The Voice, April 15 2020

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Vol.24 No.15

April 15, 2020

Published every Wednesday

Councillor Mike Ciolfi 1968-2020

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The Voice, April 15, 2020

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

by Dave Burket

Councillor Mike Ciolfi dies

NRPS impaired driving charges

Tested positive for COVID-19, cause of death not announced

In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court.

In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90-Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension.

The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample.

Craig P. COUTU, 47, Fort Erie Christopher D. MACKEY, 28, Niagara Falls Nicholas C. J. BINGLEY, 21, Thorold Wayne M. FULLER, 73, Welland Joshua D. M. GILLETA, 26, St. Catharines Daniel I. NOSIC, 37, Hamilton

T

ake it from someone who has spent more time around local politicians than is healthy for anybody—Mike Ciolfi was one-in-a-million.

There are certain personality types that are drawn to politics, and to local politics in particular. The worst are the small, petty men, who, once elected and get a taste of power, become ever smaller, ever more petty, their righteous obstinance a malignant hindrance to governing, even to cordial relations with their colleagues.

At the other end of the spectrum are those whose hearts seem big enough to welcome the whole world, people who make themselves available not just when called but when needed, without fanfare or pretense, desiring neither to be in the spotlight nor pretending a false modesty in avoiding it.

Ciolfi was a big man, with giant hands, and an infinitely huge heart. His reach extended far beyond Pelham, through work and family, as evidenced by the Voice website repeatedly crashing as I write this early Monday evening. The story of his passing has been read nearly 34,000 times.

I can’t remember a single occasion that Ciolfi did not have the courtesy to reply to a Voice inquiry or request for comment. Sometimes—though rarely—it was to apologize for not being able to respond in as much detail as he would have liked. The most recent example was a week ago, when I sent him a short email expressing my hope that he was feeling better. I knew that he had been tested for COVID-19 on Friday, April 3, but he did not yet know the result. In his reply, part of which we quoted in last week’s paper, Ciolfi mentioned the test, and that he was not feeling well enough to participate in last Monday’s council meeting, even from his own home by video. We did not mention the virus test in the story, looking to protect his privacy. He was self-isolating at home, following the rules.

As far as I ever saw or heard about, Ciolfi treated his council colleagues and Town staff with respect. He acknowledged expertise beyond his own. While I was aware that he and the Cannabis Control Committee differed with Town staff on some particulars of the CCC’s proposed bylaws, to my knowledge Ciolfi did not take personal offense at these differences, nor accuse staff of acting in bad faith.

Interviewed by the Voice during the 2018 campaign, Ciolfi mentioned how much he appreciated various aspects of life in Pelham, speaking to our reporter at his in-laws’ sprawling farm in Fenwick. The story noted that Ciolfi had never consulted with or complained to the Town about any issue close to home, and he added even if he had, he wouldn’t be “bad-mouthing anyone.” Infighting was counter-productive and not his style, he said, adding, “I’m not combative. I’ve learned to work with people’s strengths, not their weaknesses.”

Rest in peace, Mike. You will be sorely missed. ♦

Voice

BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

Special to the VOICE

Pelham Ward One Councillor Mike Ciolfi has died. Ciolfi, who had been feeling ill for weeks, received confirmation early last week that he had the COVID-19 virus, telling the Voice that he was too ill to participate in last Monday’s Pelham Town Council meeting, even by teleconference.

He died at home Sunday evening. An official cause of death has not been announced.

Ciolfi, who would have turned 52 on May 7, leaves behind a wife and two daughters.

Elected to council in 2018, Ciolfi worked at Thurston Machines Co. in Port Colborne for some three decades, and was the president and treasurer of the charity group Club Castropignano. Among his many community contributions, Ciolfi helped organize a Tomatofest that benefited the United Way and was a lacrosse, soccer, and baseball coach.

“It’s hard to believe,” said Mayor Marv Junkin. “We’re all trying to absorb a huge loss. He was a big strong guy. Shaking his hand was like meeting a grizzly bear.”

In his eighteen months on council, Ciolfi built a reputation as a diligent and attentive representative, a fact that Junkin emphasized.

“He was always taking notes,” Junkin said.

“When there was a question, he would always pull out his records and have an answer.”

Junkin recounted a time that one of Ciolfi’s constituents called him about a garbage issue.

“I don’t know if the garbage truck came late or what, but some wild animal or something had pulled his trash all over the lawn. Mike went down there and picked up the garbage himself. He didn’t mind going the extra mile.

He took the job very seriously.”

Junkin didn’t know Ciolfi prior to the election, but said that he had grown to know him well since. Recently, the two attended a rural municipalities association meeting in Toronto, with Ciolfi driving the pair into the city.

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“I got to know him better personally on that trip,” said Junkin. “He was a hell of a family man, and just a great guy.”

Pelham CAO David Cribbs praised Ciolfi for his reasonableness and work ethic.

“Councillor Ciolfi was frequently a voice of reason and was a pleasure to work for,” said Cribbs. “He was kind, friendly, warm and dedicated. He worked really hard. This will be devastating for his family, but will also leave a gaping hole for the community.”

Ciolfi finished first in Ward One in 2018.

When running that year, Ciolfi told the Voice that he was proud to live in Pelham.

“We have the best wineries, best vegetable and fruit farms in Ontario, and great golf courses,” he said, and pledged to remain positive as councillor, a promise Junkin says he kept.

“I’m not combative,” said Ciolfi. “I’ve learned to work with people’s strengths, not their weaknesses.”

With additional reporting by Dave Burket

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Wednesday, February 8, 2017

DSBN wants portion of Town park

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Column Six

Growing up British

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

W

BALLOONING INTEREST Grade 6 student Jinja Shepherd explains her experiment on static electricity at the Glynn A. Green Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3.

NATE SMELLE PHOTO

Public meeting tonight on school issues

BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick.

Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-

Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation.

DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be

“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime.

Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting.

“We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page

HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin.

My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries.

Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town.

This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation.

On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque.

“This tree looks dead,” I said to my father.

“It sure is getting there, Julie.”

The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14

Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation

Vol.20 No.32

BY VOICE STAFF

A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through.

One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through.

“If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire

BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER

Special to the VOICE

A

Repair measures underway last week to correct a construction error in the chicane. truck or an ambulance?” he said.

While waiting for the contractor to return to fix

the mistake, the Town has taken measures to temporarily allow passage for vehicles through the neigh-

VOICE PHOTO

bourhood in the short-term.

Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with

the chicane the morning it first opened, the Town See CHICANE Page 5

Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a final report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21.

Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staff met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-

sidered.

The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event.

Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-

ter signage for out-of-town visitors to designated parking areas and shuttle services. To make participation in Summerfest more enticing to local businesses, they plan to implement a tiered-charge for booths. Under the new system, Pelham Street business owners will be charged the least, other local businesses will pay a slightly higher fee, and vendors from outside Pelham will pay the most. In response to more specific issues for individual businesses, they will also slightly alter the footprint of the event and make adjustments to security.

Another way the committee plans

to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016.

"We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said.

“It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going.

We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5

FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box.

Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano.

For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely.

Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint

Wednesday October 12, 2016

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See COLUMN SIX Page 14

BY VOICE STAFF

The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals

ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”

“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie.

Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls

Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept.

19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-

walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school.

Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later.

After delivering to Council a petition containing

Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the

podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case.

Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel.

As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.

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H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

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VOICE Correspondent

and youth ages 5-25. This year the 3rd Fonthill Group, which includes Beavers to Ventures (youth ages 5- 25) will be hitting the streets to drum-up support.

Over the weekend, Scouts will be set up in Fonthill outside Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Target Gas station, Fonthill Shopping Plaza and the Pioneer Gas station at the corner of Hwys 20 and 24.

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

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T

Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers SUPPLIED PHOTO in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign.

A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.

Office 905.892.1702

Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932

While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples.

As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations.

The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada.

“The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-

this minute!

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BY VOICE STAFF The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick.

Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues.

Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students.

“The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated.

The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the

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“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained.

“I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.”

Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times See SIDEWALK Page 2

HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn.

Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn.

It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly.

The hues of Autumn are outstanding.

A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour.

Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River.

If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills.

If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet See AUTUMN Page 3

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The Voice, April 15, 2020

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OPINION

The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.

The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0

COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté The year we lost spring

W

ell, it appears that the season of spring has sprung in these parts and the residents are anxious to go outdoors without bundling up like they were living in Antarctica. If you do go outdoors, you must not venture far, due to the measures to combat this terrible pandemic. So the rites of spring this year will be somewhat wronged (bad pun!) by COVID-19.

Despite being restricted to quarters, there are many signs of spring to be observed even when following the directions of medical authorities to stay at home.

One of these wonderful signs is the return of the many species of birds.

Truth be told, they are the truest snowbirds. These avians have the good sense to avoid the discomforts of winter. Among the four seasons in our clime, winter is the least favoured by a majority of residents.

On a positive note this spring, a robin has decided to build her nest just outside our window and almost close enough to touch. I have observed and admired her skills and dil-

igence. She makes numerous trips to collect twigs and other materials to weave a substantive home to house her babies in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, her mate sits nearby and watches over this construction project without lifting a talon to help.

When he tires of watching his mate’s endeavours he flies off presumably to join his confreres in the trees that serve as a hangout for these once carefree stags.

To his credit, he does make some fly-bys throughout the day presumably to offer his mate encouragement.

He dare not criticize or offer suggestions, else this songbird might be signing his next song an octave or two higher.

