Review-Mirror

By Margaret Brand The Review-Mirror Last Wednesday evening Seeley's Bay wel- comed 'Connected by Canoe', a group of pad- dlers bringing together Canadians for a conversa- tion along the route between Kingston of Ottawa. The Canadian Canoe Museum under the leader- ship of Seeley's Bay's James Raffan brought together a group of people t0 make a ten-day canoe trip from Kingston to Ottawa which began last Tuesday May 2 and ends on Thursday May11. "We wanted to put peo- ple in a boat to have a lit- tle conversation about the future of Canada knowing that the canoe reminds us we are all in the same boat and that pulling together is a worthwhile thing to do," said Raffan at the commu- nity dinner which the See- ley's Bay and Area Resi- dents Association (SBARA) hosted. The Seeley's Bay gath- ering brought together a group of students from Rideau District High School, community mem- bers and the 16-member crew which included First Nations people. The first part of the journey has been a floating conversation of 16 people in a canoe with stops in Westport, Perth, Smiths Falls, Merrickville, Kemptville, Manotick and Ottawa. the second part in Ottawa is to welcome del- egates to the Community Foundations of Canada annual gathering repre- senting 200 communities across Canada. Weather got in the way last Friday when Parks Canada suggested it wouldn't be safe to take that leg of the trip on the water. Along the way there have been conversations about the future of Canada and reconciliation. Raffan's wife Gayle Simmons has been part of the journey and part of a 'go-to' team upon which the adventure has relied. "This has been life changing for so many peo- ple. It has been an incredi- bly emotional trip," she said. "The canoe trip is the thinking digesting. It's a wonderful vehicle exchange of ideas -mov- ing forward. You are cog- nitively moving forward right in the canoe. We are in the canoe and in it are people from all over the world. We need to find a way for being inclusive and reconciling the injus- tices of the past," she said. Thursday, May 11, 2017 Serving North Leeds and area since 1893 Vol. 126, No. 18 $1 incl. tax Canada Post Contract No. 40021501 Jim Raffan's dog swims out to welcome the canoe trip leader back home in Seeley's Bay. Photo by John Truyens 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 43 Bedford St., Westport 613-273-8848 soho@rideau.net Canoe trip an emotional journey Mirror The Review By Margaret Brand The Review-Mirror High water is threaten- ing to dampen the opening of the Rideau Canal's nav- igation season next Friday while the effects of last week's record rains flow through the system. Rains reached once in a 100 years levels over the weekend filling the canal's reservoir lakes well above the 'full supply limit'. Changes to the dam set- tings on Bob's Lake increased the extent of flooding around Christie Lake but did not bring a higher peak to the Tay River. "Our teams have been essentially working around the clock the last couple of weeks to make the dam adjustments to mitigate flooding across the system. Unfortunately there was way too much water coming at us in such a short time," said Parks Canada Ontario Water- ways Associate Director John Festarini. High water has swamped fixed docks, flooded boathouses and sometimes pushed floating docks in harm's way. Parks Canada has reported limited damage to their own infrastructure due to the high water lev- els which, at the beginning of the week, did wash out part of the road east of the lock station at Kingston Mills. Sandbagging has been implemented in some locations to protect infra- structure. Rideau Canal staff now has more information to make their water manage- ment decisions than in the past when water manage- ment was an art and a sci- ence. "We went through a process to install water level gauges so that we can see water levels in real time. We have a team of water management engi- neers and technicians to look at those conditions and readings every day to inform the adjustments we make on those dams," said Festarini. Parks Canada will be broadcasting notice of navigation hazards next week as it becomes clearer if lock stations will need to be closed because of the hazards of excessive flows. "Everyone is looking to us for a lead. We're anx- ious and eager to open up. There are some sections less prone to flooding. The network is a system. We like to promote people transiting the whole sys- tem," he said. Next week Parks Cana- da staff will mark the nav- igation season's opening and the reopening of inter- pretation at Jones Falls Friday May 19 at 10:15 a.m. Information about free lockage passes, opening hours and more is avail- able at www.pc.gc.ca. Westport Dental Centre Dr. Zulfar Moledina D.D.S. & Associates 613-273-2727 41B Main St. Westport (entrance on Spring St.) westportontariodental@gmail.com Now Accepting New Patients "In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." Albert Camus Jones Falls Re-Opening Mother's Day Weekend 613-359-5500 Reservations Recommended Since 1877 HOTEL KENNEY www.hotelkenney.com High water may dampen canal opening Continuing a 30 year tradition serving North Leeds - Delivery & Set Up Available LAUNDRY SAVINGS 5.1 cu. ft. Washer •Smart Boost™ •Stain Soak™ •15 Minute Fast Wash •Tier III E-Star •Reversible Door Model #EFLS617SIW 8.0 cu. ft. 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