Latest / North Shore News / March 26th, 2025

Transcript

March 26th, 2025 · North Shore News

0:07
Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on
0:10
Amherst Island Radio. Each week we keep you updated
0:14
on newsworthy events, happenings and conversations
0:17
that we've had with people in the local community
0:20
and beyond. Council honoured members of the Greater
0:27
Napanee Fire Department with certificates of
0:29
recognition for their role in a water rescue
0:32
that took place at Springside Park on March 22nd.
0:36
Mayor Terry Richardson noted the risk taken by
0:38
staff. We don't see this every day and we may
0:41
never see it again and as a result our emergency
0:45
services persons, many of them that are here
0:47
this evening, put their own life at risk. in
0:50
order to save the person that was in the vehicle
0:52
and for that we are grateful and we thought it
0:55
would be only fitting if we shown our extreme
0:59
thanks for the folks that were there that evening
1:02
and you know things happen that none of us expect.
1:06
Fire chief Shawn Armstrong explained the incident.
1:09
The lone driver and vehicle plunged into the
1:10
river on Saturday evening about 6 47 p .m. and
1:15
the lone occupant in the vehicle floated down
1:18
the river and was wedged at the top of the waterfall
1:20
in the Napanee River. The car was obviously carried
1:23
by the swift current and the situation was dire
1:27
as the individual was precariously positioned
1:30
above the dam. The occupant of the vehicle, distressed
1:33
and suffering from cold water exposure, needed
1:35
their help. Through sheer determination, the
1:37
firefighters managed to reach the stranded driver.
1:40
The cold, swift moving water added to the challenges
1:42
that they were faced on that evening, but their
1:44
determination was unwavering for sure. Armstrong
1:47
went on to explain an issue that took place during
1:49
the rescue. During the rescue attempt, two responders
1:52
found themselves trapped beneath the top of the
1:54
falls and caught in the powerful currents of
1:57
the hydraulics in the river. With remarkable
1:59
teamwork and bravery, the firefighters rallied
2:02
together to free their fellow firefighters. Their
2:05
coordinated efforts paid off and they successfully
2:07
rescued the two responders. from the treacherous
2:10
waters. Armstrong commended staff for their efforts.
2:13
It's a great honor to lead such an extremely
2:16
competent group of individuals and their unwavering
2:19
commitment and heroic actions. They deserve our
2:21
deepest gratitude. They're bravely in the line
2:24
of duty, not only safeguarded their lives of
2:26
others, but also strengthened the very fabric
2:28
of the town of Great Bernabene and for that I'm
2:30
very grateful. Armstrong explained the department
2:32
would be looking into the incident. Obviously
2:34
a full debrief will occur this week to find out
2:36
what happened and explore all the details of
2:39
this incident with an eye to improving our responses.
2:43
Manager of Legislative Services and Municipal
2:45
Clerk Jessica Walters read the names of those
2:48
being honoured. Brad Nicol, Ken Meinke, Rob Hanna.
3:07
Richardson noted the positive outcome. It's always
3:09
good for an incident such as that to end in a
3:12
good way as opposed to a bad way. I've seen many,
3:15
many of them that haven't ended so well, so it's
3:17
always good to end on a good note. For Amherst
3:20
Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative,
3:23
I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. Lenox
3:35
and Addington County Council recognized the hard
3:37
work and achievements of the county's Emergency
3:40
Medical Services Department as they presented
3:42
their 2024 annual report. The report focused
3:45
on support for paramedics and the department's
3:47
partnership with Medavie Health Services. The
3:50
report noted that Medavie Health Services has
3:52
made significant progress over the past year
3:54
in alignment with the county's strategic plan.
3:57
The company is in the process of executing its
3:59
2021 to 2026 strategic safety plan, including
4:03
measures for the county. The strategic direction
4:05
focuses on the continuous improvement of health
4:07
and safety for patients and employees. Councillor
4:10
John Wise spoke about the success of the partnership
4:12
with Medavie. We did take a chance at going the
4:16
route we did with Medavie. And to see it paying
4:19
off, just the attitude that's coming through,
4:22
the enthusiasm is just really encouraging. Former
4:25
Interim Chief of Emergency Medical Services with
4:27
the county and current member of Medavie, Mike
4:30
Adair, noted the company's focus with the county.
