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Market Street Upgrades

For now, phase 1 will focus on minor adjustments to the road’s asphalt width, some existing entrances to businesses will be adjusted to improve traffic flow and road safety and tactile plates will be installed on sidewalks at street intersections, added Maxwell. One concerned citizen on EngageBrant suggested the county implement a four way stop with well marked pedestrian crossings at Market Street and Spruce Streets. They’d also like to see Market Street widened to allow for a left turning lane as you approach the railway. Too often cars veer onto the opposite side of the road to make a left-hand turn onto Capron Street when traffic is backed up because trains are crossing. Phase 2 of the project will require more public feedback. It will address more serious pedestrian safety concerns. Reconstruction efforts will focus on Broadway Street West from Railway Street to West River Street. One major change will include the creation of a sidewalk on the east side of Broadway Street W and installing better lighting for pedestrians. This section of roadway is a busy artery that connects Paris’ downtown to its north end. Many residents walk, run and cycle this roadway often and it is the only roadway that provides access to the trails at Penman’s Pass. Once work commences in early Spring, Maxwell advised there will be traffic interruptions on Market Street. “Because of the depth of sewers, which are 8 m deep in some areas, the road will need to be completely closed to thru-traffic. The work will be phased so that access is maintained to businesses and affected homeowners will be able to access their driveways at almost all times. ” Residents are encouraged to review drawings and submit comments through EngageBrant, although people can engage in conversation in a method that’s most comfortable for them – by phone, email, social media or in-person discussion, said Maxwell.

Businesses want angled parking returned to downtown block

Businesses operating on the block pictured above would like to see the return of angled parking. The Chair of the Downtown BIA spoke to members of council at the January 25th meeting. Photo by Michelle Malvaso

By Casandra Turnbull

Matt Cummings, chair of the downtown BIA, made a passionate plea to council to reverse changes made in September to parking in downtown Paris.

Nine angled parking spaces were removed in favour of five parallel spots. Of the five parallel spots, two have 15-minute time restrictions. Parking directly across the street (same side of the road as the Arlington Hotel) was removed all together to allow two lanes of traffic as vehicles enter Paris’ downtown core. The controversial change was implemented as a matter of public safety, according to County Staff and Council. Cummings said he fails to see how the angled parking was a safety concern in the first place. In the 14 years he’s owned and operated The Cobblestone Pub, he said he’s not witnessed one accident to warrant such changes.

As new Chair of the BIA, Cummings was speaking on behalf of all the businesses in that block that were affected by the parking changes: Burns Insurance, M&A Automotive, Grand Experiences, Cobblestone Pub, Studio Edun Beauty & Wellness, The Dog Parlor, The DogEared Café and Fizz Soakery.

“I understand completely that decisions that get made on paper seem like a good idea at the time, but when you put it in the real world, it doesn’t work as expected,” he said during the January 25th Council meeting, adding that it’s a matter of battling fact versus opinion. He said he sees the facts daily: the changes added yet another obstacle for already struggling businesses to overcome. “This is not a minor issue, this is people’s livelihoods. ”

Continued from page 5 Cummings said he understands Council’s agenda to address congestion in downtown Paris, and that the removal of the spaces across the road from his business was a necessity, even if it meant losing additional parking spaces, but he struggles to see how the parallel parking is much safer than the angled parking. “You’re asking an aging population to parallel park. It’s easier to pull in and pull out,” he said. And the fact that two of the five spaces currently have a 15-minute time limit, further complicates the situation, and will undoubtedly result in more parking tickets as people fail to understand how to use the spaces properly. Councillor Robert Chambers said he supported Cummings suggestions wholeheartedly because “the people who know the best are the merchants who work there daily. ” Chambers said he believes the ultimate resolution would be returning to status quo (angled parking). Councillor Marc Laferriere noted he’s received generally positive feedback from drivers in favour of the changes, but he was still open to suggestion. Council easily voted to remove the 15-minute time limit on the two spots but reverting the parking back to its previous layout would take some time and careful consideration. Laferriere suggested a 360 analysis which would include feedback from the BIA, OPP, and the county’s economic development department.

EIFFEL SNOW TOWER!

