Latest / North Shore News / March 6th, 2026

Transcript

March 6th, 2026 · 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. The town of Greater Napanee and Lennox
0:28
and Addington County will be going ahead with
0:30
the reconstruction of Centre Street and Isabella
0:32
Street in Napanee. As part of a successful joint
0:35
application this year, the town and county received
0:38
funding under the municipal housing infrastructure
0:40
program health and safety water stream. The town
0:43
expects to receive funding covering up to 73
0:45
percent of the project's estimated total cost
0:47
of just over 10 .5 million dollars. As part of
0:51
this project, staff plan to replace all water
0:53
infrastructure on Center Street and Isabella
0:55
Street. The project will also include new asphalt,
0:57
curbs, sidewalks, and traffic lights as required.
1:01
This includes installing approximately 600 meters
1:03
of trunk water main, along with valves, fire
1:06
hydrants, and services on Center Street between
1:08
Dundas Street and Isabella Street, as well as
1:10
250 meters of similar works on Isabella Street
1:13
between Center Street and West Street. The project
1:16
will also replace 600 meters of wastewater main
1:18
and associated maintenance maintenance holes
1:20
and serv as 175 m on Isabella St of stormwater
1:26
main, mainta and catch basins will be street
1:30
between Dundas St as well. Engineering work i
1:34
completed in 2026 with t the project for contractor
1:38
this year. Construction is to occur over two
1:41
constr in early 20 27. Additional will be presented
1:46
to cou to consider the proposed approach and
1:51
budget and then later to make a decision on the
1:53
construction contract award. Christy Kelly, Director
1:56
of Environmental Services, Growth and Infrastructure
1:58
Services with the Town of Greater Napanee, speaks
2:00
about the project's timeline. With this, we're
2:03
hoping to move forward as part of the town and
2:08
utilities budgets for 2026 with engineering and
2:12
hoping to break ground in 2027. Likely will be
2:16
a phased project over two years, but we'll work
2:19
with the engineers and the contractors when we
2:22
get to that time to determine. and the phasing
2:25
and rerouting and that sort of thing. Kelly,
2:27
explain some of the work staff has done and what
2:29
they'll be doing moving forward. We have just
2:32
started some engineering work. There was a little
2:34
bit prior to the funding application, but this
2:36
year's budget allowed us to, the 2026 budget
2:39
will allow us to move forward and complete the
2:41
engineering for the project. And with most of
2:45
our procurement processes, this will be a public
2:48
tender allowing. applicants to determine the
2:51
successful contractor for the project. Michael
2:54
Nobes, General Manager of Growth and Expansion
2:56
with the Town of Greater Napanee, talks about
2:58
the county's plans for new traffic lights. The
3:00
county has confirmed with us that their intention
3:03
is to build in traffic lights where the pedestrian
3:08
crossing is currently, replace that, that's an
3:10
interim measure, and the lights would be installed
3:12
as a permanent fixture through this project specifically.
3:15
Councillor Michael Shank noted his concerns about
3:17
the disruption of traffic on Centre Street. I
3:20
have a hard enough time, you know, you have a
3:21
little bit of a rush hour now and when you start
3:23
tearing up Centre Street, how are you going to
3:26
bypass the volume of traffic to get south? All
3:31
I'm saying is how does the average Joe go down
3:34
Centre Street when Centre Street is no longer
3:36
there for a year or two years? I can see Centre
3:39
Street in 15 or 20 years time, it's going to
3:42
be backed up immensely. So there's got to be
3:44
an alternative route because the only reason
3:46
why, because you look at the city of Kingston,
3:48
if I want to get to the other side, you know
3:51
what I mean, that are past RMC, then thank goodness
3:54
they put the bridge in when they did because
3:56
what it's done. But I can see that same problem
4:00
happening here. Nobz noted that traffic planning
4:02
is a high priority for staff. That is the ultimate
4:05
question on our minds at this moment in time,
4:07
but there's going to need to be very careful
4:09
traffic planning to go along with that. We have
4:12
a substantial amount of time to plan that out,
4:14
but that is the number one question on our minds
4:16
right now and with the county too is how are
4:18
we going to accommodate that traffic flow and
4:21
lessen the burden as much as possible on residential
4:23
areas east and west of Centre Street. Nobz went
4:26
on to explain that upcoming county plans may
4:28
help shape the future of roadways in Napanee.
