HEALTH AND WELLNESS | DR. AVIS GLAZE ON ADULT LITERACY
THE LINDSAY ADVOCATE KAWARTHA LAKES’ FINEST MAGAZINE
New City Council’s Vision for 2019
TOURIST TOWNS: An off-season challenge for businesses
Sir John A. Macdonald:
HIS PAST IS OUR PAST
Police Chief Mark Mitchell’s Whole-Community Focus
New Year. Fresh Start. Fire crackling, family chatter and children’s laughter; enjoy the little things this year.
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CONTENTS 4 6 7 8 11 13 15 16 19 21 24 26 28
Letters to the Editor Benns’ Belief UpFront New City Council talks 2019 and Beyond Progressive Police Chief Women Experiencing Domestic Abuse Health and Wellness I Volunteer For... Tourist Town Adult Literacy: A National Imperative Friends & Neighbours with Jamie Morris Alzheimers Society can help with support Just in Time with Ian McKechnie
TEAM ADVOCATE: Roderick Benns, Publisher Trevor Hutchinson, Contributing Editor Joli Scheidler-Benns, Research, Writer-at-Large Geoff Coleman, Writer-at-Large Ian McKechnie, Columnist Jamie Morris, Columnist Dr. Avis Glaze, Writer-at-Large Sylvia Keesmaat, Columnist Bob Polan, Marketing Coach & Consultant Erin Smith, Photographer Barton Creative Co., Graphic Design
ABOUT US Even when life circumstances pulled me to other places, there was a greater part of me that always wanted to be home – in Kawartha Lakes. I’ve come back to try and make a positive difference in my community, this time with my family. My wife and I created The Lindsay Advocate to be media with a social purpose, to advocate for people over corporations, to push for a fair society where all citizens can reach their full potential. We know our institutions, non-profit sector, and small businesses are critical community partners. We thank them for their support and pledge to work together for a healthier, more prosperous Kawartha Lakes. — Roderick and Joli
Advertising Sales: Contact us at 705-341-1496 or kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com Vol 2, Issue 10, January 2019 • Published by: Fireside Publishing House, a proudly Canadian company The Lindsay Advocate is published monthly and distributed to a wide variety of businesses and locations within Kawartha Lakes, North Durham and Southern Haliburton County. We are a proud member of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce. Printed by Maracle Inc. Cover Photo: Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Mark Mitchell Photo by: Erin Smith Publisher and Writer-at-Large: Roderick Benns Advertising/Editorial inquiries: 705-341-1496 Contributing Editor and Writer-at-Large: Trevor Hutchinson • Contributing Writers: Geoff Coleman, Ian McKechnie, Jamie Morris, Dr. Avis Glaze, Sylvia Keesmaat Research, Strategy & Development: Joli Scheidler-Benns Marketing: Bob Polan • Graphic Design: Barton Creative Co. d The Lindsay Advocate @lindsayadvocate, Roderick Benns @roderickbenns • c /The Lindsay Advocate The Lindsay Advocate is independently owned and operated. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine. Photos, text, and art work contained in The Lindsay Advocate are copyrighted and may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the express permission of the Publisher. Liability for incorrectly displayed advertising is limited to publishing corrections or advertising credit for subsequent issues. The Publisher reserves the right to reject, revise, cancel, omit, discontinue or even decline to print advertising without reason or liability, and without notice. The Publisher has made every effort to ensure information contained herein was accurate at press time. The Publisher does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for damage, loss, or disruption caused by errors or omissions.
DSAY A TE
LIN
Let there be less light?
AD O C V
Canadian dairy is the best in world When I heard that the new trade agreement with the U.S. included American milk coming into our market, I said right then that I won’t be buying it. I don’t care how cheap they try to unload it on us Canadians. Once more people understand what is in the Americans’ milk, they’ll stop drinking it. Once there is no demand for it here, they’ll stop trying to sell it here. Canadian dairy is one of the best in the world, let’s keep it that way. - John Maloney
Good for female carpenter The story by Geoff Coleman in the Christmas edition of your Lindsay Advocate about the need for carpenters in Kawartha Lakes was wonderful. I especially liked reading about young Madeline Carey who is working as a carpenter, even though it’s clearly still a ‘man’s world’ in these fields. Her advice to other young women to ‘take a chance’ is the kind of attitude we need. Think of all the positions women now occupy in our world, thanks to so many others who had the same can-do attitude. As an old woman now I am amazed at the changes I’ve seen in my lifetime. We picked your magazine up on a visit through the area and were very impressed. Keep up the good work. - H. L. Johnson Toronto
We want your letters! Send us your thoughts to be featured on this page.
Ian McKechnie’s ‘Let There Be Light’ (Christmas edition) dwells on manmade electricity’s undeniable “magic,” “wonder,” and “charm.” Public and environmental health, however, requires neglected sobering information. Evidence, scientific and other, abounds attesting to dangers of human (ab-)use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Some has come to attention due to mass digital communications infrastructure. After plateauing for years, health care costs began inexorably rising from the late 1990s’ cell phone infrastructure deployment. Focus tends to be on things like cancers from prolonged device use. This distracts from the graver ethical problem of uninformed and involuntary continuous infrastructural exposures (e.g. smart meters, Wi-Fi, wireless internet, cell antennae, radar). Try reading two recent books (available in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton libraries) with coincidentally the same fore-title: Invisible Rainbow. A tiny excerpt from one, regarding the very period McKechnie mentions, “around 1890”: “suddenly […] doctors […] were overwhelmed by a flood of critically ill patients suffering from a strange disease […] influenza […] kill[ing] at least one million people.” The other Invisible Rainbow deals with how Western dosimetry increasingly can detect what has been taught in traditional Oriental medicine for millennia: that we are thoroughly subtle electrical beings. Electrical enablement has been huge disablement, by xenobiotic electrical interference and disruption. - Daryl Vernon Head Lake
The Lindsay Advocate welcomes your Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or length. Simply email thelindsayadvocate@gmail.com or mail to PO Box 1 Marsh Court, Lindsay, ON K9V 6J6. Please keep your letters to 200 words or less.
