Post on 25-May-2020
4 MUSKOKA PROPERTIES SECTION 1, February 4, 2009.
2008 YEARBOOK
IT’S TRUE.IT’S TRUE.
MuskokaLIFE
July 2008
ACBS Toronto annual show:
Saturday, July 5, 2008
MUSKOKA WHARF, Gravenhurst
FREETake one!
The joys of going slow
A fi eld guide to
classic boats
“I didn’t know you did that!”
We’re much more than community newspapers delivering your local news,
sports and community happenings.
705-645-2512705-645-2512
Kids will spend the day as an Elf
Sportsland
Funtastic Tuesday’s
enjoying rides,
live shows, games, activities and a visit with
Santa. For the older kids there’s
with Go-Karts, Mini-Golf, Batting Cages,
Lazer Tag and Video Arcade.Spend a couple of days with us at Santa’s
Whispering Pines Campground where †
a family package starts at only $159.Join us for
TM
with Dora the Explorerand TV personality ™Ronno Check our website for a schedule
of Santa’s daily performers appearing on the Village Stage.
st
Open June 21to Labour Day
T H U R S D AY, J U LY 3 1 , 2 0 0 8 • E S TA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 7 0
‘Muskoka’s Favourite Summer Newspaper for 38 years’
muskoka sun
"Skiing for a cause" See story on A4
Photo by Brett Thompson
Insidethis issue...
FIREMANSWIMSFOR KIDS Muskoka’s lakes provide practice for a Great Lake crossing.
See page B1.
LAMBERT LOVE’S DREAMElgin House lasted longer than most, but it, too, is gone. See page B7.
WISH FOR A BIRD’S EYE VIEWNot even the rain can dampen this Bucket List experience. See page A19.
Free Estimates Available
645-8404
We’re not afraid
to work outside in Winter!in Winter!
Put us to workP t s to work
www.bracebridgeexam
iner.com
www.bracebridgeexam
iner.com
BracebridgeEXAMINER
, NO. 38
$1.25 (includes GST) Pub. 40017902
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2008
Tree-cutting bylaw passes
BY MATT DRISCOLL
Sunday was a potentially hazardous day in
Muskoka, as falling trees, flying debris and downed
power lines caused mayhem in the area and knocked
out power for thousands of residents.
At the height of the storm, winds gusting up to
110 km/h knocked out power to some 230,000
homes in Ontario.
As of Monday, 13,300 Hydro One customers in
Bracebridge and 15,700 customers in the Huntsville
area were among the estimated 60,000 to 100,000
Ontarians still in the dark.
Hydro One spokesperson Daniele Gauvin said
some customers in Muskoka shouldn’t expect to
have their power restored until Wednesday night.
“During a severe winter storm we typically lose
around 100,000 customers,” said Gauvin. “We lost
230,000 this time, so it tells you there’s a lot of
cleanup to be done.”
Helping out with that cleanup are dozens of hydro
crews and several helicopters, she said.
On Monday morning Ernst Johle of Lakeland
Power reported only a handful of outages remained
among Lakeland customers and they expected to
have most of those remedied within the day.
Johle said the majority of their customers lost
power during Sunday’s storm but most had their
power restored by the end of the day.
He credited Ontario Hydro crews for helping
Lakeland Power’s crews to get customers back
online so quickly.
The winds also caused chaos on local roadways as
limbs and debris covered some streets.
In Gravenhurst, a large metal sign came crashing
down on the main street, while in Bracebridge, OPP
cruisers blocked off a section of Entrance Drive
where fallen power lines crossed the road.
BY MATT DRISCOLL
official, the town of Bracebridge now
a bylaw to govern where, when and
h trees can be cut down across a large
ion of the municipality.
ast week, town council gave final
roval to a tree-cutting bylaw more than
ear-and-a-half in the works.
A tree-clearing permit is now required
everyone in Bracebridge removing trees
areas defined as urban or near-urban,
lands within 60 metres of a navigable
waterway, lands within 70 meters of Hwy.
11, and any lands in a flood plain or that
are zoned environmental protection.