4:31
What EA was done for the called the northwest
4:33
urban area. where future collector order roads
4:37
are planned that are going to be under the jurisdiction
4:39
of the county. But the county is also very soon
4:43
going to be presenting, county staff will be
4:45
presenting to county council the county transportation
4:50
master plan update which will look into considerations
4:54
such as that. Knobs noted the possibility of
4:56
widening the area beside the street. There's
4:59
no intention on Center Street to expand the limits
5:02
of the road right of way, the ownership, because
5:04
it's almost building wall to building wall. There's
5:06
really no room there. But there is the opportunity
5:10
to look at overall lane widths, and therefore
5:13
that would open up more room for sidewalk width.
5:15
We would need to consider existing utilities
5:17
that are in there and relocating them to get
5:19
them out of the way of the sidewalk. There's
5:21
a lot that would need to go into it, but both
5:22
vehicular and pedestrian movement is going to
5:24
be top of mind in the design efforts that would
5:27
be underway very shortly. For Amherst Island
5:30
Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm
5:33
Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. On Tuesday,
5:45
March 10th, the Amherst Islander II will be moved
5:48
to Kingston, but will be available to provide
5:50
backup for the Amherst Island ferry service if
5:52
required. With construction continuing at their
5:55
primary berth at the Kingston dock, the Ministry
5:57
of Transportation will be relocating the Wolf
5:59
Islander IV to Stella on Wednesday, March 11th.
6:02
The secondary berth at the Kingston dock is not
6:04
yet configured for the vessel to be moored there.
6:07
Beginning March 4th at 7 p .m., the Wolf Islander
6:09
III will return to service, operating from Kingston's
6:12
secondary berth on its regular 60 -minute schedule
6:15
to accommodate construction at the primary berth.
6:17
The Wolf Islander IV's electrical issue has been
6:19
repaired, but additional engineering work is
6:22
needed at the Kingston Dock's secondary berth
6:24
to accommodate the much larger vessel. Until
6:26
this work is completed, the Ministry of Transportation
6:28
will be using the Amherst Islander II in case
6:30
a backup vessel is needed. The Ministry of Transportation
6:33
notes that any questions or concerns can be directed
6:36
via email to mtofairyinfo at ontario .ca. I'm
6:44
Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. Fourth year
6:57
students from Toronto Metropolitan University's
6:59
Department of Architectural Science will be on
7:02
Amherst Island investigating the design of small
7:04
-scale housing for island residents to age in
7:06
place from March 6th to March 8th. On Saturday,
7:09
March 7th, the group will be working out of the
7:11
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Hall and will
7:14
be making presentations at 11 .30am, 1 .30pm
7:17
and 3 .30pm. Anyone is welcome to attend. The
7:20
students will be designing a variety of small
7:22
-scale houses for island residents who wish to
7:24
downsize their housing and remain on the island
7:26
to age in place. Sustainable wood construction
7:29
is the predominant building material, including
7:31
ash trees harvested on the island, and detached
7:34
or semi -detached housing units are the model
7:36
they will be investigating. Attendees are invited
7:38
to drop by the church hall between 10am and 3pm
7:41
on Saturday to meet the students, hear about
7:43
the research, and share thoughts on the subject
7:45
of housing on Amherst Island and the aging in
7:47
place. design. For Amherst Island Radio and the
7:51
Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This
7:54
is North Shore News. Loyalist Township Council
8:06
heard a presentation about two formal complaints
8:08
alleging that Councillor Jake Annis contravened
8:10
the township's Code of Conduct while supporting
8:13
the appeal of a recent ward boundary bylaw. The
8:15
final integrity report found that Ennis did not
8:18
contravene the code. In May 2025, council enacted
8:21
a bylaw to establish a new ward boundary configuration.