BENNS’ BELIEF
John A. Macdonald: RODERICK BENNS, PUBLISHER
HIS PAST IS OUR PAST
Sometimes when I walk by Lindsay’s iconic municipal building -- our former Town Hall -- I look up at that top-level balcony and imagine Sir John A. Macdonald speaking from there. Our first prime minister – whose birthday is Jan. 11 – visited Lindsay twice.The first time was as prime minister, in either 1872 or 1874 (records vary), and a second time he visited as leader of the opposition in 1877. Canada is a great nation that has been blessed with many fine leaders – and that certainly includes our first prime minister, at least in many aspects. Like any other country, though, we have segments of our history from the distant past that we are having trouble reconciling now. Macdonald’s treatment of indigenous people is one such aspect that has come under scrutiny, and rightly so. But too many are addressing this in an unhelpful way. Statues are being defaced or moved. Some school teachers now paint Macdonald one dimensionally. And all the while we are lashing out at Macdonald as if somehow he were separate from us. If our high opinion of ourselves as Canadians has taken a hit with the realization of what the residential school system was, then it is an opportunity for us to learn and grow as a society. Leadership is a collective responsibility. We see it embodied in one person, but in reality it is the personification of all of us. For 19 years we entrusted Macdonald with the unfolding of Canada as his life’s work. I truly believe we would be part of the U.S. and their hungry manifest destiny had it not been for the political ability of Macdonald. We look back now and we realize that many of the social policies we enacted – like the residential school system -- were indisputably wrong. But politicians always echo the population they serve. So if we don’t like some things we now see in Macdonald, then we don’t like this past version of ourselves, either, from more than a century ago. We can only choose to learn from this. As we elect our present crop of leaders, listen carefully for those who speak of curtailing rights or opportunities for others. Choose carefully, for how will our grandchildren’s grandchildren feel about the leaders we choose today?
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UPFRONT
Miranda Popovic, left, and Colleen Collins, right, of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce
Evening of Excellence awards now open
Each year the Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce honours excellence in Kawartha Lakes at the annual Evening of Excellence in order to recognize and honour the many noteworthy businesses and organizations with these prestigious awards. This year the evening will be held on Friday, June 7 at the Lakeview Arts Barn. The presenting sponsor is Cogeco which prepares the finalist videos and records the evening, airing it later on Cogeco TV. Nominations are open now until Friday, April 27, 2019. It is not necessary for the nominees to be members of the Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce. If you know of a deserving business or organization in our community visit LindsayChamber.com for more information on how to nominate or call the office 705-324-2393.
Million dollar makeover funding for CKL businesses Economic Development announced the launch of the Million Dollar Makeover funding program. There is over $1 million dollars in financial incentives available through loan and grant programs. Successful applicants will be able to use the funds to improve their commercial, mixed-use, or heritage designated residential buildings.
Funding is available to support eight types of improvement projects: 1. improving signage; 2. improving faรงades; 3. building repairs and renovations; 4. accessibility improvements; 5. heritage conservation; 6. outdoor art; 7. outdoor patios and 8. design studies Applications will be accepted until 4:30 pm on Jan. 17, 2019.Visit www.kawarthalakes.ca/makeover for more information.
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The Vision Thing:
New City Council talks 2019 and Beyond T R E VO R H U T C H I N S O N For the next four years, nine individuals will be collectively making decisions that will effect the day-to-day life of every resident of the City Of Kawartha Lakes. To get a snapshot of their priorities The Lindsay Advocate sent questions to our nine elected officials. Their replies have been edited to length based on requested word counts where necessary. Only councillors Pat Dunn and Emmett Yeo declined to participate.
MAYOR ANDY LETHAM Mayoral Question #1: Looking ahead to 2019, what are one or two of the most important issues council has to address and why? The long term financial framework approved by council needs to be adhered to. This is a long term vision to look after our assets and bring us to full sustainability. By not depending as much on other levels of government, we will be in a much more flexible position moving forward. Everything will become easier if we do this properly.
Mayoral Question #2: Describe your main goals and aspirations in your second term as mayor? This term needs to be the growth term. We did a lot of the hard work and foundation building last term and now is the time to build up. Responsible
spending, clear goals and community outreach from all corners of the municipality. Good positive feedback on next steps as we look forward.
THE COUNCILLORS OF THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES Question #1: Looking ahead to 2019, what are one or two of the most important issues council has to address and why? Councillor Ron Ashmore: Council needs to be very responsible and respectful of the taxpayers’ money. We need to keep a careful eye on our spending and debt levels. We are heading into tougher economic times and require more restraint. We need to do a better job attracting industry here to have more commercial tax base.We need to provide incentives to attract companies here to employ people. Councillor Doug Elmslie: The two most important issues are continuing our financial plan, which will build our reserves to a safe level, and increasing the amount of infrastructure repair and upgrades we do specifically on roads and bridges and in particular city streets and downtowns. Councillor Patrick O’Reilly: I believe the most important issues facing our municipality are economic development, growth and infrastructure. We need to maintain a balance of adequate programs and services while adhering to our 10-year financial plan.
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Affordability and sustainability are always key elements in the growth and life of a municipality. Councillor Tracy Richardson: Council will be focusing on growth and development for our City. With Hwy. 407 opening up just minutes from Hwy. 35 we have an opportunity to grow both our residential and commercial infrastructure. The City will actively seek new business, which in turn will lead to more jobs and a stronger local economy. Our housing market demand will also see an increase (as more people move here.)
Councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan: Our top priorities should be making steady progress on our established plan while also listening carefully to community members. We need to be advocates for transparency and consultation while we continue to work together to build a strong, financially sound and exciting future, one that improves the quality of life for all residents.
Councillor Andrew Veale: I think the most important issue for the City to address is growth and development. We need to work with individuals, and larger developers, who want to locate here, to help our city grow, and in turn help reduce the tax burden on our residents. We need to work to create a positive atmosphere that encourages companies to
do business here. Additionally we should strive to create an environment that will attract individuals with the necessary skills employers are looking for.