There is another group of birds who cavort through the nearby forest every morning at sunrise.

This is a coven of bachelor crows who are free of the parenting responsibilities some of their former buddies have grown into.

These devil-may-care guys are crowing about the fresh roadkill discovered on a nearby roadside and are inviting their fellows to the banquet of wild game

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just below their treetop perches.

Another rite of spring seen throughout the neighbourhood is the contingent of car buffs hosing down their vehicles and rediscovering the colour of their chariots after a wintering of sand, salt and slush. Regrettably, some of these hosers chose to shampoo their vehicles in the near buff.

Over the winter it seems their once-chiselled pectorals have succumbed to gravity and are now hanging over their belt buckles.

The sight of their brazen butt cleavage is enough to cause neighbours to cover their childrens’ eyes and to flee indoors.

To end on a more positive note, there are the many good neighbours who are busy preparing flowerbeds that all of us will enjoy for the next few months before the onslaught of another winter.

One can only hope that this present pandemic will soon be history and we can more fully enjoy the jocularity of our most welcoming seasons. We deserve such pleasantries after enduring the punishments of the just-past winter. ♦

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca EDITOR & PUBLISHER Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger office@thevoiceofpelham.ca CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn Botari, Colin Brezicki, Rosemary Chambers, John Chick, Larry Coté, Brian Green, Jenica Hrysko, Maeve Keating, Megan Metler, Bill Potrecz, Bernie Puchalski, Don Rickers, John Swart, Helen Tran, Mike Tucker, Rob Weatherby. Proof Sleuth: Julian Fitch NEWS INQUIRIES & TIPS editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Appreciates amazing offer of help My husband and I are residents of Fonthill, having resided here some 13-plus years. We are patrons of the TD Bank in Fonthill, and on Saturday, March 21, we went to the bank to make a transaction. The bank we discovered was not opened for over- the-counter transactions. We normally do not use the bank machines, but this day it was our only option. Our attempts to do so were futile. A young lady was coming to use the machine and we asked her if she would assist us when she had completed her transaction. She very willingly agreed to assist us, only to end up with the same futility. She expressed her sincere concern that

we were unable to secure the funds that we requested and offered to assist us by way of a loan. We declined her offer as our need was not of a desperate nature. She still expressed her concern and again offered her assistance.

The amazing compassion and thoughtfulness that this lady demonstrated really touched our hearts. This act of kindness continues to reassure us of the quality of people who reside in this great community and especially at this time when we truly need each other.

Ruth and Neale Kramer Fonthill

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

Electoral District: Niagara West

Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987

Dean Allison, MP 4994 King Street Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 Dean.Allison@parl.gc.ca 877-563-7900

Members of Pelham Town Council

Member of Provincial Parliament

Ward 1

Electoral District: Niagara West

The Voice

Letters

Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755 Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

Councillor Marianne Stewart mstewart@pelham.ca 289-821-0840 Ward 2 Councillor Ron Kore rkore@pelham.ca 905-933-3805

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The Voice, April 15, 2020

Page 5

OPINION TOWN HALL MESSAGE

COMMENTARY / OP-ED Heather Boyd The messy middle: An end to binary thinking

I

n all of the shifts and paradigm changes that have been happening locally and around the globe in response to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, there has seemed to me a real binary way of thinking. People are either skeptical that it is as serious as it seems, or are feeling like we are facing the apocalypse. There is no doubt that this is the most significant public health event in living memory, and, in addition, it is having a most profound impact on our ideas of how the world works, and what is truly important to us.

However, I think the binary approach (it's no big deal vs. it's Armageddon) is missing the point. It's missing the messy middle where most of us find ourselves. We seem, collectively, to be thinking about the world, and COVID-19, in binary ways.

There is an alternative: We can be aware of our mixed feelings. Mixed feelings are described by Dr. Gordon Neufeld, developmental psychologist and author of "Hold Onto Your Kids,” as a key part of raising emotionally resilient children. As adults, most of us are capable of mixed feelings. Except when fear kicks our brain into reptile mode. When we can stay calm, we have space to pause and think about our feelings—to have meta-cognition as it were, to think about our thinking, or to truly feel our feelings.

Few of us stop to ponder mixed feelings, and so we end up turning such complex issues as public health, social isolation, and the choices of modern living as a bunch of 0s and 1s: bad or good, on or off, yes or no.

So here then are my thoughts on where awareness of mixed feelings will help propel us, individually and collectively, towards managing the current crises (plural here—

Mayor Marvin Junkin

Handshakes might be gone for good, but goodness persists

there's a lot of stuff happening right now, and crisis, singular, doesn't quite cut it).

What is possible when it comes to our mixed feelings around COVID-19?

It is possible to be concerned about getting COVID-19 without panicking in the grocery store. It is possible to be worried about civil liberties while simultaneously wanting to avoid all public spaces and following guidelines closely. It is possible to be grateful for vaccines while simultaneously being concerned about autonomy. It is possible to be wondering if this is all overblown while being concerned about your immune-compromised friend. It is possible to feel scared about getting sick while feeling pretty confident you would only have mild symptoms. It is possible to be sad for a loss of innocence about our mortality and vulnerability while also celebrating each day for that wonderful worldwide web.

It is also possible to be grateful that pollution levels have dropped, while shedding tears that our local businesses are facing bankruptcy.

To feel so glad to be at home while frustrated that you cannot leave.

To feel buoyed by communities supporting one another while being angry at the selfishness and greed. To feel impatient with delays in delivery times while also being grateful there are still deliveries happening. It is possible to be concerned without being scared.

Mixed feelings aren't easy. To simultaneously hold two opposing things in our hearts or our heads at the same time in a way that is balanced takes a great deal of self-awareness and practice. However, it is something we have the capacity to articulate by the time See MESSY next page

T

his sucks! Staying at home, and when you do go out, it is all about social distancing. I am usually a hands-on kind of guy, always ready to give a complete stranger a hearty handshake and a friendly slap on the back.

Those days have been gone for some weeks now and no one is willing to venture a guess as to when they will return. Shoot, maybe I’ll be telling my eightmonth-old grandson, in a few years time, “Yes, you’re right, Wes, it does seem like a strange habit now, but years ago, the clasping of another human’s hand was just a sociable thing to do.

Also, when two individuals ‘shook’ on a deal, that deal was, from then on, written in stone. To go back on a handshake, to any people of high moral character, was inconceivable.”

Will we as a society find some other form of touching to replace the handshake? When hand-shaking was banned, some people replaced it with touching elbows. With social distancing, that is no longer acceptable. Now it is a shout and a smile.

Of course the one thing that does make this new lifestyle worthwhile is it is unMarvin Junkin questionably saving lives.

I won’t get into each country’s numbers because that becomes downright horrifying, but we as a country do have remarkably low fatality numbers. The experts tell us that they will remain low only if we as a nation, as a community, continue to remain diligent in our separation from one another, and in our handwashing.

And if you’re over 70, please stay in your house, and have your groceries delivered in by family members or volunteers.

As is usually the case in our community, hard times are bringing out the good in our residents, either through deeds or donations.

Fonthill Legion, always ready and willing to fill any community need, has been cooking and delivering meals for the town’s seniors since the beginning of this crisis. As of Easter Sunday evening, they had

cooked nearly 1,300 meals with 350 being cooked on Easter Sunday alone.

These meals have been delivered by an outstanding group of volunteers to the far reaches of the town. A spokesperson for the Legion stated that they will continue on with this service “as long as we can.”

If anyone reading this can spare a few bucks, I know they sure would appreciate the donation at the Legion.

Area businesses have also stepped up to the plate. Pelham cannabis producer CannTrust has made significant financial contributions to the Fonthill Legion, Pelham Cares and to Community Living in Grimsby, along with donating thousands of gloves and masks divided up, not only to these organizations but also to Shorthills Villa Retirement Community, Lookout Ridge, and Niagara Falls Hospital. The Town offers our sincere thanks to CannTrust for lending a helping hand to our community! If you need information on COVID-19, please go to the Town’s website.

More next week—in the meantime, keep safe, and keep smiling! ♦

Skeptical reaction to former councillor Gary Accursi's letter to current Town Council This gentleman and the previous council are the ones responsible for our previous debt and some serious bad approvals of developments. Just go and have a look at the rooflines and grading of the townhomes in the Luchetta development just off Haist road.

Appalling!

Dennis Grant Via Facebook Let us not forget, Mr. Accursi, you served on the most un-transparent council this town has ever seen and a council who repeatedly ignored the wishes of the

people. Let's again not forget, the council you served on pulled off some pretty sketchy moves to put our town in debt. As a developer, you had a big-time conflict of interest. Because of you, and the former council, and I include the Town staff who were assisting that council, it will take townsfolk like me many years to regain our trust in the municipal government.

Pamela Robb Via Facebook The major problem of the previous council was simple.

The Voice provided in depth

coverage of various samples of community centres in Niagara that were built for less money and suited their community, rather than pleasing outsiders. All of it was ignored. The same council shut off the microphones at E. L. Crossley and gave the middle finger to

residents. Hey Gary, you did not listen to the residents, why are they going to listen to you.

Rod Scapillati Via Facebook Agree that Gary Accursi makes some sound points.

Also agree that there is a

reason that the entire prior council was voted out, and taxpayers are very adamant about being heard. Many have been harmed by the stubborn willfulness that characterized the decisions of the council Mr. Accursi was part of, and most aren't interested in continuing

that pattern.

