The Gananoque Police Services Board met on Friday and on their agenda once again was the issue of graffiti that can be seen all over the town.

In a meeting that took place last Friday, the Gananoque Police Services Board had the problem of vandalism in the town on the top of their agenda. Not surprisingly, this wasn’t the first time the problem was discussed.

To address the issue, the police service recently put up posters of the “tags” and street signatures used by local vandals. These posters were displayed for the public to see throughout the town, with police asking residents if they recognize any of the tags.

So far, the problem seems to have diminished after the posters were put up and the public was informed, with fewer graffiti reports coming in, this according to Gananoque Chief Kai Liu.

Aside from this measure, teachers in local schools have also been meeting more to share what they know and see if any of the tags are familiar. The primary suspects are speculated to be youths, so seeking them in schools just might work. Those selling spray paint have also been notified to request identification from customers who purchase them.

The Town of Gananoque runs into problems—both administrative and having to do with its residents—every now and then, but one particular problem has bothered the town for years, and that’s the number of  unlicensed dogs in the community. This past Tuesday night, measures have finally been taken to address this issue, with the council approving a proposal for staff to visit homes in town as part of a dog licensing campaign.

A few months back, a local newspaper put up an ad that called on non-profit and animal welfare groups to take charge of the dog licensing campaign and help raise funds. Since no applications were submitted, planning approvals coordinator Brenda Guy took matters into her own hands and had bylaw enforcement officer Rick Kemp take charge of the program.

It may seem like a daunting task for Kemp, what with the high number of unlicensed dogs in the city, but he definitely gets something from his hard work. Kemp will be paid an initial amount of $2,832, and for every dog he tags as part of the campaign, he gets $6.00.

The dog licensing campaign kicks on the 1^st of August this year and is estimated to last until October.

Gananoque Secondary School’s students definitely caught the attention of the folks who were at the national and provincial eliminations of the Skills Canada competitions.

Doing the school proud were Peyton Campbell, who took home a provincial gold and a national silver for the restaurant service event; Tyler Carr, who bagged a silver for the job interview event in the provincial level; and Jeremy Nichols, who took gold for the job skills event in the provincial level. Nichols also won the Dickies Award of Excellence, and an added cash prize of $1,500 for getting the best results at the provincials. With a perfect score of 1,800 points, he easily beat out the other participants. Both Tyler and Jeremy are employed in the kitchen at the Gananoque Inn and are found to be remarkable and very talented young men and well appreciated by the owners and their fellow workers.

Campbell, who joined her 2nd provincial level competition, met her goal of improving last year’s provincial silver win. Her silver at the nationals was unexpected, especially after how she was so nervous competing in such a big stage.

Carr also felt the same way, but kept to what he knew, pulling off a silver in the process.

For Nichols, hardly anything could’ve been sweeter than his silver win in the cooking event. Aside from being busy with school, both Tyler Carr and Jeremy Nichols are working at the Gananoque Inn. They are remarkable and very talented young men and well appreciated by the owners and their fellow workers.

Their teacher Diane Kirkby could not have been any prouder of them. She adds that watching her students win is no doubt the highlight of her career.

In an effort to have some of the community’s questions answered, Eric McElwain, owner of Gananoque Pharmasave, requested the presence of Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark for a meeting in town last Friday.

This was done because of the government’s recent decision to end the old system of providing professional allowances and reduce the prices of generic drugs by up to 25% compared to the drug’s brand name equivalent. These professional allowances used to be given to pharmacies by generic drug companies as a way of compensating them for selling their products. Surprisingly, this system was implemented by the government itself. It was ended due to alleged abuse by some pharmacies.

According to local health manager Chris Couper, most of the public only hear about the reduced generic drug prices, but that’s not all there is to it.

McElwain added that the drugs will indeed cost les, but his store will have to jack up their fee rates as a way of compensating for the elimination of professional allowances. Other generic drug stores will be hit harder, he pointed out. They will most likely have to reduce their store hours, lay off people, and maybe even close down, he said.

This problem prompted McElwain to invite MPP Clark and see what he has to say. After touring hundreds of pharmacies, Clark understands that this recent development will have a devastating impact on these small-town businesses. He promised to work things out.

In an effort to have some of the community’s questions answered, Eric McElwain, owner of Gananoque Pharmasave, requested the presence of Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark for a meeting in town last Friday.

This was done because of the government’s recent decision to end the old system of providing professional allowances and reduce the prices of generic drugs by up to 25% compared to the drug’s brand name equivalent. These professional allowances used to be given to pharmacies by generic drug companies as a way of compensating them for selling their products. Surprisingly, this system was implemented by the government itself. It was ended due to alleged abuse by some pharmacies.

According to local health manager Chris Couper, most of the public only hear about the reduced generic drug prices, but that’s not all there is to it.