Question #2: What are one or two of the most important issues for people of your ward in 2019 and why? Councillor Ron Ashmore: People in Ward 6 want their roads improved ASAP. More gravelling, limit cold patching, and more hard topping roads. People want better customer service to resolve their issues. I have initiated a task force to resolve the wild rice issue on Pigeon Lake as I promised the people affected by this.
Councillor Doug Elmslie: In Ward 3 roads and bridges are the foremost concern, to be repaired and redone. Also, the downtown revitalization is a key project to be completed. [Cont’d on Page 10]
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Councillor Patrick O’Reilly: Roads, new development and
Councillor Tracy Richardson: I will be
service levels. We need to continue to improve upon our infrastructure and pursue new growth opportunities to sustain and enhance all that is required in these and all other areas. Example: police, fire, emergency services, affordable housing, agriculture, accessibility, transit, recreation, etc.
definitely vying for new projects in our ward, whether it is upgrades to our community usage buildings, park upgrades and our overall local infrastructure projects.
Councillor Tracy Richardson: The number one concern in
In Bobcaygeon, the Beach Park redesign and the new library are ideas that have been in the works for years and it’s exciting to help them now come to fruition. In Rosedale, we’re working on the parkette, and in Kinmount and Burnt River we’re mapping the Somerdale Tract/Victoria Rail Trail.
Ward 8 is our local road conditions. Over the years rural roads have been deteriorating with the general usage on an increase, so we need to catch up at a faster rate on our road projects and repairs. I will actively work with City staff to help address and access road infrastructure.
Councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan: Upgrading and maintaining roads will be a high priority. We’ll also focus on making arts, culture and tourism important economic drivers. We’ll grow and prosper by drawing visitors here, and making them love our beautiful area and stay.
Councillor Andrew Veale: In Ward 4 I believe roads are the biggest issue. We need to review the City’s five-year roads needs plan, and establish costs to bring more road upgrades forward faster, as well as reviewing if there are any cost savings realized by hard topping certain gravel roads. Part of that review should also deal with unassumed roads, and a decision needs to be made on how to handle them going forward. We also need to review and improve our winter control plan.
Councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan:
Councillor Andrew Veale: Did not respond to this question.
See more responses online at lindsayadvocate.ca. Look for ‘New City Council’s vision for 2019’
26 th Annual Kawartha Woodland Conference
Question #3: What new or continuing project in your ward are you most excited about in 2019 and why?
Featuring Keynote Speakers & Workshops On:
Councillor Ron Ashmore: I am working hard to secure
Forest Therapy
the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo to showcase Ward 6 agriculture and City of Kawartha Lakes to the world.
Invasive Species Hun�ng/OFAH
Councillor Doug Elmslie: There are a couple of projects
Woodland Ownership 101
that will really enhance the area: downtown revitalization in Fenelon Falls and the building of new washrooms and change rooms at Garnet Graham Park.
Woodland Wildcra�ing Intro to Technology - map making
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Councillor Patrick O’Reilly: The Logie Street Park and our joining community trails. This combined undertaking will provide unique opportunities to enjoy outdoor amenities in this ward and beyond.
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PROGRESSIVE POLICE CHIEF
PAGE 11-12 790 words
Sees Strong Community Partnerships as Key
RODERICK BENNS PHOTO: ERIN SMITH Back in high school in Streetsville in the mid 1980s, Mark Mitchell’s friend wanted to fill out an application to join the local police force in Peel Region. The only thing was, his friend didn’t have a car. Fortunately, Mitchell had his parents’ car and got him there to fill out the application. “I decided while I was there I might as well apply, too,” says Mitchell. In the end, his friend’s application was rejected while Mitchell was accepted onto the force. What started out as perhaps an afterthought by a young man just starting out, has turned into a distinguished career. Mitchell is now Chief Mark Mitchell of the Kawartha Lakes Police Service, having officially taken on the role Aug. 31, after former Chief John Hagarty retired. Mitchell began serving on the force in Lindsay in 1990, and so for 28 years has called this community
home. He served as an inspector for a decade before taking over the reins from Hagarty. Since he joined the force right after high school, Mitchell was determined to get his post-secondary credentials, which he did later in life, getting a BA in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Defense Studies. While he got great mentoring from Hagarty, Mitchell also knew when to take on key opportunities. One such opportunity saw Mitchell deploy to Afghanistan for a year in 2009-10, when he was seconded to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s International Peace Operations branch. That meant being deployed to Kandahar in Afghanistan. While he had to leave behind his wife, son, and daughter – with the kids in high school at the time – he said there was no easy time to do it. “But it was the right time in my career and they understood that.”
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[Cont’d on Page 12]
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At first Mitchell was embedded with the U.S. military and then the Canadian police task force as an adviser. It was a year he calls “an incredible experience.” His biggest take-away from his year overseas was about the “sheer complexity of injecting ourselves into the affairs of another country, and the unrealistic expectations” many held that real change could occur quickly. “Here was a country that was devastated by 50 years of conflict, as if we could fix that in a couple of years.” Mitchell says it will take a generation of commitment. “And even then it will be important to define success for Afghanistan, through their lens -- not by our values, or we risk drifting into colonialism.”
Whole Community Approach It’s obvious that Lindsay’s new police chief is a progressive thinker, not unlike his former mentor, Hagarty. In a discussion of the effects of poverty and its connection to police calls, Mitchell says there’s no doubt that the “vast majority” of calls are connected not only to lack of income, but to related issues of poverty, housing, education, mental health, and addictions. “Mental health issues can certainly lead to addictions, and sometimes addictions lead to mental health concerns,” says Mitchell. When he thinks back to the many calls he attended as an officer related to these issues, there’s one that jumps out. A woman called in to say there was a break-in at her Lindsay home and that the perpetrator was still there in her house. Officers, including Mitchell, responded quickly. When they arrived at her house, they found an elderly woman who pointed out the person who was still in her home – but there was no one there where she was pointing. “She was suffering from dementia and this underscored the need for compassion,” recalls Mitchell. It was clear she had low income and did not have the supports she needed. Police have come a long way in how these complex social issues are approached, with the understanding that enforcement alone can’t solve these challenges.
