Latest / North Shore News / December 4th, 2025

Transcript

December 4th, 2025 · 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. From December 1st until March 31st,
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  2026, parking is prohibited on any road or street
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  in Loyalist Township between 1 a .m. and 7 a
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  .m. This restriction is in effect regardless
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  of weather conditions. Vehicles in violation
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  of this bylaw will be ticketed. For more information
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  visit Loyalist .ca. 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. Greater Napany's
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  Parade of Lights takes place this Saturday, December
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  6th at 5 .30 p .m. The parade route starts and
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  ends at the Napany Fairgrounds at 170 York Street.
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  The town is asking the public to refrain from
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  parking vehicles along the parade route. Non
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  -perishable food items will be collected during
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  the parade. For Amherst Island Radio and the
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  Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
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  is North Shore News. The Stone Mills Santa Claus
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  parade will take place this Sunday, December
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  7th from 1 30 to 2 p .m. There will be temporary
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  road closures in Newburgh for the parade Main
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  Street at Factory Street through to Baldwin Street
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  and East Street. These closures are in place
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  to ensure the safety of parade participants and
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  spectators. For Amherst Island Radio and the
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  Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
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  is North Shore News. Habitat for Humanity has
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  proposed building two four -dwelling units in
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  Bath by 2030. The units would be affordably priced
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  through an affordable mortgage structure with
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  the organization. According to their report,
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  the organization's preliminary cost estimate,
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  excluding the land, would be $1 .4 million per
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  fourplex. Funding is to come from government
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  grants, land asset contributions, revenue from
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  the organization's restore location in Kingston,
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  donations, and fundraising events. Mortgage payments
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  are set at 25 % of the household's gross income,
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  and families are not required to make a down
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  payment. As part of the agreement, Habitat for
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  Humanity retains a portion of the home's equity,
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  and upon resale both the homeowner and organization
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  share in any market appreciation. Homeowners
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  would also have to contribute 500 hours of volunteer
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  work. If plans move forward, the company would
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  be asking Loyalist Township for rezoning and
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  site plan approvals, as well as exemptions for
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  building permit fees, development charges, and
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  impost fees. Construction of roads and services
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  to the property line would need to take place,
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  along with land transfers as well. The company
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  noted these builds often involve community volunteers
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  and student programs. These partnerships help
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  reduce construction costs and provide training
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  opportunities. CEO of Habitat for Humanity for
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  the Kingston and Limestone area, Gary Lees, explained
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  the timeline and what the company is looking
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  to contribute. Subject to municipal terms and
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  conditions of land transfer, timelines to build,
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  permits, etc. One fourplex in 2027. We've built
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  this before. We feel confident we can pull the
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  build off. It's so nice to build something that
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  we've already built. It just makes life a little
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  bit easier. So we could pull that off in 2027.
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  I'm confident of that. In the second fourplex,
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  we are doing 2028, 2030. We'd want to work with
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  needs a little bit as well for permitting and
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  some of those things. Site servicing, of course,
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  is important. Connection to municipal water and
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  sanitary and sewer services, offsite stormwater
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  management. All of those things need to get in
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  place, of course, but we'll hustle and do our
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  part with Build. We will enlist volunteers to
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  help us with the project, try to keep the costs
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  down. Lee spoke about the need for affordable
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  housing. Affordable mortgage structure, no down
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  payment. It's a big stumbling block for folks
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  out there is coming up with that down payment.
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  When we're paying high rent and then we need
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  to save so that we can put a down payment on
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  a home. it's a daunting task and Canadians are
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  losing hope and vision of actual affordable home
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  ownership. 80 % of renters out there right now
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  wish they owned their home and that's a wish
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  that's becoming very difficult. So the more equity
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  that we can create in the home by keeping costs
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  down, by donated product using volunteers. Anything
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  that we can do to keep those costs down, we reinvest
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  in building more affordable home ownership. And
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  that's an investment in this country, this township,
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  and our vicinity, our whole area. It's one I'm
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  very proud of as well. Lee spoke about the materials
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  he has available now and the investment they'll
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  be making in Loyalist Township. I have containers
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  of insulation right now. I have 400 sheets of
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  drywall I need to get out of Home Depot's inventory.
