> Action-packed three days of Winona Peach Fest next week, Pages 8-10 > GO direction by year end Pg. 4 > Citizens’ aid saves biker’s life Pg. 6 > Letter: Neighbour upset by GBF Pg. 11 Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015 Vol. 4 Issue 12
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Who is this and what is he holding? You may not know him, but this man helped change the local media landscape
For 60 years Tom Haire plied his trade in the newspaper industry before retiring for a third time in the spring. Please turn to Page 5 to read his fascinating story. By the way, the item Tom is holding is a drawer designed to hold wooden type.. Williscraft - Photo
Times have changed, with negative impact for Lincoln Fire Department By Mike Williscraft NewsNow Lincoln Fire Department rosters have reached a critical level. Changing times has meant fewer volunteer firefighters are available for daytime calls and recent incidents have been with creativity to ensure a sufficient number answer the call to properly respond. “In Lincoln, fire suppression duties are provided entirely by volunteer firefighters, who must first respond to their stations from home or place of work in their personal vehicles upon notification of an alarm, don firefighting equipment, and respond to the incident scene in the fire apparatus,” said Fire Chief Greg Hudson. “In order to be able to successfully carry
out its mandated fire and rescue duties, the fire department must maintain an adequate roster of volunteer firefighters who are ready and able to respond in a timely manner.” That task, said Deputy Chief Bill Blake, has been easier said than done of late. “Firefighting is no longer a small volunteer commitment as it was years ago. There are many issues the fire department faces when recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters,” said Blake. Among those issues: • Employer-related – A lack of support of volunteer firefighting by employers. Employers are simply not willing to release their employees to attend the number of incident See FIRE, Page 3
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Biodigester: Rose or thorn? Former finance & hydro chairs don’t believe project projections By Mike Williscraft NewsNow Something does not smell right with Grimsby’s biodigester project, says former long-time alderman and chair of the Town’s Finance Committee Wayne Fertich. In a Letter to the Editor this week, Fertich said, “While this $4.5 Million project has not garnered near the public scrutiny it deserves from both financial as well as environmental perspectives, it has become incumbent upon me to speak up on a project that has the likelihood of putting the Town’s finance’s and certainly that of Grimsby Power et al in serious jeopardy.” The biodigester is a facility being built on a recently purchased Sobie Road lot which will generate methane gas which will, in turn, power hydro generators. Hydro officials have said the 20-year FIT (Feed-In Tariff) contract will generate as much as $25 million over the life of the
agreement. But revenue is not so much Fertich’s concern as the expenses and business plan behind the project. Among his concerns: • He claims hydro officials have it wrong the technology purchased will not work in extreme temperatures. This would reduce productivity and resulting revenues below projections; • The Town has not properly budgeted for staffing requirements or maintenance required for the site, and; • Part of the business plan concerns are that depreciation was not properly applied to the document and loan interest was also underestimated, since the federal and provincial governments have not come through with anticipated grants to build the facility, a $3 million setback; Grimsby Energy Board chairman James Detenbeck said Tuesday in an email to NewsNow the fears are unfounded. “Our numbers were See PLAN, Page 2