4:33
We looked at efficient and best practices to
4:38
make sure that we're doing things well. We looked
4:40
at focusing on our paramedics and on our operations
4:45
and We also focused on the patient, of course,
4:50
in terms of how we want to advocate. Some of
4:52
the highlights, at least when I was here, was,
4:55
you know, evolving our leadership in paramedic
4:59
services to make sure that we learn, that we
5:03
reflect, and that we're accountable for our actions
5:05
and our behaviours and making sure that we are
5:08
role models for our paramedics. Emergency Medical
5:11
Services Chief and General Manager Greg Jones
5:14
spoke about leadership roles within the department.
5:16
We saw with our staff that there was an appetite
5:20
to be engaged in leadership and succession planning.
5:22
So we expanded the role of PTL. We expanded our
5:26
paramedic team leaders. So these are our union
5:27
members that actually step into a quasi -supervisory
5:31
role and allow them to learn whether this is
5:34
an avenue that they would like to explore in
5:35
the future. We invest in them. We invest in education.
5:38
We invest in time and training. So that's been
5:41
a great opportunity for our staff. Our last allotment
5:44
was approximately 12 individuals. that signed
5:47
up for that and thought they might be interested.
5:48
So we saw that as an opportunity to show our
5:50
employees we cared about them. We wanted to invest
5:53
in them and help them grow and become leaders
5:55
in the future. Jones highlighted the positive
5:57
financial impacts as well. Financial side of
6:00
the house, we've leveraged Metavie's bulk purchasing
6:03
power. Obviously Metavie is Canadian wide. corporation
6:07
and we've been able to leverage the purchasing
6:09
power on medical supplies, uniforms, preferred
6:11
pricing on defibs, all of the equipment we use.
6:15
Because Metavie is able to secure those contracts
6:17
because they're buying for Canada wide, we've
6:20
been able to leverage that. So that's been an
6:21
amazing opportunity that's found efficiencies,
6:24
not only financially, but human resource efficiencies.
6:27
Jones explained their focus on the patient experience.
6:30
We've ensured that you know, our patient experience
6:33
is our primary focus. How are the people we're
6:35
serving, how are we taking care of them, ensuring
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that those gaps are filled and that they're getting
6:39
the care that they need. So our community paramedic
6:41
team has been able to integrate with the community,
6:44
identify gaps, work with partner relationships
6:46
and partner organizations to ensure that if there
6:49
is holes in our community, we're there to do
6:51
everything we can to support those individuals
6:53
in filling those gaps and taking best care of
6:56
our community. Jones details how the department
6:59
supports the mental health of its employees.
7:01
We've engaged with an additional mental health
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support. The paramedic services can be a challenging
7:06
job and so we not only have our peer supports,
7:09
we've invested with Breakwater to provide during
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CME this year, so our continuing medical education
7:14
days, an additional mental health support for
7:18
them to better understand, protect themselves,
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prepare themselves to serve as a paramedic. And
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if they identify struggles, deal with them earlier
7:27
rather than later therefore preventing you know
7:29
a long -term illness and a PTSD type injury.
7:32
Jones spoke about an upcoming ceremony where
7:34
staff will be recognized. Something that staff
7:37
asked for in the identified things that they
7:40
were looking for was a long service medal. We
7:42
plan to have a ceremony including of the warden
7:45
this year to acknowledge those paramedics who
7:47
have worked 12 20 and 30 years. Very important
7:50
to medics not many of us make 30 years but to
7:53
acknowledge that long service it is a tough job
7:55
and we want to you know reward those. Even if
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it's just a small thing with a metal on their
7:59
chest, it means a lot to them and we're very
8:01
excited to be able to implement that within our
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service. Warden Nathan Townand showed his support
8:06
for the department. Leadership is a term that
8:08
gets bandied around a lot, but it's really nice
8:10
to see what leadership truly looks like and the
8:13
results achieved in the short amount of time
8:15
is really quite astounding. Medavie Health Services
8:18
is Canada's largest contracted provider of emergency
8:20
medical services serving 3 million Canadians
8:23
across six provinces. They partnered with the
8:25
county to deliver comprehensive paramedic services
8:28
to residents through a performance -based contract.