Aimee Sauve Via Facebook

These articles remind me that I need to be more involved in Pelham politics and go to meetings or watch online.

Jerry Cornelious Via Facebook

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Page 6

The Voice, April 15, 2020

Letters

DSBN REPORT

continued

MESSY

continued from previous page we are about four years old. It shows up in the expressions of, "I hate my brother and I love him too,” or, "I am glad it is snowing and I'm sad it means grandma can't visit.”

Or, as the mantra goes in our house, "It's okay to be mad, and you can't hit your brother.”

Unfortunately, this capacity shuts down when we are scared, or angry, or when we are focused so strongly on one viewpoint that we forget that we have what Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, authors of “The Whole Brain Child,” call mindsight, the ability to be cognitively aware of our feelings, and to know that we actually have options around how we feel about things.

I've heard time and again that much of the damage that will be caused from COVID-19 is from our reaction to things—the suspicions, the greed, the fear. We are snitching on neighbours, hoarding toilet paper, and yelling at our kids to wash their hands. We are doing these things because we are afraid. And if there is one lesson that would be valuable to take from this (though I know there are many many lessons I hope we take from this), it is that we can be afraid and compassionate simultaneously.

The sooner we can wrestle with the seeming contradiction of mixed feelings, and the difficulty in trying to reconcile mixed feelings (hint: they aren't intended to be reconciled; they help us maintain balance and perspective), the sooner we can find a peace through these troubled times. Only then can we emerge from a postCOVID-19 world with insights and perspectives that can deeply change the world for the better. Do I think that collectively we can manage to do this? I have mixed feelings about that. ♦ Heather Boyd is an occupational therapist supporting families with infant sleep, child development, and parenting in Niagara.

Farmers markets are essential Farmers markets should be considered an essential service. The COVID-19 global pandemic highlights the vulnerabilities in our society. Our healthcare system, our globalized economy, and our food system are all being tested.

Food supply chains have undergone major changes over the past several decades as a result of globalization. Corporations coordinate transnational shipments to precisely balance supply and demand, keeping inventories and reserves low. Under “normal” circumstances, this system results in an abundance and diversity of cheap foods right at our fingertips. It also streamlines profits into the pockets of a few. As grocery store shelves become increasingly bare, we are reminded that we cannot rely on imports during times of crisis. In this time of vulnerability, it is more important than ever to recognize the importance of rebuilding resilient local economies, including diversified local food systems.

Farmers markets are an essential component of local food systems and food sovereignty. But, as non-essential businesses are shut down across the country, many farmers markets are also being forced to close due to emergency measures undertaken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This action not only creates economic harm for local farmers but it also reduces public access to safe, healthy food.

The NFU demands that farmers markets be considered an essential service and allowed to continue operating.

Markets are able to implement proactive measures to ensure vendor and customer safety, such as moving outdoors (if they weren’t outdoors already), increasing the space between vendors, removing seating/dining areas, limiting the number of customers at a given time, and prohibiting customers from touching vendors’ items.

It is also important to note that farmers markets provide locally-grown produce with minimal post-harvest handling and significantly shorter supply chains than retail foods. Open air markets may also offer a safer alternative to grocery stores as there are fewer surfaces that need sanitizing and customer behaviour can be more easily monitored by vendors. Vendors who sell at farmers markets already must meet public health safe food handling requirements, and farmers know how to address biosecurity risks.

As long as grocery stores remain open to the public, so should farmers markets. We are privileged to live in a country that has the capacity to move towards diverse self-sufficiency — a key tenet of food sovereignty. Now more than ever we urge all levels of government to acknowledge the importance of localized food systems.

We call on governments across Canada to declare farmers markets an essential service, and to work with markets to ensure their continued safe operation and food provision capacity during the pandemic crisis. We also call on eaters to support their local farmers and other local businesses during this difficult and uncertain time.

Hilary Moore National Farmers Union

As long as grocery stores remain open to the public, so should farmers markets

W

hile the balance of the school year has still not been decided, there are many things happening with the DSBN. All teachers and principals are working diligently on perfecting the online learning systems.

We must be patient with this learning platform as it is as new to many of the teachers as it is to our students. Teachers who are not as proficient in the computer delivery of courses are receiving help from their peers and other board staff. Many people, myself included, are learning new skills that we have not taken time to learn previously. Parents are encouraged to engage in helping their children with their schoolwork. There are many links on the DSBN website for additional help. While April 6 is the starting date for many other school boards to start phase one of their “continuation of learning” plans, the DSBN is now in phase two, in which students are more closely connected to their teachers and their grade curriculum. Since March 12, when Premier Ford first announced that schools would be closed for some time after the March break, director Hoshizaki, the senior administration team and the principals and

system is asking for. The DSBN has gathered together all their supplies and has given them to the local health system.

Also, the DSBN in conjunction with Niagara Nutrition Partners has been able to provide 700 families with grocery gift cards. Over the last several years, the DSBN has run conferences highlighting concussions, etc. The money gained from these conferences is outside of what the government provides, and it is this money that is being used to help families through this difficult time. Once again, if you are or know of a family that needs this help, please do not hesitate to contact the principal at your school.

As this situation is challenging and constantly changing, the board administration is in constant contact with their labour partners, the Ministry of Education and with staff.

Every effort is being made to keep everyone in the community informed of all new developments. Please know that the school board is doing everything possible to ensure that our students continue to have interesting things to do to achieve success not only with their schoolwork but also with handling the social isolation this situation demands. Stay safe, stay healthy! ♦

The other day while doing an errand for a person who is locked-in due to knee surgery and COVID-19, I took this picture. It stopped me in my tracks as I was trying to imagine what was going through the person’s mind when they felt this was okay.

I have seen this over and over again in my 65 years. But I have never and hope never to understand why someone would do this to our beautiful country. Never mind while we are all in lockdown and fewer people are available to correct it for them. One day I hope to catch someone and actually ask them, “What is going on in your head/mind that makes you think this is okay?”

I'm done venting. Maybe the culprits will see this (hate me for bringing to everyone's attention) then miraculously they will correct their evil ways. Bless them.

Lesley H. Fonthill

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teachers have being working nonstop to get ready for this new way of delivering the curriculum.

The superintendent in charge of special education is working with community partners to develop plans to help parents of children with special needs.

For graduating students, the requirement of the 40 volunteer hours has been waived for this year.

To help students who do not have a computer at home, the board is arranging to loan them a Chromebook from the school and is working on arranging wifi.

Families have been contacted and the school administrators, in association with the Niagara Health system, are arranging for the safe pick up of the machines. If you know of any student that has not yet been contacted, please have them call or email their principal.

Also, many parents do not answer the phone when it shows an unknown number.

Many of these calls are from the school, so if you have not yet heard from your child’s teacher, please call the school.

The DSBN has also been very involved in helping the community. The schools have many things like wipes, masks, etc., and other personal protective equipment that the health

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Letters

The Voice, April 15, 2020

Page 7

continued

An extra-big thank you

Poem for the times

Many families and individuals in our community need help due to a variety of factors including low wages, job loss, injuries, illness, age or marital breakdown. While all of us are susceptible to hard times.

Services offered through Pelham Cares are available to residents of Pelham, which includes individuals and families living in Fonthill, Fenwick, Ridgeville, Effingham and North Pelham. No one is turned away!

From April 19 to 25, Volunteer Canada and Pelham Cares celebrate Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers during National Volunteer Week. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the volunteers of Pelham and surrounding communities for the work they do for Pelham Cares— helping out, giving back and having fun.

The contributions of Pelham Cares volunteers are invaluable. Over 60 volunteers contribute close to 4000 hours to carry out the services offered by Pelham Cares, and that well over 22,000 kms are driven annually by volunteers who take seniors and those in need to medical appointments across Niagara and beyond.

Pelham Cares could not exist without the hard work, dedication and con-

Justin and Doug, I could give you a hug For what you do each day But the rule is clear, six feet adhere!

In a poem I'll have my say You make me proud that I'm Canadian Ontario's where I live You have shown in all your actions That compassion's what you give And leadership, and direction And calm in what you say You've addressed this horror sensibly Together day by day You have overcome your differences In politics, in life You have shown us all what can be done Together through huge strife And so this elder citizen, with worries of her own Commends you both for standing tall In this tragic war-like zone

tributions of our volunteers.

An extra-special thanks to those who were able to continue to remain available through the COVID-19 crisis we are currently

The contributions of Pelham Cares volunteers are invaluable

facing. Taking extra protective precautions to be able to continue to meet the needs of our community goes without notice!

We could not remain open without them and our donors!

For more information on Pelham Cares or volunteer opportunities, visit the Pelham Cares website at www.pelhamcares.org Jennifer Dubé Coordinator, Client Services Pelham Cares Inc.

My thanks to our leaders of this beautiful country and to all our unsung heroes who face a common enemy each and every day, some giving the ultimate sacrifice and only asking us to Never roam, Stay at home.

A grateful Fonthill resident

CHALK IT UP TO COMMUNITY SPIRIT Neighbours on Alsop Street in Fenwick teamed up a few days ago to send message of support to essential workers.

