Originally this was to appear as the winter newsletter but we have all been busy so welcome to the
better-late-than-never Winter Newsletter Spring 2015 Edition!
The colours of the fall leaves around Kamaniskeg were the best in recent memory. Please send us any great photographs of the area in any season to share with others if your camera got lucky?
With the previous winter being so long and cold and the ice extra thick (ie 42″), such that some ice fishermen needed extensions to their ice augers, the summer seemed compressed. It was a race to get docks in with the late start and the pace sustained throughout the summer. Whether you figure your summer season was 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks, it all seemed to pass so quickly. So much for the slow, leisurely pace of yesteryear.
KAPOA would like to thank all its Directors and Area Membership Reps for their time and energy to help make our properties safer and more enjoyable by working together.
Municipal Elections
Madawaska Valley (Barry’s Bay, Combermere & Wilno), Renfrew County
Oct 27 brought substantial change in the Madawaska Valley Council with a new mayor and KAPOA member, Kim Love, directing an almost clean sweep of council with the only returning Councillor, Carl Bromwich, now joined by Ernie Peplinski, Shelley Maika, & Elser Lee Faith Archer, a result satisfactory to KAPOA and the Citizens Action Coalition.
MV Mayor Kim Love has already contacted KAPOA to arrange for a meeting with all cottage associations in the municipality to address stakeholder issues on a fully cooperative basis. A meeting will be scheduled for later on when more seasonal residents are available. Encouraging.
Hastings Highlands (Maynooth), Hastings County
HH enjoys a ward system which means voters make a selection for a mayor and two Ward councillors.
Incumbent mayor, Vivian Bloom returns, as did our Ward 1 Councillor Bert Cannon. Tracy Hagar, an owner/operator of a small business in Maynooth, was newly elected as our other ward councillor.
Hastings Highlands will NOT enjoy garbage pick up starting January 2015 but the cost savings are still not sufficient to offset the increase in policing costs. HH is again searching for a new CAO, not abating the hiring turnstile. Also, HH is currently being sued for tender procedure violations. Stay tuned.
Thanks: KAPOA appreciates all political action committee members for their efforts on these fronts.
KAPOA Storage Container
A 40 foot container sporting a large KAPOA banner is located at 668 Kamaniskeg Lake Rd and presently stores association items for regattas, poker runs, etc.
Around the Lake
New Inn Towne Restaurant, Combermere, 613-756-3522
Inn Town, the bus stop restaurant beside the Combermere Post Office, was renovated last spring by new owners, Tanya & Mark Gienow and re-opened as New Inn Towne to a good local business. The family had a restaurant in Palmer Rapids so they know what they are doing. It’s great to have a good, all day, local eatery with good fare at fair prices. We wish them well and plan to keep testing their great hospitality.
Pantry Savings, Barry’s Bay, 55 Bay St 613-756-3813
Liz Orr acquired the existing bulk & health food business and has expanded the product lineup with her extensive knowledge of foods in general as well as health foods. For example, ask her about probiotics or even the known contaminants in almonds. And well priced as might not be expected in a smaller community like Barry’s Bay. In addition to the expected bulk foods and vitamins are spices and safe cleaning products. Check it out and ask yourself how Barry’s Bay warrants such a great spot when it takes forever to get a Tim Hortons.
Tim Hortons is Now Open
The much discussed Barry’s Bay Tim Hortons opening status is now resolved. It opened the Sunday that hockey in town started so we can attest that the hot chocolate is good also. Welcome as well and finally.
Barry’s Bay Gas Stations
Gasoline used to be particularly expensive in Barry’s Bay when there was only one provider. Now that Shell has opened their location on Hwy 62 out near Home Hardware, prices have come down substantially. And Ultramar opened up third on Hwy 60, North of town. We wish them all well.
Of Interest
Hydro Costs Rising
Please see the linked article explaining how our best intended politicians can saddle utilities with costs that we consumers and/or taxpayers are obliged to pay. Or don’t if you want to keep your blood pressure normal.
Boating Safety
It has come to our attention that a number of boats are involved in the unsafe practice of navigating at speed between floating rafts and shore. This practice is clearly in violation of the safe boating guidelines speed limit of 10 km/h required for boats closer than 30m or 100 feet from shore, (unless heading straight out for starts while pulling skiers, wake-boarders, tubes, etc). Particularly dangerous situations arise when swimming lessons are being conducted such as in Barry’s Bay and Combermere. Most folks exercise good common sense and avoid these potential problem areas where swimmers and divers are more likely to be present. Safe boating!
Fines for Boating Infractions
The following infractions could cost you dollars and occasionally points, so beware. Abbreviated from page 71 of the Transport Canada Safe Boating Guide.
1) $200 fine: defective or unavailable safety equipment; operating human powered craft w/o sufficient PFDs ( plus $100 for each PFD missing).
2) $250 fine: towing people in water or air w/o seating space on board for all being towed; towing w/o watcher; under-age operator; proof of competency on board; no pleasure craft license on board; improper muffler;
3) $350 fine: defacing hull serial number; operating carelessly.
4) $500 fine: operating unsafely.
Kamaniskeg Microburst
This past summer, several cottages on Parcher Road suffered damage as a micro-burst felled a substantial number of trees. The winds were circular as was evident from the angles of trees where they fell.
KAPOA News
Ongoing Projects awaiting Approvals and/or Funding
An application has been submitted to MNR & F to obtain permission for a Weather Station on Parcher Island. Madawaska Valley is preparing a letter of support for our application and some outside funding is already committed.
Water Hazard Signs
to be installed at the three Kamaniskeg launch ramps is being supported by the Greening and Combermere Recreation committee. Designs are being discussed and grant funding explored.
