Latest / North Shore News / March 14th, 2025

Transcript

March 14th, 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. A citizen -led group focused on trails
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  in the area is looking to find alternative trail
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  routes leading to the Cataraqui Trail in Strathcona.
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  The group presented plans including work in collaboration
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  with the Town of Greater Napanee going forward.
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  The group presented a Plan A and Plan B for Council
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  to consider. Plan A for County Road 1 to the
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  Riverside Cemetery Loop includes closing the
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  CN Rail Bridge and creating trails on town land.
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  Plan B listed as a long -term plan includes a
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  crossing of the 401. Trails in this scenario
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  could include a protected pedestrian lane or
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  a bridge overpass. Plan B also outlines a cataract
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  way trail connector in Strathcona East. Once
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  staff and the group have reported back, council
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  will need to decide if the project will be run
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  by the town or the citizen -led group. The group
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  will also be tasked with studying the feasibility
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  of a connection that links the in -town portion
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  of the former CN rail line to the development
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  of an in -town urban loop. The group's mandate
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  noted they looked to broaden conversations related
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  to permitted user groups to ensure wider, safer
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  uses while acknowledging the growing needs of
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  the entire community. Member of the committee
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  Mike Sewell explained one of the reasons they're
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  looking to partner with the town. This is the
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  interesting thing. We're a citizens group. And
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  so for us, we've met with the ministry, but these
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  are unofficial conversations. And I can say that
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  I personally had three unofficial conversations
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  with the ministry. And again, they've given me
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  good information. But at the same time, it's
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  the kind of information that's unofficial simply
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  because we don't really hold any position, so
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  to speak. The vision is really to just try to
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  tie existing trails in town to potential routes
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  that could get us out of town and back and in
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  many cases make these loops that are enjoyable
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  to a wide range of users. We represent a varied
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  amount of background and ages and professions.
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  And with that, we bring different things to the
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  table, which I think has really been good for
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  us. Rather than hear always the like -minded
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  individuals talking, it's been really good for
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  us to have that mix. We represent stakeholders,
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  landowners, and in the stakeholders, they're
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  active transportation supporters and just simply
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  citizens. And so the mix was really good. So
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  we'll mention some of the work the group does.
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  We've had quite a few walking meetings. We've
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  had site visits. We've had robust discussions
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  that did include town officials as per needed.
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  We had conversation with previous administrations
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  and for myself, for example, I've had several
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  conversations with several councils over several
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  years. This is not a new issue by any means.
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  We have to have the conversations, get them out
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  on the table, find out where we're at and what
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  we're looking for. Sewell explains what a walking
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  meeting is. It would be very difficult to talk
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  about trails or potential trails if we haven't
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  actually been out and walked some of these routes.
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  So there were quite a few times where the entire
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  group, we got together, we met, we said we're
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  going to designate an area and we'd go and meet
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  on Dariav or we'd meet over at the Riverside
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  Cemetery or we'd meet down by the boardwalk or
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  the riverine and we would do these walks. And
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  as we're going, we're looking around. So it was
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  more than just sitting in a room. We actually
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  got out and started to look at some of these
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  places. Sewell spoke about other locations they
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  visited as well. We also ended up hiking some
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  of these out -of -town locations. And in doing
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  so, when we were doing the hydro line walkabouts
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  and we did meet landowners. Some were happy to
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  see us, some... Maybe not so happy to see us
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  but again we were trying to be very mindful and
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  respectable of where we went again. We were on
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  foot and we were just simply exploring options.
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  Sewell noted the importance of conversation.
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  The conversation has also evolved and I think
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  this is one of the things that I felt was really
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  good about this committee is that we came together
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  as a group as an individuals, but we started
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  to gel as a group in the sense that we started
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  to understand that there's a bigger, wider conversations.
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  So we started to look at even a wider vision
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  of what active transportation could look like
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  so that we can include more people. So we'll
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  outline some of the other groups they've spoken
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  with. We have on occasion met with some of the
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  administration with the Cataraqui Trail administration
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  and also the KMP Trail Association, try to get
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  their perspective and to find out how they make
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  things work, what they do. And we've talked to
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  them around logistics and setting up. And it's
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  been really valuable for us. And again, this
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  has helped expand our conversation, not only
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  out of town, but what that might look like. heading
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  to town, in town, and the core area. CAO Matthew
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  Grant noted the work of the group. I've had the
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  pleasure of sitting down with the group on a
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  couple of occasions and they've done some great
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  work. At the meeting, Councillor Dave Pinnell
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  had a question about the group's Plan B proposal.
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  When does the conversation need to start with
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  the MTO on these Plan Bs because in your unofficial
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  meetings that you've had with them, have they
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  given you any indication of when that they'll
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  be passing through here with the expanded lanes?
