I HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE YOU! JOHN WoELK
OIL CHANGE
29
$
95
startting Y! a EVERYDA NT CALL FOR AN APPOINTME
Sales Representative
Cell
519-791-2868 189 Talbot St. W. Leamington
519-325-0189
ERIE SHORES REALTY INC., BROKERAGE
Hours M-F: 8am - 5pm • Sat: 8am - 12pm
Independently Owned and Operated
Volume 9, Issue 11
GOVERNMENT
REBATES ARE BACK! Quality Windows and Doors Exceptional Value
1964 Rd 3 East Kingsville
519-326-8551
(west of the roundabout) Mon - Fri 8 - 4:30, Sat closed www.tmurrexteriors.com
DR.STEVE SCHIEFER invites you to visit him at his new location
24 OAK ST. E. UNIT 3 LEAMINGTON
LATE NIGHT APPOINTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE. CALL FOR DETAILS!
Call to book your eye exam
519-326-8413
Weekend Weather Thursday
H 4º L -1º
Friday
H 0º L -5º
Saturday
H -1º L -2º
Sunday
H 2º L -3º
As reported from Environment Canada www.weatheroffice.gc.ca Harrow AAFC
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
FREE
www.southpointsun.ca
Local group purchasing Flyers
By Bryan Jessop After a memorable eight-year run, Leamington business owner Abe Fehr has decided to sell the Leamington Flyers. The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League Junior ‘B’ team is being purchased from Fehr by a group of five businessmen from across Essex County, including Jason Melo, Dan Jancevski, Cam Crowder, David Halliwill and Craig Mahon. The two sides began discussing the sale of the Flyers about two weeks ago, shortly after the team’s playoff run ended in a seven-game Western Ontario Conference semifinal loss to the St. Thomas Stars. Fehr explained that he has been considering selling the team for about the past year and decided to pursue the sale after finding the quintet of established businessmen. “Everything came together very quickly,” Fehr said. “I haven’t had the time for it lately and I’ve been wanting to do some other things. I haven’t had the drive for it — running the team takes a lot of work. I’ve found the right group of guys to take over the team.” The two sides of the agreement are not disclosing the agreed upon sale price of the team, which Fehr noted wasn’t his top priority in finding a buyer. “Having the team stay in Leamington was always my main concern,” he said. Fehr and his brother Jake purchased the community-owned team that was operated by a board of directors in 2010 and about six years later, Abe purchased his sibling’s share of the team. In that time, the Flyers made four consecutive appearances in the Western Ontario Conference finals, claiming Weir Cup championships in 2014 — the first in franchise history — and again in 2015. Fehr was nominated as the winner of the Windsor Essex Sports Person of the Year (Continued on Page 8)
Parks Canada interpretive coordinator Karen Harris explains the purpose of an experiment to a group of Grade 4 St. Louis Catholic Elementary School students at Point Pelee National Park’s Marsh Boardwalk during the spring of 2015. The boardwalk is slatted for improvements through a federal government funding project of $5.5 million at Point Pelee in honour of the park’s 100th anniversary. (SUN File Photo)
Funding to help park reach new ‘heights’
By Bryan Jessop Thanks to a multi-million dollar investment from Parks Canada, Point Pelee visitors won’t require feathers and wings for a bird’s eye view of the nation’s southern tip. A combined sum of $5.5 million has been earmarked for two major upcoming projects at Point Pelee National Park, which has already undergone a lengthy list of upgrades including a refurbished Visitor Centre, a breakwall to protect beach property from erosion and the ongoing Savannah habitat restoration program. Through federal infrastructure program funding, the Marsh Boardwalk and its observation tower will be treated to renovations valued at $4 million. The two major components of the project will include replacing the supports for the boardwalk’s stationary half and removing the tower’s wooden stairs in favour of steel replacements. The ‘floating’ half of the boardwalk will remain untouched, but at an age of more than 50 years, the stationary or ‘docked’ 500 metre section will receive a new metal substructure. “The project will be very low impact, which is nice,” explained Parks Canada project coordinator Dan Dufour. “There’ll be no need to bring any heavy machinery in there. Even when the project is going on, it shouldn’t impact access for visitors too much.” Dufour noted that the $5.5 million improvements will essentially be a summertime project that begins at the end of May. While construction of the boardwalk’s new substructure is taking place, visitors will walk the ‘floating’ section’s half kilometre and back rather than the entire walkway’s one kilometre loop. Once that area’s section of the project is complete, the boardwalk’s tower will sit upon an island linked to the parking lot area by a gravel causeway.
new location
4 IROQUOIS Rd. Unit 6 Leamington
519-325-0193 519-325-0144 Fax:
“It’ll be a nice adddition that’s better for the ecology of the marsh,” Dufour explained while also noting that the boardwalk’s entire surface will still be wood once the improvements are done. Visitors to the marsh will be able to park in the nearby Northwest Beach lot and will still be able to rent canoes from Friends of Point Pelee during the construction process. Further south, plans are in the works to build a new 24-metre/80-foot tall observation tower west of the shuttle service’s drop off area. The tower will feature three platforms and be situated about 500 metres from the tip. Reaching upwards two-and-a-half times higher than the Marsh Boardwalk’s tower, the new structure will allow guests to reach the same altitude that most hawks prefer to fly at when arriving at the park. “People have been aware of erosion problems at the tip for quite some time,” explained Dufour. “Some will recall that there used to be a deck with a bench and a telescope out there, but with loose land, we haven’t been able to offer that experience in recent times. Soon, people will be able to experience Canada’s most southern point in a very exciting way.” Before specific plans for the new tower were in place, Parks Canada staff used a portable skylift device to assess the views from its future location at different heights. It was decided that 24 metres/80 feet was ideal, as that particular elevation will allow guests to look over the region’s 60-foot tall hackberry trees. From the top, visitors will also be able to see Wheatley, urban Leamington and to the south, the northern shore of Pelee Island. For those who cannot access the tower, it’s top will include a camera that can be remotely controlled from the base. It is not yet known if the camera will be hooked up to a webcam.
1 pc Fish & Chips w/Coleslaw
Taco Meal 1 Taco & Fries
Large Spring Salad or Caesar Salad w/Garlic Toast
CHOOSE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING LUNCH SPECIALS FOR ONLY $10! Includes coffee, tea or fountain drink
Also...1/4 LB Shrimp, your choice w/Fries & Coleslaw
Bowl of Clam Chowder w/Garlic Toast
AVAILABLE 11 am - 3 pm MON - SAT
245 Talbot St. W., Leamington 519.322.2660 joeys.ca