The Community Response Program is one way that things have changed. A police offer -Administrative Sergeant Dave Murtha – is teamed up with a mental health crisis nurse two days a week. The partnership between the police and Ross Memorial Hospital aims to help those in crisis who often end up at the hospital or in the justice system. In turn, they often bring issues to something called the ‘situation table,’ says Mitchell. It’s a group that meets bi-weekly, with representatives from various agencies such as police, health, mental health, education, Children’s Aid Society and housing. “We’ve seen tremendous success with this,” says Mitchell, “because we’re able to intervene earlier in all kinds of ways, with a range of expertise.” In 2017 there were over 200 cases brought to the situation table. There were 123 home visits made in response to those 200 cases, and of those 123 visits, only six of them resulted in contact with the police 30 days after. The Kawartha Lakes Police Service just recently adopted their new strategic plan for the next three years, with a focus on ‘Earning and Maintaining the Support of our Community.’ With Mitchell at the helm, it’s clear he aims to achieve this with progressive policing that is embedded and connected within the community.
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For Women Experiencing Domestic Abuse, Pets often used as Cruel Leverage WOMEN’S RESOURCES, PAWZ AND COMPANY, TO DO FUTURE TEAM-UP JOLI SCHEIDLER-BENNS More than half of women delay leaving an abusive partner because of concerns for their pets, according to research from the University of Windsor. Dr. Amy Fitzgerald, who released her research in 2017, also found a shocking 89 per cent of domestic violence cases that also involve some type of animal abuse. Women’s Resources, serving the City of Kawartha Lakes, has been working hard to solve the barriers for women who need to leave an abuser. Since 1992, they have had 32,454 crisis calls and the Victoria’s Shelter Program has supported 2,537 women and 2,180 children. Now they are working with Pawz and Company to help solve the challenge facing women who need to leave an abusive situation, but have pets. Executive Director Lori Watson of Women’s Resources explains that “we try to do what we can to reduce the barriers to women seeking help and fleeing abuse.” “It is true that often animals are abused as well.There is a high correlation between animal abuse and woman abuse. Many women are afraid to leave as they fear for the safety of their pets. We know of many cases where animals are tortured in front of women or children as a tactic the abuser uses,” says Watson. Watson says over the years they have tried many options to secure safe places for pets but sometimes these pets were not well behaved. Women’s Resources had previously set up a volunteer foster program to look at helping with the animals, but
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Thinking about upstream health is the real ticket to wellness RODERICK BENNS Our health always starts with our local environment, and the social conditions we find ourselves living in. But what steps can we take on an individual level to be more health conscious – and to be more proactive when it comes to our health? Dr. Jacquelyn Nicholls is the owner of Adelaide Clinic in Lindsay, which provides a wide range of health and wellness services, such as chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture. “As a whole, our society is far more likely to partake in ‘reactive’ healthcare services rather than thinking proactively,” she says. “Chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture promote health as upstream by focusing on health and wellness.” Nicholls points out that each of these professions utilizes hands-on, drug-free therapies. “In general terms, chiropractic…is best for joint pain and its associated problems. I often tell patients if two bones are coming together to make a joint and it hurts, chiropractic is for you,” she says. Nicholls says evidence has demonstrated that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulative therapy, can be an effective treatment for cervicogenic and tension-type headaches, and can decrease the intensity and frequency of migraines. She says other people may prefer massage if the pain is more like “a tight muscle, muscle knot or a feeling of tightness due to stress.” Acupuncture is helpful for shooting pain, a partially torn muscle, shoulder pain or general feelings of nausea and tiredness,“as well as for fertility, relaxation, post surgical pain, hay fever and fatigue.” Keeping the body limber and the mindset in one of “self-care” is partly the goal of yoga, according to Joey Henderson, owner of the Yoga Loft in Lindsay. “I often hear comments from people that they are ‘not good at yoga’ (but) the reality is that anyone can practice yoga, regardless of their age, shape, size, or
physical limitations,” Henderson says. “Yoga…allows us to calm ourselves, to slow down, and to find a healthier work-life balance,” she says. It’s about the self-discipline that comes with a regular, mindful routine. Dedication and commitment…making the time, scheduling classes… and then showing up,” are what matter most, she says. Henderson says with a dedicated practice, people begin to live “with intention, a sense of presence, mindfulness, compassion gratitude and joy.” “In turn, these intentions spread and overflow into our relationships, our work, and our interactions with others.” She notes yoga increases the function of all of our systems including, the regulation of adrenal glands, and digestive system, and helps to lower blood pressure, ease physical pain, as well as decrease anxiety, depression and negativity. [Cont’d on Page 17]
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Kawartha Lakes Pride Matthew Maddox
PHOTO: ERIN SMITH
I volunteer with Kawartha Lakes Pride because supporting and celebrating diversity in our community just makes sense. It started when my friend, Carrie Pearson, pointed out there were many LGBTQ+ people and allies in Kawartha Lakes but no one was representing them or bringing them together. In 2015 we formed Kawartha Lakes Pride and threw our first Pride Picnic. With an attendance of over 300 people at Victoria Park, in Lindsay, we validated that uniting the local LGBTQ+ community was very important. Growing up in Lindsay as a gay man there was no LGBTQ+ visibility. So, volunteering for KLP in association with Kawartha Lakes LGBTQ+ Coalition, PFLAG, Queer Youth Kawartha Lakes, the Cambridge Street United Church, and the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce, is bringing us out of the shadows and showing a younger generation that LGBTQ+ people are functioning, valued members of this community.