8:31
For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
8:33
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
8:37
News. Lennox and Addington's Economic Development
8:48
Office is finalizing a two -prong approach in
8:50
response to tariffs on Canadian goods. The plan
8:53
includes supporting local businesses and a consumer
8:55
-focused marketing campaign to promote buying
8:58
local or Canadian. Director of Community and
9:00
Development Services, Stephen Paul, explains
9:03
the plan. We're really looking at a two -prong
9:04
approach of how we can support our businesses.
9:08
The first would be really down to the nitty -gritty
9:11
of coaching, business coaching, of how we can
9:13
support them. And I can say over the last...
9:15
month those numbers have dramatically increased.
9:19
We're fortunate that we have right now a part
9:21
-time business coach who is extremely busy supporting
9:24
our businesses in many cases just answering questions
9:27
and and trying to make people feel as good as
9:30
possible with the the unknown that's there as
9:33
well. So we'll continue that we'll understand
9:35
hopefully soon what the tariffs truly mean. Maybe
9:39
we may never know that, but it's hard to react
9:42
at this point in time based on just new cycles.
9:46
So hopefully it has a little bit more clarity
9:48
with regards to programs that might be available
9:49
and supports that might be available, and we'll
9:51
do our best to help businesses with those. Paul
9:54
speaks about the number of exports that come
9:56
from the area and go to the United States. Regionally,
9:59
from an Eastern Ontario perspective, it's approximately
10:01
$42 .5 billion is exported annually from the
10:04
region. So we can't necessarily do the math and
10:07
know exactly what our exports are, but we know
10:09
they're significant, absolutely. And when you're
10:12
looking at probably 70 % of everything that's
10:14
made here crosses the border. So again, we're
10:17
at a point that is making many of us, of course,
10:20
extremely nervous. Paul compared the process
10:23
to the pandemic. I hate to say that this is probably
10:25
a similar process to what we went through with
10:27
the pandemic. We're kind of dusting off some
10:30
of those things as well, but it's probably fair
10:33
to say that it's going to be a full court press
10:35
of what we can do with businesses to support
10:37
them and make sure that they thrive. And I think
10:39
probably most importantly, look at how they adjust
10:42
their business planning, who their customers
10:44
are, because there's probably not an end date
10:47
with regards to this. It's now kind of the next
10:50
generation of our businesses and where their
10:53
customers need to be. I think if it's anything
10:56
that's happened with regards to this, it's brought
10:59
it very clearly to light that we need to be broader
11:02
based when it comes to who we're selling to.
11:05
And I think if we do that properly now, that'll
11:08
help us in the future too. County Clerk and Communications
11:10
Manager Tracy McKenzie noted resolutions that
11:13
have come forward from Ontario and national organizations.
11:17
A resolution came forward from EOWC in early
11:20
February and council did support that. Many of
11:24
them are quite similar. Some of them have just
11:26
a little bit of a different edge to them. Some
11:29
are more about sovereignty. Some are about breaking
11:32
down barriers for inter -provincial trade. Some
11:36
are just encouraging the government to fight
11:38
the tariffs. Deputy Warden Jim Hagedorn showed
11:41
his support for resolutions they've seen. I believe
11:44
that for the most part the municipally led organizations
11:47
such as the EOWC, AMO, ROMA and FCM and that's
11:54
just to name a few that we've seen the motions
11:57
come through. They're providing concise and effective
12:01
motions which provides a unified voice as well
12:05
and I think that that's quite important. Councillor
12:08
John Wise speaks about the severity of the situation.
12:11
We are bound to follow international and national
12:15
trade agreements in our purchasing policy. And
12:20
yet the crisis that we're in is the result of
12:23
a rogue president on the false premise of stopping
12:30
fentanyl crossing the border and immigration
12:35
problems. In fact, breaking the trade agreement
12:40
that we are supposedly legally obliged to abide
12:46
by. I'm hoping that the national and provincial
12:49
leadership will find a way to suspend or modify
12:56
those requirements based on the blatant violation.
13:04
by the Trump administration of those agreements.