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  Grant noted conversations that have happened
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  with the MTO. I'm pleased to say those conversations
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  have already begun. So through Michael and his
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  team, we have already registered official interest
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  with the MTO about being able to go under or
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  over or around the 401 both for purposes of recreation
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  but also utilities and so they have registered
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  that interest they haven't necessarily come back
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  with an answer but we have it on file and we
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  will continue to follow up. Grant spoke about
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  the work that needs to be done going forward
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  and what council will be deciding on. First the
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  reports specifically about the bridge I think
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  we can do that. you know, that report relatively
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  quickly and bring that back, that body of work
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  and a motion to bring back a report that would
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  explore both what it would look like to have
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  this project remain a citizen -led initiative
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  and then what would it look like if the town
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  were to take this on and then we can bring back
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  what both of those bodies of work would look
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  like and the expectations of the municipality
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  in terms of cost and staff time. Mayor Terry
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  Richardson commended the work of the group. The
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  work that this committee has done has been absolutely
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  marvelous. You know, it doesn't surprise me because
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  of the quality people that we have on this committee,
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  but with respect to plans and phases, getting
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  this thing done is extremely reasonable. And
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  I'm glad I've heard from other members of council
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  how they support and want to see this come to
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  fruition. Richardson went on to note what has
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  been accomplished so far. We've come from something
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  that wasn't going to be possible right at our
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  fingertips at this point. So I think we've come
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  a long way in the last year and a half or two
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  years. 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 approved
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  the draft plan for a subdivision on Odessa that
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  would include 584 new residential units. Creekford
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  Developments submitted the plan at Council's
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  meeting this week. The proposed subdivision is
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  located south of County Road 2 in the west end
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  of Odessa. The 584 units would include 390 semi
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  -detached units and 194 single detached units.
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  Four new streets are proposed along with the
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  subdivision as well as extensions of Babcock
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  Boulevard and Fields Way. The site also contains
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  an environmental protection block, two park blocks,
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  and a multi -use path that connects the south
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  end of the development and County Road 2. Staff's
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  report noted the design of the subdivision complements
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  the layout of the adjacent Babcock Mills neighborhood,
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  which is expected to reach full build -out by
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  2025. A statutory public meeting was held April
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  24, 2023, where a number of residents detailed
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  concerns regarding parking, drainage, park location,
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  school capacity, traffic design, and speed and
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  At their November 26, 2024 meeting, Council brought
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  these concerns to the company and directed them
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  to bring forward a new draft, which is now approved.
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  Approvals planner David Case -Moore explains
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  the benefits of the proposed subdivision. From
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  the planning perspective, the design doesn't
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  consume too much land. It is compact in its form
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  and provides housing types that aren't readily
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  available in Odessa. It appears to conform to
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  the Planning Act. the Provincial Policy Statement
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  2024, the Official Plan of the Township and the
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  County. Case Moore speaks about public input
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  from residents. Public comments, we really haven't
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  received any except from that first public meeting.
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  The consultant had made quite a few changes.
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  We had had a lot of feedback from Council and
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  the public at that point, but once those changes
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  were made moving forward, we really didn't hear
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  anything come from the public from that perspective.
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  Casemore outlined some of the work and studies
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  that went into the plan. We did have a few peer
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  reviews on traffic, noise, as well as environmental
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  impact assessment that was done. The arborist
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  for the applicant worked with our peer reviewer,
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  and that's some requirements that the MECP had
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  regarding species at risk. The traffic consultant
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  worked with our engineering department. instituted
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  some traffic calming, jet outs, roundabouts,
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  etc. Based on the direction received from Township
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  staff during the pre -consultation meeting, the
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  primary entrance to the development will be located
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  at the northwestern end of the site on the south
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  side of Main Street. The report noted most of
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  the commercial development and institutional
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  facilities within Odessa are located along Main
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  Street. with Ernestown Secondary School, Odessa
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  Public School, a local convenience store, three
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  churches, and the Loyalist Fire Department all
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  situated within 600 meters of the northern boundary
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  of the site. A sidewalk along the southern side
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  of Main Street and a marked pedestrian crossing
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  connect these services to the site. Full transit
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  service is not currently available in Odessa,
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  but the report noted that should it be introduced,
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  the grid pattern of the street design and connection
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  to the adjacent subdivision will allow for logical
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  route planning through the area. For Amherst
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  Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative,
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  I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. In the
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  face of U .S. tariffs on Canadian goods, Loyalist
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  Township is asking the federal and provincial
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  governments to ensure municipalities are part
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  of the coordinated Team Canada approach. The
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  request was sent along with a letter of support
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  from the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus for
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  the action the governments have already taken.
