Created & Published by Observer Publishing of Port Perry
188 Mary Street - Unit 201, Port Perry, Ontario - L9L 1A2
Phone 905-985-8585 email: focus@observerpub.ca

JULY 2008

Did You Know? - The cost of jumping into a taxi cab has increased by a ‘buck’ for the first full kilometer of a trip. Scugog council endorsed new taxi fares for the township’s four taxi companies last month, increasing the base price rise from $3.67 to $4.68. In addition they also approved a bump of six cents for each tenth of a kilometer, up from 14¢ to the new 20¢.
Those using taxis will no doubt be troubled by the increases, but it must be remembered that this is the first hike in fares in almost 20 years. And with gas increasing almost every day, there’s not much left for the cab owners.

Did You Know? - One of the largest birds to inhabit areas around Scugog Township and Lake Scugog is the Great Blue Heron. This majestic bird has a wingspan of about six feet and grows to about four feet tall. It is also able to swallow a fish many times wider than its narrow neck. While the Great Blue Heron feeds mainly on small fish, it also eats insects, crayfish, snakes and frogs.
Keep an eye out. “Old Cranky”, as this large heron is sometimes called, can be found wading in the shallow waters or skimming just feet above Lake Scugog throughout the summer months.

Did You Know? - Did you know that in the event of a major emergency within the Township of Scugog, it is the responsibility of each individual or family to ensure they are able to take care of their own basic needs for the first 72 hours of the emergency. The reasoning being, this allows municipal staff and officials the required time to concentrate on effectively responding to any emergency from the critical onset.
In other words... be prepared. Be ready to take care of yourself if any major emergency were to fall upon our township, at least for three days.

JUNE 2008

Did You Know? - Port Perry’s own Jayde Nicole is sitting on top of the world after being proclaimed “Playboy’s Playmate of the Year” for 2007. Nicole graced the pages of the popular magazine in January 2007 and her life as been a whirlwind ever since. For her accomplishment Nicole received $100,000 and a new Cadillac.
We expect most people already knew all this, but when a small town girl makes it big... it’s news, despite the fact some people may not agree with her career choice!

Did You Know? - Construction on Mary St. is just about complete. There’s sod on the wide boulevards and it’s now ready for the final layer of ashpalt. What a great improvement, but we wonder if maybe a little more thought should have gone into final the design.
With parking always at a premium in the dowtown area, maybe parking spaces should have been considered for both sides of the street. Local churches, businesses and the public could have benefitted from the additional parking.

MAY 2008

Did You Know? - the Township of Scugog has a “used cell phone collection program?” The program accepts all cell phones old, new, broken or working. The township receives funds for every donated cell phone and the proceeds are used to help finance the communities “Tree Planting Program. Collection bins are located at the Scugog Municipal Office on Perry Street.
What a great idea. Instead of throwing your old cell phone into a drawer or the garbage, drop it off and help with this great program.

Did You Know? - The raise of the minimum wage on April 1 to $8.75 only served to bring it to the 1973 level in “real dollar terms.” The rate at that time was $1.80, which in today’s dollars would have been equivalent to $8.86. Thankfully it’s only the first of three increases aimed to reach a rate of $10.25 by 2010.
Minimum wage laws first appeared on the world stage in New Zealand in 1894. Ontario adopted similar laws in 1920.

Did You Know? - Gas prices at pumps around Scugog are on the rise once again, with dire predictions we could be paying upwards of $1.40 a litre by the time summer comes along. I’m sure we all remember 2005 when gas at the pumps spiked to $1.32 litre before settling down. It’s been a roller coaster ride since then ranging from the low 80¢ range to $1.00.
The only real break the consumer had was last fall when for one day, prices dropped below 45¢ a litre here in Port Perry.

Did You Know? - I’ve often been asked how the ice is determined to be out of Lake Scugog in the spring. It’s really quite simple. The method was handed down to me more than 40 years ago by staffers at the Port Perry Star, who recorded the dates back to the early 1900s. We’re not sure who did it before that time, but here’s the formula.
The ice is considered out by standing on the government pier at the end of Queen St. and looking north. If there is no ice visible for as far as the eye can see.... the ice is officially out!