McElwain added that the drugs will indeed cost les, but his store will have to jack up their fee rates as a way of compensating for the elimination of professional allowances. Other generic drug stores will be hit harder, he pointed out. They will most likely have to reduce their store hours, lay off people, and maybe even close down, he said.

This problem prompted McElwain to invite MPP Clark and see what he has to say. After touring hundreds of pharmacies, Clark understands that this recent development will have a devastating impact on these small-town businesses. He promised to work things out.

Gananoque’s elections are getting pretty exciting, and with the addition of a third candidate running for councilor, it looks like things are going to get even more tense.

Joe Jansen recently threw his hat in the ring and announced his candidacy for Gananoque Town Council. The 48-year old said that his desire to be in public service was first sparked when a subdivision near his neighborhood was proposed. After working together with a group of residents who took their concerns and questions to council, Jensen admits that the process piqued his interest.

It was during that time, he said, that his interest to work for the town was really developed. He’s done other similar work shortly afterwards, including a stint with town planner Brenda Guy. The two worked on a couple of projects, such as the installment of a new sign at Dreams in Motion Performing Arts School.

Aside from working in the development and planning sector, Jansen works at the Portsmouth Community Correctional Center as a parole officer, and has also been a hostage negotiator at one point. However, it’s with the youth that Jansen places his real interest in. He points out that the only way the town can flourish in the future is if council pays attention to its youth.

The Town of Gananoque has a new chiropractor joining its medical community, and he’s tasked to make sure that his patients get to learn how to live healthy and active lifestyles, and also how to prevent catching common diseases caused by unhealthy habits.

Dr. Peter C. Burgess, a chiropractor who just got his license, is opening up shop in the same building where his father, who is a dentist, has his clinic.

According to the younger Burgess, his father was happy to welcome him to the building, where he started attending to patients on the 26^th of April. Already, a steady stream of people visit Dr. Burgess’ clinic to have their body pains checked out.

He added that the town and its people have always had  special spot in his heart. Burgess spent his younger years in the 1000 Islands, and since day one, Gananoque would always be the town where he wanted to open a practice.

Dr. Burgess’ interest in chiropractics was first sparked when he suffered a back injury when playing minor hockey. He says that he was amazed at how a chiropractor profoundly reduced his pain, without any surgery or serious procedure of any sort.

The Town of Gananoque has a new chiropractor joining its medical community, and he’s tasked to make sure that his patients get to learn how to live healthy and active lifestyles, and also how to prevent catching common diseases caused by unhealthy habits.

Dr. Peter C. Burgess, a chiropractor who just got his license, is opening up shop in the same building where his father, who is a dentist, has his clinic.

According to the younger Burgess, his father was happy to welcome him to the building, where he started attending to patients on the 26th of April. Already, a steady stream of people visit Dr. Burgess’ clinic to have their body pains checked out.

He added that the town and its people have always had  special spot in his heart. Burgess spent his younger years in the 1000 Islands, and since day one, Gananoque would always be the town where he wanted to open a practice.

Dr. Burgess’ interest in chiropractics was first sparked when he suffered a back injury when playing minor hockey. He says that he was amazed at how a chiropractor profoundly reduced his pain, without any surgery or serious procedure of any sort.

It may be temporary for now, but Gananoque residents can breathe a sigh of relief as council has agreed to put off the 6% increase in the town’s water rate until the 1st of September, 2010. At a council meeting that took place on Tuesday, Mayor Jim Garrah expressed his understanding of the community’s worries about higher water fees.

However, he pointed out that an increase was the only solution to making sure the town had a stable future.

He added that the town is working on a more effective closed loop system that will result in a full cost recovery in the future.

According to town treasurer Ross Jeffrey, the 6% hike was the best they could do under the current circumstances. He noted that there’s a capital of around $13,500,000 for water and sewage projects outlined in the town’s 10-year plan. But $10.7 million of that money may not be required if the lagoon cleaning projects and the inflow and infiltration projects are successful.

It’s pretty clear however, that the community will be clearly affected by this increase, with many residents and business still trying to recover after the economic crisis. They can only hope that council finds a viable solution to the town’s water woes.

It may be temporary for now, but Gananoque residents can breathe a sigh of relief as council has agreed to put off the 6% increase in the town’s water rate until the 1st of September, 2010. At a council meeting that took place on Tuesday, Mayor Jim Garrah expressed his understanding of the community’s worries about higher water fees.

However, he pointed out that an increase was the only solution to making sure the town had a stable future.

He added that the town is working on a more effective closed loop system that will result in a full cost recovery in the future.

According to town treasurer Ross Jeffrey, the 6% hike was the best they could do under the current circumstances. He noted that there’s a capital of around $13,500,000 for water and sewage projects outlined in the town’s 10-year plan. But $10.7 million of that money may not be required if the lagoon cleaning projects and the inflow and infiltration projects are successful.

It’s pretty clear however, that the community will be clearly affected by this increase, with many residents and business still trying to recover after the economic crisis. They can only hope that council finds a viable solution to the town’s water woes.