Integrity Is Alive in North Frontenac
By Donald Morton North Frontenac News Media April 20, 2026
A few days ago I posted a short video on Facebook. Sixty-six seconds. I talked about integrity, and what I said was simple: integrity isn’t a trophy you keep on a shelf. It’s who you are in your last moment. It’s doing the thing that needs doing when nobody else will.
I meant every word of it. And this week, I watched three separate moments prove me right.
Rebecca Clark and the Trash Nobody Asked Her to Pick Up
Rebecca Clark came to my place on Friday. We’d never met before. She sat on my deck overlooking the garden, which is still rough from the spring thaw and honestly not much to look at right now, and we talked for the first time.
She’s organizing a community trash pickup day on May 9, hosted by the Land O’ Lakes Garden Club and the Lions Club. I told her NFNM is in. We’re proud to stand with them and we’ll support this initiative going forward.
We talked about ideas she’s working through. Steam gift cards for the kids, maybe other prizes for a draw. Come pick up some garbage, then go play some video games. I’ll be honest, my first instinct was that volunteering means giving your time without putting a dollar value on it. But here’s the thing. These kids are maxed out. Internet, social media, politics, societal demands. They’re living like high-stress stock traders working eighteen-hour days, and nobody gave them time to just be kids. A little incentive never hurt anyone, especially when the environment gets cleaned up in the process.
What struck me about Rebecca is her depth. She sees the good in people and she doesn’t give up as easily as most of us do. She carries that quiet sadness that so many volunteers and caregivers carry. People who’ve been wronged by the world and yet give the most. C’est la vie.
Here’s the integrity moment.
Rebecca left my house. I left about five minutes later to drive to the Ompah Hall. I passed the parking lot across the road. Her car was there. I watched her get out and pick up a pile of trash sitting at the edge of the woods. ATV users park there. They leave their garbage behind. Nobody asked Rebecca to stop. Nobody was watching. She just did it.
That’s integrity. That’s who she is when nobody’s looking.
North Frontenac, this woman is asking for your help. May 9. Show up. Bring the kids. Pick up some garbage. The details are coming and NFNM will share them as soon as they’re finalized. This community has people worth supporting. Rebecca is one of them.
Fred Fowler, Kelly Willis, and Mike Hage
I already wrote about what happened at the April 10 council meeting. You can read the full piece here: North Frontenac Council Killed Democracy on April 10.
I’m not going to rehash that story. What I want to say today is something different.
Fred Fowler. During the Community Improvement Plan presentation, his constituents had been asking him a simple question: this program gives grants to commercial businesses, so how does the benefit pass back to the public? Fred asked it. On the record, on the item, to the presenter who was still taking questions. The Mayor cut him off. “We’re not here to discuss the value of the program.” Fred’s answer, quiet and clear: “Just want to be able to give them an answer. That’s all.” That question is on the record because Fred put it there. The fact that it got shut down is on the record because he tried.
Mike Hage. When the Mayor tried to bundle the procedural bylaw with six other bylaws in a single vote, Mike pushed it back out. Made them deal with it on its own. Then he raised three concerns. The complaints section had been removed from the old policy with no replacement. The emergency management committee quorum had been changed so you don’t even need a council member present anymore. And moving task force volunteer appointments to closed session might not comply with the Municipal Act. On that last one, the Mayor’s own response was “No, good point. Good point.” Then he called the vote anyway. All three concerns are still unresolved.
Kelly Willis. She showed up to the CIP public meeting and asked the kind of questions that actually protect people. A constituent had solar panels fail in minus-40 weather. Kelly asked whether the program had any way to make sure the equipment was rated for our climate before the township hands out money. The planner took that seriously and committed to reviewing the application criteria. Kelly also pushed to get the presentation included in the minutes so the public could see what was presented.
Then during the public forum, minutes after the Mayor told me I couldn’t ask questions, Kelly addressed councillors directly. She talked to Fred about the value of volunteer work on the trails and pushed for transparency in how volunteer hours get reported. She asked Councillor Inglis about repealing bylaws to help with housing. She asked Mike where the new doctor would be posted. The Mayor told her to keep going. She asked questions. She got answers. The same forum, the same rules, a very different result.
I’m not sure any of you realize how much you helped that day. If you don’t, that makes it even more beautiful, because that’s integrity. It’s a sad time when simply doing your job well gets treated as something special. But here we are.
On behalf of all of us in North Frontenac, NFNM thanks you three for being brave and standing up for the people who live here.
Art Hannigan
Art Hannigan is a rock. He recognizes youth on a level that is real. He gets his hands dirty. He guides with wisdom, not grant applications. That kind of presence matters more than most people understand.
On behalf of NFNM, thank you, Art.
Integrity Isn’t Dead Here
I know the coverage has been heavy lately. Hard stories. Frustrating meetings. Bylaws that shouldn’t have passed. It wears on people. It wears on me too.
But look around. Rebecca Clark picked up trash at the side of a road when nobody was watching. Fred Fowler asked the question his constituents needed answered and took the hit for it. At the same table, Mike Hage held the line on process. Kelly Willis walked into that council chamber and said what needed saying. And Art Hannigan keeps showing up for people when it would be easier to stay home.
None of them were asked. None of them had to. They just did it.
It’s alive in North Frontenac. Let’s make sure we celebrate it. and protect it. <3