The bylaw only passed after some last
minute wrangling over the permit fee.
The final version of the bylaw stipulated
a cost of $150 per property, and $50 for a
permit renewal. However, councillor Steve
Clement proposed an amendment to drop
the fees to $50 for a permit and $25 for a
renewal. Assistant director of develop-
ment services Dana Rahkola reported that
the cost to the town to process an applica-
tion has been pegged at roughly $300.
Rahkola said staff has checked tree-cut-
ting bylaws in 17 other Ontario munici-
palities and determined the average cost is
roughly $140 per permit. He pointed out,
however, that some other municipalities
charged by the tree, not the property.
Councillor Graydon Smith said he con-
tinues to have serious issues with the
overall bylaw, and with the new proposal
to reduce fees. “It’s a case of user pay versus universal
pay,” he said. “If you reduce the fees…you
load the cost of the program onto all of the
other taxpayers. What cures one side is an
ill for the other.”
Councillor Scott Young said he felt the
general public would be willing to pay the
BY KAREN LONGWELL
It was a very good
year, at least at the local
level. A look back at 2008
saw several accom-
plishments for both
Bracebridge and the
Township of Muskoka
Lakes, according to the
municipalities’ mayors.
“We had a really
busy and good year,”
said Bracebridge mayor
Don Coates.New education facili-
ties were at the fore-
front, he noted.
The opening of the new Nipissing
University and Georgian College cam-
puses were big highlights of 2008, said
Coates.“Both are a wonderful addition to our
community,” he said.
On the political front, Coates thought
the Convergence strategic planning
project, which provides community
vision for Bracebridge, was paramount.
“From a council perspective, I think
that was the highlight of our term,” he
said.Council undertook the Convergence
project after changes on the job mar-
ket.“That was done as a result of . . . major
job losses in the community, the largest
ones being from Dura (Automotive) a
year ago,” said Coates.
Bracebridge residents were engaged
and provided input into the plan, he
added.“We had huge community support . . .
it is truly a document that has been cre-
ated by the community for the future.”
The creation of a new tree-cutting
bylaw, passed just this month, was
another major accomplishment.
“We had a lot of public input on that,”
said Coates.Another highlight for many resi-
dents was the 100th anniversary of the
Bracebridge Public Library.
“There were wonderful celebrations
every month,” said Coates. “Our library
staff has really worked on that.”
On the sports and recreation side of
things, Bracebridge saw several notable
events. There was a new tri-
athlon this year, which will
continue next year.
“That is great for the sport
tourism business,” said
Coates.Bracebridge has also
completed the final design
for its new ball diamond.
Construction should start
next year, so the diamonds
can be open by the spring of
2010, said Coates.
Also, a final design for a
new skateboard and BMX
park was completed about
three weeks ago. The new
park will be tendered for
spring 2009.Looking ahead, work on the 2010
Winter Games and 2010 G8 Summit
will be on the horizon for the entire
region.In the township of Muskoka Lakes,
the addition of two new staff members
came foremost to Mayor Susan Pryke’s
mind.New township treasurer Julie Stevens
and CAO Walt Schmid, who both start-
ed at the end of 2007, have added a
level of stability across the board for the
township, said Pryke.
In 2008 the township, like all muni-
cipalities, has had to prepare for the
new public sector accounting system
for 2009.
Mayors look back at 2008
Storm packs a wallop
BRACEBRIDGE CLEANS UP. Ron Mann, 75, sweeps up branches that were torn from trees in front of his house on Spencer St., following the
windstorm on Sunday. Residents on Beaumont Drive (inset) also experienced wind damage. (Photo by Darren Lum)
BY BRENT COOPER
The news just keeps getting worse for Algonquin
Automotive.Just one month after the automotive parts manu-
facturer announced it would be cutting back on its
workforce, the company recently revealed it would
also extend its planned seasonal shutdown.
The move was in response to an announcement
by the North American auto makers that they will
extend their holiday shutdowns to mid-January or
later.A press release by Algonquin Automotive stated
that employees are facing workweek reductions and
temporary layoffs, with limited recalls beginning
the week of Jan. 12.