8:25
The bylaw was then appealed to the Ontario Land
8:27
Tribunal by a Township resident, and in December
8:29
2025, the tribunal repealed the bylaw. Integrity
8:33
Commissioner with Aird and Burles LLP, John Mascarin,
8:37
explained the complaints. There were two complaints.
8:40
that were filed on September the 17th and 18th.
8:45
They were formal complaints filed under the Code
8:48
of Conduct. Both complaints raised virtually
8:52
identical allegations against the councillor.
8:56
They asserted that he contravened two sections,
8:59
sections 2 .2 and section 4 .1h of the code,
9:04
by publicly opposing the bylaw and actively supporting
9:10
the appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal. Specifically,
9:16
the complaints allege that the counsellor promoted
9:20
fundraising efforts, including a GoFundMe campaign
9:23
to finance the appeal of the bylaw before the
9:26
tribunal. There are allegations that the counsellor
9:34
attempted to find a straw person to file the
9:39
appeal and that his wife led the fundraising
9:43
efforts. The complainants asserted that the councilor
9:47
member's conduct in doing all of these things
9:50
demonstrated a lack of respect for council's
9:54
decision -making process and amounted to a covert
9:59
attempt to undermine a council decision that
10:02
he did not support. Ms. Guerin talked about their
10:05
decision -making process. We refer to the standard
10:08
of proof. It's on a civil standard, which is
10:14
a balance of probabilities. So it's not like
10:18
a criminal standard where it's beyond a reasonable
10:20
doubt. All we have to do is find that we believe
10:23
that the member may be more likely than not have
10:27
contravened the code, and we could find a contravention.
10:32
In this case, we did not find that. We found
10:35
that it was the opposite. Our review of the materials
10:39
and the evidence appear to point to the member
10:43
being entitled to do what he did without contravening
10:47
the code. Ms. Garan talked about another case
10:49
that influenced their decision. One of the main
10:52
reasons that we've made our determination is
10:56
based on an Ontario divisional court decision
10:59
in Jubinville versus Chatham -Kent. And that
11:03
involved a decision of the of the municipality
11:09
of Chatham -Kent and Councillor Jubinville fighting
11:14
against the decision and continuing to disagree
11:17
with the decision afterwards. That was brought
11:24
before the integrity commissioner in Chatham
11:27
-Kent. The integrity commissioner made a determination
11:32
on a provision that is very, very similar to
11:37
the one that is at play in this matter. And in
11:41
that case, the integrity commissioner felt that
11:43
Councillor Jubinville's efforts to fight against
11:48
the decision of council to seek an overturning
11:52
of council's decision was wrong and unreasonable.
11:57
And That went to court. And the court said the
12:01
integrity commissioner's determination was itself
12:05
unreasonable and overturned the decision. Ms.
12:09
Scarin explains why this case may be even stronger.
12:12
In this particular case, it's an even stronger
12:16
indication because there is an as of right appeal
12:21
to any person to be able to file an appeal. We
12:25
believe that the determination in Jubinville
12:30
aligns very, very closely. to this particular
12:35
instance. And in fact, this case may be even
12:39
stronger because there is an as of right appeal
12:42
to bring forward an appeal to the Ontario Land
12:47
Tribunal from a ward boundary review bylaw. Ms.
12:52
Guerin detailed their final conclusion. Our ultimate
12:55
determination is that Councillor Ennis did not
12:59
breach the code of conduct section 4 .1 H and
13:04
that is our determination. We did not feel that
13:09
he disrespected council's decision. He had a
13:12
different view and he attempted to use his rights.
13:17
at law to counter that, whether it was working
13:21
with someone and helping forward with the matter.
13:28
Our conclusion is on a balance of probabilities.
13:32
We are not satisfied that Councillor Anas failed
13:36
to respect Council's decision -making process
13:38
in accordance with the specific wording of the
13:43
of the code of conduct. His conduct consisted
13:47
solely of publicly expressing disagreement and
13:50
supporting a lawful appeal process and perhaps
13:54
efforts to propagate a different view from counsel.
13:59
And it speaks about the importance of the decision.