DEB FOSTER

Page 8

The Voice, April 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

TOWN COUNCIL NEWS

Fireworks over continuation of on-demand Pelham Transit bus

BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

OMELET TIME Jennifer Dube, right, of Pelham Cares, received milk, eggs and butter paid for

by Rotary Club of Fonthill. These were sourced and delivered by Liam Clark, of M.T. Bellies last week. Rotary will cover costs of these much-needed perishable food product deliveries from M.T. Bellies bi-weekly for the next several weeks using a $1400 Rotary District Grant provided by Rotary International. Centre, Mel Groom, Past President of the Rotary Club of Fonthill. SUPPLIED

Rotary looks to make masks The Fonthill Rotary Club is putting out the call, asking for the public to donate materials to make face masks. The club is looking for quilting cotton (larger squares), tightly woven cotton, and cotton/poly blends. Old cotton or cotton/poly sheets or clean pillow cases are also acceptable. Tightly woven tea towels if they are not stained. Men's dress shirts can also

be good options. In addition, the club needs 1/8-inch elastic or 1/4-inch twill cotton ribbon.

The club believes that there is going to be an exponential need for these masks in the weeks to come, according to incoming secretary Dave Shulz.

Anyone with materials to donate is asked to contact info@rotarycluboffonthill.ca

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Holding a virtual Pelham Town Council meeting didn’t stop some spirited debate on April 6. With only Mayor Marvin Junkin and Town Clerk Nancy Bozzato present in the Town Hall chambers, the rest of council and staff joined via video conferencing. Councillors Mike Ciolfi and Ron Kore did not participate. Ciolfi was absent due to illness. Kore's absence was unexplained.

In a meeting that lasted longer than it needed to thanks to the vagaries of modern technology, Junkin shot back at councillor Lisa Haun’s position that Pelham Transit be suspended outright during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Town has reduced service to on-demand only during the crisis, and Haun suggested during the meeting that this was still irresponsible given widely accepted physical distancing guidelines.

“I’m shocked that the concern right now is saving grant money when we’re in a pandemic,” Haun said, referring to the money Pelham receives from higher levels of government under the directive that some form of transit service exist.

“We have a myriad of services that can be delivered to our homes,” Haun said, adding that there are additional support networks that have popped up since the pandemic hit.

That’s when Junkin jumped in.

“I’m sorry councillor, we are not running a service so we can use the grant money up. We are running a service because the neediest people in this town that do not have

Mayor Marvin Junkin rebuts Councillor Lisa Haun's argument that Pelham Transit's bus service be halted.

YOUTUBE the privilege of having a car, that do not have a licence— they are using our service. I think that’s a heck of a thing to accuse our staff that we’re looking at grant money. This service is said to be an essential service by the province. It’s not just us.”

Haun had earlier said she hoped the Ontario government would restrict municipal transit, but the province has continued to designate it an essential service throughout the escalating crisis.

“Where are you suggesting these needy people are going?” Haun asked Junkin.

“I haven’t gone out on the bus myself,” the Mayor replied. “The handicapped that are probably by themselves … you’d have to go on the bus and ask them. I haven’t done a personal [poll]. All I know is that people … that know what they’re doing, in bigger cities and across the province, have called public transit an essential service. Where are they going?

I have no idea. I’m sorry,

PHARMACY HOURS CHANGE

I can’t answer that trivial question. The [public health] people have given their okay on this. Please don’t tell us we’re trying to get the grant money, that’s not why we’re doing it. We’re providing a service for the neediest people of this town,” he concluded.

“Okay, that’s great,” Haun replied.

Regional Councillor Diana Huson had previously criticized Haun’s position, telling the Voice on April 5 that transit remains crucial.

“I don’t think people are using transit at this time for leisure,” Huson said. “They are using it because it is the only mode of transportation available to them for work, or to obtain essential items such as food and medicine.”

Niagara Region CAO Ron Tripp echoed that view.

“Although drastically reduced,” said Tripp, “[Region buses] still do have ridership. Based on what activities and employment has See TOWN COUNCIL Page 13

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The Voice, April 15, 2020

Page 9

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SUPPLEMENT FROM THE TOWN OF PELHAM

Town of Pelham Gypsy Moth Program T

he Town of Pelham's gypsy moth aerial spray program will commence in May (final spray dates are to be determined). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent safety measures put in place by various levels of government, public meetings to discuss this spray program are not an option.

The maps included in these pages are those that would have been supplied at the public meeting; they identify the spray blocks to receive treatment from the aerial spray program.

The identified spray blocks have been designed to have the greatest impact on preventing defoliation and protecting the health of the most vulnerable trees in accordance to the Gypsy Moth Management Policy and IPM strategy.

This year’s program is twice as large as last year's in terms of hectares sprayed.

Due to the level of infestation and program size limitations, the threshold for treatment consideration was raised from 2,500 egg masses per hectare to 5,000 egg masses per hectare for the 2020 spray program.

The Town of Pelham encourages residents with questions about the program, the printed maps, or other topics, to email gypsymoth@pelham.ca or visit www.pelham.ca/gypsy-moth for more information.

2020 Spray Zone - Map 1

2020 Spray Zone - Map 2

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14

5

49

16

4

18

54

64

20

769

765 763

320 Meters

62

22

12

60

14

Dr

ra nd 56

58

16

18

49

20

734

11

701

695

703 698

694

1169

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688

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704

1133

1132

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1118 1116

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1114

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1110

/

1110

743

719 735 Geographics, CNES/Airbus Source: Esri,753 DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar 741 DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community 717

678

635

1122

1120

730 730 728-730

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1143

788 786 794 790 792

160

765

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1155

1139

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1153

1125

1132

16 6

10

6

11

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3

733

1159 1158

12

18

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7

1167

747 753 749

60

22

5

1161

62

20

7

1171

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11

9

1175

1160

24

15

55

11 15

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2

25 23

1183

1168

14

9

4

69

66

19

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19

8

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21

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1164

12

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97

94 92

17

7

1185

1174

6

15 10

6

57

116

1191

11

34 32 30 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10

50

53

111

4

13

48 51

1211

1194

36

49

1208

2

Ker Crescent

47

1218

Alsop Avenue

1222

41

43

45

1204

Lampman Drive

4

9

7

11

6

652

54

5

68

61

68 72 70

84

85 84

75

77

656

660

1198

63

levard e B ou y Ridg 66 56 Cherr

83

83

9 8

79

81

75

77

664

Sunset Drive

762

1200

73

Garner Avenue

!

764 Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

1202

706

726

Balfour Street

Memorial Drive

Legend

1117 1115 1/2

1102

1112

1115 1113

709 711

1110 1108

1109

1106 719

1120 1118

Legend

1106 705

663

701

717

Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

Welland RoadEsri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus Source: !

DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

0

80

160

320 Meters

*Maps are uploaded to the Town of Pelham website at: www.pelham.ca/gypsy-moth and can be viewed in larger format online.

Page 10

The Voice, April 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

2020 Spray Zone - Map 3

623

617

/

609 563

603

/

501

613

561

549

565

4

513

543

Memorial Drive 562

560

550 548 546

612

542

540

514 530

1291

519

527 1285

573

561

549

553

451 1357

512

567

1351

518 557

1284 631

467

551

585

591

577

645 615

511

515

608 1286

506

508

510

512

Centre Street

566 616

C an

607 609

bor

ad o Ro

562

566

491

530

540

558

516

550

644

620 606

640

578

Cream Street

628

632

636

489

586

590

Memorial Drive

574

504

Legend 528 554

624 !

75

150

486

512 510

Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, 1159 AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

0

456

490

526

1162

44

478

501

1165

455

485

491

495

502

1169

461

465

495

501

506 1210

S A

1170

300 Meters

0

75

150

300 Meters

2020 Spray Zone - Map 6 177

165

1505

151

77

/

63 61

67

71

75

59

24

23

26

25

28

27

30

29

57 55 53 51 49

52 3

5

7

4

1394

11

6

169

12 8

10 187

189

173

201

190

209 204

198

38

37

36

35

34

33

32

31

30

29

28

27

243

216

206

257 240

66 64

250

62

232

60

236

58

248

75

56

150

68

72

70

74

n Co 63

76

78

d c or

71 67 69

80

Str

73 14

ee

77 11

19 17

t 81 16

15

18

10 8 6 4

13 14 12

9

12

9

11 9

10

7

15

rd

1370

27

1368

25

1366

23

1364

21

re St

9 7 5

1

3

1369

1365

6 8

14

50

1355

1352

1353

4

127

11

23

7

9

205

8

42 40 38 36

8

/

H

1345

t ais

Co

10

7

8

5

6

3

4

1

2

6

199

178 176 174

32

19 17

172

29

31

132

1318

1319

131

1316

11

1314

11

8

9

1312

9

6

7

1310

7

4

5

1308

3

1306

1

1302

15

131

1311

1307 5

164 162 160 158

19

17 15

1200

156

9

1194

5 3

3

1

1195

1196

7 18 16 14 12

20

1198

154

11

1192

1

1193

1191

1190

1189

33

8 8 12 o 10 1 61 5 6 nc 7 !