KAPOA Valley Gazette SFMH Foundation Poker Run
KAPOA helped contribute $9,320 to the hospital Foundation, up from a first year amount of $6,000.
As our part of our ‘Think Pink’ program, these amounts paid by generous donors will be entirely allocated to paying down the lease-purchase of a new digital mammography unit, already in and operating successfully.
Under the capable guidance of co-chairs, Dr Ed Ragan & Mark Lyon, KAPOA members pitched in with the Valley Gazette and Hospital Foundation staff to produce this enjoyable lake tour picking up lucky cards for winning hands for valuable prizes.
Dues Payment Options
KAPOA dues have been $20 per year since most people can remember and this amount can still be paid by cheque or cash. Dues are typically paid to an Area Membership Rep, or at various KAPOA events such as the Regatta, AGM, Poker Run, Bay Day; and Director’s Meetings. By popular demand and for your dues payment convenience, KAPOA now can accept credit cards by our accepting the modest discount (ie 2.75%). We can now accept Interac e-Transfers as well.
With al these payment options, you can remit your 2015 KAPOA dues at your earliest convenience using your preference of the two payment options below.
1) e-Transfer your $20 membership dues to pay.kapoa@gmail.com . When you log into your bank site, look for the Transfers tab and next the Interac e-Transfer tab and then follow the instructions.
Keep the security question simple, with the answer being ‘kamaniskeg’, (single word, all lower case letters, and watch for typos )? In the comments section, include your cottage owner name and your 911 street address so the payment can be cross checked and a 911 sticker can be mailed out when available. This is the fastest and easiest way to pay if you bank on-line and the bank charges to you for e-Transfers typically approximates the cost of an envelope and postage.
2) Mail a $20 cheque, payable to: KAPOA, to KAPOA, Box 297, Barry’s Bay, ON K0J 1B0 ; along with your cottage owner name and street address clearly recorded on the back of the cheque for cross reference.
Some associations apparently receive over a third of their dues by E-Transfer, just to let you know how popular this option has become in some circles. Many thanks in advance for your continued support, regardless how you choose to pay. And please be sure to display your 911 KAPOA membership stickers to ensure everyone appreciates your endorsement and support.
Canadian Anti Spam Legislation (CASL)
Starting the 2014 summer, this new legislation kicked in and becomes progressively more restrictive and/or better enforced as the law comes fully into effect within two years. While this law is targeted at the biggest nuisance offenders such as businesses attempting to sell exotic non essentials, it really affects everybody to some degree, except charities and/or political parties, which are exempted. To help KAPOA remain compliant, we ask that you regularly communicate your continued interest by following the request to sustain newsletter contact, much like a re-subscription, but without any additional subscription costs. If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from the our newsletters, contact us here: newsletter@kapoa.ca.
What do I get for my $20 (still) annual KAPOA membership dues?
Kamaniskeg cottagers have commented on some issues that bother them and we would like to address them here.
At one point, KAPOA had fire pumps located strategically around the lake to help in the event of a fire. Various problems arose including: the requirement and cost of regular/annual (at least) equipment maintenance; the replacement of stale gasoline; the nuisance of quarterly testing in water; the requirement to dry hoses after use to prevent mildewing; the replacement of pumps themselves when maintenance was not completed or improperly done; and so on. The major concern and deciding factor was insurance companies not accepting the liability implicit in having pumps and the belief that pumps will save the day. It is too much to expect to always find properly functioning pumps, fully ready, stored where they are expected (and not out on some other job or being tested or maintained), that will start correctly and immediately for an untrained user, unfamiliar with that engine. The net result is that virtually no property owner association today still provides fire pumps when traditional fires services, paid or volunteer, are available within five or ten miles distance.
Cliques are being formed to exclude certain property owners. To dispel that myth, give any KAPOA director a call and tell them you seriously want to help out with any existing project and/or start a new one that has benefit to our population at large, such as water quality, invasive species, roads quality & maintenance, fishing, forestry, municipal involvement, and so on and watch how fast you have a position and a volunteer career. Those that work well with others in a democratic manner are essential to the ongoing success of our organization.
No marina gasoline is available on Kamaniskeg. Satisfying Ministry of Environment regulations regarding avoiding fuel spills and water contamination are now so onerous and expensive that most small marinas will not pump enough fuel to be able to afford to economically provide that service. Unfortunately, that convenience is history and we are relegated to carrying fuel in whatever approved containers we can muster and then transfer the fuel to the tanks in our boats. There are even risks of our own fuel spillage associated with these transfers so caution is appropriate. KAPOA is powerless to do anything about that, so unless a new marina chooses to counter the recent trend, we are unlikely to find fuel available in the near future on Kamaniskeg.
Water hazards are NOT marked. Well KAPOA has been working on that too. Some who have complained that we lacked hazard markers on the shoal between Chippawa Resort & Parcher Island may have noticed that we replaced them approximately twelve times over the summer. Various people have individually replaced the markers several times. One could imagine severe weather storms removing them occasionally. Some fishermen have suggested to us that other folks are trying to hide the best fishing locations, but we cannot confirm that. MNR&F informs us that they do NOT remove markers, official or otherwise, nor do they know of any other authority that would remove markers either so we are left wondering what irresponsible people would deliberately put another vessel at risk, or possibly even loss of life. Please let us know if you have any information in this regard? Poker Run Maps presently indicate Hazards and locations.
We are putting finishing touches on a new easy-to-use, easier-to-update KAPOA web site. It’s coming soon, watch for it!
You may wish to print off all or some of this newsletter, especially the portion containing the schedule of events coming up next year.
