Leah Lai of the Lindsay Agricultural Society has been crowned the winner of the 2023 Ambassador of the Fairs program at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Ambassador of the Fairs program is a longstanding CNE tradition that aims to educate and celebrate Canada’s rich history in agriculture. The program has seen more than 3,000 contestants from over 100 communities across Ontario over the past 50 years.

Representing the Lindsay Agricultural Society, Lai competed with almost 50 contestants and was one of seven semi-finalists who participated in the final round on Sunday (August 20).

Three finalists were then interviewed and judged on a wide range of criteria including knowledge of the CNE and Canadian agriculture, poise, self-confidence, public speaking, and overall impression, with Lai selected as the winner. The first runner-up was Taryn Kennedy of the Ilderton Agricultural Society, with Luke McBride of the Kincardine Agricultural Society the second runner-up.

The other four semi-finalists were Kelsey Lennox of the Arthur Agricultural Society, Diane Van Staveren of the Collingwood Agricultural Society, Abigail Peel of the Howick-Turnberry Agricultural Society, and Kiara Driscoll of the Seaforth Agricultural Society

As the 2023 winner, Lai will participate in a series of official duties at Canada’s largest fair including special appearances, while also representing her local agricultural community. The exclusive year-long role of Ambassador of the Fairs will take her across Ontario as a representative of the CNE and all agricultural fairs in the province.

When life gives you lemons, turn them into lemonade. When a devastating wind storm knocks down your trees, turn them into furniture.

That’s exactly what Viamede Resort owner and general manager Ben Samann did after last year’s derecho caused widespread damage at the Stoney Lake resort, by using the downed trees as part of a rebuild project that saw nine brand-new cabins completed in just six months.

According to Ben, the rapid pace of the build is all owed to the crew at Peterborough’s Mortlock Construction Inc., who were hired on as the construction manager for the project.

“I don’t know what stops they pulled out, but I don’t think anybody has ever seen anything like this, especially given the quality of the workmanship,” says Ben. “We didn’t make sacrifices to get there. It was a push but we got there, and it’s fantastic.”

On May 21, 2022, a derecho — a widespread and long-lived windstorm associated with a line of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms — moved across southeastern Ontario, resulting in sustained winds of up to 120 kilometre per hour that toppled hydro transmission towers and broke utility poles, damaged homes, and uprooted trees, with broken branches also taking down power lines and damaging property.

Ben recalls it only took 10 minutes for the derecho to leave its mark on Viamede Resort.

“It was complete destruction,” he says, describing trees that had gone through windows and knocked in roofs, picnic tables that were in trees, roofs that were on the tennis court, and docks that had snapped off their anchors. “It was just complete chaos — absolute chaos on a scale that we’ve never seen before. We’ve never lost a tree in a storm, let alone twenty.”

One of the cottages had to be demolished relatively quickly, while the others required repairs. Between the repairs and power loss, the resort was closed for a week before it re-opened.

While the repaired cabins were able to be used for the busy summer season, Ben decided it was time to do what he had been wanting to do for a long time: rebuild the aging and outdated buildings. Last August, he began site planning, a task that he says took much longer than he anticipated. The old cabins were torn down in November and Mortlock Construction began rebuilding in February.

Viamede Resort had previously worked with Mortlock Construction a few years before when building their indoor pool. One of the biggest things that drew Ben to work with Mortlock Construction again was vice president Craig Mortlock’s commitment to honesty and dedication. For example, Craig admitted it would be a challenge to finish the rebuild by Ben’s desired date of July.

“It’s nice to work with somebody who’s not trying to mislead you at any point,” Ben says. “He’s honest and he’s open.”

For Craig, that’s all part of the job.

“We just believe in fully collaborative, fully cooperative approach and fully transparent approach with our clients,” he explains. “We believe that relationships are the basis of our business.”

Part of the process of rebuilding the cottages involved repurposing all of the trees on the property that were downed by the derecho, by turning them into pieces to furnish each of the cabins — everything from coffee tables to shelving and the bathroom vanities.

“We lost trees that were well over one hundred years old, and it just seemed like a shame to turn them into firewood,” Ben says.

Craig adds that incorporating the wood allowed the cabins to get their upgrades while still the rustic feel that was important to his client.

“It’s pretty cool that the trees that destroyed the old cabins are now incorporated into the construction of the new ones,” he says. “It’s a really neat full circle, fully sustainable approach.”

Along with the nine two-bedroom cabins decorated with furniture from the fallen trees, a new septic system was installed, the water treatment system was improved and relocated, and Mortlock Construction regraded and relandscaped part of the resort by removing two of the cottages and opening up the waterfront.

