> West Lincoln open taps on serviced industrial lands /Pg 6 > GAMRU gets much-needed boost Pg 5 > Peach Festival drive-thru this weekend Pg 7 > Barbara Chambers: 1,000 masks & counting Pg 11 Thursday, August 27, 2020 Vol. 9 Issue 18
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Beach crowds complicating social distancing The recent spate of heat has pushed many to attend area beaches, leading Niagara Regional Police to heighten their presence there. Of late, Grimsby’s District 8 has boosted its beach patrols to monitor social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19 guidelines. “We have had reports regarding the local beaches in Grimsby and around Niagara. We are seeing concerns from the public and us around overcrowding and parking, behavior, drinking and litter,” said NRP media relations officer Const. Phil Gavin, adding overcrowding has complicated social distancing. “They are closely linked. The beaches are busy but that is leading to physical distancing being compromised. We are seeing people distancing and we are also seeing a lack of it. We would not want to see noncompliance lead to stricter rules.
Beachgoers in Niagara West have been generally well behaved where social distancing is concerned but overcrowding has been a complication, say Niagara Regional Police officials. This crowd at Fifty Point Conservation Area was. Marks - Photo
Jordan Station pot bust brings relief for area residents
$42 million in drugs, guns, cash and jewelry confiscated during Operation Woolwich By Mike Williscraft NewsNow The major pot bust at a Jordan Station grow operation last week has brought a sigh of relief for area residents and confirmed a sense of purpose for the Town of Lincoln. Ontario Provincial Police raided Northend Gardens at 4030 Fifteenth St. - and other locations - confiscat-
ing $42 million in drugs, guns, vehicles, cash and jewelry on Aug. 13. The operation was called Operation Woolwich and included executing 26 warrants in numerous locations including Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Jordan, Simcoe, Markham, Canfield, Welland, Leamington, Scarborough, Richmond Hill and British Columbia.
“Project Woolwich has dismantled a very sophisticated criminal enterprise that spanned from BC into Ontario and into the United States,” said OPP Insp. Jim Walker. “(It) is a culmination of the enforcement efforts for the last year into a major investigation into criminal enterprise.” Walker added that the ongoing is-
sue with grow ops stems from those who choose to circumvent Health Canada guidelines by overproducing cannabis from amounts approved. “Not everybody, who has a registration under the personal or designated production regime under Health Canada has been abusing. What we found, though is that organized crime See BUST, Page 3