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  I've got stuff to build homes right here in Loyalist.
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  And we just want to tap into that and keep the
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  costs down so that when we sell the home to the
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  family and then hold that mortgage at zero or
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  a portion of the mortgage at zero, we can create
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  as much equity as we can so we can reinvest in
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  Loyalist and keep this ball rolling with affordable
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  homeownership. Lise speaks about the restore
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  location in Kingston and a new one opening in
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  Napanee. So our restores are social entity that
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  generate revenue and we pump that revenue back
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  into our home build programs. We are opening
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  a second restore in Napanee that opens on January
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  1, will soft open on January 1 as well. So we're
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  going to book and loyalist and have you'll know
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  where to go for your product either in Kingston
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  or Napanee. For Amherst Island Radio and the
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  Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
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  is North Shore News. Loyalist Township Council
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  heard from Carbon Free Technology, an Ontario
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  -based company looking to build a new solar project
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  in Millhaven. The company presented plans to
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  council noting the project would include a community
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  benefits agreement. It would also look to increase
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  local tax revenue and contribute to the province's
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  grid reliability. The project looks to use up
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  to 20 acres of fenced -in land that is over one
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  kilometer away from residences. Before moving
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  forward, the company is looking to engage with
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  the public and local groups. VP and legal for
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  the company Emma Coyle explained the company's
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  next steps going forward. We've begun neighborhood
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  camp scene. We have a public meeting on November
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  24th. The First Nation Partnership, we do have
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  the support of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
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  We don't yet have the official resolution from
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  them, but we fully expect for that to be finalized.
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  On November 26th, there will be a staff report
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  to council with respect to the project. And on
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  December 9th, we'll be coming back with a...
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  request for a municipal support resolution with
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  respect to this project. VP in engineering and
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  special projects for the company, Meghadsami,
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  noted the different approaches they're taking
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  in community engagement. Through the website,
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  we've already received a comment or a query and
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  we've engaged with that party already and have
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  had a few phone calls and we've been trying to
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  arrange a longer discussion as well. So it might
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  take a few different approaches. Carbon -free
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  technology has projects worldwide and has worked
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  on projects locally as well. In 2015, the company
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  was a development partner to Samsung for Kingston
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  Solar. 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 announced
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  the lap pool in the new Aquatic Centre located
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  inside the W .J. Henderson Community Centre has
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  been sponsored by Latham Pools. The new name,
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  the Latham Lap Pool, will be used in Township
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  marketing materials and signage adjacent to the
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  pool. The Township officially entered into an
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  agreement with Latham to recognize their significant
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  donation to the W .J. Henderson Revitalization
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  Campaign. The gift agreement is for $75 ,000
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  over a 10 -year period. Latham is the largest
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  designer and manufacturer of in -ground residential
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  swimming pools in North America. The company
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  officially opened its state -of -the -art manufacturing
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  facility in Loyalist in May of 2023. The plant
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  is the company's largest fiberglass facility
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  to date and serves markets across Eastern Canada
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  as well as parts of the United States. The plant
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  created over a hundred jobs locally. Staff noted
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  they were grateful that Latham is continuing
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  their investment in the region. CAO Rebecca Murphy
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  showed her appreciation. We're very grateful
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  for Latham Pools to be sponsoring the lap pool
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  so it will be the Latham Lap Pool and we're very
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  excited that our organizations in our community
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  are stepping up and being part of this. wonderful
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  community center that we're building. Councilor
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  Paul Prodereck spoke about the significance of
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  the company's donation. We've had several meetings
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  with Latham over and tour there that appreciate
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  their commitment given the current economic downturn,
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  I guess I would say in many communities and it's
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  every little bit helps. Latham will also be recognized
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  in a prominent position on the donor wall inside
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  the center. For Amherst Island Radio and the
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  Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
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  is North Shore News. This township has announced
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  the new name for the Aquatic Centre at the W
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  .J. Henderson Community Centre. Through a gift
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  agreement for naming rights with Barr Homes and
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  a $250 ,000 donation from the company, the space
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  will be named the Barr Homes Aquatic Centre.