Ben says that the new cabins, which were all ready for use before the long weekend this past July, have cathedral-like ceilings and feel “airier” and “roomy,” with the large screened-in porches a favourite of guests. The cabins are being well-received, particularly by Viamede’s many returning guests who are able to compare the brand new cabins with the old ones.

“Mortlock absolutely killed it with this project,” says Ben. “I don’t know how it came together so quickly. I really don’t. I think we’re all still a little bit confused by it.”

For his part, Craig praises not only his team but all the local subcontractors, designers, and suppliers who had a part in moving the project along so quickly. He lists 41 local businesses that were involved in the rebuild.

“We have a strong foundation with those subcontractors to make sure that they were committed to this project,” Craig explains. “Being in this community for 76 years, we’ve established a number of very strong bonds with local tradespeople.”

He adds that 100 per cent of the money spent on the rebuild project was within a 75-kilometre radius of Viamede. Based on an economic multiplier, the construction project resulted in an approximately $20 million regional impact.

“We really believe in the values of social procurement and making sure that our dollars are having a social impact on the communities in which we live,” Craig says. “That’s another motivation for us to utilize local tradespeople. We want to make sure that those dollars that we are spending are staying within the community that we support and want to see thrive.”

For more information about Viamede Resort or to book one of the new cabins, visit viamede.com.

For more information about Mortlock Consruction Inc. and to view some of their other projects, visit mortlockconstruction.com.

This Sunday (August 20), PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary in Roseneath is celebrating a very special occasion: the 49th birthday of the sanctuary’s late namesake, the very donkey who started it all.

All are welcome to visit the sanctuary at 1296 Bowmanton Road in Roseneath for an afternoon of celebration with cupcakes, lemonade, iced tea, and the chance to interact with the sanctuary’s donkeys.

The PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary is a registered charity that takes in abused, neglected, and rescued donkeys. Every Sunday and Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m., the sanctuary is open to the public to pet and interact with a few animals and to learn all about them from the volunteers. Guests can also book hour-long private tours to see the whole six-acre property including the barn and farm.

PrimRose the donkey was 20 years old in 1994 when Sheila Burns, the sanctuary’s founder and proprietor, adopted her after moving to Georgetown. She wanted to house some animals in her barn, so when the opportunity to adopt some donkeys came up, she warmly welcomed PrimRose and her four-month-old daughter Jilly.

At the time, Burns had no idea that the two animals would eventually encourage her to start her own sanctuary. Before PrimRose came into her life, she had never so much pet a donkey let alone cared for one.

“The two of them taught me everything that I know today,” explains Burns, adding that she got a “warm fuzzy feeling” when she first met PrimRose. “She was just so easy to get along with. She was so patient and understanding.”

VIDEO: PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary (2015)

After her experience with PrimRose, Burns couldn’t say no to adopting more donkeys. She says she would go to farms with the intention of picking up one or two donkeys, only to return home with four.

“These animals are amazing and they’re so misunderstood and so ill-treated,” she points out.

While still living in Georgetown in 2000, she and her husband were visiting her parents when they came across a property for sale in Roseneath. Though they had no intention of moving, they decided to take a tour and ended up purchasing the property within three days.

“It just all kind of fell into place,” Burns recalls. “It was meant to be. I believe there’s a reason for everything in my life. And there was a reason why we turned right on Bowmanton Road that day. It just started the whole deal.”

Though she was moving to Roseneath with 12 donkeys in tow, she had no intention of starting a sanctuary. But within a few days of being there, people were already reaching out about abused and neglected donkeys. She continued to take them in, before eventually deciding to become a sanctuary in 2001 and then a registered charity in 2005.

Now, despite the constant flux of getting new donkeys and then adopting them out, Primrose Donkey Sanctuary has upwards of 60 donkeys and mules. The charity also makes space for a few other animals and is the current home of a potbellied pig named Dave, a sheep named Lamont, a goat named Preston, and roughly 20 cats.

With so many animals to care for, Burns relies on help from the community for donations and volunteer support. She says she’s very grateful to have a line-up of more than 30 dedicated volunteers who regularly come to the farm to help with its day-to-day function — including some who have been helping at the sanctuary for over 15 years now.

“The donkeys just take everybody’s heart, so every volunteer has a favourite donkey, and that makes them want to come,” she explains, adding that the volunteers often become very close with each other. “The volunteers are so dedicated. I depend on them all greatly.”

Along with feeding the animals and cleaning up after them, the volunteers alert Burns if any of the animals are acting strange or seem unwell.