10 Co 14 Geographics, 59 Source: 3 4 GeoEye, Earthstar Esri, DigitalGlobe, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, 5 8 57 AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

200

22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8

35 37

75

Joyce 4

4

2

3

35

10 12 12

14

33

18

16

31

27

7

9

36

22

ent 20

8

5

1185 S

A

29 1

1187

1186

300 Meters

Cresc

6

6

24

150

/

25

11

13

15

17

19

23

21

34

32

30

2

25

33

2 2

35 1305

32

1303

34

1302

1301

4

6

29

27

25

39

Marlene S te

41

36

Pancake Lane

8

10

12

14

16

18

21

19

17

15

13 11

37

Stella Street

Pelham Street

1306

30

132

1320

15

27 25 23 21 19 17 15 11

1341

1344 Moth Spray Zones (2020) Gypsy Roads Address Points

31

1307

132

12

166 21

23

22

26

28

132

10

29

1309

133

34

35

163 161 2

168

170

37 35 33

24

1311

133

1197 5

34 32

2

1312

1330 1328

28

14

15

13

ur t

2

22

20

18

1341 1344

1

7

9

2

27 1313

24

4

6

5

20

25 43 41 39

8

2

3

17

4

0

22

10 16

26

16

14

10 12

300 Meters

1315

15

14

22

1347

1345

5

11

1350

Legend 2

9

1350

3

30

10

24

7

9

26

12

203

8 6

3 7

24

11 6

28

42 42 42 42

2020 Spray Zone - Map 9 2

38

30

32

34

11

6 4

2

3 1

36

15 13

14 12

4

2

40

18 20 22 5

7

4

18

10

9

5

8 6

86

9

11

14

10

57 55 53 51 49 47

81 16

77

73

12

61 59

48

125

7

63

71 67 69

46

123

5

16 3

121

3

10

1363

1347

4

52

88

1

1367 12

1354

3

6

1371

4

1357 2

11

et

1373

2

1360

15

56 54

100

1361 1

17

7

108

106

1375

19

18 14

oad

1372

58

94

98

162 160 1374

24

16

R

60

60

92

1377

29

22

21

82 84 86

170

n

o bor

31

20

23

24

247

172

151

64

87

111 109

1376

28

25

26

33

34 32 30

39

219

218

35

179

193

251

Ca

181

185

1390

159 159 165 159 159

175

70 68 66

62

62

1399 95 93 101 99 1397 105 97 103 1395

1398

9

48

1405 72 1403

1402 1400

190 190 190 200 190

56 54

36 38 40 42 2

34

1404 160 158 156

202

58

50

164

Daleview Crescent

32

30A

174

178

78 74

Concord Street

16

1410

170

Vinemount Drive

18

12 10 8 6 4 2

Timmsdale Crescent

20 22

250

4

72 74

70

68

66

64

254

0

155

Philmori Boulevard

/

1505

Valiant Street

205

255

37

43

23

16

wart Drive 28

26

24

22

20

18

35

1297

1292

6

8

54

0

35

70

140 Meters

55

3

Legend 5

!

21

23

19

17

25 27 31

Brewerton Boulevard

r ac e

53 52

33

1

y Ter

4

50 1295

2

le Buck

51

Beechwood Crescent

John Street 1298

Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

29

7 Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

0

35

26

70

24

20

18

140 Meters

16

14

12

10

8

6

S A

The Voice, April 15, 2020

2020 Spray Zone - Map 4 397

/

429

377

1390

305

383 381

343

361

or o

d R oa

406 377

418

341

347 373

1363 289

Ca

426 430

40

344

R oad

o nbor

328

336

346

372 380

366 368

1344

350

1329

1319

1323

1328

235

386

398

Legend 263

Legend

1310

Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

!

266

1335

1330

376

!

0

75

150

300 Meters

2020 Spray Zone - Map 7

2020 Spray Zone - Map 8

5

27

19

23

17

9

15

11

1

5

3

4

2

6

18

16

14

12

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8

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1

Oak Lane

11

8

7

6

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4

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10 8 6

29

31

35

37

27

8

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e

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er

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14 23 21

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Pl ac

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Ba k

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46 48 1

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10 8 50

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6 4 2

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12

10 8

203 56

5

48

37 39

42

49

44

47

41 Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) 43 45

Roads Bigelow Crescen t !

Address Points

45

41

32

39

24

43

46

Legend 10

37

38

45

50 48

43

40

47 49 51

42

53

46

44

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18

57

26 28 30 CNES/Airbus 24 Geographics, 5 Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe,16GeoEye, Earthstar 36 38 36DS, USDA, USGS, 16 37 14 17 Community AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User

59

0

75

1181

1176 1

4

2

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13

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5 3

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1164 1162

58 60 62 64 66 68

1

63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89

31 29 27 25 23 21 19 17 15 11 9

7

5

28 26 24 20 18 16 14

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20 18

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1150 1148

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18 16

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1140 1138 1136 1132 1130

1122

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1120

10

1177

8

1173

6

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1

52

1159 50 1157

46

1153

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42 40

16

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11

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28

37 39 41 43

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7

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54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72

24

9

3

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84

9

6

7

5

65

86

88

69

76

9

7

16

11

10

6

9

8

71 73

3

11

18 17

12

6 4 86 88

6

0

7

5

4

72

300 Meters

26

Residents not utilizing email can mail their questions to:

20 Pelham Town Square, PO Box 400, Fonthill, ON attention Jason Marr.

Questions will be compiled into themes and responses will be posted to the Town’s website.

Haist Street

1551

4

2

Those who submit via post mail are encouraged to provide a return address so that compiled responses can be sent in return.

1545

1541

Legend

!

Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

5 3 90

22 20 24 73 71 3 18 Nursery Lane 42 70 69 14 12 16 10 1135 30 28 2 1 20 40 67 8 6 65 1133 25 38 12 3 4 79 4 2 63 23 36 10 1131 5 6 64 61 21 8 34 1129 Legend 7 62 59 8 6 19 32 57 Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) 9 60 10 1125 4 12 14 16 17 22 30 55 11 2 12 58 Roads 10 18 24 15 28 53 1121 15 14 !

56 Address Points 8 26GeoEye,13Earthstar Geographics, 51 Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, 1117 16 17 5 6 54 11 7 9 11 13 17 AeroGRID, IGN, and the 24 GIS User Community 49

1141

Email your questions to gypsymoth@pelham.ca

28

7

t s c en e Cre cesid 89 91 93 95 u r p S 85 87

Unsure if your address is included in the spray block? A full list of addresses included in the various spray blocks can be found at www.pelham.ca/gypsy-moth.

2

9

1

2020 Spray Zone - Map 10

4

17 15

14

8

5

7

12 14 16

13

7 67

5 3

10

80 82 3

5

15

12 82

3

17

14

76 78 80

10

4

16

35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63

23 21 19 17 15 13 11 33 31 29 27 25 9

25

18

5

Millbridge Crescent

22 20 18 16 14 34 32 30 28 26 24 12

4

20

7

11

6

27

22

18

14

8

29

26

15

12

45 47

10

31

28

11

33 31 29 27 25 23 21 19 17 15 13

35 33

30

19

11 15 17 19 21 23

39

34

17

43

36

36 38 32

38 36

10

21

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11

9

25

17

14

2

23

Bigelow Crescent

Cross Hill Road

48

1155

1149

15

1

3

1161

1147

1124

25

50

4 3

Meadowvale Drive 25

60 62 66

150

12 10

12

1179

20

17

14

21 18

19

16

1168 15

1

41

54 52

1183

1180

14 16

23

18

1185

1184

3

12

55

3

16

14

40

1186

7

32

38

1

Vista Drive

17

9

8 6

28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8

59

35

34

36

38

8

7

6

2

23

Shoalts Drive

46

3

9

8

26

42

15

Pancake Lane

50 48

5

12

5

17 15

7

24

11

12

11

2

53 51 49 47 45 43 39

9

4

10

49 51

14

2

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10

47 4

11

9

26

3

5

14 12

45

8

9

6

8

20

8

25

23

41

6

Damude Drive

25

17

21

19

27

Bruce Wood

29

7

5

3

1

Orchard Place

31

17

15

13

11

9

39

7

31

33

37

3

5

12

4

22

21

1187

Parkhill Road

4

6

20

1189

Willowdale Court

1337

22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8

35

1190

Deer Park Crescent

/

14

1

Longspur Circle

1

15

33

200

16

21

Fern Gate

23

3

Haist Street

37

Kathy Court

18

27

Berkwood Place

37 35 33 31 29

43 41 39

5

Gypsy Moth Spray Zones (2020) Roads Address Points

1313 277

257

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, 279Community AeroGRID, IGN, and1311 the GIS User

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

7

252 256

260

1341

1332

358

1326

270 268 274

1339

1336

332

284

294

1340

360

272

282

364 362 374

250

287 286

304 302

316 312 310 322 320 306

257

261

265

269

273

281 279

285

353

422

247

1369

1368

311

319

333

243

1383

390

421

b

317

380

415

C an

337

351

405

425

325

329

te

393 391

399

369

251 1389

Whitehall Ga

387

Page 11

2020 Spray Zone - Map 5

Effingham Street

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Responses are anticipated to be posted to the Town’s website the week of April 20.

Page 12

Home control metHods The Voice, April 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Gypsy Moth is in the egg stage between early September and late April. Egg masses can be found on tree trunks, branches, buildings and on objects around the house. As one egg mass contains about 300 eggs, by destroying them you significantly reduce the number of caterpillars that emerge in spring. Scrape off egg masses with a dull knife and place them in soapy water for a few days before discarding them in the garbage. If they fall to the ground crush them with your shoe.

Late April to Late May Place sticky barriers, or bands on the tree trunk Wrap duct tape around the tree trunk and apply a thin coat of sticky material (commercially available at most garden centres) to the duct tape. Alternatively you may use a double band of duct tape, the outer band with the sticky side out. This band will prevent smaller caterpillars from climbing the tree.

Mid-May to Early June Spray with bacterial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki (Btk). The primary objective is to protect vulnerable trees from moderate to severe defoliation. Reducing the nuisance factor caused by the presence of gypsy moth is an additional benefit of this treatment Consider having your trees sprayed with Btk by a licensed pesticide applicator if: • There are a high number of egg masses that cannot be removed mechanically from the trees.

