> Prokich park “oasis” officially unveiled in Beamsville /Pg 6 > YMCA acquires affordable housing unit Pg 3 > Parking key open house concern Pg 5 > Grimsby Trillium winners announced Pg 10 Thursday, August 19, 2021 Vol. 10 Issue 19
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Kid Kreativity
Children taking part in Grimsby Recreation Services Camp Mikinawk explore their hidden artistic talents... and not an electronic device to be seen. The popular program sold out again in 2021. Marks - Photo
COVID concerns, chaos reign at Bled Hall By Mike Williscraft NewsNow Investigations are ongoing into a shooting and an unapproved gathering of thousands at Beamsville’s Bled Hall Saturday night. Just after 10:30 p.m. police were called back a second time to Bled Hall, located at 4650 South Service. Initial investigation showed a 22-year-old man had been shot multiple times. He was transported to an out-of-region hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Niagara Regional Police noted at the time there was no further threat to the public. While the NRP is continuing its investigation into the shooting contact Det. Jason Vormittag at 905-688-4111, ext. 1009224 with any information - Town of Lincoln officials are conducting their own
investigation into the event itself. “The incident remains under investigation by 8 District (Grimsby) detectives. At this time, charges have not been laid,” said Stephanie Sabourin, NRP’s manager corporate communications. As often happens, misinformation was rampant on social media regarding everything from crowd size, to the style of event to how police and Town of Lincoln dealt with the occurance. “In regards to police response that evening, multiple units were in attendance at the location twice previously that evening. Our officers are continuing to work with municipal bylaw partners in regards to enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions,” noted Sabourin. The Town did not issue a permit for this event.
“We do have a special event application process for larger events. This process is typically intended to make sure that things like parking, emergency access and other site considerations are taken into account. But we were not aware of an event of this magnitude being planned and we would have not approved such an event,” said Matt Bruder, Lincoln’s director of planning. CAO Mike Kirkopoulos said the Town’s bylaw department did excellent work throughout the evening, always with a safety first view for the public and the staff themselves. “Town of Lincoln bylaw were at Bled Hall and the surrounding area along with NRP dealing with a large non-Town-sanctioned event. The fire department was also contacted
by NRP for assistance due to the large number of participants,” said Kirkopoulos. “At no time did the event organizers go through the proper channels to obtain a special event permit from the Town. In fact, the correspondence we did see late last week was about a “Family Fun Day” which clearly this wasn’t.” To keep things under control, Kirkopoulos noted a considerable amount of teamwork was needed. “Our bylaw department worked closely with NRPS and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, acting where appropriate. At no time did we not “act”. We were very proactive and ensured there were ample staff on site,” said Kirkopoulos. “With that large a crowd, there was a safe and appropriate approach See CHARGES, Page 2