APRIL 2008
Did You Know? - Scugog Township will be offering its popular free compost program at the Scugog Community Centre again this year. Bring your own shovel and container and fill up (maximum of three containers per vehicle). The composting event takes place Saturday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. Great for the garden and all for free... can’t beat that.
Anyone wanting more information can contact the township’s public works department at 905-985-7346, extention 112.

Did You Know? - Lakeridge Health Port Perry’s New Life Centre is estimating 330 babies will be born at the New Life Centre this year, an increase of almost 11 percent over last year’s 298 births. To accommodate this increase $75,000 in renovations to the New Life Centre have been taking place for the past few days and will be completed by April 2.
What a great facility we have here in Port Perry with the New Life Centre. Any mother who delivered their children there can’t speak highly enough about the facility and care.

Did You Know? - Ever since April 1914 the old post office clock has been ticking away. During its first few years the clock was quite unreliable since it had to be wound manually once a week and the local once newspaper wrote, “the clock has scarcely formed a habit of running regularly. Sometimes it ‘strikes’ and sometimes it goes on ‘strike’ an then it neither goes nor strikes.”
This still appears to be the case occasionally, although for the most part it keeps good time.

Did You Know? - April is by far the most likely month for the ice to disappear off Lake Scugog. Since records for the date the ice went out were started in 1872, the ice has only left the lake 16 times during the month of March, the earliest being 1983 when it went out on March 16.
It’s the first week of April and there’s little sign of an early thaw, but don’t fret, the latest it has gone out is April 29, 1965 and it couldn’t possibly be that late this year... could it?

MARCH 2008
Did You Know? - who it is driving the vehicles with flashing green lights you will occasionally see in town. Well, it’s our local firefighters. The Highway Traffic Act allows firefighters to display flashing green lights on personally owned vehicles while proceeding to emergencies, including response to the scene or to the fire station.
As a courtesy, motorists should pull over to the side of the road when they see vehicles with these lights, the same as you would for ambulance, police and fire trucks.

Did You Know? - what the volume and issue number on a newspaper or magazine means? For those who are not aware, the ‘Volume’ number indicates the number of years the publication has been printing and the issue ‘Number’ is the number of the current issue of that given year.
Explaining the above illustration, which shows January 2008 - Volume 2 Number 10 indicates that edition was the 10th issue of the second year since the magazine began publication in April 2006.

Did You Know? - If you’ve been dreaming of a career in jewellery designing, here’s your chance. Dana’s Goldsmithing is providing an opportunity for you to design your own piece of jewellery and Dana’s will create your masterpiece for you. And to top it off, if your design is picked as the winning entry, you receive a finished piece of jewellery valued up to $1,000.
What an opportunity for amateur designers or anyone interested in jewellery design. See full details of the contest on page 4.

Did You Know? - that a ‘Leap Year’ is needed so that the calendar is in alignment with the earth’s motion around the sun. Here are a couple of examples of people who celebrate their birthday during “Leap Year.” In 1936, Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadians; 1904 legendary band leader Jimmy Dorsey.
The only local ‘leap year’ personality we know is Scugog’s “Birdhouse Willy” who celebrated his leap year birthday in Florida a few days ago. Happy Birthday Bill!

FEBRUARY 2008

Did You Know ...there really is a Santa Claus? In what appears to have been a mini “gas-war” three gas stations at corner of 7A & Simcoe St. dropped their prices dramatically over the Christmas holidays. Surprised motorists flocked to the pumps causing gridlock at this busy intersection when prices drop to a low of 60.0¢ on Dec. 28th.
Unfortunately, many who hoped up to fill up at the low price were disappointed when a short time after this photo was taken prices were raised to 103.6¢ a litre. What goes!!!

Did You Know? - While on the topic of “liquid gold” it’s interesting to note that there are far more complaints about gas prices than many other expensive liquids. Take coffee for instance. Based on a 12 oz. cup, coffee costs about $4.29 per litre - compared to gas at an average price of $1.00 litre. Even bottled water is double, or more, than gas.
Guess the next time we’re filling up and the price is $1.00 or more a litre, we can be thankful our vehicles don’t run on coffee!!!