• Large numbers of egg masses are on susceptible tree species, primarily on oaks, birches, beeches and spruces.

• If damage that is caused by gypsy moth feeding is severe for at least one or two previous years, another severe defoliation event may cause the decline or death of the host tree.

Late May to August Replace sticky bands with burlap (cloth) bands. Trap and destroy caterpillars by placing burlap (cloth) bands on trees. Wrap burlap that is approximately one metre wide around the tree trunk, tie it at the middle with a rope and fold it. Caterpillars feed at night and find shelter from the heat during the day. They will congregate under the burlap. Destroy caterpillars from under the burlap every late afternoon before they crawl back to the canopy to feed. Caterpillars can be killed by squishing them or placing them in soapy water. Use this method until all the caterpillars finish their life stage, usually in August, and turn into cocoons and later into adult moths.

For a full list of frequently asked questions, a gypsy moth fact sheet, and news and updates on the gypsy moth spray program, visit: www.pelham.ca/gypsy-moth Why is the Town planning an aerial spray?

The Town is facing a gypsy moth population rise that is affecting Pelham’s tree canopy. Elevated levels of gypsy moth have caused severe defoliation of trees in certain areas of the Town. This has led to potential negative impacts on the overall health of many trees on both Town and privately-owned property.

While the Town will continue to implement ongoing IPM measures, it will also conduct an aerial spray in areas predicted for severe defoliation. Aerial spraying has proven in the past to be very effective in lowering gypsy moth populations. Although the aerial spray won’t eradicate all traces of the insect, it will naturally lower populations to a more manageable level.

What type of pesticide is being used?

The Town of Pelham will be using a product that contains Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki (Btk). The product is registered under the trade name Foray® 48B. Btk is a naturally occurring bacteria found in soil. Btk is not a chemical. Btk was successfully used by the City of Toronto in 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2017 to control gypsy moth populations. The Cities of Mississauga and Oakville have

completed similar spray programs in the past. The City of Hamilton will be conducting an aerial spray program with this same product this spring as well.

What organisms does Btk pesticide affect?

Btk only works against organisms that go from egg to larvae to pupae to moth (lepidopterans). Btk does not affect adult moths and butterflies, including the monarch butterfly, as it is not in the caterpillar stage and feeding on plant material at this time of the year. Btk does not affect other insects, honeybees, fish, birds, or mammals.

How does Btk work?

Btk produces a protein that is toxic only to the larvae (caterpillars) of specific insect species. When ingested by susceptible insects, the toxic protein molecules break down the walls of the insect’s stomach causing the insect to stop feeding. The insect usually dies within two to five days.

Who regulates Btk use in Canada?

Btk has been approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, an agency of Health Canada, for aerial use over urban areas.

Not in the Town program's spray blocks but would like to book service with a private contractor?

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, April 15, 2020

Page 13

TOWN COUNCIL

continued from Page 8 been deemed non-essential, it is fair to say that most, if not all, still using transit, are using it for essential employment, shopping for food, or access to support services.

We do not want to cease transit operation for those that require it for this need.”

Director of Culture, Recreation and Wellness Vickie vanRavenswaay said the on-demand bus service is limiting passengers to four at a time, and that the bus itself is “cleaned and sanitized every hour and a half.”

Elsewhere on the COVID-19 front, Fire Chief and Chief Bylaw Enforcement Officer Bob Lymburner gave an update on how the Town has been handling the pandemic.

“We’re in some very difficult times, very uncharted waters,” Lymburner said.

“We need to protect our seniors.”

He said the Pelham Fire Department is still responding to calls, and that volume is down somewhat. He also credited local businesses for taking the situation seriously.

“The ones that are open are doing a great job, they’re limiting the access into their buildings, they’re constantly cleaning,” he said. “The general public is generally playing by the rules.”

Lymburner also said that COVID-19 notice signs in Spanish have gone up in parts of town for the area’s seasonal migrant workers.

He reported that as of April 1, five farms had brought in 41 migrant workers. Under fed-

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Council, staff, and delegations teleconferenced into the meeting, while the Mayor and Clerk were in Council Chambers. DON RICKERS eral law, they are required to quarantine for 14 days.

More traditional goings-on

Council accepted a presentation from Summerside Mews developer Drew Toth, who appeared via video link to defend his development’s parking plan. Council had asked for discussion on the matter at its previous gathering, with many members concerned the new East Fonthill housing units will see spillover into the adjacent community centre parking lot. One of council’s objections related to proposed walkways that would connect the new street with the frequently-at-capacity lot. While some councillors thought that this could invite illegal parking at the MCC, Toth said the pathways simply promote walkability.

(Similar walkways can be found all over older Fonthill developments.)

Toth’s plan also calls for a total of 78 parking spaces as part of the new development,

20 more than are required under the zoning bylaw.

Council voted to go into closed session for legal advice, likely to be told that the Town had the slimmest of chances at prevailing should council turn down the development at this late stage and see it challenged at a tribunal. When the public video feed came back on, council agreed to have the site plan submitted for approval at their next meeting.

Council also voted to allow a duplex at 1084 Quaker Road to continue existing as-is. Homeowners Rick and Del Laney had been pleading with the Town for months over their secondary unit, which only came to light when the family required accessibility upgrades, necessitating a building permit. Council agreed to rezone the subject property on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The fact that a triplex has existed on the neighbouring property for several years was also a consideration.

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Page 14

The Voice, April 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

FICTION At a Loss

By Colin Brezicki

I

sensed that Myra Strickland would be a challenge the moment she sailed into my office. She grasped my hand, announced herself, then swept over to my couch like she’d been here before.

Her outfit—white blouse open at the neck, tailored blue blazer, designer jeans worn tight like a second skin, oxblood ankle boots with stiletto heels— seemed more suited for combat than counseling.

As a grief therapist I’m used to clients looking washed-out and sleep-deprived, and so I try to provide a subdued ambience— recessed lighting, a potted philodendron in one corner and a peace lily in another, an ornamental waterfall to fill the silences.

The energy that swept into the room after her made me a little concerned for my peace lily. I tried to conceal my unease as I sat down opposite this pert, embellished forty-something. Spiky white hair like a cockatoo, hooped earrings and a diamond stud in the side of her nose. A cursive tattoo that began behind her left ear trailed away under her collar.

Her name now seemed oddly familiar to me, though I couldn’t think why.

She had lost her partner, so I thought to begin by asking her about him.

But she jumped in before I

could.

“I’ve never done anything like this, Dr. Drummond, so I’m a little nervous.”

I nodded. She seemed in complete control of herself.

“We’ll proceed a little step at a time, Ms. Strickland, I assure you.” Her smile already looked assured. “So, what do you think you would like to tell me about yourself and your partner.”

“Ethan. His name is Ethan. Ethan Starr.”

“Yes.” She seemed to have forgotten his surname for a second. Now she hesitated.

“Can you give me a moment, Doctor?”

“Please. Take all the time you want.”

She stared into space like she was meditating. A good half-minute passed in silence.

“Ms. Strickland?”

“I’m sorry. Even over the trickle of your waterfall thing I can hear the clock ticking. Such a soothing tick. I’m afraid I drifted away.”

“The clock?”

“Your carriage clock. It gets inside your head. Hypnotic, really. Is that why you have it?”

“It was an anniversary gift.”

“Jade? Emerald?”

“Onyx, I believe.”

“I meant which anniversary. How long have you been married?”

“Twenty-two years. But

I’ve got your back

let’s get back to you, shall we? Do you think you can tell me about Ethan?”

“He was my hero,” she said, gazing at the clock again. “Then, over time, he became someone I couldn’t really live with anymore.

He resisted me, you see. It’s like he changed—evolved sort of—into someone I didn’t know.”

She seemed to be holding an abstract of her deceased partner at arm’s length and examining the meaning of it all—Hamlet with Yorick’s skull.

“Did he think you were trying to control him?”

I try to remain objective with my clients but I found myself beginning to sympathize with the dearly departed.

She looked at me. “Can I ask you why you say ‘do you think’ and ‘did he think’ all the time?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware.”

“I noticed right away. I pay attention to the words people use, you see. So why do you do it—do you think?”

“Habit, I suppose. I like to invite my clients to

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speak without pressuring them.”

“No big deal. It’s just a little distracting.”

“I’ll try and watch that, then. Please, you were telling me about Ethan.”

“So, to your question, did Ethan think I was trying to control him. I don’t doubt it. And to be honest I sometimes feel a little guilty about not giving him more space. But he was so bloody-minded.

Occasionally, I had to leave the room in the middle of an argument so I didn’t murder him. The thing was, he never admitted his co-dependency. Now it’s too late.

For both of us.”

“You think he was co-dependent?” She mentioned the term like she fully understood the condition.

“He had the symptoms.”

“Which ones?”

“All of them. Anger. Denial. Obsession. Control.

Sexual repression—with me anyway—no communication or trust or personal boundaries. You name it, he had it.”

“Did you argue a lot?”

“All the time. He’d even invent issues just so

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he could take the opposite side. Ethan was good at that—he taught politics at university, you see, and figured he knew everything. You could never tell him what to think.

He was a rebel back in his own student days as well.

Always bucking authority and leading protests.

Green Peace. Afghanistan.

Iraq invasion. You get the picture. He was arrested twice—public mischief, damage to property, that kind of thing. He’s an intellectual too, you know—a doctorate from Harvard, the whole enchilada—his students think he’s God, and his colleagues give him a wide berth. The university admin don’t like him, but if they were ever to dismiss him his students would riot.”

