. Councillor Jake Ennis spoke
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  about the donation and choice of the donor. It's
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  a very generous donation. They're very appreciative
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  for the donation and I think the donor is chosen
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  well. It's an amenity that focuses on youth and
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  one that I think will be very well used. Deputy
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  Mayor Nathan Townand showed his appreciation
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  towards the donor as well as what the project
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  will do for youth in the area. It's incredibly
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  generous and provides an amazing opportunity
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  for us and to appreciate the particular kinds
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  of youth that something like this can engage,
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  based on the whole lifestyle and culture that
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  goes with it, not one I claim to understand.
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  I think it's not just youth engagement writ large
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  in some sort of big, broad context. This is something
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  quite specific that I think will cater to members
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  in our community that otherwise don't have a
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  facility like this. I do go by the one in Napanee
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  quite regularly and it is a gathering place.
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  You see all sorts of demographics and ages and
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  different usage of it so I fully support this.
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  Mayor Jim Hagedorn spoke about the progress in
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  access to skateboarding facilities and shared
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  a story from his youth. I was in my teens on
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  probably a $10 skateboard trying to go down the
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  largest hill where I lived at the time called
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  Big Hill and with blind corners. It's come a
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  long way. when I was young. I've actually seen
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  some of the like may dock they have a nice one
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  there. I remember when they were building the
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  first phase and I was kind of like what is going
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  on in there and now to see it now it's been developed
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  into the whole park is basically devoted to this
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  now and it's packed all the time. It is something
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  that is what I believe will be well used and
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  this is a Great opportunity, I think, for Lilas
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  Township to be able to provide another amenity
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  new to the community that will be used, very
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  well used, I believe, for an extended period
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  of time. For Amherst Island Radio and the Local
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  Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is
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  North Shore News. Loyalist Township Council pre
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  -approved $900 ,000 in the 2027 capital budget
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  for the purchase of a new tanker for the Amherstview
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  Fire Station. They will also use nearly $85 ,000
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  from the 2026 capital budget for the down payment.
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  Council had already approved the purchase of
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  a new tanker for the Amherst Island Fire Station
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  in the 2026 capital budget and were informed
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  the tanker in Amherstview has reached the end
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  of its useful life. With fire apparatus costs
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  continuing to rise each year, staff noted that
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  delaying the purchase would see an increase of
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  at least $125, fire chief Kent Reedman s of getting
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  pre approval. incurred this year, no ad this
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  year by the townsh $125 ,000 plus in next year's
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  budget, if we can do it this spring, as opposed
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  to waiting eight months. There's some significant
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  price increases coming down the pipe here, and
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  we're just trying to get ahead of it. Councillor
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  Mike Bodereck noted the importance of trying
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  to save money. I just appreciate that the chief's
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  trying to get ahead of this and save us a little
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  money, so it's always appreciated with how tight
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  times are these days. Councilor Paul Proderick
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  showed his support for the pre -approval. A hundred
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  thousand is a good savings and given the experiences
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  of the last few months. The value of our emergency
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  services cannot be measured in dollars and move
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  ahead with this as soon as possible. The emergency
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  services department looks to order the same tanker
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  that was ordered for Amherst Island and remain
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  consistent with their fleet for the next 20 to
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  25 years. The two old tankers will be sold and
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  are expected to generate nearly $75 ,000. This
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  will be applied to the fleet reserve for future
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  apparatus purchases. For Amherst Island Radio
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  and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted
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  Evans. This is North Shore News. Loyalist Township
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  has two community town hall meetings coming up
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  for the spring season. On Thursday, May 21st
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  at 6 .30 p .m., a meeting will take place in
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  Odessa at the Odessa Municipal Office at 263
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  Main Street. On Wednesday, May 27th at 630 p
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  .m., a meeting will take place on Amherst Island
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  at the Amherst Island Fire Hall at 955 Stella
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  40 -foot Road. The meetings will provide updates
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  on municipal programs and projects. There will
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  be opportunities to share ideas, ask questions,
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  and engage on projects that are currently open
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  for community consultation. For more information,
• 17:13
  visit Loyalist .ca. For Amherst Island Radio
• 17:16
  and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted
• 17:19
  Evans. This is North Shore News. The Bath Museum
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  and Visitor Center are welcoming the community
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  back this spring for another season of Culture
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  Talks, a speaker series celebrating history,
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  heritage and storytelling. Hosted at the museum,
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  the series brings together local historians,
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  musicians and researchers who share unique perspectives
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  on the region's history. Held on the third Monday
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  of the month from 6 to 7 p .m. Culture Talks
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  offer an opportunity to explore fascinating cultural
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  topics in an intimate setting. Tickets are $5
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  per person and seating is limited. May 25th singer
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  -songwriter David Archibald brings the maritime
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  history of the Great Lakes to life through original
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  music from his acclaimed collection, Spirit of
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  the Inland Sea. Through storytelling and songs,
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  audiences will hear tales of shipwrecks, heroic
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  voyages, legendary figures, and the lonely lives
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  of lighthouse keepers. Archibald's work has been
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  featured in parks across Ontario and frequently
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  aired on CBC Radio. June 22, local historian
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  Lloyd Tarian will deliver an illustrated talk
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  examining the opening years of the War of 1812.
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  Tarian explores the Alliance's personalities
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  and decisions that shaped the conflict's early
• 18:30
  course. His presentation provides insight into
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  how British, Canadian militia, and First Nations
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  forces defended Upper Canada during a pivotal
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  period. Culture Talks take place at the Bath
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  Museum, located at 434 Main Street in Bath. Tickets
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  for each talk can be purchased online. For more
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  information about Culture Talks and other upcoming
• 18:47
  programs, visit Loyalist .ca. For Amherst Island
• 18:52
  Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm
• 18:54
  Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. This has
• 19:00
  been North Shore News and Interviews. If you
• 19:03
  have an idea for a story, or want to create stories
• 19:06
  for the show, consider joining our volunteer
• 19:09
  team. Contact Amherst Island Radio for more details.