“Donkeys can withstand pain more than other animals,” Burns notes. “You don’t know if they’re sick until it’s almost the bitter end, so you really got to keep your eyes open. You have to know your donkey. You have to know what their day-to-day behaviour is so you can figure out what’s going on with them.”

To express her gratitude to her volunteers, Burns tells the story of Holly, a donkey she welcomed to the sanctuary back in January 2022. Holly was sick and thin, with her hips in such poor shape she couldn’t stand. The resident vet said Holly wouldn’t survive for more than four days.

But, between Burns and one volunteer who stayed by Holly’s side every morning for three weeks, Holly eventually stood up and remains healthy to this day.

“She looked at me and she almost said like ‘Hi, mom. I’m good’,” Burns recalls of Holly’s recovery, adding that seeing animals recover is her favourite part of operating the sanctuary. “And now she’s out there, she’s feisty, she’s got personality, she’s got attitude.”

In fact, Burns says each one of the donkeys at her sanctuary has a distinct personality.

“We’ve got some that are nudgers (and) some that might just stand beside you and kind of lean on you. There are others that really don’t want to give you the time of day, until they come up to you on their terms. A lot of them have been through difficult situations and we’ve had to take the time to reinforce that they’re in a safe place, and that no harm is ever going to come to them.”

As for this weekend’s honoree, PrimRose, Burns says the donkey showed her creative and independent personality with her signature look: she always wore her halter off centre.

“That was her fashion statement — if you straightened it out, two seconds later, it was on an angle again,” says Burns with a laugh, adding that PrimRose also dressed up in pearls and a tiara every year for her birthday celebration.

Living under Burns’ care for 27 years before she passed away in February 2021 in her 47th year, PrimRose was the sanctuary’s representative or “ambassador donkey,” and would frequent community events and fundraisers. Burns says PrimRose held this role by being a very “stoic” and calming presence.

From 1 to 3 p.m. on August 20, PrimRose’s legacy will be celebrated with cupcakes, iced tea, lemonade, and a granola cake made especially for the donkeys — just as PrimRose would have wanted.

“PrimRose loved cake,” Burns says. “She loved cookies, cupcakes … anything (like that). Anything with an icing, she loved. You had to really watch her around it.”

Burns says she’ll never stop celebrating the birthday of her beloved donkey that started it all.

“She was such a big part of my life and such a big part of establishing this sanctuary for other donkeys. It’s hard to not miss her. It’s hard to not miss an animal that you’ve loved so dearly and has been such a big part of what you’ve become.”

Following PrimRose’s birthday party, you can find Burns with the sanctuary’s new resident ambassador donkey, Raspberry, at the Port Hope Fair in September. The next sanctuary gatherings will be an early celebration of World Animal Day on Sunday, September 24th and the ninth annual evening of holiday caroling with the donkeys on Sunday, December 10th.

PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary is located at 1296 Bowmanton Road in Roseneath and is open for curbside visits from the public every Thursday and Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Personal tours are also available for $20 per person.

The sanctuary is always looking for more volunteers to care for the animals and to look after visitors. To learn more about PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary, or to sign up as a volunteer or make a donation, visit www.primrosedonkeysanctuary.com.

For the latest updates, you can follow the sanctuary on Facebook.

In August 2015, when Clay Williams ran the length of the Trent-Severn and Rideau canals, from Port Severn to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, he was the epitome of the loneliness of the long distance runner.

Covering an average of 94 kilometres daily over seven days and six nights, the Elmira resident’s goal was to raise funds for the Belleville-based Mood Disorders Society of Canada and to raise awareness and dialogue about depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Nine years after that inaugural event, Williams, 63, isn’t running alone.

The event he started — now known as the Canal Pursuit For Mental Health — has since become a relay run and from August 19 to 26 this year will see at least 35 runners join Williams for the 700-kilometre relay run alongside or very near both canals.

Starting at 8 a.m. at Port Severn’s Lock 45, teams of two runners will cover the route in a week, finishing on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at 4:30 p.m. Each runner is bringing sponsor money to the table that will be added to the $115,000 raised to date for the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

How the Canal Pursuit For Mental Health got legs, both figuratively and literally, is rooted in Williams’ personal loss as well as an event south of the border that he registered for.

“I had done really well in a 48-hour race and was looking for my next event,” recalls Williams. “There was this thing in New York State called the Erie Canal Marathon Tour. It was a multi-day run from Rochester to Buffalo along the Erie Canal — about 600 kilometres. I registered and got a team together to support me. I then connected with the Mood Disorders Society and started to publicize I was going to do this run.”