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Health and Wellness continued from page 15
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Of course, health also has to be about what goes inside our bodies. That’s where people like Julia Taylor, owner of Country Cupboard in Fenelon Falls, comes in. Her focus is on vitamins and supplements, she says, “so we tend to have a broader selection of supplement brands that offer nutrients in different forms and combinations to maximize absorbency.” “Health food stores also focus on a preventative approach to healing, with the remedies often having little to no adverse side effects,” Taylor says. She adds her prices are competitive with pharmacies when comparing apples to apples in terms of product offerings. Taylor says everyone from doctors,to naturopathic doctors,and holistic nutritionists, among other professionals, often recommend high quality supplements and remedies from health food stores. “Health food stores improve the quality of life by offering products free from additives and chemicals (and) dietspecific products for those who cannot tolerate or choose not to have certain foods in their diets,” Taylor says, which also includes herbal remedies not necessarily recognized by conventional medicine. Sometimes we don’t think of hearing as related to our overall health, but that would be a mistake, according to Sean Lennox, an audiologist from Helix. [Cont’d on Page 26]
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Tourist Town:
To close or not to close in Fenelon Falls GEOFF COLEMAN When the Fenelon Falls business that has survived the longest in one location, under the same ownership first opened, the Cow and Sow Eatery’s Dickon Robinson was repeatedly asked a seemingly simple question: “Are you going to stay open all year?” Residents had learned that restaurants in the tourist town did not always operate year-round, even if they didn’t really know why. Robinson chose to stay open all year, and 22 years later he still operates 364 days, but the bottom line is not his only motivation. A block away and entering their third year, Murphy’s Lockside Pub and Patio. Owners Jason Lynn and Heather Storey answer that question by closing Mondays and for about a month in late fall. With twothirds of their seating outside, they are at the mercy of the weather all year. A rainy July day might as well be December to someone hoping to sit on a patio. With industry-average margins of between three and eight per cent, restaurants rely on volume to generate profits. As the tourist influx becomes an outflux after Labour Day, both owners say there are many days when staying open actually costs them money. Insurance, wages, heating and taxes don’t change with the seasons, and independent Kawartha restaurants routinely pay more for food products than those in Toronto, often also facing a fuel surcharge for delivery. So why don’t restaurants just shutter the doors at the first snow? Turns out the choice is not solely driven by money. As Heather Storey puts it, Murphy’s only closes for a month because, “We love our business, we love our customers. This business is our first thought in the morning and last at night.” She goes on to say, “We are ‘locals’ -- newly transplanted -- but we consider ourselves locals. We would hate to live in a town if all the businesses closed every year. We like to eat out too, and not at the same place everyday.”
PHOTO: GEOFF COLEMAN Cow and Sow Eatery’s Dickon Robinson
The Cow and Sow’s Robinson adds he initially decided to remain open year-round because it reflected what the year-round population wanted. He didn’t expect that it would prove to almost be necessary from a staffing standpoint. Robinson states one of his biggest difficulties is attracting and keeping quality people. And, after investing considerable time in training an employee, closing for the winter means that you will likely lose them since their bills don’t go away, either. With a small workforce to draw from, finding a reliable employee that represents your operations well is a challenge. Storey supports that viewpoint. “We cannot risk laying everyone off and scrambling for replacements every spring and maintain the service levels and product offerings we expect for ourselves.”
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Adult literacy:
A National Imperative
A comprehensive education system is not only focused on children but also includes the possibility for adults to engage in lifelong learning. Policy makers are fully aware that a good education enhances individual self-confidence, fosters a love of learning and the desire for knowledge acquisition. It enhances human capability and the prosperity of a nation. For many adults in Canada, the basic capacity for effective utilization of language within a broader cultural, political and economic context, contributes to individual and community well-being. Many have said that education is a powerful force in one’s ability to interact socially, to make sense of their world, and to exchange ideas with others. It equips learners with a toolkit of lifelong skills to participate fully within a society and deal with issues critically and analytically. The proper functioning of democracies requires a literate citizenry.
CUPE recently asserted that governmental and provincial support of literacy initiatives has diminished, both in terms of funding and resources; that this has had damaging effects on the industry nationwide, and that, for marginalized groups in particular, being literate builds confidence and promotes culture through meaning-making and cultural production. There is cause for concern if we consider literacy to be the foundation of a healthy, productive, and intellectually fruitful society. But we must expand our notion of literacy well beyond what we had in school years ago. The ‘literacies” identified by Dustin Summey, includes computer, cultural, game, media, multi-media, network, social, visual, web, information, digital literacy and ‘new’ literacies. Many practitioners view literacy skills as intrinsically tied to health,
www.lindsayadvocate.ca
[Cont’d on Page 23]
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Imagining a plastic-free life SYLVIA KEESMAAT We often talk about the way in which plastic ends up in our oceans and our landfills, killing sea creatures in the first instance and leaching toxins into the soil in the second. But we don’t focus too much on where that plastic comes from. It is all made from oil; oil that is “refined” from the tar extracted from a destroyed habitat while inching our climate towards uninhabitable temperatures. But how can we live without plastic, now that we depend upon it for almost everything? While it can seem overwhelming, why not try a few things to get started? Here are some tips:
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PERSONAL HYGIENE
Avoid using liquid soaps and body washes, which not only come in plastic bottles but also use plastic to maintain their fluidity. Use old fashioned bar soaps. You can also purchase shampoo and conditioner in bar soap, available in local health food stores. Not only are these bars much cheaper than shampoo and conditioner, they also have no plastic packaging. Note that your hair may take a week or two to get used to a bar soap. Many people also use baking soda and water to wash their hair and apple cider vinegar to rinse. Look for the latter in a glass bottle. Instead of plastic menstrual products try using the Diva Cup or reusable cotton pads. In a similar theme, choose cloth diapers over disposable. Bamboo toothbrushes are also available in local health food stores, as are the reusable cotton pads.