14:02
I think the commissioner's decision is an important
14:05
one. It offers needed clarity on the code for
14:09
members and for members of the public. I think
14:12
the opportunity probably exists or may exist
14:16
for Loyalist staff and council at some point
14:20
in the future to consider updating Loyalist Code
14:23
of Conduct to ensure that its language is clear
14:26
and current in light of this decision and in
14:29
comparison to the codes of other municipalities.
14:32
I think it's worth noting that it's not It's
14:35
not just this complainant that had this notion
14:37
that once counsel makes a decision, counselors
14:41
are compelled to agree with it or remain silent.
14:43
I can remember doing AMO introduction to being
14:48
a counselor type training in my first year and
14:52
the instructor there referred to the same old
14:54
notion. Even then, I didn't obviously agree with
14:58
the notion. For me, it was clear and it's clear
15:01
that I did not run for council to remain silent.
15:06
When I disagree with the majority of council,
15:08
I ran for council to, in my view, represent the
15:10
public interest. I think this decision and the
15:14
related OLT or bylaw decision are two important
15:19
positives for the advancement of democratic principles
15:22
in Loyalist Township. For Amherst Island Radio
15:25
and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted
15:28
Evans. This is North Shore News. While ALTO looks
15:40
to bring a high -speed train through rural parts
15:42
of Ontario, a citizen -led committee in the area
15:45
has been compiling concerns and complaints from
15:47
area residents. The committee, Save South Frontenac,
15:50
has a group on Facebook and a website where residents
15:53
can voice their concerns. Mainly, the committee
15:55
is against the idea of bringing the high -speed
15:57
train through the area altogether. They also
16:00
voiced concerns about property rights, environmental
16:02
impacts, and noise levels. Alto is currently
16:05
looking for public input about the project with
16:07
ways to participate on their website. They say
16:09
they're committed to working with communities
16:11
to identify potential impacts and address them
16:13
through design and mitigation. The company also
16:15
noted the importance of the participation and
16:18
involvement of indigenous peoples at every stage
16:20
to support the federal government's commitment
16:22
to advance reconciliation. With trains reaching
16:25
speeds of 300 kilometers per hour or more on
16:27
approximately 1 ,000 kilometers of mainly electrified
16:30
tracks, Alto claims it will connect millions
16:33
of people living along the Toronto to Quebec
16:35
City corridor. The company says its priority
16:37
is to minimize impacts on private property by
16:39
following existing corridors, such as highways,
16:42
railways, utility corridors, and lot lines whenever
16:45
possible. Once an alignment is defined, the company
16:48
says it will be able to identify the properties
16:50
that could be involved. Katie Koopman, one of
16:52
the committee leaders, about their concerns.
16:55
Our concern as citizens of this community we
16:59
love has a lot to do with how the building of
17:04
such a project will affect both people and place.
17:08
People in terms of having properties expropriated,
17:12
livelihoods devastated, the use and enjoyment
17:17
of the spaces we love, the trail systems like
17:21
the Cataraqui trail, but then also the idea of
17:24
place. We move here for a reason, for peace,
17:28
for some quiet and to raise children and what
17:33
we might think is a safer environment to be more
17:36
integrated into nature. And so we think about
17:40
how this project is going to devastate the Frontenac
17:44
Arch Biosphere, which is a UNESCO heritage site.
17:51
The idea of this has stirred a lot of emotions,
17:55
including grief, thinking about the loss of all
17:58
of this. And listening to community members share
18:02
their stories with us as a committee, people
18:06
are losing sleep. They're not sure if they should
18:11
be renovating their house. They're worried about
18:15
losing investments. And so what our community
18:18
or our committee sorry is trying to do is to
18:23
create a platform for South Frontenac residents
18:28
to be able to voice. their opinions and their
18:34
concerns, but also to provide advocacy tools
18:37
to make some noise and let the government know
18:41
that this is not acceptable by us. Koopman spoke
18:45
about Alto's public consultation process. They
18:47
were only hosting open houses in the cities that
18:51
were going to get an actual stop or station.
18:54
So we made some noise and they heard us and they
18:58
honored a request, which was great. to have an
19:01
open house here in South Frontenac. Gord Bolton
19:05
and I are committee leads of, say, South Frontenac.