She spoke of him now in the present tense, not unusual for people struggling with loss. I returned Ethan to the past.

“What attracted you to him, do you think—sorry— what drew you to him when you first met?”

“He was a force. Dangerous but exciting—like Heathcliff I used to think, and, yes, sometimes I felt I was Catherine, attracted to him and repelled at the same time. Is that crazy or what? But his students and his politics mean more to him than I do. It’s like I don’t exist.”

She fixed her cold blue eyes on me.

“He had affairs, you know. After he started shutting me out. Oh sure, he denied his fling with the grad student, but I knew. I could imagine every sordid detail. The nights he came back smelling of sex and cologne. The text messages on his phone. I checked her out of course. Samantha something, I can’t remember now. Brunette and slim, gorgeous—I mean, who isn’t these days.”

“You met her?”

“Saw her. I started tracking his movements.”

“And he had others, you say?”

“Ethan gave off charm and libido. When I first met him I could get off just imagining being with him.

Yes, he had others.”

I resisted asking what their own sex life was like.

It seemed as complex as everything else. She was describing a deeply enigmatic relationship. Even now, the way she spoke of him like he was still alive, yet accepting of his death.

So why was she here? She gestured the whole time she talked, her hands signaling like semaphores, eyes scanning the room as if tracking Ethan’s ghost.

I felt she was holding something back, and so I

invited her to talk about how he died. I expected some sort of dramatic encounter—a jealous lover perhaps, or a vengeful husband. But it wasn’t like that at all.

She eyed me warily as she spoke.

“One afternoon as Ethan was crossing the street on his way to meet a colleague for lunch—or maybe another young bombshell for a roll in the hay, not that it really matters now—he was run over by a Number Ten bus and died at the scene.”

“When was this?”

What on earth difference did the bus number make, or her uncertainty about whom he was on his way to meet when it ran over him?

“It happened yesterday.”

She looked at me like she’d just delivered a punch line and was curious to see if I’d got it.

I had. Finally. And I realized now why her name was familiar. Mid-range on the best-seller lists— though not for some time now.

“The driver wasn’t charged because Ethan was texting when he stepped off the curb. Totally in character, he died as he lived, consumed by whatever he was doing at the time. Writing. Teaching.

Texting a colleague—or a lover.”

“Larger than life, in other words.”

“Your words.”

“What about yours?”

“They were all my words.” Her voice softened.

“Ethan was mine, too.”

“Until he wasn’t anymore.”

“Yes.” “So you did what you had to.”

“You can’t let them take over. I mean, you want a challenge, sure. But once he assumed control I couldn’t keep him. It would never have worked after that.”

“So you threw him under a bus.”

“What choice did I have?”

“And now?”

“It’s all dead. Gone belly up.” Her voice wavered.

“I should have anticipated that. The others are zombies without Ethan, and I’ve lost the plot. Literally, I mean. This has never happened to me before.”

She gazed at me, her eyes misting.

“I have to let it all go and I don’t know how. So I need you to show me the way.”

W

e’re adapting to our unusual challenges, Ms. Strickland and I—she to a failed work of fiction, and I to a client grieving for the death of someone who never existed.

At least now we’re on the same page. ♦

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, April 15, 2020

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Page 15

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In this view from the east fence of the Lookout Point Country Club, the greens were appropriately empty last Friday.

DON RICKERS

Golf addicts trespass to get their fix For some, it's putter over pandemic

BY DON RICKERS

Special to the VOICE

Golfers tend to be an anxious bunch. As spring beckons, they dust off their clubs and eagerly anticipate getting back on the fairways.

COVID-19 restrictions have put a damper on golf in Niagara, despite the fact that the weather has been conducive to an early start to the season. But government edicts are not enough to thwart those who are truly addicted. The rationale is simple: it’s a nice day, the turf is green, there’s nobody around, so what’s the harm in hopping the fence and smacking a few balls off the 9th tee? And while I’m at it, why not finish off with a chip and putt?

All this can come at a price much higher than green fees, however.

Global News reported on April 4

that three people are each facing $750 fines for golfing on a closed municipal course in Hamilton. The charges were laid at Chedoke Golf Course by Hamilton Police, under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA), currently in force as part of a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Dan Greenwood, the General Manager at Lookout Point Country Club in Fonthill, sent an email to the club membership recently reminding them that the course is officially closed until further notice, and that trespassers will be prosecuted by the Niagara Regional Police. He mentioned that course technicians have already shooed a number of over-zealous types from the lush lawns.

“April 22nd was to be the official start to our golf season this year, but obviously we have had to push that into the future,” said Greenwood. “I know people are getting antsy to play, but they are just going to have to be patient.”

Incredulously, these interlopers, when challenged, often respond with ignorance of the laws in place.

Sir, the course is closed. Really, it is. See the signs? No flags on the greens, right? No refrigerated golf

cart trundling along the pathways with your favorite cold beer, right?

Nobody in your face to collect green fees, right? No cars in the parking lot, right? Did you notice that the gates and all the doors are locked?

Passion for golf can run amok, like a junkie’s cravings for crack.

Gentlemen (I assume that the transgressors are of the male gender): leave your sticks in the bag for a bit. They’ll still be there when the courses open again in the (hopefully) not–too-distant future.

Spend some quality time at home. With your kids, remember?

And your wife…yes, the lady who irons your golf slacks. Talk to your family. They may even share your grief at the fact that the Masters has been postponed to November.

Page 16

The Voice, April 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

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FAITH LIFT

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we listen more closely to our neighbours, speak out continued from Page 19 when necessary, perhaps The Voice of Pelham ad size Advertiserand respond differently THE VOICE OF PELHAM shines out to others.Service He then givesadthis challenge, “Let ci’s bright light shine had Directory Fonthill Rlectric Ltd search for broad positives? your light shine before men, that they may see your good illuminatedCreative our home, and Director w:2.5” x h: 1.75” Let us use this timeName we Contact deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) everything Tarja became immeBarton have to reflect,Taryn absorbing Infowords. The apostle Peter exWilton Our good deeds also Color involve diately real.email Our daughthese thoughts during a black only horted early believers, “Always be prepared to give an ter was now in the battle, Contact Phone graphics@thevoiceofpelham.ca long bike ride, if you will. answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for compelled to fight.

Due Date To those of 905.401.5748 you strugthe hope that you have.

But do this with This light shines on Marketing Director Friday, March 18 at noon gentleness and gling on the “front lines,” Contact email respect…” (1 Peter 3:15). what’s important to each Dave Burket THE busy or frightened or exRundate(s) info@fonthillelectric.ca This is what happened after the feast of Pentecost of us, and email must strike us hausted as you might be, Mar.resurrection 23, Apr. 6, 20, May 18, shortly after the death, and 4, ascension of Jedeeply to pierce our walls advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca please do your best to share June 1,That 15 and 29. faith was so contasus (see Acts chapter 2). early of routine, belief and cyni905.892.8690 with us your experiences, cism. But for those of Costwere “infected” in one day and Approved By:you, what you have found to beDate:gious that 3000 people “the Lord added to their those who were of us, that have felt it, it $42 pernumber insertiondaily plus HST. of value. Dedication, debeing saved.” (Acts 2:47) will surely last longer than votion to a team, the digTerms: Due on publication Wouldn’t it be great if the vibrant faith of believers a bike wash, beer or flight nity each person deserves, around the world today was so contagious that it would home. With any luck, it self-assessment and the be unstoppable, spreading from person to person, city to will be with us forever forresultant strength to accity, and nation to nation. That would be a truly epic epward. cept and respond, to keep idemic that would rock the world for good. And then like When the glare of your going when others might the early believers (in Acts 17:6) we too could be accused shine strikes, what will give up. of “turning our world upside down”! ♦ be its cause?

Will there The rest of us are recepthen be an opportunity tive now, the bright light Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor who is trying his best to to turn our personal unis shining, and your words be spiritually contagious. derstanding and empathy might stay with us this into societal benefits? Will time. They will for me. ♦ continued from Page 17

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The Voice, April 15, 2020

Page 17

FROM THE HANDLEBARS

by John Swart

What will it take for you?

T

he essence of a bicycle ride is to experience a sensation, to provide a chance to absorb the world around us in less filtered terms, and at its best, cause us to reflect on those sensations.

A simple ride along familiar roads and trails allows us to luxuriate contentedly in how good we have things, and we realize we should be thankful. Those positive thoughts stay with us for a minute or an hour, usually until we’re finished washing and lubricating our bike.

Find a guy or woman who’s fast or dedicated or competitive riding beside you, exchange that glance, and the race is on. The adrenaline and intense pleasure of turning oneself inside out to battle a challenger are intoxicating. To experience this is a privilege, and we are thankful. This revelation will last for a moment, maybe even longer than a cold, post-ride beer if we’re lucky, but then it will fade.

While bicycle travelling, the spectrum of possible emotions is infinite. Wonder and awe at remarkable scenery, being simply overwhelmed by natural beauty, are expected.

When touring historic and religious sites, pagan, Islamic, Christian, Buddhist or Hindu, each of us takes away intensely personal and divergent thoughts from the experience. Meeting strangers, and being immersed in the kindness and the humanity we share, is common. We feel thankful to have seen and experienced these things, and been affected by fresh insights that we may retain longer than the plane flight home if we’re fortunate.

There are those few of us that truly absorb these opportunities, that allow these insights to impact us deeply, to stay with us, and cause an adjustment to our behaviour.