Did You Know? - That despite our complaints Canadians pay far less for gas than many other countries. In fact, our gas is rather cheap at $1 litre ($3.78 US gallon) compared to Oslo, Norway where it’s $6.27 gal. ($1.65 litre): London, England at $5.79 ($1.53 litre) and Paris, France at $5.54 ($1.47 litre). We can all be happy we don’t live in Amsterdam where motorists pay a whopping $6.48 US gallon ($1.72 litre).
That all seems rather meaningless, when we read that gas is only 12¢ gallon in Venezuela! That’s right... a mere 3.1¢ litre.

Did You Know? - The town passed the following bylaw regarding bathing in 1884. “No person shall bathe or wash their person in the water of Lake Scugog fronting on the limits of this corporation between the hours of seven o’clock in the forenoon and nine o’clock in the afternoon.” It also stipulated “No person shall publicly expose his person or make any other indecent exhibition within this corporation.
Anyone contravening the bylaw was liable to penalties ranging from $1.00 to $30.00 and costs paid to the corporation.

DECEMBER 2007

Did You Know? - That Scugog Township’s new municipal office on Perry St. has an architectural connection to the town’s past. Before being destroyed in April 1926, the original Port Perry High School building featured an impressive tower as the centrepiece of the building.
When the new Scugog Township office was being planned, designers created the new tower by copying aspects of the old high school structure.

Did You Know? - The Scugog Chamber of Commerce has been sponsoring the annual Port Perry Santa Claus Parade for more than 40 years, but the first time it was held as a ‘night parade’ was in 2002. It’s continued with this new and popular time ever since.
It’s apparent from large turnouts over the past few years, the evening parade with all of its colourful lights has been very popular and a well received change from the early afternoon parade. Change is good!

Did You Know? - The plaque fronting on Queen St., in front of Port Perry High School denotes the location of the town’s first high school, which was destroyed by fire. In 1985 history teacher Paul Arculus and his students excavated the foundation and created a memorial park.
It’s unfortunate, a few years later, the remains of the old 1873 school foundation was removed and the area covered over by authorities who held no regard for the significance of this historic excavation.

Did You Know? - The Scugog Memorial Library has one of the busiest websites of any library its size in Ontario, receiving more than 9,500 electronic visits per week. And you can also access over 20 different research databases through the library website.
Thankfully plans are underway to expand this busy little library which provides so many great services for the community.

Did You Know? - The attractive Queen St. storefront formerly occupied by the Settlement House, (now home to Tweed and Hickory), was the location of the local Canadian Tire store during the 1960s and into the 1970s.
The building was left vacant in 1975 when CTC moved to the new Port Perry Plaza. It was then purchased by Tom and Daphne Mitchell who renovated the building and opened Settlement House in 1976.

NOVEMBER 2007

Did You Know? - Lake Scugog needs your help. During this past summer, record low water levels, a huge carp die-off and excessive weed growth have all contributed to negative publicity about the lake. The Scugog Lake Stewards are the lake’s ‘watch dogs’, but they need our help to ensure the lake remains healthy.
If you’re concerned about the future of Lake Scugog, you can help by becoming a member of the Scugog Lake Stewards... see how on page 32 of this issue of Focus!

Did You Know? - Speaking of Lake Scugog - did you know it is the most south-western of the Kawartha chain of lakes? It is also the only artificially made lake – the rest were formed by glacial activity. Scugog’s maximum depth is 23 feet and it’s mean depth is 4.5 feet.
Pretty obvious, these depths don’t take into account this past summer when we had the lowest levels in recent history.

Did You Know? - Palmer Memorial Park was dedicated in July 1938 to David Daniel Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, and a statue was erected to honour him about 1950. When first erected, the bust of D.D. Palmer faced north and featured a cement walkway to the statue.
Unfortunately, subsequent research revealed D.D. Palmer wasn’t born in Port Perry as the inscription suggests. It was discovered a few years ago that he was born closer to Pickering, although he did live here and attend Port Perry High School.

Did You Know? - The by-election held last month in Ward 4 to determine a replacement for councillor Blair Martyn, who resigned due to health problems, produced the worst voter turnout in the community’s history. Less than 25 percent of eligible voters made an effort to exercise their right to vote.
There are more than a few suggestions for such a disgraceful turnout at the polls, including voter apathy... but the more likely reason are that the election was held on a Friday night (dah!) and lack of interest due to the recent provincial election.