101 Kent Street West • 705.878.5556 www.hamiltoncreek.ca
NATURE NOTES WITH SUZANNE ALDEN
Eye and Mighty: The Owl
IN THE KITCHEN
Use glass jars or containers to store food in the fridge. Glass is also excellent for freezing, providing you leave space at the top for liquids to expand. Be careful to defrost slowly. Instead of plastic wrap use beeswax coated cloth for wrapping. These can be bought new or handmade. Instead of a salad spinner, whirl your greens in a salad bag or a clean pillow case (this works best outside). In addition to carrying your own travel mug, carry your lunch in reusable stainless steel containers and a cloth bag. Carrying some extra cutlery also helps avoid disposable plastics.
Find the full article online at lindsayadvocate.ca.
All owls have tubular shaped eyeballs which causes the eyes to be unable to move. However, they can rotate their head 270 degrees to make up for this. Owls can see very well in the daytime, but to do so, may half close their eyes making them look sleepy. They also have excellent hearing, and can hear prey under dirt and snow. Keep an ‘eye’ out for Snowy Owls for the next few months.
Adult Literacy
continued from page 21
Gra d Clo uation se Is You r Than Thi nk!
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stable finances, and engagement in civic participation. If a society does not invest in literacy in all its forms it will inevitably have long-lasting negative effects. Education, in general and literacy in particular liberates the human mind and the human spirit. It instills an insatiable appetite for learning. It ignites within students a strong motivation to achieve. It inculcates the norms and values that are important for the preservation of our democracy. Education promotes, among other ideals, a high regard for democratic principles and human rights. It is the ultimate tool of empowerment.
Education contributes to Canada’s prosperity as a nation. Statistics Canada told us a few years ago that a mere one percentage gain in literacy, for example, brings back $18.5 billion dollars to the economy. So education does not only provide an essential social service, it also contributes to Canada’s prosperity as a nation. Our future mandate has to be to build upon our current successes, support our teachers, principals and all those engaged in education to ensure that every child growing up in Canada, regardless of background or personal circumstances, has access to high quality education. This will allow them to expand their life choices and enhance their life chances. It will contribute to improved adult literacy rates in the future. Schools cannot do this alone. If we care about adult literacy, it is also our collective responsibility to advocate for K-12, as well as college and university resources as well. We also must support literacy programs for newcomers, seniors, marginalized populations and all those who want to be lifelong learners. Strong advocacy is needed to ensure that Canada continues to invest in adult learning programs. Dr. Avis Glaze is an International Education Adviser, former CEO and Chief Student Achievement Officer for Ontario, and founder and CEO of Edu-quest International. She served as the Director of Education for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.
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Luis and Leanna Segura:
Fresh food, hip hop and climbing for mangoes FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS WITH JAMIE MORRIS After Christmas excesses ‘tis now the season for New Year’s resolutions. If healthier eating and food choices that have a lower impact on the environment top your list, you might want to kick off your new regime by dropping in to Fresh FueLL on Kent Street. Inside, you’ll probably find Luis and Leanna Segura, the two “Ls” in “FueLL” and motive force of the business, now beginning its fourth year. When I drop in one chilly morning the Seguras take time to sit down with me at a table by a wall entirely taken up by a blackboard covered with colourful chalk sketches and “Fun Facts” about everything from avocados to veganism. As Luis’s mother tends to customers I learn about their innovative business and hear an interesting backstory. Before I leave I also have a chance to followup on a story that put their faces on the cover of the Advocate’s very first issue.
The Business On the menu at Fresh FueLL are salads with vegan, store-made dressings, wraps, over 20 smoothie options, and more. Customers customize their selections, choosing from a range of fresh veggies and nuts, grains, and proteins. Every day a few new customers come through the door, but the Seguras also have lots of devoted regulars. There is, for example, the 85-year-old who makes a three-kilometre trek for her 20 oz protein shake. Over the past couple of years the business has spun off in interesting directions. As parents of four kids (the oldest just 8) the Seguras understand the challenge of ensuring children are eating well, so they offer busy parents prepared bag lunches containing a wrap, vegetable and fruit, a protein, a dessert and water.
They’re providing some school lunch programs with the same sorts of offerings. So far Parkview, Pope John Paul, Grandview and Queen Victoria P.S. have bought in. And then there’s the food-trailer. Last March Leanna found a Kijiji listing for a food trailer. They bought it, dug it out of a snowbank in Barry’s Bay and with the help of some grants rebuilt it, floor to ceiling. It was ready to roll in September and gave fair-goers in Lindsay and Bobcaygeon healthy alternatives to corn dogs and funnel cake. Expect to see the trailer next year when the Farmer’s Market at Wilson’s Fields re-opens.
The Backstory Leanna’s story is -- she’ll forgive me for this -not the stuff of high adventure. She grew up in the Lindsay area, attended LCVI, and later studied Fitness and Health Promotion at Humber College. That led to a position as trainer at a Toronto gym, Fitness Connection, which is where her story intersects with Luis’ story.
Luis’s story is a different matter. He was born in El Salvador. Although the country was war-torn, Luis was largely unaffected. He remembers trips to the ocean on weekends, swimming in a lake formed in the crater of an extinct volcano, and summers on his grandfather’s farm. Good times and food. “I’d climb a mango or guava tree and eat the fruit!” he tells me. When he and his cousins were thirsty they’d knock some lemons down for lemonade. On Sundays there’d be his grandmother’s sopa de pata, a rich stew of plantain, sweet corn, squash, tripe, and a cow’s foot. So rich and filling that afterwards they would nap. When he was eight the civil war precipitated emigration to Canada. They settled in Toronto’s Parkdale area. From there it was on to Little Italy and then Newmarket for high school. Over those years he acquired two enduring passions. Basketball was one (at 41, he still plays in a league, once a week at the Boys and Girls Club. The other was hip hop (his band, Los Poetas, is currently making a second album and has gigs booked in Elora and Toronto this summer). After high school, Luis moved to Toronto to pursue his music career. Music didn’t always pay the bills, so he took on part-time jobs, including a job at . . . Fitness Connection. Turned out a young trainer there, Leanna, was not only a co-worker, but lived in the same apartment complex Luis had moved into. Long story short, they married, moved up here (Leanna’s parents run Foodland in Little Britain) and identified the need for what became Fresh FueLL.