“In January, months before the event, the race directors cancelled it because there weren’t enough people registered, so I had to make up my own thing. I was kind of stuck on canals and I discovered we’ve got a couple of cool canals in Ontario too.”

Have lost two brothers to suicide — one in the 1980s and the other in the early 2000s — and with mood disorders afflicting his wife, daughter, and sister, Williams’ choice of a benefactor was an easy one.

“A big thing that played a part in the deaths of my brothers was the stigma around mental health issues,” he explains. “(The response to mental health issues) was ‘Suck it up, buddy. You’ve got to be tougher than this.’ But just in the past 10 years, we’ve knocked down a lot of walls. Everyone is a lot less uncomfortable talking about their mental health.”

That first run in 2015, notes William, was supposed to be a one-off “but as I learned a more about Canada’s mental health care system, both the gaps and the efficiencies, I stuck with (raising funds and awareness) for mental health.”

In 2016, Williams again ran the route solo but covered about 60 kilometres daily, resulting in a two-week trek. The following year, he started to recruit other runners who, relay style, would cover shorter distances.

“Awareness is so powerful,” says Williams, noting how he’s had numerous conversations with people along the route who are going through their own mental health struggle or have a loved one or friend who is struggling.

“Awareness is the stigma buster. The more people hear conversations around mental health, the less uncomfortable they’ll be around it. We would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t been affected in some way or who doesn’t know someone who has been affected by depression, anxiety, or PTSD.”

That includes many first responders, which is why this year’s relay run is dedicated to the mental well-being and support of those who keep us safe. Daily starting August 19th, in order, CFB Borden, CFB Trenton, CFB Kingston, paramedics, firefighters, the OPP, the RCMP, and the Ottawa Police Service will be feted with members of those organizations coming out in support of the runners.

Among this year’s participants are Eileen and Joel Kimmett of Peterborough, this being the fourth year the husband-and-wife team have participated (although Eileen missed the 2022 run due to COVID-related illness). They’ll join the relay on Sunday, August 20th in Brechin south of Orillia, running 10 kilometres each before finishing at Lock 34 in Fenelon Falls.

“I live with mental illness,” says Eileen of her connection with the cause. “Physical activity has helped me get through episodes of depression. It helps keep my brain healthy so I don’t slip back. It helps me cope.”

Cycling more as of late as opposed to running — “I had long COVID and it did a number on my lungs” — Eileen acknowledges covering her 10-kilometre stretch “will be difficult but so is having a mental illness. This is about connecting with other people that have mental health challenges. It raises awareness and gives people hope.”

Another Peterborough participant of note is Nicole Armstrong, who has run every year.

During the relay run, a cherished symbol of what the event is all about and who it’s helping will be close at hand.

“That first year, 2015, as part of my training, I did a bunch of races leading up to the August event,” recounts Williams. “I bought a Canadian flag and brought it to each of the races and I asked people ‘If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, anxiety or PTSD, sign my flag and I’ll carry it the full distance of my run as a symbol that you don’t have to carry your burdens alone.'”

“Each year we’ve been carrying that same flag. We’ve got around 400 signatures on it now. It’s the relay baton. I’ve had the honour of carrying it to Parliament Hill and waving it there eight years in a row and I’m going to do that again this year. It’s a tangible responsibility to carry that because the people who signed it have trusted that we’re trying to help.”

Now, as the relay run’s start nears, Williams admits to his usual pre-run event nervousness but is excited to again see many of the familiar faces that have participated in past years.

“One of the things I learned in that first year is if you’re doing something that’s good and something that’s right, people will want to help,” says Williams. “People have been helping along the way all through this. It’s not all resting on my shoulders anymore.”

In the meantime, thoughts of his two brothers, always there, will be even more present.

“Far too many people I’ve met have said they’ve lost someone close to suicide — a brother, an uncle, a sister,” Williams says. “That brings it home and reinforces the reason I do this.”

Williams is already looking ahead to 2024, which will be the 10th anniversary run of Canal Pursuit For Mental Health.

“This year, I’ll be running about 60 kilometres total. Next year, I plan to run the entire thing again. It’s year number 10 — the last hurrah. I don’t know what’s going to happen after that. Maybe a hand off or maybe other some sort of change.”

To register or donate for the Canal Pursuit For Mental Health, visit canalpursuit.defeatdepression.ca, where you can also find more information about the relay run, including a schedule of each day with locations and times. To follow the progress of the runners for this year’s event, follow Canal Pursuit For Mental Health on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly known as Twitter).