Doctor Anthony Fauci, physician and immunologist, took the lectern unbidden at Ameri-

ca’s daily COVID-19 news festival, to comment on the disparate death rate from the virus between blacks, latinos and whites.

He stated, “When we are in the middle of a crisis...it really does shine a very bright light on the real weaknesses and foibles in our society.”

What is society but a group of individuals? It’s you and I. Will this pandemic shine its bright light for us, illuminate something we have missed or lost or forsaken? And if it does, will the light last for more than the time it takes to wash a bike, drink a beer or a complete a flight home?

It just might.

We have older neighbours who were caught in Florida for reasons beyond their control. He broke his arm and ripped his shoulder in a fall, meaning they couldn’t drive or fly commercial airlines to repatriate. Other friends were caught in a cruise ship nightmare, their predicament unfathomable to most of

us, and our community was concerned for each of them.

Our best friends’ daughter is a nurse practitioner at a rural hospital, and her husband is a general surgeon at the same facility. At the time of writing, their hospital has only one known case of COVID-19, and a satisfactory amount of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) —for now.

Their plight is important to us, and we’re following it closely, although not consumed by it. As in the cases of our neighbours, Dr. Fauci’s shine has not fully embraced us.

Our nephew is an in-patient physician in Australia, tasked to work in a rural hospital. His partner is a stroke ward nurse, employed by a large hospital south of Melbourne, where the negative pressure bed on her ward is being sequestered for suspected COVID-19 patients. We hear the news about them regularly, that they’re becoming exhausted, have been forbidden to

take holidays until September at the earliest, but are still working every day in their respective hospitals. We’re concerned and wish them well, try to imagine what they’re thinking, then go about our daily routine.

You know our son and his wife are in Amman, Jordan if you’re a regular reader of the Voice.

Their military lockdown has been relaxed slightly to allow citizens to walk or cycle to get food and medicine. Driving is still forbidden. We worry a little about them, but consider them resourceful and strong. And they are so far away, now physically impossible to reach, that our life continues routinely.

Then the text appeared from our daughter, in her workplace, and everything became immediately real.“Just wanted to let you know we have a positive case.”

There was little conversation between my wife and me. Dr. FauSee HANDLEBARS Page 16

Voice

HOROSCOPE

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS APRIL 12 Claire Danes, Actress (41) APRIL 13 Allison Williams, Actress (32) APRIL 14 Abigail Breslin, Actress (24) APRIL 15 Emma Watson, Actress (30) APRIL 16 Bill Belichick, Coach (68) APRIL 17 Jennifer Garner, Actress (48) APRIL 18 Chloe Bennet, Actress (28)

SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. Raceme 2. Plural 3. Medullas 4. PD 5. Senegalese 6. Anodes 7. Linin 8. Meeting 9. SD 12. Imam 13. Rani 17. Sic 19. Italy 20. Nomia 21. Gramp 25. Exonerates 29. Era 31. Clams 32. Belau 33. Skull 35. LA Lakers 38. Smother 41. Bonnie 43. Alamos 44. Purser 45. SMA 46. Ento 47. Died 49. Daily 56. BW 57. DT

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

quite slowly for you, but that does not mean progress has not been made.

You’ll realize after a few weeks how far you’ve come.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, the last few weeks may have come off as humdrum, and that’s probably because you didn’t take any chances. Be more bold in the days to come.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, ask yourself how you want to see your finances grow. Then you can speak with a financial planner and make your dreams a reality.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Everything that involves you moves up on the priority list, Aquarius. Even though you’re known for putting others first, this all needs to change if you are to progress.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, take some time this week to be alone and seek inner peace.

During these times of contemplation you can focus on future plans.

SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. RPM 4. Psalms 10. Ale 11. Denied 12. IR 14. Cud 15. Noone 16. Maseru 18. Editing 22. Animal 23. Genitor 24. Micelle 26. As 27. Nama 28. Axel 30. Glim 31. CBS 34. Sorel 36. Yap 37. Leks 39. NASA 40. Alum 41. Be 42. Elapsed 48. Malodor 50. Alumni 51. Sultana 52. Karate 53. Hint 54. EMS 55. OD 56. Belied 58. Roe 59. Wryest 60. SSR

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Hang on to a source of real empowerment in your career, Aries. It may take willpower and dedication, but you can make it happen when your mind is on the goal.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 You can accomplish anything you set your mind to, Taurus. This may even mean being the boss of yourself with self-discipline. Ask friends to help keep you stay the course.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 You have the potential to lay the groundwork now for events that will pay dividends throughout the next few years, Gemini. Get a team of trusted advisors on your side.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, while others may be focusing on their careers, you understand the importance of zeroing in on your relationships and love life. Keep those you care about close.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Work will dominate the week, but make sure you advocate for fair treatment while you are hard at work, Leo. Check that payment is in full and timely.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 There will be no surprises for you this week if you simply stay the course with your actions, Virgo. Go about your normal routine and things will work out just fine.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, change things at home so you can better care for children or other people in your charge. A lot of progress can still be made if you redirect your attention.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, things may be moving

Page 18

The Voice, April 15, 2020

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THE SHOW MUST GO ON Pelham businesses did their best to adapt last week as the province laid down stricter rules for physical distancing. Top, Ruffin's Pets owner Bonnie Turner prepares to be paid through glass. Above, Peter Piper's server Kelly delivers take-out curbside. Below, Beamer's Hardware sets up on the sidewalk. Upper left, PetValu manager Kathy Dixon delivers to a customer in the parking lot. Bottom, Avondale Manager Darlene Servis is now behind a shield. BOB LOBLAW

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The Voice, April 15, 2020

Voice

FAITH LIFT

by Pastor Rob Weatherby

CROSSWORD SPONSORED THIS WEEK BY

Is your faith contagious?

T

he coronavirus is obviously on everyone’s mind these days. It’s the worst pandemic that the world has seen to date. The number of Canadians affected (and infected) has now surpassed SARS. All of this has got me thinking about the word “contagious.”

From one person Just think, this all started with one person in China. They think this person lived in the city of Wuhan, which is located in east-central China (west of Shanghai, south of Beijing and north of Hong Kong, for those of you who like geography). This city is home to over 11 million people and most in the west hadn’t even heard of it before the virus hit!

There is speculation that somehow the original virus was first transmitted from an animal to this human.

Think of it. That one person has now infected the world! (If he’s still alive I can imagine he’s feeling pretty bad about it all.)

This shows the power of contagion and multiplication. The growth of this virus has been exponential.

In other words, the virus went viral! (Pun intended, groans anticipated.)

Also from one person This reminds me of a biblical truth of something else that was (and is) bad that spread rapidly.

I’m referring to “sin.”

You can read the original narrative in the first book of the Bible —Genesis (chapter 3). It describes what has been called “original sin.”

That’s not because it was more creative than other sins (besides there were no other sins to compare it with). The word “original” here refers to its status as

the very first sin or act of man’s disobedience to God. Since that time, every human born has been “infected” with a sin nature or a disposition or tendency to sin. You can see it clearly in small children who are very transparent and too young to cover up their selfish nature. Put one toy in front of two toddlers and you’ll see what I mean. I have six grandchildren and I love them dearly. They are all very cute like their grandmother (she told me to write that). But I have to be honest — they are cute little sinners!

The apostle Paul de-

Page 19

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scribed it this way, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Contagious faith This leads me to a final thought. If you’re a believer, how contagious is your faith? Mark Mittelberg’s book, “Becoming a Contagious Christian,” asks this question. Is your life nudging people closer to the Lord or further away?

Jesus compared the believer’s life to a light which See FAITH LIFT Page 16

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Page 20

The Voice, April 15, 2020

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The Legion that launched a thousand meals

BY HELEN TRAN

Special to the VOICE

When regular operations at the Fonthill branch of the Royal Canadian Legion had to cease due to the COVID-19 pandemic, branch president Toni McKelvie wanted to find ways to still serve the Pelham community. It was McKelvie’s idea to use ex-

isting supplies to prepare “heat and serve dinners” for seniors and veterans in Pelham.

These meals come with no charge, and are prepared and delivered by McKelvie and a small group of volunteers. Since starting earlier this month, the Legion has delivered nearly 1300 meals to seniors.

Gilberts Flowers Left, Al Crowe lets a delicious hunk of ham know who's in charge. Above, Dianna Chalmers packages it all up.

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“Myself and other volunteers look forward to getting these meals out,” said McKelvie, “and just knowing that they are getting some warm meals makes us feel good.”

Meals have included roast

beef, meatloaf, meatballs, chicken, ham, scalloped potatoes, vegetables, and dessert. The supplies for and the preparation of these meals was made possible through donations from the Toronto

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Nearly 300 Easter dinners were delivered on Saturday, with more to be delivered on Sunday.

“I’m happy that seniors are calling, that’s what we are for, to help them,” said McKelvie.

Aside from the heat and serve dinners, the Legion also does a Friday Night Fish Fry (take-out only), where people can pick up fish, fries and coleslaw for $10-$14.

The branch did a Good Friday take-out special which completely sold out. Some 700 pieces of fish and 600

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The Legion will provide these meals for as long as the kitchen is able to remain operational through volunteer availability and continued donations.

“We will get through this,” said McKelvie, “and when we do, I would love to meet all of you and I feel like you are all part of my family.”

Those who wish to make a financial donation or to arrange meal delivery for seniors and veterans can contact McKelvie through email at toni_6131@hotmail.com, or by leaving a message with the Legion at 905-892-6293.

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