> Ready to get your Peach Festival on in Winona this weekend? / Pgs 8-11 > Village of Hope readies for school Pg 2 > Lake water levels subside: NPCA Pg 4 > NRP warns businesses of fraud Pg 5 Thursday, August 22, 2019 Vol. 9 Issue 16
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Partying ‘til the sun goes down
Attendees of the Summer Street Party rock out in front of the concert stage Saturday night. The free community event drew thousands onto Main Street and raised more than $160,000 for local charities. For more on the night’s festivities, turn to Pages 6-7. Marks - Photo
West Lincoln targets illegal soil dumping By Tristan Marks NewsNow The Township of West Lincoln needs help from the community to curb the illegal dumping of fill which has been plaguing the municipality recently. The township held a public information meeting Aug. 13 at the Caistor Community Centre to heighten
awareness of the issue and a 2016 site alteration by-law meant to deal with it. West Lincoln’s director of planning, Brian Treble, was on hand to explain how residents can submit complaints to inform the township regarding illegal dumping they see and how they can conform to by-laws for their
own site alterations. “The dumping has gone far beyond what we’ve had up until now, this year,” he said. According to Treble, there have been numerous recent incidents with residents offering citizens fill soil. Treble defined fill soil as that which sits beneath the top soil normally used for gar-
dening and farming. He gave one startling example of a resident who agreed to take 10 truck loads of soil to level his property but came home to find 600 loads dumped there. That example also illustrated why complaints have to be submitted quickly, as the companies dumping
this soil exist outside of the township’s jurisdiction and fraud charges are beyond the by-law’s purview. He explained that dump trucks need to be caught in the act within West Lincoln’s borders to be served by-law charges. “We try to be as quick as we can,” said Treble.
“Contact us, as early action prevents long cleanup.” Otherwise, residents are “on the hook” for the soil on their property, said Treble. Citizens need to be especially cautious if the top soil contains contaminants. Normally this would be outlined in a soil analysis See SOIL, Page 3