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  Council approved the 10 -year agreement at their
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  latest meeting. CAO Rebecca Murphy spoke about
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  the agreement with Barr Homes. Barr Homes has
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  agreed to sign on via major donor in the Tier
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  3 category to name the Aquatic Centre at... at
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  the facility at the WJ. This is very great. We're
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  very gracious and very thankful to BAR for stepping
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  up and being part of this vital community project,
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  and we're excited to be naming it and recommending
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  that it be named the BAR Homes Aquatic Centre.
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  The renewal of the entire center has been a large
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  ongoing project for the township. The revitalization
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  campaign was approved by council on December
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  10th, 2024, with a goal of raising $2 million.
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  The new space will feature an eight lane 25 meter
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  pool, a new warm water leisure pool, updates
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  to arena infrastructure, enhanced accessibility,
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  updated change rooms, green energy upgrades,
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  and a new indigenous legacy space in partnership
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  with the Downey Wenjack Fund. Residents can expect
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  to see the new name used in township marketing
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  materials. It will be displayed inside on the
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  west wall of the space as well as a location
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  on the exterior of the building to be agreed
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  on at a later date. Barr Homes will also be recognized
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  on the donor wall to be located in the atrium
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  of the building. Barr Homes has over 70 years
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  of history in the construction industry within
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  Kingston and the surrounding areas. According
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  to the company, they build approximately 60 homes
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  annually in Kingston and Loyalist Township. For
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  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. Loyalist Township will be accepting naming
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  ideas for street names in the area until December
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  31st. The township's commemorative street naming
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  program gives residents the chance to put forward
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  suggestions that celebrate the people, places,
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  and stories that make the community unique. Approved
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  names will be added to the township's road registry
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  for future developments. Learn more and submit
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  ideas at Loyalist .ca. 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. Torrent Productions
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  is returning to Lennox and Addington with their
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  second annual Merry Magical Pantomime. This year
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  the company is presenting Jack and the Beans
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  Talk, a Merry Magical Pantomime. Shows will take
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  place at the hall at Emmanuel United Church,
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  63 Factory Street in Odessa. It will be premiering
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  Tuesday, December 23rd at 7 p .m. and run for
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  15 shows until January 4th. Established in 2008,
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  Torrent Productions is a professional theatre
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  company composed of Rob Tor and Stephanie Graham.
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  They've developed and produced new musicals at
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  the Toronto Fringe Festival and Next Stage Theatre
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  Festival in Toronto, as well as an annual holiday
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  pantomime in Toronto from 2016 to 2019. Both
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  Tor and Graham have extensive theatre credits
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  from the Stratford Festival, Charlottetown Festival,
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  Neptune Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Mirvish Productions,
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  Thousand Islands Playhouse, and many other companies
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  across Canada. Most recently, Graham was the
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  co -director and choreographer of the sold -out
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  run of Mary Poppins at Thousand Islands Playhouse.
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  Tor has spent seven seasons as a performer at
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  Thousand Islands Playhouse, as well as many other
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  theatres across the country. For showtimes and
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  more information, visit torrentproductions .com.
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  T -O -R -R -E -N -T productions dot com. For
• 13:36
  Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
• 13:38
  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
• 13:42
  News. This has been North Shore News and Interviews.
• 13:47
  If you have an idea for a story, or want to create
• 13:51
  stories for the show, consider joining our 100
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  % volunteer team. Contact Amherst Island Radio
• 13:58
  for more details.