“Unfortunately, the conditions in our industry
More troubles for Algonquin Automotive
CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
� CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
� CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
� CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
COATESPRYKE
LOOKING BACKAT 2008
Read the biggest stories of 2008.
Starting on page A3.
SPORTSHIGHLIGHTS OF 2008Read about the best athletes and
sporting events of the past year.
Starting on page B1
Free Estimates Available645-84041-800-732-015820 Gray Road, BracebridgeFax: 645-7263Visit us at: norstarexteriors.com and bracebridgeexaminer.com
Open Mon. - Fri. 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. .
to work outside in Winter!
The Banner takes a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2008.(Starting on page A3)
A LOOK BACK AT 2008
VOL. 130, NO. 48 $1.25 (includes GST) Pub. 40031044 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2008.
— www.gravenhurstbanner.com —
Partnership saves Bala’s Bliss centreBY KAREN LONGWELLChristmas came early for the Blissymbolics Learning Centre in Bala.
The centre, which was threat-ened with closure in early November due to a lack of fund-ing, has been granted a last min-ute reprieve.Just three days before
Christmas, the board of dir-ectors of Community Living South Muskoka (CLSM) and the Blissymbolics Learning Centre announced CLSM will support the continuation of the centre. Blissymbolics, located in Bala,
has helped non-verbal, cerebral palsy students with communica-tion and literacy skills since 2002. After a main source of funding from the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy ended, the centre was scheduled to close this spring.
The new collaboration will take effect on Jan. 1, 2009. The name of the Blissymbolics centre will be changed to the Bala Learning Centre (BLC).“It seemed like there was
an absolutely perfect fit with Community Living,” said Anna Mallin, who was the acting chair of Blissymbolics and is now a new board member on CLSM. “It couldn’t be better.”
The sudden save of the Bliss centre came when Tom Steadman, chairman of the board of CLSM, read a Nov. 5 article in the Gravenhurst Banner, about the centre’s impending closure. He phoned Mallin the next day, he said.
“Thanks to the press for the support, because it really was getting the information out that made the contact. Without that,
AFRICA BOUND. Len, left, and Carla Veitch point to Burkina Faso in West Africa where they will do volunteer work at two
orphanages. (Photo by Karen Longwell)
BY KAREN LONGWELLA volunteer trip to Africa is an opportunity to give
back for a Gravenhurst couple.Carla and Len Veitch plan to volunteer at two
orphanages in Burkina Faso in West Africa this
February. It will be their first experience in a develop-
ing country.Carla said they heard about the opportunity to
volunteer from friends and fellow church members
Brad and Susan Fraser, also of Gravenhurst. The
Frasers, and their daughter Hannah, 12, will be going
on the trip with them. The couples will join a team of 20 people from
Ontario that will embark on the two-week trip Feb.
13.A non-profit organization called Careforce
International, based in Burlington, is leading the The Veitches were drawn to the humanitarian
effort by the children of Africa.“We just have a heart for children,” said Carla, who
is an education assistant at K.P. Manson School. The
couple has four children and two grandchildren.Len works as a technician with Bell Canada and
will be able to offer valuable building skills. “I have been involved in construction all my life,”
he said. At the first orphanage, called the Village of Hope,
the team will work on a project to build a protective
wall around the buildings, said Carla.The Village of Hope houses 411 children and is
situated just outside the capital city of Ouagadougou.
It was established eight years ago. The orphanage
provides schooling and Christian teachings to the
children. In addition to the wall building, the team will work
with the children when they are not in school. They
will also meet women in town and teach them skills
such as sewing.Some of the children do have surviving parents,
but their parents are either too poor or ill to take
care of them, said Carla. Learning new skills will
help bring them out of poverty.In addition to their volunteer work with the team,
the Veitches have also decided to do another two
weeks of volunteer work at a second orphanage, on
their own, called Paradise Orphanage, located about
an hour-and-a-half from Village of Hope.Paradise Orphanage opened in November and
houses 48 children, said Carla.
