> Main Street landlord told to remove sign, Town says sign OK /Pg 7 > Lincoln approves odour bylaw Pg 3 > COVID forces WLMH OR closure Pg 4 > Long-time volunteer now needs help Pg 11 Thursday, April 22, 2021 Vol. 9 Issue 50
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Climate protest at RBC scrubbed out By Tristan Marks NewsNow The Town of Grimsby sent in the big guns to ensure a public Grimsby sidewalk was clean and clear - of chalk. Sophie Krouse stood outside RBC last week to raise awareness of Canadian banks investments in the fossil fuel industry. The bank responded by calling the Town’s bylaw department which called the Niagara Regional Police (NRP) who ordered the Town to send a scrubbing vehicle to clear chalk messages left on public sidewalks in front of the St. Andrews Ave. branch. Krouse, a Grimsby Secondary School student, was protesting billion dollar investments made by banks such as RBC into fossil fuels, when she was threatened with a Mischief charge for graffiti on public property. She said she arrived at the branch around 1:45 p.m. to close her
Sophie Krouse was surprised to see Niagara Regional Police officers show up at Grimsby’s Royal Bank branch, told her sidewalk chalk messages were vandalism and she could face charges. Minutes later, public works showed up in a sidewalk sweeper to wipe away the messages. Marks - Photo account with RBC and chalking slogans on two NRP vehicles and and were threaten- “police intimidation”. began to set up her the nearby public side- a Grimsby bylaw truck ing to charge me,” Thing is, Sophie protest. walk while handing out arrived at the scene. said Sophie, who later said she did her due She said this involved fliers to pedestrians. “They said I vandal- described the interac- diligence to ensure holding up signs and Within 30 minutes, ized town property tion as an example of See PROTEST, Page 2
Decision to make Mayor Jordan pay “not enforceable” By Mike Williscraft NewsNow “The resolution is not enforceable, correct?” “That’s correct.” That exchange at Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting between Grimsby Coun. Lianne Vardy and the Town’s legal coun-
sel John Mascarin summarized and capped a long and heated matter regarding a push by a majority of council to force Mayor Jeff Jordan to pay a series of invoices connected to a phone call he made. The call was found to be in breach of the Town’s code of conduct, but was “trivial and not of conse-
quence” by then-Integrity Commissioner Charles Harnick, who was subsequently relieved of this duties a short time later after a closed session debate on his tenure. Mascarin attended Monday’ meeting to speak to his 10-page review of the legality of a motion approved by council 5-4 to have the
mayor pay $1,302.62 in bills which resulted from a phone call made after his confidential emails somehow turned up at the home of Coun. Kevin Ritchie. The emails were discussed in a closed session of council, with Ritchie choosing not to return the information, claiming that See $1,302.62, Page 5