19:08
So we have phone chats almost every single day
19:11
looking at what our, you know, re -evaluating
19:14
what our role and goal is, purpose as a committee,
19:17
how we can extend our reach. I reached out personally
19:21
to Peter Paz from Alto, and they were very receptive
19:27
of our idea. Koopman detailed the outcome of
19:31
the committee's meeting with Alto and spoke about
19:33
their experience at Alto's open house in South
19:35
Frontenac. We had a meeting and their team was
19:39
very receptive. allowing for us to not even just
19:44
bridge that sort of divide and share space, but
19:48
also to have free range. We were able to conduct
19:51
our own survey with community members. We were
19:54
able to identify ourselves as Save South Frontenac
19:59
team members at the event. to be able to engage
20:04
freely and to also put our own posters up advertising
20:09
our own open house. It was very cordial. The
20:12
turnout was. Impressive. There was probably close
20:17
to 600 people that went through the first half,
20:20
I think, is what I heard. Alto noted where property
20:24
rights are required for the project, owners will
20:26
be compensated at market value for the property
20:28
being acquired, as well as for potential losses
20:31
and reasonable third -party fees incurred. Noting
20:34
concerns about environmental impacts, Alto said
20:36
the project will be subject to a federal impact
20:38
assessment that will evaluate environmental effects
20:41
and mitigation measures before any final alignment.
20:43
is approved. The company also noted that field
20:46
studies are underway to establish baseline noise
20:48
levels and additional data will be collected
20:50
as route selection progresses. Kingston City
20:53
Council recently voted 9 -2 in support of having
20:55
the high -speed rail built in Kingston with a
20:57
local station added to the line. But as council
20:59
discussed the proposal and heard from senior
21:01
representatives of Alto, support grew for a new
21:04
route along the Highway 401 corridor. The company
21:07
told Kingston City Council that the current public
21:09
consultation period is part of a development
21:11
phase that is set to last until until 2029. After
21:14
that, A to the federal government the final decision
21:18
to co or not. Koopman spoke abo decision. Their
21:22
tone at t brought some relief. I th to understand
21:30
the implic for a train that could ha neighbors.
21:37
They started to in their current position on
21:45
where a train should be located. We know that
21:48
Kingston needs reliable rail. We want to take
21:51
advantage of that ourselves, but we want the
21:55
least impact possible and the maximum benefit.
21:59
Because if there was a train that went through
22:01
the southern corridor, South Frontenac residents
22:04
will not benefit at all. We will be in the loss.
22:09
For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
22:11
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
22:15
News. Loyalist Township Council agreed to support
22:26
Quinty Conservation in applying for funding from
22:29
the Green Municipal Fund as part of Growing Canada's
22:32
Community Canopies Initiative. Outreach and Stewardship
22:35
Coordinator with Quinty Conservation, Lindsay
22:37
Nash, explains what the organization is looking
22:39
to do with the funding. Quinty Conservation,
22:42
alongside the Quinty Urban Forest Network, is
22:45
proposing to be the lead applicant for the GMF
22:49
fund. By doing this, we are providing our 18
22:53
member municipalities the option to leverage
22:57
funding and staff support. for planting projects,
23:01
both existing and proposed, as long as the trees
23:05
haven't been planted by the time that we obtain
23:08
the funds. So as lead, Queenie Conservation will
23:11
focus on planting a diverse range of native tree
23:15
and shrub species. Nash spoke about what Queenie
23:18
Conservation expects from its partners. Queenie
23:20
Conservation's expectations in working with municipal
23:24
partners and private interest groups would include
23:27
a letter of support from council, a financial
23:29
contribution of 50%, a tree planting budget with
23:32
the source of funding identified, the identification
23:35
of existing and proposed programs so I can apply
23:39
it to the grant. And then identification of sites
23:43
where an increase in tree canopy would be beneficial
23:45
either on private or public lands, and any data
23:49
or current tree canopy studies to support or
23:52
identify the need for trees. So in exchange,
23:55
Queenie Conservation will coordinate administrative
23:57
and logistical aspects of the application. We
24:00
will assist with leveraging additional funding
24:02
where possible. We'll act as a liaison between
24:05
municipalities, local interest groups, and the
24:08
funders. and then we will also submit the final
24:11
reporting. Nash explained the application timeline.
