Items filtered by date: October 2021

A video featuring the newly launched Level 1 Commercial Vehicle Apprenticeship Training Program has been released recently. Filmed on location in the Power & Equipment Building at Kemptville Campus, the 8-minute video features instructor Anthony MacKay explaining the different modules of the course.

The program, delivered by the Upper Canada District School Board, in partnership with Kemptville Campus, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, le Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario, and le Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, was launched in October at UCDSB’s TR Leger site on Kemptville Campus.

The video explains how the program offers in-class and practical learning for three motive power trades: Agricultural Equipment Technician, Heavy Duty Equipment Technician, and Truck and Coach Technician. The course provides students the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge through in-class learning and with practical experiences that are specific to these related careers.

This program has been made available to qualified students enrolled in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) or students who are working toward completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma and interested in completing a co-op or enrolling in OYAP. The program currently has full registration with 20 students enrolled from the four participating school boards.

“It’s an amazing collaboration between the four school boards and Kemptville Campus,” said teacher Anthony MacKay. “One thing I'd like to add is that this program couldn't be what it is without the generous support of our industry partners. They have come out in a very large way to support this program and get it off the ground.”

The video is viewable here, or on the TR Leger Youtube channel. A shorter version was also produced to share on social media.

Contact:
Campus Communications: Tom Graham, TD Graham + Associates
Ph: 613-258-3885 E: tdgraham@tdgraham.com

This past year, local residents may have witnessed considerable activity in the forests at Kemptville Campus. Activities have included trail improvements, thinning in the sugar bush, new sap pipelines, equipment upgrades in the evaporator house, unveiling of the Peter Wensink Maple Forest, the Fall in Love with Maple event and most importantly the community use of the forest.

In keeping with the Vision and Goals of the Campus and the Campus Forest, a thinning operation in the red pine plantations will take place over the next several months. The harvest of forest products will concentrate on thinning over-crowded forest areas to maintain forest health and increase growth potential of the remaining trees. All forest management activities will meet the high standards of FSC^® certification.

“Thinning in red pine plantations is undertaken to improve forest health and species diversity,” said Jim Hendry, Registered Provincial Forester and manager of the Campus Forest. “This is accomplished by harvesting the lower quality trees competing with the higher quality ones, known as crop trees, and providing space for the natural regeneration to grow.”

Once the selected trees are marked, harvesting will be done by Lavern Heideman & Sons Ltd, an eastern Ontario lumber processing company. Specialized equipment is used to cut and pile the logs. When ready, the logs will be loaded onto logging trucks and transported to the company’s sawmill in Eganville. There, they will be sawn into lumber of various dimensions and used primarily in the landscaping business. A transportation plan will be developed to ensure safety procedures are in place during entrance and exits from the Campus.

Tree marking started November 1^st and thinning will begin in December, with an anticipated finish of February 2022. The thinning affects about 29 of the Campus’s approximately 350 acres of forest. Recreational trails within the thinning area – including the Discovery Trail Loop and Sugar Bush Trail Loops – will be closed or partially closed to the public during the harvest operation. Temporary signs will be posted on trails affected while workers are present.

Watch for more information in the coming weeks.

Contact: Bruce Jackson, Facility Manager
bjackson@kemptvillecampus.ca
Cell: 613-802-0965