Sometimes when life gives you a lot of snow, you just have to make a snowman, or snow fort, or even a snow tower! One creative resident spent a lot of time crafting this one-of-a-kind tower. Word on the street is they have it down to a fine art – this isn’t their first attempt at an Eiffel Tower replica. While this masterpiece was constructed ahead of the most recent storm, other snow creatures and forts popped up around town (SEE PAGE 14) following another blast of winter weather on Thursday that shutdown schools, brought more snow, freezing rain and high winds. Photo submitted by Shayln Baker

WOMAN CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING EMPLOYER $350,000

A 68-year-old Brant County woman is facing several charges after defrauding a local business of over $350,000. The County of Brant OPP charged the Paris resident in connection to a fraud investigation. The OPP were contacted after a representative of the business discovered an employee had stolen a large sum of money from the company. Due to the large sum, the Crime Unit took over the investigation and charged the woman with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime, over $5,000. The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford at a later date.

TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO MULTIPLE CHARGES

A Brant OPP officer conducted a traffic stop on Dundas St E after witnessing a Highway Traffic Act violation. As a result of the stop, which occurred at 1:57 a.m. on January 31, a 41-year-old Brantford resident was charged with driving while under suspension, owner operate motor vehicle on a high without insurance, improper muffler, use of plate not authorized for the vehicle and fail to notify change of name. The drive is scheduled to appear in a Brantford court at a later date.

WOLFPACK PLAYERS GEAR UP FOR PLAYOFFS

By Casandra Turnbull

Recent restrictions may have halted hockey indoors, however, many Paris Minor Hockey players could be found honing their skills during the break on outdoor rinks and ponds. Finally on Monday, the Wolfpack returned to the Brant Sports Complex with many teams holding practices throughout the week ahead of the upcoming playoff season.

The executive is cautiously holding its breath that this could be the year players get a definite end to the season through invigorating playoff games. The 2020 playoffs were cut short with the arrival of Covid-19 and the 2021 end of year showdowns did not happen at all.

“We have a tight window to get everything in, luckily we have enough ice to do,” said Mike Sinclair, PMHA president. He forecasts a lot of hockey crammed into the next 7-8 weeks. The first round of playoff games started on February 3. They will continue until March Break when the Ontario Minor Hockey Association imposes a mandatory week-long pause on league games. That’s when most clubs attend tournaments, conduct practices or host fun skills competitions. Only teams advancing to the OMHA finals will continue to play post March Break.

Playoff positions were determined after three months of league play that paused on January 5. Rep division teams were split into three tiers, 1,2,3 based on skill and regular season standings. All Paris teams were categorized as Tier 2, except for the U15 (Bantam) Reps who’ve clawed their way into Tier 1. Some of the younger division teams, such as U7 and U8, will resume game play in the weeks ahead and the U9 team will transition from half to full ice games.

“There will be lots of hockey. Every team has 1014 games to get in and everyone still has tournaments to play,” said Sinclair. Speaking of tournaments, the recent lockdown unfortunately resulted in the cancellation of the annual Paris Wolfpack Tournament named in honour of Lisa Dalpe. She passed away in September 2015 after a valiant battle with kidney cancer. Lisa was a past PMHA executive member and all three of her sons grew up playing PMHA hockey. Lisa was heavily involved in the community, so renaming the tournament after her was an easy fit. The tournament is scheduled to resume next year.

Paris still has one more tournament on the horizon. The Syl Apps Tournament, sponsored by Mike Yarek Dodge, will feature approximately 24 U15 and U18 teams the first few days of April. If you’d like to enjoy some playoff hockey, visit the PMHA website for a complete list of game times https://parisminorhockey.com/

HE SHOOTS, BUT DID HE SCORE?

Emerson Kneale tries to put one past the goalie during a scrimmage game on January 31. U7 Red team players were happy to be back on the ice after a four week pause. Coach Jeff Howells said the kids looked fantastic for their first practice back – almost as if they hadn’t miss any time at all! The U7, U8 and U9 teams will resume games later this month, while the remaining age groups prepare for the start of playoffs.

Photo by Casandra Turnbull

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