24:14
My timeline for this grant is right now I'm going
24:18
to municipal councils to obtain support to apply
24:22
it as lead applicant. This is important because
24:25
I cannot apply for this grant as lead without
24:28
support of council. We can partner with other
24:32
private interest groups like schools. Rotary,
24:37
stewardship councils, churches, those kinds of
24:40
groups who usually do tree planting projects
24:44
regularly. So by the end of March is when I'd
24:48
be looking for municipalities to respond to me
24:50
with project participation and a general project
24:54
outline, what they want to do and what they have
24:57
going on. And then by the end of April, I'm planning
25:00
on formally applying for the fund. with a professionally
25:03
reviewed planting plan and an urban forestry
25:06
grant coach, which would be supplied by the GMF
25:10
fund. Nash went on to note when things would
25:12
move forward. So there's about a six to eight
25:15
month waiting period after applying before hearing
25:19
back, which would put us at tree planting for
25:22
fall of 2026 or spring of 2027. Now we do have
25:26
a period of two years before to use up the grant.
25:30
So we do have a little bit of wiggle room in
25:32
that regard. And then for the following years,
25:35
we would maintain and monitor the planted trees.
25:38
Nash spoke about eligible initiatives under the
25:40
grant. Funding opportunities are for long term
25:43
and permanent tree tree planting and forestry
25:47
intention. And it's actually a really wide range
25:50
of tree planting projects that would qualify
25:54
for this grant. And that includes street tree
25:56
planting, urban planting, Park tree planting,
26:00
riparian planting, forest restoration, and reforestation
26:04
on both public and private lands. A maintenance
26:07
plan and a survival assessment report are required
26:11
following each project. So as long as they can
26:14
be assessed after planting, then that would make
26:18
it eligible. Nash noted why it makes sense to
26:20
work with a number of municipalities. So this
26:23
is a 50 % match cost share grant. with a minimum
26:27
project cost of $50 ,000. Now, a lot of our municipalities
26:32
and private interest groups don't have $50 ,000
26:34
to put forth for tree planting, which is the
26:38
benefit of all grouping together for this grant.
26:42
So half of the budget would be covered by the
26:45
GMF fund and the other half could come from either
26:47
municipal budget. Other funds could come from
26:51
private interest groups that may do fundraising
26:54
and other grants. We can stack grants as long
26:58
as they're not funded by the Two Billion Trees
27:01
program or Trees Canada. Nash explained why tree
27:03
planting initiatives are good for the community.
27:06
Implementing a watershed wide tree planting initiative
27:09
through different levels of partnership creates
27:12
capacity for the community to work together while
27:15
supporting climate resilience close to home.
27:17
There's many benefits to planting trees, specifically
27:21
climate resiliency through flood retention, which
27:24
is a big interest of Queenie conservation. But
27:28
then trees also provide many other benefits,
27:31
including reducing carbon dioxide from the air
27:34
and producing oxygen, which is good for physical
27:37
health. Trees reduce heat island effects in urban
27:40
areas. They cool buildings in the summer with
27:43
shade and provide wind breaks to buildings in
27:45
the winter. Connecting with nature and trees
27:48
improves mental health. And planting a diverse
27:51
native tree species promotes healthy soils and
27:55
habitats for a wide range of insects, birds and
27:57
mammals that reside in the Quinty area specifically.
28:02
So this aligns really well with Quinty Conservation's
28:05
vision to advance watershed knowledge and collective
28:08
actions to strengthen our natural ecosystems.
