70 Years Ago
September 22, 1948
– Harry Ford, an employee at the Canadian Canners plant in Napanee for nearly 20 years, was so badly injured when his clothing caught in a machine belt that he died in ambulance on his way to Kingston General Hospital. Both his legs had compound fractures, his arms were broken, and his chest was badly crushed.
Coroner T.M. Galbraith investigated the accident. There was no word on whether there would be an inquest held into contributing circumstances.
– The Napanee Fish and Game Association reported no improvement in the condition of water on the Napanee River above the falls. An oily substance still covered the surface of the water and it was believed practically all fish within several miles had been killed. Provincial authorities had not yet reported on the water samples the association had sent for testing. It was hoped that heavy rains might clear the water over time.
– Rev. A.J. Johnston spoke at Trinity United Church on behalf of the Ontario Temperance Federation. He said nearly half of the consumption of alcohol in Canada was done in this province and argued there was a great need for temperance education and action by people opposed to liquor trafficking. Another interesting statistic shared by Johnston: Canadians spent $460 million on drinking in 1947, almost three times the amount of money Canadians spent on education.
40 Years Ago
September 20, 1978
– Sheffield Township reeve Paul Burns said his municipality would not send its new zoning bylaw to the Ontario Municipal Board for approval without further input and study. The comments came after council received a petition from 144 residents requesting a six-month hold on the bylaw, precipitated by the introduction of the Ontario Building Code.
A requirement that building lots are at least a half-acre in size and have 100 feet of road frontage was a point of contention for some, while others wanted clarity on minimum separations between farms, accessory buildings, and adjacent homes.
– Reeve Ernest Marshall complained about a lack of use at Napanee’s King Street Park. He said the town had spent over $200,000 on it, but it spent most of the summer vacant. Mayor Lorne Smart agreed and said he planned to get a breakdown on costs and why the park wasn’t better utilized.
– Construction in Richmond Township outpaced Napanee for the first six months of 1978. Projects in the township were valued at $1,037,100, while the town had $630,288 worth of development.Napanee had nearly twice as much residential construction.