13:07
Warden Nathan Townand spoke about the importance
13:09
of clarity in their message and noted other ongoing
13:12
issues across the country. I think messages are
13:15
always more powerful if they're clear and if
13:19
there's one voice and one message. I think, to
13:21
be honest with you, from my point of view, that's
13:23
why we have AMO and Roma and EOWC, etc. And that
13:27
is not to disparage, you know, other individual
13:30
municipalities from feeling the need to do so
13:34
themselves. I think we are in extraordinary times.
13:37
My concern is that we as the municipal order
13:40
of government don't lose focus with what our
13:43
responsibilities are in the sense that whilst
13:46
I completely agree that we should support our
13:49
other orders in defending our sovereignty and
13:51
defending our economy, you know, it's our services
13:55
that take care of Canadians and we take care
13:58
of our services. And, you know, we have a new
14:01
government that was just sworn in with a majority
14:04
mandate and their hands on the levers of power.
14:07
And there are issues that we need them to address.
14:10
There's still 80 ,000 homeless people in Ontario.
14:13
There's a primary care physician shortage. There's
14:17
a housing crisis. The list goes on. We have a
14:21
fiscal framework that doesn't work. So in terms
14:24
of resilience of Canada in the coming challenges,
14:28
there are lots of issues that are going to be
14:30
on our plate. And I think the public ought to
14:34
be inspired that we are. We've got our finger
14:37
on that pulse and I'm happy to leave the nuances
14:43
of international relations to the other orders.
14:46
For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
14:49
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
14:52
News. A citizen -led group focused on trails
15:04
in the area is looking to find alternative trail
15:06
routes leading to the Cataraqui Trail in Strathcona.
15:09
The group presented plans including work in collaboration
15:12
with the Town of Greater Napanee going forward.
15:15
The group presented a Plan A and Plan B for Council
15:18
to consider. Plan A for County Road 1 to the
15:21
Riverside Cemetery Loop includes closing the
15:24
CN Rail Bridge and creating trails on town land.
15:27
Plan B listed as a long -term plan includes a
15:30
crossing of the 401. Trails in this scenario
15:33
could include a protected pedestrian lane or
15:35
a bridge overpass. Plan B also outlines a cataract
15:39
way trail connector in Strathcona East. Once
15:42
staff and the group have reported back, council
15:44
will need to decide if the project will be run
15:46
by the town or the citizen -led group. The group
15:49
will also be tasked with studying the feasibility
15:51
of a connection that links the in -town portion
15:53
of the former CN rail line to the development
15:56
of an in -town urban loop. The group's mandate
15:58
noted they looked to broaden conversations related
16:00
to permitted user groups to ensure wider, safer
16:03
uses while acknowledging the growing needs of
16:05
the entire community. Member of the committee,
16:08
Mike Sewell, explained one of the reasons they're
16:10
looking to partner with the town. This is the
16:12
interesting thing. We're a citizens group. And
16:15
so for us, we've met with the ministry, but these
16:17
are unofficial conversations. And I can say that
16:20
I personally had three unofficial conversations
16:22
with the ministry. And again, they've given me
16:26
good information, but at the same time, it's
16:29
the kind of information that's unofficial simply
16:32
because we don't really hold any position, so
16:36
to speak. The vision is really to just try to
16:41
tie existing trails in town to potential routes
16:45
that could get us out of town and back and in
16:47
many cases make these loops that are enjoyable
16:50
to a wide range of users. We represent a varied
16:59
amount of background and ages and professions.
17:02
And with that, we bring different things to the
17:03
table, which I think has really been good for
17:05
us. Rather than hear always the like -minded
17:08
individuals talking, it's been really good for
17:10
us to have that mix. We represent stakeholders,
17:15
landowners, and in the stakeholders, they're
17:17
active transportation supporters and just simply
17:21
citizens. And so the mix was really good. So
17:25
we'll mention some of the work the group does.
17:27
We've had quite a few walking meetings. We've
17:29
had site visits. We've had robust discussions
17:33
that did include town officials as per needed.
17:38
We had conversation with previous administrations
17:40
and for myself, for example, I've had several
17:43
conversations with several councils over several
17:46
years. This is not a new issue by any means.