OCTOBER 2007

Did You Know? - You can have your copies of Focus on Scugog bound into hard cover format to protect and preserve them for future? We keep hearing how many people save every copy of Focus on Scugog so we are making binding available to anyone who has saved their copies.
For more information about this ‘low cost’ service, or to see samples, please contact MaryAnn or Peter - 905-985-8585.

Did You Know? - Durham Region Transit, which operates bus services for Scugog Twp., now provide a “one fare anywhere in Durham Region” package. For seniors this means for only $1.75 they can travel from one end of the region to the other all day long. Monthly and Multi-Ride passes are also available for all age groups.
What a great service from the DRT. Now Scugog residents, no matter whether they are young or old, can travel throughout this vast region at affordable prices.

Did You Know? - The majority of take-out coffee cups generated by coffee shops are not recyclable. Durham Region Waste says most cups are made with 100 per cent virgin paper, and liquid-proofed with a polyethylene liner. These cups are not acceptable in Durham’s Green Bin composting program.
When you think of the millions of paper cups used each year, it’s unfortunate coffee chains do not opt for an environmentally friendly cup, more suitable to composting programs.

Did You Know? - The Trent-Severn Waterway, which control water levels throughout the system, have daily records of Lake Scugog’s levels for the past 20 years. Information recently released by TSW, says Lake Scugog has never, in those two decades, recorded water levels lower than this year. Someone should be held accountable for the tens-of-thousands of dollars lost by Scugog Twp. businesses this past summer.
If a recent comment by Dave Ness, TSW, saying “Scugog just isn’t worth it,” is an indication of their concern, no apology or compensation should be expected.

Did You Know? - When the Canadian dollar reached parity with the US dollar on Sept. 20, 2007, that was the first time since November 1976, almost 31 years ago, that the two countries ‘greenbacks’ (okay we have the loonie now) were of equal value. At that time, on April 25, 1974 the Canadian dollar had reached a high of US $1.0443.
The last time the dollar was at par with the greenback was Nov. 25, 1976, when Pierre Trudeau was prime minister and Bill Davis was premier of Ontario.

Did You Know? - The switch to Daylight Savings Time has been pushed ahead one week this year. Instead of the traditional change of time the last weekend in October, it will take place at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 4.
Remember, Canada decided to follow the lead of the USA on this one... possibly one of ‘Dubya’s” better ideas... or was it?

SEPTEMBER 2007
Did You Know? - The recent weed harvesting operation along the Port Perry waterfront is not the first time this action has been taken to rid the lake of weeds. Similar methods have been tried numerous times in the past - all providing instant relief... but not solving the annual problem. While we endorse the township's attempt to alleviate the situation we're surprised they didn't investigate the lack of success with this method taken by earlier councils. This method has already been proven ineffective over the long term.

Did You Know? - The cancellation of the Rotary Club of Port Perry's annual Aquarama fundraising event at the lakefront is the first time a "water-based event" has had to be cancelled in recent memory. With just over a foot of water and a thick weed bed, officials sadly had to cancel this popular fundraising event just as it was about to celebrate its 15th anniversary. We can laugh all we want at movie-maker Michael Moore, Al Gore, David Suzuki and the others that keep telling us about 'global warming' and its effects, but something is causing a lot of problems in this world... as well as right here in Lake Scugog.

Did You Know? - When residents of Ward 4 go to the polls next month, it will be the first time a by-election has been held in Scugog since the formation of Durham Region in 1974. Prior to this year, candidates to fill vacancies have always been apppointed or chosen by the council of the day.

Did You Know? - Scugog is a great place to call home, despite our perceived issues and problems. After travelling through the USA for more than two weeks recently, it was a delight to cross the border back into Canada and head for our home sweet home in Scugog. Witnessing first-hand the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and seeing thousands of destroyed and abandoned homes - two years after the disaster - makes you appreciate what you have a whole lot more!