BY MATT DRISCOLLSunday was a potentially hazardous day in Muskoka, as
falling trees, flying debris and downed power lines caused
mayhem in the area and knocked out power for thousands
of residents. At the height of the storm, winds gusting up to 110 km/h
knocked out power to some 230,000 homes in Ontario.
As of Monday, 13,300 Hydro One customers in
Bracebridge and 15,700 customers in the Huntsville area
were among the estimated 60,000 to 100,000 Ontarians
still in the dark.Hydro One spokesperson Daniele Gauvin said some cus-
tomers in Muskoka shouldn’t expect to have their power
restored until Wednesday night. “During a severe winter storm we typically lose around
100,000 customers,” said Gauvin. “We lost 230,000 this
time, so it tells you there’s a lot of cleanup to be done.”
Helping out with that cleanup are dozens of hydro crews
and several helicopters, she said.On Monday morning Ernst Johle of Lakeland Power
reported only a handful of outages remained among
Lakeland customers and they expected to have most of
those remedied within the day. Johle said the majority of their customers lost power
during Sunday’s storm but most had their power restored
by the end of the day. He credited Ontario Hydro crews for helping Lakeland
Power’s crews to get customers back online so quickly.
The winds also caused chaos on local roadways as limbs
and debris covered some streets. In Gravenhurst, a large metal sign came crashing down
on the main street, while in Bracebridge, OPP cruisers
blocked off a section of Entrance Drive where fallen power
lines crossed the road. “We had a number of calls, mostly regarding trees block-
ing roadways,” said OPP constable Skeeter Kruger. “The
roadways are just littered with debris.”Kruger said no serious accidents were reported due to
the windstorm, but the public should remain cautious of
Wild winter winds wreak havoc in Muskoka
‘It seemed like there was an absolutely perfect fit with Community Living’— Anna Mallin,Acting chair of Blissymbolics
Responding to the call
WARM GREETINGS. Children at the Village of Hope
Orphanage wave to the camera. (Submitted photo)
Arch construction starts in new year BY KAREN LONGWELLWork on Gravenhurst’s $222,000 gateway arch is set to begin in the new year.Kilworthy’s Cross Bay
Construction plans to complete the replacement arch before the next Victoria Day holiday, said Cross Bay Construction owner Gail Stiver.“Most of the work will be hap-
pening off-site because of the nature of it,” said Stiver.The arch will then be brought
in pieces to the site.Sub-trade shops near Midland and Severn Bridge will do the work, she said.The arch will span all three
lanes of Muskoka Road South just south of the Howard Johnson motel. Steel support columns and
rolled aluminum stock will be bonded to plywood and painted with aircraft paint for the struc-ture.
It will look the same and be the same colour, a beige colour, as the previous arch, erected in
the Town completed work on the three lane road where the former arch sat last spring, said Nick Popovich, manager of develop-ment services for the Town of Gravenhurst.The old arch was in very bad
shape and was disposed of three
■ CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
Local couple heads to West Africa to volunteer at orphanages and help children in need
WINDY PATH OF DESTRUCTION28 cracked trees and did damage. This sign near the Salvation
Athletes, teams and stories that made the top Sports news in the past year.(Starting on page B1)
TOP SPORTS STORIES
■ CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
789-8067
2 Bickley Country Dr., Unit #8, Huntsville
(Hwy. 11 & Muskoka Rd. 3)
FIREPLACE KING
Special
Napoleon EF30
Electric Fireplace
SAVE $100
Simply plug it in,
sit back
and relax!QUALITY FIREPLACES
Award Winning Products
$1.00 includes GST – Vol. 14 No. 14 Friday, August 1, 2008
Crash kills restaurant employee
by Jacqueline Lawrence
A 19-year-old Ancaster man is
dead after a serious collision on
Muskoka Road 169 near Foot’s Bay
Tuesday night.
According to Bracebridge OPP,
the accident occurred just after 9
p.m. when the youth, who was driv-
ing a minivan, pulled out from the
parking lot of the Bass Lake House
Restaurant & Tavern and into the
path of an oncoming tractor-trailer.
