>West end wineries ready to “Get Fresh” next week Pg 3 > Grimsby Fire readies for Boot Drive Pg. 5 > Grimsby budget battle, Round 2 Pg 6 > Spring Home Improvement ideas Pgs 8-11 Thursday, March 30, 2017 Vol. 5 Issue 47
www.wn3.ca 100% Niagara owned & operated.
Proudly serving Grimsby, Lincoln, West Lincoln & Winona
Vintage auction ready
The lots are set and all is ready for this Saturday’s 7th annual McNally House “What’s In Your Attic?” charity auction. The event will be held at Mountainview Christian Reformed Church starting at 10 a.m., preview at 8:30 a.m. As part of the offerings will be select wines from John Howard and his Megalomaniac Winery. A rare 2003 Bordeaux from
Circ: 26,111
Howard’s France property, Chateau Cambon La Pelouse, will be in the mix. “That is a one-of-a-kind offering,” said Howard. On hand to pick up Howard’s contributions were (L to R) McNally executive director Pam Blackwood, Howard, auctioneer Ken Sheward, McNally board member Shirley Martin and administrative coordinator Amanda Black. Williscraft - Photo
NPCA review set for a “good news” result: Hodgson By Mike Williscraft NewsNow In 24 years as an elected official in Niagara West, Bill Hodgson thought he had seen it all. He was wrong. The current Lincoln regional councillor, former Lincoln mayor and District School Board of Niagara trustee is also currently a member of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. Of late, the NPCA has been besieged by procedural and financial concerns, magnified recently by its board’s decision to rebuff an offer from the Ontario auditor general to send a team into the NPCA offices to conduct a thorough, independent audit of the
organization and its dealings. The board’s members, at their own meetings and in other meetings around the region said, among other comments, their focus was to work with a motion brought by Hodgson which would see the NPCA hire a independent consultant to conduct “...an independent and thorough third party Operational Review of NPCA operations...” Key to this process, to maintain transparency and integrity, said Hodgson, was the phrase, “5. That the Acting CAO will provide all necessary administrative support and co-operation to the Consultant and that all reporting, updates, and recommendations from the consultant will be direct to the Full Board at regularly scheduled or Special
Board Meetings.” To Hodgson, the message was clear: The report needs to be conducted without filters and unveiled at a public meeting for the board and general public to see. Two little letters changed the entire motion and its credibility. “What ended up in the minutes as being past says the report will be ‘directed’ to the Full Board. What that means is the consultant goes through staff, the report goes through the audit sub-committee and then to the board,” said an exasperated Hodgson in describing the turn of events. In the RFP itself, discussed at the March 15 meeting of the NPCA board, it is noted, “The See NPCA, Page 2