> Could Grimsby become the Carolinian capital of Canada? /Pg 6 > Don’t let fear rule during COVID Pg 4 > Opinion: Heritage needs teeth in LPAT process Pg 5 > Birding great source of stress relief Pg 9 Thursday, February 18, 2021 Vol. 9 Issue 44
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Vaccine roll out even more key By Mike Williscraft NewsNow With Niagara Region being the only one left in Grey-Lockdown mode of 28 regions in Ontario to see an upgrade in the COVID response framework this week, many have turned their attention to the rollout of longanticipated vaccines. The good news on that front, says Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, is long-term care homes in Niagara have been covered off. “Niagara’s LongTerm-Care homes all received their first rounds of vaccinations in January, while many across the province did not wrap up their
first rounds until the middle of February. In fact, Niagara’s LTC homes received their vaccinations before 14 other public health units across the province even received vaccines,” noted Oosterhoff. “The next phase of vaccination will include all seniors over the age of 80.” To get there, though, Niagara is in need of replenished vaccine supplies after some doses were rerouted to areas deemed more in need based on input from medical officials. “Ultimately, though, vaccine distribution is not a political decision, See VACCINE, Page 3
Great day for a walk
Any day is a great day for a walk, and seeking out a few species of birds, too, says local birder Laurie Stacey. Residents can drive out to 50 Point or Beamer conservation areas, or just to their neighbourhood park for a quick escape with a purpose. See story Page 9.
Small step for West Lincoln a big step for future planning By Tristan Marks NewsNow Last Thursday’s virtual public meeting for West Lincoln’s urban boundary expansion was another small step in a very big process. Consultants rolled out two possible concepts for expanding Smithville’s urban boundaries and gave a general update on the Smithville Community Master Plan. The information was released as part of the first Public Information Centre (PIC) for Phase 1 of the study,
and was a follow up to a preliminary stakeholder meeting held in 2019. Consultants also gave an update to the accompanying sub-watershed study, and answered questions regarding the entire presentation from members of the public. Consultant Karl Grueneis began the PIC with an update of the purpose of the study, that the current trends of growth in Smithville indicate that the Township will have to expand its urban borders.
“Right now, there’s not enough land to sustain that growth,” Grueneis said. To that end, the study’s purpose is to develop a phased plan to expand Smithville’s borders to allow for more residential and employment zones, while also preserving the prime agricultural land surrounding the community. Grueneis also said that the two concepts took into consideration input from residents and other stakeholders from the preliminary 2019 public meeting. He pointed to
survey data from that night that found that residents wanted Smithville of the future to maintain its character as a quiet, central urban area, one that avoids sprawl and high rises. Both concepts worked around the same map of Smithville that expanded its urban borders to Young St. in the North, South Grimsby Road 6 in the West, North Creek in the South, and some areas to the East. Each concept presented a different layout for resi-
dential/mixed use lands and employment lands, the key differences in the arrangements coming from which of two potential truck by-pass routes the Township could go with. The first option, which assumes a bypass route along the North end of Smithville, suggests expanding existing employment lands along the North and the East of the urban area, while placing new land for residential housing and community facilities in See PLANNING, Page 3