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  The request calls on the Canadian and Ontario
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  governments to remove any barriers for municipalities
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  in choosing Canadian companies and services for
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  capital projects or other supplies. The letter
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  notes the importance of continuing to invest
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  in infrastructure to provide stability, jobs,
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  and to support the social and economic prosperity
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  of communities now and into the future. Deputy
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  Mayor of Loyalist Township and Warden of Lenox
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  and Addington County Nathan Townend spoke about
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  the work of the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus
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  and noted the importance of working together
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  going forward. This is coming from the Eastern
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  Ontario Wardens' Caucus who've been quite outspoken
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  since the issue of tariffs have emerged. I think
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  and I'm sure the mayor will have comments. I
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  won't speak on his behalf as head of council
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  but I can speak as the warden of the county.
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  I think the approach that all municipalities
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  are taking in close partnership with our various
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  advocacy associations like AMO, like ROMA, like
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  EOWC is to try and work very closely with the
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  provincial government in trying to leverage as
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  much as we can leverage to support other orders
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  of government in protecting our Canadian and
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  indeed our Ontario economies and I think all
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  of us support that endeavour in principle. Mayor
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  Jim Hagedorn noted the difficulty for municipalities
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  and why a team approach is so important. It puts
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  some municipalities at a little bit of a different
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  spot because we do have to adhere to all the
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  legislations and all the agreements that are
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  still in place despite what's going on. But I
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  believe this covers a lot of ground where we
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  work with the province and the other levels of
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  government to make sure that everything is set
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  up so that we can work to the best for our residents
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  and for the country. According to data from the
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  Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario
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  municipalities are expected to spend between
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  $250 and $290 billion on infrastructure in the
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  next 10 years. The letter also calls for the
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  removal of all legislative barriers that impact
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  the ability to buy local, including the removal
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  of trade barriers between provinces. This would
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  also include compensation for municipalities,
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  should there be challenges to buying Canadian.
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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. Softball Napanee will be hosting the 2025
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  U -17 Men's Canadian Fast Pitch Championship
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  at the Napanee Fairgrounds. The tournament will
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  take place from August 6th until the 10th. Director
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  of Parks, Recreation and Culture, Chris Brown,
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  informed council of the news. We had some exciting
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  news come in. So softball, Napanee, was awarded
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  the U17 Boys National Championships to be hosted
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  in Napanee here at the fairgrounds. The tournament
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  dates to be August 6th to 10th. So it will be
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  a week long national tournament here in Napanee
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  and we're excited to host that. Mayor Terry Richardson
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  noted his support for hosting the event in the
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  area. Absolutely wonderful news. It's always
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  good to showcase our municipality to the country.
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  According to Softball Canada, the full list of
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  participating teams will be released after all
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  provincial and territorial qualifiers have been
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  completed. The Napanee Express last won the U
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  -17 Men's Championship in 2019 when it was hosted
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  in Saskatoon. The last time the championship
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  was held in Ontario was 2018 in Inner Kip. The
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  men's and master men's tournaments take place
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  in Kitchener, Ontario from August 27 to 31. The
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  women's tournament takes place from July 30th
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  to August 3rd in Saskatoon. For Amherst Island
• 15:24
  Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm
• 15:27
  Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. Eight initiatives
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  in Lennox and Addington County will be funded
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  under the 2025 Naturally L &A Activation Program.
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  The fund, set up for new and existing events
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  and products in the area, has an all -new set
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  of guidelines this year. The selection committee
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  for the fund made their recommendations to Council
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  after discussing 13 submitted applications. Under
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  the new guidelines, successful projects can receive
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  up to $4 ,000, now including an additional 20
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  percent for marketing support. Bath Art Fest
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  and a music event on Amherst Island run by the
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  Amherst Island Agricultural Society each received
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  $2 ,500. While in Addington Islands, the Land
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  O 'Lakes Speakers Forum also received $2 ,500.
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  The other initiatives being funded are the Sunday
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  Market in Bath for $1 ,250. guitars and cars
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  in Greater Napanee for $1 ,875 and the Stones
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  Throw Spring Open 2025 disc golf tournament in
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  Stone Mills for $625. Director of Community and
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  Development Services Stephen Paul explains how
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  the funding is broken down. We have $40 ,000
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  is divided evenly amongst the four municipalities.
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  We have an open application period this time.
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  So whenever we have kind of a good number of
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  applications, we bring our group together to
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  do an evaluation. And we have eight projects,
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  I guess, events that we can call them, three
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  in Greater Napanee, three in Loyalist, one in
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  Einton Highlands, and one in Stone Mills Township.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
• 17:02
  Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
• 17:05
  News. This has been North Shore News and Interviews.
• 17:11
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• 17:14
  stories for the show, consider joining our 100
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• 17:22
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