28:11
For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
28:14
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
28:17
News. The Southeast Health Unit office in Napanee
28:29
will be continuing its lease in a smaller capacity
28:31
at a lesser rate. Originally, they were going
28:34
to close at the end of March. The health unit
28:36
has now agreed to reduce their footprint within
28:38
the building by approximately 75 percent. As
28:40
their lease agreement is based on square footage
28:42
occupied, this has reduced their rent from approximately
28:45
$1 ,825 to $430 for the final 20 months of the
28:50
agreement term. The town's clerk, Jessica Walters,
28:53
explains why staff believe this is in the best
28:55
interest for the community. In short, the health
28:58
unit is now, they had initially given us a notice
29:00
of termination effective March 31st. The budget
29:04
was presented on the assumption that they would
29:06
no longer be in there after that date. They have
29:09
subsequently submitted a request to continue
29:12
their lease but on amended terms with a reduced
29:14
footprint in the building and therefore reduced
29:16
cost. Staff believe this is in the best interest
29:19
of the community because it would let us maintain
29:22
the vaccine clinics. and the fridge for well
29:25
water testing and any other services they might
29:29
wish to offer there through that office space.
29:31
CAO Matthew Grant explains the reduction in space
29:34
and why he supports them staying open. Myself,
29:37
Mr. Brown and Ms. Walters met with the public
29:41
health team. And so it does represent a significantly
29:44
reduced footprint within the building. It's essentially
29:49
a room to keep the vaccines as well as the front
29:54
reception area. And as a building tenant, it
29:57
still allows them access to the large meeting
30:00
space to run vaccine clinics. So I'm quite supportive
30:06
of it. I do know that the public health unit
30:09
has had some challenges to navigate since they've
30:14
merged the different units into one single unit.
30:18
And so as they're looking to reduce costs wherever
30:22
they can, this was a way they felt they could
30:24
do that while still maintaining service to the
30:28
community. And generally this results in people
30:31
not having to travel to Kingston for vaccines.
30:34
And I think that's where the win is for residents.
30:37
Councillor Bill Martin expressed a concern he
30:39
had about neighbouring communities using the
30:41
service. I think we have to do it just to maintain
30:44
the services to our residents. But it concerns
30:47
me that we're always asked to pay for a service
30:50
for other communities because this is going to
30:53
be used by more than just Napanee residents.
30:56
It's going to be, you know, it's Kingston, Frontenac,
30:59
LNA, Prince Edward County. You know, so I'm concerned
31:03
about that part of it, actually, that we're paying,
31:06
our taxpayers are paying for a service for other
31:09
communities. But like I said, I don't want our
31:12
residents to lose any services either. Grant
31:15
noted the benefits and said they wouldn't be
31:17
paying for other municipalities. I don't know
31:19
that we're necessarily... paying us for other
31:22
municipalities. I think the benefit is maintenance
31:25
of vaccine clinics here, which will primarily
31:27
be for our residents. I would say the only benefit
31:31
other municipalities may be getting is that the
31:35
vaccine supply chain in this immediate area of
31:39
41 and the like will come through Napanee. But
31:42
I don't anticipate that other municipalities
31:45
will be getting a direct benefit from the use
31:48
of our space other than that. Mayor Terry Richardson
31:50
showed his support for the health unit staying
31:52
open, but noted a concern as well. I'm hopeful
31:55
that our staff aren't going to do any more than
31:57
what they're doing now. Obviously, the concern
32:01
is if it's not staff five days a week, there's
32:03
a possibility there. But I'm sure Mr. Grant and
32:06
the senior leadership team will be monitoring
32:08
that fairly closely. And it's a little bit refreshing
32:10
in the fact that the health unit has now realized
32:13
that. It's important to have a brick and mortar
32:16
type of facility within our community that you
32:18
just cannot do it remotely. For Amherst Island
32:21
Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm
32:24
Ted Evans. This is North Shore News. A seasonal
32:36
overnight parking reminder for Loyalist's Township.
32:38
From December 1st until March 31st, 2026, parking
32:42
is prohibited on any road or street in Loyalist
32:45
Township between 1am and 7am. This restriction
32:48
is in effect regardless of weather conditions.
32:50
Vehicles in violation of this bylaw will be ticketed.
32:53
For more information, visit Loyalist .ca. For
32:56
Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism
32:59
Initiative, I'm Ted Evans. This is North Shore
33:02
News. This has been North Shore News and Interviews.
33:09
If you have an idea for a story, or want to create
33:12
stories for the show, consider joining our volunteer
33:15
team. Contact Amherst Island Radio for more details.