17:49
We have to have the conversations, get them out
17:50
on the table, find out where we're at and what
17:53
we're looking for. Sewell explains what a walking
17:56
meeting is. It would be very difficult to talk
17:58
about trails or potential trails if we haven't
18:01
actually been out and walked some of these routes.
18:04
So there were quite a few times where the entire
18:07
group, we got together, we met, we said we're
18:10
going to designate an area and we'd go and meet
18:11
on Dariav or we'd meet over at the Riverside
18:14
Cemetery or we'd meet down by the boardwalk or
18:18
the riverine and we would do these walks and
18:21
as we're going we're looking around so it was
18:23
more than just sitting in a room we actually
18:25
got out and started to look at some of these
18:27
places. Sewell spoke about other locations they
18:29
visited as well. We also ended up hiking some
18:32
of these out of town locations and in doing so
18:36
when we were doing the hydro line walkabouts
18:39
and we did meet landowners some were happy to
18:42
see us some Maybe not so happy to see us, but
18:45
again we were trying to be very mindful and respectable
18:47
of where we went again. We were on foot and we
18:51
were just simply exploring options. Sewell noted
18:54
the importance of conversation. The conversation
18:56
has also evolved and I think this is one of the
19:00
things that I felt was really good about this
19:01
committee is that we came together as a group.
19:06
as an individuals, but we started to gel as a
19:09
group in the sense that we started to understand
19:11
that there's a bigger, wider conversations. So
19:14
we started to look at even a wider vision of
19:16
what active transportation could look like so
19:19
that we can include more people. So we'll outline
19:22
some of the other groups they've spoken with.
19:24
We have on occasion met with some of the administration
19:27
with the Cataraqui Trail administration and also
19:31
the KMP Trail Association try to get their perspective
19:34
and to find out how they make things work, what
19:37
they do. And we've talked to them around logistics
19:41
and setting up and it's been really valuable
19:44
for us. And again, this has helped expand our
19:47
conversation not only out of town, but what that
19:51
might look like. heading to town, in town and
19:54
the core area. CAO Matthew Grant noted the work
19:58
of the group. I've had the pleasure of sitting
20:00
down with the group on a couple of occasions
20:02
and they've done some great work. At the meeting,
20:04
Councillor Dave Pinnell had a question about
20:06
the group's Plan B proposal. When does the conversation
20:09
need to start with the MTO on these Plan Bs because
20:14
in your unofficial meetings that you've had with
20:17
them have they given you any indication of when
20:20
that they'll be passing through here with the
20:23
expanded lanes? Grant noted conversations that
20:25
have happened with the MTO. I'm pleased to say
20:28
those conversations have already begun. So, through
20:32
Michael and his team, we have already registered
20:34
official interest with the MTO about being able
20:39
to go under or over or around the 401 both for
20:44
purposes of recreation but also utilities and
20:49
so they have registered that interest they haven't
20:52
necessarily come back with an answer but we have
20:55
it on file and we will continue to follow up.
20:58
Grant spoke about the work that needs to be done
21:00
going forward and what council will be deciding
21:03
on. First the reports specifically about the
21:06
bridge I think we can do that. you know, that
21:08
report relatively quickly and bring that back,
21:11
that body of work. And a motion to bring back
21:14
a report that would explore both what it would
21:16
look like to have this project remain a citizen
21:19
-led initiative and then what would it look like
21:21
if the town were to take this on. And then we
21:24
can bring back what both of those bodies of work
21:27
would look like and the expectations of the municipality
21:31
in terms of cost and staff time. Mayor Terry
21:34
Richardson commended the work of the group. The
21:37
work that this committee has done has been absolutely
21:39
marvelous. You know, it doesn't surprise me because
21:42
of the quality people that we have on this committee,
21:45
but with respect to plans and phases, getting
21:48
this thing done is extremely reasonable. And
21:53
I'm glad I've heard from other members of council
21:56
how they support and want to see this come to
21:59
fruition. Richardson went on to note what has
22:02
been accomplished so far. We've come from something
22:05
that wasn't going to be possible right at our
22:09
fingertips at this point. So I think we've come
22:13
a long way in the last year and a half or two
22:15
years. For Amherst Island Radio and the Local
22:18
Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is
22:22
North Shore News. This has been North Shore News
22:26
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