The victim, whose name was not
released, was reportedly an employ-
ee of the MacTier-area establish-
ment.The restaurant declined to com-
ment on the accident, but was closed
for business Wednesday.
According to police, Muskoka
Road 169 was closed for approxi-
mately six hours while police and
members of the Muskoka Lakes fire
department worked to extricate the
victim from his vehicle following
the crash.
Fire chief Jim Sawkins said fire-
fighters were able to free the man
within 20 minutes of arriving on-
scene.
The severity of the accident, how-
ever, was difficult for emergency
workers to take, he said.
“It was pretty bad,” said Sawkins.
“I’ve been to a few accidents in my
time, but that one was one of the
worst.”
The victim’s parents were on scene
while firefighters were responding to
the call, Sawkins said.
The fire chief planned to meet with
restaurant employees Wednesday
evening to discuss ways to respond
to grief and trauma.
OPP said no charges will be laid in
the accident.
TWISTED METAL. A 19-year old Ancaster man died Tuesday night after his minivan
collided with a tractor-trailer on Muskoka Road 169, just outside the Bass Lake House
Restaurant & Tavern, pictured here. The youth was reportedly an employee of the
MacTier-area establishment.
Photo by Kristan Farlie
Town, union ratify new four-year contract
by Matt Driscoll
The Ontario Public Service Employees
Union (OPSEU) and the Town of
Bracebridge have struck a deal that will
see unionized town workers receive a
three per cent raise every year for the
next four years.
Town council ratified the deal during a
special council meeting Wednesday.
OPSEU Local 305 represents 42 full-
time town staff working in a variety of
operational, recreational, programming,
clerical, administrative and technical
positions.
The new collective agreement will
replace the one that expired on May
31, 2008, and be in effect until May 31,
2012.In addition to the wage increase, the
new contract allows for a “floater holi-
day” to be taken in place of a fixed holi-
day on Family Day.
The union also agreed to several mea-
sures that the town hopes will help stem
the ever-increasing cost of benefits.
“The union has agreed to some lan-
guage in the collective agreement that
helps to put a cap on some of our costs,
specifically in the area of dental and
drug plan costs,” said Bracebridge CAO
John Sisson. “That helps to limit potential
increases to benefit costs in the future.”
Another key tenet aims to cut back on
overtime costs.
“We’ve developed specific wording to
identify that we provide services outside
of the traditional 8:30 to 4:30 range,”
said Sisson. “It helps provide clarity to
staff and flexibility to the corporation in
staff scheduling. It also avoids potential
overtime costs.”
Sisson called the negotiations, which
began July 9, amicable. Mayor Don
Coates echoed those sentiments.
“The negotiated agreement demon-
strates the commitment of council and
the town’s staff to ensuring the residents
of Bracebridge, the businesses that oper-
ate in town and the visitors to the com-
munity continue to receive uninterrupted
public services,”
Tom Young, Local 305 president, called
the three-day negotiations the smoothest
and most professional he’s seen.
“Typically, you ask for something and
they just tell you ‘no’ without an explana-
tion,” said Young.
“This process was really open. John
Sisson explained everything and told us
why we couldn’t have certain things and
the intent behind the decision.”
Young said the union asked for a lot of
but this fits the municipal cycle better,”
said Young. “Typically, you’d either have
a council on its way out promising the
opposed.
WATCH for these FLYERS inside!
A & P • Canadian Tire • Dell
Food Basics • Foodland
Giant Tiger • Home Depot
Home Hardware • IDA
IGA • M & M
See your favourite fl
anytime, anywhere.
Your local edition of the Weekender
may include the following:
Mary Edgar: Sundridge’s camp pioneer
It’s ‘sew’ true, fat quarters rockIndie artist Justin Ashby does more than scream
Fiction: Muskoka LoonsOxtongue Lake’s lureis undeniable
HUNTSVILLE FORESTER • BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER • GRAVENHURST BANNER • ALMAGUIN
www.muskokasideroads.com
ComplimentarySummer 2008
Let us help you reach your customers, through ourwide variety of publications.
645-8771 • 687-6674