Did You Know? - The correct spelling for the word Hawaii is actually Hawai'i, if you wanted to know. Hawai'i is the correct spelling of the Hawaiian language, one of the Pacific island's two official languages. The word 'Hawaiian' is an English word which requires no mark between the two'i's. So now you know! Just thought we'd let you know this before we start getting calls and emails that we spelled the word wrong in our "Where Are They Now" feature this month about Cam Muir on page 19 of the August Focus on Scugog.

Did You Know? - A report released in mid-July suggests it was a deadly bacteria that thrives in warm water which was at least partially to blame for the recent "Carp Kill" in Lake Scugog and a number of other Kawartha lakes. According to Barry Radford, spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources, the bacteria, known as, columnaris, are triggered by water temperatures between 13 and 18C.

Did You Know? - On the first survey maps of the Lake Scugog area, which were drawn-up by Samuel Wilmot circa 1810, the river we now know as the Nonquon River was referred to as the 'Mistake River.' Honest! If you don't believe us... ask Paul Arculus!!

Did You Know? - Last month during the controversial "Carp Kill" in Lake Scugog some area residents, obviously unhappy with the smelly situation, actually drove to the municipal office on Perry St. during the cover of night and dumped dead carp in front of the door. Bet they didn't know the township's security camera caught them acting a little fishy outside the building! That's a "got'ya."

Did You Know? - Speaking of carp, did you know that in about 1950, Ministry of Natural Resources officials placed heavy steel grills in the culverts along the Port Perry causeway to keep the thousands of carp from getting into the rice fields south of the causeway? According to reports, the carp destroyed so many rice plants, there was concern for the future of the duck population, which relied on the rice for feed. The grills no longer exist.

Did You Know? - It was seven years ago this summer the famous steamboat "African Queen" took part in a Steamboats of Scugog Festival. You may remember the movie of the same name starred Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. After the death of Captain Jim Hendricks, who owned the African Queen, the 30' steamer was sold. It is now docked at the Hotel Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta.

Did You Know? - In May, the P.I.S.T. Paranormal Investigation Society of Toronto, organized a night trip to "Ghost Road" on Scugog Island. The group of about 30 members met at the 'haunted' Jester's Court for dinner before venturing to the Island to seek out the 'ghost'. As old as this story is, there always seems to be someone who hasn't heard about the 'Ghost Road' or experience seeing the mysterious light.... whoooooooo!!!!

Did You Know? - The Township of Scugog "Capture the Beauty of Scugog 2007" amateur photo contest is underway. Photo submissions that illustrate the beauty of Scugog Township within the four seasons are invited by amateur photographers. Contest winners will be announced, winning photographs unveiled, and prizes awarded by December 15, 2007. To learn more about the contest contact Township of Scugog at 181 Perry Street, P.O. Box 780 Port Perry, Ontario L9L 1A7 or phone 905-985-7346. Attention: Communities in Bloom Photo Contest.

Did You Know? - Our local hospital, now known officially as Lakeridge Health, Port Perry is still often referred to by its original name - Community Memorial Hospital. But we'd bet you didn't know there are dozens of other hospitals with the same name throughout North America. Some of the areas with this name are hospitals in Wisconsin, California, Ohio, New York, Illinois and many other locations. Despite the fact it now appears that "Community Memorial Hospital" is a fairly common name, most people in Scugog still think of Community Memorial Hospital as being "our hospital."

Did You Know? - After a one year absence, Scugog will once again be taking part in the popular Doors Open Ontario program this summer. The local event takes place on Saturday, August 11 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This year 44 communities are taking part in the event which starts in April and ends in October. You can pick up the Ontario Heritage Trust "Doors Open" guide at the Scugog Township office during regular hours. The guide gives information on all sites open for the annual event.

Did You Know? - According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census the following data has been recorded for Scugog Township:
Population: 21,439:
Population Change (2001-2006): 6.3 per cent,
Dwellings in Township: 8,345
Total Area : 474.63 km
Density: 45.2 persons per km

Did You Know? - Population forecasts prepared by Durham Region Planning Department predict that the population of Durham will almost double by 2031, growing to just over one million people. The urban/rural population ratio in Durham in 2031 is expected to be 94% urban and 6% rural. Scugog's growth is expected to top 26,120 by the same time.