The Cover Story So, about the photo on the cover of the first issue of the Advocate? The Seguras were on the cover because of their involvement with the Basic Income project. Every basic income story is unique. It turns out that for the Seguras this has been a happy story. They applied as a couple for one year of Basic Income. Community Futures (CFDC) loans had gotten them started, and this was another resource, with an added benefit to society -- their participation would add useful data. “The money didn’t go into the growing business,” Leanna tells me, “but it did help on the personal side of things.” As they put in long hours growing their business, the basic income could cover daycare and afterschool care and provide a buffer. Afternote: For those looking for healthy lifestyle inspiration, one final anecdote. Luis’ grandfather is still in El Salvador. He enjoys climbing trees to pick mangoes. He’s 95-years-old.
WRAPS. SMOOTHIES. SALADS. Bundled. Healthy. Goodness. We all need to be surrounded by fresh, healthy and delicious food, in an environment that nurtures and promotes positive energy! Fresh Fuell is that place! We want to help you save time by providing a place where you and your children can eat healthy.
Where to find us: 146 Kent St. W Downtown Lindsay Fuell Talk: 705-878-FUEL(3835)
www.freshfuell.com
cdf www.lindsayadvocate.ca
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ALZHEIMER SOCIETY
can help with support
Do you or someone you know suffer from memory loss, mood changes, or other impacts of dementia? Contact the Alzheimer Society to get the support you need.We provide connections to medical professionals, classes for coping with the impacts of dementia, and social networks so you never have to feel alone. Contact 705-878-0126, or info@ AlzheimerJourney.ca, or online atalzheimer.ca/pklnh In March, we plan to offer our Minds in Motion program in Lindsay. This gentle exercise program for people living with dementia and their care partners helps build strength and balance so they can remain independent in their homes and active in the community. Combined with cognitive challenges and social interaction, MiM slows the progress of dementia and builds bonds with others. For more information or to help us meet our $5,000 goal, contact Jenn at jennifer@alzheimerjourney.ca or 1-800-561-2588 We support people with dementia, their care partners, family members and other community members in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton. Contact us if you need support, wish to volunteer, would like to donate, or are looking for more info.
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Health and Wellness continued from page 17
“Many people do not take action on their hearing loss until they have difficulty communicating with other people, which can cause them to experience loneliness and isolation,” he explains. “Hearing loss can impact you as well as your loved ones. The key is to understand the implications and consult with a hearing care professional.” Lennox says hearing well contributes to better social interaction, family connection, and workplace productivity. “It is linked to everything we do every single day.” There has been a rapid development in the technology to help people with hearing loss within the last few years. For instance, the new Widex EVOKE hearing aid that Helix carries adjusts the quality of your listening experience in real time, instantly making adjustments for a personalized listening environment. As in all cases, being health conscious involves finding the right professional when challenges like hearing become obvious. In other cases, being proactive through eating well, the mindfulness of yoga, and the preventive maintenance of chiropractic, massage and other wellness measures will make for a better new year, all year.
www.lindsayadvocate.ca
Women Leaving Abuse Fear for Safety of their Pets [Cont’d from Page 13]
there were too many incidents of property damage and biting which made it a liability issue. “Also when women leave, they often do not have a plan of where they will end up going beyond the shelter. Sometimes when they try to leave with their pets, they end up having to relocate or take housing where the pet cannot be accommodated,” explains the executive director. In some cases, they know that women cannot always return to claim the pet. “Then there is the financial reality that when women leave, they are often plunged into poverty or have to live on social income. They often don’t have the finances to look after their pets,” says Watson. Deborah Dixon, owner of Pawz and Company, says they are “many months away” from being able to provide a temporary place for dogs, cats, and smaller pets (like hamsters or gerbils, etc.) Dixon says that all the staff have a true passion and devotion at Pawz and Company when it comes to caring for animals, but “there are serious logistical hurdles to cross, among other things, before anything can be done.” “In cases of animals in the home when women are in abusive situations, offering a haven to remove this barrier that could allow the woman to leave is a natural fit,” for us, says Dixon, who feels very strongly about giving back to the community. According to a Canadian film, The War At Home, one in five women experience some form of abuse and every six days a woman is killed by her intimate partner. The economic costs for violence against women is high. Each year it costs the Canadian criminal justice system $684 million, police services $187 million and counselling services $294 million.
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Kawartha Conservation
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justINTIME
with IAN MCKECHNIE
Bards of the Kawarthas: Our poetic past
Many years ago, when my father taught school fulltime, a highlight of the academic year for his students occurred on or around the 25th of January – the birthday of Robert Burns (1759-1796), the “Bard of Ayrshire,” who is widely regarded as Scotland’s national poet. For over 30 years, students in Mr. McKechnie’s classroom celebrated the legacy of this literary legend by reciting portions of To A Mouse and Auld Lang Syne, among other works; enjoying a cup of tea; and feasting on the Abernethy biscuits and shortbread made by his grandmother and mother, respectively. Dad was brought up in a household where the poetic genius of Robert Burns was especially treasured. My grandfather, the late Allan Peacock McKechnie (1923-1998) was a devotee of Burns, and growing up, I heard more about Robert Burns than I think I ever did about the Canadian poets whose work I would later study at Trent University while completing a degree in English Literature. January 25th 2019 marks the 260th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, and while we rightly celebrate the works of Burns and other poetic greats, we should also take the time to reflect on how people in Kawartha Lakes have captured their sense of place and occupation through couplets and free-verse. Just as artefacts and artworks function as windows into our collective past, so do those rhymes
of old, three of which we’ll look at in this month’s column. Perhaps the most well-known poet to have made his home in Lindsay was William McDonnell (18141900), an Irish-born businessman who made his home on the west bank of the Scugog River, where the Royal Canadian Legion hall is now located. McDonnell was an accomplished writer, producing a three-act opera called The Fisherman’s Daughter, several novels, and two long narrative poems. One of these poems, “Manita,” tells of a love affair between a young indigenous man and the daughter of a Huron chief in the region now known as Sturgeon Point. It begins:
“
The sultry summer day was near its close, A ruddy glow still lingered in the west, As the red sun ‘ere sinking to repose Spread wide his last rays o’er the lake’s calm breast.
”
Though McDonnell’s taking it upon himself to compose a poem about a culture and a people other than his own might raise eyebrows today, his choice of language throughout “Manita” may reflect his own idealized picture of Sturgeon Point – a place to which Lindsay residents travelled in the summer to savour its placid waters and peaceful forests. Capturing that sense of place seems to be as much a part of his artistic goal as is relating the story of Manita and her lover, Ogemah.
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Other settlers, in trying to capture a sense of place, described their communities in language that all but sounds like it could have been inspired by the great English poet, William Blake (1757-1827). “My Grand Resolvent Views,” composed anonymously around 1884, paints an almost Romantic picture of Frankhill, down in Emily Township:
“
The first grand scene we introduce in competition’s test The scenery we do produce of which Frankhill is blest, The beauty of its verdant fields, its hills and valleys fair, All richly dressed in nature’s green, its balmy sunlit air, And if you wish the scene to change, another view to take, Beneath the dazzling splendor lies the far-famed Pigeon lake;
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”
While poets past and present have used their art to articulate their awe about a place (what the Romantics called “the sublime”), others offer simple sketches through clever couplets – much like a traditional nursery rhyme. Asa Gildersleeve Churchill, an obscure poet of the late 19th Century, was a master at this. Among his works is the Poetical Directory of Lindsay and Businessmen of the Surrounding Country (1872), wherein Churchill employs simple and memorable verses that capture the character of Lindsay and Victoria County at a time when both were basking in the optimism of postConfederation Canada:
“
See Scugog’s powerful waters flow Through Lindsay Town, Ontario, And County of Victoria, In British North America... ...Rich townships round this city stand Like gardens in the Promised Land, – Ops, Emily,Verulam, Fenelon wide, And Mariposa are her pride...
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Face cords of firewood
”
Of course, though it is one thing to sketch out one’s poetic reflections of a place in the third-person – as McDonnell and Churchill do – it is quite another to describe it in more subjective, more personal terms. That was clearly the goal of C.R. Ashman around 1924, when Lindsay celebrated “Old Home Week,” and to him we give the last word:
Wood pellets
“
What do I find when I go back To my home town? Ghost faces of the past I see, A story’s written round each tree, Old friends in dreams to welcome me, To my home town.
”
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Missed it online?
Living wage $18.42 an hour in Kawartha Lakes RODERICK BENNS As the PC government puts the brakes on the minimum wage, new figures just released show that a living wage in Kawartha Lakes for a family of four is more than $4 higher than Ontario’s current minimum wage. Local health officials say the gap is “worrisome” at a time when well-paying, full-time jobs continue to decline, and part-time employment can be unstable and unpredictable. New calculations from the Ontario Living Wage Network show a family of four in Kawartha Lakes – with both parents working full-time – would each have to earn a living wage of $18.42 per hour in order to cover basic expenses in 2018. It is the highest in Ontario after Toronto and Haliburton. “The living wage is what a family of four – two parents and two children – needs to earn in 2018 to pay its bills and avoid living in poverty.” -- mary lou mills
“The living wage is what a family of four – two parents and two children – needs to earn in 2018 to pay its bills and avoid living in poverty,” says Mary Lou Mills, a social determinants of health nurse with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. “Unfortunately, with many support programs being cancelled or delayed, and the growth of unstable employment, the income gap in Kawartha Lakes is only going to get worse leaving low-income earners facing an even greater financial crunch.” “A living wage is different than the minimum wage,” Mills notes. “While a living wage reflects the true cost of living in one community, a minimum wage is legislated and is the same across Ontario.” “Generally, businesses that pay a living wage see an increase in productivity, experience less staff turnover and save on hiring and training costs. When low-paid workers earn a living wage, they also tend to spend most of it in their local economy, which contributes to stronger economic growth.”
Transforming businesses across the City of Kawartha Lakes one makeover at a time. The Million Dollar Makeover is a funding program available to support property and business owners in improving the visual and functional aspects of their commercial, mixeduse commercial/residential or heritage designated buildings. The City has over one million dollars in financial incentives available through loan and grant programs. For full details on the funding programs available, visit www.kawarthalakes.ca/makeover Application deadline is January 17, 2019 by 4:30pm
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Internet Telephone Security
www.nexicom.net
Mickaël’s Café Librairie
A Taste of France in Lindsay A second location coming to Lindsay in 2019! As I watched our little French bakery grow so much in the past year, two things came to mind. One is how grateful I am for the community support that made this possible. Two, I am absolutely convinced that Lindsay (and all of Kawartha Lakes) is on the rise, economically and culturally. This town is such an attractive place to live, to visit, and to invest in – and people are noticing.
That’s why we’re going to open a second location here in Lindsay this year. Let me tell you why. I used to work in the distillery district of Toronto, running a bakery there, and I still have two bakeries in France. Out of all of them, Lindsay is the best. Do you know why? It’s growing. It has amazing potential. It wants to see more diversity in food choice.
MONDAY 8:00-5:30 TUESDAY 8:00-5:30 WEDNESDAY 8:00-5:30 THURSDAY 8:00-5:30 FRIDAY 8:00-5:30 SATURDAY 8:00-5:30 SUNDAY CLOSED
So we will bring two bakers from France to help us grow. We are going to embrace Lindsay with our business investment, just as the community has embraced us. We will always stand for quality. We will always invest in the skills of our people. (We now employ 10 people, all making between $15-$20 an hour). We will always be a part of our community. I don’t need to go to the Big City to succeed. We can succeed right here. Thank you for our amazing 2018! Merci!
- Mickaël Durand
230 Kent St. W., Lindsay 705.341.4143